The Initial Consolidation of Nazi Power 1933-1934 Flashcards
Once in power, Hitler began the process of Gleichschaltung to secure his power and reform Germany.
Hitler’s aims in consolidating Germany were to:
- Restore national pride
- Bring hope back to people who desperately needed work
- Create a strong authoritarian Government
- Destroy minorities (Jews, Roma, Disabled.) and opponents
- To create a national community of Germans (Volksgemeinschaft)
- To expand the living space (lebensraum) to get more labour and resources
Timeline: 1933
January
- Hitler was made Chancellor by President Hindenburg as pressure was mounting due to 6 million unemployed Germans.
- Hitler was also helped into this position by right-wing politicians who wanted to use him as a puppet to defeat the Bolsheviks (Russians).
- Hitler gets Hindenburg to pass a law outlawing meetings and newspapers of competing political parties.
- The nazis win 43.7% of seats
Timeline: 1933
February
The Reichstag Fire occurred.
- German Government was lit on fire
- The blame was placed on a man believed to be a Communist.
- This was depicted as a violent Communist uprising which allowed for the Nazis to pass emergency legislation.
The Reichstag Fire Decree was a major piece of legislation which enabled the consolidation of Nazi power.
The reichstag fire decree stipulated..
The right to assembly & freedom of speech and the press was suspended
Restraints were placed on police investigations
Permitted the Nazis (SS and SA) to arrest and incarcerate political opponents without a specific charge, as well as the power to confiscate private property and dissolve political organizations.
This allowed for an attack of the Communists in particular
Gave the regime the authority to overrule laws on the state and local level
Timeline 1933:
March
The Enabling Act is passed as there are no political opponents left to vote against it due to the Reichstag Fire Decree.
This Act recognized Hitler as a dictator
Allowed for him to cancel democracy through various means such as;
- Allowing the cabinet to introduce legislation without it having to go through the Reichstag or require presidential approval.
- Hitler possessed enough power to merge the Chancellor and President to create Fuhrer.
- Created an opportunity for Hitler to ban all other political parties in July 1933.
Overall it enabled the consolidation of German institutions to begin.
Timeline: 1933
May
The burning of the books begins in Berlin and before it spreads to other towns.
- The Nazis burn anti war books
- Books by Jewish authors such as Sigmund.
- Jewish religious texts.
This destroyed a diverse range of knowledge, which served Hitler’s goals of censorship.
Timeline: 1933
July
- A decree was passed which made the Nazi Party the only legal political party in Germany.
Timeline: 1934
February:
- The Nazi Swastika was to be warm on the uniforms of all armed forces members.
Timeline: 1934
June - The night of Long knives.
The Night of Long Knives occurred.
- This was the purge of Nazi SA leaders by Hitler.
- The SA was a militant group made up of primarily lower class men which had almost 2M members.
The leader of the SA, Ernst Rohm, desired to incorporate the SA troops into the army which was an idea opposed by army generals.
Hitler knew he needed the support of the military for his ambitions, and so, the SS were sent to murder Rohm and other SA leaders.
Timeline: 1934
June - The night of Long knives.
This was covered up by alleging that Rohm was plotting a rebellion.
Other opponents of Hitler such as conservative critic Edgar Jung, Gregor Strasser 2nd in command of the Nazi party and the last chancellor of the Weimar Republic Kurt Von Schleicher were also murdered.
In total 60 enemies had been murdered along with the SA.
Timeline: 1934
August
President Hindenburg died and this allowed for Hitler to merge the positions of Chancellor and President to become the Fuhrer.
- This gave him dictatorial power and allowed for the army and civil service to swear allegiance directly to Hitler rather than to the State.
Institutions which got taken over
- Land (State Govt)
- Civil Service
- Judiciary
- Political Parties
- Land (State Govt)
In April of 1933, all German state parliaments were replaced by Nazi governors who had the power to appoint and dismiss officials and judges. These figureheads dissolved the power of the states.
- Civil Service
The Civil Service was purged of all Jews and other opposition to ensure it operated under Nazi ideals.
- Judiciary
The Judiciary was altered as Hitler replaced officials with his supporters. This helped him provide for courts which operated outside of the law run by his appointees
- Political Parties
All parties other than the Nazi Party were banned and opposition was eliminated.
Institutions which got taken over
- Trade Unions
- Trade Unions
The Nazis created their own system called the German Labour Front (DAF). Membership was virtually compulsory.
Working conditions were to be improved through programs such as ‘Beauty through Labour’ and ‘Strength through Joy’.
The former gave factory workers free food, heating and air conditioner, while the latter provided an incentive to work hard such as free holidays and tickets to concerts and sporting events.
This provided regular work as a solution to unemployment, yet increased the workweek to 47 hours. This was also achieved by giving people jobs on the road (the Autobahn) and in steelworks.
By eliminating the original trade unions, Hitler could cause people to conform as loyalty was stressed.
