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Nazis in Power
Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich
The stock market crash in 1929 caused a worldwide economic crisis. Many German businesses went bankrupt and millions of Germans were unemployed. The Treaty of Versailles that negotiated Germany's surrender at the end of World War I was considered by many Germans to be unjust and vindictive. Germany had been forced to give up land, drastically reduce the size of its military, and pay reparations totaling 132 billion gold marks (33 billion dollars). When couple with exponential inflation and soaring unemployment, the atmosphere was ripe to exploit a growing sense of resentment among the German people.Hatred, burning hatred-this is what we want to pour into the souls of our millions of fellow Germans, until the flame of rage ignites in Germany and avenges the corrupters of our nation. -Adolf Hitler, 1921
Hitler's vision for a new Germany had already been made clear in his book Mein Kampf (My Struggle), which he wrote in prison after the failed Beer Hall Putsch attempt to overthrow the government. Not all Germans agreed with his world view, but Hitler was a charismatic speaker who attracted a large number of supporters seeking change. In the early 1930s, the German political situation was unstable. There were frequent elections and none of the numerous political parties were able to win a clear majority of the vote. Then, in 1933, just as the Nazi party was losing support, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of the coalition government by President Paul von Hindenburg. In his first 100 days in power, there were mass arrests, the suspension of civil liberties, and the opening of the first concentration camps.