The Great Depression as the Main Reason for Hitler's Rise to Power
On 20th April 1889, at 18.30, Adolf Hitler was born in a small
Austrian village. There is not one sole reason as to why this young
farm boy grew up to become one of the world’s most well known leaders,
but the main factors in Hitler’s rise to power were his natural
leadership skills, clever use of words, charisma, passion for German
nationalism, abhorrence of Jews, communists, foreigners and his
ability to use the Treaty of Versailles, Wall Street Crash, Munich
Putsch, Weimar Constitution and Enabling Act to his advantage.
Hitler’s father, Alois, greatly influenced Hitler’s personality;
having retired from the Austrian civil service when Hitler was six, he
was used to giving strict orders and seeing them obeyed. He was a
strict authoritarian figure that watched over his children and
expected them to be disciplined. This enforcement of discipline, need
for order and traditionalism emotionally scarred young Adolf. He
wanted to pursue his artistic talents but was forced, by his father,
to attend a technical college in preparation for a career in the civil
service, this left him feeling resentful and rebellious which was
expanded on in Hitler’s semi autobiographical work, ‘Mein Kampf’; "I
thought that once my father saw what little progress I was making at
the (technical school) he would let me devote myself to the happiness
I dreamed of”. Being the oldest in his year he developed leadership
qualities from a very young age, and considered himself the ‘ring
leader’ of his fellow peers. As a young boy Hitler enjoyed playing war
games, of ‘cowboys and Indians’, as the tales...
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...o establish himself as a dictatorial
leader of Germany by 1934. Hitler used the opportunities presented by
each of the afore mentioned to his advantage. However, the most
significant factors for Hitler’s rise to power would be the Wall
Street Crash, which resulted in global depression and growing unrest
amongst the German people; the ‘failed’ Munich Putsch that propelled
Hitler to the forefront of politics and made a martyr of him, for
serving nine months in prison where he did not waste his time as he
wrote his vision in the infamous ‘Mein Kampf’. He had an understanding
of the general German public (had “his finger on the pulse of Germany”
–Walden-) and was able to utilise effective propaganda to inflame the
nation. The ineptitude of the Weimar Constitution was the ‘icing on
the cake’ that gave Hitler ultimate power.