***Nature of Nazi government, 1934-39

Question 1

What were Hitler’s titles?

Answer 1

Head of State and Führer, Head of the Party, Commander-in-Chief and Minister of War.

Question 2

How is the Nazi government structured/divided?

Answer 2

Into the Reich Chancellory, the Führer Chancellory and The Party.

Question 3

Which chancellory had more power?

Answer 3

The Führer Chancellory

Question 4

Which ministries did the Reich Chancellory have?

Answer 4

• Foreign Office
• Labour
• Finance
• Health

Question 5

Which chancellory did the civil service of the WR operate under?

Answer 5

The Reich Chancellory

Question 6

When did the civil service keep operating until?

Answer 6

1938

Question 7

Who was head of the civil service?

Answer 7

William Frick

Question 8

Which Ministries and Offices did the Führer Chancellory have?

Answer 8

Ministries: Propaganda, Justice, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Labour, War
Offices: Four Year Plan, Health, Race, Family, Highways

Question 9

Who was the Minister of Propaganda?

Answer 9

Joseph Goebbels

Question 10

Which part of the government had the most power?

Answer 10

The Party

Question 11

What was the Party split into?

Answer 11

Policing and Administration

Question 12

What did the Policing department consist of?

Answer 12

The SA (until June 1934) and the SS, under which the Gestapo (the secret police) came.

Question 13

Who was in charge of the SS?

Answer 13

Heinrich Himmler

Question 14

Who were Gauleiters?

Answer 14

Regional leaders of Nazi districts.

Question 15

What were Gauleiters responsible for?

Answer 15

• Youth organisations
• Blockwarts

Question 16

What were Blockwarts?

Answer 16

Lower-level party officials responsible for political supervision of a neighbourhood - they relied on informers.

Question 17

What was Führerprinzip?

Answer 17

The Nazi ideology that all power and sovereignty is vested in the leader.

Question 18

How was power organised in Nazi Germany?

Answer 18

In a strict hierarchical order - people were not allowed to make their own decisions or to use their initiative.

Question 19

How many decrees did Hitler issue in total?

Answer 19

Only 34

Question 20

Which area did Hitler take most control?

Answer 20

Foreign policy

Question 21

How many laws were passed through the Reichstag between 1942-45?

Answer 21

Only 7

Question 22

How did those working under Hitler gain power and authority?

Answer 22

By proving their loyalty to Hitler - known as “working towards the Führer.”

Question 23

Was Hitler an active leader?

Answer 23

No - he slept for long hours and was often absent from Berlin.

Question 24

Why did Hitler keep the cabinet of ministers and ministries from the WR?

Answer 24

Provide a level of continuity from the previous regime.

Question 25

What was the name of the Foreign Minister from von Papen and von Schleicher’s governments which Hitler kept in power?

Answer 25

Konstantin von Neurath

Question 26

When was the Bureau Ribbentrop set up which operated alongside von Neurath’s Foreign Ministry?

Answer 26

1934

Question 27

How did Hitler prevent people from working together (to limit opposition)?

Answer 27

He abolished cabinet meetings and ministers worked individually, sending draft laws and policies to each other on paper.

Question 28

Why did having ministries that were duplicated cause problems?

Answer 28

It made decision making inefficient e.g. the Office of the 4YP was creating an economic policy at the same as the Economics Ministry.

Question 29

How was the civil service organised under Frick?

Answer 29

It was centralised, with him running both regional and local governments (Länder).

Question 30

Who did Frick’s civil service frequently come into conflict with?

Answer 30

Officials and bodies in the Führer Chancellory and the Gauleiters.

Question 31

When were the Gestapo set up?

Answer 31

April 1933

Question 32

Who was in charge of the Gestapo?

Answer 32

Hermann Goering

Question 33

What happened to the Gestapo in 1936?

Answer 33

They were taken over by Himmler’s SS.

Question 34

What did the Gestapo and SS set up?

Answer 34

• Their own judiciary that ran alongside the existing court system for “political” offences.
• Gestapo-controlled concentration camps to manage political prisoners.

Question 35

What were the first 3 camps set up in 1933?

Answer 35

Dachau, Buchenwald and Sacherhausen.

Question 36

What was the principle of Volksgemeinschaft?

Answer 36

The idea of a people’s community - The German Nation as a racially united body worked for the good of the nation.