yment, these problems were worsened by world depression. This increased existing class differences and began to undermine the government. On January 30, 1933, Adolph Hitler, leader of the National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) Party, was named chancellor by president Paul von Hindenburg. The Nazis incited clashes with the communists, disrupted the government with demonstrations, and conducted a vicious propaganda campaign against its political opponents: the Weimar government, and the Jews (who according to the Nazis were the source of Germany’s problems). Not long after he became chancellor, Hitler called for new elections in an effort to acquire full control of the Reichstag for the Nazi party. The Nazis used the government to terrorize the other parties. They arrested the leaders and banned their meetings. Then, in the midst of the election campaign, on February 27, 1933, the Reichstag building burned. A man named Marinus van der Lubbe was arrested, and he swore he had acted alone. Even though many people suspected that the Nazis were ultimately responsible for the act, the Nazis managed to blame the Communists, thereby gaining the votes of the disheartened communist supporters. The fire signaled the downfall of German democracy. The next day, the government, under the ostensible cause of controlling the Communists, abolished individual rights and protections: freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of expression were suspended, as well as the right to privacy. When the elections were held on March 5, the Nazis received 52 percent of the vote, and won a majority in the government. The Nazis moved quickly to shape their power into a dictatorship. On March 23, the Enabling Act was passed. It sanctioned Hitler’s efforts to gain total control and legally allowed him to pursue them even further. The Nazis also developed a sophisticated police and military force. Amon...
