To what extent was the Great Depression the primary cause of the rise of the Nazis in 1933?

Whilst the Great Depression was a significant cause in the rise of the Nazis, with Adolf Hitler capitalising on dire economic conditions in Germany to advance his political position, there are other causes too that must be considered to have played a pivotal role. Among these are the weakness of the Weimar constitution, political scheming by von Schleicher, von Papen and President Hindenburg and the growth of political extremism in Germany in this period. The Great Depression was a major cause of the rise of the Nazis in 1933 because as the Weimar Government fell into chaos following the United State withdrawing their loans from Germany that was keeping their economy afloat and France was demanding its reparation payments. In the chaos of the Wall Street Crash, 1.5m Germans were instantly put out of work and this figure rose to 6m by 1933 - a third of Germany's working population. Along with this there was mass starvation of children as food shortages grew with thousands dying of malnutrition, and the poverty created by the Wall Street Crash created the exact environment of desperation in which people would listen to the promises made by Adolf Hitler in his bombastic speeches and turn away from the conventional wisdom espoused by former Weimar Government officials, and this could be seen with the rapidly growing turnout at Hitler's rallies.

MP
Answered by Morgan P. History tutor

3030 Views

See similar History GCSE tutors

Related History GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Why did Catholics and Protestants hate each other in England?


Describe two features of the attempts to colonise Virginia in the 1580s. (4 marks)


How should I answer a source based question in an exam?


Describe two features of the October Manifesto (6 marks) (IGCSE)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning