Hitler’s Political Succession Amidst the Economic Depression

1613 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Hyperinflation During Germany Interwar

Part A: Plan of Investigation
This investigation will address the research question, to what extent was Germany’s post-World War I economic depression a causal factor in Hitler’s rise to power from 1919 to 1934? With the Treaty of Versailles, the German government was required to pay 132 billion gold marks of war reparations, drastically worsened with the US Wall Street crash. This effectively crippled the German economy and created a desperate people. For this investigation, Hitler’s private life history and pre-military career will not be analyzed. His political rise will be examined from the perspective of economic and social factors. Several primary sources will be explored, including the Hitler’s Mein Kampf and Hitler’s 25-Point Program. In addition, tertiary sources covering Hitler’s non-personal life and rise to power will be studied.
Part B: Summary of Evidence
The Treaty of Versailles, representing the formal end of World War I, was signed on June 28, 1919. This treaty calculated the liabilities for the German government at 132 billion gold marks, to be funded over the course of 37 years. The German mark suffered massive inflation; in 1913 it cost 4 marks to buy a US dollar. By 1922, it cost 7,000 marks.
Adolf Hitler, a veteran of World War I, joined the ranks of the newly named National Socialist German Workers, or Nazi, party (NSDAP) in 1919. On February 24, 1920, he published a document outlining the goals and beliefs of the Nazi Party called the 25 Points. These included the abrogation of the Treaty of Versailles, the exclusion of Jews from the German “race,” the prevention of Jews from living in Germany, and the formation of a national army. Hitler outlined the economic benefits of these proposals in a Munic...

... middle of paper ...

...eview no. 67 (September 2010): 42-48. Accessed March 3, 2014. History Reference Center, EBSCOhost.
Evans, Richard J, The Coming of the Third Reich. (New York: Penguin Press), 2004.
Geary, Dick. "Who Voted for the Nazis?," History Today 48, no. 10 (1998): 8.
Halsall, Paul. "The 25 Points 1920: An Early Nazi Program ." Modern History Sourcebook. Accessed February 3, 2014. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/25points.asp.
James, Harold. "The Causes Of The German Banking Crisis Of 1931." The Economic History Review 37, no. 1 (1984): 68-71.
Maier, Wendy A. "Adolf Hitler." In World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2005. Accessed February 4, 2014. http://worldatwar.abc-clio.com/.
Roberts, Priscilla. "Reparations: World War I." In World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2005. Accessed February 4, 2014. http://worldatwar.abc-clio.com/.

Show More
Related

  • David Abraham and the Weimar Republic

    4192 Words  | 9 Pages

    The historical field concerning the Weimar Republic, Germany's parliamentary government during the interwar years, is not only an extremely sophisticated area of study, but an extremely competitive one as well. In the early eighties, a much heated and unprecedented scholarly dispute arose surrounding The Collapse of the Weimar Republic, written by David Abraham - at the time, a fledgling historian and assistant professor at Princeton University. Nazi seizure of power from the Weimar Republic has long intrigued scores of historians. Various models have been constructed in an attempt to explain how an entity such as the Nazi movement came to power over such an industrially, culturally, and socially advanced society such as Germany's (Notes from Jamie van Hook 2/14).

    Read More

  • Collapse of the Weimar Republic and the Rise of the Nazis

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    This essay will examine how the lack of effective opposition and the weakness of the Weimar, was a major factor in the Nazis rising to power between 1919 and 1933.

    Read More

  • Hitler's Goal: Global Conquest

    1750 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the time Hitler and the Nazi’s took control of Germany in 1933 until the collapse of the Third Reich in 1945, the aim of the regime under the calculating guidance of Hitler himself sought no less than global conquest. This ambitious objective can be further dissected into short term and long term goals that provide insight into Hitler’s character, thoughts and actions.

    Read More

  • Life and Death in the Third Reich, by Peter Fritzsche

    1140 Words  | 3 Pages

    Life and Death in the Third Reich. 1st Ed. -. ed. a. a. a. a. a. a. Cambridge, MA: Belknap, Harvard UP, 2008.

    Read More

  • Reasons for the Attack on Pearl Harbor

    1675 Words  | 4 Pages

    "World War II." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd Ed. Vol. 9. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 147-151. World History In Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

    Read More

  • Was the Treaty of Versailles the Major Cause of World War Two?

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    "War Guilt Clause." Treaty of Versailles and Nazism. N.p., 9 Nov. 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • The Effect of the Great Depression on Hitler's Power

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Treaty of Versailles only partly helped Hitler become chancellor. On 28 June 1919, Germany signed the Treaty with the allies, losing 10% of her land. The German army was reduced to 100,000 men and Germany had to pay reparations of £6,600 million. Hitler blamed the Treaty for Germany's problems. When Germany failed to pay a reparation instalment in 1922, French and Belgian troops entered German soil and seized goods.

    Read More

  • The Holocaust: Exposing Humanities Darkest Sin

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    McKale, Donald M. Nazis after Hitler: how perpetrators of the Holocaust cheated justice and truth. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2012. Print.

    Read More

  • Josef Mengele, The Angel of Death

    1410 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wistrich, Robert S. Hitler and the Holocaust (Modern Library Chronicles). New York: Modern Library, 2003. Print.

    Read More

  • Adolf Hitler's Unforgivable Acts

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    Farmer, Alan. "Hitler And The Holocaust." History Review 58 (2007): 4-9. History Reference Center. Web. 23 Jan. 2014

    Read More

  • History Of The Weimar War

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... as seen throughout the 20’s. Theo Balderston, economic historian, describes reparations as “a tax collected from German citizens by the German government acting as the Allies’ “fiscal agent.” However, this tax lacked the “moral legitimation” that normally accompanies tax collection. The German government and the society thought the allied assertions to be one-sided and unfair. . It became a double edged sword, not only being an economic issue, but had much to do with lowering of German morale and sparking anger. Balderston goes on to point out that reparations were like a levy received from Germans by their government assisting as the Allies “fiscal agent” (Feldman, 1997).

    Read More

  • The Significance of the Night of Long Knives

    1923 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bibliography Primary Sources J Hite and C Hinton, ‘Weimar and Nazi Germany 2000’. Manchester Guardian Report, 13th April 1933. Franz Von Papen’s Speech at Marburg University, 17th June 1934. Rohm’s Speech to foreign press April 18th 1934. Field von Weich’s account of Hitler’s Speech to the leaders of the SA and most of the senior Reichswehr generals 28th February 1934.

    Read More

  • Evaluating the View that the Depression Was the Main Reason Why Hitler Was Able to Become Chancellor By 1933

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    Evaluating the View that the Depression Was the Main Reason Why Hitler Was Able to Become Chancellor By 1933

    Read More

  • Hitler - A Great Leader

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    Adolf Hitler joined a small political party in 1919 and rose to leadership through his emotional and captivating speeches. He encouraged national pride, militarism, and a commitment to the Volk and a racially "pure" Germany. Hitler condemned the Jews, exploiting anti-Semitic feelings that had prevailed in Europe for centuries. He changed the name of the party to the National Socialist German Workers' Party, called for short, the Nazi Party. By the end of 1920, the Nazi Party had about 3,000 members. A year later Hitler became its official leader Führer. From this, we can see his potential of being a leader and his development in his propaganda.

    Read More

  • Adolf Hitler's Reign of Terror

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shmoop Editorial Team.” Adolf Hitler in World War 2.” Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 26 Feb. 2014

    Read More

More about Hitler’s Political Succession Amidst the Economic Depression

Open Document