The Great Depression was the most important factor that lead to Hitler becoming Chancellor in 1933. It caused major economic issues in Germany such as businesses going bankrupt, workers being laid off, massive increase in unemployment and homelessness. Germany was affected more than other countries because they had the burden of reparations and the Weimar Republic’s constitution made the Reichstag indecisive. Another issue …show more content…
The system of proportional representation meant that the Reichstag was constantly divided in opinion and unable to agree on anything.This meant that nothing was done about the economic crisis of 1929. The German people already did not trust the government because they felt that the November criminals had betrayed them when they agreed to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Article 48 of the Weimar Republic’s constitution stated that the president could make decisions without consulting the Reichstag in emergency situations. This as well was a weakness since it went against everything the Weimar Republic stood for: democracy. The Republic’s main weakness however was the fact that barely anyone supported them; even President Hindenburg didn’t abide by the democratic rules. Their failure to help Germany through the economic crisis is what finally turned Germans against them and toward the Nazi …show more content…
After the Great Depression struck Germany, Hitler’s ideas started to become more relevant and people realized that his aims were similar to all the Germans. Hitler’s main goal was to abolish the Treaty of Versailles. He, like most Germans, believed that the Treaty was unfair on Germany and that they should not have had to pay 6.6 billion pounds in reparations along with accepting full blame for starting the war. Hitler wanted Lebensraum (living space) for Germany’s growing population, which was again another statement people agreed with. He also wanted Germany to reunite with Austria so that all the German speaking people could be unified, ignoring another term of the Treaty that banned Anschluss with Austria. Hitler wanted Germany to consist of only pure Germans, and wanted to get rid of the Jews. He wanted the Master Race, the Aryans, to be the only race living in Germany. He believed that the Jews had stabbed the Germans in the back when their businesses prospered after the war, and that ignited his hatred for them. These Nazi ideas included Germany becoming Anti-democracy and Anti-communist. They thought that Germany needed a strong central government with a leader like the