Nazi Germany. Flashcards
(73 cards)
When was the wall street crash?
October 29th, 1929.
How did the wall street crash affect Germany?
American Banks recalled loans under the Dawes Plan, causing the economy to essentially collapse and unemployment rose rapidly as companies shut down.
By 1930 how many people in Germany were unemployed?
By 1920 4 million were unemployed.
How did high unemployment help extreme groups, such as the Nazis?
Because the public started to feel let down by the Weimar Government, so started to support extreme groups.
In 1930 how many seats did the Nazis have in the Reichstag?
They had 107 seats by 1930.
By 1930 how many seats did the KPD (Communists) have in the Reichstag?
They had 77 seats by 1930.
In what three main ways did the depression help Hitler?
1) Economic Chaos
2) Fear of Communism
3) Loss of support in Democracy.
How did Economic Chaos help Hitler?
Because no government could sort out the economic problems, Hitler offered a solution to get people back to work. He also offered to help groups such as Farmers who’s land was being repossessed by the banks.
How did the Fear of communism help Hitler?
The fear of the KPD (Communists) gaining more support alarmed many wealthy businessmen and industrialists. They donated to the Nazis and supported them as they liked the anti-communist stance of the communists.
How did the loss of support in Democracy help Hitler?
Because the democratic parties had been unable to sort out any of the economic problems, the public had lost faith in them. Hitler used this fear to gain support.
What happened to the Nazis in the 1932 presidential election?
Hitler ran for president against Hindenburg, he only lost to Hindenburg by a very small margin which made Hitler feel like he was close to victory.
What happened to the Nazis during the July 1932 Reichstag elections?
The political campaigns became very violent, communists and Nazis fought each other on the streets resulting in around 100 people being killed. The Nazis became the largest party in the Reichstag, but Hitler was refused the role of chancellor. Instead, Hindenburg appointed Franz von Papen as a chancellor.
Why were more Reichstag elections called in November 1932?
Because von Papen had little support in the Reichstag.
What happened to the Nazis in the November 1932 elections?
Although the Nazis actually lost seats in the election they still remained the largest party. Von Papen did not get the support that he needed.
When did Hitler become chancellor?
Hitler became chancellor in January 1933.
How did Hitler become chancellor in January 1933?
It became clear to Hindenburg that he could not work with a chancellor who had little support in the Reichstag. Hindenburg and von Papen believed they could control Hitler so they appointed him chancellor.
What did Hitler do once appointed chancellor?
He wanted Hindenburg to call another election to increase the number of Nazis in the Reichstag.
When was the Reichstag fire?
The Reichstag fire was on 27th February 1933.
What were the main events/implications of the Reichstag fire?
The Reichstag was almost fully destroyed by the fire, a communist was arrested for the crime, allowing the Nazis to blame the communists for the fire. Hitler then was granted emergency powers from Hindenburg to pass a law restricting ‘individual liberty’. This allowed Hitler to imprison communists.
What happened to the size of the Nazi party after the Reichstag fire?
Despite the communists getting a lower amount of seats the Nazis did not have enough for a Majority. They had to form a coalition government with the smaller nationalist party which had 52 seats to form a new Government.
What was the act called that gave Hitler the powers of a dictator?
The Enabling Act.
When was the Enabling Act passed?
The Enabling Act was passed through the Reichstag in march 1933.
What did the Enabling Act allow Hitler to do?
It allowed him to pass laws for the next four years without needing to consult the Reichstag.
How was Hitler able to pass the Enabling Act?
Hitler used the S.A to intimidate the opposition in the Reichstag along with expelling 81 communists from the Reichstag.