Adolf Hitler's rise to power

Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany from 1933 to 1945. His rise to power began in 1919 when he joined a small political group called the German Workers' Party. He quickly became one of its most popular speakers. The group later changed its name to the Nazi Party, and Hitler became its leader in 1921.

In 1923, Hitler tried to take control of the government in Bavaria during an event called the Beer Hall Putsch, but he was arrested and spent time in prison. During this time, he wrote a book called Mein Kampf, which explained his ideas.

After his release, Hitler decided to seek power through elections instead of force. The Nazi Party promoted strong feelings against other groups and promised to make Germany powerful again. When the world economy crashed in 1929, many Germans were struggling, and some began to support Hitler.

In 1933, Hitler was named Germany’s leader. He used various tactics to gain more control, including a law that gave him the power to change laws without approval from others. By August 1934, after the president died, Hitler combined the roles of leader and president, calling himself the Führer.

Influences from early Germany

Historians have noted that German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck used certain methods that shaped early German nationalism. He tried to bring people together by focusing on a shared opponent. First, he led a campaign against the Catholic church from 1873 to the late 1870s, called Kulturkampf. This did not unite people as hoped and instead strengthened support for the church.

Later, in 1878, Bismarck introduced laws targeting the Social Democratic Party. While these laws aimed to create unity, many workers instead became more loyal to the party. Because Germany was a new country at the time, Bismarck’s approach of creating “us versus them” had a lasting effect on German national attitudes and later influenced movements like the Nazi party.

Early steps (1918–1924)

Adolf Hitler became involved with a small political group called the German Workers' Party after World War I. He liked their ideas but thought their name wasn’t very good, so he helped change it to the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which people commonly called the Nazi Party. Hitler was a good speaker and soon became one of the party’s most important leaders.

Hitler tried to take control of the government by force in November 1923 during an event known as the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. The attempt failed, and Hitler was put in prison for a short time. While in prison, he wrote a book sharing his ideas about how Germany should change. After his release, Hitler decided to try a different approach to gain power, focusing on working within the existing government system instead of using force.

Move towards power (1925–1930)

In the May 1928 federal election, the Nazi Party won only 12 seats in the Reichstag. Their best result was in Bavaria, where they gained 5.1% of the vote, but in three areas they did not even get 1%. Overall, they received 2.6% of the vote (810,100 votes). Because of these poor results, Hitler decided Germans needed to learn more about his plans, so he wrote a second book, which was published after his death as the Zweites Buch.

During this time, fights between different groups became more violent. After being interrupted during a speech, Hitler's supporters marched into areas where their opponents lived and caused trouble. By the end of 1928, the party had 130,000 members. In 1925, another leader had tried to become president but only got 280,000 votes (1.1%).

In January 1930, a Nazi member named Horst Wessel was attacked and hurt badly by people from an opposing group. He later died, and this event was used in propaganda by the Nazis. Later that year, the Nazi Party had a big win in the September 1930 federal election, gaining 107 seats (18.3%, 6,409,600 votes) and becoming the second-largest party in Germany.

The party gained a lot of support after this election, with over 100,000 new members joining in the following months. They also produced and shared many pamphlets and used vehicles for their campaigns. The Great Depression also helped them gain more voters. During this time, some of Hitler’s supporters targeted Jewish-owned shops by breaking their windows.

Weimar parties fail to halt Nazis

The year 1929 brought big problems for the world when money became very hard to get. In Germany, many people were unhappy with their leaders and chose to support groups like the Nazis and the Communists. These two groups won many seats in the government, making it hard for other parties to work together.

Germany's government was weak, and leaders often used special powers instead of normal voting to make decisions. The Nazi Party worked hard to gain support everywhere, traveling around the country and sometimes using scary tactics. Other parties, like the People's Party and the Democrats, lost many votes to the Nazis. Even though some groups fought the Nazis, they often argued among themselves instead of joining forces. This made it easier for the Nazis to grow stronger.

Seizure of control (1931–1933)

On March 10, 1931, fights between groups grew worse. One group, the SA, was banned from public events in Prussia. Soon after, members of the SA shot two people during a street fight. Because of this, another leader, Goebbels, could not speak in public but found other ways to share his messages.

Hitler did not become a German citizen until 1933. Before that, he could not run for office. He became a citizen when he took a job in a German state.

In 1932, Hitler tried to become president but lost to Hindenburg. Even so, the Nazi Party grew, winning many votes and seats in the government. Hitler asked to become chancellor but was first offered a smaller role, which he refused.

Finally, on January 30, 1933, Hitler was named chancellor of Germany. Many people thought they could control him, but soon he began to take more power for himself and his party.

Chancellor to dictator

After a big fire at the Reichstag building, the Nazi leaders began taking away people's freedoms and removing anyone who opposed them. In the elections of March 1933, no single group won enough votes to lead alone. Hitler needed support from other groups to get the power he wanted, so he asked members of the Reichstag to vote for something called the Enabling Act on March 23, 1933. With this Act, Hitler and his government were allowed to make decisions without needing approval from Parliament or following some rules.

Hitler used both friendly talks and threats to get this vote. He promised to leave certain groups alone if he got the power he needed. With Nazi supporters surrounding the building, he told the members they were choosing between safety and danger. One group agreed to support the Act if their beliefs were protected, and together with some others, they voted for it. Only one group voted against it.

This Act let Hitler and his team make decisions without Parliament for four years, although the President still had some powers. Hitler quickly began taking away the powers of local areas and ending other political groups. By July 14, 1933, all other parties were no longer allowed. The Reichstag stopped acting as a democratic group. The President kept control of the military and could still make agreements with other countries.

Hitler did not have all the power until after the President passed away in August 1934. People wondered if Hitler would become President and what would happen next. The military supported Hitler, and he combined the roles of President and Chancellor. Soldiers took an oath to follow Hitler personally. Most people approved of this change in a vote later that year.