Franz von Papen (2/4): 'We've Hired Him' - The Fatal Deal That Made Hitler Chancellor

HOW FRANZ VON PAPEN MADE HITLER CHANCELLOROn January 30, 1933, Franz von Papen convinced President Hindenburg to appoint Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. This decision changed world history—but how did it happen?Part 2 examines the crucial year of 1932:**JUNE 1932:** Papen becomes Chancellor despite having no party, no support, and being expelled from his own political party the day before. His "Cabinet of Barons" (six barons, a count) rules through emergency decrees while millions starve.**JULY 1932:** Papen unleashes the SA stormtroopers. Altona Bloody Sunday: 18 dead. He uses the violence as pretext to destroy Prussia's last democratic government (the Preußenschlag).**NOVEMBER 1932:** The turning point. The Nazis LOSE the election. They drop from 37% to 33%, lose 2 million votes, and face bankruptcy. Goebbels' diary: "The future looks dark and gloomy; all chances and hopes have quite disappeared."**DECEMBER 1932:** General Schleicher forces Papen out as Chancellor. Humiliated, Papen seeks revenge.**JANUARY 4, 1933:** The secret meeting in Cologne. Papen meets with a desperate Hitler and makes the fatal deal: Papen will use his influence with Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor. Why? To spite Schleicher.**JANUARY 30, 1933:** Hitler becomes Chancellor. Papen becomes Vice-Chancellor. Papen's famous words: "We've hired him. In two months, we will have squeezed Hitler into a corner until he squeaks."He was wrong.**Topics covered:**- Franz von Papen biography- How Hitler became Chancellor- Weimar Republic collapse- Cabinet of Barons- Preußenschlag (Prussian coup)- General Schleicher- Hindenburg's role- The Cologne meeting January 1933- Nazi Party bankruptcy 1932- Why the conservatives enabled HitlerBased on primary sources: Goebbels' diaries, Papen's memoirs, Schleicher's military reports, and contemporary accounts.The Venetia Project | Episode 2 of 4 on Franz von Papen