[4] After the election, von Papen urged Hindenburg to continue to rule by decree, while at the same time attempting to form a coalition with the Nazis.

Negotiations failed and Papen was dismissed by Hindenburg, who replaced him with Defence minister Kurt von Schleicher.

[6] The plans failed when Hitler disempowered Strasser and approached Papen for coalition talks; it is disputed if Schleicher was actually serious about his proposal.

[7] Since Schleicher's ineffective rule was growing increasingly unpopular among German elites, Papen convinced Hindenburg to dismiss him and appoint Hitler as Chancellor on 30 January 1933, with a cabinet composed of NSDAP and DNVP politicians; the new government lacked a majority in the Reichstag, so a snap election was called and scheduled for March by Hindenburg.

On 27 February, the Reichstag was set on fire allegedly by Dutch council communist Marinus van der Lubbe: in response, the Reichstag Fire Decree was enacted, suspending basic liberties and allowing the Nazis to conduct mass arrests of KPD members and freely engage in paramilitary violence against their opponents.