Living Under Nazi Rule 1933 - 34

Question 1

What was the Night of the Long Knives?

Answer 1

• By 1934, to potential threats to the Nazis remained one from the non-Nazi conservatives and their leader Franz Von Papen and one came fom SA and Rohm
• The night of the long knives was the term given to the process whereby Hitler in 1934, purged the Nazi Party of all those who were a threat to Hitler
• Rohm was brutally murdered by two SS Officers two days after his arrest and Von Papen was placed under house arrest
• The result of this was that it made Hitler the undisputed leader of the Nazis and by extension Germany

Question 2

How did Hitler use the Night of the Long Knives to enhance his power?

Answer 2

• Hitler used the Night of the Long Knives to remove internal threats to his leadership and this extended to members of the government. For example he placed Von Papen under house arrest and members of his staff were killed
• In total 85 people, 12 of whom were prominent Reichstag deputies, were murdered
• The role of the SA was Reduced its membership dropped severly from 2.9 million in August 1934 to 1.6 million by October 1935
• A culture of fear was created, the ss had now become the key instrument of Nazi terror in the German state

Question 3

What was the Reichstag Fire?

Answer 3

• The Reichstag Fire was the burning of the German Parliament on the 27th February 1933.
• At the scene a Dutch communist Van der Lubbe was found and blamed for starting the fire. Van der Lubbe claimed he was working alone but many believed he was wroking as part of a wider communist plot
• Hitler persuaded President Hindenburg (who had power to make law in an emergency) to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree. This severly restircted civil liberties
• This decree allowed Hitler to remove the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) as a party, have its leaders arrested and imprison or execute them. with 4000 communists been arrested
• The Communist Party was prevented a Nazi majority in the Reichstag because of their support so this decree was an important step in the Nazis rise to power

Question 4

What happened during the week of the fire?

Answer 4

• More than 4000 Communists were arrested during the week of the fire.
• The Communist press and Communist meetings were banned
• These were crucial as an election had been scheduled for the first week in March

Question 5

How did Hitler use the Enabling Act to enhance his power?

Answer 5

• On 24 March 1933 the memebers of the Reichstag met in the Kroll Opera House where Hitler gave a long speech introducing an Enabling Act
• Th Enabling Act gave the cabinet and important the office of Chancellor the power to pass any law they wished without consent or control of the Reichstag
• By doing this they effecttively disbanded democracy ad the German Reichstag. Hitler was legally made dictator of Germany

Question 6

How did Hitler use Gleicshaltung (bringing Germany into line) to enhance his power?

Answer 6

Civil Service Act:

• Civil servants are thos people who carry out the duties of the government, both nationally and locally
• As the Nazis wanted to control the government, their attention soon fell on these individuals
• In February 1933. wuite soon after Hitler became Chancellor many high-ranking civil servants were removed from their posts
• Then on, 7 April, the act for the restoratio of the Professional Civil Service was passed which required the dismissal (firing) of anyone who was a political opponent of the Nazis or anyone who was non-Aryan

Question 7

How did Hitler use Gleicshaltung (bringing Germany into line) to enhance his power? (2)

Answer 7

Use of Terror:

• In 1933, the Nazis turned their full force against their opponents. Jems, Communists, Social democrats and reades unions all faced the wrath of the SA and the SS
• Historians beliee that up to 600 were murdered in 1933 and by October of 1933 over 100,000 had been arrested.
• This meant that public feared the Nazis and less people were likely to rebel against the Nazis
• During Election day, 5 March 1933, there were police officers and SA bronwinshirts patrolling the streets which would have intimidated people into voting for them

Question 8

How did Hitler becoome the Fuhrer

Answer 8

• Whilst Hindenburg was on his death bed he passed an act concerning the Head of State which stated that the office and power od the president would be merged with that of the Chancellor under the new title Fuhrer