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'Economic success was the main reason for the popularity of the Nazis in Germany before the Second World War.'

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'Economic success was the main reason for the popularity of the Nazis in Germany before the Second World War.' Before the start of the Second World War, the Nazis had achieved what was dubbed an 'Economic Miracle', which took some part in helping them rise in popularity. Support for the Nazis came in several forms. Primarily, unemployment reduced greatly, on account of the introduction of the Workers Programme. This is illustrated in Source B, which shows Hitler working with a member of the Workers Programme to complete the first autobahn (road). The reduction of unemployment caused greater stability in the economy, which, in turn, led to the support and popularity of the Nazis. ...read more.


and the Police, which added to the country's development. After the First World War Germany was limited in its Empire, trade and military. Consequently, the German economy suffered. However, under the rule of the Nazis, reparation payments on account of the Treaty of Versailles, to the value of �6,600million, were cancelled. Military spending was increased, as shown in Source C. Simultaneously, the country's Imports and Exports were re-introduced. The German people saw this as a escape from the humiliation they endured under the Weimar Republic. Furthermore, the Nazis were able to broadcast their economic success, thanks to their productive propaganda organization. This in turn led to continued support not just from the German people, but from other western powers. ...read more.


This further proves that the economic success was not the only reason for the Nazis popularity. In contrast, some evidence shows that the Nazis weren't quite as popular as they seemed. As shown in Source E, censorship often caused people to go 'underground'. The newspaper in Source E is illegal, because it is not supported nor controlled by the government. What's more, Source E goes on to show that not everyone supported the Nazi policies on unemployment. Dissatisfaction was felt by Jews, women, part-time workers and certain skilled workers, towards the Nazis. In addition, many people feared the intervention of the SS and disagreed with the use of labour camps as a deterrent to opposition of the Nazis, which further questions the Nazis popularity. In Conclusion, though the Nazis popularity is questionable, support for them came in many different ways and not only for the reason of economic success. ...read more.

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