Though it's true that Hitler destroyed Germany's fledgling democracy in 53 days it is also important to remember that Germans were mostly starving then because of punishment by most European nations because of the millions of soldiers on all sides that died during World War I. So they were being punished for Germany starting World War I which killed millions of Europeans. So, most other countries in Europe were still punishing Germany for what happened during world War I. So, this starvation weakness along with the Great Depression helped Hitler to create a Nazi Germany from a democracy.
However, it's important that you know this is what Trump appears to be doing now too. He's following Hitler's playbook for turning a democracy against itself in order to become a Fascist totalitarian Emporer of the U.S. (and Canada? and Greenland? and Gaza? and the Panama Canal? and whatever else he wants to take over? Sort of like Hitler when he took all of Europe but England mostly at that time in the 1940s until the U.S. got into the war because of Pearl Harbor.
How Hitler dismantled German democracy in 53 days
In
less than two months, the Nazi regime transformed a constitutional
system into a dictatorship, using the same legal mechanisms designed to
protect the democratic system.In a lengthy article in The Atlantic, historian Timothy W. Ryback analyzes how the rise of the Nazis transformed the Weimar Republic into a bloodthirsty dictatorship, using legal tools originally designed to protect the democratic system.
By Mirko Racovsky
On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of the Weimar Republic, marking the beginning of one of the fastest and most dramatically effective processes of dismantling a democracy in modern history. In less than two months, The Nazi regime transformed a constitutional system into a dictatorship, using the same legal mechanisms designed to protect the democratic system.
In a long article for The Atlantic, the historian Timothy W. Ryback explains how this process, far from being inevitable, reveals the vulnerabilities of a political system incapable of containing those who seek its destruction from within.
The political context: a shaky democracy
The Weimar Republic, established after the World War I, faced a number of structural weaknesses. Its constitution, with 181 articles, governed 18 federated states, but political fragmentation and the inability to form stable coalitions They made her vulnerable to the maneuvers of a leader determined to exploit her failures.
Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist Party (NSDAP), had already tried to seize power by force in 1923 with the failed Munich coup, the Brewery Putsch.
Later, he adopted a different strategy: destroy the system from withinIn 1930, before the Constitutional Court, he swore to respect the law while He planned to transform the government according to his will once in power.
Ryback, author of several books on Hitler's Germany, the most recent Takeover: Hitler's Final Rise to Power (Hitler's Final Rise to Power), states that in the years leading up to his appointment, Hitler dedicated himself to destabilizing the political system. His party, which In 1930 it had only 12 seats in the Reichstag (seat of the German parliament), grew to 230 seats in 1932, becoming the largest force, although far from an absolute majority.
The rise to power and the first steps
On January 30, 1933, Hitler took office as chancellor. From his first day, he began to consolidate his control over the government.
Although the Nazis only had the 37% of the seats in the Reichstag, Hitler set out to pass an Enabling Act (enabling act), what would allow him to rule by decree and eliminate the separation of powers.
He faced resistance from the social democrats and communists, who controlled 38% of the Reichstag, which made the required two-thirds majority mathematically impossible. However, Hitler used a combination of political manipulation, repression and propaganda to achieve their goal.
The Reichstag fire and the repression of the opposition
On February 27, 1933, the Reichstag was set on fire. Although the circumstances of the fire are still a matter of debate, The Nazi regime immediately blamed the communists, using the event as a pretext to implement repressive measures.
President Paul von Hindenburg, under pressure from Hitler, signed the Fire Decree of the Reichstag the February 28.
This decree suspended fundamental rights such as freedom of the press, expression and assembly, and allowed mass arrests without trial.
In the following weeks, Thousands of communists, social democrats and political opponents were arrested or forced into exile..
Electoral manipulation and consolidation of power
On March 5, 1933, Germany held elections in a climate of intimidation and violence. The Nazis won 44% of the votes, a significant increase, but still insufficient for an absolute majority. However, with the communists outlawed and their seats annulled, Hitler gained the necessary control of the Reichstag.
On March 23, 1933, the Reichstag approved the Enabling Act, which gave Hitler dictatorial powers.
This act, which formally destroyed the democratic structures of Weimar, was made possible by the manipulation of the political system and the intimidation of the deputies present.
Systematic repression and the first concentration camps
With full control of the government, Hitler began a campaign of systematic repression. Political opponents were arrested and sent to camps such as Dachau, established in March 1933.
At the same time, the regime began to centralize power in Berlin and eliminate the autonomy of the federated states.
Hermann Goering, as Prussian Interior Minister, reorganized the state police and used the brown shirts (Sturmabteilung) as an auxiliary force to suppress any form of dissent.
Propaganda and the symbolism of power
On March 21, 1933, Hitler used the so-called Potsdam Day as a propaganda tool to gain the support of conservative elites and project an image of national unity.
Dressed soberly, he appeared alongside President Hindenburg, who was wearing his military uniform, at an event designed to symbolize continuity between the old regime and the new.
Shortly after, Joseph Goebbels was appointed Minister of Propaganda, consolidating the regime's control over the media and eliminating any vestige of a free press.
Historical reflections: a contingent process
Although Hitler's rise is now seen as inevitable, historians point out that Several key decisions could have changed the course of history.
Hindenburg's initial reluctance to appoint him chancellor, strategic mistakes by opposition parties and a lack of cohesion among conservatives played a crucial role in facilitating his path to power.
The case of Hitler is an emblematic example of How an enemy of the democratic system can use its own legal mechanisms to destroy it.
His rise and consolidation of power in less than two months underscore the importance of protecting democratic institutions from those who seek to dismantle them.
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