Nazi Control and Dictatorship Flashcards
When was the Reichstag Fire?
27 February 1933
How did the Reichstag Fire help Hitler strengthen is power?
1) Gave him the opportunity to accuse communists of a conspiracy against the government & arrest 4000 of them
2) Excuse to issue Decree for the Protection of the People and the State - powers to imprison political opponents and ban opposition newspapers
3) Persuaded Hindenburg to call an election in March 1933 to secure more Nazi seats
4) Used emergency powers to prevent communists taking their seats in the Reichstag
5) All this meant he could now change the constitution
What was the Enabling Act?
The destruction of the power of the Reichstag - giving Hitler total power to make laws
When was the Enabling Act passed?
March 1933
what did Hitler use to ensure the Enabling Act was passed?
Intimidation by the SA
How did the Enabling Act affect trade unions and political parties?
1) Local government - closed down and reorganised under the Nazis. Eventually completely abolished in January 1934
2) Trade unions - replaced with German Labour Front
3) Other political parties - May 1933 offices & funds of SPD and KPD taken. July 1933 other parties banned
When was the SS established?
1925
What was the original role of the SS?
To be Hitler’s bodyguards
When was the Night of the Long Knives?
June 1934
What happened on the Night of the Long Knives?
Arrested and shot the leaders of the SA to remove the potential threat they posed to Hitler’s power.
When did Hindenburg die?
August 1934
What happened to Hitler’s power following the death of Hindeburg?
The Law Concerning the Head of State merged the offices of chancellor and president. Hitler able to create a new office of Fuhrer.
What happened to the army after the death of Hindenburg?
Had to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler, rather than to Germany
Which group controlled all Germany’s police and security forces?
The SS
What was the SD?
The Security Service
- Set up in 1931 to spy on opponents of the Nazi party
What was the Gestapo?
The secret police
- Set up in 1933 to spy on people and prosecute them for speaking out against the Nazis. Sent people to concentration camps and used torture
How did Hitler change the legal system to consolidate his power?
1) Judges had to join the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law
2) Judges had to favour the Nazi party in any decision
3) Abolished trial by jury - judges decided the verdict
4) Set up a People’s Court to hear treason cases in secret using hand-picked judges
When was the first concentration camp built, and what was it called?
- Dachau
Why did the Church pose a problem for Hitler?
Christian beliefs and Nazi beliefs went against each other, so the Church posed a threat to his power.
How did Hitler try to lessen the Catholic threat?
Concordat signed in July 1933. Agreement with the pope that Catholics can worship freely and run their own schools if they stay out of politics.
When was the Concordat signed?
July 1933
How did Hitler break the Concordat?
1) Priests opposing the Nazis harassed or sent to concentration camps
2) Catholic schools made to remove Christian symbols, and were later closed down
3) Catholic youth organisations banned
When did the pope speak out against Hitler & what is this speech known as?
- ‘With Burning Anxiety’
What two Protestant Churches were formed during the 1930s?
1) The Reich Church
2) The Confessional Church
What was the Reich Church?
A church founded in 1933. Made up of about 2000 Protestant churches, led by Muller and supported by the Nazis. Some members wore Nazi uniforms and called themselves German Christians.
What was the Confessional Church?
Founded in 1934. Made up of about 6000 Protestant churches. Opposed the Nazis so was repressed by them. Led by Martin Niemoller.
Who became minister for propaganda in 1933?
Josef Goebbels
How did the Nazis censor ideas that challenged them?
1) Public burning of books by Jewish writers
2) Radio producers, playwrights, filmmakers and newspapers told what to say
3) Newspapers opposing the Nazis shut down
4) Only radios that could not receive foreign stations were made
What methods of propaganda did the Nazis use?
1) Posters showing Nazi beliefs
2) Rallies and military parades showing Nazi strength
3) Cinema showed propaganda films as well as entertainment films that included a subtle Nazi message
4) Speeches on the radio that everyone had to listen to
5) Art was made that glorified Nazi ideals
6) Berlin Olympics in 1936
When was the Nuremberg Rally?
1934
When was the Reich Chamber of Culture set up & what did it do?
1933.
Monitored all aspects of culture and made sure it was consistent with Nazi ideas.
What does gleichscaltung mean?
The desire to ensure all German culture was consistent with Nazi ideals. Translates as co-ordination.
Who was Martin Niemoller?
The leader of the Confessing Church. Opponent of the Nazis. Arrested many times between 1934 and 1937. Eventually sent to a concentration camp in 1938.
How did pastors and priests oppose the Nazis?
1) 6000 joined the Confessional Church
2) 800 pastors arrested and sent to concentration camps
3) 400 Catholic priests spoke out and were imprisoned in the Priests’ Block in Dachau
Who were the Edelweiss Pirates?
A group of young people who did not want to join the Hitler Youth. Generally working class. Listened to banned music and read banned books. The Nazis did not see them as a real threat. 2000 members by 1939.
Who were the Swing Youth?
A group of young people who chose not to conform to Nazi ideals. Wore American clothes, went to dances and listened to American music. Generally children from wealthy families.
How effective was opposition to the Nazis up to 1939?
Limited to anti-Nazi graffiti, anti-Nazi jokes, truanting the Hitler Youth etc. Did not pose a real threat to the Nazi Party.
