hitler's consolidation of power - nazi germany

what were the strengths of Hitler’s position as Chancellor in July 1933

• he had support in the reichstag as the largest party (196 seats November 1932)

• the Chancellor position afforded Hitler more political power and influence

what were the weaknesses of Hitler’s position as Chancellor in July 1933

• Nazis were already losing support in the reichstag - the lost 34 seats between July-November 1932

• Von Papen has to be Vice Chancellor, weakening the political power Hitler received

• Hitler had a lack of experience when it came to power, leading others to believe he could be manipulated

• Hitler could only have 2 other Nazis in the Cabinet, meaning Hitler was reliant on support outside of the Nazis

• Hitler had a difficult relationship with President Hindenburg

who did Hitler appoint to Cabinet in July 1933

• Hermann Goring - President of the Reichstag

• Wilhelm Frick - Minister of the Interior

state date of the Reichstag Fire

27th February 1933

explain how the Reichstag fire helped Hitler consolidate his power

• the conflagration rocked the German public opinion against the Social Democrats and communism

• another example of the Nazis’ use of negative cohesion against their political opponents

• Hitler was able to twist the narrative around the Reichstag Fire to paint the communists as violent and against the motherland

who caused the Reichstag Fire

• conspiracy theorists say the Nazis lit it

• Dutch communist Marinus Van Der Lubbe was found guilty for the arson after he confessed

• this is up for speculation as the fire broke out in many different places in the Reichstag, a feat impossible for one person to do

evidence for theories of Nazi involvement in the Reichstag Fire (JOSEPH GOEBBELS)

• Joseph Goebbels diary entry on 31st of January 1933 stated:

• “for the time being, we decided against any direct countermeasures. The Bolshevik rebellion must first of all flare up; only then shall we hit back”

• this could be construed as evidence that the Nazis needed the communists to step out of line to utilise negative cohesion against them

• meaning the party could be enticed to start an event and blame their political opponents

evidence for theories of Nazi involvement in the Reichstag Fire (MARINUS VAN DER LUBBE)

• Van Der Lubbe’s statement to the police (28th February 1933):

• “I lit my shirt […] I went through five rooms […] I do nothing for other people, all for myself. No one was for setting the fire”

• Van Der Lubbe ensures the police believe that he is the sole cause of this event

• which could be done to protect the communists against further vitriol from the German public

• and to ensure the Nazis could not use this event against his political party

• it could also be construed as Van Der Lubbe knowing he was already going to falsely go down for this crime, so he was trying to avoid more people getting hurt

evidence for theories of Nazi involvement in the Reichstag Fire (BERNAD PARTRIDGE)

• Partridge published a cartoon on 8th March 1933

• portraying Paul von Hindenburg instructing Hitler

• alongside the statement:

• “the red peril - This is a heaven sent opportunity […] If you can’t be a dictator now you never will”

explain how the Nazis took advantage of the Reichstag Fire

• the Nazis portrayed the fire as the start of a Communist insurrection

• allowing Hitler to demand and receive emergency powers to deal with the crisis

• through this, Hitler brought ‘The Emergency Decrees’ of 28th February 1933 into place legally

• as Hindenburg issued them using article 48

• the decrees gave Hitler the power to

• suspend basic civil rights

• authorise the Gestapo to hold people indefinitely

explain how The Emergency Decrees aided Hitler in consolidating his power

• Hitler being allowed to suspend basic civil rights meant that he could restrict freedom of speech

• meaning he was able to suspend all communist propaganda, campaigns and meetings

• the Gestapo being authorised to hold people indefinitely meant that Hitler could arrest his political opponents and hold them indefinitely to reduce the threat of their party

date of the last general election

5th March 1933

why did the Nazis hold the last general election

to try to give the Nazis greater popular backing

info about the last general election

• the Nazis controlled the press and police

• Hitler used the SA to intimidate and attack political opponents and non-Nazi voters

• this election received the highest electoral turnout of 88.8%

• the Nazis won 44% of the votes cast (288 seats in the Reichstag), utilising the slogan: ‘The Battle Against Marxism’

• this was significant as Hitler only required 2/3 of the Reichstag to vote yes to passing the Enabling Act

date the Enabling Act was passed

24th March 1933

how was the Enabling Act passed

• Hitler utilised the Nazi majority in the Reichstag and the intimidation of the opposing members by the SA to pass the Act

• 444 members voted yes

• 94 members voted no

explain the significance of the Enabling Act in Hitler’s consolidation of power

• it gave emergency powers to the government for four years

• the Cabinet would be able to pass decrees without presidential involvement

• allowing Hitler to dissolve German democracy and instil a German dictatorship

describe the threats posed to Hitler after the passing of the Enabling Act

• the 56% of voters who voted against Hitler could have the power in future elections to vote another party in

• President Hindenburg had the power to dismiss Hitler as Chancellor

• other political parties still posed a threat as opposition

• trade unions were against some of Hitler’s economical ideologies, these unions would be able to rally the lower classes against the Nazis if necessary

• the Nazi party posed a threat to Hitler once his other opposition was gone

• the army could take action against the Nazis

• Ernst Rohm, the leader of the SA, could use the SA against Hitler

describe who Ernst Rohm was

• long-term allies and friends with Hitler

• leader of the SA

• wanted to replace the army with the SA

• wanted radical changes in German society

describe Ernst Rohm’s threat posed towards Hitler after the passing of the Enabling Act

• leader of the SA

• could use the SA to depose Hitler if Hitler disagreed with Rohm’s ideologies

describe how Hitler dealt with threats posed to him after the passing of the Enabling Act

• although President Hindenburg had the power to dismiss Hitler, he was experiencing rapid mental decline and he approved of Hitler’s anti-communist actions

• July 14th 1933 - Germany became a one party state after Hitler’s ban of multiple parties, thus reducing the threat of political opposition

• May 2nd 1933 - Hitler banned trade unions

• the threat of revolt from the army was minimised as Hindenburg controlled the army

• Ernst Rohm was hated by the army, middle-class professionals and other key Nazi figures, meaning Hitler could use propaganda against Rohm to reduce his popularity

describe the background of Hitler and the SA

• during the Nazi rise to power, Hitler relied on the support of the SA to put his policies into action

• the SA had fought loyally for HItler against communists and socialists

• by 1934, the SA was a vast organisation with more than 2.5 million members

• by 1934, Ernst Rohm was growing as a personal and ideological threat to Hitler

• Rohm wanted Hitler to continue the Nazi revolution by reducing the power of big businesses in Germany and replacing the German army with the SA

describe the background of the SA and the army

• German army was limited to 100,000 members by the Treaty of Versailles, making it much smaller than the 2.5 million members of the SA

• Rohm wanted to take over the army, which was opposed by big businesses and Hitler

• Hitler appreciated the importance of the army in gaining power over Germany

• the army had been the key factor in Hitler’s failure to seize power in Munich, 1923

• when Hitler became Chancellor, one of his first actions was to explains his aims to army leaders

• namely being rearming Germany, defeating France and taking over territory in Eastern Europe

• many army leaders welcomed his ambition but remained wary of him

• as many of these leaders were from the upper echelons and looked down on Hitler’s lower class upbringing

• nevertheless, the army leaders agreed to Hitler’s nationalistic goals

reasons Hitler should support the SA 1934

• Ernst Rohm, their leader, had been a long-time friend and supporter of Hitler

• the SA’s 2.5 million members acted as Hitler’s physical protection

reasons Hitler shouldn’t support the SA 1934

• the SA were increasingly ill-disciplined

• the SA were less necessary to Hitler now his main political opponent: the communists had been weakened

• Rohm had the power to debase Hitler

reasons Hitler should support the army 1934

• army had been the key factor in Hitler’s previous failure to seize power in Munich, 1923

• the army were more disciplined and professional than the SA

• the army were supported by Hindenburg

reasons Hitler shouldn’t support the army

• Treaty of Versailles limited the membership of the army to 100,000 compared to the 2.5 million members of the SA

• there was foreign opposition to the expansion of the German army

• some army leaders looked down on Hitler due to his lower social background

reasons why Hitler was against Rohm

• Rohm might have wanted to depose Hitler using SA, evidenced by Hitler claiming to the Reichstag that Rohm had been planning to seize power

• Rohm had mocked Hitler, calling him a “ridiculous little corporal”

• Rohm’s homosexual private life was embarrassing Hitler and was against the Nazis’ ‘traditional’ values

• the ill-disciplined behaviour of the SA reflected badly on the Nazis

• army generals hated Rohm as he aimed to merge the SA with the army and Hitler aimed to gain the army’s support

describe the Night of the Long Knives

• occurred June 30th - July 1st 1934

• SS death squads went to houses to kill individuals or drag them to execution

• transport for the SS members was provided by the army

• there was no coordinated resistance to the SS’s attack

• Rohm was arrested and when he refused to commit suicide, he was shot (Hitler wanted Rohm to commit suicide so the Nazis wouldn’t be blamed)

• this event had 85 proven victims, with noted victims being

• Ernst Rohm - leader of the SA

• Gregor Strasser - senior Nazi and rival to Hitler

• General Kurt Von Schleicher - ex Chancellor

• Gustav von Kahr - Prime Minister of Bavaria who had opposed Hitler in 1923

• Herbet von Bose - associate of Franz von Papen

explain the significance of the Night of the Long Knives

• this event killed many of Hitler close comrades and supporters

• Rohm had looked after Hitler like a big brother

• Hitler was godfather to Strasser’s children

• this brutal murder of his friends and supporters demonstrated Hitler utter ruthlessness in gaining and consolidating his power

• this is an example of the wider Nazi use of terror and violence to gain power

what were the consequences of the Night of Long Knives

• the event marked a major shift in the development of Hitler’s dictatorship

• through this night, Hitler had tamed the radicals in the SA and won over the support of the elite and the army

• army generals were reconciled by the weakening of their rival: the SA

• Heinrich Himmler, leader of the SS, benefitted as the SS now became full independent of the SS and were now under Hitler personal and direct command

• most significantly, Hitler had gained the acceptance of the murder of opponents, strengthening this with the pass of a decree to legalise the actions of the Night of the Long Knives

• this served to intimidate and deter political opponents

• this decree demonstrates Hitler’s need to legitimise his actions

August 2nd 1934

President Hindenburg died of old age

significance of August 2nd 1934

• with Hindenburg dead, Hitler merged the positions of Chancellor and President into the office of Fuhrer and appointed himself

• as Fuhrer, Hitler now had power over the army, who took an oath of loyalty to him

• Hitler having the support of the army was significant as the German public heavily backed the army

gleichschaltung definition

coordination of the state

what did the gleichschaltung involve

• the Civil Service Act

• the official encouragement of anti-Semitism

• book burning - censorship

• the use of terror

April 7th 1933

‘Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service’ was passed

what did the ‘Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service Act’ do

• made it illegal for those openly opposing Nazis

• and people who were non-Aryans

• from having jobs such as

• teaching, being judges and being university lecturers

how did the ‘Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service’ help the Nazis strengthen their control

• allowed the Nazis to control the political narrative in many different fields

• the removal of Nazi opposition from places of power meant it would be easier for the Nazis to pass policies

April 1933

encouragement of anti-Semitism through the boycott of Jewish businesses

what led to the April 1933 boycotts

• Nazis ensured that it was clear to the German public that if you shopped at Jewish stores during the boycott you were being unpatriotic

• this allowed Hitler to marginalise Jewish people from the Jewish public

• and increase economic instability in these populations

• this marginalisation allowed the Nazis to coordinate a new society

May 10th 1933

• public burning of ‘un-German’ books sanctioned by the Nazis in 34 towns and cities

• up to 40,000 people watched the event and listened to a speech by Joseph Goebbels

significance of May 10th 1933

• the burning of ‘un-German’ books allowed the Nazis to remove alternate ideas from the accessibility of the German public

• and destroy communist and Jewish books

February 1933

‘Reich Decree for Protection of People and State’ was passed

significance of February 1933

opened the way for the Nazis to arrest and detain their opponents without trial

June 1933

Kopenich Blood Week

what was Kopenich Blood Week

• where a young socialist killed 3 SA men

• and the SA responded by arresting over 500 socialists

• and killing 91

significance of Kopenick Blood Week

• intimidated many socialists into silence as they didn’t want to be arrested or lose their jobs

• fragmented the left-wing opposition due to the loss of countless members and key leaders

end of 1933

• between 60,000-100,000 communists had been detained in prison or concentration camps

• the Nazis also detained

• Jewish/non-Aryan people

• disable people

• LGBTQ+ people

• people suffering with substance abuse

• homeless people

• sex workers

significance of the Nazi use of terror due to gleichschaltung

German public were endeared to the Nazis as they viewed the detaining of people as ‘cleaning up German streets’

describe how the Nazis sought legal control in gleichschaltung

• Nazis created a new series of courts: ‘People’s Courts’

• which dealt with political offender and dispensed raid justice

• political offences could range from slow work to treason

• judges such as Roland Freisler passed severe sentences against the Nazis’ opponents

describe how the Nazis sought control over local government in gelichschaltung

• in Germany, local government had been controlled by the Lander (states) outside of central control

• throughout 1933, the power of the Lander was greatly reduced

• January 1934 - Law for the Reconstruction of the State removed the authority of the Lander

• states were now reorganised into 42 Gaue

• each run by a Gauleiter

• who was appointed by the Nazi party

• and answered to central government

who were the first group of opponents to be imprisoned by the Nazis

socialists and communists

how successful was the Nazi boycott of Jewish premises

not very - only lasted one day

who was Rudi Bamber

German Jewish schoolchild in Nuremberg

what happened to Rudi Bamber’s family

• stormtroopers took his father away to camp

• that humiliated the victims by making them cut grass with their teeth

• this suggests that at the Nazis aimed to marginalise anyone who differed from their views and policies using top down terror

how many Gestapo officials were there in Wurzburg 1934

28

how large was Wurzburg 1934

810,000 people

what percentage of crimes dealt with by the Gestapo stemmed from denunciation

80-90%

what factors might lead to denunciation

• neighbours and close confidants betraying you to the Gestapo

• not being conventional to the society of the time

• beign anti-Nazi

why was Ilse Totzke denounced

she didn’t fit in - she avoided her neighbours and had Jewish friends. Some rumoured Totzke was a lesbian

what does denunciation suggest about how the Nazis controlled Germany

• state was based on terror

• Nazi power and conformity relied on terror from both above and below

Heinrich Himmler and the Nazi use of terror

• terror was an essential factor in the establishment of the Nazi regime in its early months

• Heinrich Himmler became a central figure in the administration of terror

• Himmler’s SS played a vital role in the Night of the Long Knives

• by 1936, Himmler was in control of the SS, the police and the concentration camps

• part of the police was the Gestapo which had the function of stopping harmless potential enemies of the state

• “The best political weapons is the weapon of terror” - Himmler

historian Richard Evans on the Nazi use of terror 1933-1936

• "in 1933 […] surveillance and control was rapidly brought into being”

• “by the end of 1935, organised opposition had been completely crushed”

• “from 1936 onwards, overt terror was directed increasingly towards […] minorities”

explain how the pattern of terror changed in Germany 1933-1936

• 1933 - terror from below was the main driver of Germany with denunciation of neighbours and friends being rampant

• end of 1935 - Nazis were focused on marginalising minorities, with a target particularly on Jewish people

• this signified the switch from terror from below to terror from above

• 1936 - Nazis were fully utilising terror tactics on Jewish people such as boycotts, with the majority of Germans, socialists and communists forgotten

background on SS

• initially a small branch of the SA, serving as Hitler’s bodyguard

• led by Heinrich Himmler

• by 1933, the SS had 52,000 members

• SS gained full independence in June 1934, after the Night of the Long Knives

• this significantly increased the power of the SS and Himmler

• by 1936, Himmler became the Chief of all German Police

background on SD

• established in 1931

• led by Reinhard Heydrich

• role was to gather information, identifying enemies both real and potential to the Nazis

• the SD relied on a small number of permanent officials and thousands of volunteer informants

• the SD didn’t take action against enemies, instead passing this information on to the Gestapo

background on Gestapo

• scale of the Gestapo was limited to 30,000 officers

• the Gestapo relied on denunciation, with denunciation easily leading to arrest, imprisonment and torture

• the Gestapo was a reactive body that relied on the backing of many German people

• 50-80& of Gestapo actions stemmed from denunciation

background on the Nazis and the police

• many members of the police forces supported the Nazis as the received increased powers

• from 1936, Himmler and the SS controlled the police

• the Kripo (criminal police) and the Orpo (ordinary police) continued to carry out their duties

• the Kripo played a significant role alongside the Gestapo in persecuting minorities and Gemans

• they helped to commit 80,000 people to youth labour or concentration camps on account of their antisocial behaviour

background on the Nazis and the courts

• judges had to to take an oath of loyalty to the Nazi regime

• sentences became much harsher than under the Weimar democracy

• over 40,000 people were sentenced to death by the Nazis, many by the People’s Courts

• offences carrying the death penalty grew from 3 in 1933 to 46 in 1943

background on the Nazis and concentration camps

• concentration camps were used by the Nazis to detain their political enemies

• 1933 - Nazis set up over 70 concentration camps

• Theodor Eicke was responsible for the establishment of the camp system

• many left wing opponents were released after a year or more in the camps

• 1935 - the number of inmates fell to 4,000

Heinrich Himmler on concentration camps 1937

• we must keep a large proportion of the political and criminal offender in camps for many years”

• “not until we are convinced that they have become decent people, but until their will is broken”

how did concentration camps change

• Before 1937, concentration camps were used as a way to 'correct' people the Nazis saw as 'wrong'.

• Torture both physically and psychologically occurred in these camps so that "their (prisoners) will is broken".

• After 1937, the Nazis realised they could exploit these prisoners for unpaid labour

• so concentration camps transitioned into being labour camps, all to boost the German economy under the Nazis.

Joseph Goebbels on propaganda

“a lie told once remains a lie but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth”

what contributed to the effectiveness of Nazi propaganda

• diversity of media

• targeting of propaganda

state the media Nazis used in propaganda

• posters

• leaflets

• newspapers

• mass rallies

• loudspeakers

• films

• speaker

• radio

• flags and abnners

explain how the diversity of media used aided the effectiveness of Nazi propaganda

diverse array of media both diversified the type and breadth of audience the Nazis reached

explain how the targeting of propaganda aided the effectiveness of Nazi propaganda

• Nazi propaganda was targeted specifically to attract support from wide swathes of Germany

• party organisations within the Nazis was set up to reach different professions and audiences

• one of the main themes of Nazi propaganda was an appeal to nationalism and the claim that they alone could unite the classes and professions, making the Nazis appeal to the masses

• the Nazis also pushed Hitler as a personification of the nation, a figure that stood above selfish interest groups

• Goebbels propaganda construed Hitler as personally responsible of the success of the state and that Hitler had rescued Germany from the traumas of economic depression

• Nazi propaganda promoted Hitler as a representation of popular justice

Nazi organisation propaganda

• Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda - led by Goebbels

• employed 14,000 people by 1937

Nazi press propaganda

• the press was controlled through the Reich Editors’ Law of 1933

• the Reich had direct control over content, with newspapers being completely controlled by the Nazis by 1939

Nazi radio propaganda

• Nazis held control over radio from 1933

• Nazis had a unified radio system in place from 1934

• 1935 - there were 7 million radios

• 1943 - there were 16 million radios

• 50 of Hitler’s speeches were broadcast by radio in 1933

• there were severe penalties for lsitening to foreign broadcasts

Nazi film propaganda

• film production companies were effectively controlled by the state

• films were mainly used as a vehicle for popular entertainment

• the popularity of watching films quadrupled between 1933-1942

• only about 10% of films were openly propagandistic

• extreme propagandist films like ‘Eternal Jew’ were box office disasters due to the propaganda being too overt and crude

• Nazi laws limited the import of foreign films

• 1934 - scripts had to be pre-censored so no anti-Nazi ideologies were published

Nazi rally propaganda

• rallies such as the Nuremberg Rallies were vehicles for Hitler’s personal magnetism and charisma

• 1934 - 250,000 people attended the rally, with 30,000 swastika flags surrounding the stadium

• rallies were held to strengthen German commitment to the Nazis

• they were used to celebrate the strength and numbers of the Nazi movement

Nazi poster propaganda

• the Nazis had a monopoly on poster production from 1933

• these posters promoted the Nazis’ social policies

• e.g. the poster for the film: ‘Eternal Jew’ demonstrates clear Nazi ideologies:

• the stereotyping of Jewish people as money loaners, the linking of communism and Jewish people and the scapegoating of Jewish people as the source of Germany’s problems

• posters were not only put up in cities but in smaller towns and villages to spread the Nazi message

• posters were clear and simple - messages were simple, easy to understand whether you understood German and and were literate or not

Nazi photograph propaganda

• Hitler had an official photographer (Heinrich Hoffmann)

• this helped Hitler control his image

• photos were staged and widely reproduced and spread

Nazi sport propaganda

• the Nazis utilised the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games to promote Hitler and his party

• the Olympics served to show how acceptable Nazi Germany was and how it was thriving

• many Aryans emerged victorious in this Olympics, solidifying the Nazis’ pro-Aryan propaganda

Nazi visual arts propaganda

• Nazis utilised visual art to promote the Aryan characteristics

• e.g. the sculpture of Arno Breker

• the lack of popularity of visual art propaganda is evidenced by

• the Exhibition of Degenerate Art in 1937 being more popular than German art