Political impact Flashcards
Reichstag fire to eliminate communism threat
-A dutch communist member was caught at the scene of the Reichstag fire and admitted to starting the fire.
-Hitler convinced Hindenburg that the Communist party was trying to overthrow the government and pressurised Hindenburg to pass emergency laws, which suspended civil liberties such as freedom of the press and the right to public assembly.
-About 4000 communists were arrested.
-Hitler also took the opportunity to remove other political rivals.
-The suspension of civil liberties affected the election campaigns of political parties in preparation for the March elections.
-The Reichstag fire and its aftermath helped the Nazis remove their biggest political rival, the communists, by weakening them through arrests and by heightening people’s fear of communism.
-It also helped the Nazis to consolidate their political power by eliminating other political opponents.
Hence Hitler cleverly manipulated the events surrounding the Reichstag fire to eliminate his most formidable opponent, the communists, and reduced their threat and chance to win in the March elections.
Making use of March elections to extend his political influence
-The Nazis won about 44% of the seats in Reichstag.
-Hitler allied himself with the Nationalist Party to get a majority of 55% in the Reichstag.
-The alliance helped the Nazis to strengthen their hold in the Reichstag and spread their political influence.
-Getting a majority in the Reichstag provided the Nazis with a platform to pass laws in their favour, which Hitler quickly used to try and pass the Enabling Act.
Hence the outcome of the March elections and Hitler’s alliance with the Nationalist party helped him to further consolidate Nazi power in the Reichstag and allowed him to systematically manoeuvre his way to gain control.
Using night of the long knives to eliminate internal threats
-Ernst Roehm, the leader of the 4 million-strong SA, wanted to combine the German army with SA, and put them under his charge.
-Roehm was perceived as a threat to Hitler.
-He was disliked by the army, which made a pact with Hitler to swear allegiance to Hitler if he got rid of Roehm and his leaders.
-In June 1934, the SS arrested and killed Roehm and other SA leaders, along with other political opponents of Hitler.
-About 400 SA leaders and members were executed.
-This greatly weakened the power of SA, as it was put under SS control.
It helped Hitler eliminate potential internal threats in his party and some of his key rivals to further consolidate his political power.
-Hitler’s handling of the SA helped him win the support of the German army, thereby strengthening his position within and outside his party.
Thus, Hitler used the Night of the Long Knives to further consolidate his power by getting rid of internal threats in his party and gaining the support of the army.
Enabling Act
-Hitler used bully tactics, intimidation and persuasion to secure a two-thirds majority in the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Act.
-The act gave Hitler the power to pass laws without the approval of the Reichstag and the president.
-In addition, the Communist Party and the Socialist Democrat party were banned from all future elections.
The enabling act was important as it made Hitler a legal dictator, which greatly strengthened his political position and authority.
-Hitler used his new power to control the media and set up concentration camps.
-He also banned all trade unions and thus gained more support from rich industrialists.
-Hitler also turned Germany into a one-party state by banning all political parties except the Nazi Party in July 1933, thus eliminating his political opponents from the government.
Therefore Hitler made use of the enabling act to eliminate his political opponents, further strengthen his control over the government and consolidate his power.
Death of president Hindenburg to create the position of Fuehrer
-Conservatives like von Papen and Hindenburg were still a threat to Hitler’s position, as they disliked the Nazis and wanted Germany to return to a constitutional monarchy.
-The death of Hindenburg created the perfect opportunity for Hitler to merge the positions and powers of the President and the Chancellor into the position of Fuehrer or Supreme leader.
-The creation of the Fuehrer position gave Hitler the power to invoke article 48 of the Constitution and put him above the law.
-Following the announcement of his new position, the German army swore allegiance to Hitler instead of the German Constitution.
Hence Hitler took advantage of Hindenburg’s death to assume complete political power of the government and ruled as a dictator.
