Hitler for president in 1932

[Guy]

What if Hitler would have elected for Reichspresident in 1932 election?

[Tim Smith]

Hitler would have taken complete dictatorial control of Germany about 9 months earlier. The Enabling Act which empowered him to do this was passed in March 1933 - if Hitler was elected President in April 1932, the Enabling Bill would have been passed in June 1932.

And instead of having to wait for Hindenburg to die in 1934 before announcing himself Fuhrer, he could have done it in late 1932 or early 1933.

German economic recovery and rearmament may also have started between 6-9 months earlier, leaving Germany marginally better prepared for war in 1939. By 1 September 1939, the German armed forces could have been as large and as well equipped as they were on 1 May 1940 historically.

However, I doubt that this change would be sufficient to change the sequence of events. I don't think it would be enough to allow Germany to win the Battle of Britain or take Moscow in 1941.

[Kurt_Steiner]

But being Hindenburg still alive would slow his plans, methinks....

[Tim Smith]

But being Hindenburg still alive would slow his plans, methinks....

Not if Hindenburg's retired, sitting at home with his pipe and slippers....

[Helmut Von Moltke]

Everything would have been 1 year earlier (if Hitler became Presidnet in 1932). The night of long knieves would have happened in 1933, rearnament would happen in 1934, remilitarisation of Rhineland would happen in 1935, anschluss and Sudetenland would happen in 1937 and war would have started in 1938. Still, Hitler being elected a year earlier maybe Barbarossa could have started a few months earlier than June and avoided the winter

[Cantankerous]

But being Hindenburg still alive would slow his plans, methinks....

German President Field Marshal von Hindenburg had always been a fervent supporter of an eventual restoration of the German monarchy, so he expressed his wish for the German monarchy to be restored. Therefore, it would never had made a difference if Hitler rather than von Hindenburg had run for the German presidency in 1932 just because of von Hindenburg's advanced age, because Hitler always considered the Weimar Republic weak and inept as a democratic polity and thus believed that he was the only man who could pull Germany out of the financial depression, save the country from communism, and restore German military strength by ditching the Versailles Treaty.

Link:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/62895176

[Terry Duncan]

Thread Necromancy from 2005 brought to people by Cantankerous. Topic locked.

Terry