Of course, the Great Depression was the key factor that led to a Nazi-led coalition in 1933 and yes, Hitler was helped into power by the intrigue of the elites. Yes, too, party policies and party organisation were also important in making the Nazi Party the biggest party in the Reichstag. All of this is true. Yet take Hitler out of the equation and would we be studying Nazi Germany? I think not. Germany might well have seen a return to some kind of Right-wing authoritarian government, perhaps a military dictatorship. But not a Nazi government.
Germany got a Nazi government in 1933 because of the astuteness, determination and bravery of Adolf Hitler. It was Hitler that was astute and brave enough to lead the Munich putsch in 1923, to see the opportunities his trial gave him, who associated Mein Kampf (My Struggle) with Germany’s struggle and who realised he had to change tac after the failed putsch and take the longer route to power: through the electoral process. It was Hitler who stood against the revered Hindenburg for the presidency in 1932, and stood up to him when, as leader of the biggest party, he refused to be anything but Chancellor. And it was Hitler’s leadership, not just his speech-making but his vision in seeing the need to organise the party to win elections, that put them in a position to demand power.
Hitler gave the Nazi Party its image. He made sure it had a flag, the Swastika, which with its colours of red, white and black, the same colours as the German imperial flag, forged a link with the Kaiser’s Germany. It was to become by far the best known political symbol in Germany. Once he was released from prison in December, 1924, he set about making sure his leadership of the Party was not in doubt and that the Party would be fit to fight for power through the ballot box. It took time but by 1928, a Party structure began to be put in place that geared it up to recruit members and fight elections.
And yes, Hitler himself was a charismatic speaker. I write in my e-book on his rise to power how people talked of being trapped by the gaze of his fierce blue eyes, by his passion and ferocity. He developed a strategy for his speeches that left his audience ecstatic, wild with enthusiasm. And whilst continuing to criticize Weimar, blame the November criminals and Jews and the British and the French for all of Germany’s woes, he also made sure that for every problem, the Nazis offered a solution. Weimar provided weak government and indecisive leadership, he would provide strong, decisive leadership. Reparations had made the depression so much worse in Germany, then tear up the Treaty of Versailles. Germany could fall prey to Communism? Not with the Nazis and the SA. They know how to deal with Communists. And as for the most pressing crisis: unemployment, a Nazi government would provide jobs.
Hitler was the Nazis trump card, the strong leader that Germany needed. He was seen as a man devoted to Germany. He was portrayed as Germany’s saviour, Germany’s last hope. The Hitler-factor was critically important in explaining a Nazi-led coalition.