Question

On 30th January 1933 who offered the Chancellorship to Hitler?
A) Soviet Red Army
B) King Kaiser William II
C) President Hindenburg
D) Hjalmar Schacht

Answer 1

Hint: Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party from 1920-21. He was appointed as ‘Chancellor’ after two further parliamentary elections that took place in July and November 1932 which did not result in the formation of a majority government.

Complete answer:
A complicated chain of events led to the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor on 30 January 1933. In this period, Chancellors were generally weak because proportional representation made it hard for political parties to secure a majority of seats which means that the Chancellor found it quite difficult to control the Reichstag. The events of 1932 and 1933 unfolded against this backdrop.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Soviet Red Army: The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, also called Soviet Red Army, was the army and the air force of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and was established immediately after the 1917 October Revolution. They did not give Chancellorship to Hitler but helped him in attacking Poland and Finland. Thus, it is not the correct option.

Option B) King Kaiser William II: He was the last German Emperor and king of Prussia from 1888 to 1918 and was one of the most recognizable public figures of World War I (1914-18). This is not a correct option because he was not in power when Hitler was given the Chancellorship.

Option C) President Hindenburg: The lack of an effective government persuaded two influential politicians, ‘Franz von Papen' and ‘Alfred Hugenberg', along with several industrialists and businessmen, to write a letter to President Hindenburg. The signers urged the President to appoint Adolf Hitler as leader of a government “independent from parliamentary parties,” which could turn into a movement that would “captivate millions of people.” Hindenburg unwillingly appointed Hitler as ‘Chancellor’ after two further parliamentary elections that took place in July and November 1932 which did not result in the formation of a majority government. On January 30, 1933, the new cabinet was sworn in during a brief ceremony in the office of President Hindenburg, during which Hitler was offered the Chancellorship of Germany. Thus, it is the correct option.

Option D) Hjalmar Schacht: He was the co-founder of the German Democratic Party, which was founded in the year 1918. He served in the government of Adolf Hitler as President of the Central Bank (Reichsbank) from 1933–1939. Later he became the Economics Minister (August 1934 – November 1937). This is not a correct option because he was himself working under Hitler’s government.

Thus, the correct answer is Option ‘C’ i.e, President Hindenburg offered the Chancellorship to Hitler on 30th January 1933.

Note: The emergence of Adolf Hitler as Germany’s chancellor on January 30, 1933, marked a critical turning point for Germany and, ultimately, for the entire world. His plan was embraced by the majority of the population of Germany. The plan was to make Germany a powerful, unified one-party state and to do away with politics.