Hitler becoming Chancellor.

[The pizza crazed Anarchist]

I know that Hitler was appointed Chancellor by Hindenburg on the 30th of January 1933. But was Hitler ever a elected member of the Reichstag before that point? If not, how was he appointed Chancellor? Could the President just appoint anyone, even if they were not a member of the Reichstag?

[BIXX]

I believe he was actually elected. However I'm basing that off of an unsubstantiated George Carlin joke, so I'm not the best source.

[Zutroy]

I believe he was in the Reichstag---presumably at the top of the Nazi list, since he was the party leader.

[Nevsky]

A major problem of the Weimar Republic was that at its top stood a known anti democratic figure, Paul von Hindenburg who had way too much power due to the constitution. His power rose as the parties became more and more incompetent at forming a government in the late 20s (also as a consequence of the economic crisis).

[UncleLenin]

He was appointed Chancellor. Although the NSDAP (Nazi Party) held the most seats in the Reichstag at the time.

[Arlekino]

I thought this is anti right wing forum I would not even bother to post this shit.

[Ace High]

I thought this is anti right wing forum I would not even bother to post this shit.

So we're not allowed to discuss historical figures? Just because we despise Hitler doesn't mean you're not allowed to ask questions. It's called the history forum, you know.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Point being, liberal democracy is pretty lousy guarantor against fascism.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I believe he was actually elected. However I'm basing that off of an unsubstantiated George Carlin joke, so I'm not the best source.

Here's what senor Google says:


In the Reichstag (German parliament) elections of November 1932, the Nazis lose almost two million votes from the previous elections of July. They win only 33 percent of the vote. It seems clear that the Nazis will not gain a majority in democratic elections, and Adolf Hitler agrees to a coalition with conservatives. After months of negotiations, the president of Germany, Paul von Hindenburg, will appoint Hitler chancellor of Germany in a government seemingly dominated by conservatives on January 30, 1933.

[Geiseric]

they lost votes due to the communists changing their line after their abject failure to adapt to things in 1929, and actually proposing a front against fascism with SPD members.

[Wonton Carter]

From what I understand, he was offered a position in the reichstag, but turned it down because he wanted to be chancellor, and that would get in his way.

[JAC0BIN]

Its a complicated story, made all the more difficult if you come from a American political system. But Hitler was appointed by Paul van hindenburg. Mainly because Hitler was seen as the main political force outside of the 'liberal' party that could bring stability; since the comintern's popular front policy was still a two years from implementation.

[goalkeeper]

God, people could at least try and answer the OP's question, not just repeat vaguely relevant stuff they know about the Nazi's rise to power.

He is asking if Hitler himself ever took a seat as an elected member of the Reichstag, not if the Nazis had seats or how Hitler became chancellor.

I had a quick look through the Weimar constitution briefly and I can't find anything stating whether or not the Chancellor has to be a member of the Reichstag or not. Have a look for yourself though http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Weimar_constitution

[Comrade Jacob]

I believe so because people are stupid.

[The Feral Underclass]

The answer to the OP is no, he was never a member of the Reichstag. The political leader for the NSDAP in the Reichstag was Herman Goering.

[The pizza crazed Anarchist]

So if Hitler was not a member of the Reichstag, Hindenburg could just appoint anyone he wanted as Chancellor?

[The Feral Underclass]

So if Hitler was not a member of the Reichstag, Hindenburg could just appoint anyone he wanted as Chancellor?

Technically, but it would only really make sense to appoint the leader of the largest party (or coalition of parties) in the Reichstag, otherwise the new chancellor would be unable to achieve any of their legislative objectives.

[Invader Zim]

He was appointed Chancellor. Although the NSDAP (Nazi Party) held the most seats in the Reichstag at the time.

An important point needs emphasizing here, the NSDAP held the most seats, not most of the seats, and they cheated in order to win that many seats. This is a factor often glossed over in discussions of the rise of the Nazis. While I note you didn't fall into the same trap, it is important, I think, to flag it up.

[G4b3n]

The answer to the OP is no, he was never a member of the Reichstag. The political leader for the NSDAP in the Reichstag was Herman Goering.

Really? Could you give me some sources for that.
I don't find that outrageous to believe, I have just never heard it.

[The Feral Underclass]

Really? Could you give me some sources for that.
I don't find that outrageous to believe, I have just never heard it.

My apologies. It was actually the Strasserist, Wilhelm Frick. Goering was actually elected the Speaker, which turns out does not also make you the parliamentary group leader.

http://nuremberg.law.harvard.edu/php/docs_swi.php?DI=1&text=who_was_who

[Luís Henrique]

Really? Could you give me some sources for that.
I don't find that outrageous to believe, I have just never heard it.

I can give you a source for the opposite, will it do?

http://www.ushmm.org/propaganda/assets/images/500x/1932-ballot.jpg

Vote ballot for the German elections in 1932. The Nazi list is the first; you can clearly read Hitler's name as the first of the list. Goering is third; I cant read the second one, it looks like "Stid", or perhaps "Frid", which doesn't seem to make sence (someone who knows how to decipher the Gothic font, please!). The top line says, "Reichstagwahl", ie, Reichstag election. And it must have been the November election, since in July the NSDAP list was the 8th, not the first.

So it looks Hitler got elected to the Reichstag - which doesn't necessarily mean, of course, that he took charge.

Luís Henrique

[The Feral Underclass]

The elections ran on proportional representation. You didn't have Reichstag candidates. A party would win a percentage of the vote and then you were allocated a number of seats according to that percentage. So in the election you're referring to the Nazi's won 33% of the vote and therefore won 33% of the seats. The party then selects members to actually sit in the Reichstag, which Hitler never did.

[The Feral Underclass]

cant read the second one, it looks like "Stid", or perhaps "Frid"

The second name is Dr Frick. The last name is Mutschmann.

It took me an hour to work that out. :crying:

[LovingEmbrace]

I know that Hitler was appointed Chancellor by Hindenburg on the 30th of January 1933. But was Hitler ever a elected member of the Reichstag before that point? If not, how was he appointed Chancellor? Could the President just appoint anyone, even if they were not a member of the Reichstag?

hitler's rise: inevitable. the revolutionary desire in germany could only be satiated by the rebirth of the germans as a collective entity, seeking total erasure of bourgeois individualism and constraints and the merging of all individualities into a collective consciousness. deep inside, all human beings are like that.

individuality is a prison.

the true revolution lies in the liberation of the individual from individuality, creating a global collective consciousness which would crescend towards higher and higher sense of joy and fulfillment. that will be created by the communist revolution.

[Luís Henrique]

The elections ran on proportional representation. You didn't have Reichstag candidates.

I elect my representatives to the Brazilian Congress through proportional representation. And there certainly are candidates.


A party would win a percentage of the vote and then you were allocated a number of seats according to that percentage.

What you are talking about is elections based on party lists, rather than proportional representation. Yes, the Reichstag elections were list elections.


So in the election you're referring to the Nazi's won 33% of the vote and therefore won 33% of the seats. The party then selects members to actually sit in the Reichstag, which Hitler never did.

I find this unlikely. Usually list elections require the parties to submit an actual list of candidates. Weimar Germany may have been an exception, of course, but I have never seen any reference to that, and most electoral posters for Weimar elections do call for a vote in a Liste.

My impression is that Hitler never took charge in the Reichstag, because the NSDAP's politics was that he would be Chancellor or nothing. But that's just an impression.

Luís Henrique

[ComradeOm]

For what it's worth I've never seen anything to suggest that Hitler was elected to the Reichstag as a deputy. Certainly he would have been unable to stand before 1932 (as he didn't gain German citizenship until February that year) and his first speech to the parliament seems to have been as Chancellor, on 23 March 1933

So was he elected to the Reichstag during 1932? Possibly. This wouldn't have meant much though - the parliament sat for a total of 13 days that year and the government acted almost exclusively via presidential decree. The successive elections of that year were nothing more than attempts by the Right to engineer a majority; they were lame duck parliaments in which little actual business was done. The real struggle for power was happening outside the chambers, in the corridors of power around Hindenburg. There would have been little reason for Hitler to sully himself by participating in the Reichstag itself

Edit: All of which serves to highlight just how redundant Weimar democracy had become even before the Nazi rise to power

[The pizza crazed Anarchist]

It's strange that there has been so much written about Hitler and I have never seen this talked anywhere. That if Hitler was a member or not. And if not, how is just given the chancellorship without being a member of the Reichstag.

[D-A-C]

The answer to your question is that Hitler never held a single political position before becoming elected Chancellor in 1933.

He considered it a matter of principal that he wouldn't hold a position unless it was Germany's highest political office, hence why in 1932/33 when all the backroom deals were being made their were several offers of making him deputy/vice Chancellor which he rejected, but which Gregor Strasser believed was the best the Nazis could hope for.

As far as I am aware (and there is a possibility I am wrong) but in no biography of Hitler does it ever mention he was serving as a Reichstag politician before becoming Chancellor.

I am currently reading a biography of Goebbels and when he is elected to a seat in the Reichstag it mentions Goring, Strasser and others but never Hitler as being present, walking out etc as he is often in Munich alot.

Finally, I'm 99.9% sure that in Ian Kershaw's two part biography of Hitler an incident was described that when Hitler was running for President against Hindenburg in 1932 he wasn't actually a German citizen. So there was a mad scramble to find a loophole to let him aquire citizenship.

Apparently, if my memory serves me correctly he was offered a position that he thought was too low and would end up being embarrassing, but he was forced to take it anyway in order to get citizenship.

Anyway, here is a link that backs me up, but I'm sure a few of the decent biographies should describe it as well (add http because I can't post links yet):

worldhistoryproject.org/1932/2/25/adolf-hitler-is-granted-german-citizenship

Hope that helps.