Conditions in which Nazi Germany emerged

List economic factors

• Treaty of Versailles

• hyperinflation

• Great Depression

Describe the Treaty of Versailles

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

• imposed 132 billion gold marks in reparations

• demanded territorial losses (including the Saar, rich in coal)

• stripped Germany of colonies

• caused hyperinflation and fuelled resentment against the Republic.

Describe hyperinflation

hyperinflation crisis of 1923

• triggered by passive resistance in the Ruhr after French occupation

• the German mark collapsed

• by November 1923, 1 US dollar equalled 4.2 trillion marks

• Middle-class savings were wiped out

• undermined faith in Weimar democracy.

Describe the Great Depression

Great Depression (1929–32)

• hit Germany severely because it relied on American loans from the Dawes Plan (1924)

• By 1932, unemployment reached 6 million (30% of the workforce)

• industrial production halved compared to 1928

• created mass support for radical alternatives.

Evaluate economic factors

Economic crises repeatedly destabilised Weimar Germany, eroding confidence in democracy and fuelling demands for authoritarian solutions.

Nazism thrived not because of consistent prosperity, but because Hitler turned despair into opportunity, promising stability, jobs, and revenge against Versailles.

List social division

• left and right (political polarisation)

• elites against Weimar

• exploitation of anti semitism

• class and cultural exploitation

Describe the political polarisation

• Deep divisions existed between left and right

• the Communist Party (KPD) gained 17% of the vote in 1932,

  • alarming conservatives and industrialists.

• allowed the Nazis to present themselves as a bulwark against communism.

Describe elites against Weimar

• Traditional elites (army, Junkers, industrialists) never fully accepted Weimar democracy

• preferred authoritarian solutions

  • willing to collaborate with Hitler to preserve their influence.

Describe exploitation of anti semitism 

• The Nazis amplified resentment of minorities, particularly Jews.

• Propaganda blamed them for profiteering during hyperinflation and for leading communism (“Judeo-Bolshevism”)

• embedding exclusionary ideology into mainstream discourse.

Describe class and cultural fragmentation 

• Sharp divides between workers, the middle class, and elites

  • prevented a cohesive democratic culture.

• Economic hardship and resentment deepened these fractures,

• creating fertile ground for Nazism’s appeal to unity and strength.

Evaluate social factors

Social and political fragmentation eroded the foundations of Weimar democracy, making Hitler’s promise of Volksgemeinschaft (national community) compelling.

The Nazis thrived not by healing divisions but by weaponising them, offering unity through exclusion and authoritarianism.

List impacts of war

• human and social cost

• Versailles humiliation

• militarised veterans

• radicalisation of politics 

Describe human and social cost

• The First World War left 2 million Germans dead and 4.2 million wounded,

• creating profound dislocation and resentment,

  • especially among veterans and their families.

Describe Versailles humiliation

• The war guilt clause (Article 231) of the Treaty of Versailles branded Germany solely responsible for the war,

• fuelling nationalist anger and legitimising claims that Weimar politicians were “November criminals.”

  • diktat (dictated peace)

Describe militarisation of veterans

• Returning soldiers joined Freikorps paramilitaries

• suppressed uprisings like the Spartacist revolt (1919)

• but also undermined the rule of law,

• embedding a culture of political violence.

Describe radicalisation of politics 

• The combination of defeat, reparations, and humiliation fostered hostility to democracy and created fertile ground for movements like Nazism that

• promised revenge, renewal, and restored strength

Evaluate impact of war

The legacy of the First World War made Weimar democracy appear born of defeat and betrayal, burdening it with stigma from the outset.

The trauma of war and Versailles did not alone ensure Nazism’s rise, but it created the narrative of grievance and militarism that Hitler skilfully exploited.

List weaknesses of the political system

• Fragmented coalitions

• abuse of emergency powers 

• exploitation of democratic freedoms

• loss of legitimacy 

Describe fragmented coalitions 

Weimar Constitution (1919)

• introduced proportional representation

• created unstable coalition governments

  • between 1919 and 1933 there were 21 different cabinets, averaging less than a year in power.

Describe abuse of emergency powers

• Article 48 gave the president emergency powers

• increasingly abused:

  • President Hindenburg issued over 100 emergency decrees in 1932 alone

• bypassing parliament and eroding democracy.

Describe exploitation of democratic freedoms

• The Nazi Party exploited democratic freedoms to gain electoral legitimacy

• July 1932, the NSDAP won 37% of the vote (largest party in the Reichstag),

• demonstrated how the system could be used to destroy itself.

Describe loss of legitimacy

• Frequent changes of government, reliance on presidential decrees, and failure to address economic crisis eroded public confidence,

• making alternatives like Nazism seem credible.

Evaluate weaknesses of the political system 

The structural fragility of Weimar democracy provided fertile ground for Hitler’s rise.

Proportional representation, overuse of emergency powers, and policy paralysis created disillusionment,

but it was Hitler’s ability to exploit these flaws through legal means that turned systemic weakness into a pathway to dictatorship.