Hitler's consolidation of power, March 1933 to August 1934 Flashcards
What happened on the 30th of June 1934?
Leader of nazi SA, Ernst Rohm, was executed by two SS officers.
Why was Rohm killed?
It was part of a wide ranging purge of the SA that Hitler has ordered as the organisation had outlived its usefulness.
How did Hitler try to set up Rohm’s death and what was his reaction?
H ordered that a revolver be left in Rohm’s cell but he refused to commit suicide, saying if he did H could do it himself.
What were the political and constitutional limits on H’s power as of March 1933?
Hindenburg had the final say in constitutional matters and the army was loyal to Hindenburg. Number of political parties that were independent of the regime, some which were open with their opposition.
What did H claim was the ‘racial core’ of the entire German people?
Nazi Party
How did Hitler achieve Nazi Volksgemeinschaft? (one party)
-KPD was effectively banned after reichstag fire.
-SPD was outlawed as a ‘party hostile to the nation and the state’ on 22 June 1933
-DNVP and Centre party dissolved themselves
-14 July 1933, Law against the Formation of New Parties outlawed non-nazi parties.
When did the Law against the Formation of New Parties come into action?
14 July 1933
What moves did H make with Prussia to centralise the nazi power?
July 1932, the Prussian state government was dismissed by Papen and a Reich Commissioner had been appointed to run the state, after Jan 1933, this was Goering.
Gauleiters:
State level nazi leaders.
What did the Nazis do to control local positions in government?
Used violent campaigns to oust political opponents from roles such as town mayors and replace them with Nazis.
How did the higher ranks of the civil service think of H?
Welcomed his appointment due to their conservative minds and distaste towards the democratic values of the Weimar Republic.
What did the Civil Service mistakenly think the Nazi party would do?
They believed that the ministers in H’s cabinet would restrain the Nazis and allow the civil service to continue serving the state.
How did the Nazis treat the civil service?
Saw them as an obstacle to their exercise of dictatorial power. Many local officials were forced to resign and were replaced by Nazi Party appointees, most of whom had no government experience.
How did the SA grow from Jan 1933 to Jan 1934?
1933- 500,000
1934- 3 million
What changes did the Nazi power make to the SA in Feb 1933?
Combined the SA and Stalhelm to be recognised as the ‘auxiliary police’- orders were issued to regular police officers forbidding them from interfering with SA activities.
What was Hitler’s control over the SA like?
Most of their violence was unplanned and uncoordinated. H was prepared to go with the flow of SA violence. He was careful to ensure that the SA did not attack the state itself. Assaults on the police and army were avoided, as to not alienate them.
What signified the completion of Gleichschaltung?
H had acquired complete dictatorial powers- July 1933.
Rohm’s aims after the Nazis got dictatorial powers:
SA were determined to continue violence until a second revolution. Rohm wanted the SA to become the nucleus of a new national militia that would eventually absorb the existing army- after combining with Stalhelm they already outnumbered the army.
Why/how was the importance of the SA declining from 1933 summer?
August 1933- they lost their ‘auxiliary police’ status and were subject to stricter regulations over their powers of arrest. In the election campaign Nov 1933 there was one party and no need for SA violence/intimidation.
What did the SA’s loss of purpose lead to?
Became disillusioned and restless. Drunken brawls, became increasingly common and the police became targets of the SA when they tried to intervene.
What was the only institution (June 1934) that had power to removed H?
The army, it was loyal to Hindenburg despite the fact that Werner Von Blomberg, the defence minister, had brought it close to nazi ideology, it was not a nazified institution.
How were the SA showing signs of threat to the army?
Summer 1934 they started stopping army convoys and confiscating weapons and supplies.
What caused pressure to increase on H, regarding the SA violence, that happened on the 17th June?
Papen made a speech criticising Nazi excesses. He called for an end to terror and for H to clamp down on the SA’s calls for a second revolution. This speech had Hindenburgs approval and although Goebbels tried to censor it, it was reported in the press.
What was the action that lead H to do something about the SA violence?
Blomberg threatened to declare martial law and give the army power to deal with the SA, with Hindenburg’s approval.
