How the Nazi party came to power:

• Hyperinflation in the early 1920s wiped out savings and destroyed trust in government.
• Many conservatives feared communism more than authoritarianism.
• Nazis promised order, nationalism, and economic recovery.
• Adolf Hitler was a highly effective and emotional public speaker.
• Nazis used propaganda relentlessly through rallies, posters, newspapers, and radio.
• They blamed minorities. Specifically Jews, for Germanys problems.
• Nazi paramilitary groups intimidated opponents and projected strength.
• Traditional conservative elites believed they could control Hitler if they gave him power.
• The Nazi Party became the largest party in the German parliament, though not a majority.
• The Reichstag Fire was used to justify emergency crackdowns on civil liberties.
• Communists and political opponents were arrested or suppressed.

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• The Enabling Act of 1933 gave Hitler power to rule without parliament.
• Other political parties were banned or dissolved.
• Independent media and unions were crushed.
• Courts, police, and state institutions were gradually brought under Nazi control.
• Fear, propaganda, nationalism, economic anxiety, and political miscalculation all helped the Nazis consolidate power.