Assess the role of ideology in the rise of a leader of a single-party state
By The45Girl
Assess: Make a judgment of value, quality, outcomes, results or size
Ideology played a large role in the rise of Adolf Hitler. First, it enabled him to gain popular support
and thus secure power as Chancellor in 1933. Furthermore, propaganda utilised ideology to increase
Hitler’s popularity. Nevertheless, the effects of the Great Depression significantly influenced Hitler’s
rise to power. Although the aftermath of the Great Depression aided Hitler’s rise to power, ideology
played a large role in the rise of Hitler as it underpinned both popular support and propaganda.
Ideology enabled Hitler to gain popular support and thus secure power as Chancellor in 1933.
Hitler’s ideology, principally expressed in his autobiographical Mein Kampf, appealed to every sector
of German society. His hatred of communism won over many patriotic Germans who saw him as the
great protector of Germany from the “menace” of communism, as well as the landowners who
pledged their support for the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (N.S.D.A.P.) in 1931 after
Hitler promised that he would protect their property from communists. His idea that Germany’s
destiny as a great “Aryan” nation was to destroy “undesirables”, such as Jews, and seize lands from
the “inferior” Slavs of eastern Europe through Lebensraum appealed to nationalist Germans who
were embittered by Germany’s territorial losses through the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler’s extremist
populism drew defectors from ineffectual moderate parties and the youth. The N.S.D.A.P. soon
became the largest political party in Germany, a fact which led to Paul von Hindenburg’s appointing
Hitler to be Chancellor in 1933. In addition to this, Hitler’s focus on ideology alienated the public
from the Weimar government and oppositional parties such as the German Communist Party and
the Social Democrats. Richard J. Evans described popular support for Hitler as a “protest vote”. He
argued that the leaders of N.S.D.A.P. “removed most of their specific policies…from the limelight”
and concentrated on a “vague, emotional appeal”. Evans’ position is plausible within the context of
post-WWI Germany. Hitler’s ideology was relatively simple and emotionally based, e.g. fear and
hatred of communists and Jews, instead of listing specific Nazi policies. In contrast, the Weimar
government’s policies were unpopular and had resulted in significant territorial losses for Germany.
Hence, ideology played a large role in the rise of Hitler as it underpinned popular support.
Moreover, propaganda utilised ideology to increase Hitler’s popularity. Nazi propaganda was a
manifestation of Nazi ideology and extremely successful. Hitler placed Nazi propaganda under
Joseph Goebbels’ charge. Goebbels rightly judged that Hitler’s highly emotion-based ideology would
appeal to the public far more than any rational argument would. He organised the spread of Nazi
propaganda though radio, film, posters, newspapers and rallies. The N.S.D.A.P. were able to afford
this large and multimedial propaganda campaign thanks to donations from the wealthy Germans
whom Hitler had convinced to support him in 1931. It was this propaganda that enabled more
Germans to be exposed to Hitler’s ideology. Posters displaying “ideal” Germans or Germanic figures
saving Germany from the Treaty of Versailles were common, as were those which showed them
“saving” Germany from communism and Jews. Hitler’s ideology, Tony Howarth put forth, was “half-
baked, racist clap-trap... but among the jumble of hysterical ideas Hitler showed a sure sense of how
to appeal to the lowest instincts of frightened masses”. Nazi propaganda ultimately served the
purpose of targeting the fears and prejudices of the German population to bring them in line with
Hitler’s ideology across all social classes. Evans also claimed that Nazi leaders promoted their core
“belief that only though the unity of all social classes could Germany be reborn”. This belief, along
with their other beliefs, glorified German identity as the unifying factor for Germans and was
believed by thousands of Germans who saw the same idea of “making Germany great again”
By The45Girl
Assess: Make a judgment of value, quality, outcomes, results or size
Ideology played a large role in the rise of Adolf Hitler. First, it enabled him to gain popular support
and thus secure power as Chancellor in 1933. Furthermore, propaganda utilised ideology to increase
Hitler’s popularity. Nevertheless, the effects of the Great Depression significantly influenced Hitler’s
rise to power. Although the aftermath of the Great Depression aided Hitler’s rise to power, ideology
played a large role in the rise of Hitler as it underpinned both popular support and propaganda.
Ideology enabled Hitler to gain popular support and thus secure power as Chancellor in 1933.
Hitler’s ideology, principally expressed in his autobiographical Mein Kampf, appealed to every sector
of German society. His hatred of communism won over many patriotic Germans who saw him as the
great protector of Germany from the “menace” of communism, as well as the landowners who
pledged their support for the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (N.S.D.A.P.) in 1931 after
Hitler promised that he would protect their property from communists. His idea that Germany’s
destiny as a great “Aryan” nation was to destroy “undesirables”, such as Jews, and seize lands from
the “inferior” Slavs of eastern Europe through Lebensraum appealed to nationalist Germans who
were embittered by Germany’s territorial losses through the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler’s extremist
populism drew defectors from ineffectual moderate parties and the youth. The N.S.D.A.P. soon
became the largest political party in Germany, a fact which led to Paul von Hindenburg’s appointing
Hitler to be Chancellor in 1933. In addition to this, Hitler’s focus on ideology alienated the public
from the Weimar government and oppositional parties such as the German Communist Party and
the Social Democrats. Richard J. Evans described popular support for Hitler as a “protest vote”. He
argued that the leaders of N.S.D.A.P. “removed most of their specific policies…from the limelight”
and concentrated on a “vague, emotional appeal”. Evans’ position is plausible within the context of
post-WWI Germany. Hitler’s ideology was relatively simple and emotionally based, e.g. fear and
hatred of communists and Jews, instead of listing specific Nazi policies. In contrast, the Weimar
government’s policies were unpopular and had resulted in significant territorial losses for Germany.
Hence, ideology played a large role in the rise of Hitler as it underpinned popular support.
Moreover, propaganda utilised ideology to increase Hitler’s popularity. Nazi propaganda was a
manifestation of Nazi ideology and extremely successful. Hitler placed Nazi propaganda under
Joseph Goebbels’ charge. Goebbels rightly judged that Hitler’s highly emotion-based ideology would
appeal to the public far more than any rational argument would. He organised the spread of Nazi
propaganda though radio, film, posters, newspapers and rallies. The N.S.D.A.P. were able to afford
this large and multimedial propaganda campaign thanks to donations from the wealthy Germans
whom Hitler had convinced to support him in 1931. It was this propaganda that enabled more
Germans to be exposed to Hitler’s ideology. Posters displaying “ideal” Germans or Germanic figures
saving Germany from the Treaty of Versailles were common, as were those which showed them
“saving” Germany from communism and Jews. Hitler’s ideology, Tony Howarth put forth, was “half-
baked, racist clap-trap... but among the jumble of hysterical ideas Hitler showed a sure sense of how
to appeal to the lowest instincts of frightened masses”. Nazi propaganda ultimately served the
purpose of targeting the fears and prejudices of the German population to bring them in line with
Hitler’s ideology across all social classes. Evans also claimed that Nazi leaders promoted their core
“belief that only though the unity of all social classes could Germany be reborn”. This belief, along
with their other beliefs, glorified German identity as the unifying factor for Germans and was
believed by thousands of Germans who saw the same idea of “making Germany great again”
