Edexcel GCSE History - 3. Nazi Control and Dictatorship

Reichstag fire

• Reichstag destroyed in a fire on 27th Febuary 1933

• Nazis claimed it was a communist plot

• a dutch communist was executed

• 4000 communists arrested the night after the fire

Decree for Protection of People and State

The Decree for Protection of People and State allowed Him to imprison political opponents and ban communist newspapers

March 1933 Election

• Decree for Protection of People and State

• ensured the police would turn a blind eye to SA activities

• Hitler’s seat count increased from 196 to 288

• Communist party was not allowed to take up their seats

Enabling Act

• Gave Hitler the power to create new laws without consulting the reichstag

• Didnt allow the communists to vote on the bill

• Intimidated the other parties with the SA

Removal of Opposing Political Parties

• In May 1933 Hitler attacked SPD and KPD offices, destroyed their newspaper and confiscated all of their funds

• Laterin July he banned all other Political Parties

Removal of Trade Unions

• In may 1933 Nazis broke into trade union offices acrss Germany and arrested trade union officials

• With the enabling act Hitler banned Trade Unions and made strikes illegal

Removal of Regional Government (Länder)

Hitler strengthened the Central Government by abolishing the Länder and hand picking officials to run every region of Germany

Reasons for The Night of The Long Knives

• Hitler viewed Rohm a a threat due to the size of the SA and Rohm’s Leftist ideals

• Army officers believed SA wanted to replace the conventional Army after the SA’s numbers balloned nearly 3 million

• Leaders of the SS also resenten rohm and wanted the SS to be stronger than the SA

The Night of The Long Knives

• To secure loyalty of Wehrmacht Hitler has the leaders of the SA arrested or Shot on the 30th of July

The Death of Hindenburg

• On the Second of Augst 1934 Hindenburg died an Hitler declared himself Führer

• He forced an oath of Loyalty from every soldier in the Army

Role of the SS in the Police State

• originally set up as Hitler’s Personal Guard but transitioned into Nazi Private Police in the 1930s

Role of the SD in the Police State

Security Force made to monitor opponents of the Nazi party

Kept an Index of Nazi Party enemies in the Brown House in Munich

Role of the Gestapo in the Police State

• Non-Uniformed secret Police set up in 1933 but ran by Heydrich from 1936

• Feared by the public as members were indistinguishable from normal people

Role of the Concentration Camps in the Police State

• New type of Prisons run by the SA and SS

• First one opened in Dachau in 1933

• mainly housed Political prisoners and those considered Untermenschen

Contol of Judges

• All Judges were required to be members of the ‘National Socialist League of Judges‘ and could be expelled if their actions displeased the state

• Trial by jury abolished, Judges decided innocence and punishments

Control of Courts

• Hitler set up the people’s court to hear cases of Treason

  • Had hand picked Judged

  • Unappealable Verdicts

  • Sometimes verdicts imposed by Hitler himself

Restriction of the Catholic Church

• Catholics owed their allegiance to the Pope

• Catholic schools taught different values than Nazi ones

• In the 1930s Many catholic Priests were sent to Camps and Catholic schools were forced to be closed

Reich Church

• Some Protestant churches favourwed working with the Nazis and Created the Reich Church

• Jews couldnt be baptised into christianity and Jewish teachings of the Old Testament were excluded

Use of Radio for Propaganda

• All radio stations put under Nazi control

• Broadcsted speeched from Nazi officials

• Mass Produced to be cheap and also not reach foreign stations

Use of Rallies for Propaganda

• Rallies became more frequent

  • Yearly Nuremburg rally to create a sense of ‘German Unity‘

Berlin Olympics

• Nazis built largest stadium in the world to prepare

  • Covered in Swastikas

• German won most of the medals

• Events all Well Organised

Church Based opposition

Martin Niemoller set up the PEL (Pastor’s Emergency League) to counter the reich church

Swing Movement

• Middle class youth from big cities

• Admired American Culture

• Played illegaly imported records

• Gathered to Party

Edelweiss Pirates

• Working class youth from big cities

• American clothing styles

• Would taunt Hitler Youth

• Would go on long countryside hikes