Question

What role did the Great Depression of 1929 play in making the Nazi party a force in German politics?

Answer 1

Answer: It made Germany vulnerable, and in need of a "hero."

Explanation: A population that is vulnerable is more likely to seek help from an outside source, in this case the National Socialist German Workers' Party. Woodrow Wilson had WWI, FDR had WWII, etc.

Answer 2

During 1930–1933, the mood in Germany was grim. The worldwide economic depression had hit the country hard, and millions of people were out of work. The unemployed were joined by millions of others who linked the Depression to Germany's national humiliation after defeat in World War 1. Many Germans perceived the parliamentary government coalition as weak and unable to alleviate the economic crisis. Widespread economic misery, fear, and perception of worse times to come, as well as anger and impatience with the apparent failure of the government to manage the crisis, offered fertile ground for the rise of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party.