How did the Great Depression contribute to Hitler's rise

The Great Depression was a global economic crisis, which started in October 1929 following the the Wall Street Crash on the US stock exchange. In Germany, the Great Depression contributed to the rise of Hitler due to the following reasons. Firstly, as conditions worsened for the German population, extremist parties could exploit anger and discontent to advance their own political vision, and gain support from desperate citizens. Between 1929 and 1933, when Hitler became Chancellor, the number of unemployed workers grew from 1.4 million to 6.1 million; at the height of unemployment, one third of Germans were without work. Concurrently, the Communists and Hitler's own party, then the NSDAP, saw huge electoral gains. For example, in the 1930 elections, the Communists gained 77 seats in the Reichstag, up 24 from previous elections, while the NSDAP won 104 seats, gaining 95 additional seats. This trend continued, such that in 1932, the NSDAP took 230 seats and were a majority party in the Reichstag. As such, this correlation strongly suggests that as the German people became more impoverished due to the effects of the Great Depression, Hitler gained more political influence. One reason for this is that the extremist parties on the left and the right could point to the failures of the current political establishment, and provide alternative answers to the problems facing the country. Indeed, the Nazi's capitalised on the crisis to promote the Hitler as a strong leader, or 'Fuhrer', who could lead Germany out of economic hardship and establish a strong and stable rule. In times of crisis, this narrative was more attractive to the German population than it would have been prior to the Depression.
Furthermore, the Great Depression also weakened the Weimar Republic, eventually resulting in the eroding of its democratic principles. This helped Hitler in both the short term and the long term. In the short term, the incompetence of the government fueled German citizen's desire for urgent change, leading people towards the Nazis and contributing to their success. The government was uncoordinated and indecisive when it came to tackling the rise in government spending caused by the rise in unemployment. In March 1930, the Chancellor Hermann Müller resigned, throwing the government into further disarray. He was replaced by Heinrich Brüning, whose own policies were ineffective in improving the economy or the lives of the people. Brüning's decision to cut government expenditure, wages and unemployment pay only accelerated the decline in production, and further impoverished the unemployed. This only furthered resentment towards the government, weakening people's allegiance to the establishment and strengthening the appeal of Hitler's own propaganda. In the long term, the Great Depression also resulted in a significant political crisis, setting the stage for Hitler to later consolidate his own dictatorship. As the Reichstag refused to pass Brüning's economic plans, President Hindenburg invoked Article 48, which allowed him to bypass the Reichstag and pass laws by decree. This was a dangerous departure from democracy for Germany, as Hindenburg subverted the will of elected representatives to push through an unpopular programme of austerity. Indeed, in 1932, Hindenburg came to rely heavily on Article 48, passing many more laws without democratic oversight. It can be argued that even before Hitler gained political office, this steady erosion of democratic norms weakened the Weimar Republic considerably, making it more vulnerable to his eventual dictatorial takeover, and setting the precedent laws such as the Enabling Act. While Hindenburg is arguably more responsible for the invoking Article 48, the Great Depression presented an emergency situation where such a move was deemed necessary and acceptable.