Unit 1: Democracy to Dictatorship

Question 1

Who were the key leaders of the Nazi party in 1933?

Answer 1

Joesph Goebbels, Rudolph Hess, Heinrich Himmler, Wilhem Frick, Adolf Hitler, Ernst Rohm, Hermann Goring

Question 2

What were the main demands of the Nazi party?

Answer 2

1.Ensure Aryan supremacy
2.Nationalise important services
3.Scrap the Treaty of Versailles
4.Strengthen central government
5.Brot und Arbeit
6.Subdue the Jews
7.Build Nationalism
8.Improve education
9.Destroy Marxism
10.Fight for lebebsraum

Question 3

What is the Munich Putsch?

Answer 3

Hitler and his Nazis went in Munich for a triumphal march to take power. However, Kahr had called the police, following the short scuffle 16 Nazis were killed with Hitler fleeing and being arrested 2 days later.

Question 4

Causes of the Munich Putsch

Answer 4

-Hitler wanted to set up his own government
-Overthrow the weak Weimer government for signing the Armistice and treaty of Versailles

Question 5

Aftermath of the Munich Putsch

Answer 5

-Nazi party was banned
-Hitler was banned from public speaking until 1927
-He went to prison where he wrote Mein Kampf, My struggle, where his view became well known
-He decides he must take power by constitutional means

Question 6

What are some external factors that allowed Hitler to become chancellor?

Answer 6

-Fear of Communism=1930 to 32 had increased support especially the working class with many people scared they will take over Germany and farmers losing their land and business.

-The Great Depression in 1929= 1932, 6mil were unemployed with Nazis opening soup kitchens

-Weak opposition= Opposition was divided with the social democrats and communists not cooperating along with neither of the groups helping people during the Great Depression.

Question 7

What things did Hitler do to make himself Chancellor?

Answer 7

-A political deal= 1932 Nazis won 37% of the vote with Von Papen getting elected yet didn’t have the support. So, Hitler became Chancellor with Von Papen becoming vice Chancellor believing that he can control him. Hindenburg allowed this with Hitler’s persuasion.

-Nazi propaganda= Joesph Goebbels, in charge of propaganda, used the latest tech to spread their message (films and loudspeakers.) along with mass rallies and marches to give an impression of discipline.

-Hitlers leadership skills= He was a powerful public speaker and filled people with hope that he alone can save Germany from its problems.

-Nazi organization= Nazis were good at raising money especially from rich businessmen. Used leaflets to spread the message. SA was important and brought order and law to Germany.

-Nazi promises= They made a promise:
-Strong leadership
-Ignore the treaty of versailles
-Build up the army
-Make Germany a great country again (MGGA)

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Question 8

When did Hitler become chancellor?

Answer 8

January 1933

Question 9

Why was Hitler’s position fragile in January 1933?

Answer 9

He wasnt even the most powerful man in Germany that was the Paul Von Hindenburg, the president.

Germany was a democracy and over 60% of the population didn’t vote for Nazis

There were many groups and individuals in German society who detested the Nazis and their ideology.

Question 10

When was the Reichstag fire?

Answer 10

27th Feb 1933

Question 11

Who was caught inside the Reichstag at the Reichstag fire?

Answer 11

Young Dutch communist, Marinas van der Lubbe

Question 12

How did the Nazi party exploit the Reichstag fire?

Answer 12

Van der Lubbe calimed he worked alone yet many thought it was part of a communist plot, with the Nazis putting seeds of doubt in the public mind.

Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to pass the Reichstag fire decree.

Question 13

When was the Reichstag fire decree passed?

Answer 13

28th Feb 1933

Question 14

What was the Reichstag fire decree?

Answer 14

It was 6 articles which:
-restricted the civil liberties such as the rights of people under arrest, freedom of expression, the right to public assembly and secrecy of the post and telephone.
-increased the power of central government
-Established very harsh crimes for certain crimes including the death penalty for arson to public buildings
-Lastly, that the decree took affect the day it was announced

Question 15

The aftermath of the Reichstag fire?

Answer 15

4000 communists arrested including Ernst Thalmann, the leader of the Communist party along with communist press and meetings.

2nd largest party, the social democrats had their meetings along with other political parties having it violently broken up the SA brownshirts.

Question 16

How many seats did the Nazi party have after the Reichstag fire?

Answer 16

288 of 647 leading them to have a coalition with Nationalist DNVP party giving them 52 seat and the majority.

Question 17

When was the Enabling act passed?

Answer 17

24th March 1933

Question 18

What was the Enabling act?

Answer 18

The Enabling act gave the Chancellor the power to pass any law they want without the consent or control

Question 19

Why was the Enabling act passed?

Answer 19

The debating chamber was surrounded by SA brownshirts to intimidate with only the 94 Social Democrats voted against the Act; 400+ members voted to pass it.

Democracy was effectively disbanded.

Question 20

When was the Civil service act passed?

Answer 20

7th April 1933

Question 21

What happened in Feb 1933 related civil servants?

Answer 21

Many high-ranking civil servants were removed from their posts.

Question 22

What was civil servant act?

Answer 22

It required the dismissal of any political opponent of the Nazi or non-Aryan civil servant which included teachers, judges or uni lecturers.

Question 23

What and when was the book-burning?

Answer 23

Nazis wanted to control ideas. Nazi student groups urged to take action against ‘Un-German Spirit’.

10th May 1933 uni cities across Germany burned 25K volumes included works by Jewish and Communist authors or anything said to be ‘Un-German’

Question 24

What were some examples of official encouragement of antisemitism?

Answer 24

-April 1933 further legislation restricted the number of Jews studying in uni.
-1st April 1933=the Nazi organized a day-long boycott of all businesses
-Antisemitic signs were put up on shop fronts and SA guards were posted outside shops to discourage people from entering

Question 25

Some examples of Nazis use of terror?

Answer 25

-Up to 600 murdered in 1933 and by October, over 100K arrested. (Political opponents)

-Many imprisoned in German conc camp, first being Dachau in March 1933

-SA became increasingly violent

-June 1933 = Known as the Köpenick, the week of Blood, a social democrat shot 3 SA stormtroopers and in response the SA 500 men and tortured 91 so bad, they died.

Question 26

Why were the Trade Unions seen as opposition to the Nazi party?

Answer 26

Trade unions (left wing) were set up to protect workers rights and so were against the Nazi party.

Question 27

When and why were some trade union leaders arrested?

Answer 27

February 1933 = in fear they will protest the Nazis arrested the Union leaders

Question 28

What happened after the arrest of the trade union leaders?

Answer 28

Leftover leaders compromised with Goebbels who promised an annual holiday (Day of National 1st May)

The leaders were duped; 2nd May their offices were raided, leaders arrested and newspaper shutdown

Question 29

Other measures the Nazi party used against opposition political parties

Answer 29

1933

10th May = Nazis claimed corrupt use of SD funds and seized all their wealth and offices with many leaders fleeing as a result

21st June = Wilhem Frick used emergency decree to ban the SD as a ‘dangerous enemy’. 3K arrested, imprisoned and tortured.

Once other parties saw what happened they dissolved themselves

14th July = the Act to Ban New Parties was passed with the Nazis running a one-party state with no official opposition.

Question 30

What was the first way the Nazis used to increase their control over local government?

Answer 30

Local governments were organized into regions (Lander) with each region electing their own assembly to managee its affairs.

During 1933 power was gradually being removed.

1934 = The act for the reconstruction of the state was passed removing power entirely

The states were split into 42 mere provinces (Gaue) each run by a Gauleiter elected by the central government and answered to them as well.

Question 31

What was the second way the Nazis used to increase their control over local government?

Answer 31

Hitler was infuriated by the trial of the Reichstag fire; 4 acquitted and 1 put to death

April 1934 = The act set up the Peoples court and created a separate court from the normal justice system.

It dealt with ‘Political offences’ (deliberately vague) and tried slow workers to treason plotters.

The number of death penalties rose rapidly.

Question 32

What threat did the SA pose towards Hitler?

Answer 32

1934 = SA became increasingly difficult to control with it growing rapidly: beginning of 1934 (nearly 6 mil) it had 6x more men than the start of 1933.

Question 33

Why was Ernst Rohm such a threat?

Answer 33

Openly declared that he wanted the SA to replace the army

Hitler could see that the army was better equipped and trained despite only having 100K members.

Hitler rejected him with Rohm now openly criticizing Hitler yet there is no evidence that he was plotting the downfall of Hitler.

Question 34

What did Hitler do to counter the threat of Rohm?

Answer 34

June 1934 = he tasked the SS to plant fake evidence of a national uprising (Rohm). Lists of ‘politically unreliable’ people which included Rohm and other SA leaders.

30th June = the SS arrested the SA leaders and Rohm in their special “meeting” in Munich. Many died in prison with Rohm brutally killed 2 days after his arrest.

Question 35

What did Goring do with the Conservatives?

Answer 35

Berlin, Goring was in charge. Von Papen (Vice-Chancellor) escaped arrest (too prominent). After an interview with Hitler, he resigned. His secretary and leading supporters were arrested.

Hitler removed older enemies:
Von Schlieder (the previous Chancellor)
Von Kahr (thwarted their attempt to power in 1923)
Erich Klausener (prominent Catholic)
were all killed. In total 85 people, 12 whom were Reichstag deputies, were murdered.

Question 36

What were the consequences of the Night of the Long Knives?

Answer 36

Power of the SA reduced
-The role and power of the SA reduced, with 2.9mil in Aug 1934 to 1.6mil by Oct 1935

Loyalty of the army secured
-The army knew Hitler picked them over the SA and so rewarded him with great loyalty. General Blomberg (head of the army) congratulated Hitler on his ‘soldiery decision’.

Rise of the SS and Heinrich Himmler was established
-Before this, the SS was a relatively small off-shoot of the SA and so proved their loyalty, as this success was mostly due to them, and rose to prominence with Hienrich Himmler going to become one of the most powerful men in Germany

Culture of fear created
-SS now became the key to Nazi terror in Germany and the culture of fear followed was the most important consequence.

Nazi regime gained a strange legal ground
-A speech to the Reichstag ,13th July 1934, Hitler insisted he was the ‘supreme judge of the German people’ establishing that ‘extra judicial; by the regime was acceptable

Question 37

How did Hitler become Fuhrer?

Answer 37

With Hindenburg’s death immeninet he the Act concerning the Head State was passed on 1st August 1934 which states that at his death, the title of President and Chancellor fuse to become ‘leader’.

2nd August = Hindenburg died with Hitler becoming the dictator of Germany.