Adolf Hitler

After 1929, however, two short-term factors brought Hitler to power:

8. Economic Depression

After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the US called in its loans to Germany, and the German economy collapsed. The Number of unemployed grew; people starved on the streets. In the crisis, people wanted someone to blame, and looked to extreme solutions Ð'- Hitler offered them both, and Nazi success in the elections grew.

Germans turned to Nazism because they were desperate. The number of Nazi seats in the Reichstag rose from 12 in 1928 to 230 in July 1932.

9. Recruited by Hindenburg

In November 1932 elections the Nazis again failed to get a majority of seats in the Reichstag. Their share of the vote fell Ð'- from 230 seats to only 196. Hitler contemplated suicide. But then he was rescued by Hindenburg.

Franz von Papen (a friend of Hindenburg) was Chancellor, but he could not get enough support in the Reichstag. Hindenburg and von Papen were having to govern by emergency decree under Article 48 of the Constitution. They offered Hitler the post of vice-Chancellor if he promised to support them.

Hitler refused Ð'- he demanded to be made Chancellor. So Von Papen and Hindenburg took a risk. On 30 January 1933 Hindenburg made Hitler Chancellor. He thought he could control Hitler Ð'- how wrong he was.

In the end, Hitler did not TAKE power at all Ð'- he was given it.