Chapter 3 Nazi control and dictatorship 1933-39 Flashcards

1
Q

When Hitler gained power, what did the Nazi’s aim to do ?

A

Use every opportunity, legal and illegal, to remove any opposition and secure a dictatorship

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2
Q

Describe the events of the Reichstag Fire?

A
  • A lone Dutch communist was executed for starting the fire but Hitler seized the opportunity to accuse the Communist Party of a conspiracy against the government.
    Four thousand communists were arrested.
  • It gave Hitler an excuse to issue a Decree for the Protection of the People and the State, giving him powers to imprison political opponents and ban opposition newspapers.
  • He persuaded Hindenburg to call an election in March 1933 to secure more Nazi seats.
  • The Nazi Party managed to secure two-thirds of the seats by using the emergency powers to prevent the communists from taking up their 81 seats.
    Hitler was now able to change the constitution
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3
Q

When did the Reichstag Fire occur?

A

February 1933

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4
Q

Why did Hitler propose the Enabling act ?

A

In order to destroy the power of the Reichstag and give himself total power to make laws

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5
Q

When was the Enabling act proposed ?

A

March 1933

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6
Q

What did the Enabling act state ?

A
  • The Reich Cabinet could pass new laws
  • The laws could overrule the constitution
  • Hitler would propose the laws
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7
Q

What was the result of the Enabling act ?

A

Germany was no longer a democracy

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8
Q

What did the Enabling act allow Hitler to do ?

A

To get rid of opposition to the Nazis

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9
Q

Was there resistance to the Enabling Act ?

A

Hitler expected there to be resistance to the act and so he used the SA to intimidate the opposition. The vote was won by the Nazis 444 to 94

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10
Q

How did the Enabling act effect the local government ?

A

The Local Government was closed down on the 31st of March 1933 and reorganised with Nazi majorities. It was completely abolished in January 1934

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11
Q

How did the Enabling act effect on the trade unions ?

A

These were replaced with the German Labour Front. Many union officials were arrested on 2 May 1933

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12
Q

How did the Enabling act effect on other political parties ?

A

In May 1933, the SPD and communist party offices and funds were taken by the Nazis. In July 1933, other policies parties were banned

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13
Q

Why where Röhm and the SA a threat to Hitler ?

A
  • Röhm did not like Hitler’s policies
  • Many of the SA were bitter because they felt undervalued and angry because many were still unemployed but they were loyal to Röhm
  • The SA was much bigger than the army and the army feared Röhm wanted to replace them
  • The leaders of the Schutsztaffel ( SS ) wanted to reduce the size of the SA in order to increase their own power
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14
Q

When was the SS set up ? Why ?

A

In 1925, set up by Hitler to act as his bodyguards

They were a selected group first run by Schrek and then Himmler

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15
Q

what did the SS wear ?

A

Intimidating black uniforms

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16
Q

Why did the Night of Long Knives occur ?

A
  • Hitler wanted to rid himself of the threat of the SA and Röhm
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17
Q

Describe the events of the Knight of Long Knives ?

A

Hitler decided to rid himself of the threat of Röhm and the SA. He did this by inviting Röhm and 100 SA leaders to a meeting in the town of Bad Wiessee on 30 June 1934.

It was a ruse - when the leaders arrived they were arrested by the SS, taken to Munich and shot.

After the arrests, von Papen’s staff were arrested and his home surrounded. Von Papen was no longer able to watch what Hitler was up to. Further killings occurred, including that of von Schleicher.

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18
Q

When did Hindenburg die ?

A

In August 1934

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19
Q

What did Hindenburg’s death lead to ?

A

He was the only person senior to Hitler. Within hours after he died, a Law concerning the Head of State merged the offices of Chancellor and President to create and new office of Führer

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20
Q

What does Führer mean ?

A

Führer means ‘leader’ and Hitler used propaganda to ensure that he looked all powerful.

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21
Q

How did Hitler use propaganda to make himself look powerful as the Führer?

A

The ‘Heil Hitler’ salute made people swear loyalty to him and he was portrayed as having superhuman, heroic qualities

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22
Q

What was the army oath of allegiance ?

A

The day Hindenburg died, Hitler announced the army should swear an oath of allegiance to him, not to Germany.

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23
Q

What is a police state ?

A

When a government uses the police to control everyone’s lives

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24
Q

How did the Nazis create a police state?

A

The Nazis use the SS, SD and Gestapo to do this. Anyone that the Nazis were suspicious of disappear at any time (killed or taken to concentration camps ).

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25
Q

Why did Hitler set up his own security forces?

A

He realised not all the German police supported him. His main weapon was fear.

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26
Q

Who were the SS?

A

Protection squad

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27
Q

When and who set up the SS?

A

Set up by Adolf Hitler in 1925

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28
Q

Who was the SS led by ?

A

Himmler

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29
Q

What are the features of the SS?

A
  • they wore black uniforms
  • They controlled all Germany’s police and security forces
  • They acted outside the law
  • Members had to marry ‘racially pure’ wives
  • They ran the concentration camps
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30
Q

What was the SD?

A

Security service

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31
Q

When and who set up the SD?

A

Set up by Himmler in 1931

32
Q

Who is the SD led by?

A

Reinhard Heydrich

33
Q

Features of the SD?

A
  • they will uniforms
  • They spied on all opponents of the Nazi party, both at home and abroad
34
Q

Who were the gestapo?

A

The secret state police

35
Q

When and who set up the gestapo?

A

Set up by Herman Goering in 1931

36
Q

Who led the gestapo?

A

Led by Reinhard Heydrich

37
Q

Features of the gestapo?

A
  • they wore plain clothes
  • They spy on people
  • They prosecuted people for speaking out against the Nazis
  • Sent people to concentration camps and used torture
38
Q

What did Hitler’s control over the legal system mean ?

A

That it was very difficult to oppose him

39
Q

How did Hitler control the judges ?

A

All judges had to belong to the Nationalist Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law

40
Q

How did Hitler control the Judiciary?

A
  • He abolished trial by jury - only judges were able to decide whether someone was innocent or guilty
  • He set up a People’s court to hear all treason cases. Trails were held in secret and judges were hand-picked
41
Q

Describe the concentration camps up to 1939 ?

A
  • Camps were built in isolated areas so no one could see what was going on. Many more were built
  • Inmates were treated very badly and forced to do hard labour
42
Q

When was the first concentration camp built ?

A

The first camp was built at Dashau in 1933 to house that growing number of people being arrested

43
Q

How were inmates separated in concentration camps ?

A

Divided into two :
- Political prisoners
- Undesirables ( such as prostitues and homosexuals and minority groups like Jews )

44
Q

Why did Hitler want to control the churches influence ?

A

He wanted total loyalty to himself and his beliefs. The churches were potentially a threat to the power and therefore Hitler needed to control the churches influence

45
Q

Compare Nazi and Christian beliefs ?

A

Nazi beliefs :

  • Hitler as all-powerful leader
  • Aryan race superior
  • War, military discipline and violence important
  • Dominance of the strong over the weak

Christian beliefs :

  • God as the ultimate authority
  • Everyone equal in the eyes of god
  • Peace is what everyone should strive for
  • The strong should look after the weak
46
Q

Why was Hitler worried the Catholic cChurch would oppose him ?

A
  • Where loyal to the pope
  • Usually supported the Catholic Centre Party
  • Sent their children to the Catholic schools and the Catholic youth organisation
47
Q

What was the concordant ?

A

An agreement between Hitler and the Catholic Church about how the Church was free to worship and run their own schools in return for staying out of politics

48
Q

When did the Concordant occur ?

A

July 1933

49
Q

Did Hitler keep his promise with the Catholic Church ?

A

No, he broke it and :
- Priests opposing the Nazis were harassed and/or sent to concentration camps
- Catholic schools had to remove Christian symbols and were later closed
- Catholic youth organisations were banned

50
Q

What were the two Protestant churches formed during 1930s?

A
  • The Reich Church
  • The Confessing Church
51
Q

Name features of the Reich Church ?

A
  • Was founded in 1933
  • Made up of 2000 Protestant churches
  • Supported the Nazis
  • Was led by Ludwig Müller
  • Had some members that wire Nazi uniform and called themselves German Christians
52
Q

Name features of the Confessing Church ?

A
  • Was founded in 1934
  • Was made up of about 6000 Protestant churches
  • Opposed the Nazis
  • Was led by Martin Niemöller
  • Was repressed by the Nazis
53
Q

How did Hitler want to manipulate Propaganda and censorship ?

A

He wanted to use it to create a generation of people loyal to the Nazi regime and its values

54
Q

What is propaganda ?

A

Information manipulated to spread an idea

55
Q

What is censorship ?

A

Government control over what people see

56
Q

Who was Joseph Goebbels ?

A
  • He was the Reich Minister of Propaganda 1933-1945
  • He played a central role as Nazi, Minister of Enlightenment and propaganda
  • He was a master at spreading Nazi ideas in a subtle way as well as unsubtle way
  • He controlled newspapers, radios book, publishing, film, and the arts
57
Q

What are the different methods of censorship?

A
  • public, burning of books by Jewish writers or others who disagreed with Nazi views
  • Radio, producers, playwrights filmmakers, a newspapers were told what to say
  • Newspapers opposing Nazis were closed
  • Only radios that couldn’t receive foreign stations were made
58
Q

Name the various methods of propaganda?

A
  • posters showing Nazi police were displayed everywhere
  • Huge rallies, and military parade were held, projecting, a power and strength that would even make Germans proud of their country or fill them with terror, depending on their viewpoint
  • The cinema showed propaganda films, but mainly entertainment films that subtle Nazi messages
  • Hitler made radio speeches which were played through loudspeakers in factories Cafes, and on the streets. Entertainment programs, contained, Nazi ideas and beliefs.
  • The Nazis encouraged artists and playwrights to produce work, highlighting Nazi ideas. ‘ degenerate’ art, such as modern art and jazz music was banned
  • The Olympic Games held in Berlin in 1936, was the ideal event to promote Nazi ideology is such as the Aryan superiority. It was also an opportunity to present Nazi Germany in a good light, it was well organised and a grand spectacle
59
Q

When was the Reich chamber of culture set up??

A

In 1933 and overseen by Goebbels

60
Q

What was the aim of the? Reich chamber of culture ?

A

It monitored all aspects of culture and made sure they were consistent with Nazi ideas. Nazis wanted Grande and classical architecture, particularly the work of Albert Speer ; artists to be members of the Reich chamber of visual Arts; to listen to traditional German composers, like Beethoven and Bach

61
Q

Who was one of the main church opponents of Hitler?

A

Martin Niemöller

62
Q

How did pastors and priests oppose the Nazis?

A
  • 6000 Protestant pastors joined Niemöller’s confessing church as a protest against Nazi policy, only 2000 remained in the German Christian church
  • About 800 pastors were arrested and sent to concentration camps
    1. Catholic priest, spoke out, and were arrested and imprisoned in the priest block at Dachau concentration, camp
63
Q

Describe in Niemöller’s changing attitudes to Hitler, when he was pro-Nazi ?

A
  • Niemöller voted for them in the 1924 and 1933 elections as he felt the Weimar Republic needed a strong leader.
  • He didn’t oppose Nazi restrictions on Jews.
  • He wanted to be let out of prison to fight on the side of the Nazis in the Second World War.
64
Q

Describe in Niemöller’s changing attitudes to Hitler, when he was Against Nazis ?

A
  • He didn’t like Nazi interference in the Protestant Church.
  • He opposed the Nazi restrictions on Jews becoming Christians.
  • He set up the Confessing Church in 1934.
65
Q

Describe in Niemöller’s changing attitudes to Hitler, when he was very anti-Nazi ?

A
  • Niemöller was arrested many times for speaking out against the Nazis and Hitler between 1934 and 1937.
  • He was sent to a concentration camp in 1938 where he stayed until 1945
66
Q

What was Niemöller’s sermon ?

A

A Preach to remind church leaders of the importance of speaking out against Nazi policies

67
Q

How much opposition really was there against the Nazis ?

A

Opposition to the Nazi’s Church leaders was difficult since it was so dangerous to speak out openly. However, attendance at Christian churches remained high throughout the period despite the Nazi’s attempt to curtail the churches

68
Q

Besides the Church, what was another group that opposed the Nazis ?

A

The young, some set up secret groups of refused to conform to what the Nazis wanted from them

69
Q

What did the Edelweiss Pirates do ?

A
  • they sang ‘ smash the Hitler youth in Twain, our song is freedom, love and life’
  • they read and listen to band, music and literature, and wrote anti-Nazi graffiti
  • They taunted the Hitler youth
  • They went on hiking, camping expeditions in the countryside to get away from Nazi restrictions
70
Q

Features of the Eldeweiss Pirates ?

A
  • The Nazis were not threatened by their activities
  • By 1939, they had 2000 members
  • They were mainly based in working-class districts of large cities
  • The alpine flower, the eldweiss, was used as their symbol
  • They were formed in the late 1930s, possibly as a consequence of Nazi policies, and forcing Hitler youth membership
  • They were made up of mainly boys are you copied an American style of clothing ( checked shirt, and white socks )
71
Q

What were the two main groups the young set up ?

A
  • The Swing youth
  • The Edelweiss
72
Q

What did the Swiss young do ?

A
  • like the Pirates, they chose not to conform to Nazi ideals
  • They liked wearing American clothes
  • They listened to American music and watched American films
  • They gathered to drink, alcohol, smoke, and dance
  • They organised, illegal dancers attended by thousands
  • Unlike the Pirates, they were largely made up of children from wealthy families with the money to buy records and own record players
73
Q

Main difference between Eldeweiss Pirates and the Swing Youth ?

A

Unlike the Pirates, they were mainly made up of children from wealthy families with the money to buy records and own record players

74
Q

How effective was the youth opposition up to 1939 ?

A

It was limited to :
- Writing anti-Nazi graffiti
- Telling anti-Nazi jokes
- Attacking the Hitler youth
- Listening to banned music
- Wearing American-styled clothing

75
Q

Why was youth opposition so limited up to 1939?

A

The motives of the young opposition groups were cultural rather than political and their numbers were limited