Hitlers Rise to Power

Question: Was Hitler’s rise to power lucky or calculated opportunity? Discuss in relation to events such as the putsch and the ‘Night of the Long Knives’.

Hitler was once just another young man, a brave soldier fighting mercilessly for his beloved nation in the World War I. In the course of his life, he rose to become one of the most powerful and ruthless leader of the world. Nobody can deny the fact that he had a dynamic personality and was totally charismatic. However, his rise to power was not only promoted by his characteristics, but also by sheer luck.

The World War I had completely destroyed Germany. Firstly, the German people had still not gotten over the shock of losing WWI. To them, it probably seemed as though they had sacrificed their loved ones for nothing whatsoever. Many of the soldiers that had returned alive believed that they had been ‘stabbed in the back’, i.e.,  betrayed by the treacherous politicians. This led to disagreement between the people and the government. Also, the government had immediately agreed to sign the Treaty of Versailles, and many people took this as a sign of surrender. They believed that this indirectly meant that the German Government had admitted that they had caused the WWI. The people were unsatisfied by the actions taken by the government and this, in turn, led to the assumption that the government was not functioning well. Hitler emerged at this point, when there was a lot of disagreement between the people and the government. He offered to keep things under some control. Hitler actually said that he would run in a proper election once the conditions in Germany were stable enough. However, neither did he leave his position as dictator/Führer, nor did he abandon his power.

Another aspect that worked for Hitler’s takeover of the government was the economic crisis.

It occurred after Germany failed to give a reparations payment in 1923. As a result of this action, the French decided to invade the Ruhr Valley to take the yearly installation for themselves. They took coal, iron, and steel as the payment of that particular year. One-tenth of the German population lived there and they produced four-fifths of the country’s main raw materials (coal, iron and steel). As a result of the invasion, the Weimar government ordered the employees of that area to go on strike, also k own as ‘passive resistance’. This decision had dire consequences. The unemployed people had to be paid somehow and the government, obviously, did not have enough money (due to the reparations). Therefore, they began printing a great amount of banknotes, and this caused inflation. One British pound, which was worth 20 marks, rose to the value of 16,000,000,000 marks. The German mark’s value had already been depreciating and the French invasion just acted as a catalyst. By the end of the 1923 crisis, the German mark had become absolutely worthless. As a result, the wages had to be increased to make sure that people had enough money to afford the basic necessities. By the end of the year, the wages had already doubled. Powerful businessmen and tycoons were afraid of another increase and therefore, supported Hitler, who was against tax/wage increases. Again, he offered to make things better with his policies, and gained the support of rich businessmen and tycoons.

The Beer Hall Putsch (1923) was Hitler’s first attempt to take over the German Government. The mass unemployment and hyperinflation had created some sort of restlessness in the Germans. Hitler decided to use this opportunity and grab power. He planned to do so by marching into Germany with another 15,000 men. The first time this was announced in public was in a beer hall in Munich where he forced the Bavarian leader to support him in his actions. When the people discovered that Hitler was being supported by the Bavarian leader and Ludendorff, a widely known hero, they realized that Hitler and the Stormtroopers were actually being serious. The first stage of Hitler’s plan worked out. However, while marching around the city with the Stormtroopers, he was arrested along with Ludendorff.