Germany - 2.3.1 Establishment of Dictatorship

Question 1

Briefly describe the Nazi Party in the 1920s (3)

Answer 1

• The Nazis were founded in 1919 by Anton Drexler
• It was a small, right-wing political party with Nationalist views. It’s main area of support was in Bavaria in Southern Germany around the city of Munich
• Adolf Hitler joined the Nazi Party and became the chairman of the party in 1921

Question 2

On 30th January 1933, President Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as ___________

Answer 2

Chancellor

Question 3

What 6 things increased peoples support for the Nazi Party?

Answer 3

• Hitler’s leadership skills and character
• The appeal of Nazi policies - e.g. ‘work and bread’
• The role of the SA (Brownshirts)
• Propaganda
• Fear of Communism
• The impact of the Great Depression

Question 4

The Nazis were a huge political force by 1933 - who were the 7 people that dominated the Nazi Party?

Answer 4

• Adolf Hitler: became party leader in 1921
• Joseph Goebbels: In charge of propaganda. He used posters, newspapers, radio and film. Deeply anti-semitic ideas. His propaganda emphasised the personal power of Hitler who was presented as a saviour type figure
• Wilhelm Frick: When Hitler became Chancellor, Frick was made Minister of the Interior. He had held positions of power in 1930 and 1931 in Thuringia. Frick helped to shape the party’s racial policies
• Ernst Rohm: Leader of SA (Brownshirts). First set up as bodyguards of Hitler but became the Nazi’s Private Army. Rohm took charge of the SA in 1930 and increased it to 400k in 1933.
• Hermann Goring: Ex WW1 fighter pilot and second in command to Hitler. He had responsibilities in government including controlling the police in Prussia. In 1933 Goring formed the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, to stop opposition to the party
• Rudolph Hess: Ex WW1 hero and was third in power to Hitler. He was Deputy Leader of the party an signed off all legislation to ensure it followed Nazi ideology. He worked in Munich at the headquarters of the party
• Heinrich Himmler: Led the SS (Blackshirts). By the end of 1933, it had 200,000 members. It’s ‘elite guard’ was a paramilitary organisation that developed systems of surveillance and terror. The SS ran the concentration camps and struck fear and terrified into the German people

Question 5

What were the 10 aims of the Nazi Party?

Answer 5

• Work and Bread (Arbeit und Brot): Unemployed promised were work and bread. Appealed during the Depression
• Scrap the Treaty of Versailles: It has reduced the German army and taken land
• Destroy Communism: They saw Communism as a Jewish plan to take over the world
• Anti-Semitism: Nazis had antisemitic policies and targeted Jews who they blamed and scapegoated for Germany’s problems
• Ensure Aryan supremacy: Nazis believed in the idea of a ‘master race’
• Lebensraum: Nazis sought ‘living space’ for German people in the east and reunite German speaking people
• Nationalism: Wanted to restore Germany’s pride and rebuild its armed forces
• Nationalise important industries: Promised to nationalise important industries to revitalise the economy
• Strengthen central government: sought to reduce the power of state governments
• Improve education: Use education as indoctrination and propaganda

Question 6

When Hitler was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg on 30th January 1933, what were the limits to his power? (5)

Answer 6

• Hindenburg was persuaded to appoint Hitler Chancellor due to his belief he was easy to control
• A politician called Franz von Papen told Hindenburg he had Hitler ‘in his pocket’ and that ‘within two months, we will have pushed Hitler so far into a corner that he’ll squeak (like a mouse)’
• Only 3 of the 12 in the cabinet were Nazis
• Hindenburg could still get rid of Hitler if he chose to
• There were still trade unions, other political parties and the state parliaments that could restrict Hitler’s power

Question 7

How old was Hindenburg and how did this affect his opinion on appointing Hitler Chancellor?

Answer 7

In 1933, he was 85 years old and wasn’t expected to live long - this might’ve made him more suspicious of appointing Hitler Chancellor but was told he would be easy to control

Question 8

What were the 7 key dates that describe how Hitler set up his dictatorship?

Answer 8

• 27th February 1933 - Reichstag Fire
• 5 March 1933: Elections
• 24th March: Enabling Act
• May 1933: Trade Unions
• July 2933 - All political parties banned
• January 1934 - State Parliaments
• 30th June 1934: Night of the Long Knives

Question 9

What was the Reichstag Fire?

Answer 9

• Reichstag building destroyed by fire. Blamed on Dutch Communist, Marinus van deer Lubbe. Nazis used fire to spread propaganda about danger of Communism. 4,000 Communists arrested. Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to pass the Decree for Protection of People and the State which reduced peoples rights and allowed people to be arrested and put in prison

Question 10

What was the 2nd step in Hitlers rise to becoming a dictator?

Answer 10

• 5 March 1933: Elections - The Nazis intimidated political opponents and had taken control of the media with their anti-Communist message. The Nazis gained 44% of the vote and 288 seats. The Communists still got 4.8m votes and 81 seats

Question 11

What was the Enabling Act?

Answer 11

The Enabling Act (24th March) gave Hitler the powers to be a dictator. He achieved the necessary 2/3 majority by banning Communists and persuading the Catholic Centre Party and the National Party (DNVP) to support it. It passed 444-94.

Question 12

What happened in May 1933 during Hitlers rise to becoming a dictator?

Answer 12

• May 1933: Trade Unions - Trade unions were taken over and leaders arrested. All Trade Unions merged into the German Labour Front (DAF). The DAF was completely controlled by the Nazis

Question 13

What happened in July 1933 during Hitler’s rise to becoming a dictator?

Answer 13

• July 1933: All political parties banned: A law banned all political parties. The SPD and KPD had already been broken up - the Centre Party and National Party (DNVP) also broke up. Germany was not a one-party state

Question 14

What happened in January 1934 during Hitler’s rise to becoming a dictator?

Answer 14

• January 1934: State Parliaments were abolished

Question 15

What was the last step of Hitler’s journey to becoming a dictator?

Answer 15

• 30th June 1934: Night of the Long Knives - Hitler used the SS to destroy the leadership of the SA. This helped prevent a potential ‘Second Revolution’ challenge from the leader of the SA, Ernst Rohm

Question 16

What were the 8 steps in Hitler becoming Fuhrer?

Answer 16

• 30th Jan 1933: Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Chancellor. There were only 2 other Nazis in the cabinet of 12
• 27th Feb 1933: Reichstag Fire, blamed on Dutch Communist Marinus van deer Lubbe. The Reichstag Fie Decree reduced the power of the Communists
• 5th March 1933: elections were held. The SA and SS intimidated voters. The Nazis won 288 out of 647 seats increasing their seats from 196
• 24th March 1933: Enabling Act gave Hitler the power to pass any law without consent of the Reichstag
• Hitler used the Enabling Act for Gleichschaltung (bringing Germany into line)
• Trade Unions and other political parties were banned in the spring and summer of 1933
• June 1934: Hitler got rid of opposition from within the SA and the Nazi Party in the Night of the Long Knives
• August 1934: Death of Hindenburg. Hitler he comes Fuhrer - army takes oath of allegiance

Question 17

How did Hitler use the Reichstag Fire to get rid of the Communists as a threat? (5)

Answer 17

• 27 Feb 1933, Reichstag building was set on fire. Marinus van der Lubbe was blamed for the fire having being caught inside
• Van der Lubbe claimed he was working alone. However, many, including the Nazis, blamed it on a wider Communist plot
• Hitler persuaded President Hindenburg (who had the power to make a law in an emergency) to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree
• The Reichstag Fire Decree restricted civil liberties (including freedom of assembly and freedom of the press)
• This then led to 4,000 Communists being arrested including Ernst Thalmann, the leader of the Communist Party

Question 18

What was the Enabling Act? (2)

Answer 18

• The 5th March 1933 election would be the last one held until 1945. However, the Nazis still did not secure an overall majority despite the widespread voter intimidation.
• ‘A combination of terror, repression and propaganda was mobilised in every community, large and small, across the land’ - (Richard J.Evans)
• On 24th March 1933, Hitler passed the Enabling Act by 444 votes to 94 (Only 94 Social Democrats voted against). This gave Hitler the power to rule Germany as a dictator. After the Reichstag Fire, the German Parliament met in the Kroll Opera House

Question 19

How did Hitler pass the Enabling Act?

Answer 19

• Because the Nazis did not secure an overall majority in the 1933 election and the communists were excluded from taking up their 81 seats after the Reichstag Fire, Hitler could pass the act by making a deal with the Centre Party and the Nationalist Party to persuade them to vote for the Enabling Act. The votes were 444 to 94

Question 20

What did Germany use the Enabling Act to do first?

Answer 20

• To bring Germany into line, also known as Gleichschaltung
• For most Germans it was the creation of a climate of fear and terror

Question 21

What were the 4 points of Gleichschaltung?

Answer 21

• The Civil Service Act: Feb 1933 - Many high-ranking civil servants removed from their posts. 7th April - Act for the Restoration of the professional Civil Service passed. Anyone who was an opponent of the Nazis was dismissed
• Book Burning: Nazi student groups were urged to take action against works that were ‘Un-German’. 25,000 volumes of ‘un-german’ books where burnt
• Anti-Semitism: Civil Service Act had removed Jews from public office including teachers. Jews were removed from studying in universities. 1st April 1933 - boycott of Jewish businesses
• The use of terror and the SA: The terror began in 1933. The Dachau concentration camps opened in March 1933. In June 1933 a Social Democrat shot 3 stormtroopers. In retaliation the SA arrested 500 and 91 died. This was known as the Kopenick Week of Blood

Question 22

Describe how Hitler removed opposition by removing the power of the trade unions (4)

Answer 22

• Trade unions protect the rights of workers and fight for better pay and conditions
• In Feb 1933, the Nazis arrested leading TU members. Geobbels promised a holiday for German Labour which took place 1st May (Day of National Labour)
• 2nd May: offices of every left-wing trade union were raided, leaders arrested and newspapers closed
• The Trade Unions were taken over by the German Labour Front (DAF)

Question 23

How did Hitler remove opposition by removing other political parties? (4)

Answer 23

• The Social Democrats (SDs) were the biggest political party
• On 10th May, the Nazis seized SD offices and wealth. On 21st June, Frick used an emergency decree to ban the SDs as a ‘dangerous enemy’. 3,000 were arrested.
• Other political parties disbanded having seen what happened to the SDs.
• 14th July - Act to Ban New Parties = one party state

Question 24

How was Hitler’s position in the government by July 1933? (4)

Answer 24

By July 1933, Hitler had massively increased his power. However, there were restrictions to his power remaining
- President Hindenburg: Hindenburg was above Hitler and could veto (block) Hitler’s laws if he wanted to
- The SA: Hitler’s own personal army, the SA was growing in power. The SA was lead by Ernst Rohm who was becoming a personal threat to Hitler’s leadership
- Conservative politicians: Politicians like von Papen were not Nazis but still remained in the government. Hitler still needed their loyalty and support to stay in power
- Justice system and local government: Hitler did not yet have complete control of the justice system or the system of local government (known as the Lander)

Question 25

Describe local government while Hitler was on his rise to becoming a dictator (3)

Answer 25

• Local government was organised into regions knows as Lander. Each region had its own assembly to manage local affairs. One of the Nazi policies had been to centralise government
• In January 1934, the Act for the Reconstruction of the State removed the power of the Lander completely.
• The states were reduced to provinces known as Gaue - each one was run by a Gauleiter who was elected by the party and answerable to central governemnt

Question 26

Describe how Hitler set up the Peoples Court (4)

Answer 26

• Hitler was angry that some Communists seemingly ‘got away’ with the Reichstag Fire. He felt the courts were not loyal enough to the Nazis
• In April 1934, the Nazis passed the Act to Set Up the People’s Court which created a separate court (People’s Court) outside the normal justice system to deal with political offences
• Only Nazi approved judges were chosen
• The number of death penalties rose rapidly as the years passed

Question 27

Why was the SA a threat to Hitler? (5)

Answer 27

• Ernst Rohm was the leader of the SA. He wanted a ‘Second Revolution’ which would see the Nazis doing more to helo the working class. The SA numbered 3 million and were loyal to Rohm - most of the SA were working-class men
• Rohm did not like that Hitler was linked to rich industrialists and landowners
• The SA were becoming increasingly violent and difficult to control
• The army was worried that the SA would replace the army - the army was led by Hermann Goring. Rohm openly talked of taking over the German army. When Hitler dismissed this idea, Rohm called Hitler the ‘ridiculous corporal’.
• The SS leaders such as Himmler and Heydrich did not like Rohm and wanted the SS to grow in power

Question 28

What happened on the Night of the Long Knives? (3)

Answer 28

• Hitler arranged a meeting with Rohm and 100 other SA leaders at a hotel in Bavaria on 30th June 1934. When they arrived, Rohm and the senior officers of the SA were arrested and imprisoned and shot.
• Rohm was given the chance to commit suicide but was shot dead. Franz von Papen’s office was searched and some of his staff killed. Goring told the German public that Rohm had been killed to stop him planning a revolution to replace Hitler
• In total, 85 people were murdered including 12 Reichstag deputies

Question 29

How was the Night of the Long Knives significant in Hitler becoming a dictator? (6)

Answer 29

• Hitler gained the support of the army
• President Hindenburg was happy with the action and most German people approved
• The power of the SA was reduced - those that stayed in the SA were under the control of the SS which was more loyal to Hitler. Viktor Lutze, who was loyal to Hitler, became new SA leader.
• The event showed how ruthless Hitler could be
• Hitler passed a law on 3rd July 1934 saying that the Night of the Long Knives was legal
• Von Papen resigned as Vice-Chancellor

Question 30

What is the explanation of the consequence “The power of the SA was reduced”

Answer 30

The Night of the Long Knives severely reduced the power of the SA. The role of the SA reduced and its membership dropped from 2.9 million in August 1934 to 1.6 million by October 1935

Question 31

What is the explanation of the consequence “The loyalty of the army was securered” due to the Night of the Long Knives

Answer 31

The Army knew Hitler had chosen between the army and the SA. When Hitler chose to support the army he was repaid with loyalty. General Blomberg, head of the Reichswehr (German army) congratulated Hitler on his ‘soldierly decision’

Question 32

What is the explanation of the consequence “the rise of the SS and Heinrich Himmler” due to the Night of the Long Knives

Answer 32

The SS and Heinrich Himmler co-ordinated the Night of the Long Knives. Before this event, the SS was a small off-shoot of the SA. They rose in loyalty and power. Himmler would become a leading Nazi

Question 33

What is the explanation of the consequence “a culture of fear was created” due to the Night of the Long Knives

Answer 33

The SS’s power increased. It became the instrument of fear and terror in Germany. The culture of fear that followed the Night of the Long Knives was the most important consequence

Question 34

What is the explanation of the consequence “the Nazi regime gained a strange ‘legal grounding’” due to the Night of the Long Knives

Answer 34

The Night of the Long Knives involved the execution without trial of at least 85 people. In a speech to the Reichstag on 13th July 1934, Hitler insisted he was the ‘supreme judge of the German people’. He had established the idea of ‘extra judicial’ killing

Question 35

Describe the last block to Hitler becoming Fuhrer (the death of President Hindenburg) (2)

Answer 35

• By August 1934, President Hindenburg was dying. The Act Concerning the Head of State was passed
• When Hindenburg died, the office and power of the president was merged with that of Chancellor under the new title of the Fuhrer when Hindenburg died on 2nd August 1934