RESEARCH ESSAY Leah Higginson What was Hitler's role in the rise and fall of the Nazi Third

Reich? The rise and fall of the Nazi Third Reich occurred from approximately 19191945. During this time, the Weimar Republic met its downfall and infamous dictator Adolf Hitler gained, maintained and lost his power over the state of Germany. The following essay seeks to argue that Hitler's role in the Third Reich was monumental. This said, the extenuating circumstances in Germany following WWI (World War I) aided his rise; as economic strife and a lack of national pride threw Germany's leadership into a state of chaos. Through a mixture of skill, charisma, propaganda and economic depression, Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933. He rebuilt and re-armed the fatherland to the point of war. However, his megalomania and egoistic personality encroached on wartime tactics, and ultimately by 1945, he had created the downfall of not only Germany, but of himself.

The results of the Treaty of Versailles and conditions following WWI created an internal turmoil in Germany which Hitler manipulated to aid his personal appeal and sensationalism in the 1920s. The Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919, stated that Germany owed 6,600 million pounds in reparations to France and other European countries. According to Article 159 of the Treaty of Versailles German military forces shall be demobilised and reduced1. The penalties given to Germany were harsh and the people felt punished and demoralised; resenting the Weimar
1 Michael Duffy, 'Primary Sources-Treaty of Versailles: Articles 159-213', firstworldwar.com, <http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/versailles159-213.htm>, 2009 (accessed 12 May 2010).

Republics' acceptance of the terms. Hitler used this to his advantage. William Carr agrees stating that it is inconceivable that Hitler could ever have come to power had not the Weimar Republic been subjected to [] unprecedented strain.2 This strain took the form of virtual bankruptcy from 1919 due to the costs of war. Germany's inability to pay reparations by 1922 meant France occupied the German Ruhr, resulting in galloping inflation and the collapse of the mark.3 As Table 14 of the Appendices shows, the value of the mark grew from 14RM - $1US in July 1919 to 76.7RM $1US in July 1921 and by November 1923, the German Reichsmark was as 4,200,000,000,000RM $1US.5 These conditions resulted in the loss of national pride, drastic inflation and unemployment, creating a dismal situation for the German people. These conditions were the perfect brewing ground for Hitler to rise to power. Whilst the following argues how crucial Hitler was to the Third Reich, the circumstances in Germany post WWI led to a political instability that can be attributed to his rapid rise in popularity and success. Hitler was always known for his ability to capitalise on other peoples misfortunes.

In the early years of the Nazi Party, Hitler quickly rose to a strong leadership position, however this was not without consequences and mistakes like the Beer Hall Putsch. In November 1923, at the height of

2 John Hite & Chris Hinton, 'Was Weimar democracy undermined by the world economic depression', in Wiemar and Nazi Germany, eds. I. Dawson, Hodder Education, New York, 2000, p. 101. 3 Norman Lowe, 'Germany 1918-45: the Weimar Republic and Hitler', in Mastering Modern World History, Palgrave Publishers Ltd, New York, 1997, p.269. 4 See appendices 5 Andrew Majzlik, 'Why was the Treaty of Versailles unpopular in Germany?', <http://www.johndclare.net/Weimar1_Majzlik.htm>, 2008 (accessed 2 May 2010).

Germany's inflation, Hitler aimed to take control of the Bavarian state government in Munich6 and lead a national revolution to overthrow the German government and seize power. By this time, Nazi party

membership [had] swelled to 55,0007 but Hitler was too eager and illprepared to properly implement a viable strategy, instead being arrested by police and sentenced to jail. Even so, he gained a relatively lenient 5 year sentence (in reality he served only 1 yr), for the crime of treason which carried a maximum penalty of death. This sentencing indicated tacit approval of his ideas by many, and as such he began a modification of his political tactics. Instead of being harmful, prison gave Hitler a chance to reflect on how best to gain power, and also to write Mein Kampf (My Struggle). His violent uprising had failed and he saw clearly the need for a change of tactics.8 Hitler needed to approach the leadership in a different manner, theorising that through the creation of a mass political party he could assault the government through legal channels and compete for votes to outsource the Republic. In this regard, Hitler was the key to the prominent changes in the Nazi Party. He would leave prison with a greater following and respect, as people began to favour a return to strong, authoritarian government9.

Perhaps the strongest elements of Hitler's Third Reich were his propaganda campaigns, led by Joseph Goebbles and the Ministry for Public

Enlightenment and Propaganda. These campaigns began as early as the

6 Lowe, p. 268. 7 Jackson J. Spielvogel, 'Hitler and the Nazi Party: a History', 3rd edn, Simon & Schuster, New Jersey, 1996,p. 35. 8 Speilvogel, p. 41. 9 Lowe, p. 269

1920s and carried on throughout his rise and rule, and also WWII. Jenkins argues that The success of the Nazis' was largely due to Hitler's ability as a [] propagandist and opportunist.10 The Nazi party implemented propaganda in a large variety of forms including literature, cinema, art, newspapers, posters, radio, music, rallies, marches, speeches, and societies such as Hitler Youth which appealed to young German. By 1933 Cinema attendances topped 250 million11, in 1932 there were 4.5 million radios in Germany12 by 1935 households owned 7 million radios, in 1939 70% of Germans owned one and by 1943 there were 16 million radios in Germany.13 These figures allow us to imagine the extent to which Hitler penetrated the everyday lives of his German citizens, speaking directly to them. One can assume that in regards to propaganda Hitler was not the sole actor, as Goebbles directed the ministry but as Lewin argues, Hitler was adamant that none of his subordinates possess too much power14, and therefore, all decisions were approved by Hitler. In his view this left no room for him to be overthrown from within the party.

Hitler's charisma and oratory skills were a key feature of his campaign, creating a level of personal adoration by the German people which many believe to be unparalleled in any other dictatorships. In the Third Reich, one can argue as many historians, including Speilvogel and McCallum do,

10 Jane Jenkins & Edgar Feuchtwagner, 'Hitler's Germany', John Murray, London, 2000, p. 12. 11 Grey Henderson, 'A source-based approach to Modern History', Jacaranda Press, Milton, 1996, p. 253. 12 Ibid, p. 252 13 John Hite & Chris Hinton, p. 249 14 Ronald Lewin, 'On the Toboggan', in Hitler's Mistakes', Secker & Warburg, London, 1984, p. 153.

that Hitler's personality played a key role in the Nazi's successes. Aylett mentions how women were particularly attracted to him. He was like a film star.15 No one can with certainty deny the simply fact that he was an excellent orator and held great personal appeal. Those who write of Hitler's as an orator comment that his skill was in over simplifying matters, appealing to everyone, from any societal level or class. This is what won him his public appeal. His frequent use of words such as fatherland, greatness, power and honour empowered and gave hope to his audiences, instilling a sense that perhaps Germany could be great again. Martin Kitchen suggests that charismatic leadership can only succeed in an

atmosphere of crisis and uncertainty.16 Whilst one cannot believe this statement completely, it is quite applicable in Hitler's case. He appealed to the German people in a time of great crisis and dissatisfaction with the existing government. Kitchen does create an argument for the success of charismatic leadership. However both McCallum and Speilvogel argue that such a leader must have repeated successes [...] Failure is therefore fatal.17 After Stalingrad for instance, Hitler was personally blamed and his appeal faded shortly thereafter. No matter how he fell from power, one cannot disregard the strength and appeal Hitler's personality had on his leadership.

The downfalls of the Third Reich and Hitler began even before WWII broke out, as the full focus of industry became rooted in rearmament and the
15 John F. Aylett, 'Hitler's Germany', eds. Edward Arnold, Great Britain, 1984, p. 22. 16 Martin Kitchen, 'The Third Reich: Charism and Community' in The Origins of National Socialism, Pearson Education Ltd., Harlow, 2008, p. 40. 17 Anne McCallum, 'Germany 1918-1945 Democracy to Dictatorship', Rigby Heineman, Port Melbourne, 1992, p. 82.

manufacturing wartime materials. According to Carroll, Germany in the 1930s was a totalitarian economic system , fully geared to preparations for war.18 The theory behind Hitler's rearmament was that if Germany fought and won the war,; invading Russia especially, they would win the highly fertile land as well. With his policies against birth control and with high population increases, Hitler was able to see that the strain on Germany's resources was starting to show; where better than the Urals or the Ukraine or the forests of Siberia to create a larger Germany. As it happened, Germany lost the war, and for many industries [...], the greatest economic disruption in 1945 resulted not from the wartime destruction but from the sudden stop of war production.19 All this focus on a military build up had in a sense, aided the downfall of the Third Reich and its people. When the war was lost in 1945, the people were left in devastating poverty, not just as a result of the long and bloody war, but because all of Germany's money and man power had been put into the construction of an army which no longer existed. Hitler was responsible for the pressure put on industry, and therefore, responsible for the fall of production and welfare in Germany post WWII.

A turning point of the Second World War and the beginning of the collapse of the Third Reich was the failed assault on Stalingrad by the German 6th Army. The failure at Stalingrad ground to a halt the seemingly unstoppable advance of the German Army into Russia. Hitlers failing at Stalingrad was
18 Bernice A. Carroll, 'Design for Total War: Arms and Economics in the Third Reich', Mouton & Co., The Netherlands, 1968, p. 10. 19 Richard Bessel, 'Paying for war and peace', in Germany 1945: from War to Peace, Harper, New York, 2009, p. 361.

the strategically poor decision to stage a battle for the city in the first place. This aides Lewin's assessment that Hitler's mental state was deteriorating as the war dragged on, nihilism and egomania [...] had finally triumphed, leaving no leeway for statesmanship or rational considerations.20 Stalingrad was not a particularly significant military target, however Hitler had made it a personal matter between himself and Stalin to conquer the city which bore his name, to satisfy his own vanity. Hitler's directive, No.32 from June 11 1942 stated after the destruction of the Soviet armed forces, Germany and Italy will be military masters of the European continent.21 Stalin threw everything into the defence of the city, refusing to yield when as much as 90% of the city had been overridden. Hitler in turn insisted with deliberate obstinacy on holding every foot of ground
22

ultimately resulting in the loss of the entire 6th Army. Hitler's' confidence in the value of his own judgement, whilst

complete

advantageous in honing a powerful rhetoric and building the Third Reich following the embarrassment of Versailles, would ultimately prove to be a weakness in his ability to rule and a significant factor in the subsequent fall of the Nazis.

The Third Reich came to being as a result of the ruthless and charismatic personality that Hitler embodied. He is known to this day as one of histories most notorious figures, indeed because he almost singlehandedly brought about both social and foreign policies to drag Germany
20 Lewin, p. 169. 21 Lewin, p. 152. 22 Percy E. Schramm, 'Hitler: the Man and the Military', eds. Donald S. Detwiler, Quadrangle books, Inc., 1971, p. 112.

out of severe depression and establish a great power. This said, his downfalls also lay in his personality. He was a megalomaniac and stubborn to the point of insanity, resulting in circumstances whereby his only reasonable way out was to commit suicide. He is famously quoted saying either I win the battle of Berlin or I die in Berlin.23 Adolf Hitler must be attributed to both the rise and fall of the Third Reich in Germany. Whilst his 'thousand years of the German Reich' only lasted 12, the attitudes and actions he espoused will continue to translate into our modern

assessments of how individuals influence history.

WORD COUNT: 2, 130 words

23 Bessel, p. 108.

BIBLIOGRAPHY (BOOKS) Aylett, JF. 'Hitler's Germany', eds. Edward Arnold, Great Britain, 1984. Bessel, R. 'Paying for war and peace', in Germany 1945: from War to Peace, Harper, New York, 2009. Carroll, B.A. Design for Total War: Arms and Economics in the Third Reich, Mouton & Co., The Netherlands, 1968. Feuchtwagner, E. & Jenkins, J. 'Hitler's Germany', John Murray, London, 2000. Henderson, G. A source-based approach to Modern History, Jacaranda Press, Milton, 1996. Hite, J. & Hinton, C. 'Was Weimar democracy undermined by the world economic depression', in Wiemar and Nazi Germany, eds. I. Dawson, Hodder Education, New York, 2000. Kitchen, M. 'The Third Reich: Charism and Community' in The Origins of National Socialism, Pearson Education Ltd., Harlow, 2008. Lewin, R. 'On the Toboggan', in Hitler's Mistakes', Secker & Warburg, London, 1984. Lowe, N. 'Germany 1918-45: the Weimar Republic and Hitler', in Mastering Modern World History, Palgrave Publishers Ltd, New York, 1997. McCallum, A. Germany 1918-1945 Democracy to Dictatorship, Rigby Heineman, Port Melbourne, 1992. Schramm, PE. 'Hitler: the Man and the Military', eds. Donald S. Detwiler, Quadrangle books, Inc., 1971. Spielvogel, JJ. Hitler and the Nazi Party: a History, 3rd edn, Simon & Schuster, New Jersey, 1996. (WEBSITES)

Duffy, M, 'Primary Sources-Treaty of Versailles: Articles 159-213', firstworldwar.com, <http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/versailles159213.htm>, 2009 (accessed 12 May 2010). Majzlik, A. 'Why was the Treaty of Versailles unpopular in Germany?', <http://www.johndclare.net/Weimar1_Majzlik.htm>, 2008 (accessed 2 May 2010). Apendicies I VALUE OF THE REICHSMARK AGAINST THE U.S DOLLAR JULY 1914 JULY 1919 JULY 1920 JULY 1921 JULY 1922 JANUARY 1923 JULY 1923 AUGUST 1923 SEPTEMBER 1923 OCTOBER 1923 4.2 14.0 39.5 76.7 493.2 17,972.0 353,452.0 4,620,655.0 98,860,000.0 25,260,208,000.0

NOVEMBER 1923 4, 200,000,000,000.0 Table 1: Value of Reichsmark (German currency) against U.S dollar showing rising inflation.