Extent of Nazi Support Flashcards
When did Hitler become Chancellor?
January, 1933
Why did Hitler call another election after becoming Chancellor?
To gain more power
How many in the government were Nazis (including Hitler) and what did he ensure they were in charge of?
3/12
One in charge of security, other in police
What happened leading up to the March election?
Violence increased among brownshirts - 70 people died a week before the election
What happened the eve of the March election?
Reichstag burnt down
Who did they arrest and later execute for the Reichstag fire?
Marinus van der Lubbe - A Dutch communist with a low IQ and history for arson
Due to Marinus van der Lubbe’s arrest, a Communist, what did Hitler use to his advantage?
Hitler saw it as an opportunity to accuse the Communist Party of a conspiracy against the government.
What did Hitler’s Communist conspiracy lead to?
Arrest of 4000 Communists
What did Hitler claim after the Reichstag fire?
Germany was under attack, and that they needed special laws to protect the country
What were the laws put in place called after the Reichstag fire?
Emergency Laws - these overpowered rights granted in the Weimar Constitution ‘temporarily’
What happened after the Emergency Laws were announced? List 3 things.
- Thousands of communists/Nazi opponents were sent to first concentration camps
-Opposition offices and newspapers shut down - SA murdered dozens without police action
What were the results at the March Election?
Nazis still didn’t get enough votes to make Hitler dictator
What was the Enabling Act and when did this happen?
- This law made him do anything he wanted without consequences
- After losing again, he went to other Nationalists in Reichstag to make him dictator ‘temporarily’
Why did Hitler propose the Enabling Act?
To destroy the Reichstag so he could have full power
When was the Enabling Act?
1933
When the Enabling Act got approved, what did Hitler do? List 3 things.
- Shut down trade unions
- Banned all political parties (except Nazis)
- Planted Nazis all over Germany despite not being elected anywhere
What was now impossible in Nazi Germany?
Open opposition
Who secretly accused Hitler of ‘selling out’? And what did he mean by this? List 2 things
- Ernst Rohms
- Hitler went back on promises (eg. he promised to share profit of big businesses were dropped after befriending them)
- Chaos caused by brownshirt violence challenged Hitler’s promise of restoring law and order
What did Rohm want from Hitler?
Rohm demanded Hitler to merge the army and SA, and to be put in charge of both.
This would give Rohm huge power, and challenge Hitler’s control of events
What happened on June 30th, 1934?
Rohm arrested and executed along with 400+ brownshirts
With the killing of so many brownshirts, how did the public react?
Many were pleased with the chaos the brownshirts caused were gone, and the army gained more confidence
Who died in August 1934?
President Hindenburg
After the death of Hindenburg, what did Hitler do?
Make himself President/Fuhrer
What did the army have to do for Hitler?
Swear an oath
Who led the SS?
Heinrich Himmler
When did the SS become more significant?
After the Night of Long Knives, they became a crucial of the police force. Before, they were Hitler’s bodyguards
What colour were the SS uniforms?
Black
What did the SS need to be to qualify?
‘Perfect Aryans’
They had to marry pure wives, and even if they had a chipped tooth they couldn’t be member of the SS
What were the SS’s job?
To run the concentration camps and remove any opposition of the Nazis
When were the SS set up?
1925
What did the Gestapo do? List 3 things.
- They were secret police, so they identified opponents of the Nazis and removed them.
- They could arrest anyone they suspected and spy on them.
- They also tortured to gain confessions
Who ran the Gestapo?
Hermann Goering
What was the SD? Who was involved?
-Security services
- Many were professionals eg lawyers and professers
What did the SD do?
Wear uniform and spied on Nazi opponents abroad and at home
What happened to judges who disageed with Hitler?
They were removed
What happened to judges who agreed with Hitler?
Wear a swatstika and join a Nazi organisation for judges
What court was created run only by the most loyal Nazi judges?
The People’s Court
How fair was The People’s Court?
Fair trials were impossible - they dealt with treason cases and gave out harsh punishments even for smallest evidence
What was a huge problem for the Nazis after Hitler became President/Fuhrer?
The Christian Church
Was Germany religious?
Very - most Germans were Catholic or Protestant
What did Hitler decide to do about the churches?
Change them - he couldn’t shut them down
What did Hitler do for the Protestants?
Open the Reich Church in 1933 to support Nazi ideas
How many Protestants refused to join the Reich Church? And what did they do instead?
- 75%
- Set up their own Confessional Church in 1934
Who led the Confessional Church?
Martin Niemollar
Was Niemollar always against the Nazis?
No - he supported them 1924 - 1933 because he believed Weimar Republic needed a strong leader. When the Nazis interfered with the Church, he began to oppose them.
What happened to the Confessional Church?
Got persecuted for challenging Nazi ideas
What did Hitler do to the Catholic church?
Hitler made a deal with the Pope in 1933 - The Concordat stated that Catholics would be allowed to maintain their religious freedoms in return for not discussing politics
What did Hitler do to the deal he made with the Pope?
Broke it quickly:
- He shut down church schools and youth clubs
- Arrested many priests and sent them to concentration camps
Who was the Ministry of Propaganda?
Joseph Goebbels
What did the Ministry of Propaganda do?
Control all the media that was sent out to influence the thoughts, beliefs and opinions of German society
What did the Nazis control? List at least 9.
Films, literature, posters, music, art, newspapers, rallies, radio, Berlin Olympics (1936)
How did the Nazis control films?
- Every film had to approved by Goebbels to ensure it sent out Nazi messages
How did the Nazis control literature?
Non-German books were burnt
How did the Nazis control music?
- Banned African-American jazz
- German classical was promoted (Beethoven, Wagner, etc)
How did the Nazis control posters?
- Clear messages were sent out
- Particularly aimed at the youth
How did the Nazis control art?
- Only strong and empowering images of Germany were allowed
- Hitler was keen to have large new buildings in the Greek and Roman styles, showing heroic strength
How did the Nazis control newspapers?
- Non-Nazi newspapers forced to shut down
- Editors had to check their stories were acceptable for the Nazis
How did the Nazis control rallies?
- Huge rallies recorded for all of Germany to watch
- These spread ideas of power and control, which impressed the Germans after the chaos of WW1
How did the Nazis control the radio?
- Cheap radios were produced to hear Hitler’s speeches
- Cafes turned up radios when they were on
- Loudspeakers were put in the streets on lampposts
How did the Nazis control the 1936 Berlin Olympics?
- Used to promote Germany as well-organized
- For few weeks, persecution stopped
- Games were a PR success despite the embarrassing achievements of black US athlete Jesse Owens
- Hitler refused to give medals to black athletes
What percentage of votes did Hitler get in the 1932 (highly rigged) election?
44%
How many went to concentration camps in 1932 and what did this mean despite all the propaganda?
- Over 1 million
- A lot of opposition remained
How did most Germans from 1933-39 feel about Nazi rule?
Very happy - to them, he had restored German pride, sorted out the economy, created jobs and Germans were generally wealthier
Who were the Swing Youth? And what did they do to oppose Nazi ideas?
Delinquents to the Nazis
- Listened to American-Jazz, wore American clothes, drank alcohol, watched US films, and organized illegal dances
Who were the Edelweiss Pirates? And what did they do to oppose Nazi ideas?
Founded in late 1930’s as pressure for joining Hitler youth increased, they were working class boys who went camping, wrote anti-Nazi graffiti, and taunted Hitler Youth members
Up to 1939, who were put into concentration camps?
Politics that weren’t Nazis, prostitutes, homosexuals and minority groups (eg Jews)
When was the first concentration camp built?
1933
Where were concentration camps built?
In isolated areas so no one could see what was going on
