Establishment of Hitler’s dictatorship

Question 1

When was the Reichstag fire?

Answer 1

February 1933

Question 2

How did the Reichstag fire help Hitler?

Answer 2

Hitler asked Hindenburg to pass a protection law because of the apparent communist threat to Germany
Hindenburg agreed

Question 3

What did the decree for the protection of the people and the state do?

Answer 3

Communists were banned from elections and many communists were jailed and their newspapers banned

Question 4

Why was the Reichstag fire convenient for Hitler?

Answer 4

It was just before the March 1933 election

Question 5

What happened in the March 1933 election?

Answer 5

Nazis got more votes than ever but still not majority

Question 6

How did Hitler get the majority?

Answer 6

When other parties merged with the Nazis

Question 7

What was the enabling act?

Answer 7

A law that many centre party politicians were bullied into passing
It made it so that Hitler could make laws without approval from the Reichstag?

Question 8

How did Hitler use the enabling act?

Answer 8

April 33 - Nazis took over all local councils and the police - Gestapo formed and Dachau opened
May 33 - Hitler banned trade unions
July 33 - all political parties were now banned and no new ones were allowed to be made

Question 9

When did Hitler become president

Answer 9

2nd August 1934 - as soon as Hindenburg died
He made the army swear an oath of loyalty to him
He became the fuhrer

Question 10

Why was the SA becoming a growing threat to Hitler?

Answer 10

• the leader Ernst Rohm was becoming very powerful. The SA now had more people than the army
• Rohm wanted to control both the army and SA, which alarmed Hitler and army generals

Question 11

When and what was the Night of the Long Knives?

Answer 11

30 June 1934
When Hitler dealt ruthlessly with Rohm and the SA in a series of violent events

Question 12

What happened on the Night of the Long Knives?

Answer 12

• Hitler arranged a meeting with SA leaders in Bavaria
• Hitler and the SS (Hitler’s bodyguards) stormed the building and arrested Rohm and other leaders who were later killed
• In the coming days around 400 political opponents were killed, including Von Schleicher

Question 13

What were the impacts of the night of the long knives?

Answer 13

• Rivals dead - many threats were now dead, including Rohm and other SA members
• Rise of SS - Heinrich Himmler and the SS formed the basis of the ‘police state’
• Murder - Hitler did not hide what he did.
  Established murder as a method of the nazi government