How Hitler Became Chancellor, 1932-33 (Edexcel GCSE History)
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Author
Zoe WadeExpertise
History
How Did Hitler Use the Political System to Become Chancellor in January 1933? - Timeline & Summary
After the failed Munich Putsch, Hitler learnt that achieving power was not possible through violent putsches. He understood that, to take control of Germany, the people must vote for the NSDAP. In 1930, the NSDAP experienced some success in the elections. The Nazi Party achieved 18.3% of the vote, which corresponded to 107 of the 577 seats in the Reichstag. At this stage, this was the largest proportion the NSDAP had achieved in its history. It was also larger than the KPD's results, which amounted to 13% of the vote. At the same time, the SPD received roughly 25% of the vote. This indicates that more Germans believed in moderate government than in the Nazi Party. By 1932, the NSDAP became the largest party in the Reichstag. Chancellor Brüning’s unpopular policies to combat unemployment and recession in Germany were failing. Many sectors of the German public had lost faith in moderate political parties resolving the crisis. Hitler and the Nazi Party took advantage of the situation by increasing their production of propaganda. Hitler became a national celebrity. His oration skills converted many sceptics of the NSDAP’s policies to back him. Hitler’s plan to use the electoral system to become chancellor succeeded in January 1933. President Hindenburg had very limited options but to give the chancellorship to Hitler. Due to his right-wing beliefs, Hindenburg could not accept a communist government under the KPD. At the same time, Hindenburg could no longer ignore Hitler’s power over the German people. Historians agree that Hindenburg made a serious misjudgment in believing he could control Hitler by appointing von Papen as co-chancellor. Within a year of his chancellorship, Hitler combined the powers of chancellor and president to become the Führer of Germany. |
Hindenburg & Hitler in Presidential Elections
In 1932, Hindenburg’s seven years as President had come to an end
Aged 84, Hindenburg was becoming increasingly frail
Moderate politicians persuaded Hindenburg to stand for re-election to stabilise the Weimar Republic
Hitler decided to enter the presidential election
In March 1932, the first round of presidential elections began
Hindenburg achieved 49.6%. This was not the 50% required to become president
Hitler achieved 30% of the votes
Ernst Thälmann, leader of the KPD, received 14% of the votes
In April, the government repeated the election
Hitler had relentlessly campaigned in the run-up to the election
Hitler hired an aeroplane to travel around Germany making speeches
The SA performed parades and disrupted communist meetings
Political opponents fought in the streets across Germany
The results of the election gave Hindenburg the presidency
Hitler increased his share of the votes to 36%
Thälmann fell in the polls, showing a decline in the popularity of communism
Exam Tip
Although Hitler lost the 1932 presidential elections, the margin of defeat was small. Many Weimar politicians assumed that Hindenburg would be easily re-elected. The fact that Hitler achieved 13 million votes scared many moderate parties in the Reichstag. An exam question may ask you to explain why Hitler became chancellor in 1933. You can use the 1932 presidential election as evidence of the amount of Germans who believed in Hitler’s ability to restore Germany’s economy and reputation.
Brüning as Chancellor, April 1932
The chancellor in 1932 was Heinrich Brüning
He raised taxes for workers
He reduced the monetary benefits to the unemployed
He became chancellor in 1930
He was leader of the Centre Party, a moderate political group
From 1930-32, he implemented harsh policies in an attempt to control the economic and unemployment crisis in Germany
In April 1932, Brüning had lost the support of the Reichstag
The table below explains how his policies made many political parties angry
The impact of Brüning's policies as chancellor
Bruning’s policy | Reaction towards the policy |
Banning the SA and SS. Brüning argued that they caused public unrest |
|
The breaking up of large land estates in Germany. The land would provide space for the unemployed to live |
|
On 30th May 1932, Brüning resigned
He did not have majority support in the Reichstag
Hindenburg no longer supported Brüning’s government
Von Papen Becomes Chancellor, May 1932
After Brüning’s resignation, Hindenburg considered who should be the new chancellor
Von Papen was a personal friend of Hindenburg’s
Von Schleicher, a high-ranking soldier and ambitious politician, wanted to create a new coalition
The coalition would contain right-wing landowners, businessmen and officers under the leadership of ex-general von Papen
The new government went against the principles of the Weimar Republic
The SPD held the most Reichstag seats
Hitler only agreed to support the coalition if the SA were no longer banned
This was a clear abuse of Article 48
It did not have a majority in the Reichstag
It required the support of Hitler to bring the public around to the coalition
It passed policy primarily using Hindenburg’s presidential powers
Despite public criticism, Hindenburg announced that von Papen would be the new chancellor on 30th May 1932
This meant that the upper classes controlled the inner circle of the government and their policies did not benefit the lower classes
Von Schleicher believed that giving Hitler this small portion of power would keep him under control
The German public called the government ‘the Cabinet of Barons’
It marked the Nazi Party’s first involvement in government
The July 1932 Elections
The Reichstag elections in July 1932 created chaos in the streets of Germany
Between June to July, the SA and the KPD’s Red Front Fighters fought
These fights resulted in 7,000 injured people and over 100 deaths
The election results announced the NSDAP was the biggest party in the Reichstag
The Nazi Party received 38% of the vote
This was not the 50% needed to have a majority in the Reichstag
The NSDAP’s share of the votes had increased from 18% in 1930
Hitler demanded that Hindenburg appoint him as chancellor
Hindenburg ignored Hitler’s request and kept von Papen as chancellor. He called for another election in November 1932
Hindenburg did not like Hitler. Hitler was a corporal when he was in the First World War. Hindenburg believed he acted in an unsuitable way for a person of his lowly rank
Hindenburg was gambling on the public turning against the NSDAP
In the November 1932 Reichstag election, the NSDAP retained their position as the biggest party
Their share of the votes had reduced to 33%
Hitler lost some of the middle-class support by verbally attacking von Papen
The KPD had grown their representation in the Reichstag, achieving 17% of the votes
The increase in votes for the KPD scared moderate and right-wing politicians
Von Papen could no longer remain chancellor of Germany
Von Schleicher abandoned the coalition
He went to Hindenburg arguing that, if von Papen remained chancellor, there would be civil unrest on the streets. The army would struggle to keep control
Hindenburg persuaded von Papen to resign
Von Schleicher Becomes Chancellor, December 1932
Out of desperation to avoid a Nazi government, Hindenburg appointed von Schleicher chancellor on 2nd December 1932
Von Schleicher told Hindenburg that the November 1932 election results proved that the NSDAP’s popularity was declining
Von Schleicher's government could not function
It had no majority in the Reichstag
The people had not elected Von Schleicher
Hitler and the Nazi Party openly opposed von Schleicher at every opportunity
Von Schleicher called for Hindenburg to suspend the Weimar Constitution
A suspension of the constitution would allow von Schleicher to form a military dictatorship
Hindenburg refused
Von Papen heard about von Schleicher’s plans. Von Papen contacted Hindenburg on 30th January 1933
He stated that, if Hindenburg did not form a new government, von Schleicher would take control by a military coup
Exam Tip
Students find Hitler’s path to becoming chancellor very confusing. Try to remember that, from July 1932, Hitler had won the right to become chancellor. However, Hindenburg’s hatred and distrust for the NSDAP meant he wanted to try any solution to avoid Hitler gaining power. By December 1932, Hindenburg had run out of choices. He was not willing to enact von Schleicher’s suggestion of a military dictatorship. Despite his right-wing tendencies, he did not believe in placing Germany under martial law. He knew he could not delay Hitler’s chancellorship any longer.
Hitler Becomes Chancellor, January 1933
On 30th January, von Papen suggested that he should be co-chancellor to Hitler’s chancellorship
Hindenburg and von Papen believed they had Hitler ‘in their hand’ and could make all the decisions about Germany
Von Papen’s plan succeeded in persuading Hindenburg to make Hitler chancellor
What caused Hitler to become chancellor?
Factor | How did this factor cause Hitler to become chancellor? |
Hitler’s personal appeal | Hitler’s oration skills persuaded more and more of the German public to vote for the NSDAP |
The policies of the NSDAP | Hitler’s policies created national unity and common enemies of the German state |
The weakness of the Weimar Constitution | Proportional representation made it nearly impossible for political parties to gain a majority in the Reichstag. The chancellors continually abused Article 48. This turned the public away from democracy. It also made Hitler's actions look appropriate |
The economic collapse of 1929-33 | Germany had suffered two depressions in a decade. The people did not trust moderate parties in times of crisis. They looked to Hitler for an alternative solution |
Von Hindenburg | Hindenburg allowed and condoned the abuse of Article 48. He never fully supported the Weimar Republic. His actions weakened the power of the Reichstag and people’s belief in democracy. The public looked to Hitler for a strong ruler |
Von Schleicher and von Papen | Von Schleicher and von Papen ignored election results to favour a government controlled by the wealthy. This weakened the people’s trust in the Weimar Republic. Von Schleicher’s suggestion of a military dictatorship gave Hindenburg no choice but to give the chancellorship to Hitler |
Underestimating Hitler’s power | Von Schleicher, von Papen and Hindenburg believed they could control Hitler and the NSDAP. Hitler used their naivety to his advantage. He used Weimar’s legal system to manoeuvre himself to the position of Führer of Germany by 1934 |
The failures of the Weimar governments from April 1932
A flow diagram to show why each Weimar government failed and how this led to Hitler becoming Chancellor of Germany in January 1933
Worked Example
Give two things you can infer from Source A about how Hitler became chancellor in January 1933
4 marks
Source A: A cartoon called ‘The Temporary Triangle’ by the British political magazine Punch. It shows Hitler on the shoulders of President Hindenburg (on the left) and von Papen (on the right)
Answers:
i) What I can infer:
I can infer that Hitler was supported by Hindenburg and von Papen (1)
Details in the source that tell me this:
Hitler is on the shoulders of Hindenburg and von Papen (1)
ii) What I can infer:
I can also infer that Hitler was in control when he became chancellor (1)
Details in the source that tell me this:
Hitler is pushing Hindenburg’s and von Papen’s heads down. He is also higher than Hindenburg, who was the president (1)
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