Key Events and their impact

Question 1

When was the Reichstag Fire?

Answer 1

27th Feb 1933

Question 2

When was the ‘Law for the protection of the people and the state’ passed?

Answer 2

28th Feb-early March 1933

Question 3

When was the Enabling law passed?

Answer 3

23rd March 1933

Question 4

When did Hitler use his new powers?

Answer 4

7th April 1933

Question 5

When were trade unions banned?

Answer 5

2nd May 1933

Question 6

When were all other political parties banned?

Answer 6

14th July 1933

Question 7

When did the night of the long knives take place?

Answer 7

30th June 1934

Question 8

When did Hindenburg die?

Answer 8

2nd August 1934

Question 9

How did the Reichstag Fire increase Hitler’s power?

Answer 9

Evidence of communist plot
Hitler could go to Hindenburg to try to get him to ban communist party
Hindenburg used article 48 to pass the ‘law for the protection of the people and the state’
Allowed Hitler to arrest 4000 suspected communists and confiscate their property

Question 10

What was the impact of the Reichstag Fire on the ordinary people?

Answer 10

If KPD (german communist Party) banned, ordinary Germans:

Fearful of communist revolution as they did not want to experience more fighting
Looked towards Hitler as he could stop communists

Question 11

How did the Law for the protection of the people and the state increase Hitler’s power?

Answer 11

Allowed Hitler to deal with Ger.’s problems himself
Banned leading communists from taking part in elections
4000 communists thrown into prison
All newspapers shut down
Election on 5th March - Hitler gained more votes (but no majority)

Question 12

What was the impact of the law for the protection of the people and the state on ordinary Germans?

Answer 12

Began to see through Hitler’s ideas and agreed more with him

Nazis received 288 seats (44%)

Question 13

How did the Enabling law increase Hitler’s power?

Answer 13

Can change constitution if you have 2/3 of Reichstag
Wanted to change so that he can have 4 years to make laws without help of Reichtag
Promised it would be temporary
Kroll Opera house lined with SS and SA who chanted ‘we want the bill or else fire and murder’ - communists not allowed

Question 14

What was the impact of the enabling act on ordinary Germans?

Answer 14

No longer had chance to speak and had no say in how country is run/who runs it
Democracy has ceased

Question 15

How did the use of Hitler’s new powers increase his power?

Answer 15

Stirred up enough fear of communism - politicians were persuaded to join Nazis (centre party)
Meant that Nazis had majority
Nazis put in charge of local Gov.s
Gestapo (secret police) established
First concentration camp built

Question 16

What was the impact of Hitler’s new powers on ordinary Germans?

Answer 16

Would have seen Nazis everywhere
Nazis ran everything
Concentration camps (work camps) made people frightened

Question 17

How did the banning of Trade Unions increase Hitler’s power?

Answer 17

Hitler threw leaders in jail

By removing trade unions, Hitler took away a worker’s way of complaining about pay and conditions

Question 18

What was the impact of the banning of trade unions on ordinary Germans?

Answer 18

Lost the right to complain about issues
Couldn’t ask for change
A lot of their power was lost - opinions not considered

Question 19

How did the banning of all other political parties increase Hitler’s power?

Answer 19

‘The law against the formation of new parties’
Anyone who set up or ran another party would go to prison for 3 years
Ger. now a one-party state

Question 20

What was the impact of the banning of all other parties on ordinary Germans?

Answer 20

People had no way of changing how Ger. was run
Could ONLY follow Nazis
All political rights were lost and risked imprisonment

Question 21

How did the Night of the long knives increase Hitler’s power?

Answer 21

Some mem. of SA believed Hitler was wrong
Hitler saw this as threat and carried out multiple political executions
His opposition and threat was partially eliminated

Question 22

What was the impact of the night of the long knives on the ordinary Germans?

Answer 22

People feared Hitler
Consequence of disobeying him was death
Realised that Nazis would be capable of carrying out illegal actions

Question 23

How did the death of Hindenburg increase Hitler’s power?

Answer 23

Hitler took his job (president and chancellor) combined into the Fuhrer
Spoke an oath of declaration of the loyalty of Hitler
Commander of army and not the people/country

Question 24

What was the impact of the death of Hindenburg on the ordinary Germans?

Answer 24

They had no-one to challenge Hitler