Rise to Power Flashcards
Mein Kampf
Published in 1925-1926
Munich Putsch
1923
Failed miserably
Mein Kampf Promises
Get into power legally
End all opposition
Purify Germany
Strengthen Germany’s economy and armed forces
Gain land for Germany
Lead Germany to be a ‘Great Empire’
Obstacles to overcome once reaching chancellor status
Hidenburg was more powerful than him
Needed consent to pass laws
Only had 37% of votes
Lots of groups detested their ideals
Power struggles within the Nazi party
1932
Nazi won largest number of seats
Adolf Hitler
Party leader since 1921
Charismatic speaker
Jailed for Munich Putsch 1923
Wrote Mein Kampf
Central figure in Nazi party
Joseph Goebbels
Head of propaganda team
Used simple bold messages
Had deeply anti-semetic views
Portrayed Hitler as God-like
Wilhelm Frick
Long standing member of the party
Given roles in cabinet in 1933
Minister of overall aspects of life in Germany
Helped to shape racial policy
Ernst Rohm
Leader of SA
Originally set up as bodyguards but became private army
Used to intimidate voters
Physically attacked communists
Herman Goring
Ex-WWI fighter pilot
Joined German cabinet with Frick and Hitler
Controlled police in Prussia
Formed the Gestapo
Rudolph Hess
Another ex-WWI hero
Third in power to Hitler
Ensured legislations followed Nazi ideology
Made sure everyone had the same goals
Heinrich Himmler
Leader of SS
Names as the elite guard
Ran concentration camps
Spied on German citizens
Treaty of Versailles
Servery restricted German forces
Reduced German territories
Imposed a bill of £6.6 billion
Weimar Republic
Grim years for German people
Citizens blame them for their hardship
Economy struggled
Resulted in great depression
Unemployment was high and wages were low
Nazi Ideas
Scrap the Treaty of Versailles
Brat ad Arbeit (Bread and work)
Destroy Marxism (Communism)
Subdue the Jews
Ensure Arayan Supremacy
Fight for Lebensraum (living space)
Build Nationalism
Strengthens Central Government
Nationalise important industries
Improve education
Reichstag Fire
27th February 1933
Committed by Van Der Lubbe (Dutch Communist)
Consequences of Reichstag FIre
Van Der Lubbe was executed
Passed the Reichstag Fire Decree
4000+ communists arrested in that week
Banned all communist meetings (Elections weeks later)
Reichstag Fire Decree
Restricted civil liberties- no privacy in post etc…
Increased power of central government
Harsh punishments for certain crimes
Stated decree was passed that day
The Enabling Act
24th March 1933
Allowed Nazis to pass laws without consent from the Reich
Debating chamber surrounded with SA so 444 members voted to pass it
Disabled democracy
Steps of Gaining Power
1- Removing Communists
2- removing German Democracy
3- Gleichschaltung
4- Removing Opposition
Civil Service Act
Many high-ranking civil servants were removed
7th April- Act for the restoration of the professional civil service
(Civil service Act)
Fired anyone who opposed Nazis or wasn’t Arayan
Encouragement of antisemitism
First legislations removed Jews from public life
1 April 1933- A day long boycott from all Jewish businesses
First of many
Stopped ‘Jewish activity’ in medical professions
Book Burning
Wanted to change people’s ideas
Encourages by propaganda ministry
10 May 1933- burned 25,000 non-German books
The Use of Terror
Put wrath of SS and SA on political opponents
Killed 600 and arrested over 100,000 in 1933
Kopenick (week of blood) - arrested 500, killed 91
Trades Unions
Lots against Nazi ideals
Organised a strike and main leaders were arrested
Goebbels promised national holiday on 1st May
2nd May 1933 - Trade unions offices were raided
Assets placed under Nazi control
Political Parties
Began complaining about Nazis
10th May- Nazis claimed corrupt use of SD funds
June 21st- Frick used emergency decree to ban them
14th July 1933- Act to Ban New Parties
Central Government Power
Act of Reconstruction of the state
Removed power of local governments
People’s Court
April 1934- Act to set up the People’s Court
Dealt with political offences
Ensured fast response
Death penalties rose rapidly
Cause of night of long knives
Ernst Rohm wanted SA to replace German Army
SS became increasingly violent
Rohm planned Hitler’s downfall
The Night of the Long Knives
30th June 1934
SA instructed to go to a hotel for a meeting and then arrested
Rohm given option of suicide but said no
Murdered 2 days later
Total of 85 murdered
Consequences of night of long knives
Power of SA was reduced
The loyalty of the army was secured
The Nazis gained a strange legal ability to murder
A culture of fear was created
Himmler established himself and his loyalty
Hindenburg death
1st August - Act Concerning Head of State#
Chancellor and President power combined called Fuhrer
2nd August - Hindenburg dies
SS
Lead by Himmler
Kept small (52,000 in 1933)
Easier to control
1936 Himmler became head chief of all German Police
SD
Became secret service in 1938
Identified actual or possible threats
Showed no signs of being fanatical Nazis
Reinhard Heydrich
Leader of SD
Describes as having an iron heart
By 1934 also head of Gestapo
1936- Assistant director of German Police
The Gestapo
Most infamous in Nazi terror
Originally the Prussian police
15,000 people watching 66 million
Police
Provided with better funding
1936- Under control of SS
Became important in terror
Judges and Courts
Had to swear an oath to Hitler
Punishments became more severe
Offences punishable by death
1933—————-> 1943
3 ———————> 46
Concentration Camps (early)
70 camps in 1933
Imprisoned 45,000 political opponents
Run by SA
Extreme conditions so closed in end of 1933
Numbers dropped to 7,500
Concentration Camps (later)
Theodor Eicke was appointed to bring order
1937 - 69 deaths at Dachau (7 times more than previous year)
New groups sent (work shy, religious opponents, Jews)
Start of war, 21,000 prisoners
Nazi Propaganda Methods
Newspapers
Radio
Rallies
Posters
Berlin Olympics
Film
Newspapers
Closed opposing views down
Printed new newspapers with antisemetic views
Journalists forced to join Reich association
Radio
Best way to spread a message
Mostly played Nazi speeches and German music
By 1939, 70% of people had radios
Had limited range
Rallies
Emphasised strength of Nazis
1934 rally was the largest- 30,000 swastika flags hung
Posters
Placed across Germany
Clear message through visual means
Berlin Olympics
1936
Antisemetic signs were taken down
All Arayan German team won
Jesse Owens was the top performer and was African American
Film
Limited imports of foreign films
Only 10% films were political
Film
Limited imports of foreign films
Only 10% films were political
