The Nazi
party began as a semi-reactionary party specifically responding to the "stabbed in the
back" myth, which stated that Germany was winning World War I until the Social Democrats
betrayed the country and surrendered. This was a myth, but it had a lot of strength within
postwar Germany.
Early Nazis wanted to end reparations payments to France and
create an autarky in order to prevent any other nation from controlling Germany. The Nazis' rise
was facilitated by von Hindenburg and other conservatives who wanted to establish a government
with a conservative majority. This had been difficult because of the significant support that
the Social Democrats received.
The various conservative parties threw their
weight behind the Nazis on the assumption that they could control Hitler and that power would
moderate the party's extreme position. They were aided by the Communists' desire to undermine
the German government, thus giving the Nazis overt support from conservatives and indirect
support from Communists.
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