Berlin in the 1930s Through Vintage Photos

The 1930s was one of the most tumultuous decades for Germany. Already crippled by the debt they accrued from World War One, the European nation faced even tougher times following the ripple effects of Wall Street’s stock market crash. With such instability and poverty, the population was receptive to the words and promises of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, setting in motion a chain of events that would greatly–and tragically–alter the course of history.

The grip of Nazism in the German capital of Berlin had begun the decade before, but it hit fever pitch in 1930 as Hitler and his Nazi Party launched a campaign to be voted into parliament. There were thousands of meetings, torchlight parades, propaganda posters and millions of Nazi newspapers in circulation. Hitler restored much of the population’s hope with vague promises of employment, prosperity, profit and the restoration of German glory.

On election day in September 14, 1930, the Nazis were voted into parliament and thus became the second largest political party in Germany. This power increased by 1933, with Hitler named the Chancellor of Germany.

Here below is a set of vintage photos that shows what Berlin looked like in the 1930s.

Unter den Linden, the middle promenade, and the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, circa 1930s

Alexanderplatz and the Berolina column, Berlin, circa 1930s

Brandenburg Gate with a guards parade, Berlin, circa 1930s

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, circa 1930s

Fredericks Bridge with the National Gallery, Berlin, circa 1930s

Gendarmenmarkt with State Theatre, Berlin, circa 1930s

Konigsplatz, Berlin, circa 1930s

Monument to Frederick the Great, Berlin, circa 1930s

National Monument to Emperor William the First, Berlin, circa 1930s

Parisian Place with views of Tiergarten, the Kroll Opera House, the Victory Column and the Reichstag, Berlin, circa 1930s

Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, circa 1930s

Radio Tower and exhibition hall, Berlin, circa 1930s

Reichstag (Parliament Building), Berlin, circa 1930s

The Cathedral with silhouettes, Berlin, circa 1930s

The Emperor Frederick Gallery, Berlin, circa 1930s

The Imperial Palace, Berlin, circa 1930s

The National Gallery, Berlin, circa 1930s

The Opera House and St Hedwig-Cathedral, Berlin, circa 1930s

The Reichstag with the Victory Column, Berlin, circa 1930s

The University, Berlin, circa 1930s

The Victory Column, Berlin, circa 1930s

Unter den Linden - Memorial Hall for all who fell in the Great War, Berlin, circa 1930s

Unter den Linden - The Honorary Monument with a guards parade, Berlin, circa 1930s

Zeughaus - the Arsenal, Berlin, circa 1930s