After World War I, Germany became a democracy. The Weimar Republic was created and struggled throughout the 1920s to establish a functional democracy. However, Germany was beset by severe economic turmoil in the 1920s, including runaway inflation. Anger over the Treaty of Versailles and internal disunity also
plagued this young government. As time passed, it became obvious that the Weimar
Republic was slowly crumbling. In the 1930s, the worldwide Great Depression hit Germany hard, worsening the problems that already existed. Increasingly,
antidemocratic parties, especially the National Socialist German Worker's Party
or Nazi Party, threatened the republic. Regardless of the party's name, the
Nazis were not socialists. They bitterly opposed socialism, communism and any
other group that promoted class interest or worker's rights above German ethnic
solidarity. Adolf Hitler became the leader of the Nazi Party. He had joined the
party after World War I and soon gained control of it. He criticized many
people, political programs and ideologies. His sharpest assaults were against
communists and Jews. Hitler was vehemently anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism had
troubled Europe for centuries, mainly because of religious intolerance and
economic resentment. Hitler spoke out against the Jewish people and argued that
they were the greatest threat facing Germany. The shattered German economy,
widespread unemployment, homelessness and hunger all played into the hands of
the Nazi Party. Recognizing the power of Hitler's party, the president of the
Weimar Republic, in January of 1933, appointed Hitler as chancellor of Germany.
Hitler quickly moved to consolidate his power and ruled unchecked by the German
Parliament. By 1935, the democratic institutions of the Weimar Republic were
silenced, and Hitler spoke alone as the voice of the German government. Like
Stalin and Mussolini, Hitler became a symbol of the totalitarian regime. Aided
by secret police that crushed any dissent, a state-controlled press that praised
his accomplishments and a state-controlled educational system that indoctrinated
the young, Hitler gradually assumed a godlike aura. "By the late 1930s, Hitler's
economic policies, including rearmament, and massive public-works projects, had
all but ended the depression in Germany. Many Germans followed Hitler's lead and
wildly cheered for him at Nazi Party rallies. At these rallies, he openly spoke
against the Jewish people, socialists and communists." (Frielander, 1997, p. 83).
plagued this young government. As time passed, it became obvious that the Weimar
Republic was slowly crumbling. In the 1930s, the worldwide Great Depression hit Germany hard, worsening the problems that already existed. Increasingly,
antidemocratic parties, especially the National Socialist German Worker's Party
or Nazi Party, threatened the republic. Regardless of the party's name, the
Nazis were not socialists. They bitterly opposed socialism, communism and any
other group that promoted class interest or worker's rights above German ethnic
solidarity. Adolf Hitler became the leader of the Nazi Party. He had joined the
party after World War I and soon gained control of it. He criticized many
people, political programs and ideologies. His sharpest assaults were against
communists and Jews. Hitler was vehemently anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism had
troubled Europe for centuries, mainly because of religious intolerance and
economic resentment. Hitler spoke out against the Jewish people and argued that
they were the greatest threat facing Germany. The shattered German economy,
widespread unemployment, homelessness and hunger all played into the hands of
the Nazi Party. Recognizing the power of Hitler's party, the president of the
Weimar Republic, in January of 1933, appointed Hitler as chancellor of Germany.
Hitler quickly moved to consolidate his power and ruled unchecked by the German
Parliament. By 1935, the democratic institutions of the Weimar Republic were
silenced, and Hitler spoke alone as the voice of the German government. Like
Stalin and Mussolini, Hitler became a symbol of the totalitarian regime. Aided
by secret police that crushed any dissent, a state-controlled press that praised
his accomplishments and a state-controlled educational system that indoctrinated
the young, Hitler gradually assumed a godlike aura. "By the late 1930s, Hitler's
economic policies, including rearmament, and massive public-works projects, had
all but ended the depression in Germany. Many Germans followed Hitler's lead and
wildly cheered for him at Nazi Party rallies. At these rallies, he openly spoke
against the Jewish people, socialists and communists." (Frielander, 1997, p. 83).