“Nazi Consolidation of power in 1933 was primarily due to the use of terror and violence” How far do you agree with this judgement?

Question 1

How far do you agree with this question’s judgement?

Answer 1

Whilst the Nazi’s terror and violence is certainly the most memorable aspect of their consolidation, it would be wrong to conclude that was in fact the primary method. Always limited by Hindenburg, and always specifically targeted.

Question 2

When terror and violence was used, what was it often accompanied with?

Answer 2

Conciliatory methods

Question 3

What fact from may 1939 demonstrates that terror and violence was often accompanied by conciliatory methods?

Answer 3

Whilst 1st May workers were given a holiday and the Labour day became the National Labour day, the 2nd May saw the seizure of trade union offices and the creation of the DAF.

Question 4

What are the four factors that should be discussed?

Answer 4

1) Terror and violence
2) Concessions to different groups
3) Gleichschaltung
4) Wide improvements and appeal

Question 5

What fact from march 1939 demonstrates that terror and violence was often accompanied by conciliatory methods?

Answer 5

The March 24th enabling act followed Hitler’s acts of conciliation at the Potsdam Day March 1933.

Question 6

What is perhaps the single most significant act in the Nazi consolidation?

Answer 6

March 24th enabling act

Question 7

How was the march 24th enabling act passed?

Answer 7

It was passed by targeted terror at those voting, with the SA and SS surrounding the Kroll Opera house to intimidate voting deputies. The centre party also supported it.

Question 8

What did the enabling act do?

Answer 8

It gave the government four year’s worth of emergency powers which allows the further use of terror and violence, even though not much terror and violence were necessary to allow it to pass.

Question 9

When was the one day boycott of Jewish shops?

Answer 9

1st April

Question 10

When was the ministry of propaganda established, exercising complete control of the media?

Answer 10

13th March

Question 11

Who headed the propaganda ministry, established 13th march 1933?

Answer 11

Joseph Göbbels

Question 12

When was the night of the long knives?

Answer 12

30th June 1934

Question 13

Why the night of the long knives?

Answer 13

The SA had become excessively powerful and Hitler needed to regain control of them

Question 14

What about the night of the long knives 30th June 1934 shows that terror and violence were highly targeted?

Answer 14

Ernst Röhm, as well as around 200 others, were executed but the vast majority were not

Question 15

How did Jospeh Göbbel’s propaganda ministry portray the night of the long knives?

Answer 15

not as a political purge, but as a ploy by Hitler to stop revolution

Question 16

What fact demonstrates the limited capability of the gestapo in creating terror and violence and shows the power of specifically targeted violence?

Answer 16

There were just 28 Gestapo agents covering the million people in Würzburg.

Question 17

What did the presence of Hindenburg mandate?

Answer 17

a veneer of legality that inhibited extensive violence in the consolidation

Question 18

When was the concordat between state and vatican?

Answer 18

20th july 1933

Question 19

What did the 20th july 1933 concordat do?

Answer 19

banned church from political activity but meant that their religious freedom was protected, and meant that the Nazi’s authority was never challenged by Rome

Question 20

Support from which groups meant that Hitler was keen to limit internal violence in the party?

Answer 20

german middle classes

Question 21

What two things allowed the German economy to do very well under Hitler?

Answer 21

Schact’s help and Hitler’s concessiosn to big industry

Question 22

What and when was the day that Hitler bowed in front of Hindenburg?

Answer 22

Potsdam day 21st March 1933

Question 23

What two youth groups were effective at instilling nationalism?

Answer 23

The Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens

Question 24

When did Gemrna Youth Groups become compulsory?

Answer 24

1939

Question 25

Despite the fact that they were not compulsory until 1939, by how many members did German youth groups increase by over the period of consolidation?

Answer 25

3.2 million

Question 26

What were the ease with which the Nazis passed the Reichstag fire decrees emblematic of?

Answer 26

General fear of socialism and communism

Question 27

Give a judgement about Gleichschaltung

Answer 27

Whilst the aspects of Gleichschaltung individually were not using fear, the implications - such as with the Judiciary- did create terror.

Question 28

How many communists arrested and sent to Dachau as a result of the Reichstag fire decrees?

Answer 28

30 000

Question 29

What did the Reichstag fire decrees exploit?

Answer 29

A genuine fear of communism

Question 30

When were the Reichstag fire decrees?

Answer 30

February 27th 1933

Question 31

What decree was behind the Reichstag fire decrees?

Answer 31

Decree for the protection of state

Question 32

Nazi membership increased by how many million between 1933 and 1935?

Answer 32

3 million

Question 33

What were the June employment laws?

Answer 33

An attractive and successful scheme reminiscent of the New Deal

Question 34

When was KDF established?

Answer 34

November 1933

Question 35

What decree was used to repress the KPD?

Answer 35

Decree for the protection of state (Reichstag fire decrees)

Question 36

What was the RAD?

Answer 36

The RAD was a labour scheme following the June 1935 Law that made 6 month’s labour service compulsory for all men and in 1939 this was extended to women.

Question 37

How did schemes such as the RAD and HJ mean that the Nazis did not have to use terror and violence?

Answer 37

It provided, like so many other aspects of the Nazi coordination, a platform for indoctrination that meant terror and violence was not necessary.

Question 38

Judgement!

Answer 38

The consolidation was fundamentally limited in its ability to use terror and violence by the moderating force of Hindenburg. This was not, however, and impediment to the Coordination’s success as it meant that the Nazis used highly targeted terror and violence that would be sufficient to create a culture of fear that would allow co-operation to be much more forthcoming.

Question 39

What means that terror and violence cannot be considered to be them most important factor?

Answer 39

It was simply not extensive enough

Question 40

What did Robert Ley say about KDF holidays?

Answer 40

“The quickest way to bring National Socialism to the Workers”

Question 41

What does Robert Ley’s quote “The quickest way to bring National Socialism to the Workers” suggest?

Answer 41

Even amongst leading Nazis, violence was not the most important part of the consolidation.

Question 42

What was the official newspaper?

Answer 42

Volisher Beöbachter

Question 43

What does was the October decree regarding press censorship and when exactly was this?

Answer 43

4 October 1933 decree making content of paper responsibility of editor and crime to publish anything that could weaken the Third Reich/harm German economy, culture or people