Hitler AMDEPs

Question 1

Hitler’s Appointment as Chancellor: Conservative Elite and Von Papen’s Strategy

Answer 1

Conservative elites (esp. von Papen) appointed Hitler Chancellor, believing they could control him. Nazis held 230 Reichstag seats after July 1932 elections. Hitler appointed Chancellor on 30 January 1933. Only 2 Nazis in the initial cabinet (Jan 1933). Counter: Elites underestimated Hitler; he quickly outmaneuvered them.

Question 2

Hitler’s Appointment as Chancellor: The 1929 Crash and Depression

Answer 2

The Great Depression destabilized Germany, fueling radicalism. Wall Street Crash: October 1929. Unemployment in Germany reached 6 million by 1932. Nazi vote rose from 2.6% (1928) to 37.3% (July 1932). Counter: Economic crisis alone did not guarantee Hitler’s rise; elite decisions were crucial.

Question 3

Hitler’s Appointment as Chancellor: Effectiveness of the SA

Answer 3

The SA’s violence and intimidation destabilized Weimar democracy. SA membership grew to 400,000 by 1932. Street violence peaked during 1932 elections. Night of the Long Knives purged SA leadership, June 30–July 2, 1934. Counter: Violence alone could not have brought Hitler to power without elite support.

Question 4

Hitler’s Appointment as Chancellor: Support from Industrialists

Answer 4

Industrialists supported Hitler as a bulwark against communism. Secret meeting with industrialists: February 1933. IG Farben and Krupp provided financial backing in 1933. Nazi campaign funding increased sharply ahead of March 1933 elections. Counter: Business support was important but not decisive without political crisis.

Question 5

Nazi Consolidation of Power: Concessions to the Elites

Answer 5

Alliances with conservative elites secured initial legitimacy. Hitler appointed Chancellor: 30 January 1933. Potsdam Day symbolized alliance: 21 March 1933. Enabling Act passed: 23 March 1933, with elite support. Counter: Elite support was crucial but not sufficient; Nazis later sidelined them.

Question 6

Nazi Consolidation of Power: Reichstag Fire and Emergency Decrees

Answer 6

Reichstag Fire enabled emergency repression. Reichstag Fire: 27 February 1933. Decree for Protection of People and State: 28 February 1933. Thousands of communists arrested: March 1933. Counter: Effectiveness depended on pre-existing fears and institutional compliance.

Question 7

Nazi Consolidation of Power: The Enabling Act

Answer 7

The Enabling Act gave Hitler dictatorial powers. Passed: 23 March 1933. Exclusion of communist deputies and intimidation of SPD. Required and received Centre Party and conservative votes. Counter: Passage relied on both elite concessions and intimidation.

Question 8

Nazi Consolidation of Power: Gleichschaltung (Coordination)

Answer 8

Nazis brought all institutions under their control. Trade unions dissolved: 2 May 1933. All parties except Nazis banned: July 1933. Reich Governors Law centralized local government: January 1934. Counter: Cooperation influenced by both fear and belief in Nazi promises.

Question 9

Nazi Consolidation of Power: Concordat with the Catholic Church

Answer 9

Concordat secured Church neutrality. Concordat signed with Vatican: July 1933. Catholic Centre Party dissolved: July 1933. Guarantees of religious freedom in exchange for neutrality. Counter: Concordat was a pragmatic, temporary truce.

Question 10

Nazi Consolidation of Power: Night of the Long Knives

Answer 10

The purge reassured the army and consolidated Hitler’s power. Night of the Long Knives: 30 June–2 July 1934. SA leadership and conservative critics killed. Army swore loyalty to Hitler after Hindenburg’s death: 2 August 1934. Counter: Elite support was conditional; terror was central to consolidation.

Question 11

Hitler’s Government 1933–39: Consolidation of Political Power

Answer 11

Hitler dismantled democracy and centralized power. Reichstag Fire: 27 February 1933; Enabling Act: 23 March 1933. Night of the Long Knives: 30 June–2 July 1934. Army oath after Hindenburg’s death: 2 August 1934. Counter: Early years required alliances; not all sectors fully Nazified by 1939.

Question 12

Hitler’s Government 1933–39: Economic Transformation and Rearmament

Answer 12

Unemployment fell and rearmament accelerated. Unemployment fell from 6 million (1933) to under 1 million (1936). Schacht’s New Plan launched: 1934. Göring’s Four-Year Plan started: 1936. Counter: Recovery not solely Nazi achievement; living standards for some declined.

Question 13

Hitler’s Government 1933–39: Social and Racial Policy

Answer 13

Propaganda and anti-Semitic laws escalated. Nuremberg Laws passed: 1935. Kristallnacht pogrom: 9–10 November 1938. Hitler Youth made compulsory: 1936. Counter: Vision of unity never fully realized; some resistance persisted.

Question 14

Hitler’s Government 1933–39: Foreign Policy and Expansion

Answer 14

Hitler overturned Versailles and expanded territory. Remilitarization of the Rhineland: 7 March 1936. Anschluss with Austria: 12 March 1938. Invasion of Poland: 1 September 1939. Counter: Expansion led to war and was not universally supported.

Question 15

Survival of the Nazi Regime: Repression and Terror

Answer 15

SS, Gestapo, and camps eliminated dissent. Decree for Protection of People and State: 28 February 1933. Night of the Long Knives: 30 June–2 July 1934. SPD and KPD banned by July 1933. Counter: Repression alone could not account for regime survival.

Question 16

Survival of the Nazi Regime: Propaganda and the Führer Myth

Answer 16

Goebbels’ propaganda fostered a cult of Hitler. Propaganda Ministry established: March 1933. Mass rallies (e.g., Nuremberg) held annually from 1933. Führer myth distanced Hitler from unpopular policies. Counter: Propaganda needed policy successes and coercion.

Question 17

Survival of the Nazi Regime: Economic Recovery and Social Policies

Answer 17

Economic recovery and social programs won support. Unemployment fell from 6 million (1933) to near full employment by 1936. Strength Through Joy (KdF) program launched: 1933. Autobahn construction began: 1933. Counter: Recovery was uneven; not all gains were due to Nazi policy.

Question 18

Survival of the Nazi Regime: Collaboration, Consent, and Social Dynamics

Answer 18

Many Germans collaborated out of conviction or fear. Concordat with Catholic Church signed: July 1933. Gleichschaltung process began: 1933. Most professional groups coordinated by 1934. Counter: Collaboration sometimes coerced; genuine enthusiasm was uneven.

Question 19

Nazi Racial Policy: Ideology and Centrality of Race

Answer 19

Racial theory was fundamental to Nazi ideology. Mein Kampf published: 1925. Nuremberg Laws institutionalized discrimination: 1935. Volksgemeinschaft concept promoted racial exclusivity from 1933. Counter: Race became dominant over time; Nazi ideology was broad.

Question 20

Nazi Racial Policy: Implementation

Answer 20

Racial policy aggressively pursued. Boycott of Jewish businesses: 1 April 1933. SS under Himmler enforced policies from 1934. Nuremberg Laws passed: 15 September 1935. Counter: Implementation was often ad hoc and shaped by circumstance.

Question 21

Nazi Racial Policy: Relation to Other Priorities

Answer 21

Economic revival and expansion were also priorities. Economic improvements: 1933–36. Lebensraum justified in racial terms: invasion of Poland, 1939. Four-Year Plan launched: 1936. Counter: Racial policy intertwined with other priorities.

Question 22

Nazi Racial Policy: State Structure and Radicalization

Answer 22

State structure encouraged radicalization. SS’s rise to power: from 1934. Ordinary Germans participated in denunciations: 1933 onward. Hjalmar Schacht cautioned against anti-Jewish measures: 1935–36. Counter: Consensus was not universal; many complied out of fear.

Question 23

Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims 1933–41: Revision of Versailles

Answer 23

Hitler overturned key Versailles provisions. Germany withdrew from League of Nations: October 1933. Conscription reintroduced: March 1935. Remilitarization of Rhineland: 7 March 1936. Counter: Actions risked war; appeasement enabled early successes.

Question 24

Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims 1933–41: Unification of German-speaking Peoples

Answer 24

Hitler achieved Anschluss and territorial expansion. Anschluss with Austria: 12 March 1938. Munich Agreement annexed Sudetenland: 30 September 1938. Occupation of Czechoslovakia: March 1939. Counter: Expansion beyond German areas undermined trust.

Question 25

Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims 1933–41: Lebensraum in the East

Answer 25

Invasion of Poland and USSR aimed at expansion. Nazi-Soviet Pact signed: 23 August 1939. Invasion of Poland: 1 September 1939. Operation Barbarossa launched: 22 June 1941. Counter: War with USSR stalled; rapid conquest failed.

Question 26

Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims 1933–41: Anti-Communism and Alliances

Answer 26

Hitler sought anti-communist alliances and pacts. Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan and Italy: November 1936. Non-aggression pact with USSR: August 1939. Operation Barbarossa broke pact: June 1941. Counter: Two-front war was a strategic error.

Question 27

Nazi Economic Policy 1933–41: Recovery and Unemployment

Answer 27

Unemployment fell, but methods unsustainable. Unemployment fell from 7 million (1933) to 1.6 million (1936). Public investment rose from 2.2 bn (1932) to 8.1 bn Reichsmarks (1936). Mefo bills introduced: 1934 to finance rearmament. Counter: Recovery relied on removing women/Jews from workforce and deficit financing.

Question 28

Nazi Economic Policy 1933–41: Rearmament and Autarky

Answer 28

Shifted to rearmament and autarky under Göring. Four-Year Plan launched: 1936. Synthetic oil met only 18% of needs by 1939. Trade deficit rose to 432 million Reichsmarks by 1938. Counter: Dramatic expansion of armaments, but not full autarky.

Question 29

Nazi Economic Policy 1933–41: Administrative Structure

Answer 29

Overlapping agencies led to inefficiency. Cabinet ceased regular meetings: after 1938. Four-Year Plan office created: 1936. Ministries and party officials competed for influence: 1933–41. Counter: Output and military production increased despite chaos.

Question 30

Nazi Economic Policy 1933–41: Ideology and Contradictions

Answer 30

Ideological rigidity undermined efficiency. Refused to mobilize women for labor: 1939–41. Excluded skilled Jewish workers: from 1933 onward. Maintained consumer goods production until 1942. Counter: Maintained popular support and avoided unrest.

Question 31

Nazi Response to Depression: Economic Recovery and Unemployment

Answer 31

State intervention and rearmament reduced unemployment. Unemployment fell from over 6 million (1932) to near full employment by 1936. Schacht’s New Plan launched: 1934. Four-Year Plan started: 1936. Counter: Recovery driven by military spending; living standards for many did not improve.

Question 32

Nazi Response to Depression: Social Policy and Volksgemeinschaft

Answer 32

Welfare and social programs promoted unity. Strength Through Joy program launched: 1933(which took a persentage out of workers pay for lesure activities e.g. crusies) . Family policies and marriage loans introduced: 1933. Hitler Youth membership made compulsory: 1936. Counter: Benefits uneven; Jews and minorities excluded.

Question 33

Nazi Response to Depression: Political Consolidation and Control

Answer 33

Crisis justified elimination of opposition. Enabling Act passed: 23 March 1933. Night of the Long Knives: 30 June–2 July 1934. Army brought under Nazi control by 1938. Counter: Stability achieved at the cost of democracy and civil liberties.

Question 34

Nazi Response to Depression: Impact on Social Groups

Answer 34

Some groups benefited, others marginalized. Big business gained from state contracts: 1933–36. Rural incomes stagnated by 1937. Middle classes initially supported, later marginalized: 1933–39. Counter: Gains uneven; militarization prioritized over welfare.

Question 35

Nazi Economic Policy: Agriculture-Blood and Soil Ideology

Answer 35

Policies aimed to preserve/promote peasantry(as seen as the backbone) but conflicted with economic needs. Reich Entailed Farm Law passed: September 1933. Reich Food Estate established: 1933. By 1937, agricultural incomes declined; rural exodus increased. Counter: Ideological commitment conflicted with efficiency; foreign labor imported by 1943.

Question 36

Nazi Economic Policy: Industry-Recovery to Rearmament

Answer 36

Public works and rearmament drove industrial growth. Schacht’s New Plan launched: 1934. Four-Year Plan started: 1936. Armaments production increased sharply by 1939. Counter: Failed to achieve self-sufficiency; relied on forced labor.

Question 37

Nazi Economic Policy: Ideological Contradictions

Answer 37

Labor and gender policies undermined efficiency. Refused to mobilize women for labor: 1939–44. Racial policies eliminated skilled Jewish workers from 1933 onward. By 1944, economy was short approx. 4 million workers. Counter: Consumer economy maintained too long; exploitation of conquered territories prioritized ideology.

Question 38

Impact of Foreign Policy on Nazi Economic Policy: Rearmament and Autarky

Answer 38

Foreign policy drove economic planning for war. New Plan introduced: 1934. Four-Year Plan launched: 1936. Unemployment reduced from 7 million (1933) to 1.6 million (1936). Counter: Germany remained dependent on imports; autarky not achieved.

Question 39

Impact of Foreign Policy: Resource Extraction and Exploitation

Answer 39

Conquests provided resources but created problems. Anschluss with Austria: March 1938. Occupation of Czechoslovakia: March 1939. Blitzkrieg strategy relied on plundering occupied territories: 1939–41. Counter: Exploitation fostered resistance and inefficiency.

Question 40

Impact of Foreign Policy: Economic Contradictions and Limitations

Answer 40

Contradictions between war preparation and living standards. Balance of trade deficit rose to 432 million Reichsmarks by 1938. Economy not fully mobilized for war until 1942. Albert Speer rationalized production from 1943. Counter: Rationalization came too late.

Question 41

Impact of Foreign Policy: Ideology vs. Economic Rationality

Answer 41

Racial and ideological goals overrode economic logic. Final Solution diverted resources from war effort: from 1941. Refusal to mobilize women for labor: 1939–44. Use of forced labor from occupied territories increased from 1940. Counter: Forced labor was pragmatic but insufficient to overcome inefficiencies.

Question 42

Nazi Policy: Women and Youth-Ideological Aims

Answer 42

Nazis promoted traditional roles for women and total control over youth. “Kinder, Küche, Kirche” slogan emphasized: from 1933. Marriage loans introduced: June 1933. Hitler Youth and League of German Girls made compulsory: 1936. Counter: Policies clashed with labor needs as war approached.

Question 43

Nazi Policy: Women and Youth-Compliance and Social Impact

Answer 43

Many conformed, but not all were enthusiastic. Female employment dropped from 37% (1933) to 31% (1937). Birth rates rose from 1.2 million (1934) to 1.4 million (1939). Hitler Youth became nearly universal after 1936. Counter: Dissident youth groups emerged; family life and religion undermined.

Question 44

Nazi Policy: Women and Youth-Contradictions and Limitations

Answer 44

Labor shortages forced some reversals. By 1939, 14.6 million women employed (up from 11.6 million in 1933). Unmarried women forced into “duty year” of labor from 1939. Lebensborn program introduced: 1935. Counter: Short regime lifespan and war demands prevented full realization.

Question 45

Nazi Policy: Women and Youth-Long-term Impact and Resistance

Answer 45

Nazi policies shaped a generation, but control was often superficial. Many Germans worked “towards the Führer” (1933–39). War strained regime’s ability to enforce policies (from 1939). Youth delinquency and breakdown of family structure increased by 1944. Counter: Policies unraveled after 1945; resistance and non-conformity persisted.

Question 46

Nazi Religious Policy: Ideological Aims

Answer 46

Nazis sought to subordinate or destroy religious authority. “German Christian” movement promoted from 1933. Martin Bormann and Goebbels advocated open “war against the Churches” from 1937. Hitler postponed a final reckoning until after the war. Counter: Hitler was cautious due to Christianity’s deep roots.

Question 47

Nazi Religious Policy: Protestant Churches

Answer 47

Protestants initially sympathetic, but regime sought control. “German Christians” aligned church with Nazis in 1933. Confessional Church formed in 1934; over 700 pastors arrested in 1935. Ludwig Müller installed as Reich Bishop in 1933. Counter: Most Protestant opposition was muted.

Question 48

Nazi Religious Policy: Catholic Church and Concordat

Answer 48

Concordat secured neutrality but tensions grew. Concordat signed: July 1933. Papal encyclical “With Burning Concern” issued: March 1937. Bishop von Galen denounced euthanasia: 1941. Counter: Catholic opposition aimed at autonomy, not regime overthrow.

Question 49

Nazi Religious Policy: Limits of Control and Resistance

Answer 49

Churches retained autonomy; mass resistance was rare. Crucifixes removed from schools in 1936, policy reversed after protest in 1937. Martin Niemöller arrested: 1937. Popular attachment to Christianity limited Nazi control (1933–45). Counter: Churches’ willingness to compromise enabled regime control.

Question 50

Standard of Living 1933–41: Economic Recovery and Employment

Answer 50

Unemployment fell and jobs increased, but benefits were uneven. Unemployment fell from over 6 million (1933) to near full employment by 1936. Autobahn construction began: 1933. German Labour Front replaced trade unions: May 1933. Counter: Jews, women, and opponents excluded; benefits not universal.

Question 51

Standard of Living 1933–41: Wages, Prices, and Consumption

Answer 51

Wages frozen, prices rose, and working hours increased. Working week rose from 44 hours (1933) to up to 60 hours by 1944. Wages frozen from 1933 onward. Consumer goods production steady but limited (1933–39). Counter: Longer hours, stagnant pay, and rising costs offset gains.

Question 52

Standard of Living 1933–41: Social Welfare and Leisure

Answer 52

Welfare and leisure programs provided benefits and control. Strength Through Joy (KdF) program launched: 1933. Winterhilfe (Winter Relief) program began: 1933. Beauty of Labour campaign started: 1934. Counter: Programs were tools of propaganda and often compulsory.

Question 53

Standard of Living 1933–41: Social Exclusion and Repression

Answer 53

Exclusion and persecution undermined claims of improvement. Nuremberg Laws passed: 1935 excluded Jews. Kristallnacht pogrom: 9–10 November 1938. Political opponents repressed from 1933 onward. Counter: Stability for many came at the cost of exclusion and fear.

Question 54

Limited Opposition after 1933: Popular Support and Ideology

Answer 54

Many Germans supported Hitler for national pride and recovery. Nazi ideas resonated after WWI and Weimar instability (1919–33). Early successes consolidated support (rearmament, 1935–36). Invasion of Poland in 1939 furthered national pride. Counter: Support was not unanimous; some groups were indifferent or opposed.

Question 55

Limited Opposition after 1933: Terror and Repression

Answer 55

Terror eliminated opposition and discouraged dissent. Reichstag Fire Decree issued: 28 February 1933. Enabling Act passed: 23 March 1933. SA and SS targeted opponents from 1933 onward. Counter: Terror effective because it combined with consent and complicity.

Question 56

Limited Opposition after 1933: Propaganda and Führer Cult

Answer 56

Propaganda glorified Hitler and promoted regime legitimacy. Goebbels’ Propaganda Ministry established: March 1933. Mass rallies (e.g., Nuremberg) held annually from 1933. Hitler Youth made compulsory: 1936. Counter: Not all Germans were convinced; some saw through manipulation.

Question 57

Limited Opposition after 1933: Destruction and Co-optation of Alternatives

Answer 57

Nazis destroyed or co-opted all independent institutions. Gleichschaltung coordinated all major institutions by 1934. Army oath of loyalty to Hitler: 2 August 1934. Catholic Concordat signed: July 1933. Counter: Resistance was fragmented and quickly suppressed.