Hitler's Rise to Power: The Role of The Treaty of Versailles

Introduction

In 1920, Germany's economy began to falter. Germany had been blamed for all that went wrong in the war after World War I. The Treaty of Versailles specified that the German army was reduced to 100,000 soldiers, that they were to pay 132 billion losses from the fighting, and that there was no air force among Europe. Germany has been on a decline. Hitler became Germany’s savior and promised the German people answers for their problems. Germany was soon out of their misery, and working great, thanks to Adolf Hitler. Hitler was most esteemed; he had saved Germany and he was greatly admired by Germans internationally. However, many factors led him to become a villain and launch a second World War. To analyze the main causes of Adolf Hitler's rise to power, this essay discusses his growing popularity, which was evident in the Beer Hall Putsch, his ability to maintain power through the Great Depression, and the focus on the unjust treatment of Germany in the Treaty of Versailles.

Early Life of Adolf Hitler

Bartoletti Hitler, the fourth child of Klara and Alois Hitler, was born in 1889, in Braunau, Upper Austria. Hitler's father worked his way up to a position of considerable status in the Austrian customs service, and as a result, Hitler's childhood was comfortable. Hitler started his upbringing in 1900, and his grades were above average. It was agreed that he should attend Realschule, a secondary school that trained students to study further and highlighted modern languages and technical topics. Despite conflicting views with his wife about the future, Hitler ended up dropping out of Realschule. After school, Hitler began to articulate his political views: a strong sense of German nationalism, the source of antisemitism. Like many German-speaking citizens of Austria-Hungary, Hitler considered himself a German.

The Aftermath of World War I

Post WWI, when Germany had lost the war, the German Government was left in a state of absolute chaos and had to deal with the payment by the French and British Governments of enormous reparations. When the Germans couldn't afford to pay their debts, the French and Belgians took control of the coal mines in the industrial Ruhr area of West Central Germany. In January 1923, this change greatly angered the Germans, so the government told all coal miners to go out and strike. The State had to pay the workers the money they would earn when trying to get and hold the protesting miners. Once Hitler realized what was going on, he and 600 Nazi allies came together to try to take over the government of Germany. The activist party marched in a beer hall in Munich where Gustav von Kahr, head of the Bavarian provincial government, addressed a public meeting and pressured von Kahr to allow the Nazis full control over the German government. As Hitler marched to the middle of Berlin, he was arrested and imprisoned by the state police, put in front of a tribunal, found guilty of treason, and sentenced to five years in prison; he then only spent one year in prison. Although the revolt collapsed, it served Hitler's benefit, as it was widely publicized. In 1925, Hitler published his first book, Mein Kampf, which means My Fight, while in prison. The book, the first of two volumes, summed up Hitler's perceptions of how Germany should be ruled. It included the way Hitler wanted to create the perfect race by essentially eliminating all other races. Hitler's theories regarding Lebensraum, or living space, were also present in the book. Hitler wanted to gain more land so that there was room for the Germans to expand and for large families. Hitler clarified that acquiring those lands would require war, not political or economic objectives.

Hitler's Political Rise

Hitler came to power in the Nazi party and started to raise the influence of the party very quickly, first by winning the election in 1928, where the party received only three percent of the total votes. Though the party did not receive as many votes as it wanted, this election offered a starting point for the Nazis, because after the 1928 election, the German public learned about the Nazis and their views. Hitler also drew many new followers who not only trusted his ideology but were also willing to die for the Nazi Party. The depression hit Europe at full speed in late 1929, and in March 1930, the German government was unable to cope with the major crisis and dissolved. President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Heinrich Bruning as prime minister. The new government couldn't decide how to resolve the depression, so they had to call a new election. In the new elections conducted that September, the Nazis scored a great success, enhancing their position in the Reichstag. Because of the increasing number of Nazis active in the government, many international businessmen withdrew their money from the German banks, forcing the German financial system to collapse. As the economic issues rose, much of the German population lost faith in other political parties and looked to the Nazi Party because they claimed to solve all their problems. Hitler misled the public during a time of crisis and despair, using lies to brainwash the people and making Hitler and the Nazis look like ideal Germans. “Sooner will a camel pass through a needle's eye than a great man is 'discovered' by an election.” - Adolf Hitler.

The Impact of the Treaty of Versailles

The Versailles Treaty was signed on 28 June 1919 at the Palace of Versailles in a city near Paris. The peace conference was headed by what's called the 'Council of Four,' including the British leader David Lloyd George, United States leader Woodrow Wilson, the Italian Prime Minister, and the French Leader George Clemenceau. Every leader set out to punish Germany over its role as a destructive force during the war. Disputes regarding about $33 billion in war reparations developed amongst them, something they claimed Germany would compensate for. Germany was also forced to surrender 13 percent of its territory. France made demands for the Saar River Valley, Alsace-Lorraine, and Rhineland, which would serve as a buffer zone between France and Germany. Belgium received the regions Moresnet, Eupen, Malmedy, and Denmark received Schleswig. Poland was created from some 20,000 square miles of German territory, and several smaller regions were given to Lithuania and the Czechoslovak Republic. Germany lost 75% of its iron ore reserves and 26% of its coal and potash supplies, drastically changing its ability to acquire natural resources and industrial processes. The pact also required Germany to surrender its army and navy and banned the use of its air force and navy. Though the Treaty of Versailles was meant to make Germany essentially pay for the war, the Guilt Clause, Article 231, created a grudge against the Council of Four for blaming the war on them. Hitler then caught the attention of the German population by stating that he would bring back the image and respect of the country itself by electing him as chancellor.

Conclusion

If Germany hadn't been in such bad shape, Hitler wouldn't have become an influential leader; Hitler took advantage of the depression, realizing that both the people and the government were weak, and it would be easy for him to control and manipulate his desire to take control of Europe and create the perfect nation. As the depression made Germany’s image poor, Hitler told people what they wanted to hear and gave them a quick response to the social problems of the time, including unemployment, poverty, etc. The aim of the Versailles Treaty was to weaken Germany so that it would never again be able to come to power. However, the clauses laid down in the Treaty established conditions in Germany that allowed a dictator to seize power and begin military expansion. Because the League of Nations, established by the constitution, had no unified force of its own, Nazis such as Hitler would be impossible to stop. That is why Germany’s poor image and the Versailles Treaty are the main prerequisites of Hitler's rise to power. “My spirit will rise from the grave and the world will see I was right” - Adolf Hitler.

References

1. Bartoletti, S. C. (2005). Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's shadow. Scholastic Inc.
2. Taylor, A. J. P. (1991). The origins of the Second World War. Penguin Books.
3. Rees, L. (1997). The Nazis: A warning from history. BBC Books.
4. Aly, G. (2005). Hitler's beneficiaries: Plunder, racial war, and the Nazi welfare state. Metropolitan Books.