Nazi Dictatorship Flashcards
What was the full title of the Nazi party?
National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis- NSDAP)
Who was Anton Drexler and what did he do?
He founded the DAP, (German Workers Party), in 1919
How did Hitler become party leader?
- Hitler first attended a DAP meeting(as a spy) and shared their views in rallying against the communists and socialists for bringing down the kaiser, the weimar republic and T.O.V and also the Jews who they blamed for undermining the German economy- September 1919
- Hitler began working as Drexler’s right-hand man and together they announced the new 25 point programme- included scrapping T.O.V and expanding Germany’s borders as well as depriving Jews of German citizenship- February 1920
- Hitler= great public speaker (orator) and he began to attract larger numbers to the meetings. Membership grew rapidly to 1100
- Hitler suggested the DAP change their name to the NSDAP and adopt the swastika as its emblem- August 1920
- Hitler pushed Dexler aside and became party leader and then sets up the SA- Mid-1921
Who were the leaders of the SA? When was the SA set up?
Herman Goring (first leader) and Ernst Rohm (killed during NOLK) mid-1921
Why was the SA set up?
- Hitler faced a lot of opposition from opposing parties and from fellow Nazis
- To deal with this- set up the SA- own private army
- Made up of violent ex-soldiers and their reputation grew very quickly due to shows of violence at political events
- Hitler therefore removed opposition due to fear SA created
How did the Nazis become a significant political party by 1928?
-The SA
-The Swastika
turned them from a political party into a household brand. Membership grew quickly
-Charmisa
Hitler- charismatic and a great orator, gathered huge crowds at public speeches
This increased the Nazi audience and allowed them to convey their ideas to the masses
Support for the party increased as a result, and also no other political party had such a ‘hypnotic’ speaker
What was the Dawes plan of 1924?
- USA lend money to Germany to help pay reparations to Britain, France and Belgium (800 million marks)
- Also German government use money to rebuild German economy
- GB and France pay US for loans accrued during WW1
Germany in the 1920’s relied on America, ‘America sneezes and the whole world catches a cold’
most loans were only short term and could be recalled at any point
What impact did the Great Depression have on Germany?
Stresemann: Germany is dancing on a volcano-1929’-economy will collapse if loans are called in
Too much production + people have little money -> demand falls -> Stock of unsold goods -> profit falls -> lack of confidence -> people start to sell shares -> panic -> CRASH
- Bankers and financiers in the USA recalled loans made to Germany = Germany had no money
- Many German companies relied on US investments, even German banks took out US loans and gave them to German businessmen
- US loans were mostly short-term, so they could be recalled at any moment
- Germany did not need to produce so much so factories closed and employees were sacked- Industrial production dropped by 49% by 1932 of its 1929 value.
- Also affected German farmers
- The impact of the WSC led to the GD and this affected many European companies
- Between 1929-1932 world trade fell by 70%
how did Hitler become Chancellor in February 1933?
backstairs intrigue
Von Papen’s misjudgement of Hitler- thought he could control him
how did the Great Depression lead to Hitler becoming chancellor/impacting it happening?
highlighted weakness of Weimar government
therefore people began to turn to political extremism
Nazis promised to rebuild the economy and 6 million were unemployed in 1932 = desperacy. needed extremist help
without it- may actually be argued that the Nazis would have remained a minor party as no growth in seats in Reichstag prior to this. 12 seats in 1928, 107 in 1930, 230 in 1932
how many seats did the Nazis have in 1932?
230
how many seats did the Nazis have in 1928?
12
what was appealing about the Nazi party during a time of crisis?
Nazi leadership, organisation by Himmler Goebbles propaganda Hitler's powerful skills as an orator Nazi promises- bread and work etc anti-Weimar stance
what other factors may have helped Hitler achieve the position of Chancellor in February 1933?
lack of opposition- Nazi leadership and effectiveness highlighted and was a foil to the lack of organisation of the Communist party
what is known as the Gleichschaltung period?
January 1933 and August 1934
what does Gleichschaltung mean?
bringing into order/getting things into line
essentially Nazi process of a totalitarian system
when does President Hindenburg die and what happens as a result of his death?
August 1934
Hitler combines the roles of President and Chancellor to become Fuhrer
what are some negative aspects of Hitler’s dictatorship that highlights he is a weak leader?
he assumed many problems would sort themselves out on their own
propaganda exaggerated the amount of jews in work
not enough Gestapo officials to go around- 1 million people had 28 staff
public work schemes such as the autobahn were only a short-term solution to the problem of unemployment post Depression
rearmament was his economic priority, but they mass produced and it wasn’t even all used
what was the Hitler myth and how my it be considered effective?
a carefully cultivated image by Goebbles
Hitler personified the nation
responsible for economic miracle, defended Germany against enemies
it satisfied the German people’s need for a strong government
It was sustained by Hitler’s successes after 1933
reaction to weakness of divided Weimar system
increased Hitler’s popularity- by late 30’s 90% of the population admired him
brought Germany together due to its strong appeal
helped cover up inconsistencies and failures
what was ineffective about the Hitler myth?
contributed to the decline of the third reich
popularity of Hitler gave him more freedom from the elites and led to radical nature that weakened the regime
Hitler began to believe in the myth- that he was infallible
military failures after 1941 led to a decline in the myths belief
who was the government official for the economy?
Goring
who was the party official for the economy?
Schacht
who was the police government official?
Himmler
who was the police party official?
Frick