HIST295 - Lecture 4.2 Notes

Emergency Powers and the Rise of Nazism in Germany

1. Emergency Powers

The concept of emergency powers, the extraordinary authority granted to a government during times of crisis, has historically demonstrated its potential for broad impact.

A prominent example is Prime Minister Trudeau's invocation of the War Measures Act in Canada during the October Crisis of $1970$.

This act allowed for significant curtailment of civil liberties, including arrests without charge for up to $90$ days, a period during which Trudeau famously challenged critics with the retort, "Just watch me."

This event, while distinct from the German context, nonetheless highlights the potential for long-term repercussions and wide-reaching implications that the implementation of emergency powers can have on a nation's legal and social fabric, often expanding governmental authority at the expense of individual freedoms.

2. Hitler and the Enabling Act

Crucial to Hitler's consolidation of power was the Enabling Act, officially known as the "Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich," which was invoked on March $23, 1933$.

This act granted the Nazi government immense legal authority, effectively allowing the cabinet, and by extension Hitler, to enact laws without the requirement of Reichstag approval.

More significantly, it permitted these new laws to deviate from the established framework of the Weimar Constitution, dismantling Germany's democratic foundations.

The immediate and brutal impact of this newfound power manifested in the murder of political opponents, specifically targeting Jews affiliated with Communist and Social Democratic Parties, as well as politically conservative Jews, signifying an early and violent phase of Nazi persecution.

3. Reichstag Fire and Decree

A pivotal and highly controversial event preceding the Enabling Act was the Reichstag Fire on February $27, 1933$, which caused significant damage to the Reichstag building, the seat of the German parliament.

While a Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was officially blamed and swiftly tried for the arson, many contemporaries and historians harbor strong suspicions that the fire was orchestrated by the Nazis themselves to create an atmosphere of crisis and fear.

This incident was promptly utilized as a pretext for the rapid implementation of the Reichstag Fire Decree, officially titled "Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State."

• This decree indefinitely suspended fundamental civil liberties such as freedom of speech, assembly, and press, and allowed for the arbitrary right to privacy in communications, among others.

• It enabled the mass arrests of thousands of political opponents, primarily targeting members of the Communist Party and Social Democrats, the latter of whom had been the dominant ruling party from $1919$ until this critical period, thereby severely weakening any organized opposition.

4. Consolidation of Nazi Power

The period from March to July $1933$ witnessed the swift and systematic dismantling of democratic institutions and the consolidation of Nazi power.

On March $22, 1933$, the Dachau concentration camp was established, initially intended for political prisoners, particularly communists and socialists, marking the beginning of a vast network of repression.

Following this, the Communist Party was officially banned.

By May $2, 1933$, trade unions were forcibly disbanded across Germany. Their assets were seized, and they were replaced by the German Labor Front (DAF), a Nazi-controlled organization. This move signaled the complete subjugation and end of independent labor movements, eliminating a potent source of potential opposition.

In June $1933$, the Social Democratic Party, once Germany's largest political party, was abolished. Its political activities were outlawed, and its substantial assets were confiscated by the state, further silencing dissent.

Finally, on July $14, 1933$, the "Law against the formation of new parties" was enacted. This legislation effectively outlawed all other political parties in Germany, cementing the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) as the sole legal political entity. This decisive act formally established Germany as a totalitarian one-party Nazi state, with Hitler at its absolute helm.

Early Anti-Jewish Measures

1. Boycott of Jewish Businesses (April $1, 1933$)

One of the earliest overt and nationwide anti-Jewish measures initiated by the Nazi Party was the boycott of Jewish businesses on April $1, 1933$.

This organized effort specifically targeted Jewish stores, doctors, and lawyers, with members of the Stormtroopers (SA) stationed outside establishments to intimidate patrons.

Despite the Nazi regime's intentions, this initial effort was not entirely successful; many non-Jewish Germans continued to patronize Jewish businesses, demonstrating a degree of initial resistance and a failure by the Nazis to achieve complete public compliance.

At the time, the Jewish population in Germany numbered approximately $500,000$.

Their significant contribution to the German economy, which was already under severe stress from the Great Depression, contributed to a slower and more cautious approach to implementing more drastic economic measures against Jews in the initial phases of Nazi rule.

The Night of the Long Knives and Nuremberg Laws

1. Night of the Long Knives (June $30$ - July $2, 1934$)

The Night of the Long Knives, a brutal political purge, took place from June $30$ to July $2, 1934$.

This event involved the systematic murder of Ernst Röhm, the leader of the Stormtroopers (SA), and hundreds of other political rivals and perceived enemies within and outside the Nazi Party.

The purge was driven by several critical factors: Ernst Röhm's growing arrogance and overt political ambitions, particularly his push for the SA to become the new official German military, which directly challenged the authority of the professional army.

Ernst Röhm's calls for a "second revolution," which was seen as a radical threat to Hitler's consolidation of power and a destabilizing force.

Hitler's need to maintain the crucial support of the aristocratic generals of the Reichswehr (the conventional German military) and conservative families was paramount, as they deeply despised the SA's radicalism, street violence, and revolutionary rhetoric.

The consequences of this purge were monumental: it decisively eliminated powerful perceived enemies both within the Nazi Party and outside, thereby securing Hitler's absolute authority. It effectively neutered the