Hitler Becomes Chancellor, 1933 (AQA GCSE History)

How Did Hitler Use the Political System to Become Chancellor in January 1933? - Timeline & Summary

After the failed Munich Putsch, Hitler learnt that achieving power was not possible through violent putsches. He understood that, to take control of Germany, the people must vote for the NSDAP.

By 1932, the NSDAP became the largest party in the Reichstag. Many sectors of the German public had lost faith in moderate political parties resolving the crisis. Hitler and the Nazi Party took advantage of the situation by increasing their production of propaganda. Hitler became a national celebrity. His oration skills converted many sceptics of the NSDAP’s policies to back him. 

Hitler’s plan to use the electoral system to become chancellor succeeded in January 1933.  President Hindenburg had very limited options but to give the chancellorship to Hitler. Due to his right-wing beliefs, Hindenburg could not accept a communist government under the KPD. At the same time, Hindenburg could no longer ignore Hitler’s power over the German people. Historians agree that Hindenburg made a serious misjudgment in believing he could control Hitler by appointing von Papen as co-chancellor. Within a year of his chancellorship, Hitler combined the powers of chancellor and president to become the Führer of Germany.

The presidential elections, April 1932

• In 1932, Hindenburg’s seven years as president had come to an end

  • Aged 84, Hindenburg was becoming increasingly frail

  • Moderate politicians persuaded Hindenburg to stand for re-election to stabilise the Weimar Republic

  • Hitler decided to enter the presidential election

• In March 1932, the first round of presidential elections began

  • Hindenburg achieved 49.6%. This was not the 50% required to become president

  • Hitler achieved 30% of the votes

  • Ernst Thälmann, leader of the KPD, received 14% of the votes

• In April, the government repeated the election

  • Hitler had relentlessly campaigned in the run-up to the election

    • Hitler hired an aeroplane to travel around Germany making speeches

    • The SA performed parades and disrupted communist meetings

  • Political opponents fought in the streets across Germany

• The results of the election gave Hindenburg the presidency

  • Hitler increased his share of the votes to 36%

  • Thälmann fell in the polls, showing a decline in the popularity of communism

Von Papen's chancellorship, May 1932

• Chancellor Brüning's harsh policies lost support in the Reichstag and he resigned

• Hindenburg considered who should be the new chancellor

  • Von Papen was chosen as the new chancellor on 30th May 1932

Why was von Papen chosen?

• Von Papen was chosen to be the new chancellor for many reasons:

  • Von Papen was a personal friend of Hindenburg’s

  • the SPD, led by von Papen, held the most seats in the Reichstag

    • However, they did not have a clear majority

    • The SPD needed the support of Hitler to bring the public around to the coalition. Hitler only agreed to join this coalition if the government lifted the ban on the SA

Why was von Papen's chancellorship controversial?

• Despite public criticism, Hindenburg announced that von Papen would be the new chancellor

  • There was no formal election

  • The German public called the government ‘the Cabinet of Barons’

    • This is because the coalition contained right-wing landowners, businessmen and officers

  • The upper classes now controlled the inner circle of the government

    • Their policies did not benefit the lower classes

  • It marked the Nazi Party’s first involvement in government

    • Some politicians believed Hitler could be controlled if given a small amount of power

The July 1932 elections

• In the July 1932 election, the NSDAP was the biggest party in the Reichstag

  • The Nazi Party received 38% of the vote

    • This was not the 50% needed to have a majority in the Reichstag

    • The NSDAP’s share of the votes had increased from 18% in 1930

• Hitler demanded that Hindenburg appoint him as chancellor

• Hindenburg ignored Hitler’s request and kept von Papen as chancellor

  • Hindenburg disliked Hitler and hoped public opinion would turn against the NSDAP

November 1932 election

• Hindenburg called for another election in November 1932

  • The NSDAP retained their position as the biggest party

  • However, the NSDAP's share of the votes had reduced to 33%

    • NSDAP support from the middle class had reduced because Hitler verbally attacked von Papen

    • The KPD had grown their representation in the Reichstag, achieving 17% of the votes

• Von Papen could no longer remain chancellor of Germany because the SPD did not have a majority in the Reichstag

• Hindenburg persuaded von Papen to resign

Hitler's appointment to Chancellor

• Von Schleicher was appointed chancellor

  • He weakened the people’s trust in the Weimar Republic as he suggested running Germany through a military dictatorship

• On 30th January, von Papen suggested that Hindenburg should:

  • replace von Schleicher with Hitler

  • appoint von Papen as Hitler's co-chancellor

• Hindenburg and von Papen made this decision because:

  • they both believed they had Hitler ‘in their hand’

  • they wanted to make all the decisions about Germany

• Von Papen’s plan succeeded in persuading Hindenburg to make Hitler chancellor on 30th January 1933

What caused Hitler to become Chancellor?

Hitler’s personal appeal

• Hitler’s oration skills persuaded more and more of the German public to vote for the NSDAP

The policies of the NSDAP

• Hitler’s policies created national unity and common enemies of the German state

The weakness of the Weimar Constitution

• Proportional representation made it nearly impossible for political parties to gain a majority in the Reichstag

• Chancellors continually abused Article 48

  • This turned the public away from democracy

  • It made Hitler's actions look appropriate

The economic collapse of 1929-33

• Germany had suffered two depressions in a decade

• The people did not trust moderate parties in times of crisis

• They looked to Hitler for an alternative solution

Hindenburg

• Hindenburg allowed and condoned the abuse of Article 48

  • His actions weakened the power of the Reichstag and people’s belief in democracy

• He never fully supported the Weimar Republic

• The public looked to Hitler for a strong ruler

Von Papen 

• Von Papen ignored election results to favour a government controlled by the wealthy

  • This weakened the people’s trust in the Weimar Republic

Underestimating Hitler’s power

• Von Papen and Hindenburg believed they could control Hitler and the NSDAP

  • Hitler used their naivety to his advantage.

• He used Weimar’s legal system to manoeuvre himself to the position of Führer of Germany by 1934