The Rise And Reign Of Hitler

Question 1

What was Hitler’s party called?

Answer 1

National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) called Nazi for short.

Question 2

Who won the April 1932 election?

Answer 2

Hindenburg won as he received 19.4m votes to Hitlers 13.4m, although Hitler gained the most seats in the Reichstag.

Question 3

Who were the Sturmabteilung (SA)?

Answer 3

This was the Nazi private army.Members were also referred to as ‘brownshirts’ due to the uniform. Hitler used the SA to get to power through violence and illegal means.

Question 4

How did Hitler become chancellor in 1933?

Answer 4

The Nazi party had the most seats in the Reichstag which meant traditionally Hitler should be made chancellor. Hindenburg orginally wanted his old army friend Kurt Von Schleicher to be chancellor. However Hitler took the role instead of him just being a cabinet member. Von paper thought he could control Hitler as chancellor.

Question 5

What happened on 27 February 1933?

Answer 5

The Reichstag was deliberately burnt down.

Question 6

Who was Marinus Van De Lubbe?

Answer 6

He was a Dutch communist that was caught by the Nazi party for burning down the Reichstag. Whether he did it or not , the Nazi’s used him as an escape goat and gained popularity for catching him.

Question 7

What was the benefits for the Nazi Party for catching Van de lubbe?

Answer 7

1) The Nazi Party got credit for catching the arsonist.
2) The Nazis were able to stir up anti-communist propaganda.
3) The Nazis got financial support from German industrialists as the fear of communism rose.
4) Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to declare a state of emergency ( complete power over police), which meant he could arrest political opponents without consent from the Reichstag.

Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to call for a 5 of March election, which he won due to him arresting his enemies. This gained him 288 seats in the Reichstag and banned 81 communist from taking their seats.

Question 8

What was the Enabling Act in March 1933?

Answer 8

This was a law passed stating, in the next 4 years Hitler could pass laws without consulting the Reichstag.

Question 9

How did Hitler use the Enabling Act to get to power?

Answer 9

After Hitler could pass laws without consulting the Reichstag, he passed a law banning all the remaining parties from the Reichstag which meant that the Nazi party was the only remaining party left. After Hindenburg(President) had died , Hitler combined the chancellor role and presidential role, making him the very powerful ‘ Fuhrer ‘ ( leader).

Question 10

How did Hitler make the Fuhrer role more acceptable abroad?

Answer 10

He held a plebiscite (vote) to confirm the Fuhrer role he had invented.

Question 11

What was The Night Of The Long Knives?

Answer 11

This was elimination of the SA by Hitlers new private army called the SS. The SA were eliminated by the SS members by arresting them over night and shooting them the next day. Hitler got rid of the SA as he did not trust them and they were not good for the Nazi image as they were thugs.

Question 12

Who were the Schutzstaffel (SS)?

Answer 12

This was a Nazi private army where Himmler was leader. The SS would wear an all black uniform and would obey and enforce Hitler’s Nazi ideology.

Question 13

What group of people were being purged by the Nazi in 1933?

Answer 13

Jew and political opponents were being eliminated.

Question 14

In the Riechstag, what would make one minister have power over the other?

Answer 14

The most trusted members by Hitler would have the most power for e.g all the non Nazi party members were put before the one party system. Also the most trusted would have the highest authority.

Question 15

Who was Joseph Goebbels?

Answer 15

He was one of Hitlers loyal Nazi member and was made the minister of propaganda.

Question 16

What was Volksgemeinschaft?

Answer 16

This german phrase means ‘people’s community’ and it was one of Hitler’s principles where it meant that every individual would work for the good of the nation.

Question 17

What was the Fuhrerprinzip?

Answer 17

This was another Nazi principle which meant that under every area of work there would be someone who will be in charge. E.g Joseph Goebbles being the head of propaganda.

Question 18

How did Hitler maintain power with decision making?

Answer 18

He had given members he trusted the most , the most power therefore it was difficult for him to be betrayed. Also he stopped meetings from taking place , this way people would not be able to go against him.

Question 19

How were people sabotaging the Nazi Party?

Answer 19

They held lightning strikes where people such as workers would protest. They would also work slowly and reduce production output by a lot. All of these actions would lead to arrest by the Gestapo.

Question 20

What Anti-Nazi Campaigns were there?

Answer 20

The SPD AND KPD would try to demote the Nazi Party using propaganda and as a result they were sent to concentration camps.

Question 21

What was the disobedience against the Nazi Party like?

Answer 21

Young people would not the join the Hitler youth and would instead go to clubs and dress more western to show they are anti Nazi. These types of clubs were later on made illegal. Occasionally the disobedient would get arrested if not executed. A uni group called the White Rose protested against the violence of the Nazi Party and as a result were executed.

Question 22

How many attempts were made to assassinate Hitler?

Answer 22

They were 15 known attempts to kill Hitler. One of the most famous was were Claus Van Stauffenberg put a bomb in Hitler’s brief case and made and excuse to leave the room while bomb went off. 4 people died but Hitler survived. As a result of this Stauffenberg was arrested by Freidreich Fromme to show his loyalty to Hitler. Stauffenberg was later on assassinated.

Question 23

How did Hitler deal with the Church?

Answer 23

Hitler made his own Nazi influenced peoples church. The first testament was ripped out as it was ‘ Jewish ‘ and the Church was more Nazi than Christian.

Question 24

Why did the German People have Spontaneous protests?

Answer 24

Whenever the NAZI Party would make a move that the public did not like they would protest. Such as the protest when 2 bishops were arrested. As a result the Bishops were released.

Question 25

What was censorship from the Nazi’s like in the years 1933-1945?

Answer 25

Goebbels told all the radio controllers that radio stations were now going to be in the control of the Nazi Party. Not only were Jewish staff killed but the content of the broadcasts were going to only promote Nazi ideology and nothing else.

Question 26

How was the press controlled by the Nazis in 1933-1945?

Answer 26

On the 4th of October 1933,Hitler issued a decree where it was a crime to publish any content that would weaken the Third Reich. They made a list of ‘accredited journalists’ , where the people who associated themselves with Jews would not make it on the lists. By December a state-owned agency would be set up and the newspapers had to pick up stories from them.It got to a point where there were 96 Nazi newspapers with over 3 million readers.

Question 27

What was Nazi repression like in the years 1933-1945?

Answer 27

It started by banning all the political party’s except from the Nazi Party. All political opponents were sent to concentration camps(500,000).

Question 28

What was Nazi policing like in the years 1933-1945?

Answer 28

Apart from the SS and the Gestapo , there was the People’s Courts set up in Berlin in 1934 and where people would be put on trial for betraying the Third Reich. There would be two judges and 5 other members chosen from the Nazi Party , the SS and the Armed forces. Nazi officials who ran each blocks would patrol the apartments to see if there is the tiniest of rule breaking.

Question 29

How did The Nazi Party gain support?

Answer 29

Some people just cheered for the Nazi due to the amount of control they had as they did not actually support them. One way Hitler made real supporters as that was vital for war was by making Hitler look like a a National Hero,god - like figure who could do no wrong.This ‘ Fuhrer Myth ‘ made people sacrifice themselves for the Nazis.

Question 30

Explain the Nazi propaganda and the influence on people?

Answer 30

Nazi propaganda was sophisticated as Hitler stated that with one slogan and image repeated over and over again would have an effect. They portrayed Jews as the enemy as making them dark and ugly with hooked noses on posters. He made the ‘ Peoples Receiver ‘ the cheapest radio with over 70 percent of the Nation owning radios. By 1943, One Third of radios were Peoples Receivers. Also they would make people believe the Nazi Policies were right as they would push the Jews into the Ghettos and show the Nation how greedy and dirty they are.

Question 31

How would the Nazi Party reward the support they got?

Answer 31

Mothers were rewarded for having babies and they would get medals for having more than 4 children. They would have extra support, as a mother you had children owed 1000 marks but got it reduced to 250 marks and therefore was no longer in debt. Men that supported the Nazi were rewarded with free trips with the Kraft Durch Fruede. They loved people who were prejudice against the undesirables.

Question 32

Why did people support the Nazi Party?

Answer 32

The middle class supported them as their savings had value again. The wealthy industrialists had supported due to the banning of the KPD and trade unions. Also support came from those Germans who believed that the Treaty of Versailles was being reversed. The Fuhrer Myth gained support as that kept morale high through the bad and good times in war. Although due to the poor living standards during the war some support was lost by the ordinary people.

Question 33

Why did Germany no longer have to pay reparations in 1932?

Answer 33

At a conference in Lausanne, Bruning had a discussed with other Allies that the reparations payments would be impossible to give due to the Depression countries were experiencing. Germany were paying as little as possible anyway.

Question 34

Why did the trade with Nazi Germany and the US collapse?

Answer 34

In 1934, Germany failed to pay its debts to USA therefore the trade collapse.

Question 35

What was the ‘new plan’?

Answer 35

This was made by Schacht as this was where Germany trade goods with foreign countries such as Hungary and Yugoslavia instead of money.

Question 36

What were the main targets of the German economy in 1933?

Answer 36

They announced the 4 year plan on January 1st 1933, with the aim of achieving autarky. The most important targets were unemployment and agriculture.

Question 37

What is Autarky?

Answer 37

It is economic self sufficiency without the need to rely on another country for imports in every area of life.

Question 38

How did Hitler create employment in Germany in the years 1933-1936?

Answer 38

The depression was turned around,businesses were employing people again and the statistics were manipulated. Jews were taken out the work force along with the undesirables. In addition, the women were discouraged from work and were sacked. The Reich Labour service created employment as they had road building schemes tied to increased car and truck manufacture which created work and improvement in communication and transport of raw materials.

Question 39

How did Hitler manage agriculture in the years 1933-1936?

Answer 39

The minister of agriculture was Alfred Hugenburg. He increased import tariffs on agricultural produce,making German produce cheaper. He banned banks repossessing farms from farmers that were in debt so they could keep on farming. Hugenburg also made margarine manufacturers put butter from German farmers in their margarine.

Question 40

Who replaced Hugenburg as the minister of agriculture in the year 1933?

Answer 40

Richard Darre who set up the Reich Food Estate to manage and the distribution of food production and set the prices and farm wages. The RNS could fine up to RM100,000 for not conforming. Work creation schemes sent people, especially young women to work on farms as well as on building projects. Some farmers had issues with the fact that they were told what prices to sell at. At 1934 all farm produce went to 80 percent.

Question 41

How did Hitler manage businesses from 1933-1936?

Answer 41

Some big businesses would help Hitler such as the iron and steel industry.Others for e.g that one that depended on exports did not. The 1933 Law for the protection retail trade stopped the building of new stores and prevented previous ones from expanding. In 1934 department stores were 80 percent less then what they were in 1929.

Question 42

How did Hitler deal with unions in 1933?

Answer 42

Unions had been a problem for big businesses in the Wiemar Republic as there were disputes between owners and workers over wages,hours worked and strikes. Such as 1,222 million in 1926 at its least to 36,198 million at its most in 1936. Big business such I.G. Farben backed Hitler however many workers also supported Hitler. Therefore Hitler on the 6th of May announced there would be only 1 trade union which was the DAF.

Question 43

What was the Deutsche Arbeitsfront(DAF)?

Answer 43

The DAF(German Labour Front) was the only union that Hitler introduced in 1933. It was Voluntary but was very difficult for non-members to get work.This organisation made it possible for big businesses to exploit there workers more as they could set their own working conditions. The Reich Trustee of Labour was the last resort and usually sided with the owners.

Question 44

What was the economic crises in 1935-1936?

Answer 44

In 1935, countries no longer wanted the exchange of goods as trading but now wanted cash. For e.g Bulgaria wanted cash not goods for their oil as an exchange. Germany still hadnt reached autarky and still needed to import raw materials due to rearming. They even need to import food as there were shortages of fats and meat. Schacht had to choose between import of food or raw materials. They decided to cut consumption.

Question 45

What was command economy(1936-1939)?

Answer 45

A command economy is when the state,not business or agriculture, decides what and how much to produce. This is what the Nazis ran. The first 4 year plan ran for just 3 years ending in 1936. In 1936, Germany had high foreign debts because of raw material imports.

Question 46

What was the second 4 year plan?

Answer 46

The new four year plan was mainly focused on autarky and preparing for war. Hermann Goering was in charge. The raw materials germany could not produce were replaced by sythetic alternatives such as rubber replaced by ‘ Buna ‘. This meant creation of new factories. Production was not as fast as hoped as it took 6 tonnes of coal to heat homes and produce 1 tonne of synthetic fuel which was important for military transport.

Question 47

What 6 departemnets were there in the office of Goering?

Answer 47

1) raw material production 2) agriculture production 3) distribution 4) labour 5) prices 6) foreign exchange matters.

Question 48

Did Hitler go with guns or butter?

Answer 48

Hitler had the choice to go with either the military rearmament or with the food for the people of Germany. Hitler had said in a conference that military equipment should be prioritized but had also said the needs of the people should be met as he had promised them work and bread. He also knew the state would become very unpopular if he had start to ration the food. They tried to balance both and also tried to educate people to consume less with propaganda aiming to get them to consume less by telling them to be patriotic.

Question 49

Did Hitler achieve his 4 year plan targets by 1939?

Answer 49

No however they made improvements such as going from importing 20 percent to only 17 percent. Some of the targets were unrealistic.

Question 50

How did the Nazis change consumption of food the Germans would eat in 1939?

Answer 50

Hitler used propaganda campaigns to persuade people to go from eating meat to fish and instead of using sausages between their bread use jam. This had some success as jam companies increased their sales.

Question 51

How did Nazis deal with war production in 1939?

Answer 51

The Nazis were becoming unpopular due to the command control they had especially by big manufacturers and industrialists. So they had to get ready for war without upsetting more people , so aimed to focus on war production while at the same time top up the food supply of the German citizens without the prices of goods increasing.

Question 52

What was the T4 campaign ran by the Nazis?

Answer 52

On 18 August 1939 all doctors,nurses and midwives had to report any signs of disability of a child under the age of 3. The T4 campaign was made to get rid of all disabled children as parents were offered the chance to send the child to a ‘ specialist clinic ‘. That is were they were killed. By January 1940 the T4 campaign was extended to all ages and over 70,000 disabled people were killed.

Question 53

Why did the Nazis build a housing estate called Hashude?

Answer 53

Hashude was a fenced of housing estate for people that were ‘ asocial ‘. People that couldnt pay rent or were alcoholics would be sent there to be re-educated for about a year as they would have to attend lectures and classes.This system was closed when housing eventually became scarce in Germany.

Question 54

Did living standards improve for conformists?

Answer 54

Living standards initially improved under the Nazis. Unemployment dropped and Nazi statistics show that real wages rose. However there were some issues as wages were regulated so people did not have much spending money. Although the ‘ strength through joy’ programme provided extras such as loans,medical care and extra food.