The Third Reich 1933-34

Question 1

Hindenburg passes decree to ensure free and peaceful elections (meetings had to be notified to police 48hrs before) - in fact opportunity for Nazis to break up opposition parties’ meetings (‘out of fear for public security’)

Answer 1

4 feb 1933

Question 2

Goering (minister of interior in Prussia) orders Prussian police not to disrupt SA/nationalist meetings but suppress communist ones severely - said would cover for them if they use firearms despite illegal

Answer 2

17 feb 1933

Question 3

Goering appoints SA members as auxiliary police officers with same rights - disrupted opposition meetings with violence

Answer 3

22 feb 1933

Question 4

Reichstag fire - nazis blamed communists (Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe arrested from building) - had arrested 4000 communists by morning

Answer 4

27 feb 1933

Question 5

Hitler persuades Hindenburg to pass decree for protection of people and state (reichstag fire decree) - granted using article 48 - suspended all civil rights (personal liberty, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly)

• gov could arrest people without trial (could suppress KPD further before election) + search houses/confiscate property + detain people indefinitely without trial
• death penalty for wide range of crimes
• police could ban meetings/close newspapers/round up opponents and send them to makeshift concentration camps/detention centres
• Prussia goering seized radio station
• emergency decree formed legal basis for nazi control of gov for 12 yrs

Answer 5

28 feb 1933

Question 6

Federal election to reichstag - nazis gained 288 seats (43.9% of vote) - not majority - with DVP (8% vote) still not 2/3 majority to change constitution

Answer 6

5 March 1933

Question 7

New ministry for public enlightenment and propoganda created - hitler appoints josef goebbels as head - soon controls all media and dissemination of information

Answer 7

13 March 1933

Question 8

First concentration camp opened at Dachau - detain political opponents - poorly organised + unsuitable sites (old warehouses etc) at first, but held thousands 1933-34

Answer 8

20 March 1933

Question 9

Day of Potsdam - new reichstag opened - win over more conservative supporters (centre party/army) - many Catholics cooperated with them to retain control of catholic schools

Answer 9

21 March 1933

Question 10

Enabling act passed - cabinet power to pass laws without reichstag’s permission
-hitler now essentially a dictator

Answer 10

24 March 1933

Question 11

One day boycott of Jewish businesses/shops (organised by SA)

Answer 11

1 April 1933

Question 12

Law for restoration of the professional civil service - admin/courts/schools/universities purged of ‘alien elements’ - Jews/nazi opponents/black people

Answer 12

7 April 1933

Question 13

Hitler granted workers May Day holiday (turned into ‘day of national labour’)
- following day trade union offices seized + unions incorporated into nazi-dominated German Labour Front (DAF)

Answer 13

1-2 may 1933

Question 14

Employment law - programme of public works (autobahns) to tackle unemployment

Answer 14

9 June 1933

Question 15

SDP officially banned by state

Answer 15

22 June 1933

Question 16

Law against the formation of new parties - Germany one party dictatorship - KPD and SPD already banned + other parties dissolved themselves

Answer 16

14 July 1933

Question 17

Concordat between gov and Catholic Church - nazis would protect religious freedom + Catholic Church banned from political activity

Answer 17

20 July 1933

Question 18

Reichstag dissolved and another election called

Answer 18

14 oct 1933

Question 19

93% German voters approved decision to withdraw from LofN + 92.2% voted in support of national socialist candidates - no official opposition candidates but 3m submitted invalid ballots in protest - reichstag lost all political significance

Answer 19

12 nov 1933

Question 20

Law for the reconstruction of state - elected state assemblies (local govs) dissolved and reichstag governors (often nazi Gauleiters) run states - March 1933 onwards many local govs overthrown by SA

Answer 20

30 jan 1934

Question 21

Night of long knives - operation hummingbird launched - SS assassinate leading SA figures inc Rohm/political opponents deemed a threat (von Schleicher) - reassures army about hitler’s intentions - hitler claimed had ‘saved nation’ from attempted coup

Answer 21

30 June 1934

Question 22

Hindenburg dies - hitler becomes head of state: the Fuhrer - German army forced to make an oath of loyalty to him personally - hitler now indispensable to gov

Answer 22

2 aug 1934

Question 23

Hindenburg agrees to dissolve Reichstag + hold new elections - gives Hitler opportunity to win majority - election 5th March

Answer 23

1 feb 1933