The appointment of Hitler as Chancellor. Flashcards
30 January 1933
Hitler was called into the office of the President of the Weimar Republic- Hindenburg.
Hitler was invited to lead a new ‘government of national concentration’- a coalition government where the Nazi party would share power with the DNVP and others, including Franz Papen.
Hitler had been appointed Chancellor of the new government.
What did Hindenburg and Papen think they could do if Hitler was chancellor?
They believed he would be easily manipulated due to his inexperience.
The process that brought Hitler to power in Jan 1933-
.Largest power in the Reichstag but that did not mean Hitler was carried into power with support.
.NSDAP- was the largest party at the time but did not have a majority.
.Hitler did not become Chancellor because of a Nazi-led political uprising- but that’s how Nazi propaganda presented it.
.Hitler came to power because of secret deals and negotiations with Hindenburg.
May 1932
Bruning was forced to resign as Chancellor and replaced by Papen.
June 1932
Papen lifted the ban on the SA.
September 1932
Reichstag passed a vote of no confidence in Papen’s government.
April 1932
Hindenburg was re-elected as President.
Bruning imposed a ban on the Nazi SA.
July 1932
Papen declared a state of emergency in Prussia and dismissed the SPD-led government.
Reichstag election- Nazis became the largest party.
November 1932
Reichstag election- Nazis lost votes but still the largest party.
December 1932
Papen was forced to resign and replaced by Schleicher.
January 1933
Hitler and Papen agree to work together in a coalition government.
Hitler appointed Chancellor.
When did Bruning’s government start and end?
March 1930 to May 1932.
Who’s support did Bruning need to remain in office?
Hindenburg and Schleicher.
Why was Bruning called the ‘Hunger Chancellor?”
Economic policy- Reduce state expenditure by cutting welfare benefits, reducing the number of civil servants and cutting wages.
What was unemployment by Feb 1932?
Exceeded 6 million.
why did Schleicher withdraw his support for Bruning?
He was concerned that the ban on the SA would provoke a Nazi uprising, and after the presidential election, he concluded that no one could rule without the support of the Nazi party.
Why did Schleicher and Hitler not form a coalition?
Hitler refused unless he was appointed chancellor, something Schleicher did not want to concede.
Why did Bruning have to resign?
Hitler requested a new Reichstag and to lift the ban on the SA.
Hindenburg, acting on Schleicher’s advice, refused to sign a presidential decree Bruning had submitted, he had to resign.
Who replaced Bruning?
Papen, with Schleicher as defence minister in the new cabinet.
Papen’s government:
Constructed his gov on a non-party political basis.
The only political party that supported his coalition was the DNVP.
Most cabinet positions werr
e filled by men who came from the landowning and industrial elite- ‘Cabinet of Barons.’
He thought the greatest threat to Germany was a communist revolution.
Saw Hitler as a useful ally- lifted the ban on the SA in 1932- led to a large wave of street violence.
July 1932 election-
DVP and State Party experienced a serious loss of support and were reduced to the ranks of fringe parties.
Nazis established themselves as the main party on the right- but they were reaching the limits of their appeal in elections.
Why was the Nov 1932 election called?
Nazis + other parties debated a vote of no confidence in Papen’s government- votes: 512 to 42.
Papen was forced to ask Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag and call a new election in November
Nov 1932 election result.
Loss of support for the Nazi party- July: 37% Nov: 33%
Remained the largest party but lost 2 million votes and 34 seats.
Middle-class voters did not like Hitler’s attack on Papen’s gov and refusal to form a coalition.
Why did Papen resign?
His gov faced a hostile Reichstag majority and lost the respect of the army.
Papen considered banning the Nazis and communists and using the army to enforce an authoritarian government, but Schleicher told him the army would not support him, he had to resign.
Hindenburg’s inner-circle.
Chief- Schleicher: political head of the army.
Oskar Hindenburg: his son, army officer close links with Schleicher.
Otto Meissner: A civil servant who ran the President’s office and acted as a key go-between in negotiations with Hitler and Hindenburg.
Schleicher’s government- start and finish?
Dec 1932- Jan 1933
Schleicher’s government-
Convinced Hindenburg to appoint him as Chancellor.
Tried to win the Nazi coalition as they were at their weakest by talking to the party’s organisation leader Strasser but Hitler removed Strasser and reasserted control over his party, Schleicher failed.
Tried to attract support from trade unions by removing the cuts in wages and considering a large-scale job scheme but it was too much for the industrialists and landowners.
He finally asked Hindenburg to suspend the constitution, dissolve the Reichstag and give him dictatorial powers.
Hindenburg- no
Schleicher- resigned
Hitler’s coalition.
Papen had been negotiating with Hitler, and although Hitler still wanted to be chancellor he was considering a coalition.
The DNVP leader indicated he was prepared to support a Nazi-led coalition.
Hindenburg, Papen and Hitler’s inner circle led to a deal that Hitler would form a coalition with himself as Chancellor.
Hindenburg’s worries were comforted by his son and Papen.
Papen- vice-chancellor
Hugenburg (DNVP)- run economics and food ministries.
Hitler’s cabinet-
H held a cabinet meeting the day he was appointed chancellor, the cabinet had only 3 Nazi members out of 12 ministers, reinforcing Papen’s view that nothing fundamental will politically change.
Papen thought Hitler would not be able to dominate his cabinet, Hitler was determined to establish a Nazi dictatorship ASAP.
Nazi’s violence against political opponents.
SA’s violence and terror were vital to eliminate opposition. By Feb 1933 the SA was recognised as an ‘auxiliary police’
SA using their new powers unleashed an assault on trade union and KPD offices, as well as homes of left-wing politicians.
5 Feb a young Nazi shot dead the SPD mayor of a small town in Prussia, later in the same month a communist was killed in clashes with the SA.
SPD newspaper condemned the killings, it was banned.
SA growth Jan 1933-1934
500,000-3 million.
1st concentration camp-
8 March at Dachau near Munich- accommodation for 5000+ people.
July 1933- Concentration camps.
26,789 political prisoners had been arrested by the SA, or taken into ‘protective custody’ and imprisoned in some 70 camps.
Reichstag fire- who and why
27 February, a young Dutch communist was arrested and charged with burning down the Reichstag building.
-Rumours it was the nazis who sent him to do it
The decree for the protection of the people and the state-
H convinced Hindenburg to sign a decree giving him ‘emergency powers’. This decree (title of card) meant police were given increased powers to arrest, and detain without charge those deemed to be a threat to state security.
-Arrested communists and socialists
-the decree legalised a full-scale assault on communists.
-The police arrested 10,000 communists in 2 weeks including most of the leaders.
March 1933 election
Nazi vote had increased since the Nov election but not as much as he expected.
-despite the intimidation the SPD and communist support held up well.
64% of the voters had supported non-Nazi parties.
Enabling Act.
March 24 1933.
1st meeting of the new Reichstag, H’s sole objective was to secure the necessary 2/3s majority for his Enabling Act- which allowed him to make laws without the approval of the Reich for 4 years.
Hitler won the support of the Center Party by saying he would not use his powers without consulting Hindenburg first.
H won, after 1933 the Reich rarely met.
