Hitler’s Consolidation Of Power

Question 1

What were some of Hitler’s limitations as Chancellor?

Answer 1

• There were only 2 other Nazis in the cabinet of twelve, Wilhelm Frick and Goring. While Frick was minister of interior and Goring was minister, they had no specific responsibility.
• The 9 other members were of conservative-nationalist backgrounds as the army, landowners and industry.
  Hitler’s coalition government did not have a majority make it harder to introduce dramatic legislation
• The Chancellor Post was dependent on the on the whim of President Hindenburg, who hated Hitler.

Question 2

When were these limitations most prominent?

Answer 2

When he first became chancellor

Question 3

What were some of Hitler’s strengths as Chancellor?

Answer 3

• He was the leader of the largest political party in Germany which meant the policy of ignoring him could not work. Political realism forced conservatives to work with him as they probably needed him more than he needed them. The only known alternatives to Hitler was Civil War or a Communist coup.
• The Nazi Party now had gained access to resources of the state through figures such as Goring. He became minister of the interior in Prussia with responsibility for the Police.
• Hitler was masterly political tactician. He was determined to achieve absolute power for himself whereas Papen was politically naive. People knew Papen could not control Hitler.

Question 4

How long into Hitler’s appointment was reichstag elections called?

Answer 4

Within 24 hours

Question 5

Why did Hitler want new elections?

Answer 5

He felt that new elections would not only increase the Nazi vote, but also enhance his own status.

Question 6

What dominated during the elections campaigns?

Answer 6

Violence and Terror

Question 7

What was regularly broken up by the Nazis?

Answer 7

Meetings of the socialists and communists

Question 8

How did Goring contribute in Prussia?

Answer 8

By using his authority to enrol an extra 50,000 into the police with majority being members of the SA and SS

Question 9

How long did the campaigns go on for?

Answer 9

Five weeks.

Question 10

How many people died during the campaigns?

Answer 10

69 people

Question 11

What was the ‘Appeal to the German People’?

Answer 11

Hitler placing the blame of the prevailing poor economic conditions on democratic government and and the terrorist activities of the communists.

Question 12

When did Hitler start this Appeal?

Answer 12

31st January 1933

Question 13

When was the Reichstag Fire?

Answer 13

The evening of the 27th February 1933

Question 14

Who was found responsible for the fire and why?

Answer 14

A dutch communist supporter named Marinus Van der Lubbe as he was found with matchsticks and firelighters on the site.

Question 15

What happened to van der Lubbe?

Answer 15

He was put on trial with four other people but claimed to have completed it alone. He was found guilty and executed for his crimes.

Question 16

How did Hitler use the Reichstag Fire to his advantage?

Answer 16

Hitler and Goering, the new chief of police, used the event to claim that van der Lubbe was part of a communist conspiracy against the government and used it as an opportunity to attack communists.

Question 17

How many communists were arrested that night?

Answer 17

4,000

Question 18

Did many believe Hitler’s claim?

Answer 18

No as it was believed that it was a Nazi plot to support the claims of a communist coup and to justify Nazi repression.

Question 19

What then happened on the 28th February, a day after the fire?

Answer 19

Frick drew up a ‘Decree for the Protection of People and State’ which was then signed by Hindenburg

Question 20

What did this decree involve?

Answer 20

The suspension of most Civil and Political liberties and the strengthening of the central government.

Question 21

What did Hitler pressurise Hindenburg into doing?

Answer 21

Declaring a state of emergency.

Question 22

What did this mean for Hitler?

Answer 22

With the support of Hindenburg he could now use Decrees to govern Germany.

Question 23

What did Hitler then pressurise Hindenburg to do?

Answer 23

Call for an election on the 5 march 1933

Question 24

What did Hitler do before the election?

Answer 24

• He issued the Decree for the Protection of the People which gave him powers to imprison political opponents and ban communist newspapers.
• Ensure the police force would turn a blind eye to the violent acts of the SA.
• Persuaded Gustav Krupp and other industrialists to bankroll the Nazi campaign. Three million marks were donated in one meeting.

Question 25

How many seats did the Nazis have after the campaign?

Answer 25

288

Question 26

How did Hitler use his emergency powers?

Answer 26

To ban communists from taking their 81 seats

Question 27

What majority did Hitler now have in the Reichstag?

Answer 27

A two-third majority

Question 28

Why was this crucial?

Answer 28

Hitler now had enough votes to change the constitution of the Republic

Question 29

When was the Enabling Act proposed?

Answer 29

March 1933

Question 30

What was its full name?

Answer 30

The Law for the Removal of the Distress of the People and the Reich

Question 31

What did the Enabling Law state?

Answer 31

• The Reich Cabinet could pass new laws
• These laws could overrule the constitution of the Weimar Republic
• Laws would be proposed by the chancellor, Hitler

Question 32

What did the Enabling Law mean?

Answer 32

Hitler had the right to make laws for four years without the consent of the Reichstag.

Question 33

Why was this law passed?

Answer 33

Hitler had used his stormtroopers to intimidate opponents. SS men were posted along corridors to intimidate and a mob of SA men were chanting threatening slogans outside. This included “Give us the bill or else fire and murder”.

Question 34

When was the law passed and by what majority?

Answer 34

On 24th March 1933 by a 444 to 94 vote.

Question 35

Wha did the Enabling Act mark?

Answer 35

The end of democratic rule and the end of Weimar constitution.

Question 36

What was Gleichschaltung?

Answer 36

The Nazification of society.

Question 37

What was the idea of Nazification?

Answer 37

To merge German society with Nazi party institutions and associations, with the aim of allowing Nazis to control cultural, social and educational activity.

Question 38

Why did Hitler see trade unions as a threat.

Answer 38

He believed that if communists amongst working men were able to control their trade unions, then these could be used to undermine the government.

Question 39

What happened to trade unions?

Answer 39

In May 1933 Nazis broke into trade union offices all over Germany and arrested trade union officials. Hitler used his powers to ban trade unions and make strikes illegal.

Question 40

How did Hitler begin to remove political opposition?

Answer 40

In My 1933, he attacked his two main political oppositions. Stormtroopers raided the offices of of the Social Democratic Party and the Communist party, destroying their newspapers and confiscated their funds.

Question 41

What happened on the 14th July 1933?

Answer 41

Hitler issued a decree making all political parties except the NSDAP illegal

Question 42

Why did Hitler need to weaken German local governments?

Answer 42

As by 1934, he had control of Berlin and the Reichstag but not the 18 local governments

Question 43

What did Hitler do in January 1934?

Answer 43

Abolished Lander parliaments and declared that governors appointed by him would run every region of Germany.

Question 44

Why did Hitler see Rohm as a threat?

Answer 44

• Rohm had merged an army veteran group with the SA bringing the total to 3 million. Some stormtroopers had revealed that while they would risk their life for Hitler he undervalued them. In addition to this, by 1933, 60%of the SA were unemployed permanently. These members of the SA were loyal to Rohm putting him in an ideal position to challenge Hitler.
• Rohm also challenged Hitler’s policies. He criticised Hitler’s links with industrialists and army generals. Instead, he wanted more socialist policies, to tax the rich and help the working class.

Question 45

Why did others see Rohm as a threat too?

Answer 45

• German Army Officers were worried that Rohm will try to overthrow the army as the SA had more than 1000 men.
• Leaders of the SS resented Rohm as they wanted to reduce the power of the SA, so they could increase their own power and the status of the SS

Question 46

What happened in 1934?

Answer 46

Hitler was warned by leaders of the SS and the army that Rohm was planning to seize power. As a result of this , Hitler arranged to remove the threat by arranging a meeting of 100 SA leaders as well as Rohm at a Bavarian Hotel on 30th June 1934. When they arrived they were arrested, imprisoned and shot.

Question 47

What happened to Von Papen during the Night of the Long Knives?

Answer 47

A group of the SS had reached his office before he could get there. They had shot his press secretary and arrested their staff. His home was surrounded and his telephone was cut off.

Question 48

What became clear to Von Papen at this point?

Answer 48

He did not have Hitler ‘in his pocket’

Question 49

How did Goering reason these illegal murders?

Answer 49

At a conference on 2 July 1934, he bounced that security forces had been tracking Rohm for months and discovered that he planning a second revolution to replace Hitler, so Sid the killings were i. The best interests for Germany.

Question 50

Who died aged 87 on 2 August 1934

Answer 50

President Hindenburg

Question 51

What did Hitler do as a result of this?

Answer 51

Took supreme power. He declared himself Germanys Fuhrer and decreed that as Fuhrer he would have all the powers held by the president and the chancellor. He also forced an oath of loyalty to all the soldiers in the army.

Question 52

How many people voted to confirm Hitler as Fuhrer on 19 August 1934?

Answer 52

90%