Hitler's rise to power

In order to better understand the background of Anne Frank’s diary, we need to take a look at the wider historical context. Germany was hit particularly hard by the U.S. stock market crash at the end of 1929 and the global economic crisis it triggered. 

The government of the Weimar Republic imposed severe austerity measures, which caused the collapse of economic demand and a drastic increase in unemployment. People became more and more frustrated by the resulting poverty and more prone to radicalization. In this environment, it was relatively easy for the National Socialists' radical right-wing political movement to gain new supporters.

After several electoral successes in the early 1930s, the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party, mo...