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Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919-1963 > Nazi consolidation of power, 1933-1934 > Flashcards

Nazi consolidation of power, 1933-1934 Flashcards

1
Q

What were the strengths of Hitler’s position on 30th January 1933

A
  • leader of largest party
  • policy of ignoring him had led to failure of Papen and Schleicher
  • politicians needed Hitler more than they needed him as the only alternatives were a civil war or a communist coup
  • Access to state resources - Goebbels could use Radio and press
  • Goring had minister president role in Prussia - responsible for the police - harassed opponents and ignored Nazi crimes
  • He was astute and a tactician whilst Papen was politically naive.
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2
Q

How did the Nazis use their resources in the Reichstag elections in 1933?

A
  • Elections called within 24h of becoming Chancellor
  • Could be aggressive towards opponents
  • Goring employed 50,000 more police from the SA and SS
  • 69 died in streetfighting during a 5 week campaign
  • ‘Appeal to the German People’ 31st January 1933 blamed economic state on democracy and terrorist activities of communists
  • never committed to detailed political and economic policies
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3
Q

What were the weaknesses in Hitler’s position on 30th January 1933?

A

Only 2 other Nazis in cabinet out of 12 ministers - Wilhelm Frick and Hermann Goring
No majority so difficult to introduce dramatic legislation
Hindenburg resented Hitler yet the former could sack him at any moment
Needed army and unions’ sympathy so couldn’t alienate forces as they could arrange a military coup or bring the country to a halt with a general strike

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4
Q

When was the Reichstag Fire?

A

27th February 1933

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5
Q

What was the impact of the Reichstag Fire?

A
  • happened during election campaign
  • Marinus van der Lubbe, Dutch Communist, arrested
  • 28th February: Wilhelm Frick, minister of the interior, drew up ‘ Decree for the Protection of People and State’
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6
Q

What was the impact of the ‘ Decree for the Protection of People and State’

A
  • suspended civil and political liberties in a few short clauses
  • power of central government strengthened
  • justified by communist threat
  • in final weeks of election opponents could be arrested and violence reached new heights
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7
Q

Why were the March 5th elections in 1933 a disappointment for the Nazis?

A
  • 88% turnout due to intimidation of SA, corruption by officials and increased government control of radio
  • Nazis increased vote from 33.1% to 43.9% (288 seats)
  • still had no majority and 52 nationalist seats were needed
  • needed a 2/3 majority to change the constitution
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8
Q

What was the Day of Potsdam?

A

21st March
Potsdam Garrison Church
Orchestrated by Goebbels to celebrate opening of Reichstag - Hindenburg, Kaiser’s son and army’s leading generals present representing old Germany
- Reichstag met at Kroll Opera House 2 days later to consider Enabling Act

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9
Q

When was the Enabling Act passed and how was this assured?

A
  • Kroll Opera House 23rd March 1933
  • Communists refused admittance
  • intimidation from SA who surrounded building
  • false promises made to respect Catholic Church and uphold religious and moral values, which ZP fell for
  • Day of Potsdam had encouraged support
  • Only SPD voted against
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10
Q

What did the Enabling Act involve?

A
  • get rid of parliamentary procedure
  • transferred full powers to chancellor and government for 4 years to sort out Germany
  • dictatorship grounded in legality
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11
Q

Why did passing the Enabling Act present an issue?

A
  • needed 2/3 majority - support of abstention from other parties
  • revolution from below destroying image of legality as Nazi members took law into their own hands, which was difficult to contain in regional areas - antagonised conservative vested interests, DNVP coalition parties and armies
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12
Q

How many voted was the Enabling Act passed by?

A

444-94

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13
Q

What was Gleischaltung?

A
  • Nazifying of German Society and its structures
  • establishment of dictatorship
  • attempt to ‘co-ordinate’ as many aspects of German life as possible
  • confusion about Nazi aims led to party conflict over how to bring it about.
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14
Q

How were Lander merged with Gauleiters?

A
  • Infiltrated regional state governments - ‘political success’ degenerated into terror and violence, Hitler feared he would lose support of conservatives
  • law 31st March 1933 dissolved regional parliaments and reformed with acceptable majorities
  • law 7th April 1933 created Reich governors - usually the local party Gauleiter with full powers
    January 1934 - all regional parliaments abolished and subordinated to the ministry of the interior in Berlin central governments
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15
Q

How did Hitler deal with the trade unions?

A
  • hostile to Nazis with socialist/catholic links
  • Hitler did not want to be undermined like Kapp had been in 1920
  • already weak due to depression, lower membership and less will to resist
  • 1st May given national holiday for international socialist labour celebration - given false hope
  • 2nd May leaders sent to concentration camps, SA/SS occupied premises and funds confiscated
  • independent trade unions banned
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16
Q

What were trade unions replaced with?

A
  • German Labour Front (DAF) led by Robert Ley
  • 22m members, largest organisation
  • an instrument of control rather than representation of workers’ interests
  • lacked fundamental right to negotiate wages and conditions of work
17
Q

How were rival political parties dealt with?

A
  • Communists outlawed since Reichstag Fire
  • assets of SPD seized and party banned 22nd June
  • most major remaining parties agreed to dissolve themselves in late June 1933, even nationalists accepted
  • Catholic Centre Party gave up 5th July 1933
  • No opposition left when 14th July decree proclaimed ‘The Law Against the Establishment of Parties’
18
Q

What was the impact of Gleischaltung?

A
  • limited impression on role and influence of army until 1938, or big business and Churches (but there was an agreement with Papacy in July 1933)
  • civil service and education only partially controlled - avoided antagonising such powerful vested interest and instead shape from ‘revolution from above’?
19
Q

Was Gleischaltung a revolution from above or below?

A

Above: directed by Hitler in Berlin
Below: Use of SA at local level exploited power and freedom.

20
Q

What were the aims of Röhm in the SA?

A
  • Create a ‘People’s Army’ with Röhm as leader
  • More fundamental social and economic reforms
  • didn’t want to be reduced to propaganda role at rallies and marches
  • disillusioned by Hitler’s politics - only associating ‘with the reactionaries’
21
Q

Why did the SA call for a ‘second revolution’?

A
  • wanted more personal gain
  • frustrated over limited nature of revolution
  • wanted more working class membership, young and unemployed - more socialist element
22
Q

What was Hitler’s political dilemma in June 1934?

A

Worried Germany would remain in state of revolution
Concerned party activists would embarrass him, alienating conservative forces e.g. big business/civil service/army
Wanted to encourage ‘revolution from above’

23
Q

Why did the situation between the SA and army come to a head?

A

SA had 3m committed Nazis and Rohm was Hitler’s oldest political ally
Meanwhile army was disciplined and professional with vital skills for foreign policy aims
Hitler realised he needed backing of army as attempts at conciliation failed
Hindenburg coming to the end of his life and Hitler wanted to secure presidency without opposition

24
Q

Who was responsible for the Night Of the Long Knives?

A
  • Papen called for an end to SA excesses and critiscised policy of co-ordination - made Hitler realise he had to satisfy conservative forces
  • Murders were committed by the SS
  • Sympathy of army
  • But ultimately Hitler’s decision
25
Q

What happened during the Night of the Long Knives?

A
  • 30th June 1934
  • Blomberg and Fritsch agreed a position against Rohm and the SA, with Goring and Hitler also working behind the scenes
  • 200 people killed
  • Rohm and other SA leaders shot by SS using weapons and transport provided by the army - no real resistance
  • Schleicher and Strasser also killed - Nazis claimed they were suppressing ‘high treason’ in the news
26
Q

What was the significance of The Night of the Long Knives?

A
  • Army took a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler - 1st July
  • SA virtually disarmed, playing no further political role; became ‘showpiece force’
  • personal political supremacy for Hitler - ‘legalised murder’ with all actions accepted
  • personal dictatorship rather than authoritarian one
  • overcame radical left in party, neutralised conservative right of traditional Germany
27
Q

How did legality consolidate Nazi power, 1933-1934?

A
  • legal justification for development of regime with Emergency Decree on the 28th February 1933, Enabling Law and dissolution of parties
28
Q

How did deception consolidate Nazi power, 1933-1934?

A

Misled powerful groups to ensure destruction - trade unions and SA

29
Q

How did propaganda consolidate Nazi power, 1933-1934?

A

Myths about Hitler as a respectable statesman e.g. Day of Potsdam

30
Q

How did terror consolidate Nazi power, 1933-1934?

A
  • increasingly no legal restriction
  • arrest of Communists
  • Night of the Long Knives
  • local Nazis organisations intimidated opposition
31
Q

How did the sympathy of the Conservative right consolidate Nazi power, 1933-1934?

A

Not committed to Weimar and sympathised with right wing authoritarian regime
Left wing’s potential power split between social democrats and communists and marred by the economic problems of the depression

32
Q

What is the argument that Germany did undergo a political revolution 1933-34?

A
  • Weimar democracy stopped functioning effectively well before Hitler became Chancellor
  • Gleischaltung affected political traditions which had been key features of Imperial Germany, and turned backs on federal and constitutional values
  • there were fundamental changes under the Nazis such as the destruction of the autonomy of the federal states, intolerance shown towards opposition and the reduction of the Reichstag to complete impotence
33
Q

What is the argument against the idea that Germany underwent a political revolution, 1933-1934?

A
  • Major forces still independent at Hindenburg’s death such as army, big business, civil service and Churches
  • Hitler’s willingness to enter into political partnership with representatives of Old Germany encouraged Rohm and the SA to demand a ‘second revolution’. Elimination of power of SA suggests that claim for ‘national revolution’ had been an attractive slogan
  • ‘revolution’ was actually a political compromise and just represented the continuation of a socio-economic forces which dominated since 1871 - this was true up until late 1934

Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919-1963 (5 decks)

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