Was the Great Depression the main reason why the Nazi Party grew between 1929 and 1932?
Was the Great Depression the main reason why the Nazi Party grew between 1929 and 1932?
In my opinion, I believe that the Great Depression was the most significant factor towards the growth of the Nazi Party as this was the time when the Nazi Party grew rapidly from only 12 seats in May 1928 to 107 in September 1930 and became the second largest party in Germany, following after the KPD. This was down to the economic crisis in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash, which weakened the Weimar Republic by discrediting its policies, consequently making the democratic politics less popular. The government seemed powerless to stop the depression, especially because Stresemann, an influential democratic politician, had died in October 1929. The government knew that they couldn’t print any more money due to the hyperinflation back in 1923 so Chancellors, Muller and Bruning, raised taxes, cut wages and reduced unemployment benefit. However this resulted in the unemployment rate continuing to rise to 6 million by early 1933. The German economy was extremely vulnerable at this point, as they had lost their short-term foreign loans so beggars, bootlace sellers and match sellers preoccupied the streets of Berlin and the government became the ‘scapegoat’ for these economic disasters. There was now less support for the Weimar Republic than ever before and middle class democratic parties associated with the Republic declined and people turned to extremist alternatives such as the Nazis, which led to a rapid increase in votes. Therefore, it is clear to see that the Great Depression was the main reason why the Nazi Party grew between 1929 and 1932.
Furthermore, Nazi Propaganda is less important than the Great Depression towards the growth of the Party but also had a large part to play as Goebbels’s propaganda techniques marked a new approach in electioneering. The Nazis used ‘up to date’ technology such as loudspeakers, which were placed in every workplace and public area to
In my opinion, I believe that the Great Depression was the most significant factor towards the growth of the Nazi Party as this was the time when the Nazi Party grew rapidly from only 12 seats in May 1928 to 107 in September 1930 and became the second largest party in Germany, following after the KPD. This was down to the economic crisis in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash, which weakened the Weimar Republic by discrediting its policies, consequently making the democratic politics less popular. The government seemed powerless to stop the depression, especially because Stresemann, an influential democratic politician, had died in October 1929. The government knew that they couldn’t print any more money due to the hyperinflation back in 1923 so Chancellors, Muller and Bruning, raised taxes, cut wages and reduced unemployment benefit. However this resulted in the unemployment rate continuing to rise to 6 million by early 1933. The German economy was extremely vulnerable at this point, as they had lost their short-term foreign loans so beggars, bootlace sellers and match sellers preoccupied the streets of Berlin and the government became the ‘scapegoat’ for these economic disasters. There was now less support for the Weimar Republic than ever before and middle class democratic parties associated with the Republic declined and people turned to extremist alternatives such as the Nazis, which led to a rapid increase in votes. Therefore, it is clear to see that the Great Depression was the main reason why the Nazi Party grew between 1929 and 1932.
Furthermore, Nazi Propaganda is less important than the Great Depression towards the growth of the Party but also had a large part to play as Goebbels’s propaganda techniques marked a new approach in electioneering. The Nazis used ‘up to date’ technology such as loudspeakers, which were placed in every workplace and public area to