Politics that Brought Hitler to Power, 1930-1933

Question 1

How does Brüning’s government rule?

Answer 1

increasingly by decree;
financial bill/budget rejected by the Reichstag and reintroduced by decree (article 48)
—> Reichstag condemns use of decree —> Hindenburg dissolves Reichstag and calls elections

Question 2

How do the Nazis fare in the 1930 election?

Answer 2

6.4 million votes = 107 seats in Reichstag

—> effective use of propaganda (Goebbels = head of Nazi propaganda committee)

Question 3

Nazi party membership statistics

Answer 3

Nov 1928; 100,000 members

Oct 1930; 300,000 members

Question 4

economic situation Germany summer 1931

Answer 4

economic collapse, flight of foreign capital, collapse of many regional banks, rise of unemployment
—> 3 weeks all banks in Germany closed
—>Sept 1931 unemployment = 4.3 million

Question 5

What was Brüning’s response to the economic intuition in 1931?

Answer 5

Priority was to stop inflation from happening again, rather than help the unemployed
—> increased taxes and made cuts, balanced budget = increased economic slump = called ‘The Hungry Chancellor’

Question 6

What were the results of the 1932 Presidential election?

Answer 6

March 1932
-Hitler flew all over Germany, lots of propaganda, very publicised
-second/last vote of presidential election Hindenburg got 53% and Hitler got 37%
= Hindenburg won

Question 7

How does Brüning try to deal with Hitler?

Answer 7

April 1932, uses emergency decree to ban the SS and SA (idea introduced by Home Secretary, Groëner)
—> General Kurt Von Schleicher believes only way to have a stable gov was with Hitler on board and so he undermines this decree by convincing Hindenburg to remove Brüning and create a new government under Von Papen

Question 8

Why does Hindenburg eventually remove Brüning?

Answer 8

Brüning proposed law to reform large land estates in Prussia (trying to get emergency decree to set up 600,000 allotments of land for unemployed people in East Prussia)
—> targets Junkers (rich land owners), Hindenburg is a Junker and hates idea
= 29th May 1932 agrees with Von Schleicher and demands Brüning’s resignation
—> forms new non-party government under Von Papen (no distinguished political career)

Question 9

What happens after the formation of Von Papen’s government?

Answer 9

-election in July 1932
-16th June overturns ban on SA
-over 100 people died in street violence during run up to election
- 20th July, violence used by Papen as an excuse to remove SPD dominated Prussian government (sets precedent for state to suspend Lander)
-

Question 10

What are the results of the 1932 election?

Answer 10

• KPD vote increases slightly
• SPD vote decreases
• no cooperation between KPD and SPD due to legacy of bitterness
• Nazi vote increases to 37.3% of vote, 230 seats = largest party in Reichstag
• Hitler refuses to be part of any coalition government, or to be anything but chancellor
• 12th September, dissolution of Reichstag as gov lose vote of no confidence = another election

Question 11

What are the results of the second election of 1932?

Answer 11

November 1932

• Nazis; 11.7 million votes = decline by 4%/34 seats from July
• Nazis still largest party in reichstag

Question 12

What government is formed after the second elections in 1932?

Answer 12

3rd December, Von Schleicher appointed chancellor; believed he can bring Hitler on board
—> offers vice-chancellorship to Gregor Strasser, Strasser forced to say no after battle with Hitler
—> gov fails due to lack of support as Nazis refuse to join
(Dec try to introduce economic reforms with great difficulty due to lack of support)

Question 13

How does Hitler get considered for the role of Chancellor?

Answer 13

4th Jan 1933, Von Papen held direct talks with Hitler
—> Schacht comes on board (leader of the Reichsbank) and writes to Hindenburg
—> Hindenburg’s son also advises him to appoint Hitler as chancellor
—> Von Papen suggests appointing Hitler as chancellor of a coalition government, supported by Von Bloomberg (Minister of Defense))

Question 14

When was Hitler appointed as Chancellor?

Answer 14

30th January 1933
—> huge procession that night in Berlin; stormtroopers marched through the Brandenburg gate
-3 Nazis in new cabinet (including Hitler)
-before taking oath of office, Hitler demanded new elections (veneer of majority support, opposed by Hugenburg)

Question 15

Who were the three Nazis in cabinet, 1933?

Answer 15

• Hermann Goering; Minister without portfolio = Prussian Minister of the Interior (Von Papen dissolved the prussian gov, giving Goering control of the police across Prussia)
• Frick; General Minister of the Interior (had control of the police across Germany)
• Hitler; Chancellor

Question 16

How does the SA become auxiliary police?

Answer 16

-Goering suddenly retires/sacks 14 police presidents of prussian towns and fires their subordinates
—> 17th Feb 1933, local Prussian police ordered to have good relations with SA, SS and Stahlhelm (far right military organisation, not Nazi related)
—> Kurt Daluege, member of SS, appointed Commissioner on special assignment
—> 5 days later 50,000 of SS become auxilliary police = legitimising Nazi street terror