Nature of Nazi government Flashcards
Führerprinzip
(4)
- ‘leadership principle’
- a leader for each aspect of society to tell people what to do
- strict hierarchy; each leader reported back to their own superior
- people urged to act for the good of the nation, initiative was discouraged
examples of confusion and duplication in Nazi government
(2)
- from 1934, the Ribbentrop Bureau operated alongside the foreign ministry (Von Neurath); Ribbentrop always entrusted with important foreign diplomatic decisions
- Schacht was the finance minister while Göring was the chancellor of the second 4 year plan (until Schacht resigned)
why was there confusion and duplication in Nazi government?
(5)
- Hitler kept many ministers who weren’t Nazis before the regime, yet the sense of continuity was an illusion as not all ministeries had the same amount of power
- Hitler set up many new ministries/authorities that took over responsibilities of established ministries
- Hitler often left details of responsibilities vague; overlap, duplication of work, confusion
- –> deliberate to incite competition
- –> or because Hitler was bored by detail and beaurocratic paperwork
Länder
(4)
Nazis wanted centralised state & administration;
- March 1933, Länder stripped of most powers
- 30th Jan 1934, Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich; officially terminated länder
- civil service + länder structure to be reorganised under Frick (Minister of the Interior)
- Frick’s civil service frequently came into conflic with the Gauleiters = not very effective
How did the outbreak of war affect the SS?
(4)
- grew from 240,000 members in 1939 to over 1 mil members in 1944
- SS took over more government administration
- SS + Gestapo had increased control over civilian life
- SS ran Hitler’s campaign to eradicate ‘non-German races’ through expulsion, isolation, forced labour camps, and extermination
How was government adapted to facilitate the war effort?
(4)
- each of the armed forces was given its own ministry; used to coordinate supplies etc., all ministries coordinated by new High Commander of the Armed Forces, Wilhelm Keitel
- 30th Aug 1939, Ministerial Council for the Defence of the Reich was set up to coordinate domestic affairs and the war effort; council reported to Hitler, chaired by Göring, disbanded in Nov 1939
- 13 military districts were formed from Germany’s regions; Gauleiters became Reich Defence Commissioners who ran home front activities in their areas
- women were encouraged to take on work
What issues arose as the German army advanced?
(4)
- as GR army took over land in the east, SS cleared land of ‘undesirables’ and allocated it to Germans
- Germany suddenly had a lot of land to govern; centralised government became more difficult
- 1942, Gauleiters became very powerful; given control of all civil defence measures + became ‘Reich Defence Commissioners’
- Aug 1944, decree for the Implementation of Total War Mobilisation; Gauleiters given control of local beaurocracy + power over local businesses
lebensraum
- ‘living space’
- land taken from other countries to provide Germany with farmland and natural resources
volkgemeinshaft
(4)
- ‘people’s community’
- a racially organised hierarchical society
- interests of the individual to align with that of the nation
- people permanently prepared for war; disciplined
volkßturm
(3)
- National militia
- established in September 1944
- people’s army / home guard; intended to continue struggle after war
Gauleiter
(3)
- regional leader of the Nazi party
- head of the Reichsgau
- 3rd highest rank in Nazi hierarchy
Gestapo
(4)
- official Nazi secret police
- April 1933, created by Göring
- combination of various police agencies of Prussia, political police in Berlin from before Nazis came to power
- 1936, Gestapo taken over by Himmler’s SS but still run as two separate groups
What was the structure of the Nazi party?
(6)
Führer –> 32 Gauleiters –> 760 Kreisleiters (regional) –> 21,354 Ortsgruppenleiten –> 70,000 zellenleiters –> 700,000 blockwarten
Reichstag
(5)
- had no real power after the enabling act
- 1934-1945; only passed 7 laws
- renewed enabling act every 4 years
- occassionaly used for propaganda
- April 1942, met for the last time
Cabinet of ministers
(4)
- kept same from previous government; some non-Nazis
- abolished cabinet meetings; ministers worked individually and sent drafts of laws on paper
- not very important, no real use (laws issued through Reich Chancellory)
- Hitler didn’t believe in orderly government
