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Different reasons why the Nazis gained power (mistakes and weakneses of…
Different reasons why the Nazis gained power
(mistakes and weakneses of the oponents)
President Hindenburg:
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Was in his 80s in the 1930s. Historians believed he was senile.
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Between 1928-1933: 5 Reichstag elections
He allowed elections in the Reichstag --> wasn't required by te Weimar Constitution.
1932: Hindenburg stood in the Presidential election to stop Hitler form being elected
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Called Hitler the "upstart corporal"
Hindenburg + Hitler disliked eachother.
Arguments for influence
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Regular elections cost public support for democracy = more Nazi support
Was during times of crisis = helped Hitler
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If the Communists + S. Democratics had worked together, they might've been able to stop Hitler
Personal rivalry stopped this from happening
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Hindenburg + supporters = underestimated Hitler
Gave him the chance to be appointed as Chancellor
1932: Hindenburg was too ill to efectively run Germany.
If he'd step aside, a younger, stronger candidate could've stop Hitler
Arguments against influence
•it was unlikely that a communist party to resieve support from other parties
•As the parties refused to work togheather, the president had to pass laws through article 48
• Hindenburgs actions where forced against hitler
•Althought Hitler won many votes in the presidential elections he did not win because Hindenburg was a very popular figure who got more votes.
Arguments for importance
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Art. 48 was used bc political parties didn't work together effectively
If Hindenburg hadn't used the art = less government action = more anger
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Established a precedent -- Hitler uses this
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People considered giving this power (art 48) to the President undemocratic
SPD/KPD divide
• 1925 presidential elections: communists stood as a candidate against the SPD’S choice, Wilhelm Marx. Split the Left and Center vote and helped Paul Von Hindenburg win.
•1932 nazis biggest party in Germany’s Reichstag (33% votes)
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•Consider left-wing parties but wouldn’t work together
•Social democratic partie (spd) + Germán communist party(Kpd
•Due to the supure going back to the Spartacist Revolt
•KPD memebers were killed and pledged never again to trust or work with the SPD
•SPD used German army and freikorps to stop the Spartacist Revolt
• social democrats and communists had a combined 36% of the votes.
•Without dividing the Left and Center vote, Hindenburg may not have been elected. This might have stopped Hitler becoming chancellor, because it was Hindenburg who appointed him.
Large numbers of Germans, specially richer ones, wanted Hitler to be leader of Germany.
Whoever was president would have been pressured to appoint Hitler as Chancellor.
Article 48
Gave strong power to the President
Could pass laws in national emergencies, even without support in the Reighstag
Hindenburg made regular use of this
1932 = used it 60 times
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"We've hired him" Franz von Papen