Political and Governmental Change Nazis 2 Flashcards
Who were the SA (Stormtroopers), what did they do and what did they originate from?
- Nazis’ private army
- Protected Nazi political meetings
- Attacked other party meetings
- Intimidated Jews + people at elections
- Originated from Freikorps
From Jul 1930 and Apr 1932 elections, how many laws were actually passed by Reichstag compared to those passed by presidential decree (by Bruning)? Why was this tolerated by SPD?
- 29 by Reichstag
- 109 by presidential decree
- SPD thought anything was better than Hitler
What was the first instance where the rise in support for extremist parties was shown, when was this, how did they gain this support and were they part of gov?
- Sep 1930 elections where both parties made gains
- SA made attacks on political opponents
- Neither KPD/NSDAP were part of gov but had a good size in Reichstag
When were the presidential elections and why did Hindenburg take part despite wanting to retire?
- Apr 1932
- Persuaded to run again due to fear that Hitler would stand
Who won and how many votes did each gain?
Hindenburg won w/ 19.4 mil compared to Hitler’s 13.4 mil votes
Who did Hindenburg offer the post of chancellor to, when and up until when did he last as Chancellor?
- von Schleicher, old army friend
- Dec 1932 to Jan 1933
What did Hindenburg offer Hitler and how did he respond?
- Offered a place in his cabinet
- Refused it
- Insisted he would only take chancellor post
What did von Schleicher suggest to do next and how did Hindenburg respond to this? What was his suggestion after this?
- Continue governing by decree as this was the only way to control Reichstag
- Hindenburg refused
- Make Hitler chancellor + make von Papen vice-chancellor so he can control Hitler
As a result what happened next and when?
30 Jan 1933 –> Hitler appointed Chancellor
Who were the two leaders of SA, when did they lead, what was the typical member like and where were they from?
- Hermann Göring 1923-31
- Ernst Röhm 1931 onwards
- Part of working class, violent + attracted by socialism in NSDAP
- Originally consisted of WW1 soldiers, then many unemployed young men in 1930s
From when to when was Muller chancellor, why did Muller’s gov collapse, how and why?
- Jun 1928 to Mar 1930
- Muller resigned after Hindenburg refused to use Article 48
- Government was divided over measures to deal w/ slump
After this who was appointed, who was he, up until when was he chancellor and why?
- Bruning (ZP member)
- From Mar 1930 to May 1932
- Hindenburg did not like Bruning’s proposals to break up bankrupt Prussian estates so dismissed him
- Schleicher, who had initially advised for his appointment, turned against him
What ban did Brüning crucially make in Apr 1932 and why ?
- Banned SA
- To reduce street violence
Who became Chancellor after this, how, when did this happen, how long was he Chancellor and what kind of gov did he form?
- von Papen
- May 1932 –> von Schleicher persuaded Hindenburg to ask von Papen to form a non-party gov consisting of the elite
- Up until Nov 1932
- Presidential gov
Why did Brüning use Article 48 so much?
- Restrict civil liberties
- Authoritarianism was best way to guard Catholicism
- Could not rely on majority support in Reichstag
What was the appeal of Nazis for different groups of people and which groups were less susceptible to NSDAP?
- Lower middle class –> Promised to protect them from power of big businesses by militant power of department stores and attracting small business owners
- Women –> Promised economic security + greater respect for their traditional role
- Protestants –> Appealed to their nationalism, promising to protect GER from communist threat
- Working class –> Promised ‘work and bread’
- Middle class –> Promised to protect traditional values + wealth of middle class from communist rev
- Less susceptible grps were Catholic + working class
What did NSDAP offer, what did Hitler believe, what was his initial strategy to seize power and how and when did this change?
- Offered national rebirth
Beliefs: - Racism (esp anti-semitism)
- Social Darwinism
- Opposed democracy
- Supported political violence
- Blamed traditional rulers
- Changed plan from seizing power in a Putsch to winning it through elections after failure of Munich Putsch
How did Hitler present himself to the German people?
- Strong man
- Contrasted himself to traditional politicians who only talked but did not take action
- Ordinary man, as he was not an aristocrat but rather fought on frontline during WW
In what ways did the crisis of political violence weaken the Weimar Republic?
- Indicated democracy had failed to ensure law + order
- Nationalists supported violence of SA
Which two politicians wanted an alliance with the Nazis in second half of 1932 and why?
- von Papen + von Schleicher
- Authoritarian gov would have popular legitimacy + mass support in Reichstag
Why did senior military officers + senior bankers and industrialists want Hitler to enter gov?
- Military officers –> Ensure loyalty of SA could be used to fight Red Front in event of communist rev
- Bankers + industrialists –> Protect wealth + property of Germany’s middle class in threat of communist rev
What major action did von Papen take in Jun 1932?
Lifted ban on SA
How did von Papen play a role in undermining democracy?
- Jul 1932 –> Deposed Socialist-led coalition gov in Prussia
Why did Hindenburg dissolve the Reichstag + hold an election (Jul 1932), what were the results and as a result, what did Hitler ask for?
- Deadlock in Reichstag
- NSDAP + KPD won over half the seats
- Hitler asked Hindenburg to be made Chancellor
Give an example to show the continuing lack of support for von Papen and what did Hindenburg do after thus?
- Voted no confidence by 512 to 42 votes
- Dissolved Reichstag after one day
- Called new elections (contrary to constitution )
What were the results of Nov 1932 elections and what did Hindenburg have to do after this?
- Nazis’ share of votes fell from 37% to 33%
- KPD made further gains
- Rule by decree
What problems did Hitler face in Jan 1933, despite being Chancellor?
- Only had 40% Reichstag seats (needed 50% to pass laws + 2/3 maj to change constitution)
- Only 2/12 cabinet members were Nazis: Wilhelm Frich, Minister of the Interior + Hermann Göring, Minister w/out Portfolio
- Hindenburg still had all of his presidential powers + distrusted Hitler
- Civil rights protected by constitution, limiting legal intimidation
- Germany has federal system
- Other political parties existed
- Unions had power
- Free press
- Army suspicious of Hitler
- Nazi radicals critical of Hitler’s leadership
What was the Reichstag Fire, who was suspected to have done it, why and what is it actually them?
- 27 Feb –> Reichstag deliberately burnt down
- Young Dutch communist, Marinus van de Lubbe as he was supposedly carrying evidence that he had set the fire
- Possible the fire was set by Nazis, but van de Lubbe was scapegoat for it
What benefits did the fire create for Nazis?
- Credit for catching arsonist
- Stirred up anti-communist propaganda
- German industrialists contributed generously to Nazi funds due to rising fear of communism
- 28 Feb –> Hitler was able to persuade Hindenburg to declare state of emergency
- Hitler was able to persuade Hindenburg to call an election for 5 Mar
How did Hitler use emergency powers to his advantage?
- Decree for Protection of the People and the State –> suspended civil rights of German citizens (Clause 1), Hitler’s gov has right to enforce law and order in GER states (Clause 2), allowing Hitler to legally arrest political opponents + ban opposition newspapers
How many votes + seats did the Nazis win, how did they do this and did they have a majority?
- 43.91%
- 288 seats
- Violent campaign tactics + arrested political opponents
- Held majority due to support of 52 seats won by DNVP
Give examples of propaganda used by NSDAP during the election:
- 31 Jan 1933 –> ‘Appeal to the German People’, where bad economic conditions were blamed on terrorist actions of communists
- Promised 3 mil RM
SOPADE and what they did:
- Social Democrats in exile
- Gathered info about public opinion in GER to pass onto Allies
Legal Revolution:
- Reichstag Fire
- 1933 elections
- Day of Potsdam
- Enabling Act
Why did Hitler want to get rid of the SA, despite the help they had given to get him to power?
- Bad for Nazi image, as they were considered thugs
- Loyal to Rohm who was increasingly critical of Hitler’s willingness to compromise w/ traditional autocracy rather than seizing power by force
- Did not need SA as he had the Gestapo and SS
When was the Night of the Long Knives, what happened on the day and the following days?
- 30 Jun to 2 Jul 1934
- On the day –> Rohm and other senior SA officers arrested
- Next day –> They were shot
- Next few days –> Several hundred murdered by SS
What happened to SA after this and what were peoples’ reaction to the event?
- Continued working but in reduced form
- Used mainly for ceremonial purposes
- New leaders: Victor Lutze
- Relieved Hitler had tamed SA
Who persuaded Hitler to kill Rohm and why did they do this?
- Himmler and Goering
- Himmler: Wanted SS to have full power + Rohm was gay
- Goering: Wanted to be head of army but Rohm also wanted this
- Both: Did not like that Rohm was Hitler’s fave
In June 1934, what did Hitler order the SA to do and where were the SA as a result?
- Ordered them to go on leave for entire month
- Hanselbaur Hotel in Bad Wiesel
Hermann Goering:
- Won numerous awards for bravery in WW1 as fighter ace
- Wounded in Munich Beer Hall Putsch
- Organised Night of Long Knives
- 1928 –> Elected to Reichstag
- 1932 –> Speaker of Reichstag
- 1939 –> Named successor to Hitler
Roles: - Head of Luftwaffe
- Head of Four Year Plan Organisation
- Minister of Prussia
- Field Marshall in army
As a result of Goering’s reputation, what was his role in gov and why was this important?
- Won approval of aristocrats in gov
- People sus of Hitler due to his lower middle class background
What powers did being Minister of the Interior give Goering and what did he do whilst in power?
- Control over law and order
- Used police to persecute left-wing opponents
- Appointed 50,000 members of SA as auxiliary police officers
What did Nazis instruct to the police after the fire and what happened as a result?
- Conduct late night raids of leading Communist homes
- Over 4000 arrested
How did Goebbels’ propaganda justify these measures?
Argued that:
- Communist plot was extremely serious
- Communists were planning a rev
- Powers were only ‘temporary’
Why was there no opposition in the first few weeks after Nazi takeover?
- SPD respected his legal position as chancellor
- KPD thought they would only last a few months
- Unions still weak due to mass unemployment so couldn’t organise strike
How did the Nazis attempt to win over the Germans for elections?
- Use of terror –> members of KPD, SPD, union leaders detained in wild concentration camps
- Goering persuaded big businesses to give funding, promising that it would be the last election for years –> more than 3 mil Reichsmarks gained from 20 leader industrialists
- Media used to create illusion that KPD was plotting imminent rev (even sent out soldiers to patrol streets)
- Did not ban KPD to ensure vote between left-wing was split
How did Hindenburg (and someone else?) feel about Nazi violence during the election?
- Concerned about its use even after Nazis had taken over
