Germany - Key Topic 3 Flashcards
When did hitler become chancellor
Jan 1933
When was the reichstag fire
Feb 1933
Causes of the reichstag fire
- started by Dutch communist?
- theory: started by nazis so they could blame and use it against the communists
What were the consequences of the reichstag fire
- 400 communists arrested
- president Hindenburg passed emergency decree limiting liberties (speech, assembly, printing)
- police detained and disrupted nazi opponents
When was the enabling act passed
March 1933
When did the nazi party become the only legal party in Germany
July 1933
What were the causes of the enabling act
- nazis failed to win overall majority despite intimidation and disruption tactics
- hitler wanted to rule without the reichstag
What happened regarding the enabling act
- communists were banned
- intimidation at Kroll opera house
- it was passed by 300+ votes
Consequences of the enabling act
- hitler could rule as sole dictator which means he had complete power
- reichstag voted it’s own powers away which meant the end of the Weimar Republic democracy
- rapid change occurred afterwards
Causes for elimination of political opponents
- potential for nazis to be forced from power, especially by communists
how did hitler eliminate political opponents
25,000 communists and most influential opponents put into concentration camps
Social democrats and nationalists rounded up
Trade unions closed
Consequences of the elimination of political opponents
- potential opponents fled, imprisoned or executed
- prevented future political opposition
When was the night of the long knives
June 1934
Causes of the night of the long knives
- hitler wanted to support the German army as they could give him funding and legitimacy
- the SA had gotten to powerful and out of control
- hitler deteriorating relationship with Ernst Röhm
Event of the night of the long knives
explain…
SS arrested and executed 200 SA leaders
Ernst Röhm was executed and other SA leaders eliminated also
Consequences of the night of the long knives
- SA brought back under nazi control
- SS grew in importance
When did Hindenburg die
1934 august
When did hitler combine the post of chancellor and president
1934 August
What role did hitler create
The fuhrer
Combined the president and chancellor into one to have elite power
What were the causes of hitler becoming president
President Hindenburg died
What consequences occurred due to hitler becoming president
- hitler became head of state
- hitler became commander of the army
- every soldier had to swear an oath of obedience and loyalty
When did the german army swear oath to hitler
1934
In what year did hitler remove army generals from positions
1938
Who was the Marinus Van Der Lubbe
The communist the reichstag fire was blamed on
What did the enabling act do
Gave nazis complete power for the next 4 years
What happened in the march election
As a result of the reichstag fire and the emergency decree the nazis gained more seats but still not enough to form majority and could therefore not change the constitution
What was the emergency decree
Hitler persuaded the president to pass laws which meant the government could now arrest and detain people wihtout trial, search and confiscated property propaganda, read post and listen into telephones, censor the press and stop other parties from organising meetings
Describe the enabling pact
Hitler was still answerable to Hindenburg but overall it removed state parliaments, banned trade unions and all other political parties were disbanded and their funds were taken
Who was the SS
Under control of Heinrich Himmler
Hitlers personal body guards
Fiercely loyal to hitler
Had power to arrest and search people without trail
When was the concentration camps first used in Germany
1933
What were concentration camps used for in 1933
Prison for enemies of the state (political opponents, Jews, gypses, and those who refuse to conform)
Led by SS
Who were the informers
Block wardens: I’m charge of nazi loyalty
Collected donations and cues
Checked whether people saluted and hung nazi flags
Wrote reports on nazi members
Who was the SD
intelligence body of the nazi party
Main job was to discover enemies and remove them
Was good for important and intelligent people
When was the SD set up
1931
Who was the gestapo
State secret police
Job of the gestapo
Monitored telephone lines and intercepted mail
Recruited 160,000 informers to report anyone anti-nazi
Power to arrest without trail, torture and send people to concentration camps
Why did hitler fear the Catholic Church
- the catholics were loyal to the pope and not hitler
- catholics schools and youth groups gave out anti-nazi messages and were a completion to the youth nazi groups
- catholics had also previously supported the “centre party” and not the nazis
How did hitler come around his troubles with the catholics
He signed a concordant with the pope
It stated that if the catholics stayed out of politics, hitler would not interfere with the catholic church
What did hitler do to remove the threat of the catholic priests
(Removal)
Priests were arrested and harassed
Sent to concentration camps
Catholic schools and youth groups closed
Monasteries closed
Consequences of Pope Pius XI statement
400 catholic priests were arrested and sent to concentration camps
What statement did Pope Puis XI make
“With burning anxiety”
Critiqued nazis
1937
What was the threat of the Protestants against hitler
Many Protestants were against nazi ideas
Who was Martin Niemoller
A Protestant against nazis
1933: set up the pastor emergency league for pastors who objected nazis and opened their own church
1937: he was arrested and sent to a concentration camp and the churches were closed
What was the ministry of churches
1935
Regulate religion in Germany led by Hans Kerrl
What was the national reich church
Protestant churches agreed to unite and form together
1933
It was a nazi church led by Ludwig Muller
all religious stuff removed replaced with hitlers book, Mein kamp
Who was the swing youth
14-18 year old boys and girls in high school,
Upper and middle class students
Why did the swing young oppose the nazis
They admired the British and their way of life
What did the swing youth do
Engaged in activity’s against nazis
Wore makeup, listened to banned music and going to dance bars
What was the response of the nazis to the swing youth
Cut their hair
Sent them back to school under close monitoring
Deport leaders and sent to concentration camps
Who were the edelweiss pirates
A working class youth group
Why did the eldersweiss pirates oppose the nazis
They objected to strict rules of the nazi youth group
What did the edelweiss youth group do
Made up rude anti-nazi songs
Drinking
Having sex
Going to dances
Beat up nazi youth members
What was the nazi response to the elderweiss pirates
Gestapo investigated groups
Beaten up
After a hitler youth group members died some were hung in revenge
How were the youth groups limited
Low numbers: 2000 elderweiss pirates compared to 8 million nazi youth groups
Their motives were limited: concerned with cultural unfairness (music rites) not political issues
Actions were limited: they didn’t do anything serious
Opposition of the nazis
Swing youth
Elderweiss pirates
Catholic Church
Protestant church
What was propaganda and censorship
Only nazi ideas were shown to people
Used propaganda to spread ideas and censorship to silence opposition
Who was Josef Goebells
Minister of enlightenment and propaganda
He veted what people saw, heard, and read
How was the cinema used in propaganda and censorship
Filmed showed benefits of nazi life
American films banned
Helped to spread anti-semantic language
Forced to watch nazis short films before the films they wanted to see, promoted nazi achievements
How was posters used for propaganda
Showed nazi beliefs
Hitler was shown as a strong leader
Nazi message targeted youth
Message was simple and direct
How was radios used in propaganda and censorship
Played nazi ideals in factories and town squares
Made cheap radios, which only had short frequency’s which only showed nazi messages
How were newspapers used to show propaganda and censorship
Journalists were told what to write and were shut down
Nazis took control of what was published and write about their ideas
How was literature used with propaganda and censorship
Books written by Jewish authors and people who disagreed with nazi ideas books were burned
And no books could be published wihtout goebells checking it
How did hitler use rallies as propaganda
They showed his strength
Hitler would do speeches to gain support
Many Germans became proud of their country
How was art censorship used
Art that was not appropriate and approved was locked away
