Caroline RothsteinVerified account

Hitler was born a charismatic, skilled orator with a complex personality & a cynical philosophy towards ethnic cleansing in 1889 Austria. His ultimate dream was to be an artist, but he failed entry into the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts whereupon he wandered Vienna from 1909-1913.

It can be argued that being rejected from his creative passion was a driving psychological force in his future actions in the Nazificaiton of Germany and his extermination of the Jews and Slavs.

His time spent in Vienna allowed Hitler to be greatly influenced by Karl Luger, who was anti-Semitic. In 1913, he moved to Bavaria and joined the Germany army the next year to fight in World War I.

When the war ended, like many other Germans, he was shocked by German defeat and later appalled by the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1918, Hitler became a V-man, investigating new political parties. On one investigation, he came across a small German worker’s party. He joined it, renamed it the NSDAP, and in 1920, the party drafted its 25 points.

The main goals of the NSDAP were to have Aryan Germans as the master race, acquire more eastward living space for Germans, destroy the Versailles Treaty, and to install a vigorous foreign policy for self-determination for all Germans.

From this, Hitler played on the anti-Semitism that was already inherent in Germany society by blaming the Jews for the defeat in World War I and the spread of communism. Hitler presented the German people with scapegoat, a humanistic need.

In 1921, Hitler made the SA his official private army. This army would be a driving force in the Nazi’s rise to power as military equaled strength and power. By 1922, Hitler was the leader of a built up NSDAP.

In November 1923 Hitler attempted to cease governmental control in the Munich Putsch. Although Germany was economically disturbed, Hitler’s attempt failed because it was over ambitious as the Nazi party was not yet important enough to the German population.

Even though Hitler would be tried and jailed for his stunt during which time the Nazi party would unravel, the trial marked an essential campaigning moment for Hitler.

The trial gave him the opportunity to preach his party’s goals and ambitions, establishing NSDAP recognition throughout Germany. Hitler’s trial also presented a weakness in Weimar as he was sentenced to five years in prison but only served nine months.

While in prison, Hitler had the proper time to author Mien Kampf, sorting out the ideals that would become the Nazi bible.

Upon his prison release in 1925, Hitler realized that power would only be achieved by legitimate means rather than by force. He re-founded the NSDAP and the SS, who would act as his personal bodyguards.

Now, Hitler needed civilian support in order for the Nazis to have seats in the Reichstag. He was supported by people effected financially by the weaknesses of Weimar and therefore needed either a strong central government to boast the economy or employment,

which the Nazi party would provide. Other supporters simply hated what he hated. His supporters included Nationalists who opposed the Versailles settlement, anti-communists, militia, industrialists, farming communities affected by the agricultural slump in Germany, racists, and

some unemployed. The most significant group of supporters was the middle class who had seen their savings ruined under Weimar and preferred to vote for the NSDAP to the Socialist party.

Hugenberg’s National party and other wealthy industrialist who approved of Hitler’s anti-communist slogan funded the Nazi campaign.

After the Wall Street crash, the illusion of a prosperous Germany dissipated so extremist parties were able to gain votes. In February 1932, Hitler became a German citizen and aimed twice for the presidency. He was defeated both times by Hindenburg,

but managed to have 13.5 million votes versus Hindenburg’s 19.5 million, proving his increasing popularity. By July 1932, the Nazi’s had 230 of 603 seats in the Reichstag. Hitler’s aim was to be Chancellor, but at first Hindenburg refused.

On January 13, 1933, Hindenburg could no longer afford to ignore the strength of the Nazi party. To avoid civil war and communist uprising, Hindenburg appointed Hitler Chancellor. This appeared to be a solution in calming the Nazi party and appeasing Hitler’s political wishes.

No one knew that this move would destroy Germany.

Now, Hitler had a position, but in order to consolidate his power, the Nazi party needed the majority vote in the Reichstag. On February 27, 1933, the Reichstag building was damaged by fire and a communist Dutchman was blamed for the crime.

The Nazis used this to coerce Hindenburg into banning communists. Still, the final multi-party election of the Weimar Republic failed to give the NSDAP the majority vote. On March 24, 1933, Hitler passed the Enabling Law which froze the Weimar constitution for four years,

basically ending the republic. The law was passed as 81 communists had been banned from the Reichstag and the NSDAP allied with the Catholic Centre party giving the bill a 441 to 94 lead by the Nazi party.

On July 14, 1933, a law was passed that prohibited the formation of any new political parties, making the NSDAP the only legal party. Hitler’s crystallized his position when Hindenburg died in August 1934 by combining the offices of President and Chancellor.

Hitler named himself Fuhrer and issued that the army make allegiance to the Fuhrer rather than Germany. Soon after, a plebiscite granted Hitler with 90% approval as he remained in office until his suicide on April 30, 1945.

Hitler’s rise to power was based on his charisma and skill in rallying up a disheveled nation. Had Germany not lost World War I, had the Weimar Republic not seen the nation through two major economic crises, and had Hindenburg not named Hitler Chancellor,

Adolf Hitler would not have risen to power. He was a dictator based on luck. He was in the right place at the right time utilizing the antisemitism already present among Germans, promoting the harshness of the Versailles Treaty, & exploiting the weaknesses of the Weimar Republic.