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How did Adolf Hitler,

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a tyrant who orchestrated one of the
largest genocides in human history,

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rise to power in a democratic country?

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The story begins at the end
of World War I.

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With the successful 
Allied advance in 1918,

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Germany realized the war was unwinnable

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and signed an armistice 
ending the fighting.

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As its imperial government collapsed,

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civil unrest and worker strikes
spread across the nation.

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Fearing a Communist revolution,

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major parties joined 
to suppress the uprisings,

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establishing the parliamentary
Weimar Republic.

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One of the new government's first tasks

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was implementing the peace treaty
imposed by the Allies.

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In addition to losing over a tenth
of its territory and dismantling its army,

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Germany had to accept full responsibility
for the war and pay reparations,

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debilitating its already weakened economy.

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All this was seen as a humiliation
by many nationalists and veterans.

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They wrongly believed the war 
could have been won

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if the army hadn't been betrayed
by politicians and protesters.

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For Hitler, these views became obsession,

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and his bigotry and paranoid delusions
lead him to pin the blame on Jews.

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His words found resonance in a society
with many anti-semitic people.

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By this time, hundreds 
of thousands of jews

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had integrated into German society,

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but many Germans continued to perceive
them as outsiders.

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After World War I, Jewish success lead
to ungrounded accusations

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of subversion and war profiteering.

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It can not be stressed enough that these
conspiracy theories

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were born out of fear,

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anger,

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and bigotry,

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not fact.

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Nonetheless, Hitler found 
success with them.

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When he joined a small nationalist
political party,

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his manipulative public speaking
launched him into its leadership

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and drew increasingly larger crowds.

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Combining anti-Semitism with 
populist resentment,

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the Nazis denounced both Communism
and Capitalism

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as international Jewish conspiracies
to destroy Germany.

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The Nazi party was not initially popular.

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After they made an unsuccessful attempt
at overthrowing the government,

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the party was banned,

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and Hitler jailed for treason.

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But upon his release about a year later,

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he immediately began to rebuild
the movement.

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And then, in 1929, 
the Great Depression happened.

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It led to American banks withdrawing
their loans from Germany,

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and the already struggling German economy
collapsed overnight.

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Hitler took advantage 
of the people's anger,

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offering them convenient scapegoats

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and a promise to restore Germany's
former greatness.

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Mainstream parties proved
unable to handle the crisis

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while left-wing opposition was too
fragmented by internal squabbles.

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And so some of the frustrated public
flocked to the Nazis,

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increasing their parliamentary votes from
under 3% to over 18% in just two years.

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In 1932, Hitler ran for President,

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losing the election to decorated war hero
General von Hindenburg.

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But with 36% of the vote, Hitler had
demonstrated the extent of his support.

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The following year, advisors 
and business leaders

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convinced Hindenburg to appoint Hitler
as Chancellor,

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hoping to channel his popularity
for their own goals.

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Though the Chancellor was only
the administrative head of parliament,

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Hitler steadily expanded the power
of his position.

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While his supporters formed 
paramilitary groups

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and fought protestors in streets.

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Hitler raised fears 
of a Communist uprising

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and argued that only he could restore
law and order.

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Then in 1933,

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a young worker was convicted of
setting fire to the parliament building.

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Hitler used the event to convince
the government

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to grant him emergency powers.

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Within a matter of months,
Freedom of the Press was abolished,

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other parties were disbanded,

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and anti-Jewish laws were passed.

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Many of Hitler's early radical supporters
were arrested and executed,

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along with potential rivals,

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and when President Hindenburg died
in August 1934,

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it was clear there would be 
no new election.

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Disturbingly, many of Hitler's early 
measures didn't require mass repression.

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His speeches exploited 
people's fear and ire

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to drive their support behind him
and the Nazi party.

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Meanwhile, businessmen and intellectuals,

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wanting to be on the right side 
of public opinion,

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endorsed Hitler.

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They assured themselves and each other

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that his more extreme rhetoric 
was only for show.

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Decades later, Hitler's rise remains 
a warning

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of how fragile democratic institutions
can be in the face of angry crowds

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and a leader willing to feed their anger
and exploit their fears.