Madam, - The obituary of Christabel Bielenberg in your edition of November 8th stated that Hitler was elected chancellor of Germany in 1933. There seems to be a popular misconception, shared by your correspondent, that Hitler came to power democratically. He did not.
In ordinary circumstances governments in the Weimar Republic had to have the support of a majority of the members of the Reichstag - and, indeed, all governments up to and including the government that assumed office after the elections of 1928 did enjoy such support. Unfortunately, that government was the last government of the Weimar Republic to command a majority in the Reichstag. The Great Depression of 1929 and the efforts to deal with its consequences put an intolerable strain on the government, leading to its collapse in March 1930.
After that collapse, no proposed new government could command a majority in the Reichstag. The president, Hindenburg, used his emergency powers to appoint Heinrich Bruning of the Centre Party as chancellor. He governed without a parliamentary majority, deriving his authority from the powers residing in the office of President Hindenburg.
In the elections called by Bruning in 1930 the Nazis, who had obtained a fairly derisory 2.6 per cent of the vote in the 1928 elections, saw their share rise to 18 per cent. In May 1932 Franz von Papen was appointed chancellor by Hindenburg. In the July 1932 elections the Nazis obtained 37 per cent of the vote, the highest they were ever to get in a free election. It should be noted that although the Nazis became the largest party in the Reichstag they never gained an overall majority in a free election.
In December, 1932 Kurt von Schleicher was appointed chancellor by the president. Finally, and disastrously, Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler chancellor in January, 1933.
It will be seen that although Hitler certainly came to power legally, under no circumstances could he be said to have come to power democratically. - Yours, etc.,
PADRAIC SHERIDAN, Upper Clanbrassil Street, Dublin 8.