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Explanation:
In 1918 at the end of World War I, the leaders of Germany and the Allied Forces (Britain, France, and the U.S.) signed the Treaty of Versailles. The Allies required Germany to accept full responsibility for the war and to pay billions of dollars in reparations. Germany also had to give up some of its territory.
In 1919, Germany became a democratic republic called the Weimer Republic, named after the small city where the country's constitution was drafted. But the young republic faced serious problems: Many in Germany deplored the Treaty of Versailles and wanted to destroy the republic. Some of these were communists of the far left wing, but the more powerful opposition came from those of the right wing (the military, financial elites, and state bureaucracy), who wanted an authoritarian government, or a dictatorship.
(For an in-depth explanation of "right wing" and "left wing" go to this website: Left-Wing, Right-Wing and the Centre)
This discontent with Germany's losses combined with the financial devastation caused by the Great Depression created fertile ground for the National Socialist party, allowing the party leader Adolph Hitler to gain the support of a people desperate for someone to blame for their problems.
Hitler and a former army officer formed the Storm Troops, Hitler's private army. With a growing following among ex-soldiers, the lower middle class, and small farmers, Hitler attempted to overthrow the legitimate government in 1923, but failed. Hitler's efforts earned him time in jail, but it was less than a year. When he got out, he decided to try a different route to power. Hitler and his National Socialist, or Nazi, Party used propaganda and the media to gain the support of the German people and win elections. In January 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor. It wasn't long before Hitler had dictatorial control over Germany.
The Nazi rise to power meant many things to Germany. In addition to persecuting Jews and Communists, the Nazis targeted anyone who disagreed with their views. Art was to serve only one purpose now: advance the ideals of the Nazis. This expectation spelled the end of the era of the Bauhaus, an international art movement begun in Germany between the two world wars.
