Nature of Nazi government

Question 1

what happened to the Reichstag after 1933 and what was it’s role?

Answer 1

• 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

Question 2

when was the Reichstag last convened?

Answer 2

26 April 1942

Question 3

how many laws were passed by the Reichstag after the enabling act?

Answer 3

7 laws

Question 4

what was the German cabinet and it’s role after 1933?

Answer 4

• Hitler retained von Papen’s cabinet
• at first there were only 3 Nazis
• was pretty useless

Question 5

why was the idea of a cabinet useless for Hitler?

Answer 5

Hitler did not like group policy making so the cabinet never had decisions to make or responsibilities to take

Question 6

what was the Reich Chancellory?

Answer 6

• passed laws through decrees with the power of the enabling act
• coordinated governmental departments

Question 7

who was in charge of the Reich Chancellory?

Answer 7

Hans Lammers

Question 8

what was the Nazi civil service like?

Answer 8

• non elected governmental workers

- most servants were hostile to the Weimar Republic so the ideas of Nazism appealed to them

Question 9

what did Hitler change with the civil service?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

how would Hitler bypass the civil service to make his decisions?

Answer 10

he used his own special agencies such as the Foreign Service led by von Ribbentrop

Question 11

what happened to local government after 1933?

Answer 11

was abolished in 1934

replaced by a Gauleiter system before being completely abolished

Question 12

what was the Nazi legal system like?

Answer 12

• 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)

Question 13

what was the Foreign office like?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

what happened to the Wehrmacht after 1933?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

what was the Hossbach memorandum of 1937?

Answer 15

it was when Hitler declared to his generals that Germany would invade Czechoslovakia

Question 16

what was the Blomberg-Fritsch affair?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

how many generals were removed after the Hossbach memorandum?

Answer 17

100 generals

it was a reordering of the Wehrmacht

Question 18

what was the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht?

Answer 18

was German High command for the armed forces
this was an umbrella organisation for:
- the army (heer)
- the navy (kriegsmarine)
- the airforce (luftwaffe)

Question 19

who was in charge of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht?

Answer 19

Keitel

Question 20

what was fuhrerprinzip?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

what examples were there of a clash between state and party?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

why did Hitler accept confusion and duplication in his offices?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

what conflict was there between the Ministry for the Interior and the Gauleiters?

Answer 23

civil servants would conflict over regional issues with the regional party representatives who were the Gauleiters

Question 24

who was Minister of the Interior?

Answer 24

Frick

Question 25

who was Martin Bormann?

Answer 25

Hitler’s closest secretary and 2nd in command once Hess had left