Chapter 12 - The Establishment Of The Nazi Dictatorship Flashcards
After Hitler was appointed Chancellor how many Nazi members were allowed in his cabinet
He held his first cabinet meeting in which 3 Nazi party members held posts out of a possible 12
What did Hitler do on the day he was appointed chancellor
Hitler on the 30th of January stood on the balcony of the Reich chancellery to review a torchlight procession by around 100000 Nazi members winding their way through the streets of the capital Berlin. This was to show Hitlers appointment wasn’t going to be like other governments
What form of violence did the Nazis use against political opponents
The SA had played a key role in Hitlers rise to power. Once he was in power he used state resources to rapidly expand the SA since the SA’s violence and terror were vital to eliminate opponents. The SA grew from 500k to 3mill in the space of a year. Once the Nazis gained power the activities of the SA were legalised. In late Feb 1933 the SA and Stalhelm were merged and became recognised as ‘auxiliary police’ and the regular police couldn’t interfere with the SA activities. The ‘legal revolution’ and ‘revolution from below’ were when the SA unleashed a reign of terror against socialist and communist opponents. The SA used their newfound power to assault KPD offices, trade unions and homes of left wing politicians. Gangs of SA would break up KPD and SPD meetings. Later the centre party was targeted after its newspapers criticised the Nazi regime. Thousands of these people were rounded up and imprisoned in makeshift conc camps by 1933 26789 political prisoners has been arrested.
Which two people allowed the Nazis to control the police
Frick who was minister of the interior for the whole Reich and Goering who was minister of the interior in Prussia both enabled the Nazis to control the police
What terror did the Nazis use during the new election in March
After Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag and call for a new election the Nazi terror intensified. By the time the election took place on March 5th the SPD and KPD had been virtually driven underground by the atmosphere of terror generated by the Nazis. During the campaign a young Dutch communist was arrested and blamed for causing the Reichstag fire. There is suspicion over who actually did it but the Nazis claimed it was part of a communist plot to start a revolution in Germany and it justified the immediate suspension of civil liberties. Terror has now become a legal means to crush opposition.
How could the Nazis use the decree for the protection of the people and the state
Hitler after the Reichstag fire was able to persuade Hindenburg to sign a decree giving him ‘emergency’ powers. This was the decree for the protection etc. This suspended important civil and political rights that had been guaranteed under the Weimar constitution. Thus the police were given increased power to arrest and detain without charge those deemed to be a threat to state security. The police could also enter and search private premises while the gov had the power to censor publications.
How did the Nazis use the decree for the protection of the people and the state
In practice the Nazis used the decree to arrest communists and socialists, to ban their newspapers and to disrupt their organisations. The decree also gave the gov the power to take over state governments if they refused to act against the Nazis political opponents. There was a propaganda campaign that the Nazis claimed that Germany was on the brink of a ‘German Bolshevik revolution’, the SA launched a ferocious campaign of violence across Germany. 10k communists were arrested in 2 weeks including most of the leaders. Party membership was treated by the courts as an act of treason and many communists were given longer sentences even though the party wasn’t banned yet
What happened in the the March 1933 election
The campaign was conducted against this backdrop of terror. Many of the Nazi opponents were locked up, the offices of the SPD and KPD had been smashed up and their funds confiscated. Anyone distributing leaflets for the SPD or KPD was liable to be arrested. Meanwhile Nazi propaganda flooded the country. The Nazi vote had increased since the previous election in Nov 1932 but not as much as Hitler hoped. The SPD and KPD held up remarkably well despite violence.
How did the Nazis get the enabling act
In the meeting in the Kroll Opera House Hitlers sole objective was to secure the necessary 2/3 majority for his enabling act which would allow him to make laws without the approval of the Reichstag. The enabling act was passed by the Reichstag in 1933 March 24th. With the communist deputies unable to take their seats and the DNVP willing to collaborate with the Nazis the centre party held the key to getting the necessary 2/3s majority. They were given reassurances that he wouldn’t use his power without consulting Hindenburg. This act was the final act in the legal framework that legitimised Nazi dictatorship. The Nazis could now begin to construct the one party terror state that Hitler wanted.
How did Hitler make sure the army remained on his side
The aristocratic officers who still controlled the army were not Nazis themselves and were worried about the implications of Nazi talk of a national revolution. On the 3rd of Feb Hitler met the army’s senior officers and outlined his plans for rearmament. He reassures the army leaders that despite pressure from the SA for a second revolution Hitler wouldn’t undermine the army’s role as the most important institution in the state. The army in return gave Hitler a free hand in establishing a dictatorship.
