Hitlers rise to power

Question 1

What did Hitler use the Reichstag fire as?

Answer 1

A pretext to crush the KPD; Goebbels claimed Germany was under attack from the communists

Question 2

How many communists were arrested in the aftermath of the Reichstag fire?

Answer 2

4000 leading communists

Question 3

How many votes in the Reichstag did Hitler need in the march election?

Answer 3

50% to pass laws
2/3 Majority to change the constitution

Question 4

What Nazi violence was employed during the March elections?

Answer 4

The SA and police terrorised all Nazi’s political opponents- KPD, SPD & union leaders were imprisoned, ‘detained’ in camps, beaten, or even killed

Question 5

How many deaths came about due to the Nazi’s terror campaign during the march elections?

Answer 5

69

Question 6

How did the Nazi’s use the media in 1933?

Answer 6

They used their growing control of the media to plant the illusion that the KPD was plotting an imminent revolution

Question 7

What was the result of the march elections?

Answer 7

The Nazi’s only got 43.9% of the vote but the coalition with the DNVP meant >50% in the reichstag

Question 8

Give an example of intimidation used on the day the enabling act was due to be discussed

Answer 8

-81 KPD deputies and 26 SPD deputies were refused admission on the basis of them being ‘responsible’ for the Reichstag fire

-The SA surrounded the Reichstag building, thus intimidating deputies

Question 9

When was the Enabling act discussed?

Answer 9

23 March, 1933

Question 10

What did the enabling act pass by?

Answer 10

444 votes to 94

Question 11

What was the membership of the SA? What was the effect of this?

Answer 11

By 1933 the SA had a membership of 2 million

This greatly concerned the conservative elites; Hitler needed to remove the SA to gain the support of the army

Question 12

How did Hitler go about removing the SA?

Answer 12

-Drew up a deaths of around 600 enemies
-Himmlers SS and soldiers carried out execution during the night of the long knives

Question 13

When was the Night of the Long Knives?

Answer 13

June 30 to July 2, 1934

Question 14

Where was Rohm executed?

Answer 14

SA conference in Bad Weisse

Question 15

What senior conservatives were also executed?

Answer 15

General Von schleicher

Question 16

What limitations are there to the importance of the enabling law?

Answer 16

While the EL gave Hitler power over the Reichstag, there were powerful groups outside of parliament that threatened Hitlers power, such as the TU’s and the press

Question 17

How did Gleichschaltung refine Hitlers power?

Answer 17

By Nazifying important institutions such as TU’s and the press, it neutralised potential threats to the Nazi regime. It also coordinated German aspects of government

Question 18

What happened in 1934 to regional gov?

Answer 18

Landtages were abolished since opponents of the Nazi regime controlled some

Democratically elected Landtages were replaced by Reich governors appointed by the government, the majority had been Nazi Gaultier’s

Question 19

What institution was given more power in Nazi Germany? What was the effect of this alongside other changes to regional gov?

Answer 19

The ministry of the interior was afforded greater power over Germany’s federal regions.

This marked the demise of federalism and meant control was largely centralised

Question 20

How did the Nazi’s ‘co-ordinate’ the civil service?

Answer 20

April 1933- The law for the restoration of the professional civil service; it meant if that ‘racial purity’ and loyalty was in doubt, they could be dismissed

Question 21

What happened to TU’s?

Answer 21

Merged into the DAF, led by Robert Ley- mitigated opportunity for opposition from unions

Question 22

How was control over the press established?

Answer 22

-1933 The decree of the reich president for the protection of the people and the state; allowed the Nazis to ban publications
-1933 Editors law; it was a criminal offence for the editor of an NP to publish something that might weaken the third reich, culture or economy; it was the sole responsibility of editors to uphold the requirements of the propaganda ministry

Question 23

How were Hitler and Goebbels able to persuade Hindenburg and the cabinet to authorise an emergency decree?

Answer 23

Via evoking fears of communism through the reichstag fire

Question 24

What were the clauses of the decree of the Reich president for the protection of the people and the state?

Answer 24

Clause 1:suspended individual rights and the freedom of the press
Clause 2: Hitlers gov had the right to enforce law and order in the German states

Question 25

How much money was raised by Goering to support the NSDAP’s march elections campaign?

Answer 25

3 million RM’s

Question 26

How did Hitler overcome the negative effect of violence to Hindenburg?

Answer 26

-10 march Hitler instructed followers to cease Violence
-Goebbels organised the day of Potsdam to emphasise the common ground between Nazism and Hindenburgs nationalism

Question 27

Was the day of Potsdam successful?

Answer 27

Yes-it persuaded Hindenburg and other nationalists that Nazism represented a rebirth of the best German traditions

Question 28

Give an example of a lie Hitler told at the debate of the enabling act

Answer 28

-announced the act was temporary
-promised to respect traditional rights of the Catholic Church

Question 29

What law was passed following the dissolution of the centre party?

Answer 29

The law against the establishment of political parties