Why did the Weimar Republic collapse and Hitler come to power between 1929 and 1933?
Unit 2 Option (e.g. Y221 Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919 to 1963): the impact of the Depression, the rise of Nazi support, the failure of presidential government, and Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in 1933.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 2 non-British period study guide to the collapse of Weimar and the rise of Hitler from 1929 to 1933. Covers the impact of the Depression, the growth of Nazi support, the failure of presidential government under Bruning, Papen and Schleicher, and the intrigue that made Hitler Chancellor, with the two-part essay skills the paper rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
For the Germany option, the collapse of Weimar and the rise of Hitler (1929 to 1933) is a central topic. You study the impact of the Depression, the rise of Nazi support, the failure of presidential government, and the intrigue that made Hitler Chancellor in January 1933. Unit 2 tests AO1, through a part (a) on significance and a part (b) ranking causes, so distinguish electoral strength from elite intrigue.
The answer
The impact of the Depression
The rise of Nazi support
Nazi support surged with the Depression. The party's vote rose from 12 seats in 1928 to become the largest party in July 1932, driven by:
- Effective propaganda and organisation under Goebbels, projecting Hitler as a strong national leader.
- The fear of communism among the middle classes, farmers and elites.
- The failure of the democratic parties to address the crisis.
The failure of presidential government
Hitler's appointment as Chancellor
In January 1933 Hitler was appointed Chancellor, not because the Nazis had won a majority (their vote actually fell in November 1932), but through political intrigue: Papen and the conservative elites around Hindenburg believed they could harness Hitler in a coalition they would control, "boxing him in" with conservative ministers. They fatally underestimated him. The decisive final step to power was therefore the miscalculation of elites, not an electoral triumph.
Examples in context
A model part (a) answer on the Depression would judge it as the decisive condition for Nazi growth (mass unemployment, lost faith in democracy) while noting that propaganda, Hitler's appeal and elite intrigue were needed to convert that crisis into power.
Try this
Q1. Assess the reasons why support for the Nazi Party grew between 1929 and 1932. [20 marks]
- What the marker wants. An AO1 essay ranking the reasons (the Depression and unemployment, propaganda and organisation, the fear of communism, the failure of democratic parties), with precise evidence (the 1928 to 1932 vote) and a judgement.
Q2. Under which constitutional article did Chancellors govern by decree from 1930? [2 marks]
- Cue. Article 48, the emergency powers signed by President Hindenburg, which let Bruning, Papen and Schleicher rule without a Reichstag majority.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR H505 Y221 201810 marksAssess the significance of the Great Depression in the rise of the Nazi Party.Show worked answer →
The shorter part (a) of the two-part question (AO1), worth 10 marks, judging the significance of one factor.
Significance. The Depression after 1929 brought mass unemployment (around 6 million by 1932), destroyed faith in democracy, and turned voters towards extremes; the Nazi vote rose from 12 seats in 1928 to the largest party in July 1932.
Balance. Nazi propaganda and organisation, Hitler's appeal, the fear of communism and the intrigue of elites also mattered. The top level judges the Depression as the decisive condition for Nazi growth while crediting the factors that translated crisis into Nazi votes.
OCR H505 Y221 202020 marksAssess the reasons why Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January 1933.Show worked answer →
The longer part (b) of the two-part question (AO1), worth 20 marks, a ranked analysis of causes.
Electoral. The Depression and effective Nazi propaganda made the party the largest in the Reichstag by July 1932, giving Hitler a popular mandate of sorts.
Political intrigue. The failure of presidential government under Bruning, Papen and Schleicher, and the decision of Papen and the conservative elites to make Hitler Chancellor in a coalition they believed they could control, delivered him power.
Judgement. Hitler was appointed not by winning a majority but through the miscalculation of elites who underestimated him; the top level ranks electoral strength against backstairs intrigue and judges that intrigue was decisive in the final step.
Related dot points
- Unit 2 Option (e.g. Y221 Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919 to 1963): the establishment and crises of the Weimar Republic, the Stresemann recovery, and the strains that left democracy vulnerable by 1929.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 2 non-British period study guide to Germany from 1919 to 1963. Covers the establishment and early crises of the Weimar Republic, the Treaty of Versailles and hyperinflation, the Stresemann recovery, and the structural weaknesses that left democracy vulnerable to the Depression, with the two-part essay skills the paper rewards.
- Unit 2 Option (e.g. Y221 Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919 to 1963): the consolidation of Nazi power, the machinery of the dictatorship through terror, propaganda and Gleichschaltung, and the balance of consent and coercion.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 2 non-British period study guide to the Nazi dictatorship from 1933 to 1945. Covers the consolidation of power through the Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act and the Night of the Long Knives, the machinery of control through terror, propaganda and Gleichschaltung, and the debate over consent and coercion, with the two-part essay skills the paper rewards.
- Unit 2 Option (e.g. Y219 Russia 1894 to 1941): Stalin's rise to power after Lenin's death, collectivisation and the Five Year Plans, and the Great Terror and the consolidation of the Stalinist state.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 2 non-British period study guide to Stalin and the Soviet state from 1928 to 1941. Covers Stalin's rise to power after Lenin's death, collectivisation and the famine, the Five Year Plans and rapid industrialisation, and the Great Terror and show trials, with the two-part essay skills the paper rewards.
- Unit 2: the two-part question, managing the shorter part (a) on the significance of one factor and the longer part (b) on a wider analytical judgement, both testing AO1 under time pressure.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 2 guide to the two-part essay. Explains how to manage the shorter part (a) on the significance of one factor and the longer part (b) on a wider analytical judgement, how to time the answers, and the AO1 essay skills the non-British study rewards, with a worked example.
- AO3 interpretation skills: analysing a historian's argument, emphasis and use of evidence, and evaluating which interpretation is more convincing in the light of context, rather than assessing reliability.
An OCR A-Level History skills guide to analysing historical interpretations for AO3. Explains how to identify a historian's argument, emphasis and use of evidence, how interpretations differ, and how to judge which is more convincing in the light of context, with a worked example transferable to the Unit 3 interpretations essay.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR A Level History A (H505) specification — OCR (2015)