Question

Explain how Adolf Hitler was able to acquire totalitarian power in Germany during the 1930s. Describe Hitler’s totalitarian rule, the conditions in Germany that played a part in his rise to power, and the way he used those conditions to gain power.

Answer 1

Hitler was able to acquire totalitarian power in Germany during the 1930s.

Step-by-step explanation:

During the early 1930s Germany suffered severely due to economic depression and was unsatisfied with the weak government, the Weimar Republic. The Germans also were humiliated by the Treaty of Versailles signed after their defeat in the First World War. It was during the 1930s that Nazis came to power.

Germany was converted into a totalitarian state under Hitler’s rule where all aspects of life were under the government’s control. Nazis gained popularity by succeeding to restore economic stability and this helped them gain support from people in building a totalitarian state.

Answer 2

When Hitler seized power in 1932, many of the political, economic and international factors were in favor of him. Lets briefly outline the most important ones.

Step-by-step explanation:

Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg, Hitler immediately seized power of all branches of the government and the military, becoming the sole ruler or the dictator of Germany.

The democracy was quickly abolished and all the military and the law enforcement were used to oppress Hitler's and the Nazi party's political opponents. Specially with the beginning of the Gestapo, the German secret police.

The treaty of Versailles played a major role in Hitler's rise to power. The unjust treatment and humiliation Germany underwent because of that treaty had many Germans disappointed.

And the huge sums of repayments the Germany had to make under the treaty collapsed the war-torn Germany, giving rise to many economic and social problems.

The rising power and the influence of the Communists in Germany was another factor. Many wealthy, upper-class Germans disliked Communists taking over Germany and supported Hitler and his party.

The economic decline of Germany after the 1st world war was another major contributory factor to Hitler's rise to power. He used this as leverage against the Democratic government and to show that the democracy is "not working".