Hitler and the Nazis 1933 - 35

when was Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany?

January 1933

why was Hitler being appointed Chancellor a dramatic rise?

it was a dramatic rise for a party that only five years previously had achieved just 2% of the vote in national elections

who had largely helped Hitler into power?

conservative elites

why had these conservative elites helped Hitler into power?

they believed they could use his popular support to achieve their own political goals before removing him. 

how was Hitler perceived by these elites?

he was seen as a weak figure, with the Nazis only making up a minority of the governing cabinet

between 1919 and 1933, how many chancellors had been appointed?

Hitler was the 15th appointment in only 14 years

why was it not apparent to many politicians that Hitler’s appointment was a distinct turning point - one that turned Germany into a dictatorship?

there was still a functioning Reichstag that encompassed a range of political parties which opposed the Nazis. there were only 3 Nazis out of 12members in Hitler’s first cabinet, and Hindenberg was still president, which meant that it wasn’t possible for a dictatorship

who had Hitler been helped into power by?

Franz von Papen of the Centre Party, along with other conservative forces who believed they could control him to achieve their own political goals. 

in the November 1932 elections, what had the Nazi vote declined from?

the Nazi vote had declined from 37.27 percent to 33.09 percent

how much of the German voting public were voting for other parties?

two thirds

what were the key aspects of Hitler’s rapid imposition of totalitarian dictatorship?

violence, propaganda, Gleichschaltung, and pseudo-legal methods

what key positions did the other Nazi members have in the cabinet?

Herman Goering had control over the large and powerful Prussian police, while Wilhelm Frick held the position of Reich Minister of Interior. 

what was another key aspect in allowing the Nazis to establish their dictatorship?

violence

why was Goering’s position so critical in establishing a Nazi dictatorship?

he was able to utilise his control over the Prussian police force by deputising 50,000 SA, SS and Stahlhelm members as auxiliary police. 

what was the SA, SS and Stahlhelm’s official goal?

assisting the regular police to keep law and order in Germany following the Reichstag fire

what did the use of the Nazi auxiliary force mean for the SA, SS and Stahlhelm?

essentially, this legalised these violent organisations and their attacks on Communist and socialist members.

what laws were passed in February 1933?

these laws banned any newspaper from speaking out against the new government.

what happened on the 27th February 1933, which aided Hitler significantly?

a young Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was arrested while burning down the Reichstag.

what did Hitler persuade Hindenberg to do as a result of this Dutch fire?

he utilised Article 48, which proclaimed a state of emergency. 

what decrees followed the use of Article 48 and what did they do?

commonly known as the Reichstag Fire Decrees, they essentially destroyed all democratic liberty in Germany.

what happened to the rights granted to the German people through the Weimar constitution?

they were suspended, including the freedom of speech and protest

what were introduced through the Reichstag Fire Decrees that further restricted the rights of Germans?

unlimited periods of detention for political prisoners were introduced

in Prussia, how many members of the political opposition were held is custody by April?

25,000

what was accelerated against the opposition from this point onwards?

violent action against the opposition

on the 20th March what was first opened and where?

the first concentration camp was opened at Dachau for political prisoners

when did Hitler call for elections after the Reichstag fire?

he called elections for the 5th March 1933.

what was the election campaign in 1933 tainted by?

it was tainted by repression and violence against the Nazis’ political opponents

how much of the votes did the Nazis get?

44%

what percentage of the votes in the Reichstag did the nationalist allies of the Nazis win?

around 8% of the votes

what did the Nationalist allies of the Nazis winning this amount of votes mean for the Nazis?

it allowed them a small majority in the Reichstag, albeit in a coalition government

what was the process of Gleichschaltung?

the gradual assimilation of all aspects of the state into the Nazi party.

what important elements of German society were people removed from?

important elements of society like the judiciary political opponents and Jews were removed from their positions

what replaced these important elements of society?

professional Nazi organisations were set up which workers were encouraged to join

why did so many Germans co-operate with the Nazis and join their professional organisations?

in an atmosphere of repression, there was often a fear of seeming as though you were opposed to the Nazis by not joining their organisations. For professional reasons, associating with the Nazi Party was then of great benefit in German society

what was the perceptual dynamic of Gleichschaltung?

as more and more Germans associated with Nazi organisations, it accentuated the Nazis’ control over daily life. 

who was the head of the Propaganda Ministry?

Joseph Goebbels

after the repression after the Reichstag fire and the restrictions and violence against political oppositions, were the Nazis able to achieve a majority in the Reichstag?

no xx

why was it important for them to achieve a majority in the Reichstag?

they required a two-thirds majority vote in parliament in order to change the constitution and thus properly implement their dictatorship

with their coalition with other right-wing nationalist parties, what percentage of the seats did they have in the Reichstag?

52%

who did the Nazis require the support of, otherwise no change could be implemented?

President Hindenberg

what event did Goebbels use to ingratiate the Nazis with Hitler?

the opening of a new Reichstag, at Potsdam

when was the opening of a new Reichstag in Potsdam?

21 March 1933

what was the opening of the Reichstag at Potsdam referred to as?

‘The Day of the National Uprising’

what was the ‘Day of the National Uprising’ timed to coincide with?

the anniversary of the opening of the Reichstag in 1871.

what did Hitler wear to this event?

he wore formal black attire, as opposed to his military uniform. 

what did Hitler speak about at this event?

he spoke of his respect for Hindenberg and his belief in the union of his young regime with the old order of Germany

where did Hitler say all of this?

at the tomb of the Prussian King Frederick the Great

where was the event showcased?

across the radio and in cinemas.

why was this event critical?

it was critical in reassuring the powerful conservative forces that Hitler respected their position, so strengthening Hindenberg’s support for the constitutional changes the Nazi’s were proposing

what did the Reichstag meet to debate two days after the opening of the new Reichstag?

they met to debate the Enabling Act.

what would the Enabling Act give Hitler?

it would allow the Nazis the power the alter the Weimar Constitution and give the Chancellor the power to legislate and enact his own laws.

how many seats had the KPD won?

81 seats

where were members of the KPD at this stage?

they were either in concentration camps or had left the country, ensuring that they wouldn’t offer any political opposition to the vote.

how many SPD members were able to make the debate?

92 out of 120

what atmosphere did these SPD members face?

an intimidating one - the Reichstag was decorated with swastikas and filled with SA members

who tried to speak up against the Enabling Act?

the SPD leader Otto Wells

what happened when he tried to speak up against the Enabling Act?

he was drowned out by SA members and faced verbal abuse by an angry Hitler

who from the Centre Party was supportive of Hitler’s dictatorship?

von Papen, the vice chancellor

why was von Papen supportive of Hitler’s dictatorship?

he believed it would be overthrown later and a military dictatorship of the upper-class elite would be implemented.

who was a key member in the Centre Party voting for the Enabling Act?

Papen’s support of the Enabling Act was one reason as to why the Centre Party voted in favour of it

what was another reason as to why the Centre Party voted in favour of the Enabling Act?

the Centre Party feared the political consequences if they did not support the Enabling Act, and were hoping that Hitler could be restrained by von Hindenberg.

how long was the Enabling Act initially only for?

four years

what was the Enabling Act passed by?

444 votes to 94

with the passing of the Enabling Act, what relevance did the Reichstag hold?

it had now lost all political relevancy and acted simply as a body from which Hitler could make major speeches

within four months of the Enabling Act, what had happened to all political opposition?

all opposition had been abolished

what was the name of a significant period in which the SPD faced significant violence and repression?

the Kopenick Blood Week

when was the Kopenick Blood Week?

between 21 and 26th June

who was targeted at the Kopenick Blood Week?

SPD members and known anti-Nazi political opponents were tortured by the SA, SS and Gestapo/

how many people were tortured?

500

how many people tortured subsequently died?

23

when was the SPD dissolved as a party?

22nd June

why did the SPD dissolve?

its key members fled to Prague

what happened to the DNVP?

it was absorbed into the Nazi party

why was the DNVP dissolved into the Nazi party?

its leader, Alfred Hugenberg, resigned from Hitler’s cabinet as a protest against Nazi attempts to dissolve his party. 

what was the Centre Party weakened by?

the Concordat Negotiations between Hitler and the Pope

what did the Nazis promise in the Concordat Negotiations?

to respect Catholic institutions in Germany if they refrained from political activities. 

when was the Concordat Negotiations signed?

20th July 1933

when did the Centre Party dissolve itself?

5th July

when were the Nazis declared the only legal party in Germany?

14th July 1933

what decree was passed?

it was illegal in Germany to form any new political groups

what was also destroyed along with the suppression of political opponents?

the destruction of the powerful trade union movement

why/how was the Christian trade union dissolved?

it was dissolved due to the Concordat

how many members did the Socialist trade unions have?

4 million members

what did the socialist trade union do to try and preserve the institution in the face of Nazi pressure?

they removed their association with the SPD and cooperated with the Nazis

how did the Nazis prove that they were prepared to work with the socialist trade union?

the first of May 1933 was designated the Day of National Labour and a holiday for workers was held. 

what did the Nazis do after the Day of National Labour that proved that they were not willing to work with the trade unions?

the SA raided the trade union offices, destroyed their organisations and arrested trade union leaders

what were the trade unions replaced with?

the Nazi organisation the German labour front - the DAF. this was the only legal trade union representative by German industry

when was the DAF established?

shortly after the Nazi raids of 2nd May

what happened to the contracts agreed during the Weimar Republic?

they were dissolved, and workers now had to accept new contracts set by employers.

with the lack of worker representation, who benefitted?

industrial bosses had an advantage

how was the advantage of industrial bosses shown?

this was shown in the increased hours and wage freezes workers had to accept.

what was the DAF’s primary purpose?

to control German workers and ensure that political agitation was silenced.

in November 1933, what did it state its primary goal was?

‘educating all Germans engaged in the life of labour in Nationalist Socialist conviction’

who was the leader of the DAF?

Robert Ley

what did the leader of the DAF believe?

it was crucial that the Nazis provide some form of workers’ organisation after the destruction of the trade unions. he believed that without, opposition would simply grow further. 

in the period after 1936 what did the DAF do that showed that to a limited extent it was trying to protect worker’s rights?

the DAF opposed attempts to restrict workers’ wages and hours or impose stricter controls on their ability to move jobs

why did Ley argue in favour of this limited attempt to support worker’s rights?

he argued that such attempts would increase worker opposition to the Nazis, forms of which would be manifested in lower productivity and potential sabotage of German industries. 

why was the federal system one of Hitler’s key issues that he had to overcome?

he needed to overcome the federal system represented by the Reichstag, and also Germany’s numerous local and state institutions as well.

what did the previous chancellor Papen do with the Prussian Socialist/Centre Party coalition?

he had deposed of it in July 1932

how had he justified the deposition of the Prussian Socialist/Centre Party?

he justified it by the supposed inability of the Socialist Centre Party coalition government to control street violence between the SA and the Communists in the state