The Importance Of The Reichstag Fire Flashcards
When Hitler became chancellor who were the other Nazis in the cabinet of Twelve ?
Wilhelm Frick
Hermann Goering
Why was Wilhelm Frick important ?
Reich minister for the interior
Power over government ministers and officials
Why was Goering important ?
Minister without Portfolio
Minister of Prussia
This gave him control of nearly two thirds of Germany
Why was Hitlers position as Chancellor not strong ?
The Nazis and his allies did not have a majority in the Reichstag
Furthermore President Hindenburg detested him
However it soon became appereance that Papens claim of being able to control Hitler was wrong
What did Hitler do when he became Chancellor ?
Immediately called for a general election on March 5 1933
He hoped it could give him a clear majority in the Reichstag
Why was controlling the parliament important for Hitler ?
He would therefore be able to make the laws that would be needed to tighten his grip on the nation
It would all be done by the rule of law- Nazi law
What was seen once again during this election ?
- violence and terror as 70 deaths in the weeks leading up to voting day
- Hitler received large amounts of money from leading industrialists to assist his campaign
- Goebbels was able to effectively put the Nazi message over unceasingly
When was the Reichstag building set on fire ?
27 February 1933
A week before the election
Who is blamed as the starter of the fire ?
Marines Van Der Lubbe, a Dutch communist who was found at the Sven and arrested
Why did Hitler and Goebbels see the fire as an ideal opportunity ?
Why: they could exploit it to claim communists where staging a take over
What did Hitler do the day after the fire ?
Convinced Hindenburg to sign the ‘ decree of the protection of people and state’
Why is the decree of the protection of people and state important ?
Replaced the constitutional government by a permanent state of emergency and suspended basic civil rights
It allowed the Nazis to imprisoned large numbers of political opponents with 4,000 communist Party members being arrested including the leader Ernst Thälmann
What did the SA do after the signing of the decree of the protection of people and state ?
- imprisoned 4,000 communist party members and their leader Ernts Thälmann
- killed 51 Nazi opponents and injured several hundred
- communist and socialist newspapers banned
