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Contrary to
a common misconception, Hitler did not come to power through a
terrorist coup against a democratically elected government. Although
the Nazis had the support of many millions of German voters, owing
largely to the continuing social, economic, and political crisis
that had struck Germany especially after 1929, Hitler was never
elected by a clear-cut decision of the absolute majority of the
German electorate. Nor did such a majority ever give him a clear
mandate to become the dictatorial ruler of Germany. In the last
democratic elections – on November 6, 1932 – the Nazi Party,
though the strongest, actually declined from the 37.3 percent of the
total vote that it had earned in the previous elections – on July
31, 1932 – to 33.1 percent. Hitler attained power when President
Hindenburg appointed him Chancellor on January 30, 1933.
Once in
power, Hitler and his accomplices lost no time in broadening their
base of power and dismantling the democratic constitution piece by
piece. A crucial landmark was the so-called Law of Empowerment,
which authorized the government to enact laws without recourse
either to the parliament or to the president. The autonomy of the
individual German States (Länder) was abolished in a bylaw
passed on March 31, 1933. The Nazi seizure of power was completed,
in a sense, with the Law against the Establishment of New Parties on
July 14, 1933, by dint of which the Nazi Party became the only legal
political party in Germany. |
