Hitler's Rise to Power

By rodrigo.lyrio
  • Period: to

    Hitler's Rise

  • Elections I

    Nazis gain 6 million votes and become the second largest party in Germany

  • Germany has 4 million unemployed

  • Elections II

    Hindenburg reelected as president with over 40% of the votes. Hitler gains 37% and the communist candidate gains 10.2%

  • Von Papen

    Von Papen takes charge as Chancellor of Germany

  • Elections III

    Nazi party becomes the largest party in the Reichstag (37.3% of the seats)

  • Von Papen quits

    Von Papen leaves office

  • Elections IV

    Nazi Party loses votes (down to 33.1%)

  • Hitler is declared Chancellor

  • Reichstag Fire

    Enabled Hitler to pass the 'Reichstag Fire Decree', giving him almost complete power over Germany

  • Enabling Act

    hands the powers of the Reichstag over to the Chancellor. Permits Hitler to issue laws without a vote of Parliament and to deviate from the Constitution.

  • Trade Unions banned in Germany

  • Hitler proclaims the Nazi party as the only party in germany

  • Hitler is appointed as the 'successor' of Hindenburg

    German officer corps endorses Hitler to succeed President Hindenburg

  • Night of the Long Knives

    On pretext of suppressing an alleged SA putsch, much of the brownshirt leadership (i.e. Ernst Roehm) are arrested and executed. Schleicher and other political enemies murdered. Papen briefly imprisoned. Hundreds killed. The SS, formerly part of the SA, now comes to the forefront.

  • Paul von Hindenburg dies

    Hitler issues a decree appropriating to himself the powers of the President, including supreme military command. The decree is illegal but goes unchallenged.