Hitler's rise to power was caused by several factors.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1-4] e.g. 'Hitler used it to consolidate/gain his power.'
2. [1-4] 'Hitler used it to discredit communists.'
3. [1-4] 'Hindenburg was told that communists were plotting to overthrow the government.'
4. [1-4] 'He used it as an excuse for issuing an emergency decree/Article 48.'
5. [1-4] 'Communists were arrested.'
6. [1-4] 'Hitler used to win support in the election in March and he won more seats.'
7. [4-5] e.g. 'It was important to the Nazis because it meant that Germany was in a terrible state. There was widespread unemployment – it went up to six million. This gave the Nazis a great opportunity to do well in the elections. They criticised the government for not dealing with unemployment and promised to create full employment. This gave them a lot of votes and they became the largest party in the Reichstag, which meant that they would have to be given a part in government.'
8. [2-3] e.g. 'It meant that many people were unemployed and living in poverty.'
9. [2-3] 'It meant that Nazis could criticise the established parties.'
10. [2-3] 'The Nazis could exploit the situation using propaganda.'
11. [2-3] 'It led to the Nazis doing well in elections.'
12. [2-3] 'It led to the Nazis becoming the largest party in the Reichstag.'
13. [2-3] 'It was important because it led to Hitler becoming Chancellor.'
14. [2-3] 'The Nazis were able to win support by promising full employment.'
15. [2-3] 'People lost faith in democracy.'
16. [2-3] 'Before the Depression, the Nazis were not doing well in elections.'
17. [4-6] e.g. 'I agree with this, it was a disaster for the Nazis. This is because it all went wrong and the Nazis did not come out of it well. Neither the army nor the Bavarian government supported the Putsch. When the Nazis marched through Munich, they only had a few hundred supporters and failed to win popular support.'
18. [4-6] e.g. 'The police defeated them quickly. Sixteen Nazis were killed and Hitler did not cover himself in glory by running away. He was later arrested and imprisoned and the Nazi party was banned. All this shows that the Putsch was a disaster.'
19. [4-6] OR e.g. 'The Putsch might look like a disaster for Nazis, but if you look at its long-term impact, then you get a different picture. First, the Putsch made Hitler realise that he could not get power by uprisings and that he needed to win support and win elections. This made him reorganise the party and start to use democratic methods. This was a turning point for the Nazis and they later had success in elections.'
20. [4-6] e.g. 'Secondly, his time in prison gave Hitler the chance to set out his ideas in 'Mein Kampf' such as the need to destroy the Treaty of Versailles. This was read by many Germans and gradually won him support.'
21. [2-3] e.g. 'Through most of the rest of the 1920s, the Nazis had little popular support or electoral success.'
22. [2-3] 'They were banned as a political party.'
23. [2-3] 'They were easily defeated in Munich and failed to win popular support.'
24. [2-3] 'It made clear that they did not have the support of the army, other politicians or the people.'
25. [2-3] 'The failure of the Putsch showed them as a disorganised minority.'
26. [2-3] 'Hitler was captured, tried and imprisoned.'
27. [2-3] 'Hitler's prison sentence gave him a chance to set out his ideas in 'Mein Kampf'.'
28. [2-3] 'It led to Hitler realising that different tactics were needed.'
29. [2-3] 'Hitler gained a lot of publicity in his trial.'