Establishment Of Nazi Dic Jan-Mar 33

Question 1

when Hitler was appointed as Chancellor at the end of January 933 he was not yet the dictator he aspired to be, as his power was still limited:

Answer 1

. Hindenburg, as President, had the ultimate authority under the constitution.
. The Nazis were in a minority within the coalition cabinet.
. The constitution, which was still in force, guaranteed the rights of German citizens under the law.

Question 2

Key chronology Jan to March 33

Answer 2

1st feb- Hitler dissolved the Reichstag and called fresh elections
27 feb- Reichstag building set on fire
28 feb- Decree for the Protection of the People and the State
5th March- Reichstag elections - Nazis women 43.9 % of vote but still short of overall majority
6-7 March- Nazis began taking over state governments
8 March- First permanent concentration camp was established
13 March- Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
was established
24th March- Enabling Act passed

Question 3

The use of terror

Answer 3

• With control over the police, and with sympathetic judges, the Nazis were able to use terror with impunity.
The SA was expanded (from 500,000 to c3 million in a year), merged with the Stahlhelm, and was given the position of ‘auxiliary police’. The regular police were ordered not to interfere in SA activities.
• The Nazis unleashed a wave of violence against trade unions, SPD and KPD offices and members, and against newspaper offices.
• Thousands of political opponents were put into makeshift concentration camps. Dachau was the first permanent camp, established on 8 March 1933.
The use of terror intimidated opponents. It also heightened the feeling that Germany was on the brink of civil war and that only extraordinary measures would prevent the country descending into chaos.

Question 4

The ‘Pact of 1933’

Answer 4

Hitler also moved quickly to gain the support of powerful institutions and groups within German society, especially the army and big business.
• On 3 February 1933 he met with the army’s senior officers to reassure them that the Nazi regime did not pose a threat to the army’s position as the most important institution in the state.
• On 20 February he met leading industrialists to reassure them that there would be no Nazi attacks on large capitalist enterprises and to get their financial backing.
This so-called ‘Pact of 1933’ was a compromise with the old elites but it gave Hitler vital backing in his bid to establish a legal dictatorship.

Question 5

March 1933 Reichstag election and Reichstag fire 7 steps

Answer 5

1. Hindenburg agreed to Hitler’s demand that a new election should be held on 5 March
2. The Nazis terrorised their opponents and made it difficult for them to campaign
3. On 27 February the Reichstag building was destroyed by fire. Marinus van der Lubbe, a communist, was charged with the crime but many people now think the SA was involved
4. The Nazis gained from the fire as it was blamed on the communists as part of a plot to start a revolution and used as a reason to legalise terror
5. Hindenburg agreed to Hitler’s demand for an emergency decree - The Decree for the Protection of the People and the State - which suspended civil and political rights and gave the police increased powers of arrest. This was used to arrest communists and socialists
6. The Nazi Party used propaganda to portray their opponents as a threat to order and stability
7. In the election the Nazis gained 43.9% of the vote and 288 seats. With their DNVP allies (52 seats) they now had a majority in the Reichstag.
   Despite the violence and intimidation against them, the KPD secured 12.3 of the vote, while the SPD received 18.25%

Question 6

Situation after Nazi victory in March and Decree for TPOTPATS

Answer 6

The Nazi victory in the March election and the Decree for the Protection of the People and the State severely weakened the opposition to the Nazis and laid the groundwork for the establishment of a legal dictatorship. For this dictatorship to be fully established, however, Hitler needed more wide-ranging powers.

Question 7

Reichstag actions to end democracy

Answer 7

At the first meeting of the new Reichstag on 23 March, the deputies were presented with a Nazi demand to pass ‘The Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich’ - the so-called Enabling Act. This provided the legal basis for the Nazi dictatorship as it gave Hitler the power to issue decrees without the support of the Reichstag and without needing Hindenburg’s agreement. The Enabling Act was supposed to have a time limit of four years. In practice, it became a permanent feature of the Nazi regime.

Question 8

Enabling Act : This law, which required a two-thirds majority of the deputies, was passed because:

Answer 8

• The SA created an atmosphere of intimidation at the
Opera House where the Reichstag now sat).
• KPD deputies were not allowed to attend, as the party was now banned.
. The DNVP deputies were willing allies of the Nazis.
• The Centre Party deputies voted for it because Hitler promised to protect the Catholic Church and that he would only use his powers with Hindenburg’s agreement.
• The SPD was the only party to oppose the measure.