Hitler Appointed Chancellor
On 30 January 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg, at 85 and in failing health, appointed Adolf Hitler Chancellor of Germany in what conservative politicians believed was a controlled arrangement — Hitler's popular support would be harnessed while von Papen and others would 'box him in' from cabinet positions. The NSDAP had become Germany's largest party, winning 37.4 percent of the vote in July 1932, though its share had already begun declining by November 1932; it was conservative backroom dealing rather than unstoppable momentum that placed Hitler in office. Within weeks, the combination of the Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act, and coordinated terror had effectively ended the Weimar Republic. Those who believed Hitler could be managed were catastrophically wrong. Hindenburg died in August 1934 and Hitler merged the offices of Chancellor and President, completing the seizure of absolute power.
- Year: 1933 CE
- Category: Political
