Editing History of Germany (section)

===Economic collapse and end of the Republic, 1929–1933===
The [[Wall Street crash of 1929]] marked the beginning of the worldwide [[Great Depression]], which hit Germany as hard as any nation. In 1931 several [[European banking crisis of 1931|major banks failed]], and by early 1932 the number of unemployed had soared to more than six million.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dimsdale |first1=Nicholas H. |last2=Horsewood |first2=Nicholas |last3=Van Riel |first3=Arthur |date=September 2006 |title=Unemployment in Interwar Germany: An Analysis of the Labor Market, 1927&ndash;1936 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/216448809 |journal=Journal of Economic History |volume=66 |issue=3 |page=778 |id={{ProQuest|216448809}} |via=ProQuest}}</ref> In the [[1930 German federal election|Reichstag election of September 1930]], the [[Communist Party of Germany]] (KPD) gained 23 seats, while the [[Nazi Party|National Socialist German Workers' Party]] (NSDAP, Nazi Party), until then a minor far-right party, increased its share by 95 seats, becoming Germany's second largest party behind the Social Democrats.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reichstagswahl 1930 |trans-title=Reichstag Election 1930 |url=https://www.gonschior.de/weimar/Deutschland/RT5.html |access-date=9 December 2024 |website=gonschior.de |language=de}}</ref> The Nazis were particularly successful among Protestants, unemployed young voters, the lower middle class in the cities and the rural population. It was weakest in Catholic areas and in large cities.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hamilton |first=Richard F. |url={{Google books|dcX_AwAAQBAJ|page=3|plainurl=yes}} |title=Who Voted for Hitler? |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-400-85534-6 |location=Princeton, New Jersey |pages=3 ff}}</ref> The shift to the political extremes made the unstable coalition system by which every Weimar chancellor had governed increasingly unworkable. The last years of the Weimar Republic were marred by even more systemic political instability than previous years, and political violence increased. Four chancellors ([[Heinrich Brüning]], [[Franz von Papen]], [[Kurt von Schleicher]] and, from 30 January to 23 March 1933, [[Adolf Hitler]]) governed through [[Presidential cabinets of the Weimar Republic|presidential decree]] rather than parliamentary consultation.<ref name="Llewellyn-2019" /> It effectively rendered the Reichstag powerless as a means of enforcing constitutional [[checks and balances]].

Hindenburg was [[1932 German presidential election|re-elected president in 1932]], out-polling Hitler by almost 6 million votes in the second round.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Das Deutsche Reich. Die Reichspräsidenten 1919–1934 |trans-title=The German Reich. The Reich Presidents 1919–1934 |url=http://www.gonschior.de/weimar/Deutschland/Praesidenten.html |access-date=9 December 2024 |website=gonschior.de |language=de}}</ref> The Nazi Party became the largest party in the Reichstag following the [[July 1932 German federal election|election of July 1932]]. It received 37% of the vote, with the SPD second (22%) and the Communist KPD third at 14%. The Nazis dropped to 33% after another [[November 1932 German federal election|election four months later]], but they remained the largest party. The splintered Reichstag was still unable to form a stable coalition. On 30 January 1933, seeing no other viable option and pressured by former chancellor [[Franz von Papen]] and other conservatives, President Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor.{{Sfn|Evans|2003|pp=283–308}}