Topic 4

Nazi Germany 1933-39

What were Hitler’s limits as chancellor?

• Under the Weimar Constitution, there were clear limits to the chancellor’s powers to make laws

• Hindenburg kept all the presidential powers

• Hitler’s cabinet of twelve included only two other Nazis

• Only a third of the Reichstag members were Nazis.

• His authority was dependent upon the support of other parties.

What were the people’s reaction to Hitler becoming chancellor?

Some were pleased that the Weimar Constitution limited the powers of extremist politicians like Hitler.

However, more hated the Weimar Republic and blamed it for Germany’s problems. They hoped Hitler would destroy it and some politicians hoped Hitler could be used to bring down the Weimar Republic, and they intended to replace him with a new leader of their choice. Many politicians underestimated Hitler, but some feared what Hitler might do.

What was Ludendorff’s opinion of Hitler becoming chancellor?

He recognised the dangers of Hitler being chancellor. He sent a telegram to President Hindenburg expressing his worry:

“By appointing Hitler Chancellor of the Reich you have handed over our German Fatherland to one of the greatest troublemakers of all time. I predict this evil man will plunge our Reich into the abyss and will inflict immeasurable harm on our nation. Future generations will curse you in your grave for this action.

When was the Reichstag fire?

On the evening of 27 February 1933

What happened to the person who started the Reichstag fire?

A Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe was found on the site with matches and firelighters. He confessed to starting the fire and was put on trial alongside four other men. However, he insisted that he had acted alone; he was found guilty and executed by guillotine on 9 January 1934.

Why was there doubt about van der Lubbe?

There was doubt for him starting the fire because some historians believe he was set up by the Nazis to start it. However, others believe the Nazis started the fire themselves and blamed it on van der Lubbe. The only fact was that he was a communist which the Nazis took advantage of.

Consequences of the Reichstag fire

1. The Nazis took it as an opportunity to destroy communist opposition

2. 4,000 communist leaders were arrested

3. Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to pass a new emergency decree.

What was Hitler’s new decree?

‘Decree for the Protection of the People and State’ - it gave the police the power to search homes and imprison anyone they arrested without trial. The police were also able to ban meetings and close newspapers and Goering used the decree to take over the state radio station.

What did Hitler first do after becoming chancellor?

Hitler called an election for a new Reichstag, they were held on 5 March 1933.

How did Hitler ensure the Nazis would get the most votes in the election?

• Goering began to replace police officers with Nazi supporters.

• Hitler was in control of the police force so SA violence was not stopped therefore during the election campaign, political violence led to around 70 deaths

• Thousands of members of the Communist Party and the Social Democratic party were arrested and sent to concentration camps.

• Threatening supporters were posted at polling stations to encourage ‘correct’ voting

• Nazis issued a large amount of propaganda

Why was Hitler disappointed in the election votes?

Hitler was disappointed because despite being the largest party in the Reichstag, they didn’t have a majority meaning their measures could be voted down by other parties

How did Hitler persuade the other parties to support the Enabling Act?

• He banned Communist Party members from the Reichstag

• Nationalist Party agreed to support him, because many of their views were similar to Nazis

• He won the support of the Centre Party by promising to protect the Catholic Church

Consequences of the Enabling Act (2 effects)

• The act allowed Hitler to make laws and to sign treaties with foreign powers without the approval of the Reichstag. While Hitler was in power the Reichstag only met 12 times during which they listened to Hitler making speeches

• Hitler used his powers to remove any remaining opposition to his government, which was known as ‘the Nazi Revolution’

What was one measure in which Hitler removed opposition to his power?

Local government:

• 31 March 1933: the Nazis closed down Germany’s 18 separate state parliaments.

• Hitler reorganised these parliaments so the Nazis held a majority

• January 1934: Hitler abolished state parliaments altogether

What was the second measure in which Hitler removed opposition to his power?

Trade unions

• 2 May 1933: Nazis broke into the trade union offices and arrested their leaders

• Nazis created the German Workers’ Front and forced workers to join this organisation.

What was the third measure in which Hitler removed opposition to his power?

• 10 May 1933: Nazis occupied the Social Democrats party offices and took their funds

• End of May 1933: Nazis did the same to the Communist Party

• July 1933: Hitler created a new law which banned all political parties except the Nazi Party

Why did Hitler want to reduce the power of the SA? - cause of the night of the long knives

1. SA was becoming very powerful - in 1934 it had over 2 million members

2. Head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, resented SA’s influence

3. SA’s behaviour was an embarrassment to Hitler - there were frequent drunken fights between SA members so Nazis lost the support of many conservative Germans. (wanted to maintain a good image)

4. Influence of the SA affected the Nazis’ relations with the regular army. Hitler wanted to rearm Germany and increase its army but the SA wanted to take the army’s place.

When was the Night of the Long Knives?

30 June 1934

Key events of the ‘Night of the Long Knives’

• Members of the SS arrested around 200 SA officers and were taken to Munich to be executed

• Hitler took revenge on old enemies like von Kahr and Schleicher because he didn’t want any chance of opposition.

Reaction to the Night of the Long Knives

• Some believed that Hitler was a murderer while others believed his did this to protect Germany from its enemies

How did Hitler use concentration camps to ensure that Germans didn’t criticise the Nazis?

In concentration camps prisoners were treated harshly - they were often worked to death or died of disease. The camp system was run by the SS, who were responsible for protecting the Reichstag and carrying out Hitler’s radical policies.

How did Hitler use the SS to ensure that Germans didn’t criticise the Nazis?

The SS grew to hundreds of thousands, with local branches across Germany. They could arrest anyone they wanted, and execute or detain them without trial.

How did Hitler use the Gestapo to ensure that Germans didn’t criticise the Nazis?

The Gestapo had the power to search anyone’s home. They appointed local block wardens to watch their neighbours and report any suspicious activity. By 1942, the Gestapo had around 30,000 officers

When and how did Hitler become Fuhrer?

Hitler became Fuhrer on 2nd August 1934, when Hindenburg died aged 84. He did this by combining the offices of chancellor and president and declared himself Fuhrer of Germany.

When was the first concentration camp set up?

The first concentration camp was opened in 1933 and eventually there was a network of camps across Germany

What happened in concentration camps?

In these concentration camps, inmates were forced to work and torture and brutality were common. It was estimated that over 200,000 Germans were imprisoned for showing supposed opposition to Nazi rule.

Who was Joseph Goebbels?

Joseph Goebbels had been made Minister of Propaganda and National Enlightenment in 1933. He was given the task of using censorship and propaganda to win over the minds of Germans

How was censorship used to ensure Germans were controlled?

1. Newspapers were strictly controlled and any paper that opposed the Nazis were shut down. All owners, editors and journalists had to be members of the Reich Press Chamber.

2. Programmes on the radio were strictly controlled. In 1934, all radio stations in Germany were brought together under the Reich Radio Company.

3. The Ministry of Propaganda made a list of unacceptable literature and the Gestapo had the power to search bookshops and libraries.

What were the key messages of Nazi propaganda?

• The supremacy of the Aryan race and the inferiority of the Jews and other races

• The tremendous work being done by the Nazis to deal with the evils of communism

• The fact that all citizens had a duty to suffer for the good of the nation.

How did propaganda spread in Germany?

Factories were encouraged to produce cheap radio sets and by 1939, 70% of German households had a radio, because Hitler saw the radio as his most important propaganda aid.

The Ministry of Propaganda gave daily orders to newspaper editors, telling them what stories to publish. The state-controlled news agency often produced the articles, and newspapers simply had to print them without any changes.

How did the school curriculum change?

‘Race studies’ was a new subject which taught young people that Aryans were superior and that Jews were the lowest racial type.

More time was given to PE to train boys to become soldiers and the girls to become mothers.

Domestic science was taught to female students only, to prepare them for their futures as wives and mothers.

When was the Hitler Youth passed?

The Hitler Youth was passed in 1936

What did the Hitler Youth Law mean?

Under this law, all eligible young people had to belong to a Nazi youth organisation. However, in 1939, this law became stricter and membership became compulsory

What was Nazi policies towards Women?

• The Nazis banned contraception, and abortion to encourage women to have more children

• In 1933, the Law for Encouragement of Marriage provided loans to help young couples marry - only if women gave up work

• Medals were awarded to women with large families. Gold for 8, Silver for 6, and Bronze for 5

• German Women’s Enterprise Organisation trained women in household skills

Negative outcome of Nazi policies towards women?

Nazi policies towards women created economic problems. As the rearmament policy grew, there was a need for more workers - especially as more men joined the army. So, Nazis had to relax the limits on women working and encourage women back to work. By 1939, the number of women working was 50% higher than it had been in 1933.

How did Nazis remove those who were considered a burden on society?

1. In 1933, a sterilisation law was passed which allowed Nazis to sterilise people with mental illnesses. Up to 700,000 people were sterilised by Nazis

2. In 1938, a decree for the ‘Struggle against the Gypsy Plague’ forced gypsies to register with the state.

3. From 1938, gypsies were also sent to the concentration camps and although there were only 30,000 gypsies in Germany, Nazis didn’t want them mixing with Aryans.

How did life for Jews worsen from 1933?

• In April 1933, the Nazi government organised a nationwide boycott of Jewish shops and businesses.

• In 1933, Jews were banned from government employment, medicine, teaching and journalism

• In 1935, Jews were banned from public place

When were the Nuremburg Laws introduced?

The Nuremburg Laws were introduced in September 1935.

What were the Nuremburg Laws?

The Nuremburg Laws were:

1. The Reich Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour, which stated that Jews and Aryans could not marry

2. The Reich Law on Citizenship said only people of German blood were German citizens. So, Jews could no longer vote in elections or hold a German passport.

Events of the Night of the Broken Glass

In November 1938, a German official in the Paris Embassy was murdered by a Jewish man. So, the Nazis used this as an excuse to launch a campaign of terror and murder aimed at Jews in Germany.

On the night of the 9-10th November:

• Over 800 shops owned by Jews were destroyed

• 191 synagogues were vandalised or set on fire

• Many Jewish homes were attacked and property was damaged or stolen

• 91 Jews were killed and 30,000 were arrested