Topic 11- Appointment of Hitler as Chancellor

1.Fall of Bruning, May 1932

Bruning had been the longest continuous serving chancellor in the Republic but had no majority and relied on Article 48 as he had no majority

economically Bruning had made a series of large scale cuts which had made the depression worse, with unemployment at officially 6million by 1932- he was dubbed the 'hunger chancellor' by opponents

Bruning imposed a ban on the SA in April 1932, Schleicher withdrew his support believing it would cause a nazi uprising- the general now believed a coalition was needed to include the Nazis, but with a conservative as chancellor

In negotiations AH refused, demanding to be chancellor himself, however he agreed not to oppose a new RW govt if the SA ban was lifted and new reichstag elections were called

Von Papen, an aristocrat and and very RW ex leader of Z became the new chancellor, with schleicher as Defence Minister, representing the army

  1. The Paper Government, May-Dec 1932

Papen lacked support, he was only supported by DNVP, and was expelled from his own party (Z) 2 days after becoming chancellor

government became known as the 'cabinet of barons' due to being full of RW aristocrats

like Bruning he ruled through Presidential decree

He looked down on AH but saw him as a useful ally against Communism- he lifted the ban on SA in June 1932 and called an election for the July- led to bloodshed and chaos during the campaign

Hamburg 17th July- SA and Red Front clashed and police killed 18 and injured 100 communists
Papen blamed the SPD led Prussian State government for the breakdown of law and order

  • he used Article 48 to dismiss the state govt, and appointed himself as Commissioner for Prussia which showed his contempt for democracy
  • SPD mounted a legal challenge, suggesting their moderation and respect for judiciary

Goebbels wrote in his diary , ‘You only have to bare your teeth at the reds and they knuckle under....’

  1. Elections of 1932, July and November

July 1932 Reichstag election (held as part of a schleicher-Hitler deal to bring down bruning)

November 1932 Reichstag Elections- following vote of no confidence in Papens govt

GOVT Supporters:
DNVP- 37 seats


Opposition:
KPD- 89 seats
SPD- 133 seats
DDP- 4 seats
Z- 75 Seats
DVP- 7 Seats
Nazis- 230 seats (37%)

the moderate middle class vote had collapsed (DDP and DVP) and gone to the Nazis along with my DNVP support

  • the left remained solid- with KPD increasing from 77 to 89 seats

GOVT SUPPORTERS:
DNVP- 52 Seats


Opposition:
KPD- 100 seats
SDP- 121 seats
DDP- 2 seats
Zentrums- 70 seats
DVP- 11 seats
Nazis- 196 seats

The Nazis had hoped for a majority but got only 37% (just less than SPD in 1919)
However, AH's bargaining position was hugely strengthened by this vote- he refused to serve in Papens govt- and started to attack it


Nazis joined together with KPD to vote against Papens gov in a confidence vote that was passed 512-42 votes, a humiliation for Papens gov
Papen asked Hindenburg for another election, having been embarrased- this took part whilst there was a violent strike by Berlin transport workers- supported by KPD and the Nazis who united to bring down Papen
This terrified the respectable MC who started to fear the Nazis were not what they thought they were

DVP and DNVP recovered slighlty- probably due to middle class worries at the attack of Papen
KPD continued to grow at the expense of the SPD
Turnout dropped due to voter apathy and fatigue at the amount of elections
Nazis lost seats after teaming with KPD in Berlin strikes which scared MC- were left with the big question of where to go from here

Papen's fall and Schleichers appointment:

Papen was humiliated by the election but did not resign until Schleicher told him he had lost the confidence of the armed forces
Hindenburg trusted Schleicher as his top advisor, and he had also gained the trust of Hinds son Oskar, and a top civil servant Dr Otto Meissener
(all 3 wanted an authoritarian nationalist Germany based on Kaiser's 2nd Reich)

Hindenburg described AH as "A jumped up little corporal" and was appalled by SA thuggery, but did share a common view over their hatred of communism and he was running out of options
However, on 3rd Dec he appointed Schleicher as chancellor with a cabinet similar to Papen's- only lasted 57 days

  1. Schleicher's Govt Dec 1932- Jan 1933:
  1. Backstairs Intrigue- Papen's Return and Hitler's Appointment:

Schleicher was hopeful of bringing Nazis onboard: their support had fallen and the Nazis were bankrupt due to the high cost of fighting so many elections

He opened negotiations with one of hitlers deputies, Strasser offering him role of Vice chancellor to try to split the Nazis (Hitler simply sacked Strasser, and he became on of the many killed in the NoLK 1934)

Schleicher changed tactics, negotiating with SPD and Unions over work programmes and landed estates- enraged the aristocrats around Hindenburg

when street battles worsened, Schleicher asked the President to suspend the constitution and make him a dictator- he refused and Schleicher resigned 27.1.33

Papen was furious about being sacked and blamed Schleicher so had been plotting with Nazis since Jan

AH was prepared to be chancellor of a coalition that did not include Schleicher, Papen agreed to support this if he was vice-chancellor and his allies had a majority in the cabinet- Hugenberg of DNVP also agreed to take part

Hitler as Chancellor would have two other Nazis in Cabinet, Frick as Minister of the interior, and Goering as Minister of the interior in Prussia
These were part of 11 Presidential appointments to cabinet who were mostly RW aristocrats

Hindenburg was reluctant and wanted to re-appoint Papen alone, but Papen and his son Oskar persuaded him to appoint AH- naively felt they could control and use him
30.1.33 he was appointed chancellor