CCALS Lecture: The Rise of Hitler

Professor Chris Dillon from King’s College London delivered a fascinating talk to a packed lecture theatre of over 200 historians.

He started with the Weimar republic and all the problems it had to grapple with such as the shattering blow of the Treaty of Versailles, anarchical uprisings and hyperinflation.

He also focused on the role of President Hindenburg who was less partial to democracy than Ebert. He moved on to discuss the Nazi movement and how it exploited the effects of the 1929 crash with their vague, but appealing, slogans to the electorate.

Finally, he focused on Hitler’s personal appeal with his strategy of communicating hope to the public and the fact that many women voted for the Nazi’s as they felt Hitler would solve austerity.

It was fantastic to see so many pupils take an interest in this topic and support our CCALS Lectures.