Nature of Nazi government Flashcards
what happened to the Reichstag after 1933 and what was it’s role?
- it had lost its power when the enabling act was passed
- was used as a propaganda piece to show support for Nazi policies and laws
when was the Reichstag last convened?
26 April 1942
how many laws were passed by the Reichstag after the enabling act?
7 laws
what was the German cabinet and it’s role after 1933?
- Hitler retained von Papen’s cabinet
- at first there were only 3 Nazis
- was pretty useless
why was the idea of a cabinet useless for Hitler?
Hitler did not like group policy making so the cabinet never had decisions to make or responsibilities to take
what was the Reich Chancellory?
- passed laws through decrees with the power of the enabling act
- coordinated governmental departments
who was in charge of the Reich Chancellory?
Hans Lammers
what was the Nazi civil service like?
- non elected governmental workers
- most servants were hostile to the Weimar Republic so the ideas of Nazism appealed to them
what did Hitler change with the civil service?
1933 Law for the reconstruction of the civil service
- less than 5% of civil servants removed (mostly Jews)
From 1939 all civil servants had to be members of the Nazi party
how would Hitler bypass the civil service to make his decisions?
he used his own special agencies such as the Foreign Service led by von Ribbentrop
what happened to local government after 1933?
was abolished in 1934
replaced by a Gauleiter system before being completely abolished
what was the Nazi legal system like?
- judges kept elements of the law however the Reichstag Fire decree meant that all German citizens had lost their right to a trial
- all judges had to wear the Reichsadler on their robes from 1936 (mixing of party and state)
what was the Foreign office like?
Foreign Minister = von Neurath who was a non-Nazi
however was often bypassed by von Ribbentrop who had his own foreign office agency used by Hitler until von Ribbentrop himself replaces von Neurath in 1938
what happened to the Wehrmacht after 1933?
after the oath of loyalty was made Hitler promised to give the army autonomy
most generals were right-wing and held hostile views to the communists much like the Nazis
things began to change in the build up to WW2
what was the Hossbach memorandum of 1937?
it was when Hitler declared to his generals that Germany would invade Czechoslovakia
what was the Blomberg-Fritsch affair?
both Blomberg (minister of war) and Fritsch (commander in chief) were horrified by Hitler’s plans for invasion
Hitler got both removed:
- Blomberg was accused of marrying a prostitute
- Fritsch was accused of being homosexual
how many generals were removed after the Hossbach memorandum?
100 generals
it was a reordering of the Wehrmacht
what was the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht?
was German High command for the armed forces this was an umbrella organisation for: - the army (heer) - the navy (kriegsmarine) - the airforce (luftwaffe)
who was in charge of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht?
Keitel
what was fuhrerprinzip?
a hierarchal order where orders are given from the man above up until you got to Adolf Hitler
idea of keeping the nation working together
what examples were there of a clash between state and party?
Foreign Ministry and von Ribbentrop
- both dealt with foreign affairs however von Ribbentrop was the party representative so would often be used instead of von Neurath until he was replaced
Finance Ministry and 4 year plan office
- both dealt with the economy however Goring’s 4 year plan department always took priority over Schact’s ministry
why did Hitler accept confusion and duplication in his offices?
it kept his subordinates on their toes and reminded them that they owed their position to Hitler
by keeping them occupied through confusion and competition there was no way Hitler could be opposed
what conflict was there between the Ministry for the Interior and the Gauleiters?
civil servants would conflict over regional issues with the regional party representatives who were the Gauleiters
who was Minister of the Interior?
Frick
who was Martin Bormann?
Hitler’s closest secretary and 2nd in command once Hess had left
