Gleischaltung

Question 1

Nazis and the shut down of trade unions

Answer 1

• 1st May: all workers were given a day off

- 2nd May : trade union officials were seized and all trade unions were shut down and replaced by DAF

Question 2

removing opponents politically

Answer 2

• Otto Wels, SPD leader, fled into exile in June after the party was banned
• Other parties were dissolved by themselves
• Law against formation of new parties was passed on the 14th of July
• Law for Reconstruction of the State passed in Jan 1933
• elected state assemblies were dissolved and Reich Governors were created

Question 3

November 1933 elections

Answer 3

• NSDAP won 92%

- spoiled votes made up the other 8%

Question 4

removing opponents violently

Answer 4

• around 500 people were murdered by the SA
• 100,000 political opponents arrested
• SA had been violently overthrowing many state governments so that the Reich government had to appoint commissioners from March 1933

Question 5

Background behind the Night of the Long Knives - motives

Answer 5

Nazi infighting

• SA too violent
• Himmler wanted SS removed from SA control
• Goering didn’t like Rohm and led Hitler to believe he was planning a coup

Hitler needed support from the elites
- Rohm spoke of a second revolution to fulfil socialist parts of the 25 point programme, which led to Hitler fearing a elite backlash

Papen had publicly criticised the SA, which Hindenburg approved of

Army disliked the SA, and Germany’s military was still run by elites

Question 6

The Night of the Long Knives

Answer 6

• 29th June to 2nd July
• Operation Hummingbird was the name given to the purge
• 90 opponents of Hitler were murdered overall, 50 of which were SA leaders

Question 7

Night of the Long Knives - impact

Answer 7

• Hitler had crushed the radical SA, murdered his opponents and won the support of the elites
• marked a turning point for Hitler’s dictatorship

3rd July 1934 - Hitler passed a law which legalised the purge having gained acceptance of his actions, legalising the murder of his opponents
- SS became independent of the SA, under Hitler’s personal command

Question 8

Formation of the role of Fuhrer

Answer 8

• 1st August 1934
• Hitler passed law concerning Head of State of German Reich
• merged offices of president and chancellor, forming Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor

Question 9

The Death of Hindenburg

Answer 9

• Hindenburg died on the 2nd of August 1934
• Hitler became the Fuhrer
• all power was in his hands

Question 10

German Armed Forces oath to hitler

Answer 10

• personal loyalty to Hitler takes by Armed Forces

- unconditional obedience