Assess the importance of economic factors in the rise to pow essays

Assess the importance of economic factors in the rise to pow essays After the abdication of the Kaiser, Germany became a republic. The Weimar Republic, which came to existence in 1919, lasted 14 years until 1933 when Hitler and the Nazis took control of Germany. The rise of Hitler and the Nazis and the consequent fall of the Weimar Republic were due, in part, to the economic crisis of 1929. It was also because of political problems and the appeal of the Nazis that allowed the Nazis to rise to power. Germanys economic problems started during the First World War They had borrowed large amounts of money to pay for the war. It was assumed that she would win and, therefore, loans could be repaid from reparations imposed on the allies. Due to shortages, inflation began during the war years and the value of the mark began to fall. They hoped the economy would eventually stabilise but it did not and inflation continued. Reparations added to Germanys economic problems but the effects were less severe than sometimes claimed .To cover the cost the government simply printed more money. Inflation, which was already bad, became hyperinflation. The economic crisis of 1923 had a devastating effect on German people. German currency became virtually worthless. The Wall Street Crash was a disaster for the German economy. Prices and wages fell and unemployment rose dramatically as more firms went bankrupt. By 1932 over 6 million people were unemployed. The government had to decide whether to spend its way out of the crisis through a programme of the works or cut back on government spending. It chose the latter. This did not go down well with the public. As a result more people voted for the extremist parties, especially the Nazis. There were also political reasons why the Nazis rose to power. There were uprisings from the left and the right against the Weimar Government. The Spartacist Revolt attempted to take over the government but was stopped by the Freikorps. On the right some of the army were ...