Voting certainly helped Nazis, though they did other things too.<p>If you read up on my country, the popular support for fascist movements fizzled in 1930, but before that the country was in some danger. Many politicians and military men had their plans aligned for different scenarios, depending on where the popular opinion turned.<p>I think general philosophy, values and leadership play a huge role there. People sense that kind of stuff, and it turns into actions by the masses.