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The Weimar Republic: Adolf Hitler And The Nazi Regime

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With nearly eleven million people killed between 1934 and 1945, one might ask what could be responsible for that amount of devastation. The answer, however, is quite simple. One man is the leading cause of all those lives lost: Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Regime. Germany was in an exceedingly unpleasant state after the loss of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles had forced them to take full blame for the war, and with it came an overwhelming amount of debt. The French wanted to dismember Germany to make it impossible for them to renew war with France. The loss of World War I was still sharp on many minds, and the economic depression was in full effect. The Weimar Republic was Germany’s new form of government that replaced the German Empire. …show more content…
Unfortunately, defeat in World War I and the terms imposed upon the German Empire caused economic hardship in Germany. This, soon after, lead to the collapse of the German government. This made way for a charismatic speaker to begin attracting large groups of people who were eager for a change in their country. At that time Hitler was promising a better life for all Germans, and an all-new Germany. After World War I, the weaknesses and ultimate collapse of the Weimar Government led to the uprising of the powerful, yet evil dictator by the name of Adolf Hitler. As the years passed, the grievances of entire nations, combined with the hardships of economic depression, created aggressive governments determined to win back what they felt was rightfully theirs. In January of 1919 the victorious countries met at the Palace of …show more content…
It was triggered by a stock market crash in New York City in 1929, then soon spread beyond the United States. The impact of the Great Depression was particularly severe in Germany. Unemployment hit millions of Germans, as companies shut down or downsized. Others lost their savings as banks folded. The dire conditions of the early 1930s led many German voters to abandon known political parties and look to more radical replacements, such as Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The Great Depression had profound effects on American society, but the impact on Weimar Germany was even more alarming. Germany didn’t rely on production or exports as much as they were on American loans, which had supported the Weimar economy since 1924. The German economy didn’t have the ability to withstand significant withdrawals of cash and capital. The banks struggled to provide money and credit, and consumers lost confidence in them. Severe inflation of money forced people to take wheelbarrows full of cash to the store just to buy a simple loaf of bread. Kids would be seen playing in the streets of Germany, stacking towers of worthless

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