Key Topic 3: Nazi Control and Dictatorship, 1933-9 Flashcards
The creation of a dictatorship (1933-4), Controlling and influencing attitudes, Opposition, resistance and conformity in Nazi Germany
what did Hindenburg see Hitler as in terms of position
“puppet” chancellor
when was the Reichstag fire?
27th Feb 1933, exactly 4 weeks after Hitler took power, and six days before the election
who was found inside site of Reichstag Fire and what was his political leaning?
Marnius Van der Lubbe, a communist, and 4 other communists
how do Hitler and Goebbels take advantage of communists being found in the Reichstag fire?
they convince Hindenburg to pass the emergency powers act
what did the passing of the emergency powers act mean for communists?
4000 communists were arrested, including their leader, Ernst Thalman
communist newspapers were banned
51 communists killed and many more injured
police did nothing
what were the election stats for Nazi party in March 1933?
288, 44% (still not majority)
what does Hitler do to get more votes in March 1933? what percentage does this get him?
coalition with DNVP gets him 51.9% (majority)
what fraction of votes was needed to make changes to the constitution?
2/3 (66%)
what did Hitler do one day after he got majority votes in March?
ban KPD to intimidate social democrats
when was the enabling act passed and by how many votes?
march 23rd 1933.
By 444 to 94 votes
what did the enabling act do for Hitler and his government? For how long?
it gave them full power, even more than Hindenburg himself, to issue decrees on their own terms.
For 4 years
what does Gleishaltung mean?
coordination; everything controlled by Nazis
what is the German word for everything being controlled and coordinated by Nazis?
Gleishaltung
what day marks the end of weimar?
23 March 1933
what did Hitler do to trade unions and when?
may 2 1933, trade unions were banned (no longer needed since a national community had been made)
what was set up in place of trade unions and employers groups?
DAF (German Labour Front)
what were trade unions?
a group of employees who join together to maintain and improve their conditions of employment
what did Hitler do about the Lander (parliaments of the German states)? what could they do now?
he abolished them and instead replaced them with Nazi governors who could appoint and dismiss officials and judges
why was the loyalty of the army important to Hitler?
support against opposition
Hindenburg was now very old- Hitler looking to combine the positions of president and chancellor
German army don’t like SA
what was the night of the long knives?
Where Hitler ordered his SS guards to murder key members of the SA, including Ernst Rohm- the leader, because he feared they were getting too strong
many of hitlers other opponents were murdered in this purge
what was the point of the night of long knives?
the night was intended to consolidate hitlers power and eliminate the concerns the army had about the role of the SA
how many were killed and arrested in the night of long knives?
200 killed and 1100 arrested
when was the night of long knives?
30th June 1934
conflict between SA and Army:
SA were helping Hitler but also wanted a social revolution
army generals disliked brutality of SA
SS want to break from SA
Nazi leaders distrusted Ernst Rohm and issued warnings to hitler
Rohm wanted SA to replace the army
what rumours spread about the SA and who by?
Himler and Heydrich- they said Rohm was going to overthrow the regime
what did hitler make the soldiers do after the NofLK
swear a personal oath to him
what was the SAs threat to hitler?
they could look to a different person to be the leader
they could turn on him
other groups were concerned about the SA?
catholics and jews
who specifically is killed in the NofLK and what is the name given to this operation
the following were killed as a result of “operation Hummingbird”:
Franz von Papen
Kurt von Schleicher
Gregor Strasser
Ernst Rohm
Gustav Ritter von Kahr
when and how did Hindenburg die?
2nd August 1934, from lung cancer
how did Hindenburg’s death impact Germany
Hitler combined chancellor and president into one more powerful position; Fuhrer and chancellor
how many member were there in SA
3 million
what happened to the Nazi Party on legal terms? and when?
became the only legal party in july 1933
when was the German lawyers front set up and how many members did it gain in a year?
Oct 1933, 10,000 members in a year
what was set up for maintanence of the law? who had to sign up?
National Socialist (Nazi) league (NSRB) all judges forced to sign up
what was set up to try ordinary Germans for treason? when? how did hitler have control over this?
Set up “people’s court” in 1934 and hitler checked regularly for leniency and altered sentences that were ‘too light’
Nazis could decide what counted
what did judges have to wear in 1936?
Nazi eagle and Swastika
how many people were in prison that hadnt committed a normal crime by 1939?
150,000
what did the SS stand for and what colour shirts?
black shirts and schutzstaffel
who was the leader of the SS till 1929
Himler
what was the point of the SS and when were they formed?
act as a body guard unit for Hitler formed in 1925
how many members did the SS have in 1934? and then in 1939?
1934- 50 000+
1939- 250 000
what kind of people were in the SS?
Aryan race, racially pure men with racially pure wives. ‘elite’ organisation with ‘elite’ people in it
what was the Gestapo? when formed?
secret police formed in 1933
who was in charge of the Gestapo and who took over and when?
Goebbels and then Himler in 1936
what was the function of the Gestapo? was it successful?
to arrest and imprison those suspected of opposing the state and was successful in doing so
what did the SD stand for? when was it formed?
Sicherheitsdientst. formed in 1931
what was the purpose of the SD?
to find actual and potential enemies of the state and eliminate them
who was in command of the SD?
Himler
what sort of people did the SD attract?
professional and highly educated people
Lawyers, economists, professors of politics
what was the purpose of concentration camps?
to confine those who were deemed a political, ideological or racial opponents
which groups ran concentration camps?
SS, SD, Gestapo. only Gestapo could arrest though
examples of camps
Buchenwald
Mauthausen
Sachsenhausen
how many prisoners in 1939 concentration camps?
150 000
what were the types of coloured stars worn in camps?
yellow- jewish
pink- gay
red- political prisoners
green- criminal
blue- emigrant
what were the conditions like in concentration camps?
full of disease
underfed
treated brutally
forced labour
reasons for hitler to use his religious followers:
protestants voted for hitler
same views on family life and military
churches= natural power base for nazis and could become stronger from them
reasons for hitler to destroy his religious followers:
people who support god are less likely to support hitler
religion= ethics and morals, hitler= conflict and power
all other independent organisations were destroyed
what was the relationship between christian views and nazi views?
antithethetical, opposite.
how did hitler deal with his religious followers? year?
in 1935 he set up ministry of church affairs
German faith movement (away from christianity)
what was set up by the church to oppose hitler?
Pastor’s Emergency League (PEL) to join churches together
what was the agreement between nazis and catholic church?
concordat- they leave eachother alone
what kind of church did the PEL set up and what was its purpose?
confessional church. preists and pastors refuse to obey Nazis
what does the pope do when he speaks out against the nazis?
he reads out the letter “with burning anxiety”
what book replaced the bible?
“mein Kampf”
what church was set up to control protestants? how did they control them?
Reich church, pastors swore an oath of loyalty
why was the ministry of churches set up?
to unify the churches under national socialism
how did the changes being made by hitler religously affect the youth?
church schools shut down and religious youth groups shut down
how many preists from both catholic and protestand churches were sent to concentration camps?
400 cath
800 prot
what did hitler do after agreeing the concordat?
he broke it by interfering with the churches
how did the nazis control the media in the 1930s?
Censorship of the press
Control of radio broadcasts
Mass rallies
Use of sports events
how did the nazis control sports in 1930s
1936 hosted Olympics in Berlin and used all aryan competetors to promote the
aryan race
why was hitler annoyed in the 1936 Berlin olympics?
a african american athlete won gold proving aryan was not the strongest always
what were the 3 youth groups? why doesn’t the fourth fall into this category?
Hitler Youth
Edelweiss Pirates
Swing Youth
(White Rose groups- after 1940s so wont be asked about in exam directly)
Hitler Youth features boys
BOYS:
intense military training
indoctrinated
no time to self
willing to fight
Hitler Youth features girls
GIRLS:
kinder, kirche, kuche
stereotypical woman
powerless
objectified
no freedom
way that youth rebelled
smoking
american jazz music
make-up
Edelweiss Pirates
wear edelweiss flower
mainly teen working class boys
resented military discipline
american culture
anti-nazi graffiti, forbidden music
Swing Youth
located in large towns
american and english culture
smoke, drink, dance
jazz music because it was jewish sometimes
what would happen to youth listening to jazz who got caught
beaten, given the severest exercise then put to hard labour
