Nazi control and dictatorship - 3

Question 1

Limits the the chancellor’s power

Answer 1

The Weimar constitution controlled what the Chancellor could do

Hindenburg retained all the powers of the president

There were 12 members in Hitler’s cabinet – only two were NSDAP members (Frick and Goering)

NSDAP members only took 1/3 of the Reichstag.

Question 2

The Reichstag fire, 27 February 1933

Answer 2

Committed by a communist, he was executed. This didn’t satisfy Hitler. Him and Goering used this to attack the communists.

4,000 communists were arrested that night.

Hitler forced Hindenburg to declare a state of emergency. Hitler used this to govern Germany.

5 March 1933, re-election for Reichstag to gain more Nazi seats, not constitutional at all.

Question 3

What did Hitler do before the March 1933 election?

Answer 3

Hitler issued the Decree for the Protection of the People and the State. This allowed him to imprison political opponents and ban communist newspapers.

Since he was now in control of Germany’s police force, Hitler could make sure that they turned a blind eye to the violent activities of the SA.

Hitler persuaded industrialists such as Gustav Kapp to bankroll the Nazi campaign. 3 million marks were donated in just one meeting.

It was a bloody election campaign; violent clashes led to 70 deaths.

Question 4

The Enabling Act: What new laws did this mean?

Answer 4

The Nazis won 2/3 of the seats, Hitler could change the constitution of the republic

Enabling Act - March 1933\

The Reich Cabinet could pass new laws

These rules could overrule the constitution of the Weimar Republic

The rules would be proposed by the Chancellor – Hitler.

Question 5

Removing other opposition: Trade Unions

Answer 5

if communists amongst working men were able to control their trade unions, then these could be used to undermine the government (like in strikes), so in May 1933:

Nazis broke into trade union offices and arrested trade union officials all over Germany.

Hitler used his new powers to ban trade unions and made strikes illegal.

Question 6

Removing other opposition: Political parties

Answer 6

He attacked his two main political rivals in May 1933. Nazi stormtroopers entered the Social Democratic Party’s offices and the Communist Party’s too, they destroyed their newspapers and confiscated all their funds.

In July 1933, Hitler followed this up by issuing a decree to make all political parties in Germany illegal, except for the NSDAP.

Question 7

Removing opposition: Local government

Answer 7

Hitler had control of the Reichstag by 1934 – but he couldn’t control the 18 Länder parliaments. Therefore, in January 1934, he abolished the Länder parliaments and that he declared that he would assign governors to run every region of Germany.

Question 8

Rohm’s role in the Nazi party

Answer 8

Rohm had merged the Stahlhelm, an army veterans group, with the SA. This increased the SA to 3 million. Some stormtroopers complained that Hitler undervalued them although they risked death for him. Also, by 1933, 60% of the SA were permanently unemployed. These embittered SA members were loyal to Rohm, which put him in an ideal position to challenge Hitler.

Rohm was also against Hitler’s policies. He criticised Hitler’s links with rich industrialists and army generals. He wanted more socialist policies, to tax the rich and help the working class.

Question 9

Other people that thought Rohm was a threat

Answer 9

German army officers were concerned about Rohm. The army only had 100,000 men after the TOV, whereas the SA was much bigger. They believed that Rohm wanted to replace the German army with the SA.

Leaders of the SS like Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich, resented Rohm too. They wanted to decrease the power of the SA so they could increase their own power and status of the SS.

Question 10

Events of the Night of the Long Knives

Answer 10

In 1934, leaders of the SS and the army warned Hitler that Rohm was planning to seize power. As a result of this, Hitler planned to remove the threat of Rohm and the SA. He arranged a meeting with Rohm and 100 other SA leaders at a hotel in the Bavarian town of Bad Wiessee on 30 June 1934. Rohm and the other senior officers of the SA, when they arrived, were arrested, imprisoned and shot. This is known as the Night of the Long Knives.

Question 11

Other murders during the Night of the Long Knives

Answer 11

General von Schleicher – the ex-chancellor – was also shot along with his wife. Goering announced they had been shot resisting arrest. Gregor Strasser, a Nazi with socialist views similar to Rohm, was locked in a Gestapo cell before gunmen sprayed bullets through a window. A lone gunman entered to finish him off.

Question 12

How did Hitler take control fully after Hindenburg died?

Answer 12

He declared himself Germany’s Führer, he would add all the President’s powers to those he already held as Chancellor.

He forced an oath of loyalty to him from every solider in the army.

Question 13

The role of the SS, SD and Gestapo in the new police state after 1933

Answer 13

SS (protection squad) - Heinrich Himmler. Black uniforms. By 1936, the SS controlled all Germany’s police and security forces.

SD (security service) - Reinhard Heydrich. Uniformed, they spied on all known opponents and critics of the Nazi Party and the German government.

Gestapo (Secret state police) - Reinhard Heydrich. No uniforms. Prosecuted anyone that insulted the Nazi Party and their views. They relied mainly on informants and were feared by the public.

Question 14

SS

Answer 14

a personal body guard for Hitler. From 1929, It was run by Himmler. In 1932, it was given famous black uniforms to highlight them from the brownshirts.

Question 15

SD

Answer 15

Formed in 1931 by Himmler, leader of the SS, as a security force for the Nazi Party to monitor its opponents. He made Reinhard Heydrich the leader.

Question 16

Gestapo

Answer 16

The main aim of the Gestapo was to find opponents who critisised the Nazi Party or the German government. They spied on people, tapped their phones and used networks of informants to identify suspects. In 1939 alone, 160,000 people were arrested for political offences. The Gestapo were officially given permission to use torture when questioning/gaining confessions.

The main weapon of the Gestapo was fear because they could not be told apart from the public. They often arrived early to take suspects away, offenders could be imprisoned without trial and many families received letters saying their loved ones had died in custody. Many were sent to concentration camps and when the rumours of the conditions there were leaked, the fear of the Gestapo grew more.

Question 17

Inmates of the concentration camps

Answer 17

‘undesirables’, prostitutes/homosexuals

Minority groups – Jews

Political prisoners – people who the Nazis feared would undermine their control of Germany (intellectuals, communists or political writers).

Question 18

Controlling the legal system

Answer 18

Another way that Hitler controlled his police state was by controlling what happened within the legal system. Hitler realised that his opponents stood little chance of success if trumped-up charges could be brought against them and then they were tried in courts which were biased in favour of the Nazis.

Question 19

Controlling the judges

Answer 19

Initially, Hitler set up the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law. He declared that all judges must be members, if any judges displeased the Nazis, then they were denied membership. By doing this, Hitler could make sure all judges supported his views. They were instructed that, in any conflict between the interests of the Nazi Party and the law, the interests of the Nazi Party were more important.

Question 20

Controlling the law courts

Answer 20

Hitler then abolished trial by jury. Judges decided innocence, guilt and punishments. And lastly, Hitler set up a new People’s Court to hear all cases of treason-offences against the state. Trials were held in secret and judges were hand-picked. Hitler himself sometimes imposed sentences. There was no right to appeal against the verdict of the People’s Court. Between 1934 and 1939, 534 people were sentenced to death for political offences. Between 1930 and 1932, only 8 people had been sentenced in this manner.

Question 21

Controlling religious views

Answer 21

Hitler set out to control the Christian religion part of society too. Although the Nazis glorified strength and violence and taught racial superiority. Christianity preached tolerance and peace and respect for all people. At first, Hitler tried to control the Christian churches by reassuring them and encouraging them to work with the Nazi government. However, this didn’t last long. Soon, he turned the full force of the police state against Christians.

Question 22

Two issues between Catholism and Nazism

Answer 22

On social issues, Catholics owed their first allegiance to the Pope, rather than Hitler.

Catholics had their own schools which taught different views to Nazi state schools.

Question 23

The Concordat in July 1933

Answer 23

Trying, at first, to reach agreement with the Catholic Church, in July 1933, Hitler reached a concordat (agreement) with the Pope.

Hitler agreed to confirm freedom of worship for Catholics and to not interfere within Catholic schools in Germany.

The Catholic Church agreed that its priests wouldn’t interfere in politics and ordered German bishops to swear loyalty to the National Socialist regime.

Question 24

How did Hitler break the concordat rules?

Answer 24

Catholic priests were harassed and arrested – many ended up in concentration camps

Catholic schools were brought in line with state schools or closed.

Catholic youth activities, such as the Catholic Youth League, were banned.

Question 25

Features of the Reich Church, 1936

Answer 25

The Protestant churches which favoured working with the Nazis combined in 1936 to form a single Protestant Church called the Reich Church. Its leader was Ludwig Muller. Hitler made Muller the Reich Bishop of Germany.

Protestant pastors were allowed to continue to provide church service if they supported Hitler’s views.

Some Protestant even allowed the Nazi swastika in their church.

The Nazis insisted that Jews wouldn’t be baptised into the Reich Church and that the Jewish teachings of the Old Testament should be excluded from Christian teachings.

Question 26

What is a totalitarian state?

Answer 26

a country where the government controlled all sections of the state, including the Reichstag, the NSDAP, the army, the police and the legal system.

Question 27

Censoring and Propaganda

Answer 27

banning information or ideas. Could include banning the vehicles for delivering ideas, such as newspapers, pictures, radio or film. It forbids certain opinions/information)

propaganda (creates opinions, uses vehicles like newspapers, posters and radio to put into people’s minds)

Question 28

Propaganda: The press

Answer 28

Journalists were sometimes told what they couldn’t publish. This was censorship.

They were also given regular briefings, containing the information the government were willing to release and were sometimes given direct instructions on what to write. This was propaganda.

Newspapers were closed down if they opposed Nazi views. 1,600 newspapers were closed down in 1935 alone. There was no real free press in Germany – every newspaper was a Nazi newspaper.

Question 29

Propaganda: Radio

Answer 29

In the 1920s and early 1930s, Goebbels had already started to use the power of the radio in Nazi elections campaigns. After 1933, he censored radio stations and used them to broadcast Nazi propaganda.

All radio stations were put under Nazi control.

Nazi officials and Hitler made frequent broadcasts.

Cheap mass-produced radios were sold to the public. They were placed in schools, factories and cafes. Speakers were placed in the streets too. By 1939, 70% of German homes had a radio – more than anywhere in Europe.

Radios had to be designed to have a short range, so they couldn’t pick up foreign stations.

Question 30

Propaganda: Use of rallies

Answer 30

Goebbels had used mass rallies and parades in election campaigns for the Nazis in 1920s and early 1930s. Now he had used entire resources of the German state at his disposal, he was able to make Nazi rallies and parades bigger and more frequent. For example, a mass rally was held every year at Nuremburg, to create a sense of German unity and advertise the Nazi Party and Nazi Germany. At the Nuremburg rally in 1934, the stadium had a giant eagle with a 100-foot wingspread, as well as thousands of swastika banners. It was surrounded by 130 anti-aircraft searchlights with a range of 250,000 feet, shining into the sky and forming walls of light around a crowd of 200,000 party supporters waving 20,000 flags.

Question 31

Propaganda: Use of sport

Answer 31

Goebbels also used sport to influence attitudes and increase support for the Nazi Party and Nazi attitudes. He did this by ‘Nazifying’ sport. This meant:

Covering sports stadiums with Nazi symbols, linking enthusiasm for sports with enthusiasm for Nazism.

Insisting that all teams – including visiting teams – make the Nazi straight-armed salute during the German national anthem, so that sports stars seemed to be paying respect to the Nazi state.

Hailing sports victories as victories for Nazi ideals, such as striving to be the best.

Question 32

Propaganda used during the Olympic games held in Berlin

Answer 32

They built a stadium which held 110,000 people – largest in the world and blistered with swastikas and other Nazi symbols.

All events were staged to demonstrate Nazi efficiency

They won 33 medals, the most. Goebbels called this a success for Nazism.

The games were filmed by one of Germany’s leading film directors. She released 2 films in 1938 to promote Nazi propaganda.

There was also another element of censorship, the Reich Press Chamber issued an order that if the press printed any information about the Olympics before the official press report, it was ‘at their own risk’.

Question 33

Propaganda: Control of culture and the Arts

Answer 33

Romantic ideas about Germany’s past. E.g., country life and strong families

Nazi ideals, like loyalty, struggle, self-sacrifice and discipline.

Question 34

Features of Nazi buildings - linked to propaganda

Answer 34

He built huge buildings so if could signify power and permanence.

He also features domes, arches and pillars from Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece to make them seem grand and historic.

His buildings were decorated with Nazi flags party for artistic effect but also the Nazi Party’s power reflected on the buildings.

Question 35

OPPOSITION: secret trade unions

Answer 35

the KPD continued to encourage workers to oppose the Nazis. The workers would deliberately stay off work or damage machinery in order to undermine Nazi buildings.

Question 36

OPPOSITION: amongst the young

Answer 36

many young people didn’t like the Nazis and objected to their social policies.

Question 37

OPPOSITION: secret army

Answer 37

General Ludwig Beck was Chief of Staff of the German Army. In 1938, he attempted to get fellow officers to arrest Hitler. He even sent a message to the British, saying the German Army wouldn’t fight if Britain attacked Germany. Beck led plots to kill Hitler in 1943 and 1944.

Question 38

OPPOSITION: secret political parties

Answer 38

the SPD in 1933 printed an opposition newspaper, 3,000 copies were made. The organisers were arrested and sent to concentration camps. SPD leaders then set up SOPADE – the SPD abroad – to campaign against the Nazis.

Question 39

OPPOSITION: amongst the Churches

Answer 39

Because Hitler and the Nazis tried to control religion in Germany (by closing religious schools), many religious leaders opposed them, both openly and in secret.

Question 40

How did Hitler try to control religion in Germany

Answer 40

Catholic bishops had to swear allegiance to the Nazi Regime; Catholic schools and Catholic youth groups were closed.

Protestant pastors were told to join the German Christian Church, which accepted Nazi interference in the running of Protestant churches. Nazis called it the Reich church. Many pastors conformed but some Christian leaders resisted.

Question 41

The Confessing Church

Answer 41

In 1934, the PEL set up the Confessing Church. This meant there were two Protestant Churches in Germany. The Reich Church – accepted Nazi interference within the church. The Confessing Church – opposed Nazi interference

Question 42

What was the role of Pastor Martin Niemöller and what were his views

Answer 42

However, he opposed Nazi interference in the running of the Protestant Church in Germany. He was a founder of the PEL in 1933 and the Confessing Church in 1934.

Niemöller also opposed the Nazi ban on Jews becoming Christians – although he didn’t oppose other restrictions on Jews which the Nazis imposed in the 1930s.

Question 43

Youth opposition: The Edelweiss Pirates

Answer 43

The Pirates consisted of teens – boys and girls, who resented the military discipline of the Nazi youth groups and the general lack of freedom in Nazi Germany. They often changed their looks to stress their own freedom to choose.

In the cities, they hung on the streets where they couldn’t be distinguished from the public by the Gestapo. If they came across any Hitler youth, they would attack them. To break away from adults and Nazi restrictions, the Pirates went on hikes in the countryside. They made jokes about mocking the Nazis.

Question 44

Youth opposition: The Swing Youth

Answer 44

Mainly teens from wealthy, middle-class families, located in big towns. They admired American culture. Because they were from wealthier families, the Swing Youth often owned record players and played records illegally imported from America. They would listen to music, drink and eventually began to organise illegal dances and were attended to by 6000 young people. They listened to jazz music which the Nazis opposed.

Question 45

Opposition of Edelweiss Pirates and the Swing youth to the Nazis was limited

Answer 45

Their actions were limited. Apart from anti-Nazi graffiti and jokes, the Pirates and Swing Youth didn’t do much. It was only when WW2 began that they physically attacked against the government.

Their numbers were limited. By 1939, the Pirates were numbered to 2,000. Hitler youth was 8 million.