The weak government and the economic reforms it made made Weimar look like it either couldn’t or didn’t want to help people in need. People inevitably looked to groups, like the Nazis and the Communists, who promised radical solutions and attacked the government. In the meantime, the Weimar system continued to be unable to provide a strong government, and 3 elections were held between 1930 and 1932, each one giving the Nazis and the Communists a chance of gaining more popularity.

The Communists’ message of a proletarian revolution against the capitalists who were responsible for making them poor obviously appealed to many of Germany’s workers, so identifying their supporters is a fairly easy task.

But understanding where Nazi party support came from at this time is a little more complicated. Here are their main groups of supporters:

* People who were scared of Communism – amongst these, the businessmen and industrialists stand out. A Communist revolution would see them lose everything. Many of them saw the Nazis as their best defence against this, and so started to fund the party in its election campaigns.

* People who saw the treatment Germany had received after the Treaty of Versailles as being the root cause of Germany’s problems – many people from all walks of life were receptive to this idea, and those who did found a connection with the Nazis’ message.

* People who thought democracy had only caused chaos – many people felt that Germany needed a strong leader rather than divided governments. Hitler presented himself as that man.

* People who believed in the Nazi message of racial superiority and scapegoating Jews – some people came up with these ideas under their own steam, while others found the Hitler’s theories on things like a Jewish conspiracy against Germany convincing as an explanation for their current woes.