Why did people vote for Hitler?

Germany’s defeat in the First World War shattered national morale and opened the door to political and economic instability.

When the Treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919, the country lost territory, overseas colonies, and access to key industrial resources, while also being forced to accept full blame for the war and pay reparations that were initially set at 132 billion gold marks.

Public outrage intensified as many Germans, including those who had not supported the monarchy or militarism, saw the treaty as a humiliation and a betrayal imposed by foreign powers.

Key territories were stripped away, including Alsace-Lorraine to France, Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium, and the Polish Corridor, which separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany. 

The Weimar Republic, which had replaced the monarchy in 1919, struggled to gain popular support from the beginning, partly because it emerged during a time of revolution and national defeat and national defeat.

Revolts from the left and right, such as the Spartacist uprising and the Kapp Putsch, revealed how fragile the new democracy had become, while regular changes in leadership prevented the formation of stable coalitions.

Many conservative Germans viewed the republic as weak, while others blamed it for surrendering at the end of the war and accepting the Versailles Treaty. 

Hyperinflation in 1923 destroyed the financial security of the middle class and turned ordinary life into a daily crisis.

As the value of the mark collapsed, Germans carried wages in wheelbarrows and watched their savings become worthless, with prices of basic goods multiplying within hours.

By November 1923, the exchange rate had reached 4.2 trillion marks to one US dollar.

Although the government brought inflation under control by introducing the Rentenmark as a temporary currency in late 1923, followed by the Reichsmark in 1924, and by securing American loans through the Dawes Plan, the damage had already undermined faith in democratic institutions and encouraged calls for authoritarian alternatives. 

The National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), originally founded by Anton Drexler as the German Workers' Party (DAP) in 1919 and renamed in 1920, started as a small nationalist group in Munich.

It grew rapidly after Hitler became its clear leader and restructured it to operate across the country.

The Nazis drew on the support of war veterans, students, and nationalist groups and built a military-style identity that combined threats with organised discipline.

The Sturmabteilung (SA), also known as the Brownshirts, played a central role in this effort by protecting Nazi meetings and attacking political opponents.

When the party presented itself as the only force capable of restoring national pride and crushing Marxism, it began to attract attention in areas where traditional parties had failed. 

During the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, Hitler attempted to seize power by force, but after its failure and his arrest, he had realised that legal strategies would bring greater success.

In April 1924, a court sentenced him to five years in prison for treason, but he served only nine months at Landsberg Prison, where he dictated Mein Kampf to Rudolf Hess, who recorded much of the text on his behalf.

In it, he outlined his political vision and hatred of both Jews and communists, while also blaming Germany’s decline on internal traitors and foreign conspiracies.

After his release, he focused on winning elections and building influence through mass communication and strategic alliances. 

By 1928, the Nazi Party had secured only 2.6% of the vote, but after the Wall Street Crash in 1929, conditions in Germany changed dramatically.

The party used mass rallies, propaganda newspapers such as the Völkischer Beobachter, and public speeches to spread its message to an audience that grew among desperate voters.

As unemployment increased and other parties struggled, the Nazis presented themselves as the only movement with a clear vision and the strength to implement it. 

Through the coordinated use of visual propaganda, public demonstrations, radio broadcasts, and newspaper articles, the Nazi Party created a message that reached every corner of Germany and adapted its content to local concerns.

Under the direction of Joseph Goebbels, the party’s propaganda machine turned Hitler into a national figure whose image appeared in posters, pamphlets, and films that emphasised loyalty and sacrifice.

Repetition of simple slogans like “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer” helped to fix party messages in the minds of voters who felt overwhelmed by daily hardship.

The annual Nuremberg Rallies, which were first held in Nuremberg in 1927 and became enormous spectacles after 1933, reinforced the idea of a unified, disciplined Germany rising again under one leader. 

In his speeches, Hitler delivered messages with powerful emotion and persuasive structure that gave his listeners a sense of meaning and purpose.

He blamed the Versailles Treaty, the Weimar politicians, the Communists, and the Jews for every hardship that Germany faced, and he offered salvation in the form of national rebirth.

Unlike many other politicians, he spoke as a man who had experienced war, loss, and frustration, which gave his words added weight in the eyes of his audience.

He wrote in Mein Kampf that "the broad masses of a population are more amenable to the appeal of rhetoric than to any other force." 

Large-scale rallies, carefully organised marches, and the use of uniforms created a appearance of order and discipline that many Germans found appealing after years of chaos.

Hitler’s rhetoric created enemies, but it also offered belonging, and in a country where many people felt powerless, his speeches provided a vision of a unified Germany led by someone who understood their pain and could offer a way forward. 

The global depression that began with the 1929 Wall Street Crash devastated Germany’s fragile economy and reversed the gains made under the Dawes Plan.

American loans dried up, banks failed, and industrial output collapsed, leaving over six million Germans unemployed by the start of 1932, about 30% of the workforce.

With entire families dependent on small welfare payments and countless small businesses closing their doors, millions of citizens lost faith in the democratic process and looked instead to radical solutions. 

The Weimar government, weakened by party divisions and presidential decrees, could not present a unified response to the crisis.

Chancellor Heinrich Brüning’s economic policies, based on spending cuts and tax increases, drove the country deeper into depression and caused rising frustration among workers, farmers, and the middle class.

As living standards declined, hunger and homelessness became widespread, and many began to question whether the democratic system could ever recover. 

Nazi promises to create jobs, stabilise the currency, and end dependency on foreign powers appealed to both urban workers and rural farmers.

They promoted schemes for public works, road construction, and agricultural subsidies, and they claimed that the state could provide employment for all if given enough power.

The Reich Labour Service (RAD) and plans for the national motorway network, the Autobahn, were held up as examples of the jobs and pride a strong state could offer.

The idea of a productive, self-sufficient Germany gave confidence to voters who felt abandoned by the existing leadership. 

Between 1930 and 1933, Germany experienced repeated political deadlock as coalition governments collapsed and presidential decrees replaced parliamentary decision-making.

Political instability and repeated elections created public fatigue, and the inability of mainstream parties to form lasting agreements weakened the democratic system further.

Between September 1930 and March 1933, five national elections were held, heightening public disillusionment. 

Fear of communism, fuelled by the rise of the Soviet Union and street clashes between Nazi and Communist supporters, pushed many conservatives, business leaders, and middle-class voters towards the Nazi Party.

They believed that Hitler would protect their interests by crushing Marxism and restoring order, and they began to see his authoritarianism as a necessary safeguard.

Wealthy industrialists, landowners, and senior military figures provided financial and political support, hoping to use Hitler for their own goals. 

Key members of the conservative elite, including Franz von Papen, advised President Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor in January 1933, believing they could control him within a traditional cabinet.

On 30 January 1933, Hitler was formally appointed to the office. They had underestimated his intentions and had misread his ability to use public support and silence opposition, believing they could box Hitler in and use his popularity to stabilise the cabinet.

Within months, Hitler used emergency powers to destroy democratic structures and establish a dictatorship that no longer relied on public opinion to survive. 

Many aspects of interwar German society, including the changes to traditional class hierarchies, the rise of urban culture, and the presence of more women in public life, generated anxiety and resentment among those who longed for a return to familiar norms.

Veterans, in particular, struggled to find work or purpose in the new republic, and their discontent made them susceptible to movements that offered honour and a renewed sense of discipline. 

The Nazi Party offered a sense of belonging that extended into everyday life. Youth movements like the Hitlerjugend and the Bund Deutscher Mädel encouraged loyalty from a young age, while adult organisations created networks based on shared purpose and ideology.

Uniforms, flags, marches, and songs turned the party into a visible part of the social fabric, allowing individuals to feel included in a movement that promised national regeneration.

By 1933, the Hitler Youth had over 100,000 members, and that number would grow to more than 8 million after the 1936 Hitler Youth Law made participation effectively mandatory. 

Antisemitic rhetoric, although extreme, found receptive audiences among those who had long accepted negative stereotypes or blamed Jews for economic and cultural decline.

Nazi propaganda built on centuries of prejudice and it used conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific racial theories.

Organisations like the NS-Frauenschaft and the SS promoted racially "pure" ideals of family and motherhood.

The Nazis identified scapegoats and offered simple answers to difficult problems, that contributed to a worldview in which their enemies were seen as dangerous threats to the survival of the nation. 

Voters supported Adolf Hitler because he promised to end their suffering, restore Germany’s greatness, and provide leadership in a time of despair.

For some, his nationalism, military credentials, and rejection of the Versailles Treaty offered hope that Germany could regain its status and honour.

For others, his attacks on communism, liberalism, and modern decadence aligned with their own fears and prejudices. 

Different groups responded to different parts of the Nazi message. Middle-class shopkeepers worried about bankruptcy, unemployed workers desperate for jobs, and rural farmers crushed by falling prices all believed that Hitler would address their specific problems.

Young men seeking purpose, older citizens longing for order, and veterans angry at the republic’s failures found common cause under the swastika. 

The Nazi Party succeeded because it promised something to nearly everyone, from stability and employment to racial purity and revenge.

Its message was reinforced by relentless propaganda and tactical violence and filled the space left by discredited governments and tired parties.

In the July 1932 Reichstag election, the Nazis became the largest party with 230 seats and 37.3% of the vote.

Turnout exceeded 80%, indicating a public desperate for direction. When Hitler took office in January 1933, many Germans hoped that he would rescue them from national decline.

They had not expected that within a few short years, he would lead them into war, dictatorship, and catastrophe.