Lead Up to WWII: Selecting Adolf Hitler As the Dictator, or Hitler's Rise to Power

Many things lead up to WWII, but probably the most significant was the rise to power of Adolf Hitler in Germany.  Hitler's rise to power was on of intrigue, and ruthlessness when it was required.  After the was Hitler aligned himself with the Worker's Party in Germany.  At that time they were just a small group.  Within a short time, 1920, the part chose a new name--Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Worker's Party) or Nazi Party for short.  Hitler was the best speech maker of the group, and was often called upon to give speeches.  As such he quickly became the most popular.  Hitler leveraged this to become the leader of the group, threatening to quit the group if he was not the leader.  The party grew, and in 1923, Hitler felt the time was right to take over the government.  The Beer Hall Push (which was where the insurrection started) could not have been more of a disaster.  The army was called in to quell the uprising, and Hitler arrested in imprisoned.  However the trial was a period when Hitler gained in popularity.  He was a very eloquent man, and this showed in the trial.  His sentence was five years, but he only served nine months, and during that time he wrote Mein Kampf.  As much as Hitler hated democracy, it was through democracy he would have to achieve his dreams of power.  And so it was bit by bit that the NAZI party gained in popularity, each election adding seats to the government, until the eventually had the most seats.  The effects of the depression in Germany was a major crisis for the government.  In 1933, Hitler became Chancellor.  This was an interim appointment.  But the Reichstag was burned down, and blamed on the communist Party.  March 5th of that year, the Nazi Party won 44 percent of the vote.  The new government passed an Enabling Law, giving Hitler extraordinary powers.  With these powers all other parties, and other associations including trade groups were outlawed.  Hitler purged his own parties, and many party members who were not faithful were assassinated.  The President, President Hindenburg died, and the office of president was combined with that of Chancellor.  The army pledged their support of Hitler.  In essence, Hitler had set himself up as a dictator in 14 years from the time he joined the Worker's Party.