Nazism: How Was It Possible?
...NSDAP (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), who were in the early 1920s, "a small and not particularly distinctive element in the multifarious and fragmented German volkisch movement" had become by 1936 the ruling organisation of German society. There were many factors influencing the German mass support to swing towards the party during 1923-36. In the face of economic turmoil, the overbearing influence of foreign countries on their Fatherland and the inability of presiding governments in dealing with crisis, the German people lived in national outrage and desperation. These feelings were further heightened by events such as the French invasion of the Ruhr, hyperinflation, and the depression. The period's lack of continuity and lack of progressive change under the Weimar Republic had caused Germany's people to lose confidence in their country's future and they began to believe that under the Republic, Germany will never be able emerge from the chaos to it's rightful position in the world stage. In the background of such social turmoil, the ruthlessly opportunistic Nazi leadership began accumulating support as a result of desperate people searching for desperate solutions. Willing to use any situation to their own advantage they portrayed themselves as the only solution to Germany's problems. No where else to turn, the people began giving their support to the NSDAP. In addition to the social conditions of post-war Germany, the party's well-organised and closely controlled nature, enabling strong and enthusiastic following behind the leadership was also an important factor in drawing public support, and so was Hitler's extraordinary gift for speech making, which the Nazis used to the highest possible advantage. Later after 1933 with the Nazis in power, support was maintained through aggressive propaganda, which made much of Hitler's domestic, and...
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