Hitler Essay, Research Paper

The inevitability of anything can logically be subverted by saying that people have free will. In the case of Hitler and the reasons and consequences of his getting in to power because of the Weimar Constitution is simply not true because the people of Germany also have free will which means they can choose to either follow the Constitution or not. No Constitution could work unless people work with it, and within it.

When the economy was failing, the people looked for a new solution. Hitler did come into power legitimately with the peoples’ will. And when Hitler gets into power Hindenburg and the conservatives allow him to abuse his power. Of all the reasons, the least at fault is the constitution. The constitution?s only fault may have been to trust in its people, and with even that, the people have shown to be incompetent of having such trust.

The Nazi party was not doing well during the “Golden years of the Republic”; they could easily be labeled only a splinter party. In fact the Nazis? had lost votes from December of 1924 when they had only 3% to May of 1928 when they had only 2.6%. When you take into account that right after the depression hit in September 1930 the Nazi party jumped into the political scene with 18.3% of the vote, then this clearly shows that they could not gain votes simply on their own merit but needed hard times to expand their vote. The people were looking for a new radical group that would offer a different solution and that was also in protest of the present state of affairs. Germanys? economic welfare and how people reacted to it had nothing to do with faults of the Constitution and everything to do with the rise of the Third Reich.

The Weimar trusted in the peoples’ vote and in the early years of Hitler, the people could not really say that a vote for Hitler was not legitimate. Hitler had the respect of having the Iron Cross 1st Class metal awarded to him for his bravery in World War I. And after joining the German Workers Party and finding his passion in politics he also found his charismatic knack for public speaking. After going to court for his part in the Beer Hall Putch, Hitler turned the tables on the court and made out as if he were not being treacherous to the German State but was actually for Germany and its well being. The people who were anti-republican had chose to see him as a martyr for all that was good and had gained respect for him and his cause. After his prison sentence Hitler still had the power within the Nazi party and decided that they need an ally to help his cause. The Nazis? were then in the referendum with the conservatives against the Young Plan, this gave the Nazis? a degree of respectability with the people and media of Germany for having a legit affiliation with a much larger respected party. With the Nazis? being the second largest party in the Reichstag Hitler had a lot of respect and opted to be President in the 1932 elections. Hitler lost but with his 13.5 million votes, it showed he had a good number of followers. With this much support Hindenburg, who became the new President, gives in to the pressure and announces Hitler as the new Chancellor on January 30, 1933, starting what is known as the “Legal Revolution”. The people and government could not foresee what Hitler?s master plan was because Hitler had planned this type of manipulation, if they could have the Nazis? would never managed to get as far as they did.

Hitler was then in a great position of power but still could not act alone to do treacherous things. The Reichstag was still the lawmaking body and Hindenburg?s signature was needed to allow Hitler to do anything. The Weimar Constitution had provided for this check to the Chancellor?s power and the Chancellor was the check to the President?s power. Most of all, the power was suppose to be in the hands of the Reichstag but when the powers of articles? 48 and 50 were enacted, which provide for emergency powers to the President and Chancellor to act quickly, then are the check to each others powers important. Only when Hindenburg became indifferent to Hitler?s ideas and provides his signature when needed, as in the Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act, was Hitler?s sinister plan allowed to take place.

“Fear not your enemies for they can only kill you

Fear not your friends for they can only betray you

Fear only the indifferent who permit the killers and betrayers to walk safely on earth.”

E. Yashinski

Hitler was allowed to walk safely on earth because Hindenburg proved to be indifferent. Since many of the leaders in power had no great dedication to the Republic, they just looked the other way and this allowed the Nazis? and Hitler to maintain the guise of legality. As part of the agreement with the conservatives upon assuming office, Hitler had Hindenburg dissolve the Reichstag for new elections on February 1, 1933 to be held the following month on March 5th. With the Reichstag out, Hitler issued many decrees that canceled many political rights. This is the beginning of what is called the “Brown Terror” in which there was a raid on the Communist Headquarters in hope of a rebellion so Hitler could crush it. The rebellion never happened. On February 27, 1933 the Reichstag burned and with Hindenburg?s signature, the guise of legality was allowed on Hitler?s “Reichstag Fire Decree.” This decree gave almost total power to the President and Chancellor to suspend civil rights and was even more powerful than articles 48 and 50. Within two weeks of its signing, 10,000 people were arrested in Prussia with 95% of them being Communists. Hitler had even said, before his inauguration of Chancellor in a court of law: “when we have become powerful then we will fight against the Treaty with all means at our disposal, even those which are illegal?” He was now powerful and used these illegal means at his disposal and stated clearly that when in this position that he would not be afraid to step over the boundaries. On March 23, 1933 the Reichstag meet in an opera house and was “asked” by Hitler to pass the Enabling Act. This act would allow for the administration to have complete control. It passed but was illegal for two reasons, showing that he Hitler had to go against the Constitution?s laws to make for its fall. First, the building was cordoned off with SS and SA members who began shouting: “we want the Enabling Act or there?ll be hell to pay,” and also Hitler said: “Gentleman, you yourself can now decide on peace or war.” This made the document illegal because it used manipulation of votes through deception and threat. The second reason for it illegality is because is because all the Communist and some SPD members of the Reichstag were arrested and in concentration camps at the time of the vote. In April 1933, the National Civil Service law allowed for anyone to be dismissed from office if they were considered to be potentially traderous and in January 1934 Hitler abolished the Reichstag. These could not have been put in law if not for Hindenburg?s signature. According to the Constitution, Hitler could only go as far as Hindenburg’s signature would allow him but starting on August 2, 1934 with the Reichstag abolished and Hindenburg having just died, Hitler had no check to his power. No one any longer needed to allow him to abuse his power; he had all of it when he combined the administration all under himself.

The Weimar Constitution did not cause an economic problem nor did it tell people how to vote, and in fact it provided for checks to the President and Chancellor?s power in times of emergency. It is the duty of the people, like Hindenburg, who were in power to be the check and not allow for the abuse of power. One must separate the Weimar Constitution as something that may have allowed Hitler to get power and the Weimar Constitution as something, in and of itself, the reason a man like Hitler got his power.

By Steven Skenandore

Hitler & Constitutions

Friday 12:30