Nazi Germany - Government Flashcards
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
-power is democratically vested in the people with universal suffrage for those over 20
- e.g Fuhrerprinzip: Hitler had unlimited, ultimate power under Nazi Germany
- Dictatorship not democracy
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
-Democratic voting - proportional representation
-one party state
-no proportional representation
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
-The weimar constitution contained checks & balances to try & ensure no one part of the political system could become too powerful
Hitler had all the power
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
-president was head of state, chancellor was head of government
Hitler is both Chancellor and President together
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
-President had power to suspend the constitution, & rule by decree in emergencies (Article 48)
-from the enabling Act, Hitler has all the power
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
Chancellor presents laws to parliament with ministers; needs a majority in the Reichstag
One party state
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
Decentralised/ Federal structure of governance
- The Nazis wanted a centralised structure
- January 1934 - Law for the reconstruction of the Reich - The Lander were officially terminated (no more local government)
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
Civil service are responsible for the administration of government
-Civil service decisions were often overruled, as they had limited power under the Fuhrerprinzip
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
-Equality which had been protected under the constitution
- The principle of Volksgemeinschaft - ‘The people’s community’
- Racial inequality emerged, as the principle suggested Germany was a racially united body working together for the good of the nation
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
Freedom - Bill of Rights protected individual rights
- Freedom eradicated
- Gestapo and SS are examples of authorities set up to monitor & strip people of their freedom
Describe how an aspect of Weimar Government, is different under the Nazis
Social rights - protection of the disabled
sterilisation was set up for disabled people on July 14th 1933
Define Führerprinzip
The Nazi ideology that all power and sovereignty (supreme power/authority) is vested in the leader
Define Volksgemeinschaft
- The Nazi principle of the “people’s community”
- The German nation is united
- Individuals are expected to obey the Nazi government and make sacrifices for the common good of Germany
Define Federal structure
Where powers and responsibilities are shared between central and regional governments
How did the Nazi government establish a strict hierarchical order under the policy of Führerprinzip
- Adolf Hitler was the leader of the nation and had ultimate ‘Führer’ power
- At each level of govt, there was one person who was clearly in charge, to tell the people what to do
- They took responsibility for all problems on their level, and reported to someone at the next level up
Give evidence that the Fuhrerprinzip principle did not mean Hitler held all power
- Few decisions were actually made by Hitler himself, he was often absent from Berlin - he only personally issued 34 decrees in his 12 years in power.
- It was in the area of foreign policy that he took most control.
What was critical for the Nazi government to establish a strict hierarchical order under the policy of Führerprinzip
- people to work together and to not make their own decisions or to use their initiative.
How did Hitler maintain broad principles in his government whilst, working towards the ‘Fuhrer’, while often being absent from Berlin
- Those who demonstrated loyaly, conforming to Hitler’s broad principles, and run their office/ministry/sphere accordingly were given more power and responsibility
- For example, Joseph Goebbels in the Ministry of Propaganda
- This helped Hitler to preserve his own authority - ‘working towards the fuhrer’
Describe how the Reich’s chancellery (the Reichstag) operated in the Nazi government
- Power was illusory, it was a puppet ministry
- The Reichstag remained, but it only passed seven laws between 1934 and 1945.
- The Fuhrer Chancellery had equivalent cabinets which would override it
Why did the Reich’s Chancellery only pass 7 laws from 1934-45
- After the signing of the Enabling Act on March 24, 1933,
- the Nazi government had to authority to override legislative (law-making) processes in parliament
- and make and enforce laws.
How did Hitler keep some continuity with ministers in the Nazi government
Hitler kept the cabinet of ministers and the ministries from the former Weimar government as a part of the Reich’s chancellery.
Give an example of how Hitler kept some continuity with ministers in the Nazi government
Hitler kept the Foreign Minister from
{Chancellor Von Papen and Chancellor von Schleicher}’s governments, Von Neurath, in power.
How was the Reich’s cabinet restricted in power
- However, the powers of former Weimar ministries and ministers, operating within the Reich Chancellery
- were restricted as they ran alongside the new ministries and offices of the Fuhrer Chancellery.
Give an example of how the Reich’s cabinet was restricted in power
- From 1934, the Bureau Ribbentrop operated alongside Von Neurath’s Foreign Ministry,
- and it was either Ribbentrop or another loyal Nazi official
- who were entrusted with diplomatic missions
- not the Foreign Minister, Von Neurath
What new sectors were set up as a apart of the Fuhrer Chancellery
- Ministries - Reich Propaganda Ministry
- Offices - 4 year plan
- Health
- Race
- Family
- Highways
Why did Hitler do his best to stop people working together
as this made it easier for opposition groups to form
How did Hitler do his best to stop people working together
- Hitler abolished cabinet meetings
- and ministers worked individually, sending draft laws and policies to each other on paper.
What was the issue of having ministries that were often duplicated
this meant decision making was inefficient
Give an example as to how duplicated ministries made decision making inefficient
- The Office of the Four Year Plan was creating economic policy
- just the same as the Economics Ministry was responsible for economic policy
Describe how often the cabinet met as Nazi Germany progressed
- The role of the cabinet declined
- it met 72 times in 1933
- but only 4 times in 1936
Describe the general belief system in Nazi Germany, which worked towards the common good
- The Nazis worked on the principle of Volksgemeinschaft - the “people’s community.”
- The German nation as a racially united body worked for the good of the nation and the common good.
- Individuals were expected to obey the Nazi government and make sacrifices for the nation.
How did the Nazi party establish tight levels of control over “political matters” using the gestapo
- The secret police set up under Hermann Goering on April 26, 1933.
- The Gestapo was taken over by Himmler’s Schutzstaffel in 1936.
- Control of its citizens was an important feature of the Nazi state.
The Nazi state established tight levels of control over “political matters” by using the …….
gestapo
How did the Gestapo & SS extend their level of control
- developed their own judiciary that ran alongside the existing court system for “political” offences.
What were Gestapo-controlled concentration camps
- In 1933, they were set up to manage political prisoners
- The existing judiciary found that people they had freed were arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in concentration camps,
- where they could be held indefinitely without trial
Name the first 3 Gestapo-controlled concentration camps that were set up in 1933
Dachau, Buchenwald and Sacherhausen
The civil service was centralised with William Frick, Minister of the Interior, running…..
both regional and local governments (the Länder).
The administration of the Nazi regime was, like the Weimar Republic, largely done by the………………. under their new minister, …………….. , in the Ministry of the Interior
civil service
William Frick
What is the difference between William Frick’s civil service & the Weimar Republic
As part of the Nazi state, it operated within Nazi ideology and ran on the ideology of the Führerprinzip (“leadership principle”)
How did Hitler endorse a policy of “divide and rule” to enhance his own power and distract those who might covet (desire) it
Frick’s Civil Service frequently came into conflict with the officials and bodies in the Führer Chancellery and Nazi Party officials
The Nazis were against the division of Germany into………(1)
They wanted a ………(2) state, with a ……….(2) administration
- Länder (regional government bodies).
- centralised
How did the Nazis remove the Lander from power, to create a centralised state
- As early as March 1933, the Länder were stripped of many of their powers
- On January 30, 1934, the Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich officially terminated them, saying that the German people now had a unity that overrode regional differences
Frick’s civil service frequently came into conflict with the……
Gauleiters, who were in charge of the regional party organisation.
