German Peoples Support of Hitler :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

German People's Support of Hitler When you mention the name of former fuhrer of Germany Adolf Hitler, you usually are met with a reaction of disgust and terror. Memories of the holocaust and other nightmares of World War Two are brought to light and you wonder : " How could that have happened?" Well, that question cannot be answered in a few words, rather there is a complex list of ideas as to why this was allowed to happen and why people supported Hitler in the first place. The main reason is that Germany, at that point in time, needed change, and Adolf Hitler was symbolic of that needed change. Germany after World War One was a far cry from the prosperous empire that it had been before the war. The Treaty of Versailles proved to be damaging to Germany. Because of the treaty, Germany lost a lot of land and people. The agreement also required that Germany disarm herself. The new requirements were :" Germany was to have no large artillery, submarines, or military air force, and no more than 100,000 men under arms..." ( Chambers 895). Not only did these demand unemploy many men who made there living in the military, the laborers who produced goods to support this arsenal were also out of work. Six million Germans were unemployed at this time .The economy suffered more so because of heavy reparations demanded of Germany by the allies. " Germany was made liable for sums unspecified and without forseeable end and forced to accept 'responsibility' for losses from a war ' imposed ... by the aggression of Germany and her allies'" (Chambers 896). Hitler and his government made a quick solution to this situation by simply printing more paper currency, for the time being, it seemed that Hitler had made a step in bringing Germany out of the depression ( this was not to last long ). Adolf Hitler was a charismatic man, and a powerful speaker. His career as a public speaker began when he joined the German Workers' Party. It was said that he spoke with " ... a highly emotional, at times near hysterical manner...". And when Hitler spoke, people listened. In fact, after his first speech at the German Workers' Party meeting, Hitler became the star attraction, and the reason that many people attended these meetings.