Around 38 million Germans voted Adolf Hitler into power on this day in 1932

On this day in history, August 19, 1932, almost 38 million Germans voted Adolf Hitler into power as the official successor to President von Hindenburg in one of the five major national parliamentary elections. According to reports, Mark Roseman, a professor of modern European and German history at Indiana University in Bloomington revealed that, at the time, Germany held two presidential elections, two national elections; and there was a big Prussian election in which his Nazi party had a landslide victory after Hitler won with a large number of votes in total. Hitler on basis of an offer from President Hindenburg was appointed as chancellor in a coalition government and he assumed the services at the end of January 1933.

According to research analysis papers, Hitler was a chancellor was a member of the Hindenburg cabinet who largely underestimated Hitler’s political capabilities. Nazi party had accumulated over 230 seats in the elections in July and 196 seats in the elections in November, as per Roseman. Germany Parliament’s number of seats elected was directly proportional to the number of voters. Therefore, by June 1932, there were 600 seats and the Nazi party had won over 40 per cent of the vote as the first party with a national breakthrough, Roseman explained in a local media report. While the coalition won Hitler the top government position, Hitler took on dictatorial power and started arresting and executing political opponents. According to reports, Hitler even pushed for the Nazis’ SA paramilitary organization for support from the German army. 

United the chancellorship and presidency

On August 2, 1934, post the death of President Hindenburg, Hitler single-handedly united the chancellorship and presidency under the new title of ‘Fuhrer’ translating to ‘leader’. He strengthened his regime using national propaganda and carried out remilitarization of the Germany’s army. In another controversial move, Hitler state-sanctioned anti-Semitism annexed Austria and captured entire Czechoslovakia, according to reports.

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By this time, foreign powers criticized Hitler’s dictatorship but were ineffective in stemming from his power. In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, which led to a full-blown conflict with England and France, that embarked the world on WWII. However, in 1942, after Germany invaded USSR under the regime of Hitler, but met with a disastrous fate after the US, USSR and the British army were a few miles away from capturing his headquarters. Realizing his defeat, Hitler committed suicide in a bunker on April 30, 1945. 

[Adolf Hitler (second from right) and Albert Speer (right) in front of the 800mm railway gun "Schwerer Gustav", 1943. Credit: Twitter/@WW2Facts]

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