How did Hitler consolidate his power as Chancellor?

Once he was installed, Hitler insisted on new Reichstag elections.

On 4th February 1933 he got Hindenburg to pass a decree to ensure ‘free and peaceful’ elections. All election meetings had to be notified to the police at least two days in advance. This meant that Nazi-controlled police could come and break up the meetings themselves.

It also gave the police the authority to prohibit any election meeting where a danger to public security was feared.

On 17th Feb Goering told his police force that SA or nationalist meetings were not to be impeded but that Communist meetings should be.

On 22nd Feb he appointed members of the SA as auxiliary police officers. They physically assaulted opponents to the Nazis.

The Reichstag fire- 27th February

Inside the Reichstag the police had found a Dutch Communist, who was arrested for starting the fire. Hitler used this as evidence that the Communists were plotting against his government. That night Goering’s Prussian police arrested and imprisoner 4000 Communist leaders.

Then Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to pass a decree suspending all articles in the constitution which guaranteed personal liberty, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly.

It gave the police the power the search houses, confiscate property and detain people without trial. It decreed the death penalty for a range of crimes.

The police also seized the radio station.

This might have been an emergency decree but it stayed in place for 12 years, throughout the Nazis’ rule.

In the short term, it provided the Nazis with the means to diminish their opposition further.

March election- 1933

In the 5th March election they got their best-ever result.

Hitler now wanted an ‘Enabling Law’, which would place all powers in his hands, allow him to pass laws without consulting the Reichstag and all him to establish a dictatorship.

The Nationalists were prepared to support him in this, but Hitler would still be short of the majority he needed to pass a change in the constitution.

His first step was to ban the Communists from serving in the Reichstag.

Then he intimidated the Social Democrats.

The Act was passed with 444 votes to 94.

The Reichstag had voted itself out of existence. Over the 12 years of the Nazi rule the Reichstag met 12 times.