What happened
President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as chancellor at the head of a coalition government after years of instability, electoral polarization, and elite maneuvering in Weimar Germany.
Why it matters
This is the clearest political turning point of the interwar period in Europe. It marks the transition from democratic breakdown to the construction of a regime that would reorder Germany internally and push the continent toward renewed war.
Notes
Use this as the main authoritarian-ascent anchor for the interwar timeline.