The Rise of the Nazis and Hitler Comes to Power Flashcards
How did Hitler change tactics after the Munich Putsch?
- By the mid-1920’s, the economy was starting to recover under Stresemann
- Hitler tried to gain control through the democratic system, not Putsch tactics
- The Nazi Party was extended nationally and propaganda was used more frequently
What did the Great Depression do for the party?
- It caused 6 million to become unemployed by 1933
- Germany’s biggest bank collapsed in 1931
- Depression led to the collapse of the Weimar Government because nothing it did could help
- So the Nazis became more popular as they promised strong leadership
What aspects appealed to the people of Germany?
- Nazis promised prosperity and to make Germany great again, which appealed to the unemployed, businessmen and young people
- Some followed the party’s anti-communist and anti-Semitic views
- By 1930, Nazi membership grew to over 300,000
Who won the 1930 election?
1st - Socialists
2nd - National Socialists
3rd - Communists
By how much had Nazi support increased?
- Votes: 800,000 to 6,409,000 from 1928
- Deputies: 12 to 207 from 1928
- (Share prices: down 20%)
What happened in the Reichstag?
- Chancellor Heinrich Bruning couldn’t control the Reichstag because of the amount of seats the conflicting parties: Nazis and Communists had obtained
- He had to rule by emergency decree because no party had enough seats to control the Reichstag on its own
April 1932, what’s going down?
- Millions unemployed and country was desperate for a strong government
- Hindenburg had to stand for re-election because his term in office had run out
- Hitler stood against him, and there was also a Communist candidate
- Hindenburg won 53% of the vote and Hitler won 36.8%
What happened in the June 1932 elections?
- Hindenburg had already appointed von Papen as the new chancellor
- In the elections, the Nazis gained 230 seats, so were the biggest party but had no majority. Hitler demanded he be made chancellor
- Hindenburg refused and kept von Papen
What happened in the November 1932 elections?
- Nazis lost 34 seats
- Hindenburg appointed von Schleicher as chancellor
- von Schleicher tried to cause divisions in the Nazi party by asking Gregor Strasser, a Nazi, if he wanted to be vice-chancellor. Hitler stopped him from accepting
What happened in January 1933?
- Hindenburg offered Hitler chancellorship
What happened in March 1933?
- Hitler called an election
What tactics did the party use to win the March 1933 election?
- Controlled media
- Opposition meetings banned
- SA terrorised opponents
- A fire broke out at the Reichstag, so Hitler blamed it on Communists and took the opportunity to arrest them to remove opposition
How did Hitler change the law to stay in control?
- Hitler still had no majority (288 seats) so Hitler declared the Communist Party illegal
- This gave him enough support to pass the Enabling Bill in March 1933
- He could rule for 4 years without parliament and made all other parties illegal
What was the Night of the Long Knives?
- 29th-30th June 1934
- Hitler removed internal threats
- Ernst Rohm, leader of the SA was arrested and the SA was made a division of the SS which was under Hitler’s control (he was worried Rohm would use it against him)
- Several hundred people were killed including Rohm, Strasser and von Schleicher. Opposition = eradicated
What happened a month after the Night of the Long Knives?
- Hindenburg died
- Hitler merged the posts Chancellor, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Army to become: Der Fuhrer
