Why Hitler?: The Genesis of the Nazi Reich

279 Pages·1996·3.88 MB·English

by  Samuel W. Mitcham Jr.

WHY HITLER?
The Genesis of
the Nazi Reich
SAMUEL W. MITCHAM, JR.

Contents
Trebles ix
111trodllCtiOll xi
1. The Fall of the Second Reich 1
2. The Freikorps and the War after the War 17
3. The Treaty of Versailles 37
4. Enter Adolf Hitler 45
5. Street Violence and Inflation 65
6. The Beer Hall Putsch 93
7. Political Stability and the Nazi Party's Slow Growth Period, 1924-1929 111
8. The Great Depression and Political Chaos 131
9. The Suicide of Geli Raubal 149
10. Continuous Electioneering and "Cattle Trading" 155
11. Hitler Achieves His Goal 171
Notes 179
Bibliography 195
Index 199
Tables
Table 2-1. Reich Chancellors during the Weirnar Era, 19181933 28
Table 7-1. Reichstag Election of May 20, 1928 125
Table 8-1. Reichstag Election of September 14, 1930 136
Table 10-1. Reichstag Election of July 31, 1932 163
Table 10-2. Reichstag Election of November 6, 1932 168
Table 11-1. Lippe Landtag Election of January 15, 1933 174
Introduction
During my travels and after my speeches, the most common question I am
asked is why the Germans-a civilized and educated people-came to choose
Adolf Hitler as their chancellor, unleashing upon the world one of the most
barbaric and inhuman regimes in history. The purpose of this book is to
answer that question.
Taken as a whole, it is a complex story. Hitler owed his rise to both external
and internal factors. First of all, he was a great politician. This comment may
horrify some Americans, many of whom mentally conceptualize the terms
"greatness" and "goodness" as if they are somehow related. This is not
necessarily true and certainly is not true in the case of Hitler. There have been
(and are) great criminals and great villains. Hitler was unquestionably both,
especially in terms of the enormity of his crimes. In fact, his memory is so
repugnant to us that many are reluctant to ascribe to him any traits that might
be construed as positive for fear of somehow being conceived as pro-Hitler or
pro-Nazi. The truth, however, is that just as the devil has the power to assume
pleasing forms so do some of his human allies, and Hitler certainly exhibited a
touch of political genius in making himself appear pleasing to the average
German voter. This was made all the easier by the relative mediocrity of his
opponents, which brings up the second major point: the external factors.
Despite his undeniable political skill, Hitler would never have come to
power in times that were in any way normal. Reasonably happy and
prosperous people, regardless of nationality, do not elect extremists like Hitler
to high office in normal times. But for Germany in the 1920s and early 1930s,
times were anything but normal; they were desperate. Collectively, the
Germans were like a drowning man, and a drowning man will take anybody's
rope. Hitler offered them hope, and they grabbed his rope by the millions.

I once knew a German who was the type of man one would not mind having
as a neighbor-just a good, solid, helpful, pleasant sort of fellow who was
getting up in years and who was more overweight than I was-another mark in
his favor. Certainly, he was not the type of monster who committed murder on
such a massive scale in the 1940s. I was appalled when he told me, in a
confidential manner, that he had voted for Hitler. After I expressed my shock,
he became very thoughtful. He reminisced about being a young man lying in
bed next to his wife at night, but neither of them could sleep since their
children in the next room were crying because they had not had enough to eat.
Then his eyes focused directly on mine. "Yes," he declared forcefully, "You're
damn right I voted for Hitler. He offered us hope!"
This brings up the question, "Could it happen again?" Absolutely. It already
has. In Cambodia alone, two to three million people were exterminated out of
a population of eight million by the Khmer Rouge, and the world press hardly
noticed. But one of the most sobering experiences I ever had was a visit to
Russia after the collapse of the Soviet empire. I found the conditions almost
identical to those that existed in the Weimar Republic as it tumbled toward its
end. The purpose of this book, therefore, is not only to inform and entertain: it
is also meant as a warning because it could happen again!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge everyone who assisted me in the production of
this book, including Waldo Dalstead, Gene Mueller, and Colonel John
Angolia, who furnished insights and much needed information. I would also
like to thank the staffs of the U.S. National Archives and the U.S. Army's
Institute of Military History, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA.
Sincere gratitude is also extended to Ms. Melinda Matthews, director of the
interlibrary loan department at Northeast Louisiana University, Monroe, LA,
for her invaluable assistance in tracking down research material. Sandel
Library is indeed fortunate to have this incredibly efficient and knowledgeable
professional. Finally, the greatest thanks go to my wife and my hero, Donna
Mitcham, who helped in ways too numerous to mention.
1
The Fall of the
Second Reich
The Second World War had its roots in the first, which began in 1914. By
early 1918 Germany had overrun all or most of Belgium, Poland, Lithuania,
Latvia, Estonia, and Romania. Russia had sued for peace; Italy was on the
verge of defeat after General Otto von Below's victory at Caporetto (where
275,000 Italians were captured and another 100,000 deserted); and Imperial
Germany's two most revered military leaders, Field Marshal Paul von
Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff, were massing a million men for a
final blow, aimed at knocking France-Germany's archenemy and strongest
remaining opponent in numerical terms-out of the war.
Unfortunately for Imperial Germany, these facts concealed the true gravity
of the situation. Germany was, in fact, on her last legs militarily. She had been
diplomatically outmaneuvered almost constantly since young Kaiser Wilhelm
II removed the brilliant Otto von Bismarck as chancellor of the empire on
March 19, 1890. As a result of Wilhelm's ineptitude, the Second Reich went to
war in 1914 with only the weakest allies: the Ottoman Empire (later Turkey),
the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and eventually Bulgaria. On the other hand, by
1917 all of the world's major powers were arrayed against her. By 1918 the
ships of the German High Seas Fleet had either been sunk or bottled up; her U-
boat offensive had been defeated by the British convoy system; her allies were
on the verge of collapse; and hunger, starvation, and war weariness had
gripped the German people, who were unable to import food due to the British
blockade. Already there were signs of civil unrest in the fatherland. Also, as a
result of Germany's decision to adopt a policy of unrestricted submarine
warfare, the United States had declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917.
Germany, then, had only two possible ways out of her deteriorating and