Quick questions on The rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany explained: O-Level History

After the First World War, Germany became a democratic republic, usually called the Weimar Republic. It faced serious problems from the start. Many Germans associated it with defeat and the hated Treaty of Versailles, since it was Weimar politicians who had signed the armistice and the treaty. Its system of proportional representation produced many small parties and weak coalition governments that often could not agree.

The turning point was the Great Depression. When the American stock market crashed in 1929, the United States called in the loans that had been propping up the German economy. German factories closed and unemployment soared, reaching around six million by the early 1930s. Ordinary people faced poverty, hunger and fear.

Being the largest party did not give Hitler automatic power, because the Nazis did not have a majority on their own. But Germany's leaders made a fatal miscalculation. Conservative politicians around President Hindenburg believed they could use Hitler's popularity for their own ends and control him once he was in office. In January 1933 they persuaded the elderly Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor, with conservatives in the cabinet to keep him in check.

What was the Enabling Act of 1933? [3 marks]

Explain why the Great Depression helped the Nazis gain support. [5 marks]

"Hitler came to power because of Nazi propaganda rather than the economic crisis." How far do you agree? [8 marks]