Rise and Fall of Hitler.
A Socio-Economic and Political Analysis
A Socio-Economic and Political Analysis
1918: End of WWI & Birth of the Weimar Republic
Germany loses WWI, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates.
Treaty of Versailles (1919) imposes harsh reparations and territorial losses, fueling resentment.
The Weimar Republic is established as a democratic republic but faces instability from the outset.
Socio-Economic Context: Hyperinflation (early 1920s), political violence from both left (Spartacist Uprising, 1919) and right-wing groups (Kapp Putsch, 1920).
1919: Founding of the German Workers' Party (DAP)
Anton Drexler founds a small, nationalist, anti-Semitic, and anti-Marxist party in Munich.
1920: Hitler Joins & Transforms the DAP into the NSDAP
Hitler joins the DAP and quickly rises through the ranks due to his oratory skills.
He renames it the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), or Nazi Party, adopting the swastika as its symbol.
The party develops a 25-point program, including anti-Semitic and nationalist measures.
1923: Beer Hall Putsch
Hitler attempts a coup in Munich, inspired by Mussolini's March on Rome.
The putsch fails, and Hitler is imprisoned. He uses the trial to gain national attention.
Socio-Economic Context: The Ruhr region (industrial heartland) is occupied by French and Belgian troops due to Germany's failure to pay reparations, further exacerbating economic woes.
1924: Mein Kampf
While in prison, Hitler writes Mein Kampf (My Struggle), outlining his ideology, including racial theories, anti-Semitism, Lebensraum (living space), and the need for a totalitarian state.
1924-1929: The "Golden Years" of Weimar
Economic Context: The Dawes Plan (1924) restructures reparations payments and provides loans, leading to a period of relative economic stability and prosperity. The Young Plan (1929) is another similar development. The German public accepted these plans because they offered a temporary reprieve from the economic pressures of the Versailles Treaty.
Political Context: The Nazi Party is reorganized after Hitler's release from prison, but it remains a fringe party with limited electoral success. Hindenburg is elected president, and his election provides some stability.
1929: The Great Depression
The Wall Street Crash triggers a global economic crisis.
Socio-Economic Context: Germany is particularly hard hit due to its dependence on American loans. Unemployment skyrockets (reaching over 6 million by 1932), poverty spreads, and social unrest increases.
Demographic Data: The depression disproportionately affects the working class, the lower middle class (small business owners, farmers), and young people. These groups become increasingly receptive to extremist ideologies.
1930: September Reichstag Election
Campaign Topics: The NSDAP exploits the economic crisis, blaming Jews, Communists, and the "November Criminals" (those who signed the Treaty of Versailles) for Germany's woes. They promise to restore national greatness, create jobs, and defy the Treaty of Versailles.
Election Results:
NSDAP: 18.3% (107 seats) - a significant increase, making them the second-largest party.
Social Democratic Party (SPD): 24.5% (143 seats)
Communist Party of Germany (KPD): 13.1% (77 seats)
Centre Party (Z): 11.8% (68 seats)
Political Context: The rise of the Nazis and Communists destabilizes the political system. The grand coalition government collapses, and Chancellor Heinrich Brüning (Centre Party) begins to rule by emergency decree under Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution.
International Context: The economic crisis leads to a rise in protectionism and nationalism globally, further destabilizing the international order. The League of Nations is ineffective in addressing these challenges.
1932: July Reichstag Election
Campaign Topics: The Nazi campaign intensifies its use of propaganda, violence (by the SA, or "Brownshirts"), and rallies to intimidate opponents and attract supporters.
Election Results:
NSDAP: 37.3% (230 seats) - becomes the largest party but lacks a majority.
SPD: 21.6% (133 seats)
KPD: 14.3% (89 seats)
Z: 11.7% (75 seats)
Political Context: The political deadlock continues. Franz von Papen, a conservative, replaces Brüning as Chancellor but fails to secure a stable government.
1932: November Reichstag Election
Campaign Topics: The Nazis face some internal divisions and a slight decline in support.
Election Results:
NSDAP: 33.1% (196 seats) - remains the largest party but loses seats.
SPD: 20.4% (121 seats)
KPD: 16.9% (100 seats)
Z: 11.1% (70 seats)
Political Context: Kurt von Schleicher, another conservative, becomes Chancellor but also fails to form a stable government.
Opposition Attempts (1930-1933): The SPD and the KPD are the main opposition forces to the Nazis. However, they are deeply divided, with the KPD following orders from Moscow (Comintern) to view the SPD as "social fascists" and the main enemy. This prevents a united front against the Nazis. Some attempts at forming anti-Nazi paramilitary groups (e.g., the Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold by the SPD) are made but are ultimately ineffective against the well-organized and violent SA.
January 30, 1933: Hitler Appointed Chancellor
President Hindenburg, under pressure from conservative elites (including Papen and industrialists) who believe they can control Hitler, appoints him Chancellor in a coalition government with the German National People's Party (DNVP). They underestimate his ambitions and ruthlessness.
February 27, 1933: Reichstag Fire
The Reichstag building is set on fire. A Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, is arrested and convicted.
Political Context: The Nazis use the fire as a pretext to crack down on their opponents, particularly the Communists.
February 28, 1933: Reichstag Fire Decree
Hindenburg, at Hitler's urging, issues the Reichstag Fire Decree, suspending civil liberties (freedom of speech, press, assembly) and allowing for the arrest of political opponents.
March 5, 1933: Reichstag Election
Campaign Topics: The Nazis use the state apparatus and violence to suppress opposition and promote their message.
Election Results:
NSDAP: 43.9% (288 seats) - still short of a majority, but combined with the DNVP (8%), they have a working majority.
SPD: 18.3% (120 seats)
KPD: 12.3% (81 seats) - many KPD members are already in prison or hiding.
Z: 10.9% (73 seats)
March 23, 1933: Enabling Act
The Reichstag, under duress (with SA troops surrounding the building), passes the Enabling Act, which allows Hitler to enact laws without the Reichstag's approval for four years. Only the SPD votes against it (the KPD deputies are already imprisoned or in hiding). The Catholic Centre Party votes in favor, in exchange for supposed guarantees regarding the church.
Political Context: This effectively ends the Weimar Republic and establishes Hitler's dictatorship.
1933-1934: Gleichschaltung (Coordination)
The Nazis systematically consolidate their power, eliminating opposition and bringing all aspects of German society under their control.
Trade unions are dissolved and replaced by the Nazi-controlled German Labor Front.
All other political parties are banned.
State governments are brought under Nazi control.
The legal system is Nazified.
The media and cultural institutions are brought under Nazi control.
June 30, 1934: Night of the Long Knives
Hitler purges the SA leadership, including Ernst Röhm, who had become a potential rival. The SS, led by Heinrich Himmler, carries out the killings.
Political Context: This eliminates internal opposition within the Nazi Party and secures the support of the army (Reichswehr), which had been wary of the SA's growing power.
August 2, 1934: Death of Hindenburg
President Hindenburg dies. Hitler merges the offices of Chancellor and President, becoming Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Reich Chancellor).
The army swears an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler.
1935: Nuremberg Laws
These laws strip Jews of their citizenship, prohibit marriage and sexual relations between Jews and "Aryans," and exclude Jews from many aspects of public life.
1936: Remilitarization of the Rhineland
In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, German troops reoccupy the Rhineland.
International Context: France and Britain protest but take no action, demonstrating their policy of appeasement.
1938: Anschluss and the Sudeten Crisis
March: Germany annexes Austria in the Anschluss.
September: The Munich Agreement: Britain and France agree to Hitler's demands to annex the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia with a German-speaking population.
International Context: Appeasement reaches its peak. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain famously declares "peace for our time."
November 9-10, 1938: Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass)
A state-sponsored pogrom against Jews throughout Germany. Synagogues are burned, Jewish businesses are destroyed, and many Jews are killed or arrested.
1939: Invasion of Poland and the Start of WWII
March: Germany occupies the rest of Czechoslovakia.
August: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union, is signed, secretly dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.
September 1: Germany invades Poland.
September 3: Britain and France declare war on Germany.
1940-1942: German Victories
Germany conquers Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Yugoslavia, and Greece.
The Battle of Britain is fought in the air, but Germany fails to achieve air superiority.
Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, begins in June 1941.
1942-1943: Turning Points
Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 - February 1943): A major defeat for Germany on the Eastern Front.
Second Battle of El Alamein (October-November 1942): A major defeat for Germany in North Africa.
Allied invasion of Italy (1943).
1944: D-Day and the Liberation of Western Europe
June 6, 1944: Allied forces land in Normandy, opening a second front in Western Europe.
Paris is liberated in August.
1944-1945: Germany's Defeat
The Soviet army advances from the east, liberating Eastern Europe.
The Western Allies advance from the west.
April 30, 1945: Hitler's Suicide
As Soviet troops approach Berlin, Hitler commits suicide in his bunker.
May 7-8, 1945: German Surrender
Germany unconditionally surrenders to the Allies, ending WWII in Europe.
1945-1949: Allied Occupation
Germany is divided into four occupation zones (American, British, French, and Soviet).
Berlin is also divided into four sectors.
The Nuremberg Trials (1945-1946) are held to prosecute Nazi leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Denazification programs are implemented, but their effectiveness is debated.
1948-1949: Berlin Blockade and Airlift
The Soviet Union blockades West Berlin in an attempt to force the Western Allies out.
The Western Allies respond with the Berlin Airlift, supplying the city by air for over a year.
1949: Formation of Two German States
May: The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or West Germany) is established in the Western zones, with a democratic constitution (Basic Law). Konrad Adenauer becomes the first Chancellor.
October: The German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany) is established in the Soviet zone as a communist state.
1949: FRG Bundestag Election
Election Results:
Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU): 31% (139 seats)
SPD: 29.2% (131 seats)
Free Democratic Party (FDP): 11.9% (52 seats)
KPD: 5.7% (15 seats)
Political Context: The CDU/CSU forms a coalition government with the FDP and other smaller parties.
1950s-1960s: The "Economic Miracle" in West Germany
Economic Context: West Germany experiences rapid economic growth, fueled by the Marshall Plan, currency reform, and a social market economy.
1955: West Germany Joins NATO; East Germany Joins the Warsaw Pact
International Context: The Cold War division of Europe is solidified.
1961: Construction of the Berlin Wall
East Germany builds the Berlin Wall to prevent its citizens from fleeing to the West.
1970s: Ostpolitik
West German Chancellor Willy Brandt pursues a policy of Ostpolitik (Eastern policy), seeking to improve relations with East Germany and the Soviet Union.
1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall
Mass protests in East Germany and changes in the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev lead to the opening of the Berlin Wall.
1990: German Reunification
East Germany is absorbed into West Germany, creating a unified Germany.
1990: First All-German Bundestag Election
Election Results:
CDU/CSU: 43.8% (319 seats)
SPD: 33.5% (239 seats)
FDP: 11% (79 seats)
Alliance 90/The Greens: 5.1% (8 seats)
Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS, successor to the East German communist party): 2.4% (17 seats)
Political Context: Helmut Kohl (CDU) becomes the first Chancellor of a unified Germany.
Conclusion
Hitler's rise to power was a complex process shaped by a confluence of factors: the humiliation of defeat in WWI, the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the economic instability of the Weimar Republic, the Great Depression, and the political miscalculations of conservative elites. His regime was characterized by totalitarian control, aggressive expansionism, and the systematic persecution and murder of Jews and other minorities. The defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII led to a divided Germany, but ultimately to reunification in 1990 and the emergence of a stable, democratic, and prosperous Germany within a united Europe. However, the legacy of Nazism continues to be a subject of historical debate and a reminder of the dangers of extremism, intolerance, and the fragility of democracy.