To what extent was popular support the main reason for Hitler becoming Chancellor in January 1933?

The question requires that candidates consider the merits of the view that popular support was the key factor in Hitler becoming Chancellor. Responses may argue that the Nazis were the largest party in the Reichstag with 230 deputies in July 1932 making Hitler a potential Chancellor. He also had the backing of elite groups (big business and the army), because they feared communism. Others may discuss the weakness of the Weimar Republic with political parties unwilling to work together for a stable government. Undemocratic methods (Article 48) were overused and democracy had ended by 1930, making Hitler more acceptable. Alternatively, it could be argued that Nazi support was declining, (November 1932 they had 192 deputies), that it was the plotters around the president who convinced him to make Hitler Chancellor. Some may argue that the failure of Weimar to deal with the impact of the Depression led to Hitler’s rise as a national politician. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the suggestion that popular support was the main reason for Hitler becoming Chancellor in January 1933. There were very many responses to this question. Some responses had detailed knowledge about events in Germany between 1929 and 1933 and how they led to Hitler becoming Chancellor and included a discussion of the importance of popular support and of other factors. Some responses noted that other factors, such as the economic impact of the Depression, increased popular support for Hitler and noted how this meant that different factors were linked. However, there were many responses that had little or no knowledge of events in Germany between 1929 and 1933. Instead, they tended to focus on events in Germany between 1919 and 1923 and try to link these to Hitler becoming Chancellor in 1933 with limited success. Alternatively, other candidates discussed how Hitler consolidated support once he was Chancellor, referring to the Night of the Long Knives, the death of Hindenburg, concentration camps and Kristallnacht. Again, in these cases there were limited successful links made to the question.