Hitler came to power more due to luck than skill.’
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Your task is to write a 1200 word essay answering the question above. (You should not go more than 10% above or
below the word count.) In your essay, you should think about the following:
(Economic explanations for Hitler’s rise to power
Social explanations for Hitler’s rise to power
Political explanations for Hitler’s rise to power) Do any of the reasons link to each other? Can you include this into your writing
Example of links between reasons – Hitler promised to restore national pride to Germans. Not only did German
people think this would bring a greater sense of economic stability, but they would be more united socially. Sections
of German society could begin to rebuild their roots and future. Hitler showed an immense amount of skill in
promoting this as one of his policies during his rise.
Introduction
‣ Give a brief synopsis of the time period you will cover (around 1921 to 1933, give or take a few years)
‣ Explain (in one sentence) why some people might argue that Hitler came to power through luck.
‣ Explain (in one sentence) why other people might argue that Hitler came to power through skill.
‣ State that it’s a complicated issue and will require close examination of the evidence.
Luck
What elements of Hitler’s rise were lucky? Possible ideas to include:
‣ Getting support from the industrialists due to the fear of communism (did he have any control over this?)
‣ Getting off so lightly after the Munich Putsch
‣ Being able to so easily resume his role at head of the party when he got out of Landsberg Prison
‣ The lack of strong political personalities in Weimar to rival him
‣ The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, and the behaviour of the French with the invasion of the Ruhr
‣ The Wall Street Crash and subsequent great depression
‣ The miscalculation of Hindenburg, von Papen and von Schleicher
‣ The Reichstag Fire
‣ The death of Hindenburg
‣ The rise of Fascism across Europe (look at Spain, Portugal and Italy)
Skill
What elements of Hitler’s rise were down to his skill? Possible ideas to include:
‣ His public speaking and ability to appeal to all sectors of German society
‣ His choice of entourage
‣ His use of propaganda
‣ His decision to bring democracy down from the inside, rather than try to use force
‣ His choice of topics to focus on (Jews, Treaty of Versailles, Communism etc.)
‣ His writing
‣ Outwitting his political opponents (including opponents within the Nazi party)
‣ Exploiting outside events (such as Wall Street Crash or Reichstag Fire)
Conclusion
What do you think? Was it more luck or skill? Would Hitler have come to power without many of the things in the
luck column, over which he had no control. Or did he exert some control over them? Is it possible to come up with a
deZinitive answer, or could some items I have listed be put in either column, depending on your opinion? Was it a
complex interplay of both luck and skill, and if so, which one played the major part?
‘Hitler came to power more due to luck than skill.’
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Social Studies – Unit 7 – The rise of fascism
Do any of the reasons link to
each other? Can you include
this into your writing.
| In the early 1930s people increasingly believed that the Nazi Party was led by a man who could do something about Germany’s problems. |
Hitler was determined to gain voting support according to the constitution, rather than risk losing support with the use of violent tactics. |
The democratic Weimar Republic seemed incapable of solving Germany’s problems during the Depression – people turned instead to extremist parties such as Communists and Nazis. |
Following the failure of the Munich Putsch, Hitler had risen from obscurity to a figure of national importance in political circles. |
| The Depression hit in 1929. Germany was the worst hit country in the world because it now had to repay reparations loans (Dawes and Young Plans) to the USA. The economy simply could not cope. |
The Nazis promised that they would improve the unemployment levels of 6 million. They promised help for employers in increasing their profits. They were prepared to promise anything in order to secure votes. |
By the end of 1932 the Nazis were the largest political party in the Reichstag. Hitler was in a position to demand that he be made Chancellor of Germany. President Hindenburg refused and instead offered the job to Von Papen. He was soon replaced by Von Schleicher. |
The Nazis were well organised. They looked strong and had a well oiled propaganda machine to gain support from as many classes of German people as they could reach. |
| It was the people of Germany who provided Hitler and the Nazis with the support they needed to become leaders of Germany. |
The Stormtroopers (private Nazi army) beat up political opponents, especially the Communists, and smashed up their election meetings. |
The Nazis promised that they would make Germany great again and restore national pride. |
Political changes and power shifts meant that Hitler was able to become Chancellor of Germany in May 1933. |
| Whether started by the Nazis or not, the Reichstag fire allowed Hitler to pass an emergency decree that allowed him to arrest communists. |
The state of the economy in Germany had a huge part to play in Hitler’s rise to power. |
Before the Depression, the Nazis had little or no support. They were not taken seriously. |
Von Schleicher did not win much support and resigned after 8 weeks. Hindenburg had no choice but to invite Hitler to now become Chancellor. |
| The Night of the Long Knives was in reality more about the Nazis gaining the support of the German military than about the Nazis destroying the rising power of the SA. |
The election in March of 1933 allowed the Nazis to gain a majority in the Reichstag due to the support of nationalists such as Hindenburg and von Papen. |
Hitler uses his majority in the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Act, allowing him to pass laws without the Reichstag’s approval. |
The Nazis seemed to have a much stronger leadership than other political parties such as the Social Democrats. There was more on offer for the people of Germany. |
| Hindenburg’s death signaled the end of the Weimar Republic because the office of President and Chancellor were merged together. Afterwards, everyone referred to Hitler as ‘Der Fuhrer’ or ‘The Leader’. |
Hindenburg’s choosing Hitler as Chancellor rested on two principles: that without Hitler he could gain no support from the Reichstag and that he could control Hitler. However, he underestimated Hitler’s political ability. |
Nazi propaganda after the Depression focused on the unpopular policies of the government and promises to restore the economy by cancelling Versailles. ‘Negative cohesion’ was often used in the propaganda to link people’s dislikes and fears of Jews, Communists and democracy to the Nazi Party. |
The Great Depression caused mass unemployment in Germany because the German economy was reliant on American loans from the Dawes Plan after 1924. |
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