Nazism Flashcards
When was the Enabling Act passed?
24 March 1933
When was the First Law for the Coordination of the Federal States passed?
31 March 1933
When was the Law for the Restoration of a Professional Civil Service passed?
7 April 1933
When was the Second Law for the Coordination of the Federal States passed?
7 April 1933
When was the SPD outlawed?
22 June 1933
What were the SPD outlawed as?
A ‘party hostile to the nation and the state’.
When did the Centre Party voluntarily disband?
5 July 1933
When was the Law Against Formation of New Parties passed?
14 July 1933
When were the elections held in 1933 and what were the results?
5 March 1933; Nazis won 43.9%.
12 November 1933; Nazis won 92%.
When was the Reichsrat abolished?
14 February 1934
When was the Night of the Long Knives
30 June 1934
When did President Hindenburg die?
2 August 1934
When did Hitler take the title of Fuhrer?
19 August 1934
What was Hitler’s aim for the national socialist revolution when he came to power on 30 January 1933?
The conquest of political power.
How did Hitler view the Nazi Party?
The ‘racial core’ of the entire German people.
Why was the KPD effectively banned?
After the Reichstag fire in February, communists who had not been arrested or imprisoned had fled into exile.
When did the DNVP voluntarily dissolve?
27 June 1933
What percentage of German territory did Prussia cover?
60%
What percentage of the German population lived in Prussia?
50%
Who did Hitler appoint to the position of Reich Commissioner in Prussia in April 1933?
Hermann Goering
What is a Gauleiter?
A Nazi Party leader at regional or state level. They were the second highest ranking party official behind national (Reich) leaders.
Why did many civil servants welcome Hitler’s appointment in January 1933?
Many were taken from the army and were conservative-minded, never embracing the democratic values of the Weimar Republic.
Why was the civil service’s support for the Nazis misplaced?
They thought the Nazis would allow the civil service to be run as it was under the Kaiser, but in reality the Nazis saw them as an obstacle dictatorial power and many civil servants were forced to resign and were replaced with Nazi Party appointees.
What was the SA’s role in bringing the civil service under Nazi control?
They placed Party officials in government offices to ensure civil servants were carrying out the orders of the regime.
What had the SA membership grown to by 1934?
3 million
Who was the ‘auxiliary police’ and when were they formed?
It was a merger of the SA and the Stahlhelm, formed in February 1933.
Who was forbidden from interfering with SA activities?
The standard German police.
What does Gleichschaltung mean?
The process of Nazification, or, forcing into line.
What is the volksgemeinschaft?
The people’s community, racially pure, and was central to Nazi ideology.
What was the combined SA and Stahlhelm membership by January 1934?
4.5 million
Why did the SA’s importance decline over 1933?
They lost their ‘auxiliary police’ status in August 1933 and were now subject to stricter regulations, and there was no need for intimidation during the November elections since the Nazis were the only party.
Who was the only institution capable of removing Hitler from power?
The army, and they were loyal to Hindenburg.
Who was the only institution capable of removing Hitler from power?
The army, and they were loyal to Hindenburg.
Who was the Defence Minister under Hitler initially?
Werner von Blomberg
What did the SA begin doing in the summer of 1934 and who considered this a serious threat?
Confiscating army weapons and supplies; army leaders.
What did Blomberg do that had Hindenburg’s support?
He threatened to declare martial law and give the army power to deal with the SA.
Who carried out the events of the Night of the Long Knives?
The SS, acting on Hitler’s orders.
Who were the targets for the Night of the Long Knives?
The SA leadership and many other political opponents.
Who were the targets for the Night of the Long Knives?
The SA leadership and many other political opponents.
How many people were executed during the NOTLK?
84
How many people were arrested during the NOTLK?
1000
Which key figures were dealt with during the NOTLK?
Ernst Rohm, General Schleicher, Gregor Strasser, Gustav von Kahr, and Papen; Papen was spared death and put under house arrest.
When Hitler addressed the Reichstag on 13 July about the NOTLK, what was his justification?
He claimed he was compelled to act in order to save the country from an SA coup.
What was the army’s reaction following the NOTLK and why?
They put their support in Hitler for his decisive action in preventing an SA coup.
What was the SA membership by October 1935?
1.6 million
What did Hindenburg wish to happen after he died?
He wanted the restoration of the monarchy as expressed in a political will.
Why was Hindenburg a threat to Hitler?
He had the army and could theoretically remove Hitler from power.
What had Hindenburg considered doing to deal with the SA?
Dismissing Hitler and handing power to the army to deal with them.
What was the result of the NOTLK?
Blomberg, Hindenburg, and the army had no objections to Hitler becoming president.
When did Hindenburg die?
2 August 1934
How long did it take for an announcement to be made saying the office of president would be merged with that of the chancellor?
Within an hour of Hindenburg dying.
Other than merging the offices of president and chancellor, what else happened on the day of Hindenburg’s death?
The army swore an oath of allegiance to Hitler.
What was used to confirm Hitler’s appointment as Fuhrer?
A plebiscite was held.
When was a plebiscite held and what was it for?
19 August 1934; confirm Hitler as the Fuhrer (leader).
What was the result of the plebiscite?
89.9% of voters approved Hitler’s new role as Fuhrer.
What was the final act in the Nazi consolidation of power?
The plebiscite held on 19 August 1934.
Hitler was seen as a ‘m___ o___ d______’?
man of destiny
Name the four political police forces.
- SS
- SA
- SD
- Gestapo
Who controlled the SS and the SD?
Heinrich Himmler
When was Himmler given control of the SS, SD, and Gestapo?
1936
What was the Reich Security Department Headquarters (RHSA)?
The organisation that controlled all party and State police organisations and was supervised by the SS.
When was the Reich Security Department Headquarters (RHSA) created?
1939
What was the role of the SS after Hitler came to power?
Identifying and arresting political prisoners.
What role did Himmler assume in 1936?
chief of the German police.
What were the key qualities needed in an SS member?
Loyalty, honour, disciplined, racially pure, obedient, strict adherence to Nazi ideology.
What was the difference between the SA and the SS?
Terror and violence were used systematically as instruments of the state rather than undisciplined street brawls.
What did they do to concentration camp guards?
Brutalised to remove all feelings of humanity towards prisoners.
When and where was the first concentration camp opened?
Dachau; March 1933
Define asocials.
Those people who did not conform to the Nazi’s volksgemeinschaft - beggars, tramps, alcoholics, prostitutes, disabled.
What sort of people were the first inmates at Dachau?
Communists, socialists, trade unionists.
When was the SD established and why?
1931; to investigate claims that the party had been infiltrated by political enemies. It was the internal security service of the Nazi Party.