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The tipping point for the Nazi takeover of Germany arguably occurred when President Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor. This was the culmination of a long, arduous process the Nazis started in the 1920s.
In the years following the end of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles, the newly formed Weimar Republic was in shambles, reeling with the aftereffects of the war. On the whole, the German populace viewed the loss of the war and the terrible terms of the treaty as a stinging, humiliating defeat.
Playing on that, the Nazis argued Germany had been stabbed in the back by the politicians who agreed to the treaty. They portrayed the Weimer Republic as riddled with corruption and degeneracy, and led by Jews and Marxists – whom they blamed for everything. They projected the idea that Germany was on the brink of a communist revolution and that Hitler was the only person who could solve these problems, and make Germany strong again.
By July 1932, the Nazis had become the largest political party in Germany, amassing 230 out of 608 seats in the Reichstag. On January 30, 1933, the tipping point, Hitler finally maneuvered Hindenburg into to appointing him Chancellor, achieving his long-held goal to lead Germany.
About a month following, the Reichstag building was set on fire – possibly by the Nazis. Seizing the opportunity, Hitler shrewdly blamed the communists, proclaiming the fire to be the prelude of mass terrorist attacks and an imminent communist revolution. Dozens of communists were immediately rounded up and thrown in jail.
In a bid to provide legal cover for the mass arrests and to expand his own power, the next day, Hitler succeeded in getting President Hindenburg to issue the Reichstag Fire Decree. The decree suspended the people’s most basic rights, including the freedom of expression, the right to assemble and organize, and freedom of the press. This was all necessary to ensure public safety.
On March 24, 1933, Hitler made his final power grab when the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act of 1933. This amended the German Constitution, giving him complete dictatorial powers.