Rise of Nazi Totalitarianism

In November 1923, Adolf Hitler, the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party), failed in the attempted overthrow of the Weimar Republic in what is now known as the Beer Hall Putsch. However, just ten years later, in 1933, Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany. Ever since, modern historians have tried to understand the root or cause of this quick turnaround. What has become clear is that there is no single answer to why the Nazi Party was able to rise to power in the early 1930’s. Instead, the Nazi Party rose to power due to a combination of reasons including social distrust of the Weimar Republic, economic and political instability under the Weimar Republic created by the Treaty of Versailles, the ability of Hitler and the Nazi Party to skillfully play upon pre-existing German fears and beliefs, and the Great Depression of 1929. The loss of WWI and the acceptance of the Treaty of Versailles created a rift between society and the Weimar Republic, initiating anti-democratic feelings. The German military effort collapsed in the latter half of 1918 leading to demands from President Wilson and the rest of the allied powers for the institution of democracy in Germany. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP) obliged and abdicated the Kaiser, giving birth to the Weimer Republic in November of 1918. Soon thereafter, on June 28, 1919, the new German republic signed the Treaty of Versailles, effectively ending WWI and leaving Germany on the losing side of the struggle. Severe restrictions of the press and speech, along with the banning of all anti-war material during previous regimes, left German citizens wondering how Germany had lost the war when all they had heard about were German victories. As a result, many Germans believed the Weimar Republic was directly responsible for the loss of WWI. Further, Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles cites the cause of WWI as the “aggression of Germany and her allies.” The Weimar