Clinton Bishop

March 27, 2007

Hitler

The personality that one has plays a huge part in the appeal towards a population
of a country. Hitler was a very charismatic man, inspiring confidence in those he spoke
to. Attention was not hard to find as he could easily draw a crowd and inspire them to
believe in his ideology. Hitler as a man was very different from most; he was an avid
non-smoker, vegetarian, and anti-Semite. This latter one may be less appealing to most,
but must not have been a huge issue.

Hitler’s ideological appeal was well received in Germany, as people were growing
tired of the suffering in the 30’s. He promised an end to the economic suffering caused by
the depression and the Treaty of Versailles and he promised an affordable car for
everyone in Germany. Hitler also was a very strong nationalist, and believed Germany
had been treated unfairly in the Treaty of Versailles; fortunately for him, the population of
Germany strongly agreed. The promise of a rearmed military drew many in, as they
searched for a way to regain a strong global status in the political world.

The tactics used by Hitler were very unusual for the creation of a dictatorship. He
chose to take over the country legally, as opposed to a coup. Hitler slowly chopped away
the rights and freedoms of German by enacting legislation that gave him ultimate control.
By following legal steps and having quite a bit of luck, Hitler was able to remove many
of the norms of life that the Germans held so dear. Hitler used the Reichstag Fire crisis to
scare the legislators of Germany to enact the Reichstag Fire Decree. This removed many
of the rights and freedoms of Germany. People no longer had freedom of speech and had
to support their leader, they no longer had habeas corpus under the law, publications were
restricted in the content they had, and a propaganda initiative was started in Germany.
Anyone who opposed the ideology or efforts of the Nazi party was thrown in jail. Hitler
also used less cruel means of gaining support in Germany. He began many public works
projects such as roads, schools, and hospitals. He also created the Volkswagen, or
people’s car. The Volkswagen allowed many people in Germany to own and operate an
efficient and useful car.

Several crises allowed Hitler to gain political power in Germany. The Reichstag
Fire allowed him to enact the Reichstag Fire Decree, which allowed Hitler to remove
many rights and freedoms from Germans. The effect of World War One and the treaty of
Versailles were being felt all throughout Germany as the national pride suffered and so
did the economy of Germany as it had to pay reparations and suffer with the sudden loss
of land and military. The depression had also weakened Germany, and the people were
looking for a way out. Hitler offered this way out and everyone accepted it.