key profiles Flashcards
1
Q
Kurt von Schleicher
1882-1934
A
- An aristocratic army officer
- Played a crucial role in the political activities of the army in the early years of the Weimar Republic, helping to negotiate the Ebert-Groener Pact
- Handled negotiations with the USSR on building German arms factories in Russia
- Was part of Hindenburg’s inner circle of advisers, along with General Groener, and helped steer him towards imposing a more authoritarian style of government
- He was not a Nazi himself, but saw the benefit of having the mass support from them as the most effective counterweight to the popular support for the SPD and KPD
- Was largely responsible for the bringing down Bruning’s government in May 1932
- Attempted to work with Hitler but was murdered by the Nazis in 1934
2
Q
Heinrich Bruning
1885-1970
A
- A financial expert and leading member of the Centre Party
- Had not held ministerial office before becoming Chancellor in 1930
- The longest continuously serving Chancellor of the Weimar Republic
3
Q
Frits Thyssen
1873-1951
A
- Was chairman of the United Steelworks Company
- One of the early financial backers of the Nazi Party
- Joined the Nazi Party in 1931
- Acted as a link between the Nazis and big business interests
- By late 1930s, he’d become critical of the regime’s economic policies
- Opposed the outbreak of war and fled the country in 1939
4
Q
Joseph Goebbels
1897-1945
A
- Was chief propagandist for the Nazi movement from 1928-1945
- He was Gauleiter (Nazi Party leader) of Berlin and founded his own newspaper there
- Worked as a journalist before joining the party
- Had a taste for violence and street fighting, provoking many battles with left wing opponents
- Was not as mesmerising as Hitler was during his speeches, but used his effective sarcasm as a method in attacking the Jews and communists
- Became Minister of Propaganda in 1933
- Committed suicide in 1945, shortly after Hitler’s death
5
Q
Franz von Papen
1897-1969
A
- Was a former aristocratic army officer with a wide network of political influence
- A member of the Centre Party but was thoroughly anti-democratic
- Wanted to restore the powers of the old elite and to re-establish an authoritarian state
- Was Minister-President of Prussia when he was appointed Chancellor in May 1932
- Headed a ‘cabinet of the barons’ selected from the industrial and landowning elite
- Brought down by the intrigues of Schleicher in December 1932
- Conspired with Hitler and Hindenburg to remove Schleicher, where he returned to power in coalition with Hitler
6
Q
Dr Otto Meissner
1880-1953
A
- Was the Head of the Office of the President under both Ebert and Hindenburg
- Had considerable influence over Hindenburg and helped organise the talks between Papen and Hitler that led to Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor
- Continued to serve Nazi regime after 1933 but with much less power and influence
7
Q
Gregor Strasser
1892-1934
A
- Was a member of the Nazi Party from 1921 and a veteran of the Beer Hall Putsch of 1924
- Was in charge of the Nazi’s propaganda from 1926-1928
- Took over responsibility for the party’s national organisation
- Advocated a strong anti-capitalist stance to appeal to working class voters, but was also strongly anti-communist and anti-Semitic
- Purged from party leadership in1932
- Murdered by the Nazi SS in the Night of the Long Knives in 1934
8
Q
Franz Seldte
1882-1947
A
- The leader of the paramilitary Stahlhelm
- A conservative German nationalist who had been hostile to the Weimar Republic
- Retained his independence from the Nazis, but in April 1933 he joined the party and his Stahlhelm were incorporated into the SA
9
Q
Wilhelm Frick
1877-1946
A
- Interior minister from 1933-1943
- Had studied law before working for the Munich police 1904-24
- Joined the Nazi Part and was elected to the Reichstag in 1924
- Was tried and executed by the Allies after the war
10
Q
General Blomberg
1878-1946
A
- Been the army commander in East Prussia before becoming Defence Minister in Hitler’s first cabinet
- Described as weak, he was persuaded by Hitler’s promise of an aggressive foreign policy and rearmament of the army
- Hitler removed him from the government in 1938
11
Q
Freiherr von Neurath
1873-1956
A
- A German aristocratic diplomat
- Served as German ambassador in the 1920s, in Rome and then London
- Became Foreign Minister in Papen’s government in 1932
- Continued his post under Hitler until 1938
- Joined the Nazis in 1937 but was dismissed from the Foreign Ministry in 1938 after opposing Hitler’s aggressive plans for German expansion
12
Q
Hermann Goering
1893-1946
A
- Fighter pilot in the First World War
- Joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and took part in the Munich Putsch
- Was elected to the Reichstag in 1928 and became the President (speaker) of the Reichstag in 1932
- Appointed Chancellor and Interior Minister of Prussia
- Also became Reich Aviation Minister in 1933
- Was responsible for the rebuilding of the Luftwaffe (air force)
- Established the Gestapo and the first concentration camps
- In 1936 he was placed in charge of the Four Year Plan
- His influence declined when the Luftwaffe failed to defeat the RAF in the Battle of Britain
- Expelled from the Nazi Party in 1945 and was captured by the Allies
- Put on trial but committed suicide in prison
