11) The Appointment Of Hitler As Chancellor Flashcards
How did Hitler become chancellor
The Nazis had won enough votes in the 1932 election to become the largest party in the Reichstag but Hitler did not come to power because of popular support
They did not have an absolute majority and a large majority of German voters supporting other parties
Did not come to power as a result of Nazi lead political uprising
Involved negotiations and secret deals between many of key German political figures including Hindenburg and his close circle of advisors
How did Brüning government fall
His appointment was heavily influenced by Schleicher and only remain in office or post new laws with Hindenburg and Schleicher support
Schleicher was determined to establish a more authoritarian style of government in Germany and his first attempt was Bruenings government which ruled by presidential decree
His priority was to reduce state expenditure by cutting welfare benefits, reducing the number of civil servants and cutting wages. Did not improve the economic situation but made it worse by February 1932 unemployment in Germany exceeded 6 million.
As unemployment increased street violence rose, by spring of 1932 there was a growing alarm among the middle and upper classes that Germany was descending into chaos and a communist revolution possible
Schleicher was concerned the ban on the essay would provoke in Nazi uprising and also came to the conclusion after the presidential elections that no government could rule without the support of the Nazi party
Hitler refused to join a coalition government unless he was appointed Chancellor which Schleicher was not willing to consider
Hitler did agree not to oppose a new government on condition that there would be a new Reichstag election and the ban on the SA would be lifted
Bruening resigned as Chancellor because he lost support from Hindenburg and Papen was appointed as Chancellor
What was the cabinet of barons
Pepin considered his government on a non-party political basis
Only political party that supported his correlation was the DNVP which was rewarded with two posts in the cabinet
All other cabinet positions were filled by men not from the Reichstag most of whom were land owning and industrial elites
Papen continue to rule by decree a solution that suited his authoritarian leading views
Greatest threat was a Communist revolution. As an aristocratic he looked down on the Nazis but sympathised with Hitler’s ideas and saw the NazisWith the most popular support as useful allies
In June 1932 he lifted the ban on the essay and imposed curbs on the left-wing press
A new wave of street violence especially during the Reichstag election campaign of June 1932 which gave Papen an excuse to impose authoritarian rule on Peussia
What happened during the July 1932 election
Terms of the agreement between Hitler and Schleicher was a new election which was held in July
Most moderate parties with the exception of Centre suffered losses in the election as Germany’s political life had become even more polarised compare to September 1930
The DVP and DDP experienced a serious loss of support, the DNVP also suffered heavy losses as the Nazis established themselves as the main party of the right
The Nazis succeeded in attracting large numbers of middle-class voters, many never participating in elections before and unemployed
The Nazis did not succeed in winning votes from the SPD or KPD all the sand to party with Catholic voters
What were the number of seats that different parties won at the June 1932 elections
KPD had 89
Centre party had 75
The Nazis had 230
What happened to Papen’s government as a result of the July 1932 elections
Hitler was in a stronger position when dealing with Papen and Schleicher
Papen invited Hitler to join his government but Hitler refused saying he would only participate if he was the Chancellor
The Nazis joined other parties including the Communist’s for a vote of no confidence in papens government
papens position had been weakened and he was forced to ask Hindenburg to dissolve parliament and call a new election in November
What happened as a result of the November 1932 election
Loss of support for the Nazi party
Remain the largest party, lost 2 million votes and 34 seats in the Reichstag
Could be because the middle-class voters return to the DVP and DNVP by Hitler’s attack on Papen and his refusal to join a coalition government
Nazis had supported a Communist lead transport strike in Berlin during the election campaign damaging the party to the middle-class voters
Three elections in eight months had the Nazi finances in trouble
How did Papen government end
After the election his government still faced hostile right stag majority and lost credibility in the eyes of the army
Consider banning the Nazis and Communists and using the army to enforce an authoritarian style of government
Bypass the right stag altogether but Schleicher told Papen the army would not support him
He resigned
What was the importance of Hindenburgs inner circle
Schleicher had been instrumental in persuading Hindenburg to withdraw his support from Bruening and appoint Hindenburg. In November he was deeply involved in the downfall of Papen because he was too independent minded for his liking
Worked for the restoration of authoritarian rule in Germany
He aimed for an alliance between the forces of old conservatism and the Nazis who were popular would legitimise an authoritarian regime dominated by the old Conservatives
Who were two other men important in Hindenburg’s private office
Oskar von Hindenburg The President’s son was another army officer who controlled access to the president and his opinions were highly valued by his father
Dr ottar meissner the civil servant who ran presidents office and acted as the go-between for Hitler and Hindenburg
How did Hindenburg view the Nazis and Hitler
Saw them as noisy, undisciplined rabble
Reluctant to consider Hitler’s demands to be made Chancellor without any checks on his freedom of action
He started to run out of options
How did Schleicher become Chancellor
He persuaded Hindenburg to appoint himself as Chancellor
Prefer to exercise influence from the behind-the-scenes
Task of constructing a stable government was made difficult since he alienated papen and lost Hindenburg trust because he conspired against Papen
Best chance of success laid in persuading the Nazis to join a coalition government led by him
Why was Schleicher convinced he could get Hitler to join his government
Suffered a setback in the November elections and then state elections in December they support continue to full
Also virtually bankrupt
Criticisms of Hitler’s tactics in refusing to join coalition governments after several invitations was beginning to surface within the Nazi party itself
Contributed to the impression that Hitler had overplayed his hand and his bargaining position had weakened
Wanted to put pressure on Hitler by playing divisions in the party by opening negotiations with party organisation leader Gregor Strasser about joining his government. Hitler got rid of Strasser and reasserted his control over the party
Failed to get Nazi support
What did Schleicher do after he failed to get support of the Nazis
Believed that a progressive socialist policy would win support from the trade unions and through them gain support in the reichstag
The economic situation began to improve, he cancelled the cuts in wages and benefits made by Papen in September and even talked about breaking up some of the large estates in the east and re-distributing the land to small farmers
Too much for The industrialists and landowners who were the backbone of German conservatism and failed to attract trade union support
What did Schleicher do after his socialist policies failed
Ask Hindenburg to suspend the Constitution
Dissolve the reichstag
And give him dictatorial powers
Hindenburg refused and Schleicher resigned
