Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1929-1934: The Nazi Rise to Power and the Creation of the Dictatorship
The Wall Street Crash of October 1929 ended the fragile prosperity of the mid-1920s: American banks recalled their loans, German industry collapsed, and unemployment rose towards six million by 1932. The Nazi vote grew sharply as a result: from 12 seats in the May 1928 Reichstag election to 107 seats in September 1930, and 230 seats in July 1932, when the Nazis became the largest single party, thanks to Hitler's promise to restore German pride and employment, relentless propaganda and SA intimidation, and support from some industrialists and conservative politicians. After a period of political manoeuvring, President Hindenburg appointed Hitler Chancellor on 30 January 1933, believing conservative politicians such as Franz von Papen could control him. Hitler used the Reichstag Fire of 27 February 1933 to justify emergency decrees curbing civil liberties, then passed the Enabling Act of 23 March 1933, which let him make laws without the Reichstag's consent. Rival parties and trade unions were banned, and in the Night of the Long Knives, 30 June to 2 July 1934, Hitler had the SA leadership, including Ernst Rohm, murdered to reassure the army. When Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934, Hitler merged the roles of Chancellor and President to become Fuhrer, and the army swore a personal oath of loyalty to him, completing the destruction of German democracy.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Build a precise timeline of the seizure of power and keep the dates in this order: the Wall Street Crash (October 1929), Hitler's appointment as Chancellor (30 January 1933), the Reichstag Fire (27 February 1933), the Enabling Act (23 March 1933), and the Night of the Long Knives (30 June to 2 July 1934), ending with Hindenburg's death and Hitler becoming Fuhrer (2 August 1934).
- Learn how the Depression translated into votes: rising unemployment made Weimar's existing parties look helpless, while the Nazis offered a simple, confident message of national revival and jobs, backed by relentless propaganda and SA intimidation of opponents at meetings and on the streets.
- Learn precisely why conservative politicians made Hitler Chancellor: Franz von Papen and others around Hindenburg believed that, as Chancellor of a coalition with only a few Nazi ministers, Hitler could be controlled and used to keep the political left out of power - a serious miscalculation.
- Learn the legal steps of the 'creation of the dictatorship' precisely, since exam questions test each one separately: the Reichstag Fire Decree suspended civil liberties and let the Nazis arrest communist opponents; the Enabling Act, passed with support from other parties under SA intimidation, then let Hitler's government make laws without the Reichstag.
- Learn why Hitler turned on his own SA in 1934: the SA's leader, Ernst Rohm, wanted the SA to replace the regular army, worrying army generals whose support Hitler needed, so Hitler had Rohm and other SA leaders murdered in the Night of the Long Knives to secure the army's loyalty.
- For a 4-mark 'give two things you can infer' question on this topic, look for what a source reveals about either the appeal of Nazi promises during the Depression or the methods used to consolidate power in 1933-34.
- For a 12-mark 'explain why' question, treat economic crisis, Nazi tactics and propaganda, and elite political miscalculation as separate, linked factors, and be ready to explain how each one specifically contributed at a different stage of the process.
- For the interpretations questions, expect a genuine debate over whether Hitler's own skill and appeal, or the circumstances and mistakes of others, mattered more in his rise to power; a strong answer weighs both rather than defending only one side.
Worked example
Explain why the Nazi Party's share of the vote grew so rapidly between the Reichstag elections of 1928 and July 1932.
- Identify the starting point precisely: in May 1928, the Nazis won only 2.6 percent of the vote and 12 seats, a minor party with little national influence.
- Explain the economic trigger with detail: the Wall Street Crash of October 1929 led American banks to recall their loans to Germany, causing industrial collapse and unemployment that reached close to six million by 1932, discrediting the existing Weimar parties who seemed unable to solve the crisis.
- Explain how the Nazis exploited this with detail: Hitler's speeches and propaganda blamed Weimar politicians and the Treaty of Versailles for Germany's suffering while promising work, national pride and strong leadership, and the SA's visible presence gave an impression of order and discipline to frightened voters.
- Explain the scale of the change with detail: by September 1930 the Nazis had risen to 107 seats, and by July 1932, with unemployment near its peak, they had become the largest single party in the Reichstag with 230 seats.
- Conclude by linking cause and effect directly: the Depression did not create Nazi ideas, but it created the mass unemployment and fear that made millions of Germans willing to consider them for the first time.
Practice questions
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Q1What event in October 1929 triggered the Great Depression in Germany?Show answer
Answer: The Wall Street Crash, which led American banks to recall the short-term loans that had been propping up the German economy.
Q2Roughly how high did German unemployment rise by 1932?Show answer
Answer: Towards six million people.
Q3How many Reichstag seats did the Nazi Party win in the May 1928 election, and how many in July 1932?Show answer
Answer: 12 seats in May 1928, rising to 230 seats in July 1932, when the Nazis became the largest single party.
Q4On what date was Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany?Show answer
Answer: 30 January 1933.
Q5Why did Franz von Papen and other conservatives support making Hitler Chancellor?Show answer
Answer: They believed that, surrounded by only a few Nazi ministers in a coalition government, Hitler could be controlled and used to keep left-wing parties out of power.
Q6What did the Enabling Act of 23 March 1933 allow Hitler's government to do?Show answer
Answer: It allowed Hitler's government to pass laws without the approval of the Reichstag, for a renewable period of four years.
Q7Who was murdered in the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, and why?Show answer
Answer: SA leaders including Ernst Rohm, because Rohm's ambitions for the SA threatened the army's position, and Hitler wanted to secure the army's loyalty.
Q8What happened when Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934?Show answer
Answer: Hitler merged the roles of Chancellor and President to become Fuhrer, and the army swore a personal oath of loyalty to him.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Study Source A. Source A: from a Nazi Party election leaflet distributed before the July 1932 Reichstag election. 'Six million Germans stand idle while the parties in Berlin argue among themselves. Only Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist movement offer work, bread and a Germany restored to pride. Vote for strength. Vote for unity. Vote National Socialist.' Give two things you can infer from Source A about why some Germans supported the Nazi Party in 1932. Complete the table below. Inference 1: Detail in the source that tells you this: Inference 2: Detail in the source that tells you this:
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Explain why the Nazi Party's support grew so rapidly between 1929 and 1932.
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Study the two interpretations below, which give different views about why Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. Interpretation 1: from a history textbook, published 2016. 'Hitler became Chancellor because of his own political skill. His ability as a speaker, his relentless energy, and the Nazi Party's disciplined organisation and propaganda machine built the mass support that made him impossible to ignore by January 1933.' Interpretation 2: from a history textbook, published 2019. 'Hitler became Chancellor mainly through the miscalculation of others. Conservative politicians such as Franz von Papen, desperate to keep the left out of power and confident they could control Hitler once he held office, handed him the chancellorship rather than his own strength winning it outright.' (a) What is the main difference between the views in Interpretation 1 and Interpretation 2 about why Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933? Explain your answer, using details from both interpretations. (4 marks) (b) Study Source B and use your own knowledge. Source B: a summary of Reichstag election results, adapted from official records. In the November 1932 election, held two months before Hitler became Chancellor, Nazi support actually fell from 230 to 196 seats, and the party's finances were in serious difficulty. Why might the authors of Interpretation 1 and Interpretation 2 have a different view about why Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933? Explain your answer, using Source B and your contextual knowledge. (4 marks) (c) How far do you agree with Interpretation 2 about why Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933? Explain your answer, using Interpretations 1 and 2 and your own knowledge. (16 marks)
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