B Flashcards
What were the weaknesses to Hitler’s position?
power was only due to ongoing economic situation, votes based on fear, no majority in the Reichstag, Hindenburg didn’t like him
Who was blamed for the Reichstag fire?
Marius van de Lubbe and therefore communists in general
What did the Decree of protection of the nation and the state involve?
suspension of civil rights, giving the secret police the power to hold people indefinitely
How was Hitler able to pass the Enabling act?
by forming a coalition with the Z party, which was due to the concordant made between Hitler and the Church in 1933
What was the Law against the formation of new parties?
all parties banned, and no parties could form so Germany became a 1 party state
What happened on May Day?
workers thought it was a day to celebrate them, but trade unions were seized and funds taken away -> became the DAF
What was the law for the reconstruction of the state?
local governments were overthrown by Gauliters
What caused the NOLK?
SA threat: social revolution, threat of a monarchist restoration, Reichswehr’s threat
What were the consequences of the NOLK?
SA purged and SS became separate, solidification of Hitler’s power, loyalty of the army
How many people were killed in the NOLK?
around 400
What were the aims of the Gleichschaltung?
to merge German society with Nazi institutions
What were the elements of the Gleichschaltung?
making Germany a 1 party state, subordinating the federal govs to central gov, getting rid of trade unions
What were the limitations of the Gleichschaltung?
Church retained its influence, army was still independent, businesses and civil servants remained independent
What was the Volksgemeinschaft?
a people’s community - loyal to Hitler and the Nazis
What was the Feudal state of Germany?
the people at the top had lots of power and lots of control
What was the cumulative radicalisation of Germany?
due to Working towards the Fuhrer, ministers did things that they thought aligned with Hitler’s belief, and competition led to increasingly radical policies
What was the polycratic chaos of Germany?
overlapping bodies so no clear power structure and responsibilities
What was working towards the Fuhrer?
others took responsibility to for trying to determine what Hitler wanted - competition, Social Darvinism
What was the Hitler Myth?
carefully cultivated image of Hitler as someone that personified the nation
Why was the Hitler Myth so popular?
satisfied people’s emotional need for a strong government, reinforced German tradition and was enhanced by propaganda
What were the consequences of the Hitler Myth?
covered up the failures and inconsistencies of the regime and gave Hitler more freedom, but also impaired Hitler’s judgement
What were the aims of the Nazi economy?
short-term: reduce unemployment (recovery)
long-term: rearmament
When and what was Schacht’s New Plan?
1934 - to recover from the Great depression
When and what was Goering’s Four year plan?
1936 - aim to make Germany ‘war ready’: establishing and autarky and rearmament
How was autarky achieved?
encouraging German farmers to grow more food, industries had to use raw materials available in Germany
What were the key measures of Recovery (New plan)?
public works schemes like Autobahn, RAC (youth), conscription, subsidies for hiring more workers
What was the impact of the rearmament? (4 year plan)
economy under great strains : tension between consumer goods and rearmament (guns vs butter)