Germany: Establishment of Dictatorship Flashcards
Reichstag Fire
27th February 1933
Who was accused of starting the Reichstag fire?
Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch communist.
He was slow witted and large.
He was found inside the building and arrested on suspicion of arson.
He claimed he committed the crime for the communist cause.
Different explanations for the Reichstag Fire.
- Van Der Lubbe started the fire and acted alone.
- He was acting as part of a communist plot that ultimately failed.
- The Nazis made a plot to use him as a catalyst for banning the communist party.
What happened after the Reichstag Fire?
> Hitler declared a state of emergency, and with the help of article 48 was able to establish himself as a dictator.
He also arrested the communists and stopped them from running in an election.
The Enabling Act
23rd March 1933
What was the enabling act?
It was a change in the Weimar constitution that allowed hitler to pass laws without asking the Reichstag.
What percentage of the vote did Hitler need to pass the enabling act?
2/3
He won with 444 votes to 94.
What did Hitler do when the Enabling Act was passed?
Banned trade unions
Made Germany a one party state
Purged the civil service of Jews.
Night of the Long Knives
30th June 1934
What happened on the night of the long knives?
Acting on a tip from Himmler that stated Rohm was planning a coupe, Hitler had the SS arrest Ernst Rohm and other SA leaders. 200 enemies of the state were shot in total.
What happened after the Knight of the Long Knives?
20th June 1934, SS established as separate from the SA.
Army swore an oath of allegiance to Hitler.
4 features of the Nazi police state.
> SS
Gestapo
People’s Courts
Concentration Camps
How many people were sent to concentration camps without trial before 1939?
62,000
Examples of Propaganda
Posters, Videos, Rallies, Architecture, Literature, Figurines, Media.
