Nazi Germany 04 Flashcards
What did the Nazi party need in the Reichstag to pass laws?
2/3 majority
How did Hitler achieve a 2/3 majority in the Reichstag?
1) he attempted to stop other political parties campaigns
2) he dictated the media/ news coverage
3) he blamed communists for the Reichstag fire of Feb 1933, which allowed him to make the communist party illegal and imprison communists through his use of THE ENABLING ACT
What was the enabling act
March - 1933
- Cabinet (Hitler) could pass decrees without the president’s involvement
- passed by 441 votes to 94 as opposing parties such as the KDP were banned or were strongly encourages by military personnel (S.S members) to allow it to pass.
- significant because shifted power dynamic between Hitler and President as dramatically increased the authority Hitler had as the only person above him politically was the president who was now prevented from interfering. SECURED HIS PLAN AS DICTATOR
What was the night of the long knives
- execution of prominent S.A members which was ordered by Hitler, who saw their existence as a threat to his authoritarian style leadership - because of rumoured uprising against Hitler
Which significant generals were killed in the night of the long knives
- Von Schliecher
- Von Bredow
- final step in eliminating surviving threats to his leadership
Why was the growing concern of Industrialists significant
- elite members of German society saw Communism as a major threat to their business and considered Hitler as Chancellor as they believed he would be able to terminate the growth of Communism
What is the significance of the Reichstag fire
- started by a communist in early 1933 which gave prominent politicians an opportunity to attack communism
- Nazis exploited this moderate act to show the possible danger people would be in if communism controlled the country
When did Hitler become Führer
August 1st 1933 - day before Hindenburg died
Surname of Nazi in charge of propaganda
Goebbels
Summary of the ways power was sustained for the Nazis in Germany
- totalitarianism, government always watching
- terror
- propaganda
Examples of propaganda used in Nazi Germany
Simple idea+ symbols ie swastikas
Hitler Myth, representing him as strong and god like
Nazi films, reflecting Nazi ideologies
censorship in the media, by 1944 82% of newspapers were Nazi controlled
Radio, by 1939 70% of Germany owned a radio
Nazi displays, such as 1936 one where 1 million attended
Berlin olympics, used to show off wealth
Examples of the use of terror in Nazi Germany
The SS (schutzstaffel), intimidating bodyguard for Hitler
The Gestapo (the secret police)
Local wardens, who had to ensure that everyone was pro Nazi and were encouraged to report those who weren’t
Concentration camps + death camps
Examples of propaganda
Examples of Totalitarianism in Nazi Germany
The police were able to read people’s mail, listen in on their phone calls etc… due to the enabling act
The SD (Sicherheitsdienst) the Nazi Intellegence service increased supervision
The judiciary system was Nazi biased
Civil servants were sacked if anti- Nazi
What were the Nazis attitude towards the church?
Hitler maintained good relations with Catholics in his rise to power, however as some of their ideologies disagreed with Nazi ideologies:
By 1935 Catholic priests were being arrested
By 1939 Catholic education was depleted
Hitler reorganised the Protestant Church and called it the “Reich Church”, replacing crucifixes with swastikas
He did this to gain more control over the church
Opposition in Nazi Germany
The left: formed underground groups, however these were often infiltrated by the Gestapo and some were executed
The Church: little opposition
Youth:
- Edelweiss pirates: they helped escaped cc prisoners etc…
- Swing Kids: opposed Nazi culture, listened to American music etc…
