Edexcel GCSE History Weimar and Nazi Germany - Nazi control and dictatorship

How many members of the cabinet were Nazis (other than Hitler) at the start of 1933, who were they and what were their roles?

2 members:

• Frick - Reich Minister - power over government ministries and officials

• Goering - Minister for Prussia - Gave him control of nearly 2/3 of Germany

When was the Reichstag Fire?

27th February 1933

Who was blamed for the Reichstag Fire?

Van der Lubbe, a Dutch Communist

What did President Hindenburg sign a day after the Reichstag Fire and what was its effect?

• He signed the ‘Decree for protection of People and State’

• Replaced constitutional government by a permanent state of emergency

• Allowed Nazis to imprison large numbers of political opponents

• In the week after fire, 4,000 communists arrested including Thalmann

How many seats did the Nazi Party win in March 1933?

288 Seats

Who did the Nazi Party form a coalition government?

DNVP (German National People’s Party)

When did the Enabling Act become law?

24th March 1933

How was the Enabling Act passed?

• Absentees were counted as present

• S.A. intimidated members as they voted

• Communists members not allowed to vote and their party not counted so reducing number of votes Nazis needed

• Promises to Catholic Centre Party got their vote e.g. no interference in Catholic schools

What was the purpose of the Enabling Act?

• Gave Hitler and his government powers for the next four years, reducing powers of Reichstag

• As Chancellor, Hitler had greater powers than president

• Signalled the end of Weimar constitution and democracy

When were Trade Unions banned?

2nd May 1933

What was the importance of the end of the trade unions for the Nazi dictatorship?

• Nazis were able to bring in a National replacement the German Workers Front (DAF)

• Wages were now decided by DAF

• Workers received workbooks which recorded the record of employment

• Strikes were outlawed and dissenters would be sent to concentration camps

What and when was the law passed that banned all other political parties?

It was a law against the Formation of Parties and was passed on 14th July 1933

What percentage of the votes did the Nazis have in November 1933?

95.2%

When were the lander abolished?

January 1934

Why was the lander abolished and what was its replacement?

• Because there were so many lander it caused problems for Presidents in the past since some refused decision he would make

• E.g. Ebert had issued over 130 emergency decrees

• Instead they were run by Reich governors thus centralizing Germany

When was the Night of the Long Knives?

June 1934

Why did Hitler carry out the Night of the Long Knives?

• He wanted to win the support of the army

• He saw the S.A. as a major threat

• Rohm and Hitler disagreed with how to use the army with Rohm wanting it to be incorporated into the S.A.

• Essentially Rohm wanted a social revolution

• Hitler’s personal bodyguard the SS wanted to move away from the S.A.

What were the events of the Night of the Long Knives?

• On 30th June 1934, Rohm and main leaders of S.A. were shot by SS

• Hitler also took the opportunity to take out opponents such as Von Schleicher and Strasser

• It is thought that about 400 people died in the purge

What was the impact of the Night of the Long Knives?

• He had eradicated opponents to the Nazi regime

• He had secured support of the army

• Made his position more secure

• S.A. was relegated to a minor role

How did Hitler gain the support of the army and when did he do it?

The army did not like the S.A. and so by taking out the leaders of the S.A. he gained the army’s support and they swore allegiance in August 1934

How did having the army’s support help Hitler?

• He was able to have a law passed in July 1934 that legalised his action during the Night of the Long Knives

• He grew in confidence and combined his position into fuhrer after Hindenburg’s death

When did Hitler become Fuhrer and what event caused it?

August 1934 after Hindenburg’s death with more than 90% of voters agreeing to make him fuhrer

Who was the leader of the SS?

Himmler

When was the SS formed?

1925

What was the role of the SS?

• Responsible for removing all opposition to Nazi regime

• By 1934 it had more than 50,000 members who were to be fine examples of Aryan race

• Membership grew to 250,000 by 1939

• Showed total obedience to the Fuhrer

What was the role of the Gestapo and how many people did it arrest for political crimes?

• Most important part of the Nazi police state

• It could arrest and imprison those suspected of opposing the state with most likely destination a concentration camp

• By 1939, it had arrested about 160,000 people for political crimes

When was the Gestapo set up and who was its leader at the time?

1933 by Goering who was replaced in 1936 by Himmler

When was the SD set up?

1931

What was the role of the SD?

• Intelligence body for the Nazis

• Main aim of SD was to discover actual and potential enemies of Nazi Party and ensure that they were removed

• Members of SD were employed by Nazi Party

• SD attracted many highly educated and professional people

What was the role of concentration camps?

• At first, they were to set up to detain political opponents

• In 1939, more than 150,000 people were under arrest for political offences

• First concentration camp set up in Dachau, near Munich

• Prisoners classified into different categories

• Camp inmates were treated with great brutality

How did the Nazis control the legal system and what was it like/made up of?

• All law courts had to experience Gleichschaltung

• All judges had to become members of the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of Law

• Oct 1933, German Lawyers Front established and more than 10,000 members by the end of the year

• Lawyers had to swear that they would support Hitler

• From 1936, judges had to wear the swastika

• The People’s Court - try cases of treason and Hitler could alter decisions if they were to soft

What were the main differences between Nazism and Christian beliefs?

• Nazis believed in glorification of strength and violence but Christians taught love and forgiveness

• Nazis despised the weak whilst Christians helped the weak

• Nazis believed in racial superiority Christians did not

• Nazis saw Hitler as God-like figure but Christians believed in God

Why did Hitler see the Catholics as a threat?

• Catholics owed their first allegiance to Pope not Hitler

• There were Catholic schools which had different messages to the Nazis

• Catholics continuously supported Centre Party which Hitler wanted to remove

When were the ‘German Christians’ set up and who was their leader?

• Protestants who admired Hitler

• Set up by Ludwig Muller who became the Reich Bishop in September 1933

• Hoped to combine all Protestants under one church

What agreement did Hitler make with the Pope in July 1933?

The Concordat - agreed that Hitler would not interfere with church if Pope did not interfere with politics

How did Hitler break the agreement he had made with the Pope?

• Priests were arrested and harassed

• Catholics were disrupted then abolished

• Catholic youth movements were closed down

• Monasteries were closed

Who was the leader of the anti-Hitler protestant group and what did he set up to oppose Hitler?

• Pastor Niemoller who set up the Pastors’ emergency league in December 1933

• Membership rose to 7,000 by 1934

• Arrested in 1937 after he said that people must obey God not man

How did Goebbels use newspapers to secure the Nazi dictatorship?

• Non-Nazi newspapers and magazines were closed down

• By 1935, Nazis had closed down more than 1,600 newspapers and thousands of magazines

• Reich Press Law passed in Oct 1933 - resulted in removal of Jewish and left-wing journalists

• Nazis controlled what would be printed

How did Goebbels use rallies to secure the Nazi dictatorship?

• Annual mass rally held in Nuremberg to advertise power of Nazi state

• Rally lasted several days and attracted almost 1 million people each year

• Local rallies were led by S.A. and Hitler Youth

How did Goebbels use radio to secure the Nazi dictatorship?

• All radio stations put under control of Nazis

• Cheap mass-produced radios were sold

• By 1939, 70% of German families owned a radio

• They were put in many public places including cafés

• The People’s Radio lacked shortwave reception so difficult to listen to foreign broadcasts

How did Goebbels use films to secure the Nazi dictatorship?

• All films were shown to Goebbels before going into production

• Love stories and thrillers were given Pro-Nazi slants e.g. Hitlerjunge Quex

• All film performances were accompanied by a 45-minute official newsreel which glorified Hitler

• Hitler ordered Goebbels to make Anti-Semitic films

How did Goebbels use posters and literature to secure the Nazi dictatorship?

• Posters used to put across Nazi message with a focus on young people since they could be seen from anywhere and contained simple messages

• Literature was carefully censored and controlled by Nazis as many writers were forced to write stuff which praised Hitler’s achievements

• Students burnt 20,000 books written by Jews, communists etc in Berlin as encourage by Goebbels

• 2,500 writers left Germany in the years up to 1939

How did the Nazis control the arts?

• Music - Nazis encouraged traditional German folk music and classical music (didn’t like modern music)

• Theatre - concentrate on German history and political drama and cheap tickets were available to encourage people to go

• Art - Hitler hated and banned modern art. He instead encouraged art which highlighted Germany’s strength. After 1934, all public buildings had sculptures demonstrating Nazi ideals

• Architecture - He encouraged ‘monumental style’ of buildings which showed the power of the Third Reich

How did the Nazi’s attempt to control sport?

• Sport was encouraged at schools and in the Hitler Youth

• Hitler wanted a fit and healthy nation for the army

• Olympics were held in Berlin in 1936 which were used to show that Germany was a modern, well organised society

• Olympic stadium was the largest in the world and could hold 110,000 spectators

• News reports were controlled

• Germany won more medals than any other country

• All camera crews had to be approved

What was one example of the Nazi’s control not working?

Jesse Owens:

• Owens broke 11 Olympic records and proved that Aryan wasn’t necessarily the superior race

• He was very popular with the German crowd

• Hitler refused to present medals to the black athletes

What was the extent of the challenge to the Nazi regime?

• About 1.3 million in concentration camps

• 300,000 had left Germany to live in other countries

• In 1938, Hitler removed certain army generals who had criticised his foreign policy aims and some army leaders were planning to overthrow him

• 3 attempts to assassinate Hitler before 1939

What were some of the main things young people did to oppose the Nazi regime?

• Played their own music

• Boys and girls were free to be together

• Grew their hair long and wore their own choice of clothes

Who were the Edelweiss Pirates?

• Listened to forbidden swing music

• Wore clothes which were considered outlandish

• By 1939, they had 2,000 members

• Tended to be working-class

• Weren’t considered a huge threat by Nazis

Who were the Swing Youth?

• Tended to come from middle classes

• Took part in activities that were frowned upon by Nazis

• Loved swing music which was hated by Nazis

• Rebelled against Nazi order e.g. using make up

How did the Catholic Church oppose the Nazi regime?

• After 1933 Nazis censored Catholic press

• The Pope issued a special letter to Catholics attacking the Nazi system

• Priests read the letter to their congregations

• Nazi reaction was to close Catholic groups entirely

• Nazis did remove the cross and crucifixes from Catholic schools but halted after many complaints