6. The National Socialist consolidation of power, 1933-34 Flashcards
Who were the three Nazis in the cabinet in January 1933?
Hitler, Goering and Frick
When did Hitler call new elections for?
March 1933
Who was accused of burning down the Reichstag?
The dutch communist Martin Van Der Lubbe
How did the Nazis exploit the fire?
To extend their control
What did Hindenburg use Article 48 to declare after the Fire?
The February decree (the reichstag fire decree)
What did the February decree allow hitler to do to the Communists?
Crackdown on the KPD members and arrest them
What did the February decree allow hitler to do to the Press?
Restrict powers of the Press
What did the February decree allow hitler to do for the secret police?
Arrest and detain people indefinitely
What did the February decree allow hitler to do to personal freedoms?
Suspend them
Where did the entire SPD leadership flee the Nazis to?
Prague
What did the Nazis mass advert campaigns do against the opposition?
They urged people to vote “against Marxism”
Who counted votes on voting day to intimidate the voters?
SS and SA members
What was the percentage of the vote that the Nazis achieved in March 1933
44%
How did the Nazis gain a majority in March 1933?
With the support of the DNVP who won 8%
when was the KPD banned?
The day after the March 1933 election
Who headed the new Ministry of propaganda?
Joseph Goebbels
When was the Enabling Act passed
24 march 1933
How did the SPD try to stop the passing of the Enabling Act ?
By not attending the vote - 66% of deputies had to be present
How did the Nazis stop the SPD ruining the chances of passing the Enabling Act ?
They changed the rule so the Reichstag could vote even if it did not have 66% of deputies attending
Why did some SDP members not attend the vote ?
Many feared for their lives
By what margin did the Enabling Act pass?
441 to 94
What did the Enabling Act let the cabinet do ?
Pass decrees without the Presidents agreement
Any laws passed did not have to apply with the Constitution
How many of the Nazis opponents were arrested by the end of 1933?
100,000
When was the law passed that banned any new political parties?
July 1933
When did the Nazis win 92% of the vote
November 1933
Why were there little opposition in the Reichstag by the end of 1933?
All parties were either banned or dissolved
Who were the four police forces of Germany that Himmler oversaw?
The SS
Orpo
Sipo
SD
Who were the SS?
The Nazi police force and security group
Who were the Orpo?
Ordinary Police, dealing with issues such as Traffic management
Who were the Sipo?
Security police forces
Who were the SD?
Security Service
How many members of the SS were there in 1939?
250,000
What was the other major police force in Germany?
The Gestapo
Who were the Gestapo originally ?
The Prussian Secret Police
What was the Gestapos role?
Identify any potential threat to Hitler and Germany, and remove them
Why were Nazi opposers scared to raise objections?
The Gestapo gave the impression they were all hearing and all seeing
How many members of the Gestapo were there that prove they might not have been so powerful?
30,000 of 65 million
What were the Gestapos main ways of asserting control ?
Torture and arbitrary arrests
How did the Gestapo find out about opposers?
Public informants who would snitch on their neighbours even if they had done nothing wrong
How many people weer political prisoners in July 1933?
26,000
How many people were jailed for resistance between 1933-45?
800,000
How many people were legally killed by the state between 33-45?
32,000
How was the north and south divided by religion ?
The north was more Protestant and the south was more Catholic
How was Hitler able to gain control of the Protestants?
by creating a new national faith based around Nazism
Why was the Catholic Church harder to control ?
They were a global organisation
Who led the Catholic Church at this time?
Pope Pius XI
What did the Concordat agree?
- The centre party would be abolished
- They would stay out of politics in return for religious freedom
How did the Nazis pressure people away from the Catholic Church?
- Pressuring parents not to sign their kids to Catholic schools
- Priests were put on trial
Why did the Nazis want to control the churches?
They sometimes provided an opposition and wanted to control all aspects of society
Why did the Nazis not want to control the churches?
It caused public anger
Who led the SA?
Ernst Rohm
Who were bigger the SA or the Army ?
The SA who had 2 million members
Why did Hitler want to take action against Rohm?
It was rumoured that he was plotting a second revolution to achieve socialism in Germany
When was the night of long Knives ?
29 June 1934
What was the Night of the Long Knives?
When the SS went out and arrested the SA leaders and other Hitler opposers
Who were the main Nazi members arrested?
- von Schleicher
- Gregor Strasser
- Ernst Rohm
How did Rohm Die?
He refused to be pressured to commit suicide so was shot
How was Papen targeted?
People close to him were targeted
What is the estimate of how many people were killed on the Night of Long Knives?
90
Who advised Hitler to initiate the Night of Long Knives?
Mussolini
What occurred on the 13 July 1934 to do with the Night of Long Knives?
A law was passed that made it legal
Who were the main people to praise hitler for the Night of Long Knives?
Hindenburg and the army
What did normal Germans believed happened to Schleicher and Rohm ?
They were told that they were working in France
When did germans finally find out what happened on the Night of Long Knives?
Hitler addressed the Reichstag on 13 July 1934
When did president Hindenburg die?
2 August 1934
What law did Hitler Pass through the Reichstag on the 1 August 1934?
After Hindenburg’s death the offices of Chancellor and President would be merged
How many votes did Hitler get that supported his role as Fuhrer?
94%
What did the Army Oath change to ?
A personal pledge of loyalty to Hitler and not Germany
How did the change of oath affect the army ?
It undermined the generals power and increased Hitler’s
Who became the most powerful force in Germany
the SS
What is Gleichstaltung?
Coordination - where the nazis merged key German organisations with sections of the Nazi Party
How did the Nazis infiltrate ordinary Germans?
Creating normal organisations that all Germans had to be apart of aka Hitler Youth or German Lawyers’ Front
Who replaced Trade Unions?
German Labour Front
When did the Nazis dissolve state governments?
1934
Who controlled the states after 1934?
a Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor)
Who was in ultimate control of Prussia?
Hitler
