After viewing/reading the course page and conducting your own research via the GMC library and course textbook, respond to the following prompt. The grading rubric for this assignment is also posted in the Course Syllabus/Course Rubrics. Remember to follow all guidelines below:
Discuss the significance of the Great Depression in contributing to the rise of Nazism. By what methods did Hitler lift Germany out of economic depression?
Your post should be cited in APA format with credible and scholarly sources from the GMC library databases. You may also use your textbook as a source. Remember to cite all quotes.
Your response must be two well-developed paragraphs of a minimum of five sentences each.
Your complete word count on this assignment must be at least 250 words.
You must ONLY use the GMC library, online learning resources, or the course textbook.
You must cite all direct quotes and paraphrased material with proper APA in-text citations in the paragraphs.
At the bottom of your submission (right below the paragraphs), you must include an APA-style bibliography of all the sources you used.
Your submission should be free of grammar, content, and style errors.
The Great Depression played a significant role in contributing to the rise of Nazism in Germany during the 1930s. When the stock market crashed in 1929, it plunged Germany into a period of severe economic hardship known as the Great Depression (Brym & Lie, 2019). Millions of Germans lost their jobs, businesses closed, and poverty became widespread. People were desperate for change and someone to blame.
This created an opening for Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party to gain popularity by promising to restore Germany’s economy and national pride (Brym & Lie, 2019). Hitler blamed the country’s economic woes on Jews, communists, and the Treaty of Versailles, which imposed heavy reparations on Germany after World War I. He promised Germans a stronger nation without the burdens of the treaty or minorities. By scapegoating these groups, Hitler was able to direct public anger and frustration away from the current government.
Hitler implemented several measures to lift Germany out of economic depression after rising to power in 1933. He instituted public works programs, such as the construction of the Autobahn highway system, to reduce unemployment (Brym & Lie, 2019; Tooze, 2018). These programs put millions of Germans back to work and stimulated the economy. Hitler also pursued a policy of autarky, whereby Germany aimed to be economically self-sufficient through the domestic production of raw materials and manufactured goods (Tooze, 2018). This included programs to maximize agricultural output and minimize imports. In addition, Hitler repudiated reparations payments and remilitarized the Rhineland in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, actions that boosted national pride (Brym & Lie, 2019; Tooze, 2018). By the late 1930s, unemployment had declined substantially and industrial production in Germany had increased dramatically under Hitler’s leadership (Tooze, 2018).
Brym, R. J., & Lie, J. (2019). Sociology: Your compass for a new world (4th ed.). Cengage Learning. Research essay writing service.
Tooze, A. (2018). The wages of destruction: The making and breaking of the Nazi economy. Penguin Books.
