Hitler, Versailles, and Their Effects on Nazism
I disagree with the statement that “the Treaty of Versailles and the Depression of the 1930s were the paramount factors in the triumph of Nazism in Germany in 1933; the personality of Adolph Hitler was important but of secondary importance.” Though the rise of Nazism in Germany in 1933 can be greatly attributed to the Treaty of Versailles and the Depression of the 1930s, the great success they achieved throughout their time in power could not have been as great if Hitler and his personality were not present to provide a motivating and unifying factor to the people of Germany. The Treaty of Versailles can be greatly attributed to the rise of Nazism.
This treaty made things very difficult for Germany. It took away Germany’s Saar region and its colonies overseas. Germany was only allowed to have a very tiny army and they were not allowed to build ships of considerable size. They were very limited. Also, Germany was forced to pay reparations to France and Great Britain. This put a huge strain on the economy and the lives of the German people.
Also, after some time of hardships, the idea arose in Germany that they were “stabbed in the back” by the countries associated with the Treaty of Versailles, adding to the need for a change. In addition to the Treaty of Versailles, the Depression of the 1930s also attributed to the rise of Nazism. Because of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to borrow money from America because it was the only was Germany could pay its reparations to Great Britain and France. But when the United States stock market crashed in 1929, their was an economic depression in America. This meant that the United States could not continue to loan money to Germany, which led to an economic depression in Germany. So much so that children began to use stacks of money as building blocks, because the value of their currency decreased immensely.
This caused the German people to be angry with the Treaty of Versailles, which promoted the belief that a strong leader is what Germany would need to bring it back to prosperity; and along came Hitler. The great success that the Nazis had achieved throughout their time in power could not have been as great if Hitler and his personality were not present to provide a motivating and unifying factor to the people of Germany. Hitler had a way with words. The skills with which he was able to speak to a crowd were immense and unbelievable. He did things that no public speaker had done before, like wait for a full minute in silence in front of a crowd before actually speaking. He became very invested in his speeches and was almost always very enthusiastic.
He was able to pull people in by his words and his speeches. This helped to bring the German people together under one very strong and powerful ruler, which was essential to the rise of Nazism. If Hitler had not had the personality that he did, and if he was not as strong and not as enthusiastic, the Nazis would not have experienced the great success they experienced at the time. If Hitler would have shown even the slightest bit of weakness in his personality, the Germans would not have caught on to what he was saying. They would only see the weakness, which was the one thing they were looking to change.
They wanted a strong leader that would not provide them with another opportunity to be “stabbed in the back.” I disagree with the statement that “the Treaty of Versailles and the Depression of the 1930s were the paramount factors in the triumph of Nazism in Germany in 1933; the personality of Adolph Hitler was important but of secondary importance.” Though the rise of Nazism in Germany in 1933 can be greatly attributed to the Treaty of Versailles and the Depression of the 1930s, the great success they achieved throughout their time in power could not have been as great if Hitler and his personality were not present to provide a motivating and unifying factor to the people of Germany. Without Hitler, the Nazis wouldn’t have had a stable basis for their success. His personality is just what they needed to bring them to the top.
