Research Paper

Germany Before the Rise of Hitler

As Germany emerged from WW1, they were drowning in debt. Germanys
currency had lost value and the new government struggled to take care of the
immense debt caused by the war. World War 1 officially ended when the Treaty of
Versailles was signed. Unfortunately, the treaty deprived Germany of territory,
natural resources and equipment needed. The countrys population was
undernourished and had many impoverished widows, orphans and disabled
veterans. By 1924, Germanys debt finance issues, the economy was stabilized
with the help of American loans that were recalled later, causing the depression to
hit them hard by 1929. Adolf Hitler rose to power very quickly during Germanys
tough times, Adolf took advantage of Germanys desperation and used his
persuasive words to win over the country.

Hitlers Rise to power

Since Hitler knew Germany was in great debt, He made sure that the Nazis
appealed to younger citizens and the lower classes to help make his appointment
stronger and more permanent. Nazis used propaganda to their advantage as well,
to help solidify his power and gain the peoples support, Hitler promised the country
of Germany that he would overturn the Treaty of Versailles and stop any further
reparations. He recruited a larger, new army and other military branches to solve
the unemployment issue, this made him very popular. Adolf promised stability and
communism to his followers and gave the country someone to blame for all their
hardships; Jews. Hitler made many promises to the country of Germany in order to come
to power. Most of the promises he made, he did not keep. After WWII Germany signed the
Treaty of Versailles which was the main cause of Germany's economic problems at the
time. The U.S. made loans to Germany to help with its failing economy. But when the
market crashed in 1929, the U.S. could not continue to help out Germany. This helped set
up Hitler perfectly. The people of Germany were looking for someone who could help fix all
of the ongoing problems they were facing in Germany. At the time they had lost faith in
their government's ability to take care of its citizens. Hitler believed he could help the
people in Germany and he promised them all relief. He also promised jobs for the
unemployed and a market for the farmers goods. Hitler began to appeal to people's
emotions instead of their reason. The people of Germany heard what they wanted to hear
and ignored the violence of the Nazi party. Hitler blamed Germany's problems on the
"corrupt" politicians, communists, and Jews. He told Germany that if they got rid of them,
all of Germany's problems would vanish and the whole country would improve. Many
people in Germany protested Hitler's ideas and reasoning. They put blame on him for all of
Germany's problems. The people that did disagree with Hitler were faced with violence.
Many were forced to leave the country to save their lives. At the beginning of 1933, the

other political parties were unhappy about letting Hitler become head of the
government, since they considered him a boisterous amateur. On the other hand,
keeping the Nazis from power had become increasingly difficult. In order to finalize
the takeover of power, Hitler called a general election for 5 March 1933. The Nazi
Partys troopers, the SA (German: Sturm Abteilungen), did all they could to

terrorize political opponents during the election campaign. And to a large extent
they were allowed to do so without interference, since the Nazis controlled the
police force via Frick and Gring . The Nazi party had also been active in reshaping
the private charity sector. The leading figure here was Erich Hilgenfeldt, a
Saarlander, born in 1897 and an officer in the First World War A former steel helmet
activist, Hilgenfeldt joined the Nazi party in 1929 and became a district leader in
Berlin; he was thus close to Joseph Goebbels, who was his immediate party boss
as Berlin's regional leader. Hilgenfeldt had coordinated and centralized a variety of
international brown shirt and party welfare groups in the capital into the national
socialist peoples welfare. With Magda Goebbels, the propaganda ministers wife,
as its patron, and with the backing of Hitler himself given on 3, May 1933,
Hilgenfeldt extended his grip on party self-help groups across the entire country.

Hitler begins to win the hearts of Germany Citizens

Hitler was a powerful and spellbinding speaker who attracted a
wide following of Germans desperate for change. He promised the
disenchanted a better life and a new and glorious Germany. The Nazis
appealed especially to the unemployed, young people, and members of the
lower middle class (small store owners, office employees, craftsmen, and
farmers).The party's rise to power was rapid. ( Theholocaustexplained,) .
The Nazi party had also been active in reshaping the private charity sector. The
leading figure here was Erich Hilgenfeldt, a Saarlander, born in 1897 and an officer
in the First World War A former steel helmet activist, Hilgenfeldt joined the Nazi
party in 1929 and became a district leader in Berlin; he was thus close to Joseph
Goebbels, who was his immediate party boss as Berlin's regional leader.
Hilgenfeldt had coordinated and centralized a variety of international brown shirt
and party welfare groups in the capital into the national socialist peoples welfare.
With Magda Goebbels, the propaganda ministers wife, as its patron, and with the
backing of Hitler himself given on 3, May 1933, Hilgenfeldt extended his grip on
party self-help groups across the entire country. At the beginning of 1933, the other
political parties were unhappy about letting Hitler become head of the government, since they
considered him a boisterous amateur. On the other hand, keeping the Nazis from power had
become increasingly difficult. It was an important fact that several of the conservatives in power
(who ruled the country via emergency decrees signed by the President) were of the opinion that
Hitler could be controlled and dominated, if he was made a responsible head of government.
Hitlers first cabinet was far from a pure Nazi government. Except Hitler, who became Chancellor,
the Nazi Party only held two seats: W ilhelm Frick became Minister of the Interior, while Hermann
Gring became Minister without Portfolio, later Minister for Air. However, Gring was also
appointed Prime Minister of the most important of the German Lnder, Prussia.
In order to finalize the takeover of power, Hitler called a general election for 5 March 1933. The Nazi Partys troopers,
the SA (German: Sturm Abteilungen), did all they could to terrorize political opponents during the election campaign.
And to a large extent they were allowed to do so without interference, since the Nazis controlled the police force via
Frick and Gring.

THE END OF HITLER

It was during these years that Hitlers personal flaws became most apparent. His inability to
recognize that his army could not defeat the Soviets made the war in the east for a disaster for
Germany. A furious Hitler insisted that his army should fight to last man, but by late 1943, the
German army in the east was in retreat. At the same time allied forces had driven the germans
out of North Africa and invaded italy, while allied bombers attacked Germans industrial cities. By
1944, in Great Britain, The allies had begun to make preparations for an invasion of Germancontrolled France at Normandy. Hitler insisted that the allies would invade at Calais a point
closer to Great Britain, many miles northwest of Normandy. He ordered his most powerful tank
units stationed there. When the allies invaded at Normandy on D-Day June 6, 1944, there were
no German tanks to defend the area.Slightly more than two decades had passed since
Germany had last launched a two-front warand suffered devastating consequences. It
therefore took a stunning level of strategic incompetence on Hitlers part to initiate a war in the
East when the outcome in the West was still at issue. Tenacity, coupled with flashes of tactical
and operational brilliance, kept the German army in the field for four bloody years. And once
again, the German military almost made good on Hitlers gamble. But such martial attributes
were insufficient to overcome the fundamental strategic mistake that placed them deep into
Russia to begin with. After chastising his generals about Moscow being a mere political target of
little military consequence, Hitler, remarkably, allowed himself to be drawn into a battle of
prestige for control of Stalingrad. Instead of focusing on the oil fields, he divided his force,
sending one to head south toward Baku, the other to take Stalingrad. It was a battle he waged
furiously, long after the city had lost any military utility. Division after division was fed into the
Stalingrad maelstrom, where whole battalions were virtually obliterated 24 hours after their
commitment. For almost three months, the German Sixth Army pounded at the city until only a
small sliver remained in Soviet hands.
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