Hitler's Rise to Power

Adolf Hitler, the leader who was once loved by millions of German's, and was responsible for the massacre of millions of Jews, is now the most hated dictator the world has known throughout human history. Almost every educated person has an idea of the evil Hitler caused, but not many know, and have ever thought about how he rose to power. Hitler rose to power due to Germany's discontent with the Weimer Republic and society after World War 1, his ideas and views on Germany's extreme economic and political sufferings, as well as his ability to use Germanys national pride problems to spark his political career.

To fully understand the reason behind Adolf Hitler's rise to power, one must first know Germanys background at that time period. In 1918 The Germany navy mutinied, causing rebellions throughout the country. Germany was then forced to surrender World War 1, and Kaiser Wilhelm 11 fled Germany, and a new republic was formed. In the town of Weimer, 1919 elections were held for a new Reichstag (German parliament), and a new government was agreed. Freidrich Ebert was elected the new president of Germany. This new government was named the Weimer Republic after the town it was formed in. Germany not only got a new government, but also a different kind of government. Germany went from a military autocracy to a parliamentary democracy.

Some believe that the Weimer Republic was doomed from the start. Because Germany lost World War 1, The Weimer Republic had two choices, either be invaded by the Allies, or adhere to the peace treaty named the Treaty of Versailles. Germany was in a very bad state after the war and could not afford to be invaded, so they agreed to the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was a punishment that the Allies of World War 1, mainly France and Belgium, forced Germany to agree too. Not only did Germany have to admit to starting the war, but they also had to take full responsibility for all damages done due to the first World War, this consequence is also known as the " War Guilt Clause". The Treaty of Versailles called for many restrictions, and punishments that Germany had to follow. The treaty could be divided into three sections of punishments, Territory, Military and Financial. The treaty called for Germany to give up a lot of their land to many different countries in Europe, including many of their big industrial cities, which brought them money. Germany was forced to give up their air force, and condense their army to only 100,000 men. The most devastating consequence of The Treaty of Versailles was the enormous compensation Germany had to pay the Allies, for losing the war. The treaty called for huge amounts of money, that Germany could definitely not afford after the war, forcing them to borrow the money from the United States. Germany had never really experienced a democratic Government before, and many Germans associated the Weimer Republic with Germanys defeat in the war, as