Nazi's rise to Power

Question 1

When was the Nazi’s first real win in terms of politics?

Answer 1

September 1930 elections
–> both KPD and NSDAP (Nazis) made gains
–> support for Nazis boosted by SA (sturmabteilung) and its attacks on political opponents

Question 2

April 1932 Presidential elections: who was opposed to Hitler?

Answer 2

Hindenberg was persuaded to run again to ensure Hitler did not win
–> won by 19.4 million votes to Hitler’s 13.4 million votes
–> Hindenberg needed a chancellor that would pull together a successful coalition and gain the support of the people (Von Papen failed)

Question 3

1932 presidential Elections

Answer 3

After Von Papen, Brüning postponed the election due to political unrest and suggested a 2 year extension to Hindenberg’s presidency

–> Hitler and Hindenberg refused and Hindenberg won the most votes again

Question 4

After the 1932 presidential elections, although the Nazi’s had the most seats in the Reichstag, who was asked to be chancellor?

Answer 4

Kurt Von Schleicher and offered Hitler a place in the cabinet –> Hitler refused

• Hindenberg refused to rule by decree and was eventually convinced by Von Papen to make Hitler chancellor to control him

Question 5

When did Hitler become the Chancellor of Germany?

Answer 5

30th January 1933

Question 6

Nazi votes in the Reichstag elections from 1930-1932

Answer 6

14th Sept: 107 (18.3%)
31 July 1932: 230 (37.4%)
6 Nov 1932: 196 (33.1%)

Question 7

Although Hitler became chancellor in Jan 1933, what problems did he still face?

Answer 7

Nazi party was not majority party (only 1/3 of seats)

Hindenberg still had presidential powers and distrusted Hitler

Only 12 cabinet members were Nazis

Question 8

What was the Reichstag fire? How did it benefit the Nazi’s?

Answer 8

27th February 1933: Reichstag was deliberately burnt down & Nazis caught Marinus van de Lubbe (young dutch communist) who had caused the fire)

–>Nazis were credited with catching arsonist
–>Nazis could stir up anti-communist propaganda
–> Nazis gained both political and financial support (German industrialists contributed generously to Nazi funds as their fear of communism rise: 3 million Reichsmarks)

Question 9

What did Hitler gain from the Reichstag fire from Hindenberg?
What was the decree of protection?

Answer 9

declare state of emergency –> gave hitler control of police and power to govern over Germany by decree without the Reichstag

Decree of protection of People and state - suspended civil rights of citizens (could now legally arrest political opponents and ban opposition newspapers

Question 10

5th March elections 1933

Answer 10

By using his (legal) emergency powers to arrest opponents and his violent (illegal) campaign tactics
–>Very high turnout 88% = influence & intimidation of SA
–> 17.5 million votes then 288 seats in Reichstag (43.9%)
–> banned 81 communists from taking their seats

Question 11

Hitler during the Reichstag opening (Day of Potsdam)

Answer 11

21 March 1933: opened Reichstag in ceremony at Postdam Garrison Church where army and SA formed military guard together
–> audience of both Nazis and old govt under Swastikas and flags of the old empire was meant to stress Hitler’s acceptance by old members (made Nazis look respectable to the people)

Question 12

Enabling Act 1933

Answer 12

March 24th Reichstag passed Law for the Removal of the Distress of the People and the Reich (enabling act) by 444 to 84
–> gave Hitler the right to pass laws without Reichstag for only 4 years (tore up Weimar constitution)

Question 13

What did Hitler do after the enabling act was put into effect?

Answer 13

got rid of parties in Reichstag, one by one until: 14th July 1933, a law banned all remaining parties and made the country into a one party state

Question 14

The Night of the Long knives

Answer 14

30th June 1934 Ernst Röhm and other senior SA officers were arrested and shot the next day
–> over the next few days, several hundreds were murdered by SS E.G. Von Schleicher and his wife

SA were seen as giving the Nazi’s a bad image and were critical of Hitler’s conciliation of the old govt, army and industrialists
–> people were relieved that Hitler had tamed the SS

Question 15

Who were the SS?

Answer 15

Schutzstaffel: protective squad that began in 1925
–> Hitler’s black shirted elite body guards but later on took more political policing
–> Heinrich Himmler was the leader

Question 16

What is the Gestapo?

Answer 16

Nazi secret police who were allowed to arrest and imprison people without trial

Question 17

What is Gleichschaltung?

Answer 17

Co-ordination ( degeneration of Weimar’s democracy into the Nazi state system

3 parts:
Federal states, Trade Unions, Political parties

Question 18

Gleichschaltung: Federal states

Answer 18

Regions had very strong tradition in Germany history, with previously independant states carried on as largely self-governing federal states
–>Nazi activists had already begun intimidating and infiltrating federal govt in Feb-March 1933
–> eventually developed into terror and violence

Question 19

Gleichschaltung: Federal states and the 3 legal stages

Answer 19

31st March 1933: Regional parliaments (Landtage) were dissolved and reformed with acceptable majorities (allowed Nazis to dominate govts)

7th April 1933: Law created Reich governors (Reichstatthalter) who were local party Gauleiters with full power (regional nazi leaders)

Process of centralisation was complete in Jan 1934: regional parliaments were abolished

Question 20

Gleichschaltung: Trade Unions movement

Answer 20

powerful due to mass membership and strong connections with socialism + catholicism
–> e.g. 1920 it had ended the Kapp putsch through a general strike
–> hostile to Nazi

Question 21

Gleichschaltung: Trade Unions and the Great depression

Answer 21

By May 1933, severely weakened by reducing membership (deceived themselves into believing they could work with Nazis and hold a degree of independence
–> hoped to serve its social role to help workers & provide framework for development post Nazi

Question 22

Gleichschaltung: How were Trade Unions deceived by Nazis?

Answer 22

May 1st was declared national holiday (gave impression to trade unions for cooperation)
May 2nd: trade union premises were occupied by SA and SS. union funds confiscated and leaders were arrested and sent to early conc camps e.g. Dachau

Question 23

Gleichschaltung: What happened to the independent trade unions? What is the DAF?

Answer 23

banned and all German workers organisations were absorbed into the DAF (German labour front)
–> 22 million members but acted as a method of control
–>lost its right to negotiate wages and conditions of work

Question 24

Gleichschaltung: political parties

Answer 24

Nazis openly rejected democracy:
Communists outlawed sine Reichstag fire

Assets of social democrats seized and then banned on 22 june (after trade unions destroyed)

Most remaining willingly agreed to dissolve themselves late June 1933

Catholic Centre party gave up and dissolved 5th july 1933

Question 25

Gleichschaltung: What date did Nazis become the only legal political party?

Answer 25

14th July 1933

Question 26

Gleichschaltung: success or failure?

Answer 26

Good progress by end of 1933 but far from complete:
–> no influence of Church, army and big businesses
–> civil service and education only partially co-ordinated