Nazi Germany - Establishment of Nazi Dictatorship and its Domestic Policies 1933-39 Flashcards
Legal Methods used for Hitler to create a Dictatorship
Reichstag Fire - Feb 1933
Decree for Protection of People and state - Feb 1933
Election - March 1933
Enabling Act - March 1933
What was the Reichstag Fire?
Parliament building in Berlin was burnt down - communists blamed creating bigger division
What was the Decree of Protection of People and State?
Hitler was granted emergency powers.
Political and Civil liberties were suspended and many anti Nazis arrested
What happened in the 1933 Elections?
Hitler called the Elections. Votes increased to 43.9%
What was the Enabling Act?
2/3 of the Reichstag gave Hitler the power of the Enabling Act.
This gave Hitler all the power and ability to change and make laws
Government -> Dictatorship
What was the Gleichschaltung?
Nazification of Society ensuring co-operation with the regime
What did the Nazis do to the Federal State?
- Parliaments dissolved then abolished
- Reich Governors created
What did the Nazis do to the Political Parties?
- Communists banned after Reichstag Fire
- SDP banned
- Parties agreed to dissolve themselves
What did the Nazis do to the Trade Unions?
- Union Premises were Occupied
- Funds seized, leaders Conc. camps
- Independent unions banned and replaced by DAF
What was the Night of Long Knives (NOLK)?
- Ernst Rohm wanted to merge army and SA
- Army refused due to SA’s indiscipline
- Rohm and SA leaders executed in 1934
Consequences of NOLK?
- Removed SA and won support of conservative right.
- Army took a Oath of Loyalty to Hitler
- SS emerged as independent organisation
- Hitler secured dictatorship
- Hindenburg died making Hitler Fuhrer
Why was Hitler’s role limited?
- Rival Power of Gov., SS and Nazi Party
- Hitler relied on subordinates to put wishes into practise
- Hitler’s own personality meant he enjoyed long sleeps and absence from Berlin
- Avoided Decision making and also he despised meetings and paperwork
What was the role of the Nazi Party and the State
-Totalitarian party
2 things to help create a Volksgemeinschaft
- glorifying war and Aryan race
- spreading Nazism and Nazi values
Nazi Ideology/Beliefs
- maintenance of racial purity
- blaming Jews for problems
- peoples community
