History
How, by 1932, had the Nazi Party become the largest Party in the Reichstag?
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.
Since the German government suffered badly in the depression the
existing Weimar government, put in place by the victorious allies, was
blamed. Without the depression the government was not particularly liked
since it was indecisive and it had not central power. Hitler used his
twenty-five points from the beginning of the Nazi party. These were a set
of promises appealing to everybody, they included elements of socialism and
told people what they wanted to hear. They promised to stop reparations to
the victors of the First World War, end unemployment, give a strong
leadership and they attacked immigrants and particularly Jews. The
twenty-five points were attractive to those most vulnerable to the
depression, especially ex-soldiers, the unemployed and the middle classes.
In the time of crisis the German people had swung to an extreme group,
and the Nazis were an easy way out, more appealing than the Communists to
the industrialists, and they were also attractive since they apparently
promoted the old and respected German militaristic values. In the hard
times they were effective since the democratic parties could not solve any
of the problems facing Germany. In the 1930 elections the Nazis greatly
increased the number of seats that they held in parliament, by 1932 they
had nearly 200 seats, although they did not have a majority they were the
largest single party.
