Germany - Nazi Germany Flashcards
What happened in 1929?
Wall Street Crash.
Who was the chancellor from 1930 to 1932?
Bruning.
The chancellor change?
1932 May - Von Papen is chancellor July - Elections to gain support (failed) November - Schleicher made chancellor 1933 January - Hitler made chancellor
How did they limit Hitler’s power?
- Von Papen was vice-chancellor
2. Only two other Nazis allowed in the cabinet
When did the Reichstag Fire take place?
February 1933
What did the Reichstag Fire allow Hitler to do?
Use Article 48 of the constitution (Emergency Decree) to remove political opponents e.g Communists
How did Hitler get the Enabling Act passed?
- SA bullied people into voting
2. Communists weren’t allowed to take their seats
When did democracy cease?
March 1933
How did Hitler consolidate power?
- June 1934 Night of Long Knives - Removal of SA
- Gestapo and SS removed opponents
- Removal of right to trial before imprisonment
- Trade Unions removed in 1933, replaced with German Labour Front
Who was the leader of the SS?
Heinrich Himmler
Who was the leader of the Gestapo?
Reinhard Heydrich
Why was the SA removed?
Hitler thought they were plotting to overthrow him immediately, but really it was because he needed a less rowdy army
How were Youths treated?
- School education changed - eugenics, modified history, Aryan biology
- Boys were taught military skills, girls taught housekeeping
- Youth camps e.g Hitler Youth and League of German Girls
What was censored?
- Books e.g book-burning of May 1933
- Films e.g Leni Riefenstahl’s films
- State-run press and newspaper
- State radio and 6000 loudspeakers put in streets for Hitler’s speeches
How was propaganda administered?
- Rallies e.g Nuremberg rallies that took place from 1933-1938 every September
- Make Germany great, criticise Treaty of Versailles and blame Jews for disrupting Germany since 1918
- 1936 Berlin Olympic Games - Anti-Jew slogans put away (Olympia film, L.R)
- Josef Goebbels - Minister of Propaganda
How did the economy change?
- Military expenditure helped the economy to improve i.e coal and steel industries, providing jobs
- Public works provided jobs e.g stadiums, parks, forestry, hospitals, schools, autobahns, etc. (spending doubled between 1933 and 1938)
- Four Year Plan of 1936 to provide self-sufficiency - didn’t work, but helped to improve production
- Nazi figures didn’t include women or undesirables, so figures looked better
How were workers affected?
- Strength Through Joy movement - holidays and trips for workers
- Volkswagen, people’s car - but never happened
- Slightly better wage but average length of working week longer
How was culture affected?
- Development of music and art was stifled, because it didn’t exalt the Nazis
- Artists fled the country e.g Bertolt Brecht
- People overlooked it because of the supposed economic benefits
How was religion affected?
- Concordat signed in 1933
- Concordat broken in late 1930s as catholic education was affected, nuns and priests were arrested on unreasonable claims
- Hitler talked about “Positive Christianity” because it made Christians vote for him, while Communists were atheist
- Hitler set up his Reich Church, but some resisted and formed their own church
How were Jews affected?
- One-day boycott of April 1933
- Nuremberg Laws of 1935
- Kristallnacht 1938, Jews attacked and shops destroyed, 1 billions reichsmarks fined
- Treatment worsened as war started
How were undesirables treated?
- Blindness, deafness, physically disabled people were sterilised
- Gypsies were seen as workshy and were persecuted
- Mental illness was looked down upon
- Homosexuals were put in concentration camps
How were women affected?
- Encouraged to have as many children as possible i.e Motherhood Cross
- Encouraged not to work, but due to work shortages in the later 1930s, women had to work
- Laws against abortion strictly enforced
