How was Hitler able to rise to power by 1933?

Several factors contributed to the rise of Hitler during the early 20th century, culminating in his domination of Germany, and the collapse of the Weimar Republic. Firstly it is important to consider the state of Germany before Hitler rose to power; the Treaty of Versailles signed by Germany after WWI meant Germany had to take a lot of blame and pay many reparations for their role in the war. This not only depleted German finances, but also isolated Germany from other European countries. The Depression which followed led to hyperinflation and a struggling German economy which heightened poverty and disatisfaction amongst the German population, and made many of them desperate. Hitler took advantage of this desperation to rise to power, promising to increase employment and the economy, which to poor and struggling Germans was what they needed; desperate times really do call for desperate measures. Hitler also used the political situation at the time to rise to power. Although other major parties in Germany had more support than the Nazi party, they wouldn't work together, and had failed the German people since the first world war. The Nazi's main opponent was the Communist party, another extremist politcal party like the Nazis. In 1933 the Reichstag was set alight supposedly by a Communist, Hitler used this as an excuse to attack Communism and arrest many communists, which resulted in Hitler winning a majority in the later election, making him head of the government, and in a position to further raise his power. Perhaps the most important factor in Hitler's rise to power was his passing of the Enabling Act in 1933 which allowed him to make laws without approval by anyone else, essentially the beginning of the Nazi dictatorship as Hitler could make any rules without opposition. This enhanced the role of the Nazi Gestapo who Hitler used to spy and arrest opposers of Nazism to further enhance his power in Germany, as well as circulating propaganda to get continued support- whether that be through fear or not- from the population, until he had almost complete power. Overall, Hitler was able to rise to power by 1933 by taking advantage of the poor economic situation of Germany at the time, by bringing down his opposing political parties, and by gaining totalitarian control over Germany through his laws and the use of the Gestapo.

Answered by Monica P. History tutor

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