Unless you were living under a rock your entire life, you would know that the Nazi regime in Germany had perhaps committed the worst atrocities in human history, rising to power slowly until 1933 when the party came into power, democratically. However, while there are many reasons on how the National Socialists seized control, there is perhaps only one main reason why they came to power. The 1929 Great Wall St. Crash.
Previous to the crash and despite the Treaty of Versailles, the economy and life in general in the Weimar Republic was flourishing. The country had been growing since the introduction of the new currency and through the number of economic trade deals the government had made with other countries, in attempt to boost the economy from the 1923 Hyperinflation crisis in Germany. The ideas of extremism from the left and right were ignored by the populace, except for the hardliners. The Nazi Party was almost unheard of and the people did not take heed in Adolf Hitler's preaches.
However, everything for the government and country changed after the Wall St. Crash. As many American banks had lost huge sums of money as well as other private investors, they decided to pull back the money they had loaned to Germany. As part of the Young Plan and Dawes Plans, America had loaned money to Germany and her businesses. But if they had to retract their loans with no warning, the economy and market of Germany crumbled once again.
Many companies had lost money and were forced to shut down. This caused mass unemployment and thus poverty, and people's wealth accounted for not. People incurred debts, but were unable to pay them. Over 3 million people were unemployed from 1929 onwards, and there was severe tension within the Reichstag German parliamentary building. The extreme parties such as the Nazis and Communists, as well as Anarchist, began to gain popularity from the masses, who turned these extremes to get them out of the economic chaos. This is how Hitler was able to rapidly gain popularity, ad through democratic means, and by pure luck, he was able to hold the role of Chancellor.
A bit of a history lesson here, but after becoming Chancellor in 1933 January, and more strokes of luck, he was able to pass any laws he wanted with an absence of other parties but his own, until becoming the sole leader with the death of President Hindenburg 6 months later.
Who would know? If there was no Wall St. Crash in 1929, maybe Hitler may never had rose to power, and commit the crimes that he did. Perhaps there would be no Second World War and no Holocaust.
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