Just Finished Reading: The Death of Democracy – Hitler’s Rise to Power by Benjamin Carter Hett (FP: 2018) [235pp]

The German Weimar Republic came into existence following the end of the First World War. It was born during the crisis of Germany’s defeat and continued in crisis throughout much of its short 15 years of existence. As new as the Republic was the democracy that supported it was almost as young. Until the German nation needed to show the victorious Allies – and particularly the Americans – that they were really a Democracy too and should be treated like one (rather than a military supported Monarchy) – most of the poorer German people couldn’t exercise their vote and little that the constituent assembly in the Reichstag decided during the reign of the Kaiser rose above the level of advice. Power, since German unification in 1871, was solidly in the hands of the military, the Kaiser and Prussia. So democratic roots, where they existed at all, had yet to move much beyond the surface.

Into the chaos of a defeated nation the political parties of early Weimar covered the whole gamut from far Left to far Right. But 1919 and 1920 were years of revolution and counter revolution – of attempted coups, assassinations and threats of uprisings and invasions. Democratic politics generally took second place to street fighting and the sound of gunfire. Disorder and confusion was the order of the day and day after day. Slowly though things began to normalise. Coalition governments – as the country had a system of Proportional Representation – existed mostly around the Centre Left of the Social and Christian Democrats. But these governments were generally weak and short lived. The Communists – allied to the new Soviet Union – made up a significant part of the Reichstag but would not co-operate with other Socialistic parties which they held in contempt as ‘class enemies’. On the far Right a handful of parties fought for votes amongst them the newly formed NSDAP – the Nazi Party. At the time no one really took them seriously. Their vote was tiny and their influence insignificant. They could draw crowds – that was certain, especially after Adolf Hitler joined and subsequently led them – but crowds consistently failed to morph into votes. So it continued….

As the 1920’s dragged on, and fights over Reparations continued to define much of the political agenda, further crisis and turmoil unsettled the country. As the centre parties continued to disagree and fail the country the voters turned to alternatives on the Left and Right of the spectrum. The Communists started to win more seats and more support as did the reducing number of larger Right wing parties. It was here that the first of a series of fatal mistakes were made by political forces on the Right and the major Industrialist who supported them against the Communist threat. Sensing an opportunity for advancement of his programme Hitler positioned himself and his still fledgling party – although much larger by now – as the solution to the Communists. Again initially dismissed some in government saw the Nazi’s as a way to manipulate things in their favour until they could be disposed of. They were to be used as a means to an end, nothing more. But Hitler had other ideas and so the dance began. But when the music stopped it was the would-be manipulators that failed to acquire the all-important chairs.

Important though it is and as vital as it is not to be forgotten I do find myself rather uninterested in the ‘Rise of Hitler’ narrative. As a political and historical chronicle is has, with justification, been done to death. However, I did find myself honestly riveted to this almost blow by blow account of how first the political and economic position of Germany between the wars provided fertile ground for the rise of the Nazi’s and, more importantly I think, how self-serving politicians and frankly incompetent power brokers not only allowed Hitler to gain the Chancellorship but actively aided him on the patent misunderstanding that he could be controlled or manipulated for their benefit. At no point did they think that they themselves were the manipulated ones or that they were enabling or facilitating their own dooms. Indeed many of those who died on or soon after the ‘Night of the Long Knives’ were surprised and shocked that the Nazi’s could turn against them so effectively. Despite every piece of evidence to the contrary they apparently never saw it coming!

As with all good history books this reinforced the idea that everything we might think of an inevitable is in fact highly contingent. There were SO many ways Hitler’s rise might have failed. He was injured twice in the war and could have been killed, several of his followers just feet away from him during the ‘Beer Hall Putsch’ were shot and killed and any of those bullets could have hit him, the judge at his subsequent trail could have deported him (as an Austrian) but didn’t….. and so on. The failure of the Weimar Republic was not inevitable – even after the Wall Street Crash. It was the action of individuals, making often self-serving decisions, which put him in power and imperilled the world in the years that followed. That, I think, is the most important message we can take from the events and this excellent book that covers them. Recommended.