11 - The Appointment of Hitler as Chancellor Flashcards
When did Muller’s coalition collapse?
March 1930
Why did Muller’s Grand Coalition collapse?
- state budget in severe deficit, SPD wanting to raise tax and protect benefit, DVP want to reduce benefit
- large amount of parties together
What were the democratic issues with the Weimar Constitution?
- article 48, President with undisputed power
- proportional representation
How did rise in extremism help Hitler become Chancellor?
- votes polarised, KPD and Nazis experiencing success
- extremist groups wanted to overthrow democracy
What is the democratic process to Hitler becoming Chancellor?
- parliamentary, Muller leads a coalition
- presidential, series of Chancellors with little Reichstag support
- dictatorship, Hitler as Chancellor then Fuhrer
What did Hitler and the elites agree on?
- anti - communist
- right wing
- anti ToV
What kept Hitler and the elites apart?
- class divide
- nationality (Hitler was Austrian)
What did Hindenburg call Hitler?
‘Bohemian Corporal’
- Bohemia, German state with large traveller population
- shock about Hitler’s rank
What was the evidence that Bruning did his best?
- suspended reparation payments in July 1931
- when forced to resign, was close to reaching his aims
- held elections in Sep 1930
- ministers from Muller’s coalition
What evidence was there that Bruning was undemocratic?
- excluded the SPD
- often ruled by article 48 rather than through the Reichstag
- planned to restore the monarchy
- april 1932, banned the SA
When was Bruning in power?
March 1930 - May 1932
What were Bruning’s policies?
- deflationary tactics, allowing depression to get so bad to the point that reparations were ended
- tried to reverse well-being policies to reduce deficit (38% lower in 32 compared to 38)
- pressed for a disarmament conference, but didn’t happen until 7 months after his removal
- depression got so bad that unemployment over 6 million for first time
What was Bruning’s downfall?
- ban on SA in April 1932, Schleicher was worried this would cause an uprising
- Nazis were the second largest party, needed for government to function
- proposed to share land out, but this upset elites
- Hindenburg’s support is lost
When does Bruning resign?
30th May 1932
Who takes power after Bruning?
Franz von Papen
What was Papen’s cabinet of Barons?
Was dominated by landowners and industrialists, not many members of the Reichstag
Only 3 non noble, 6 nobles
Why did Hitler agree to not oppose Papen’s government?
- dissolution of Reichstag and calling fresh elections
- end of government ban on the SA and SS
When did Papen organise an election for?
31st July 1932
What percentage of votes did the Nazis recieve in July 1932?
37.3%
What did Papen do on 20th July 1932?
Abolished the Prussian regional government and appointed himself Reich Comissioner
What was the significance of 20th July 1932?
- arbitrary and unconstitutional act
- replaced parliamentary government with presidential authoritarian government
What were the differences between the Sept 1930 and July 1932 election?
- higher turnout, 31 more seats in the Reichstag
- Nazis gained 132 seats and SPD lost 10
- KPD still popular with 89 seats
How had the Nazis upped their percentage so significantly?
By tapping into those who would not normally vote
What proportion of seats in July 1932 were pro vs anti Weimar?
pro - 39.5%
KPD and Nazi - 51.6%
What problems did the July 1932 election cause Papen?
His cabinet didn’t include any Nazis, ‘will of the people’, so he invites Hitler to join his cabinet
What did Hitler demand after the July 1932 election?
To be Chancellor, Hindenburg quickly refused
What happened on September 1932?
Vote of no confidence against Papen, 521 to 42. Reichstag is dissolved and an election is called for November
What happened at the 1932 election?
- Nazi support declines by 2 million votes, 34 seats
- still largest part in Reichstag
- Papen lost support from army and wanted to ban KPD and Nazi and rule authoritarian
- Schleicher removes support and Papen resigns
When was Schleicher in office?
December 1932 - January 1933
What did Schleicher do when in power?
Wanted to form a coalition with Hitler, thought bankruptcy could convince him. He communicated with Strasser, but Strasser was quickly removed.
What were Schleicher’s policies?
- cut wages and benefits due to improving economy
- requested suspension of Reichstag
- Hindenburg refused, Schleicher resigns
What was Hitler’s journey to becoming Chancellor?
- talks between Hitler, Papen and Hindenburg
- Hugenburg of DNVP to support would support Nazi lead coalition
- Hitler as Chancellor, Papen as Vice
- Hungenburg as Food and Economics Minister
How responsible was Hindenburg for undermining democracy?
- dismissed many Chancellors
- allowed himself to be influenced by Schleicher and Oskar
- appointed unelected officials
HOWEVER - 85 at the time and suffering from Cancer
- is democratically elected
How responsible was Hindenburg for bringing Hitler to power?
- appointed him as Chancellor in Jan 1933
How responsible was Bruning for undermining democracy?
- excluded SPD from government when elected in March 1930
- tried to reverse welfare policies to reduce government deficit, which went 38% lower in 1932 compared to 1928
- July 1930, dissolves Reichstag for more elections
- used article 48 to govern
- attempts to ban KPD and Nazis
How responsible was Bruning for bringing Hitler to power?
- new elections allowed Nazis to politically break into mainstream, by July 1932 had doubled electoral support
- deflation policies encouraged people to vote Nazi
How responsible was Papen for undermining democracy?
- not elected into power, ‘cabinet of barons’
- no members of the Reichstag in his cabinet
- July 1932, made himself Reich Commissioner of Prussia
- closes Reichstag after voting of no confidence
- attempts to ban KPD and Nazi
How was Papen responsible for bringing Hitler to power?
- agrees to be Vice Chancellor under Hitler
- involved in the conversation to make Hitler Chancellor
- unbans the SA
How was Schleicher responsible for undermining democracy?
- removes the military support for Papen causing resignation
- convinces Hindenburg to remove support for Papen
- encourages Hindenburg
How was Schleicher responsible for bringing Hitler to power?
- attempted to negotiate with Strasser
