HITLER AS CHANCELLOR Flashcards
HOW MANY Nazis were in Hitler’s cabinet?
Only 3/12
WHO were the Nazis in Hitler’s cabinet in 1933?
- Hermann Goering: Minister without Portfolio and Prussian Minister of the Interior
- Wilhelm Frick: Minister of the Interior
(BOTH CONTROLLING THE POLICE AND JUDICIARY) - Hitler: Chancellor
WHY did Papen think he could control Hitler?
- The Nazi party only had 3/12 total posts in the cabinet
- Papen had the right to be present whenever Hitler met with the President
- Rest of the cabinet were elite, old, aristocratic men like Papen (likely to respect Papen and disrespect Hitler)
WHAT did von Papen famously say about his belief that he could control Hitler?
‘I have Hidenburg’s confidence. Within two months we will have pushed Hitler so far into a corner that he will squeak.’
WHAT was the ‘Pact of 1933’?
- Hitler met both with army leaders and big industrialists in February to promise they would remain important institutions in the state in return for their support.
- He gained 3 million marks for the election campaign from the businesses and outlined plans for rearmament with the army also.
WHAT was the Hilfspolizei?
An auxiliary police made up of the SA (Nazi paramilitary) and the Stahlhelm (DNVP paramilitary)
WHAT groups of people did the SA attack when Hitler first became Chancellor?
Left wing politicians and trade unions.
WHEN and WHERE was the first concentration camp set up?
The concentration camp at Dachau was set up on 8th March 1933
By July 1933, HOW MANY political prisoners had been arrested or taken into ‘protective custody’ and imprisoned in concentration camps?
26,789
WHEN was the Reichstag Fire?
27th February 1933
WHO confessed to starting the Reichstag Fire?
A Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe
WHAT was Hitler’s response to the Reichstag Fire?
Used it as an excuse to properly attack communism:
- Arrested 4000 communist leaders the same night
- Got Hindenburg to pass an emergency decree, suspending all personal liberties (basically destroyed freedom of speech)
HOW MANY communists were arrested in the two weeks following the Reichstag Fire?
10,000
WHAT did Hindenburg’s emergency decree passed after the Reichstag Fire allow?
- Soldiers were put in the streets to check people’s IDs
- The secret police could hold people in protective custody indefinitely
- Allowed the arrest of left wing activists
- Hitler controlled radio and the police and banned other parties’ newspapers like the SPD and Zentrum
WHAT were the key aspects of the March 1933 Reichstag election campaign?
- More violence
- The failure of democracy was blamed on Communist terrorism
- Promoted the idea that Hitler’s government was a ‘National Uprising’ that would restore German pride and unity
WERE the March 1933 elections a success for the Nazis?
While the Nazis did not get a majority (only 43.9%), all other parties lost votes while theirs increased. The left (SPD and KPD) made major losses. The coalition between the DNVP and Nazis allowed majority rule in the Reichstag
WHEN was the ‘Day of Potsdam’?
21st March 1933
WHAT was the ‘Day of Potsdam’?
A celebration for the reopening of the Reichstag. Hitler lay wreaths on the graves of the Prussian kings and shook hands with army generals. He wanted to promote the image of ‘legality’ (to distract from the ‘revolution from below’) and did not mention any hatred for the opposition or racial ideology.
WHEN was the Enabling Act passed?
24th March 1933
HOW fair was the vote to pass the Enabling Act?
All KPD deputies were absent (many in concentration camps) and the building was surrounded by SS and SA, creating an atmosphere of intimidation.
WHAT was another name for the Enabling Act?
The ‘Law for Terminating the Suffering of the People and the Nation’
WHAT did the Enabling Act allow?
It gave emergency powers to the government for 4 years and allowed the cabinet to pass decrees without the President’s involvement
WHEN did Hitler proclaim the Third Reich?
15th March 1933
HOW did Hitler change the courts in 1933?
In October 1933, all lawyers had to join the German Lawyer’s Front and swear loyalty to Hitler
HOW did Hitler change the civil service in 1933?
- April 1933: Law for the Official Reform of the Civil Service removed all ‘alien elements’ (Jewish people, political opponents, etc.) from courts, education and civil service
- NSDAP set up specialist agencies to develop and execute policies, meaning the existing civil service lost influence
WHAT does ‘Gleichschaltung’ mean?
‘Bringing into line’ or ‘coordination.’ It defines the process of Nazi destruction of Weimar society in order to create the Nazi state system
WHAT were the 3 elements of Gleichschaltung?
1) Destruction of state governments
2) Destruction of trade unions
3) Creation of a one-party state
HOW did the Nazis change the state government system (Gleichschaltung)?
- First Nazi members dominated state governments
- Then, new Reich Governors were introduced for each state, who overruled the state government and worked directly for Hitler.
HOW did the Nazis change trade unions?
Forced them all into the DAF (German Labour Front), which promoted itself as a central trade union, except it did not represent workers at all and had little control
HOW did the Nazis create a one-party state?
- Communists had been proscribed (forbid)
- June 1933: SPD was banned
- All other parties opted for self-dissolution
- July 1933: no-one to oppose the Law against the Formation of New Parties
WHAT % of votes did the Nazis get in November 1933?
92% (8% were spoiled votes)
WHEN was the Night of the Long Knives?
29th June - 2nd July 1934
WHAT were the motives behind the Night of the Long Knives?
1) Nazi infighting: Himmler wanted the SS removed from SA control; Goering led Hitler to believe that Röhm was plotting a coup
2) Support of the élites: Hitler feared that Röhm’s goal to create a ‘people’s militia’ would lose him the support of the élites/Army
WHAT were the differences in ideology between Hitler and Röhm/the SA?
SA: more populist and anti-capitalist, many wanted revolution
Röhm: wanted to integrate the SA and Army, to create a ‘people’s militia’
Hitler: needed the support of the elites and the Army to maintain power and to carry out his foreign policy plans
HOW MANY were murdered during the Night of the Long Knives?
About 90, including over 50 SA leaders
WHAT did Ian Kershaw argue about the consequences of the Night of the Long Knives?
Kershaw argues that Hitler’s public image was strengthened as the ‘supreme judge’ of the German people and the defender of the little man
