The Rise of the Nazis 1929-1934 Flashcards
Who created the Nazi Party (the DAP back then)?
Anton Drexler
What was the programme Drexler and Hitler created?
The 25-Points Programme
When was the 25-Points Programme established and what did it state?
Feburary 1920 *Gave key Nazi message in favour of: German Nationalism Racial Ideas Anti-Semitism Anti-democracy
What was Hitler’s idea of Lebensraum?
‘Living Space’ where German-speaking peoples would be united to maximise strength - in an aim of colonial expansion into Eastern Europe to be a greater power
What was Social Darwinism? How did it impact Hitler?
The notiont of ‘survival of the fittest’ - used as a moral principle that the ‘weaker’ races don’t deserve to live and should be ERADICATED
How much did Hitler’s speeches increase party membership? By which year?
3,300 new members by 1921
What was Hitler’s Fuhrerprinzip?
There should be complete obedience of the authority of the leader (Hitler)
When were the SA created?
SA led by Ernst Rohm in 1921 (visually gave the message of defeating communism)
What was the name of the first Nazi Newspaper in 1921?
Volkischer Beobachter
How had Hitler dubbed the ones who signed the Treaty of Versailles?
‘November Criminals’
How did Hitler use the SA as propaganda creating nostalgia?
Their uniforms were ‘brownshirts’ like those of Prussian Military reminiscing of Kaiser Reich = prosperous time
Who joined the party in 1922? What did this for for it?
Hermann Goring and it gave the party respectability as he was from the Aristocracy
What is the Volksgemeinschaft?
The policy of creating a national community (overcoming class, religion and politics in search of GERMAN VALUES)
How many members were there by 1923?
20,000
What were two Nazi propaganda iconologies creating an identity?
The Nazi Salute
Swastika (both show belonging)
What was the Herrenvolk?
The master race
What were the new regions of Germany called?
Gaue
Who controlled each region? (extra: who controlled Berlin?)
Gauleiters (Joseph Goebbels)
What was the difference in votes from May to December 1924?
won 6.5% of vote in May
Went to 3% in December (Before the release of Hitler)
How had membership increased since 1925?
4 FOLD
Which bodyguard was created in 1925?
SS
Which Nazi movements were founded in 1926?
Hitler Youth; Nazi Teachers’ Assoc.; Nazi Students’ Assoc.; Union of Nazi Lawyers.
What was the derrogatory name often given to the Nazis?
The ‘Party of the angry man’
What was the Nazi result of May 1928 Election?
Only 2.6% of vote == 12 seats
Which province did the Nazi Party Treble its vote? why?
Thuringia
There was a fall in agricultural prices in this agriculturally dominated area= discontent
Who led the Nazis in the years Hitler was in jail?
Alfred Rosenburg
How could the Nazis be described without the presence of Hitler?
Weak and in disarray
When and at which conference did Hitler assert the Fuhrerprinzip?
February 1926 - Bamberg Conference
What happened in October 1929?
The Wall Street Crash
By how much did national income shrink by between 1929 and 1932?
39%
By how much did industrial production decline after 1929?
40%
What was the number of unemployed by 1932?
6 million (1/3 of the working population)
how many businesses were bankrupted?
50,000
What were common issues with the SA? (3 points)
- Don’t have police/army’s support
- Too violent, taking power by force
- Don’t gain respectable people’s votes for Nazis
How did the Wall street crash create an opportunity for the Nazis?
The Nazis’ propaganda wouldn’t fall on deaf ears now because there was an atmosphere of depression in Germany and the Nazis provided the scapegoats and solutions to get back to the prosperous Germany.
From 1928 to 1933 how did the KPD vote increase?
3.2 million to 5.9 million
When was Muller’s Grand Coalition?
1928-1930
Who did his Grand Coalition include?
SPD, ZP, DDP and DVP (majority of socialists)
By how much did exports fall between 1929 and 1932?
55%
When was the Young Plan?
1929 (approved 1930)
What were the three main points of the Young Plan?
- Germany would pay less money but over a long period with a set timescale
- Responsibility for paying the reparations was passed to Germany
- The French agreed to evacuate the Rhineland by June 1930 (5 yrs early)
What was the date until which Germany would have to pay the reparations?
1988
How many marks would they have to pay a year and compared to the agreement of the Dawes Plan?
2,000 million marks a year rather than 2,500 million (but payments were to increase gradually)
What was the National Opposition? What did they believe?
The name of the group involved in the Anti-Young Plan and they believed that they shouldn’t have to pay the reparations because the Treaty of Versailles was unjust
Who led the National Opposition?
Alfred Hugenberg (recently appointed leader of the DNVP)
Who else joined against the Young Plan?
Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party
How many signatures were gained on a petition demanding a referendum?
4 million
What was the result of this national referendum in December 1929?
The National Opposition only won 5.8 million votes out of the 21 million required
How did supporting the National Opposition benefit Hitler and the NSDAP?
- The party membership grew
- Nazism gained a national standing and respect
- It brought Hugenberg’s media with it
- Nazi rally at Nuremburg had great propaganda success
What was the figure of NSDAP membership by the end of 1929?
130,000
Why did Muller’s coalition collapse?
It could not deal with the strain of the crash of 1929; the government was split, with the socialists wanting to increase welfare contributions for the unemployed, whereas the DVP wanted to cut benefits - a majority could no longer be maintained
When did the Grand Coalition collapse?
1930
Who replaced Muller?
Heinrich Bruning
Who were the 3 leading men around President von Hindenburg?
Otto Meissner - the president’s State Secretary
Oskar von Hindenburg - the president’s son
Major General Kurt von Schleicher - a leading general
All three were conservative-nationalists with no belief in the democratic process
Why was Bruning selected by these men?
He seemed a respectable, conservative figure who could provide firm leadership and they could control
What were Bruning’s aims?
To cut spending and raise taxes to solve the economic crisis
What was the result of Bruning’s policies?
Unemployment rose and there was a decline in Welfare State Provision
What was the derogatory name given to Bruning?
‘The Hunger Chancellor’
When was Bruning’s budget proposal rejected by the Reichstag?
July 1930
How did Bruning deal with this rejection?
He enacted Article 48 - the presidential decree
When did Bruning ask Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag and call an election?
September 1930
What result did Bruning hope for in the election?
That the developing crisis would encourage people to support the ZP
What was the actual outcome in September 1930?
The Nazi Party increased its vote from 810,000 to 6,409,600
How many presidential decrees were sanctioned in 1931?
44 (compared to 5 the previous yr)
How much of the vote did the Nazis win in September 1930?
18.3%
What was the percentage of people who voted for the main pro-democratic parties?
39.5%
What was the Banking Crisis in June 1931?
the major bank, the Danat and several others collapsed and unemployment was near 5 million - so a new form of the National Opposition (the Harzburg Front) demanded the resignation of Bruning and arranged a massive rally to denounce him - - - he was saved by the president.
What was Bruning’s unpopular proposal about land reform?
He wanted to turn some Junker estates in East Prussia into 600,000 allotments for the unemployed - - this displeased President Hindenburg
How did political intrigue remove Bruning?
von Schleicher persuaded Hindenburg to force Bruning’s resignation by the end of May 1932 and to create a right-wing government
Who followed Bruning as Chancellor in May 1932?
Franz von Papen
Who influenced Hindenburg to get von Papen to be Chancellor?
von Schleicher
Was von Papen a politician?
No - - - he has very little political experience and knowledge and was just a member of the ZP but wasn’t even in the Reichstag (meant von Schleicher could manipulate him)
He had good connections in high society and was politically ambitious and nationalistic
What was the new cabinet in government called?
A non-party government of ‘national concentration’
What was von Papen’s new government dubbed? Why?
the ‘Cabinet of Barons’ because it was a presidential government dominated by aristocratic landowners
Why did Papen and Schleicher want to secure political support from the Nazis?
To strengthen their right-wing government
What are the 2 concessions that Hitler demands in return for not opposing the new government?
1) The dissolution of the Reichstag and new elections
2) The end of the government ban of the SA and SS
When was the next Reichstag election?
31 July 1932
How many people were killed brutally as the result of politically pressured street fights during the election campaign?
86
How much of the vote did the Nazis win in 1932?
37.3% (230 seats) making them the largest party in the Reichstag, but it wasn’t a majority and they were now financially exhausted
How did Jeremy Noakes describe the period from August to December 1932?
‘the months of crisis’
On which date did the Reichstag pass a vote of no confidence in Papen’s government?
12th September 1932
What was the result of the vote of no confidence?
512 votes to 42
Why was another election in November 1932 a weak proposal?
1) The Nazis were at the verge of their financial expenditure and their morale was low
2) Also the electorate disliked so many elections and the instability
What percentage of the November 1932 vote did the Nazis gain?
33.1%
What policy did Papen suggest out of desperation?
The declaration of martial law and the establishment of a presidential dictatorship (but this could lead to civil war?)
What did Schleicher tell Hindenburg to influence him to demand Papen’s resignation?
That the army had a lack of confidence on von Papen
When did von Schleicher take over as Chancellor?
December 1932
How did von Schleicher attempt to draw the Nazis into a coalition?
He offered Gregor Strasser the position of Vice-Chancellor, who was going to accept to get the Nazis in government
Why did Strasser not gain the Vice-Chancellorship?
Hitler and he had a contentious feud, leaving Hitler with the party’s loyalty and he was isolated and forced to resign
Which industrialist helped pave the way for a Nazi take-over?
Kurt von Schroder as it was in his house in Cologne that Hitler and von Papen met which resulted in the Chancellorship
What type of coalition does von Papen suggest to smash communism?
a Nazi-Nationalist coalition
What does Papen propose to Hindenburg?
Place Hitler as Chancellor and him as Vice-Chancellor and so he can control Hitler, as he’ll be locked in a conservative-dominated cabinet- once the Weimar had been undermined a new authoritarian regime could be installed peacefully
On which date was Hitler appointed Chancellor?
30th January 1933
Why does Richard Evans believe Hitler was made Chancellor?
because democracy had collapsed and there was a lack of alternative
Who were the only other 2 Nazis in the cabinet of 12?
Frick and Goring
Who supported Hindenburg exclusively?
The army
Which institutions obstructed Hitler’s power?
the Reichstag, local government, Hindenburg
the Trade Unions, Churches and the Freedom of the press
Which area of the Nazi party was of deep concern to the Mittlestand especially?
The permitted violence and thuggery of SA
What happened on 27 February 1933?
The Reichstag Fire
What was the name of the Dutch communist who supposedly started the Reichstag Fire?
Marinus van der Lubbe
How did the Nazis use the Reichstag Fire?
To show the threat of communism
What was the title of the decree that Frick drew up the day after the Reichstag Fire?
the ‘Decree for the Protection of People and State’, which signed by Hindenburg via Article 48 suspended CONSTITUTIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS
What was the percentage for the turn out of the March 1933 election?
88.8%
What was the Nazis’ slogan for the 1933 election?
‘The battle against Marxism’
How much of the vote did the Nazis gain?
only 44%
What happened on 24th March 1933?
The Enabling Act
What was the Enabling Act?
the ‘Law for Terminating the Suffering of the People and the Nation’ which:
- gave emergency powers to government for four years
- Hitler could pass decrees without the President’s involvement
- essentially became the constitution of the 3rd Reich
Why did the Reichstag agree to the Enabling Act?
They were coerced and intimidated by the SA and SS surrounding the Kroll Opera House
How many votes was the Enabling Act passed by?
441 to 94 (SPD voted against it and KPD banned from voting altogether)
On which date was the celebratory opening of Dachau? Who was it supposed to hold initially?
20 March 1933
Political Opponents in ‘Protective Custody’
What happened on 21 March 1933?
Potsdam Day - a propaganda triumph for the Nazis on the opening day of the Reichstag in Potsdam, because they seemed to preserve traditional ideals and be very conservative and respectable
What is Gleichschaltung?
The coordination of all German social and political life under Nazi control - - - at first the Nazi organisations worked alongside the other bodies (dualism), but then they replaced them
What did Frick do on 31 March 1933?
He shut down all local state governments
When was the one day boycott of Jewish shops?
1 April 1933
What happened on 7 April 1933?
the Law for Restoration of Professional Civil Service passed = Jews and political opponents were purged from the civil service
What was the 1st May celebrating?
‘Day of National Labour’ as it was internationally the socialist labour day
What happened on 2 May 1933?
the SS and SA were sent to occupy the trade union premises and arrest leaders. All trade unions were now merged into the German Labour Front (DAF)
Who led the DAF?
Robert Ley
How many members did the DAF have?
22 million (the largest Nazi organisation)
On which date was the SPD officially banned and its assets seized?
22 June 1933
When was the Nazi party declared as the only legal political party in Germany? (one-party state)
14th July
Which was the last party to disband? When?
The Centre Party (ZP) on 4th July
What was the Concordat of 1st July?
An agreement between the Catholic Church and the Nazis - the church would give up all political activity but keep their right to meet and worship
By 1933 what was the figure for the SA membership?
425,000
By 1934 what was the new figure for SA membership? Why?
3,000,000 - - - many people wanted to advance themselves and saw this as the route
What was the name given to the news of Ernst Rohm and his SA?
a SECOND REVOLUTION
When was the Night of the Long Knives?
30 June 1934
Which 3 leading men were killed?
von Schleicher (former Chancellor), Strasser (leader of the radical socialist wing of the Nazis) and Rohm (leader of SA)
How many people are estimated to have been killed that night?
200
Who killed the members of the SA?
SS but using German Army weapons and transport (i.e. German Army support the regime)
When did President Hindenburg die?
2 August 1934
What happened on Hindenburg’s death?
There was no crisis; Hitler merged Chancellor and President to become Fuhrer
What was the 3 word phrase Hitler used to gain supporters?
‘Arbeit! Freiheit! Brot!’
