Building a National Community, 1933–1936

Question 1

How did Hitler initially become Chancellor of Germany?

Answer 1

President Paul von Hindenburg invited Hitler to serve as Chancellor in a coalition government.

Question 2

What titles did Hitler declare for himself after Hindenburg’s death?

Answer 2

Hitler declared himself Führer and Reich Chancellor, leader of the nation and head of the government.

Question 3

How did the Nazi Party boost the economy and national morale?

Answer 3

The Nazi Party boosted the economy and national morale with huge public works projects for the unemployed and open defiance of the Treaty of Versailles.

Question 4

What was the purpose of the ceremonial reopening of Parliament orchestrated by Joseph Goebbels?

Answer 4

The ceremonial reopening aimed to link the Hitler government to Germany’s imperial past and portray the Nazis as saviors of the nation’s future.

Question 5

How did Nazi-controlled newsreels portray the new government?

Answer 5

The newsreels gave the impression that the Army supported the new government.

Question 6

What change occurred immediately after Hindenburg’s death regarding Hitler’s power?

Answer 6

Hitler abolished the office of President and declared himself Führer and Reich Chancellor.

Question 7

To whom did the armed forces swear an oath of allegiance after Hindenburg’s death?

Answer 7

The armed forces swore an oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler.

Question 8

To whom did civil servants, including teachers and police, swear an oath of loyalty?

Answer 8

Civil servants, including teachers and police, swore an oath of loyalty to Hitler as Führer of the German nation.

Question 9

How did the Nazis reduce unemployment after coming to power?

Answer 9

The Nazis reduced unemployment with huge public works projects, leading to more than half a million people going back to work.

Question 10

What symbolic project did Hitler christen to display national will?

Answer 10

Hitler christened new autobahns triumphantly to unite the country and facilitate the secret expansion of Germany’s armed forces.

Question 11

How did Germany defy the Treaty of Versailles in 1935?

Answer 11

Germany defied the Treaty of Versailles by reinstituting the draft and increasing its military strength.

Question 12

What event occurred in September 1935 involving the Nazi Party?

Answer 12

The Nazi Party gathered in Nuremberg for its annual rally.

Question 13

What new laws were introduced at the 1935 Nuremberg rally?

Answer 13

New race laws restricted German citizenship to persons of German or kindred blood and forbade marriages between Jews and citizens of German or kindred blood.

Question 14

What was the aim of the Nazi regime regarding racial purity?

Answer 14

The aim was to create a racially pure Germany suited to rule the entire European continent.

Question 15

What did Nazism teach about racial struggle?

Answer 15

Nazism taught that racial struggle was the driving force in history, with “superior” races needing to battle “inferior” races.

Question 16

What was the basis of the Nazi concept of a national community?

Answer 16

The Nazi concept of a national community was exclusive and based on race, as defined in new laws and decrees.

Question 17

Who led the ideological battle for the Nazi regime?

Answer 17

Heinrich Himmler and the SS led the ideological battle for the Nazi regime.

Question 18

How were racist ideas disseminated in Nazi Germany?

Answer 18

Racist ideas were taught in schools.

Question 19

Which groups were labeled as racially inferior by the Nazis?

Answer 19

Jews, Slavs, Blacks, and Roma (Gypsies) were labeled as racially inferior.

Question 20

How were people with mental or physical disabilities categorized by the Nazis?

Answer 20

People with mental or physical disabilities were designated “unworthy of life.”