Chapter 13 - Hitlers consolidation of power Flashcards
Why was there tension between the Nazi party and the SA
The SA and the Nazis had a very different view of the revolution which caused continuing tension
How did Hitler create a one party state
Hitler viewed other political parties with contempt seeing them as election machines. He claimed that the Nazi party was the ‘racial core’ of the entire German people. Hitler believed his party was made up of the superior Germans. In the Nazi volksgemeinshaft there could be no other parties and by the middle of July 1933 this was achieved. The KPD was effectively banned after the Reichstag fire in Feb and most communists were imprisoned or fled. The SPD was outlawed as ‘party hostile to the nation and the state’ on June 22nd 1933. The DNVP and centre party dissolved themselves realising their days were numbered. On July 14th 1933 the Law against the formation of new parties outlawed all non Nazi political parties.
How did the Nazis achieve control over local gov and centralisation of power
The Weimar Republic was a federal state and they each had a state gov. In July 1932 the Prussian state gov was dismissed by Papen and a reich commissioner had been appointed to run the state. In Hitlers cabinet this position was held by Goering which paved the way for the centralisation of power which began in March 1933. The Nazi party had its own organisational structures at national and local level. At state level Nazi leaders known as Gauleiters wanted to control local gov and many of them took over the roles of Reich governors within their areas.
What were the laws passed by the Nazi gov to centralise power
31 March 1933 - first law for the coordination of the federal states dissolved the existing state assemblies and replaced them with Nazi dominated assemblies
7 April 1933 - second law for the coordination of the federal states created the new post of Reich governor to oversee the gov of each state and they were accountable to the minister of the interior and responsible for ensuring that the state gov followed the policies laid down by central gov.
30 January 1934 - the law for the reconstruction of the Reich took the centralisation process a stage further. State assemblies were abolished and the gov of the states were formally subordinated to the gov of the Reich. This meant Reich governors were redundant
14 February 1934 - the Reichsrat was abolished. This was the parliamentary assembly to which the state assemblies sent delegates
How did the Nazis control the civil service
Under the Kaiser the civil service enjoyed a status almost on a par with that of soldiers. These civil servants were anti Weimar Republic and welcomed Hitlers appointment. However this was based on a misunderstanding they thought they would continue to serve the state the same way they used to. However the Nazis regarded the civil service as an obstacle to their exercise of dictatorial power and many local officials were forced to resign and were replaced by Nazi appointees. The Nazi SA also began to place party officials in gov offices to ensure civil servants were carrying out the orders of the regime.
What was the SA’s position before the knight of the long knives
Hitler wasn’t always in control of events by the SA. In the period from Feb to June 1933 when the Nazis were eliminating opposition and establishing undisputed control Hitler was prepared to go with the flow of SA violence. He was careful that the SA didnt attack the state itself. Hitler was warning that in the future the SA could become the target for Nazi violence and terror. Hitler in July 1933 was able to announce that the Nazi revolution was over. For Ernst Rohm the Nazi revolution was far from complete and the SA were determined to continue their violence until they achieved a second revolution. In Aug 1933 the SA had lost their auxiliary police status and had stricter regulations. After the election in Nov the SA was becoming restless with increasing brawls and police becoming targets
What happened during the knight of the long knives
The ambition of the SA was regarded as a serious threat by the army leaders the pressure on Hitler increased on June 17th when Papen made a major speech at Marburg Uni in which he criticised Nazi excesses. Papen called for an end to terror and for Hitler to clamp down on the SAs call for a second revolution. The speech had Hindenburg approval. Blomberg then threatened to declare martial law and give the army power to deal with the SA. Hitler began the purge of the SA on June 30th 1934 when the SS acting on Hitlers orders eliminated the leadership of the SA and other political opponents. At the Reichstag Hitler said as the “supreme judge of the German people and had been compelled to act in order to save the country from an SA coup”. This secured the armies support. The SA membership declined to 1.6million.
What impact did Hindenburgs death have
Hitler aimed to merge the offices of chancellor and president after Hindenburgs death thus making himself the undisputed head of gov and the state. As long as Hindenburg lived Hitlers power was not absolute. The army owed allegiance to the president not to the chancellor. Hindenburg has become so concerned by the excesses of the SA that he considered handing power to the army and dismissing Hitler so Hitler knew he had to purge the SA. Once they were removed there were no objections to Hitler becoming president. Hindenburg died on the 2nd Aug 1934. On the same day the officers and soldiers of the army took an oath of allegiance to Hitler as their new commander in chief
