Summary 7: The Nazi Dictatorship 1933-1939 Flashcards
1
Q
What was the significance of the Enabling Act ?
A
- gave Hitler’s government exceptional powers
2
Q
What obstacles to complete control did Hitler face ?
A
- Hindenburg had the power to remove him + had the loyalty of the army
- opposition parties could still rally opponents
- local governments were mostly not controlled by the Nazis
❗️ By Aug. 1934 all these obstacles had been removed
3
Q
Hitlers views on political parties ?
A
- Hitler believed there could be no other party than the Nazi which was the ‘racial core’ of the German people ➡️ other parties were ‘election machines’ unwilling to fight for the German people and nation as a whole
4
Q
How did Hitler make a one party state ?
A
- KPD effectively banned after the Reichstag fire (Feb 1933)
- SPD (had been vocal in their opposition to the Enabling Act) was outlawed as a ‘party hostile to the nation and state’ June 1933
- DNVP and Centre party dissolved themselves (June/July 1933)
- ❗️14th July 1933: Law against the Formation of New Parties (banned all other parties but the Nazis)
5
Q
How was power distributed to states in Germany ?
A
- federal state, significant powers devolved to state govts
- Prussia was a powerful example ❗️60% territory and 50% pop
6
Q
What laws were passed to centralise power ?
A
- Mar/Apr 1933: 1st and 2nd Laws for the Co-ordination of the Federal States ➡️ dissolves state assemblies, replace them with Nazi-dominated assemblies and creates new post of Reich Governor - RG (answer to minister of Interior in central govt)
- Jan 1934: Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich takes centralisation further ➡️ abolished state assemblies (position of RG redundant)
- Feb 1934: Reichsrat abolished (no state assemblies to send delegates so the Reichsrat was no longer needed)
7
Q
How did Nazis create their own local party structure ?
A
- Gauleiters effectively took over from RGs + tried to ensure (using violence means) that influential figures eg. Mayors were Nazi supporters
- However, power structures never clearly defined
8
Q
How the Nazis get control over the Civil Service ?
A
- CS traditionally recruited from the aristocracy + had strong affections for the Second Reich authoritarian regime
- Many welcomed Hitler’s appointment however did not allow them the autonomy they expected
- Nazi appointees were forced into positions of power + CS were required to follow the Nazi line or forced to resign
9
Q
How many members did the SA have by Jan 1934 ?
A
- Jan 1933: 500,000 SA members
- Jan 1934: 3million
- with the Nazi’s in power, the SA had legal authority (auxiliary police force so many of their acts of violence now had the ‘cloak of legality’
10
Q
Why did the role and importance of the SA decrease after July ‘33 ?
A
- Nov ‘33 election there was no need for violence or intimidation as no opposition parties
- Hitler starting to become concerned by their power + subjected the SA to stricter regulations
- Rohm increasingly demanding a ‘Second Revolution’
11
Q
What is meant by Rohm’s ‘Second Revolution’ ?
A
- a socialist revolution (a shaking up of the system/social order so that the old elite and the rich were no longer so powerful)
- shake up the German army elite & absorb the professional Wehrmacht into the SA to create a new German army + also wanted to shake up the elite and powerful & challenge bourgeois norms (socialist element ➡️ more power to the working class) * true Nazism
12
Q
Why did Hitler need the support of the army ?
A
- army was the only institution that could remove Hitler from power + it’s loyalty lay with Hindenburg not Hitler
- therefore Hitler needed to compromise with the elite to hold onto power
13
Q
What are the long term cause of the Night of the Long Knives ?
A
- Rohm wanted to merge the SA with the army (Wehrmacht) to create a new Germany army (absorb/replace the current army)
- SA had lost its purpose by July ‘33 as no longer any need for intimidation and violence as no opposition parties (shown by Nov ‘33 election)
- Rohm pushing for a ‘Second Revolution’ which Hitler didn’t want as would alienate elite + army support ➡️ army leaders saw his plans as a serious threat
14
Q
What are the short term cause of the Night of the Long Knives ?
A
- 17th June ‘34: Von Papen’s speech at Uni of Marburg approved by Hindenburg ➡️ criticised Nazi excesses (called for an end of terror + demanding action against the SA)
- Defence Minister Blomberg threatened to declare martial law + give the army power to deal with the SA (approved by Hindenburg) ➡️ army still had the power to remove Hitler therefore he needed to suppress the SA to maintain his position
15
Q
Main events of the Night of the Long Knives ?
A
- Rohm arrested 30th of June ‘34 + refused to commit suicide ➡️ shot in prison two days later
- other Nazi leaders taken away from Lakeside Hotel at Bad Wiessee to Nazi headquarters + gunned down
- At the same time, in Berlin + other cities, the SS moved on others whom Hitler disliked (political opponents) eg. Schleicher, Gregor Strasser, Gustav Von Kahr
- ❗️90 killed approx. (over 50 SA leaders) + 1000 arrested
- Von Papen put under house arrest
