by Angelina Moore

Created on: April 28, 2008

In 1929 a monetary disaster struck the USA. This was known as the Wall Street Crash and caused an economic depression throughout the world. Germany was predominantly affected, with a weak government and mass unemployment and a dreary future lay ahead. Hitler rose to power by promising to abolish the issues that emerged and used tactical strategies to gain control. He had the perfect opportunity to seize power with failure of the Weimar republic, strength of the Nazis party, people's emotions running high and very influential propaganda. It all seemed as if Hitler was going to dominate the seating in the Reichstag.

In 1929, the Wall Street Crash knocked Germany's newly founded stability right back down on the ground. This is due to the New York stock exchange crashing causing many family fortunes to be lost in shares. The USA demanded the borrowed loans back from Germany; however they were unable to raise this substantial amount and so the factories invested in Germany, were closed down. There was no income coming into Germany causing six million people to be unemployed; morale was at an all-time low. This time was known as the Great Depression. Misery and suffering materialized as many German citizens were forced to live in poverty.

Although the future seemed bleak, Hitler looked like the man to solve the problems and was called their "last hope." He promised workers jobs to end unemployment. This was particularly successful because it played a big part in the issues constantly arising in Germany. Hitler was aware of this and preyed upon the German needs in order to obtain votes. He promised to completely abolish the Treaty of Versailles as he believed it was a "stab in the back" to Germany and promised to make her a stronger united nation. This was an advantage for Hitler because people wanted to see change in Germany, particularly farmers. Hitler appealed to people from all backgrounds. Farmers had not been receiving a decent salary due to low food prices and Hitler promised to increase their profits. He touched hearts and played with people's vulnerabilities to secure votes. The promises made by Hitler about money had won the majority of the German republic over because they were desperate to get back on their feet.

Gustav Stresemann had managed to regain some order during his years as Chancellor, however when he died of a heart attack in 1929, just before the Wall Street Crash; the recovery was short-lived and problems cropped up once more. The economy crashing

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