How does Interpretation A differ from Interpretation B about Hitler’s appeal to the people of Germany? (4)

Interpretation A: Albert Speer, writing in his book, ‘Inside the Third Reich’ written in 1960. He remembers hearing Adolf Hitler speak in January 1931 at Berlin University. Albert Speer went on to become the Nazi Minister for weapons. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison after the war and released in 1966. Everything about him was reasonable and ordinary looking; he was no shrieking fanatic in a uniform. He spoke passionately; it was hypnotic and persuasive. We were carried on a wave of enthusiasm. It swept away our doubts. Here, it seemed was hope, new ideals, a new understanding. The peril of communism could be stopped.Interpretation B: Victor Schiff, in an article written in 1950 where he explains Hitler's rise to power. Schiff was a German journalist and socialist who worked as the Paris correspondent for the American ‘Daily Herald’ newspaper in the 1930s. If there is one point on which we all agree, it must be surely that Hitler owes his rise and ultimate victory to the World Economic Crisis. Hitler appealed to the despair of the unemployed workers; the young people who had no future; to the middle class businessman and craftsman heading for bankruptcy and to the farmers threatened with a fall in agricultural prices.How does Interpretation A differ from Interpretation B about Hitler’s appeal to the people of Germany? (4)Interpretation A was written by a high ranking Nazi official who considered Hitler’s charisma and oratory skill as the reason for his success and appeal to the people of Germany. The source contains largely positive language and focusses on emotion, for example his speeches were “hypnotic and persuasive” and they “were carried on a wave of enthusiasm”. In this sense, Hitler is portrayed as a competent politician who was no “shrieking fanatic”, someone who could transform Germany into a prosperous and superior nation and suppress the “peril of communism”. In contrast, interpretation B was written by a journalist who opposed the Nazi regime, and who thought Hitler’s appeal to the people of Germany was mainly due to the dire economic circumstances of the time. This interpretation is more negative than interpretation A as it suggests Hitler took advantage of people’s fears during a time of economic instability following the depression, for example he appealed to “the despair of the unemployed workers…the young people who had no future”. Instead of appealing to the people of Germany because Hitler offered an alternative to the communist threat, like Interpretation A suggests, Interpretation B suggests that if it were not for the economic struggles faced by different members of society, Hitler would not have been successful.