Topic 3 - Nazi Control and Dictatorship Flashcards
In January 1933 why is Hitler’s position as Chancellor weak (5 points)
- Nazis made up only 3/12 seats in the cabinet
-Has to abide by democracy because of the Weimar Constitution
-Hindenburg and von Papen want to use him to rid of Communist party then get rid of him - Nazis don’t have majority votes
-Limited by constitution
When was the Reichstag fire
-In February 1933
-One week before an election Hitler had planned was going to place
Who was blamed for the Reichstag fire and what happened to him
-Van der Lubbe who was a dutch communist
-He was arrested
What did Goering and Hitler say about the Reichstag Fire
-It was the start of a Communist revolution
What is the Decree for the Protection of People and State
-Hitler can arrest people with no evidence
How was the Decree for the Protection of People and State granted
-Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to use article 48
Who does Hitler arrest using the Decree for Protection of People and State
-He arrests 4000 Communists including their leader
What does Hitler ban of the Communists’ after the Reichstag fire and Decree PPS is passed
He bans Communist newspapers
How does the March 1933 election go for Hitler?
-Nazis vote increase as they join with the nationalists so they have a majority
-288 seats + nationalists
-He wanted 2/3 votes so he could change the constitution
How is the March 1933 election made easier for Hitler
-Has funding from industrialist countries such as Krupp
-Communists are all in jail so out of the way
What was the Enabling Act
It meant Hitler had full control of Germany for 4 years and can make any laws without the Reichstag’s vote
How did Hitler get the Enabling Act passed (3 points)
-Used intimidation by SA and Communists couldn’t vote.
-Absent votes were counted as in favour for the Act.
-Centrist party bribed to vote in favour
How many votes were for and against the enabling act
-444 votes in favour
-94 not in favour
What was the Gleichschlatung policy ?
Bringing all of Germany in line with Nazi philosophy. Every aspect of life would be controlled and monitored by the Nazis.
What was passed in April 1933 and what did it do
The Civil Service decree - political opponents, jews, non-Aryans had to retire
What happened in May 1933 (4 points)
-Trade unions and strikes were banned
-German Labour Front established
-Dissenters would be sent for political re-education at concentration camps
- Socialist and Communist Parties had their property and funds seized
What happened in June 1933?
-All other political parties dissolved themselves
What law was passed in July 1933
Law against the formation of Parties - making Nazis the only legal party
How did the November 1933 election go for the Nazis
Nazis gained an overwhelming majority of votes
What happened in January 1934
Districts parliaments were abolished and Reich governors were appointed instead
When did the Night of the Long Knives happen?
30th June 1934
What was the Night of the Long Knives
-Hitler arranged meeting with Rohm (head of SA) and 100 other SA leader at a hotel in Bavaria
-They were arrested by the SS, imprisoned then shot
-Over the next 4 days 400 people including 150 senior SA members were killed
-Other included political rivals such as von Schleicher and von Papen
Why did Rohm pose a threat to Hitler’s rule and become a cause of the Night of the Long Knives
-SA members were loyal to him and they felt undervalued by Hitler
-By 1933 60% of the SA were permanently unemployed
-He was against Hitlers link with rich industrialists and army generalists and wanted more socialism
-Army officers thought Rohm wanted SA to replace army
How did getting rid of Rohm help Hitler
It destroyed the threat that Rohm was planning to try seize power
Made himself the one in charge of the SA so had control of them
Why did the German army help cause the NOTLK
-Officers because thought the army was only 100,000 men the SA wanted to replace it
-Dissolving the SA would have pleased the army
Why did SS leaders help cause the NOTLK
-They resented Rohm as they wanted to reduce the power of the SA so they could increase their own power and the status of the SS
-It meant Hitler could keep the SS on his side and increase their support for him
When did Hindenburg die and what position did Hitler take afterwards
-August 1934
-He became Führer and Chancellor
How did Hitler make his actions legal and what did this allow for Nazis after Hindenburg died
-Plebicite where 90% of people approved his actions
-Allowed them to pursue more actively the idea of Führer Prinzip by a lot of propaganda. -Controlled every element of German sodiety
What did Hitler make the army do after Hindenburg died
He made them swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler
When were the SS originally set up and what was their role?
-Set up in 1925
-Hitler’s bodyguards to stop threats made towards him
What did Heinrich Himmler do to the SS in 1929
-He took over and gave them a clear identity by making them an “obedient elite”, by giving them black uniforms and their own symbol and having standards in line with Nazi ideas
-(e,g,) They were heterosexual and aryan
Who did the SS oversee
-The SD and the Gestapo
-Himmler is the boss of all three
When was the SD establish and who ran it
-In 1931
-Lead by Himmler who appointed Heydrich to run it
What was the role of SD (2 points)
-They work as detectives to find and monitor potential enemies
-Kept files on everyone
Who was attracted to working for the SD
Intelligent men
Who set up and runs the Gestapo
-Set up by Goering
-Himmler and Heyrich oversees Gestapo and SD
What did the Gestapo wear
Plain clothes so nobody knew who was one
What is the Gestapo’s role in the police in terms of seeking opposition
-Torch find, search and seek opposition to find any elements of enemies
What is the Gestapo’s role in the police in terms of arresting
-Could take place without trial or reasoning and lead people to being sent to concentration camps
How many arrests with no reasoning took place in Germany 1939
-160,000 Germans
What is the Gestapo’s role in the police in terms of networks
They were a network of informants who told the government about the opposition
What is the Gestapo’s role in the police in terms of torture
-They were legally allowed to torture people to get confessions out of them