Summary 6: 1932-33 The appointment of Hitler as Chancellor and the end of Weimar democracy

Question 1

What effects did the Great Depression have on Weimar democracy ?

Answer 1

• reduced the chances of the WR’s survival to almost nothing (certain the Nazis would take over)

Question 2

What happened in the March 1932 election ?

Answer 2

• Hindenburg stood for re-election against Hitler (Nazi) and Thalmann (KPD) ➡️ Hindenburg won wide support as the least extreme of the three candidates

Question 3

How did the Nazis gain support during the 1932 election ?

Answer 3

• launched a massive campaign focused on Hitler as the man who could save Germany
• ❗️gained 37% of the vote but lost to Hindenburg (53%)
• 🔔 however the election created more pressure for the Nazis to be included in govt

Question 4

What were Bruning’s economic policies ?

Answer 4

• prepared to worsen the effects of the Depression to end reparations (said only deflation would convince the world that Germany could not afford to pay reparations)
• reduce state welfare provisions (established by the Republic) ➡️ deflationary policies (meant he cut govt expenditure, increased taxes and lowered prices in attempt to boost exports), only in late 1932 after reparations had been suspended did he embark on a programme of public works

Question 5

Bruning’s govt ?

Answer 5

• March 1930 - May 1932
• his govt never had majority in the Reichstag ❗️(35%), only remained in power bcs they had the support of Hindenburg and von Schleicher 🔔 laws increasingly passed by Article 48

Question 6

What were Bruning’s main actions in govt ?

Answer 6

• forced through legislation on depression with Article 48
• then called election (to gain more support)
• increasing use of presidential decrees
• hunger chancellor

Question 7

Why was Bruning nicknamed ‘The Hunger Chancellor’ ?

Answer 7

• his response to the depression was to cut govt expenditure (welfare benefits + raising taxes)

Question 8

What was the main cause of Bruning’s govt failing ?

Answer 8

• depression continued to get worse causing the Nazi vote to increase notably in the Sept 1930 election
• many feared the growing violence and rise of extremism

Question 9

Why did Bruning lose his job ?

Answer 9

• he lost the faith of Hindenburg ➡️ Schleicher convinced Hindenburg that Bruning had to go because the Nazis could not be ignored (they could provoke an uprising?) and that von Papen should lead a primarily Nationalist Party government (supported by the Nazis)
• Hindenburg refuses to sign a decree and B is forced to resign (Schleicher agrees… B wrong to not work with Nazis)
• Hitler refused to enter a formal coalition (was convinced that the Nazis could win an outright majority in the next election) and demanded the SA ban be lifted and a new election called ➡️ Hindenburg agreed

Question 10

Was Bruning responsible for the demise of the WR ?

Answer 10

🔔not his fault:
- no alternative, had to try and avoid any policy that may cause inflation (did not want Hyperinflation crisis like 1923)
- Article 48 only solution in a crisis
- no one recognised the depth of the depression until 1931 by which it was too late to avoid 6m unemployed

🔔his fault:
- he was a conservative politician opposed to democracy whose use of emergency powers paved the way for Hitler ? ❗️(Bruning in his own memoirs back this view, he admits he wanted a more authoritarian govt and was hoping to weaken the Reichstag)
- his deflationary policies worsened the economic situation and so aided the rise of the Nazis as called for stronger personality
- hunger chancellor ➡️ chose to make depression worse
- ❗️🔔called elections in 1930 which allowed Nazis to make majority gains and makes Reichstag unworkable
- resists Nazis and bans SA, Schleicher pushing for working with Nazis - Bruning resisting

Question 11

Historians views of validity of Bruning’s policies ?

Answer 11

• BORCHARDT’s view ➡️ he was an innocent pawn at the mercy of unforgiving economic forces, he had no alternative and had to avoid any policies that might cause inflation
• HOLTFRERICH view ➡️ suggests there were alternatives but no determination to implement them as Bruning’s priority was to get rid of reparations, he wanted to prove to the Allies that Germany was too weak to pay

Question 12

Von Papens govt ?

Answer 12

• May-Dec 1932
• less than 10% support in Reichstag
• 🔔 marks the end of Weimar democracy ➡️ govt filled with men who wanted to turn to more authoritarian govt, ‘the cabinet of barons’ (not members of the Reichstag… mostly land owners and the industrial elite’)

Question 13

What were Von Papen’s main actions in govt ?

Answer 13

aimed to stop communist threat:
- 1932 lifted ban on SA + imposed curbs on left wing press
- deposed Socialist-led/democratic govt in Prussia (claimed they could not keep law and order), challenged the idea of Weimar as a federal state ➡️ meant SPD lost their last stronghold
- ruled by decree due to limited support in reichstag and replace it with authoritarian rule
- agreed to Hitler’s demand for new elections in July 1932
- Invited Nazis into his govt but Hitler refused

🔔 Papen’s actions were a mortal blow to Weimar democracy as it destroyed the federal principle and opened way to the centralisation of the state

Question 14

Why is the July 1932 election significant ?

Answer 14

-❗️Naizs doubled their vote (37%) + their seats in Reichstag rose from 107 to 230, although didn’t give them overall majority but were now the largest party in the Reichstag
-❗️rise in communist vote from 13-14.5%
-❗️KPD + Nazis = 52% of vote (anti-democratic parties had majority)
-❗️only 39% voted for pro-democracy parties

• Hitler demanded the right to form a govt as chancellor but Hindenburg refused ➡️ Von Papen carried on leading govt but a hopeless task

Question 15

What happened in Sept 1932 ?

Answer 15

• reichstag voted no confidence in Papen and he was forced to call another election

Question 16

November 1932 election ?

Answer 16

-❗️Nazi vote fell from 37% to 33% (230 seats to 196)
- KPD made gains 14.5% to 17%
- new reichstag just as unworkable as the old

Question 17

Why did the Nazi vote decline in Nov 1932 election ?

Answer 17

• lack of money ➡️ not enough for another dynamic election campaign
• electorate tired of repeated elections
  ➡️ Hitler still refused to join Papen’s govt (except as chancellor)

Question 18

Why was Von Papen dismissed/ Why did his govt fall ?

Answer 18

• Papen’s govt faced a hostile majority in Reichstag- began to lose credibility in the eyes of the army
• proposed replacing Reichstag and using the army to suppress opposition
• Schleicher warned Hindenburg this could lead to civil war and informed the president that the army no longer had confidence in Papen ➡️ Hindenburg appointing Von Scleicher as chancellor

Question 19

How was Papen responsible bringing Hitler into power ?

Answer 19

• sympathised with many of hitlers ideas and saw nazis (with mass support) as useful allies
• lifted ban of SA
• calls July 32 election (where Nazis get 37% and are largest party)
• wanted to work with Nazis
• presses for Hitler as Chancellor (secret meetings)

Question 20

Von Schleicher’s govt ?

Answer 20

• Dec 1932-Jan 1933
• 9% support in the Reichstag
• in space of a couple of month, Schkeicher failed to form a stable govt ➡️ tried to gain Nazi Gregor Strasser’s support (offering position of Vice-Chancellor) but Hitler moved quickly to remove Strasser so no deal made, had seen Nazi voted fall in Nov 1932 election so thought they might be more open to compromise

Question 21

What were Schleicher’s main aims and actions in govt ?

Answer 21

aims:
- develop Bruning’s land resettlement schemes
- wanted to protect interests of Reichswehr (German army)
- use Nazi support to move Germany to an authoritarian regime

actions:
- worked with Nazis: Strasser and tried to win Hitler’s support in a coalition
- moved towards a progressive social policy that might win trade union support and so more support in Reichstag ➡️ cancelled cuts in benefits and wages as saw small signs of economic recovery + talked about publicly funded job creation schemes ➡️ alarming to conservative elite

Question 22

How was Schleicher’s responsible bringing Hitler into power ?

Answer 22

• worked with sections of Nazi party in “diagonal policy”

Question 23

Why did Schleicher’s govt fall ?

Answer 23

• land reforms (breaking up large land estates and distributing them to small farmers)
• demanded Hindenburg suspend the constitution ➡️ Hindenburg refused and Schleicher resigned
• Papen convinces Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor

Question 24

What is meant by ‘political intrigue’ and how did it play a role in Hitler’s appointment ?

Answer 24

• Von Papen plotting behind Schleicher’s back ➡️ wanted to use the Nazi’s support in the Reichstag to create a new coalition govt
• Hitler still insisted on being Chancellor but was now more willing to consider a coalition
• Hindenburg lost confidence in Scheicher and was persuaded by his son and Von Papen that a Nazi-Nationalist (DNVP) coalition would be possible (and that Hitler would be controlled)
• if Hitler was made Chancellor, von Papen as Vice-Chancellor and the DNVP’s Hugenberg as Economic Minister would be able to curtail excesses of the Nazis
  ❗️Jan 30th 1933 Hitler appointed as Chancellor

Question 25

Were the Nazis on the verge of decline ?

Answer 25

✅ Nov 1932 election saw their % vote decline (election fatigue… costs of elections were draining resources and Nazis voters getting disillusioned at their failure to gain power)
✅ internal disagreement: criticism of the unruly SA, Strasser resigned in 1932 disagreeing with Hitler’s ‘all or nothing’ strategy ➡️ party morale low
❌ SA had 400,000 members (4 x larger than German army)
❌ party membership 850,000
❌ still largest party in Reichstag

Question 26

Was a more authoritarian govt a likely alternative to Hitler ?

Answer 26

• seemed likely that this new system might have been supported that reduced the power of the Reichstag, allowing the formation of govt that were less dependent on popular elections (use of Article 48 already doing this)
  ✅ considerable support as majority of Germans rejecting Weimar democracy
  ❌ unlikely to achieve 2/3rd in Reichstag that was needed for constitutional change
• only alternative was to force change (a coup?) but may have provoked civil war
• in the end Hindenburg hoped to use the Nazis support in Reichstag to bring about this sort of change but miscalculated Hitlers intentions

Question 27

Was it likely that the parliamentary democracy would continue as an alternative to Hitler ?

Answer 27

unlikely
❌ too much hostility to the regime, particularly once depression hit ❗️ by 1932 more than half voting for anti-weimar parties
❌ lack of commitment from the elite
✅ more likely if economy had been revived

Question 28

Was communism ever a likely alternative to Hitler ?

Answer 28

✅ support advancing after 1930
❌ never able to gain more than 20% of vote
❌ limited appeal of communism (working class only)
❌ could only gain power if work with SPD but huge hostility between the two (memories of Ebert suppressing communism in 1919/ KPD rejected democracy SPD its chief supporter)
❌ nazi propaganda used effectively esp to elite
❌ Hitler more attractive

Question 29

What were the fundamental weaknesses of Weimar Democracy ?

Answer 29

• hostility of German elites ➡️ elites were anti-Weimar from the start, many key figures in society and business rejected democracy ➡️ worked against Weimar interests from the start and became decisive in early 1930’s
• on going economic problems ➡️ costs of WW1, reconstruction after the war, reparations, welfare costs, occupation of the Ruhr, inflation crisis of 1923, disguised problems unsolved in later 1920’s, the Great Depression (almost continuous)
• limited base of popular support ➡️ WR associated from the start with defeat, TofV and reparations ➡️ never enjoyed widespread support + further damaged by 1923 hyperinflation crisis ➡️ large part of the political system had little faith in democracy eg. ZP/DNP moved right, SPD refuse to join coalitions for much of 1920s
• the Great Depression ➡️ exacerbated all the pressures on Weimar democracy
• anti-democratic parties ➡️ able to gain seats in Reichstag and undermine the system from within

Question 30

Death of Weimar democracy and the establishment of Nazi dictatorship ?

Answer 30

• Weimar democracy obviously dead before Jan 1933 ➡️ some say doomed from the start, others say it had chances of survival right up to mid 1932
  ❗️new cabinet had just 3 Nazi ministers, von Papen believed it would be impossible for the Nazis to dominate or establish the dictatorship that Hitler aspired
• however within a few months, von Papen was proved wrong

Question 31

How did the SA play a significant role in the rise of the Nazis ?

Answer 31

• once in power, Hitler continued to rely on them and rapidly expanded their number ➡️ vital in dealing with opposition
  ❗️Jan 1933: 500,000 members
  ❗️early 1934: 3mill + their activities gained legal authority
• Feb 1933 SA and Stahlhelm (Nationalist, pro-monarchy paramilitary group of 500,000) merged ➡️ operated as ‘auxiliary police’ (existing police force could not stop them)
• reign of terror unleashed on socialists, communists, trade unions and LW politicians ➡️ in LW newspapers resulted in being banned
  ❗️ 1st permanent concentration (prison) camp established at Dachau on 8th March 1933

Question 32

What was the Reichstag Fire ?

Answer 32

• 27th Feb 1933
• Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to call for a new election in March 1933 (he believed the Nazis could win an outright majority)
• the terror campaign intensified against the SPD and KPD and in the midst of this the Reichstag building was set alight
• Dutch communist, van der Lubbe, was arrested (conflicting evidence as to whether he was responsible or if he was set up by the Nazis)

Question 33

How did the Nazis use the Reichstag Fire to their advantage ?

Answer 33

🔔 event was used by Nazis to claim there was a communist threat to Germany and so justified the suspension of civil liberties
❗️Decree for the Protection of the People and the State ➡️ Hitler demanded emergency powers to deal with the crisis, Hindenburg agreed
- the decree increased the powers of the police to deal with any threat to national security, allowed CENSORSHIP
- powers were used to arrest socialists and communists, ban their newspapers and disrupt their organisations in the run up to the March election
❗️10,000 communists arrested in 2 weeks

Question 34

March 1933 election ?

Answer 34

• Nazi propaganda machine flooded the country with pro-Nazi messages ➡️ virtually impossible for the SPD and KPD to campaign
  ❗️Nazis: 44% (284 deputies)
  ❗️KPD: 12% (around 70 d)
  ❗️SPD: 18% (over 100 d)
  ❗️DNVP: 8% (51 d)
  ❗️Z: 11% (71 d)
• the results did not deliver the majority Hitler had hoped for and the SPD + communist support was remarkable resilient
  ❗️64% of voters supported parties other than the Nazis
• 8% of votes achieved by DNVP ➡️ Nazis could now command a majority with the help of them

Question 35

How was Hitler able to pass the Enabling Act ?

Answer 35

• first meeting of the new Reichstag held on 23rd March, Hitlers sole objective was to pass the Enabling Act ➡️ required 66% of deputies to support the bill (as was changing the constitution), usually 647 deputies in Reichstag
  ❗️ on the day vote passed 444 votes to 94 (83%) meaning only 538 deputies were present
• in March 33 election, KPD gained 12% of the vote (around 70 deputies) but they were not at the Opera House as a result of Decree for the Protection of the People and the State (after Reichstag fire)
• Some SPD deputies (gotten 18% of vote in Mar 33- over 100 deputies) were also not there (26 in hiding) ➡️ all votes against the Act were SPD votes (94)
• H already knew he had 75% of the vote from just the Nazis, DNVP and Z party so was confident of victory + SPD could not stop it as Hitler had too much support
• Hitler promised Z party he would only act with Hindenburg’s permission if the Act was passed (had no intention of keeping the promise)

Question 36

What did the Enabling Act allow (March 1933) ?

Answer 36

• Hitler could make laws without reference to the Reichstag or President for the next 4 years
• Hitler could make agreements with foreign states without Reichstag approval
  ❗️after March 1933, the Reichstag rarely met and became irrelevant to the govt of Germany ➡️ door now open for Hitler to establish his dictatorship