Nazi control and dictatorship Flashcards
Who were the two Nazis in Hitler’s cabinet?
Frick and Goering
New York times - creation of a dictatorship
‘the composition of the Cabinet leaves Herr Hitler no scope for his dictatorial ambition
When Hitler came to power, what proportion of the Reichstag were Nazis
About 1/3
How many communists were arrested on the night of the Reichstag fire?
4,000
What was the Decree for the Protection of the People and the State?
Powers to imprison political opponents and ban communist newspapers
E.g of an industrialist Hitler persuaded to bankroll the Nazi campaign
Gustav Krupp
Which election campaign was violent and resulted in 70 deaths?
March 5th
How many seats in the Reichstag did the Nazis have from the March 5th elections
288
What did Hitler’s new powers mean for the communists in the Reichstag?
Hitler could ban them from taking up their 81 seats
When was the enabling act passed?
24th March 1933
What did the enabling act do?
Essentially destroyed the Reichstag - Reich cabinet could pass new laws which could overrule the constitution, the laws could be proposed by the chancellor - Hitler
How many votes was the enabling act passed by?
444 to 94
What did Hitler ban in May 1933
Trade Unions - they could be used to undermine the government
When were all political parties made illegal?
July 1933
What did Hitler do in May 1933 regarding other political parties?
Stormtroopers entered the Social Democrats and Communist party’s offices, destroyed their newspapers and confiscated all their funds
What did Hitler do in January 1934 to centralise power?
Abolished all 18 Lander parliaments and declared that governors appointed by him would run every region of Germany
In 1933 what % of the SA were permanently unemployed?
60
How many storm troopers were there in 1934?
3 million
What had Rohm done to increase the numbers of stormtroopers
Merged an army veterans group, the Stahlhelm, with the SA
Why were the SA a bit annoyed at Hitler?
Complained that although they risked their lives for him, he undervalued them
Rohm’s political stance
Criticised Hitler’s links with rich indistrialists and army generals - wanted more socialist policies, to tax the rich, etc
Why did Heydrich and Himmler resent Rohm?
They wanted to reduce the power of the SA to increase their own power and the statuses of the SS and SD
Rohm and the army
The army believed that Rohm wanted the SA to replace the German army
How did Goering justify the Night of the Long Knives?
Claimed he was planning a second revolution to replace Hitler - killings were in Germany’s best interests
How many people killed during NLK?
400 - including 150 senior members of the SA
Why were people kind of grateful for the NLK?
The SA were hated for their brutality, so were glad to have them restrained - few knew how bad it was
When did Hindenburg die?
2nd August 1934
What did being Fuhrer mean for Hitler?
He added the President’s power’s to his powers as chancellor
What did Hitler force as a result of Hindenburg’s death?
An oath of loyalty from every soldier in the army
What was held on the 19th August?
A plebiscite - a public vote - to confirm Hitler as the fuhrer
Result of the plebiscite
Bombarded with propaganda, 90% voted in favour
What did the SD do?
Spied on all known opponents and critics of the Nazi party
When was the SS set up?
1925
How many SS were there to begin with?
240
How many SS were there during the 1930s?
240,000
Where was the SD’s card index kept?
In the Brown House - the Nazi headquarters in Munich
How many people were arrested in 1939 for political offenses?
160,000
Head of the Gestapo?
Reinhard Heydrich
Gestapo in Haamburg
Less than 50 officers - most clerical staff
How many people were under protective arrest in 1939?
150,000
When were Dachau and Moringen opened?
1933
Who was the journalist who was sent to a conc camp for speaking out against the Nazis?
Carl von Ossietzky
Carl von Ossietzky
When visited by the Red Cross, he had a swollen eye and was dragging a broken leg
What did all judges have to join?
The National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law
How many sentenced to death for political offenses 1934 to 1939?
534
The 1933 Concordat
Hitler confirmed freedom of worship + would stay out of Catholic schools, Catholic church to stay out of politics and bishops to swear an oath of loyalty to the regime
With Burning Anxiety
Pope Pius XI - Mit Brennender Sorge
The Reich Church 1936
Pastors who supported Hitler’s views could continue preaching, swastikas displayed, Old Testament removed from teaching
What happened to Niemoller in 1937?
Sent to a concentration camp
Goebbels attitude towards propaganda
Wanted Nazi attitudes buried so deeply into propaganda people didn’t realise their views were being changed
Hitler’s attitude towards propaganda
Simplistic - constantly repeating Nazi message
What were journalists given?
Regular briefings - what gov was willing to release + sometimes what to write
How many newspapers were closed down in 1935?
1,600
Where were radios also placed?
Cafes, schools, factories and on the street
How was Hitler able to make rallies bigger in the 1930s
Had the resources of the entire German state at his disposal
1934 Nuremburg rally
200,000 supporters, 20,000 flags, 130 anti aircraft searchlights
How was sport linked to Nazism?
Covering sports stadiums with Nazi symbols
What was insisted of foreign sports teams?
They made the straight arm salute during the national anthem
Olympic stadium for Berlin Olympics
110,000 seats - biggest in the world
How many medals did Germany win in the olympics?
33 - more than any other country
Who were the Olympic games filmed by?
Leni Riefenstahl
Footage of Berlin Olympics
Censored Jesse Owens, two films released in 1938
What type of cultural activities did the Nazis stress?
Romantic ideas about Germany’s past, Nazi ideals - loyalty, struggle, self-sacrifice
When was the Reich Chamber of Culture set up?
September 1933
Role of the Reich Chamber of Culture
Ensure cultural activities consistent with Nazi ideas - Gleichschaltung
How many artists were accepted into the Reich Chamber of Visual Arts
42,000
When and how many paintings were removed from art galleries
1936 - 12,000 - Van Gough, Picasso
Albert Speer’s projects
The new Chancellery and the new parade ground for the Nuremburg rallies
Musicians favoured
Wagner, Bach, Beethoven
How many writers were officially banned?
2500
What did you need for a book to be published
Approval from the chamber of culture
In May 1933, how many books were burned by students in Berlin?
20,000
Audience of films in 1933?
over 250 million
How many films did the Nazis make?
1300
E.g of a Nazi made film, where a young Nazi is killed by communists
Hitlerjunge Quex
What % of vote did Nazis hold in April 1932?
36%
What % of the vote did the Nazis hold in July 1932?
38%
General Ludwig Beck
Chief of Staff in army - tried to get officers to arrest Hitler, told the British the German army wouldn’t attack if Britain attacked
What was the SPD’s opposition newspaper called?
Red Shock Troop
Circulation of Red Shock Troop in 1933
3,000 copies
How many pastors sent to conc camps?
800
How many Catholic priests were sent to the Priest’s Block in Dachau?
400
When was Niemoller sent to Sachsenhausen?
1938
E.G of gestapo tapping phones
1934 - Niemoller
What were the Edelweiss pirates called in Cologne?
Navajos
What did the boys in the Edelweiss pirates do?
Long hair, checked shirts and white socks
What did the Edelweiss pirates do?
Went on hike in the country to sing parodies of Hitler Youth songs, told jokes, taunt/attack Hitler Youth
E.g of a swing band
Glen Miller Orchestra
How many people attended Swing Youth’s illegal dances?
6000
How many Edelweiss pirates vs Hitler Youth in 1939?
2000 vs 8 million
