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