Preview

Was the Great Depression the main reason why the Nazi Party grew between 1929 and 1932?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1010 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    To what extent was the increase in electoral support for the Nazi Party in the years 1928-33 the result of effective propaganda and electioneering?…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    To what extent was the considerable growth of the Nazi party, between 1918 and 1933, a result of economic factors?…

    • 1662 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    miss

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Great Depression was another important reason for the growth of the Nazi party in the years 1929-1932. This was when the stocks in America plummeted causing the world’s economy to crumble, Germany was one of the worst effected seeing as they relied heavily on loans from America to keep their economy going. This made the Nazi party grow because people started to lose faith in the Weimar Republic and wanted a strong party and leader to turn to. This was important for the growth of the Nazi party because if this hadn’t happened then people would still trust the Weimar Republic.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nazi Propaganda

    • 1268 Words
    • 6 Pages

    There are many reasons why the Great Depression was the catalyst for the growth of Nazi support. One of the most important reasons was that it weakened Germany as a nation. Germany was particularly badly affected. American bankers and businessman lost huge amounts of money in the crash. To pay off their debts they asked German banks to repay the money they had borrowed. The result was economic collapse in Germany. Businesses went bankrupt, workers were laid off and unemployment rocketed.…

    • 1268 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hitler's Nazi party came to power almost entirely because of accidents. In 1929 the American Stock Market crashed, a powerful symbol of the growing depression. Germany was particularly badly affected, since Germany's economy was partly dependent on Americas prosperity and a large number of loans made by America to Germany were called back and the German economy crashed.…

    • 292 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is estimated that one in three Germans was unemployed in the 1930s. The Great Depression was a worldwide crisis that affected the world, especially Germany. The impact of the Great Depression was particularly severe in Germany. Unemployment hit millions of Germans, as companies shut down or downsized. Others lost their savings as banks folded. The serious conditions of the early 1930s led many German voters to abandon mainstream political parties and look to more radical alternatives, such as Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. To gain political power in the 1930s Germany, Adolph Hitler used a number of sophisticated techniques to win over a German population reeling from the First world war. Through propaganda, the youth and public speaking, Hitler was able to win over the German…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    By mid- 1929 Germany was prospering once more. Political stability had been resolved and relations with other countries had improved dramatically. But by the 1930’s things had began to go wrong. The state that The Wall Street Crash left Germany had led to the Weimar government facing difficulties in resolving the economic crisis. As the government failed to deal with the economic problems support for the Nazis grew. It can be argued that the fall of the Weimar Republic led to the rise of the Nazi Party, with the strength of the SA and the Nazis appeal to different groups of society.…

    • 1374 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nazi Policies

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In 1929 a worldwide depression began due to the Wall Street Crash. This hit Germany particularly hard as the agreements of the treaty of Versailles, made post World War I, placed war guilt upon Germany and had meant that they owed countries like Britain and France a great deal of money. Unable to pay this money Germany agreed a plan called the Dawes plan with the USA, meaning that the USA would loan out money to the Germans to pay their debts. However when the Wall Street Crash did happen USA recalled these loans leaving Germany in a terrible state. It caused people to stop buying meaning jobs were lost and by 1933 it had escalated into having 6 million unemployed people. The Nazi’s party took advantage of the state of the country, especially the unemployment, and for the 1930’s election they issued the “Unsere Letzte Hoffnung” poster. They told the people that they would solve the problem of unemployment, and although they didn’t say how they were going to do this, it was enough to gain the vote as all other parties were only saying how they would try. But once in power, how did the Nazi’s reduce the number unemployed.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The 1928 elections were the first year that NSDAP contested in the elections after their ban was lifted the year before. With Hitler as there leader so soon after his release the party was not very popular and gained only 2.6% of the votes. The next election occurred in 1930. In 1929 Germany had fallen into the beginnings of the Great Depression. This proved to have very positive effects on Hitlers party. The votes for the NSDAP increased dramatically from 2.6% to 18.25%. Although the SPD lost seats in this election they still remained the top party. By July 1932 the Great Depression was in full toll. Many people had lost their jobs and many people went starving. Riots broke out in streets daily. This was a huge advantage for Hitler. Because he was such a good speaker he promised things that every wanted to hear such as jobs for everyone. Things that were impractical but they were what people wanted to hear. This was reflected on the elections in July 1932. The Nazi party became the largest party in the parliament for the first time on 37.27% of votes. Although they had they not won the majority they appeared well…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anton Drexlers establishment of the National Socialist German Workers Party in 1920, brought about the rise of Adolf Hitler who led the most significant German political party of the twentieth century. By famous historians such as Alan Bullock, the Nazi Party is regarded as an organized conspiracy against the State which pursued power and position, for the sole object was to secure power by one means or another. Therefore, it may be misunderstood that Hitler and his Party gained considerable support, thereby controlled the Weimar Republic from its creation until the end of World War ||. There is a large degree of truth that Hitler gained support from 1919 to 1923, when the Weimar was surviving a series of severe crises consisted of inflation (1923), invasion of the Ruhr (1924) by the Allied powers, and left/right wing rebellions (1919-23) within the nation. Hitler promised people better lives and sought solutions to the German problems through targeting the scapegoats. Moreover, in 1933, Hitler eventually was given power by Hindenburg as the steep decline of the German economy renewed instability to democracy. However, 1924-1929 indeed have been the years of declining for the Nazi Party in which they lost power due to several varying reasons, such as the Golden Years led by the German foreign minister Gustav Stresemann, and the disorganized Nazi Party as a consequence of the leaders that were arrested after the failure of the Munich Beer Hall Putsch, including Hitler becoming banned from speaking publicly until 1928.…

    • 1712 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Great Depression caused by the Wall Street Crash was responsible for the massive collapse of the Weimar Republic. Due to the effects of the Government failing to respond effectively, the economic, political and social impacts placed on German caused many Germans to seek extreme solutions such as Nazism. The Great Depression caused disillusionment that led many to a life of poverty, this lead to the collapse of the Weimar Republic as the Nazi party promised hope and a better…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The slowing of trade, decrease in production, and increase in unemployment fueled the rise of opposition and propaganda, particularly among the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP). Their successful propaganda promising a better economy, workforce, and lifestyle along with their charismatic leader, Adolf Hitler, catered to the political and economic issues in Germany during the early 1930’s (Weimar, 37). The day Hitler was proclaimed chancellor of Germany in 1932 marked the destruction of the Weimar Republic. Currently, Germany is mainly composed of a political party which was not as prevalent in the country’s past: the SPD. The negative outcomes of Hitler’s totalitarian regime as a result of inefficiency in the Weimar system led to future developments for a better government. Today, the lessons learned from the mostly unsuccessful Weimar Republic can be shown through Germany’s current political parties, economic status, and…

    • 1625 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1928, the Nazis were seen as a little joke party with a leader that no one really liked. In 1930, they became the second largest party with 107 seats. This popularity came primarily from the depression but also from the weakness of the Weimar. No party could gain a majority in any election due to Germany’s policy of proportional representation this lead to many, many weak coalitions that could never agree on anything and therefore never get anything passed. Many believed the Weimar to no longer be an acceptable government for their country and the voting choice went to either the Nazis or the communists leading to both extremist parties growing in popularity.…

    • 926 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Weimar Republic

    • 2025 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The 1930s were turbulent times in Germany 's history. World War I had left the country in shambles and, as if that weren 't enough, the people of Germany had been humiliated and stripped of their pride and dignity by the Allies. Germany 's dream of becoming one of the strongest nations in the world no longer seemed to be a possibility and this caused resentment among the German people. It was clear that Germany needed some type of motivation to get itself back on its feet and this came in the form of a charismatic man, Adolf Hitler. Hitler, a man who knew what he wanted and would do anything to get it, single-handedly transformed a weary Germany into a deadly fascist state.…

    • 2025 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    What Are The Causes Of Ww2

    • 1604 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Nazi Party's beliefs branch from a fascist viewpoint and include racism as well as an anti-Semitic view for a society that allows a pure, single Aryan race. Before the economic depression, the Nazi party received very limited support, winning only three percent of public votes in 1924. Hitler took advantage of the stock market crash in 1929 to increase political strength. He stated that he would seek vengeance for the punishments imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, improve the economy, and create jobs. By 1930, the Nazi party received 18.3 percent of votes and 33 percent in 1932. Hitler lost his campaign to become president of Germany to Paul von Hindenburg but was insisted to be appointed chancellor in 1933. Due to the Enabling Act of 1933, Hitler had the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag. This law rejected any political opposition to Hitler's plans as he could effortlessly ban opposing parties and seize their assets. Hindenburg died on August 4th, 1934, and Hitler became the sole dictator of Germany. Hitler was then able to effectively restore the German economy and end mass unemployment, all of which significantly increased the popularity of the Nazi's. All around Germany, applications to join the Nazi's flooded in, and those who were turned away would enlist with the SA or the SS. Germany was now frequently having Nazi rallies, marches,…

    • 1604 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays