Imagine this - every day the morning news brings stories about unemployment, recession, inflation,
and protests in the streets. Politicians promise change but can't seem to agree on what that
change should be. One day, you hear your parents talking about a new political party offering easy
solutions to these problems. Over the last few years, this new party has become more popular.
With each election cycle, it's gaining more representation in the government because they
seem to have a plan to fix the country. Then, one day, a terrorist attack shocks the nation. All
of a sudden, people fear for their property and lives. However, this new party's leader becomes
even more visible, there to guide the nation through the latest crisis. There are rumors that
this new party has imprisoned political opponents, but nobody you know has gone missing, so it
doesn't seem too likely. However, fewer and fewer people are questioning the party's policies and
you're not hearing much from any other political party. But the headlines have
changed. Unemployment is falling. Instead of protests, there are parades. Government
inaction is a thing of the past for there is only one party now. It all seems odd to you, but you
keep quiet because there's finally hope for a better future after all these difficult years.
Hope for a better future can evolve into the loss of personal and political freedoms when democratic
institutions are weak and the economy is unstable. Suddenly, authoritarianism becomes more and more
acceptable. When you find out what you've really lost, it's too late to easily get it back.
Today, we're going to look at a real example from the past. The big-picture question is, how
can individual rights be affected when a country lacks a strong democratic and economic foundation?
Today's guiding question is, how did the Nazi party use democratic processes to
establish authoritarianism? And if you haven't already, be sure to open
up the PDF and take a look at the different tactics the Nazis used to weaken democracy.
Last time, we learned how the Nazis created an extreme ideology out of some of the movements and
trends that shaped Western civilization. But how did they take over Germany? Like in much of the
West, far right-wing groups in Germany exploited pre-existing prejudices, such as anti-communism
and antisemitism, to gain popularity. An economic downturn destabilized democratic
systems across Europe at the end of the 1920s. For Germany, this heightened existing issues
such as unemployment and inflation. The Weimar Republic made promises that it couldn't fulfill.
Democracy seemed chaotic and inefficient. For the industrialists, democracy was too
unpredictable because there were many political parties with varied interests.
Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party exploited this tumultuous environment and took over Germany.
We're gonna jump back in time and witness Hitler's rise to power. Keep an eye out for the warning
signs that clue us in on how he used democracy against the German people. When you see a warning
sign, pause the video and jot down a reflection in the guided viewing section of the PDF. Ready?
It's 1930. The Great Depression has set in and the democratic coalitions of the 1920s have broken
down. Establishing a political majority in the Reichstag, a chamber of the German Parliament, has
been challenging, stalling legislation due to a lack of agreement. As a result of the Reichstag's
inaction and increased economic hardships, President Paul von Hindenburg issues emergency
powers to the chancellor, who serves as the leader of the Reichstag. This allows Chancellor Heinrich
Brüning to govern by decree, meaning laws can be created without a parliamentary vote.
American presidents do this as well; they're called executive orders,
but they're checked by other democratic institutions. In the Weimar Republic,
however, Democratic institutions are weak, making this power very dangerous in the wrong hands.
Regardless, governing by decree becomes the norm. Later that year, the Nazi Party gained seats in
the Reichstag, becoming the second-largest party. In two years, they've gone from nobodies to a
major political force, exploiting Germany's economic instability. To that end, Hitler
gives speeches blaming the Weimar Republic and non-ethnic Germans for these economic hardships.
Blaming other people - what's that called? Scapegoating. Hitler's scapegoating must be
working because to some people affected by the treaty and the depression, the Nazis seem to
have the answers. Fast forward to 1932. Hitler runs for presidency. He loses, but he and the
Nazi Party gain popularity and gain allies. Very powerful business leaders now support Hitler.
It's February 1933. German President Hindenburg makes Hitler chancellor.
Soon after, catastrophe strikes. An arsonist has burned down the Reichstag building. Who's
responsible? What message are they trying to send? People are on edge and desperate for answers.
Hitler exploits the Reichstag fire, using scapegoating again to blame the
German communists, one of the Nazi's main political rivals, for the fire.
While not all are convinced that the German Communist Party is responsible and only one person
ends up being convicted, Hitler wastes no time in maneuvering the fire to his political advantage,
using his power as Chancellor to convince Hindenburg to issue the Reichstag Fire Decree.
This decree suspends basic rights, such as the right to a trial, which allows the Nazi Party
to silence political opponents, destroy legal rights, and reduce the freedom of the press.
Hitler is using these emergency powers to weaken democracy and increase authoritarian
control over Germany. Leading up to the March elections, the Nazi Party uses the
Reichstag Fire Decree to control information. They intimidate and suppress voters and spread
mass disinformation. Look at this poster stuck everywhere. It says, "Our Last Hope - Hitler".
And some people are flocking to these rallies to see Hitler himself, instead of a specific message.
Rather, they're attracted to his charismatic speeches and larger-than-life persona,
another clear sign things are moving in the wrong direction.
Now it's March and the results are in. The Nazis gain seats, but despite rigging the election,
they still do not have a majority. Hitler's a clever politician with
extreme authoritarian ambitions. What is he gonna do next to increase his power?
The day after the March 1933 elections, Communist Party members, some of them
representatives in the Reichstag, are imprisoned and the party is eliminated.
The Nazis are targeting the more fringe parties first because they are easier targets,
but Hitler is just getting started. Next, the Nazis introduce a new law - the Enabling Act.
It gives the chancellor the ability to issue and enforce laws that violate the constitution
without a Reichstag vote. The Enabling Act can't be done by decree because it changes
the constitution - Hitler needs the support of the other parties - which he gets, and the law passes.
Hitler can legally ignore the German Constitution. He's almost destroyed democracy. The Social
Democrats, a mainstream party in Germany, were the only ones to vote against the Enabling Act.
Unlike the Communist Party, the Social Democrats were a moderate and respected force in the Weimar
Republic. They had a lot of popular support and could offer another choice besides Nazism.
Hitler uses the Enabling Act and intimidation to dismantle the Social Democrats and eventually
declares the Nazi Party the only legal party. Now there is no alternative to Nazism. As
1933 comes to a close, Germany begins to re-arm the military, unemployment drops,
and support for the Nazi Party climbs. It's 1934 and life seems to be returning to
German society. Shops are busy. The streets are peaceful. And what do you think happened next?
Now, let's jump forward to the summer of 1934. Fearing that others within
the Nazi Party have become too powerful, Hitler initiates the Night of Long Knives.
Hitler has former close friend and early party member Ernst Röhm, hundreds of members of the SA,
Nazi's original paramilitary wing, and other key leaders around Germany assassinated.
Hitler is ruthless, willing to sacrifice members of his own party and long-time
allies in his pursuit of absolute power, a true act of a dictator.
Local police are disbanded and replaced with National Police, including the infamous Gestapo.
Hitler demands that military and government workers swear an oath to Hitler.
This is not a good sign. When politicians demand full loyalty to themselves rather
than the state it is another classic sign of a dictator. Democracy is over. What was once
masked by democratic processes and offices is revealed. The Third Reich has arrived.
Unfortunately for Germany and the world, the stage is set for another period of destruction.
But that's for next time. Let's get to the guiding question,
how did the Nazi party use democratic processes to establish authoritarianism?
Mass demonstrations, propaganda, intimidation, and ideology were all
tactics used to increase Nazi influence in Germany. Weak democratic institutions
and economic instability enabled Hitler to use democratic practices to create authoritarianism.
Once in power, the Nazis destroyed any democratic institutions left. Some who supported the Nazis
simply wanted a better future and believed their promises and anyone that could offer a different
path was silenced. Hope can be blinding. And when democratic institutions are weak
and the economy unstable, it's easy to miss the warning signs that tell you something is wrong.
For the German people and the world, this mistake would cost millions of lives and once
again devastate Europe. In the next lessons and unit, we continue our journey and hopefully learn
something from the mistakes made in the 1930s. Till then, keep in mind, history is everywhere.