The National Socialist Consolidation of Power, 1933-1934.

Question 1

The Reichstag Fire- Date and Events

Answer 1

27th February 1933
The Reichstag completely burnt down by a series of fires.
Dutch Communist, Marinus Van Der Lubbe, accused and confessed.
The Nazi press suggested this was to incite a Communist rebellion.

Question 2

The Reichstag Fire- Theories

Answer 2

Carr- “Whether Van Der Lubbe […] was solely responsible, or more likely, was used by the Nazis to divert attention from their own involvement, remains unproven.”

Evans- Believes that Van Der Lubbe was solely responsible, “seeking out the supreme symbol of bourgeois political order”

Nazi press- “to sow confusion in order to grasp power for themselves.”

Question 3

February Decrees- Date, Cause, Provisions

Answer 3

28th February 1933
Hitler persuades Hindenburg to use Article 48, uses it to issue February Decrees.
Political arrests (KPD, some SPD), press censorship, allow Gestapo to indefinitely detain those arrested.
“The decisive stage in the consolidation of power.” -Helmut Krausnick.

Question 4

5th March ‘33 Elections -Results and quote

Answer 4

Nazis were only party to gain seats.

• NSDAP 44%
• SPD 18%
• KPD 12%
• Z 11%

(Feb. decrees and March Elections) “These two events undoubtedly speeded [the consolidation of power] up and provided it with the appearance, however threadbare, of legal and political legitimation.” -Evans

Question 5

The Enabling Act- Date and Results

Answer 5

24th March 1933

441:94 (FOR)

Meant that Hitler could pass laws without the need for Hindenburg’s approval and no need to comply w/ the constitution.

Question 6

The Enabling Act- Voting requirements

Answer 6

-Originally, there had to be a 2/3 majority to pass with a
quorum of 2/3.
-This meant the SPD planned to boycott the vote to stop
it from passing.
-BUT Goering changed this (illegally?) so that the KPD’s
seats did not count.
-However, even without these measures (and if all
SPD/KPD were present and voted no) the vote would
still have passed.

Question 7

The Enabling Act- examples of its use

Answer 7

100,000 arrests by 1933
14th July '33 
-All new parties banned 
-All pre-existing parties dissolved 
-One party state

Question 8

Re-organisation of the Police

Answer 8

• 1936, all police centralised under Himmler
• By April ‘33 SA & SS became auxiliary police
• 4 main branches of Police (Orpo, Sipo, SS, SD)

Question 9

Gestapo- Origins and Stats

Answer 9

-Geheime Staatzpolizei (Secret State Police)
-Originally founded by Goering as Prussian Secret Police,
expanded to all states and under Himmler in ‘33.
-162,000 arrested w/out charge
-80% of investigations based on informant claims

Question 10

Gestapo- Reputation

Answer 10

Reputation
-All seeing, all knowing.
-“They were everywhere!” Old man in Wurzburg.
-“[the first force] to have possessed such power, such a
degree of ‘completeness’ in its ability to arouse terror,
and horror, as well as in its actual effectiveness.” -
Jacques Delarue.

Question 11

Gestapo- Reality

Answer 11

Reality
-Major areas had as little as 50 officers (Frankfurt,
Hanover, Bremen)
-Dusseldorf pop. 4 million, Gestapo 281 (1937)
-At peak, 65million pop. to 30,000 officers.
-Mostly ex-police and more bureaucratic than other SS.
-“The Nazi regime was quite definitely not in the position to engage in complete surveillance and perfect
repression” -Mallman & Paul.

Question 12

Role of the SS- Stats

Answer 12

1929: 280
1944: 1 million + (800,000 Waffen SS)
- Founded in 1925 by Himmler
- Imprisoned 225,000 from 1933-39.
- Responsible for around 10 million deaths.

Question 13

Concordat with the Vatican- Date, Causes, & Terms

Answer 13

July 1933

Zentrum supported Hitler for Enabling Act so that Hitler would protect the Catholic Church.

Pope Pius XI agreed to:
-The abolition of the Catholic Party.
-The Church would still be able to control education, 
 youth, etc. 
-No active opposition from the Nazis.

Question 14

Breaches of the Concordat

Answer 14

-Pressure to NOT send kids to Catholic Schools
-Seizure of some Catholic associated property (NOT
churches)
-Priests put on trail with no/false reasoning
-Attempts to remove crosses from classrooms. Failed due to opposition from public.

Question 15

Night of the Long Knives- Main Reasons

Answer 15

• Hitler wanted to eliminate/ intimidate his opposition.
• Main concern was SA, which had 2 million members and was larger than the Army.
• Rohm, its leader, was also subject to claims that he was planning a socialist revolution.

Question 16

Night of the Long Knives, 29th - 30th June 1934

Answer 16

• Army and SS arrested, or Killed, rivals.
• Schleicher, Strasser, and Rohm all arrested.
• Von Papen (VC)’s secretary was killed.
• On Rohm’s refusal to commit suicide he was shot.
• Estimated 1000 deaths, more likely around 90.

Question 17

Night of the Long Knives- Aftermath

Answer 17

July 3rd- New law made in order to legalise the deaths

July 13th- Hitler addresses Reichstag, cited treason as cause.

Question 18

Death of Hindenburg and Oath of Allegiance

Answer 18

August 1st

• Hitler passes law stating that, upon Hindenburg’s death, the roles of President and Chancellor would merge.
• 90% public support.
• Actually violated Enabling Act

August 2nd

• Hindenburg dies at age 86
• Hitler becomes President-Chancellor
• Army swears Oath of Allegiance to Hitler personally.
• Did not emphasise their power (as hoped) as SS instead became the most powerful force.

Question 19

Gleichschaltung- aspects controlled and quotes

Answer 19

• Education and Youth (HJ, BDM)
• Media (Goebbels, RKK)
• Gov. (all state governments dissolved in March ‘33)
• Military and Police (Himmler controlled a centralised police)

“Gleichschaltung occurred so stealthily that most Germans hardly noticed.” -Claudia Koonz

“Almost every aspect of social, political, and associational life was affected, at every level from the nation to the village.” -Evans.