Hitler looses the 1932 election, what next for the nazis?
- Thread starter ArKhan
- Start date
Geon
Donor
Next Elections
I don't think Hitler would try anything crazy. He'd already seen from the disasterous Munich Putsch that trying to seize power wouldn't work. He was very popular and could still use that popularity. My guess is that Hitler keeps up the tirades against the present elected government. He makes sure the Nazi representatives in the Reichstag vote against most of the legislation proposed, and try to put the worst light on anything that comes to the floor of the Reichstag. Meantime he take the role of political critic of the policies of the new government until the next election. By then he will have another chance and most likely could win depending on how badly the present government drops the ball with domestic economic matters.
Geon
I don't think Hitler would try anything crazy. He'd already seen from the disasterous Munich Putsch that trying to seize power wouldn't work. He was very popular and could still use that popularity. My guess is that Hitler keeps up the tirades against the present elected government. He makes sure the Nazi representatives in the Reichstag vote against most of the legislation proposed, and try to put the worst light on anything that comes to the floor of the Reichstag. Meantime he take the role of political critic of the policies of the new government until the next election. By then he will have another chance and most likely could win depending on how badly the present government drops the ball with domestic economic matters.
Geon
The Nazis actually did lose seats in the very last free election of the Weimar Republic in November 1932. Even before that, they only had a plurality, not a majority.
It was political conniving that got Hitler the chancellorship, not electoral victory. You'd have to have the Nazis lose by more than what they did, or already lose seats in the July election.
It was political conniving that got Hitler the chancellorship, not electoral victory. You'd have to have the Nazis lose by more than what they did, or already lose seats in the July election.
RamscoopRaider
Donor
That happens then the Nazi's will take power as the conservative establishment when given the choice would support the Nazi's, who have not done anything too crazy yet against the communists, where you have the USSR as an example.
Frankly if the communists get a majority there will be a coup soon, the army and establishment may dislike the Nazi's with a passion but they hate the commies more
Max Sinister
Banned
@ArKhan: Did you mean the first election? There, they went from 18 to 37 percent. About the second election - well, it was said already.
Couldn't they get a popularity boost by somehow turning the public against the military enough to stop its efforts? Again, reverse Reichstag fire.
RamscoopRaider
Donor
Not likely to matter, even if they try that they are still out of power and crushed and most of Europe will say good riddance to bad rubbish
Fact is even if the Communists win a majority they still will not have enough popular support to hold on once the conservative establishment and the military get through with them, plus the Nazi's will join in as this will prove them correct about the dangers of communism, which were well known due to the USSR
Again, the key would be them somehow getting that kind of popular support. Is it hard? Oh yes. Impossible? No. Russia had a huge militarist culture, that didn't stop the Communist Revolution there. The key would be for the German Communist party to move the blame for Versaills firmly to the military and elites somehow.
As for world response, not likely. They didn't just invade the Soviet Union for a reason, same could go for Germany. More importantly, the world had a distraction with the Great Depression.
As for world response, not likely. They didn't just invade the Soviet Union for a reason, same could go for Germany. More importantly, the world had a distraction with the Great Depression.
RamscoopRaider
Donor
Uh they did essentially invade, look up foreign intervention in the Russian revolution
What I meant was that they would support anyone over the communists at this time and not care what happened to them
Even with a popularity boost the communists will still have issues stopping a military coup backed by the conservative elites, especially if the Nazi paramilitaries help out
RamscoopRaider
Donor
Well this was right after WWI, they did not really have the stomach for even more bloodshed
But in Germany there was a communist revolt of sorts at the same time, which was promptly crushed by German veterans
That said it could happen, but there would be a civil war if the communists won and they may not win that, probably will not in fact
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The Communists didn´t took over in Russia because of popular support, but because they staged a coup. In tha later election of the russian Constitutional Assembly, they just got 25%. After that they dissbanned the Assembly.
Both the Communists and the Nazis had reached their peak by 1932 as the economy was slowly recovering. The KPD only reached 17% of the popular vote, and never would have gained a majority in the Reichstag. They never could have gained executive power as Hindenburg obviously wouldn't appoint a KPD Chancellor, and if they tried a violent revolution it would end up like the Spartacist Rising and probably provide justification for a conservative dictatorship under von Papen. If the NSDAP lose even more seats in 1933, then it's less likely that Hindenburg will appoint Hitler, so Germany will probably move in the direction of an authoritarian conservative state.
Hmm, with the Nazis weaker perhaps Chancellor von Schleicher is able to coup the nation and outlaw the Nazis and Communists, probably after convincing Gregor Strasser to abandon the Nazi Party and take the whole Nazi left with him.
One could wonder how a semi- authoritarian state lead by a von Schleicher- von Papen- Beck triumvirate would work, and how long they'll stay in power. I guess the first challenge could be an armed uprising from the SA and the Communist militias, however the army would probably be loyal von Schleicher and he would have the Stahlhelms and probably the Reichsbanner (although they wouldn't be happy about it) on his side.
One could wonder how a semi- authoritarian state lead by a von Schleicher- von Papen- Beck triumvirate would work, and how long they'll stay in power. I guess the first challenge could be an armed uprising from the SA and the Communist militias, however the army would probably be loyal von Schleicher and he would have the Stahlhelms and probably the Reichsbanner (although they wouldn't be happy about it) on his side.
I seem to remember that Goebbels wrote in his late 1932 diary that the Nazi party was close to bankruptcy.
If Hindenburg had hesitated longer to appoint Hitler as Chancellor it is possible that the Nazi party would have had serious problems.
Can´t pay the bills, can´t pay the party officials and party organizations.
That might have resulted in a downward spiral.
Searched for some information about it.
According to the Goebbels diaries and other written sources Hitler financed the 1932 elections mainly with debt.
If he had lost (= not becoming Chancellor) the Nazi party would have had to declare bankruptcy.
If that happened Hitler planned to either flee abroad or commit suicide.
If Hindenburg had hesitated longer to appoint Hitler as Chancellor it is possible that the Nazi party would have had serious problems.
Can´t pay the bills, can´t pay the party officials and party organizations.
That might have resulted in a downward spiral.
Searched for some information about it.
According to the Goebbels diaries and other written sources Hitler financed the 1932 elections mainly with debt.
If he had lost (= not becoming Chancellor) the Nazi party would have had to declare bankruptcy.
If that happened Hitler planned to either flee abroad or commit suicide.
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Von Schleicher does what he should've done in the first place, killed Hitler, blamed it on a communist plot and become military dictator of Germany.
Socialists did get popular support though in general. Yes, Bolsheviks were a minority, but that's another matter sadly.