Adolf Hitler rose to power primarily in the early 1930s. He was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, by President Paul von Hindenburg. This appointment came after the Nazi Party became the largest party in the Reichstag by winning the most votes in the 1932 elections, though they did not have an outright majority. After becoming Chancellor, Hitler quickly moved to consolidate power, using events like the Reichstag fire in February 1933 to push through the Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act in March 1933, which gave him dictatorial powers. When President Hindenburg died in August 1934, Hitler merged the presidency with the chancellorship and declared himself Führer of Germany, completing his rise to absolute power.
In summary:
- Joined the precursor to the Nazi Party in 1919.
- Became Nazi Party leader in 1921.
- Failed coup attempt in 1923, imprisoned and wrote Mein Kampf.
- Nazi Party rose during the Great Depression.
- Nazi Party became largest Reichstag party by July 1932.
- Appointed Chancellor on January 30, 1933.
- Obtained dictatorial powers through the Enabling Act in March 1933.
- Became Führer after Hindenburg's death in August 1934.
This sequence marked Hitler's legal and political rise to total power in Germany.
