How Did the Nazis Seize Power?

Adolf Hitler did not march into power in a dramatic revolutionary takeover. He was appointed chancellor within the framework of the German constitution. The Nazi dictatorship emerged through constitutional mechanisms, elite miscalculations, emergency decrees, and calculated terror.

The destruction of democracy in Germany happened step by step.

To understand how the Nazis seized power in 1933, we must begin with the structural weaknesses of the Weimar Republic.

Learn all about the rise of the Third Reich and the history of World War II on my in-depth WWII Berlin Tour.

1. The Constitutional Weaknesses of Weimar Germany

The Weimar Constitution of 1919 was, on paper, one of the most democratic in the world. It guaranteed civil liberties, universal suffrage (including for women), and proportional representation.

But it contained dangerous vulnerabilities.

Article 48 – Democracy’s Fatal Loophole

Article 48 allowed the Reich President to suspend civil rights and rule by emergency decree during times of crisis.

What was intended as a temporary safeguard became, after 1930, the normal mode of government. Parliament increasingly became irrelevant.

Fragmentation and Instability

Pure proportional representation led to:

• Dozens of parties in parliament

• Fragile coalitions

• Constant elections

• Political paralysis

When the Great Depression hit in 1929, the system was already weakened. Mass unemployment and economic collapse intensified polarization.

Democracy did not collapse suddenly — it eroded gradually.

Discover the political turmoil, cultural revolution, and street-level chaos of the 1920s on my immersive Weimar Berlin Tour.

Ever since the failed Beer Hall Putsch of November 1923 — an attempted coup in Munich in which Hitler and his supporters tried to overthrow the Bavarian government and march on Berlin — Adolf Hitler had been a known, if radical, figure in German politics. The putsch collapsed after a brief clash with police, and Hitler was arrested and sentenced to prison, where he served about nine months and wrote Mein Kampf, outlining his nationalist, racist, and antisemitic ideology. Throughout the late 1920s he remained a prominent extremist agitator with a loyal following, but his party attracted only marginal electoral support. Until the onset of the Great Depression, Hitler was widely seen as a fringe politician rather than a serious contender for national power.

2. Why Did People Vote for the Nazis?

The Nazi rise was not inevitable — but it was fueled by powerful social forces.

Economic Despair

By 1932:

• Around 6 million Germans were unemployed

• The middle class lost savings

• Businesses collapsed

• Farmers faced bankruptcy

The Nazis promised jobs, recovery, and national strength.

Fear of Communism

Many conservative voters and elites feared a communist revolution more than they feared Hitler. The Communist Party (KPD) was strong, especially in urban areas.

For industrialists, landowners, and conservatives, the Nazis seemed like a useful tool against the left.

National Humiliation

Versailles, territorial losses, and the “war guilt clause” fueled resentment. The Nazis promised to restore German pride and reverse defeat.

Modern Propaganda

Joseph Goebbels ran one of the most modern political campaigns Europe had seen:

• Mass rallies

• Emotional messaging

• Airplane tours across Germany

• A cult of personality around Hitler

The Nazis offered simple answers in a time of chaos.

3. Nazi Election Results: A Crisis Party

The Nazis grew rapidly — but they never won an absolute majority.

• 1928: 2.6%

• September 1930: 18.3% (after the Wall Street Crash of 1929)

• July 1932: 37.3% (largest party)

• November 1932: 33.1%

By late 1932, their vote share even declined slightly. Many observers believed the Nazi wave had peaked.

But parliamentary government was already collapsing.

Why Was Germany So Hard Hit by the Wall Street Crash of 1929?

Germany was hit especially hard because its economic recovery in the 1920s depended heavily on short-term American loans. Under the Dawes Plan (1924) and later the Young Plan, U.S. banks lent large sums to stabilize Germany’s currency and help it pay reparations after World War I. When the American stock market crashed, U.S. lenders abruptly recalled loans and stopped extending new credit. German banks collapsed, businesses lost financing, industrial production fell sharply, and unemployment soared to millions. Germany’s apparent recovery had been built on borrowed money — and when that money disappeared almost overnight, the entire economic structure crumbled.

Germans had only just begun to recover from the devastating hyperinflation of the early 1920s, during which many had literally lost all their savings and life’s work. When the Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggered another severe economic crisis, fear and desperation pushed more people toward the political extremes, with growing support for both the Communists on the left and the Nazis on the right.

4. Papen’s Government (June–November 1932): Rule Without Parliament

Franz von Papen became chancellor in June 1932 — not because he had popular support, but because President Hindenburg appointed him.

Papen had almost no backing in the Reichstag.

Governing by Decree

Like his predecessor Brüning, Papen ruled largely through Article 48 emergency decrees. When the Reichstag rejected his policies, Hindenburg simply dissolved it.

Germany was now effectively governed without parliamentary legitimacy.

The Preußenschlag (July 20, 1932)

One of the most important — and often overlooked — steps toward dictatorship happened before Hitler became chancellor.

On July 20, 1932, Chancellor Franz von Papen, with the support of President Paul von Hindenburg, used Article 48 to depose the democratically elected government of Prussia — Germany’s largest state.

Prussia was governed by a Social Democratic (SPD)-led coalition under Otto Braun. It was the last major democratic stronghold in Germany.

Papen claimed that public order had collapsed after violent clashes (notably the Altona Bloody Sunday). Using an emergency decree signed by Hindenburg, he:

• Removed the Prussian government

• Appointed himself Reich Commissioner

• Placed the Prussian police under Reich control

• Used the army to enforce compliance

The Prussian government protested legally but refused armed resistance to avoid civil war.

Why It Mattered

Prussia controlled:

• The largest police force in Germany

• A significant administrative apparatus

• Nearly two-thirds of German territory

By neutralizing Prussia, Papen removed the strongest institutional barrier to authoritarian rule.

When Hitler became chancellor six months later, the police and administrative structures were already weakened and partially “cleansed” of democratic officials.

The road to dictatorship had been paved.

Why Papen Failed

Papen believed he could create an authoritarian “New State” — a conservative regime backed by the president and army, possibly restoring monarchy in the long run.

But he lacked:

• Mass support

• Parliamentary backing

• A stable political base

After the November 1932 elections further weakened his position, he was forced out.

5. Schleicher’s Government (December 1932–January 1933): The Last Attempt to Save Weimar

General Kurt von Schleicher, a political operator within the army, became chancellor in December 1932.

He attempted a different strategy.

The “Cross-Front” Strategy

Schleicher tried to split the Nazi Party by appealing to its more “social” wing (led by Gregor Strasser) while also seeking labor union support.

He hoped to build a broad coalition that would isolate Hitler.

It failed.

• The Nazis remained loyal to Hitler.

• Conservatives distrusted Schleicher.

• He lacked time and trust.

By January 1933, he had lost Hindenburg’s confidence.

6. January 30, 1933 – The Fatal Appointment

Papen, seeking revenge and a return to influence, struck a deal with Hitler. He convinced Hindenburg that Hitler could be controlled within a conservative cabinet.

On January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor.

The cabinet initially included only three Nazis:

• Hitler

• Wilhelm Frick

• Hermann Göring

Most conservatives believed they had boxed him in. Papen famously believed:“We’ve hired him.”

They had not.

The Reichstag is where most of my WWII tours begin, and for good reason: it was at this iconic building that the Nazis exploited political chaos to seize power. From the Reichstag Fire to the passing of the Enabling Act, the steps taken here marked the final collapse of democracy in Germany and the legal foundation for Hitler’s dictatorship, making it a key starting point to understand how the Third Reich rose.

7. The Reichstag Fire – Turning Crisis into Opportunity

One month later, the Reichstag building burned.

A Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was arrested at the scene. Whether he acted alone remains debated. The Nazis immediately blamed a communist uprising.

Hitler seized the opportunity.

The Reichstag Fire Decree

Using Article 48 once again, Hindenburg signed the “Decree for the Protection of People and State.”

It:

• Suspended freedom of speech

• Suspended freedom of the press

• Suspended privacy of mail and telephone

• Allowed detention without trial

• Permitted searches without warrants

This decree never expired.

It became the legal foundation of Nazi terror.

Thousands of communists, social democrats, and political opponents were arrested immediately. The first concentration camps opened in early 1933.

The election campaign for March now took place under conditions of massive repression.

8. The March 5, 1933 Election – Nazis as “Saviors”

The Nazis positioned themselves as Germany’s defenders against an alleged communist uprising.

Their message was clear:

Only Hitler could save Germany from chaos and civil war.

In a climate of fear, censorship, and arrests, they achieved 43.9% of the vote — their strongest showing ever.

It was not a majority — but combined with nationalist allies and the exclusion of arrested communist deputies, it gave them the numbers needed to act.

9. The Enabling Act – Legal Dictatorship

The final step came with the Enabling Act (“Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich”).

It allowed the government to:

• Pass laws without parliament

• Override the constitution

• Govern without presidential oversight

To pass, it required a two-thirds majority.

The Nazis:

• Intimidated deputies with SA presence

• Excluded communist members

• Negotiated support from the Catholic Center Party

Only the SPD voted against it.

The law passed.

Germany was now legally a dictatorship.

10. Why Resistance Failed — And Why It Happened So Quickly

The speed of events is crucial.

From Hitler’s appointment (January 30) to full dictatorship (March 23), less than two months passed.

Many Germans initially went along:

• Some welcomed order after years of crisis.

• Many believed repression targeted only communists.

• Others assumed Hitler would moderate in office.

• Conservative elites believed they still held real power.

By the time broader segments of society recognized the regime’s brutality — concentration camps, suppression of all parties, destruction of unions — it was too late.

Civil liberties were suspended.Opposition leaders were imprisoned.Protest became dangerous overnight.

The regime moved faster than its opponents.

Concentration camps initially appeared in 1933 as so-called wilde KZs — improvised, makeshift detention sites where the Nazis held political opponents, Communists, and other “enemies of the state” without legal process. Sachsenhausen, near Berlin, began as one of these early camps but soon evolved into the first purpose-built concentration camp, designed to systematize imprisonment, forced labor, and political terror under the Nazi regime.

Conclusion: Seizure of Power — or Collapse from Within?

The Nazi dictatorship did not begin with tanks in the streets.

It emerged through:

• Constitutional emergency powers

• The failure of parliamentary coalitions

• Papen’s dismantling of Prussian democracy

• Schleicher’s failed maneuvering

• Elite miscalculation

• Exploitation of the Reichstag Fire

• The Enabling Act

By the time many Germans understood the full horror of what was happening, the instruments of repression were already firmly in place.

The lesson is sobering: democracy often dies not in a single dramatic blow — but through legal erosion, political paralysis, and the willingness of elites to gamble with authoritarianism.

And once the machinery of dictatorship is established, protest becomes nearly impossible.