The Nazi Party and the state

Question 1

What kind of Nazi claims deceived many people into thinking that Nazism was a clear and well-ordered system of government?

Answer 1

Nazi totalitarian claims

Question 2

What does totalitarian mean?

Answer 2

A system of government in which all power is centralised and does not allow any rival authorities

Question 3

A form of what prevailed because of the exact relationship between the structure of the party and the apparatus of the German state was never clarified.

Answer 3

A form of dualism

Question 4

What does dualism mean?

Answer 4

A government system in which two forces coexist

Question 5

The revolutionary elements within the party wanted what?

Answer 5

Nazi control of the civil service in order to smash the traditional organs of gov. and to create a new Germany

Question 6

What were the three reasons why the Nazi leadership did not pursue the dissolution of traditional organs of gov. to create a new Germany?

Answer 6

Bureaucracy of German state was well established and staffed by educated and effective people. Initially, no drastic purge of state apparatus. ‘Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service’ April 1933 called only for removal of Jews and well-recognised opponents
Vast increase in party membership. Grew 3 fold from 1933 to 1935 as people jumped bandwagon. March converts diluted influence of earlier Nazis, weakening radical cutting edge of party apparatus in regime
Hitler = inconsistent on issue of party and state. Series of statements 1933-4 = failed to make things clearer. Ambiguity on issue could be explained partially by pol. unrest and need to placate numerous interest groups. Either way, never resolved

Question 7

Explain how the term ‘civil servant’ was a very broad one.

Answer 7

It ranged from officials in the ministries to judges and even teachers

Question 8

The state bureaucracy was generally what to Weimar democracy, but loyal to who?

Answer 8

Generally unsympathetic
But loyal to the institutions of the state

Question 9

What happened in 1934 to civil servants?

Answer 9

Forced to make a new oath of loyalty to Hitler
5% of civil servants dissented and were purged

Question 10

When did it become compulsory to join the party?

Answer 10

1939

Question 11

The Reich Chancellery gradually took more responsibility for what?

Answer 11

For co-ordinating government as the role of the cabinet declined

Question 12

Who played a pivotal part in the Reich Chancellery?

Answer 12

Hans-Heinrich Lammers

Question 13

What did Hans-Heinrich Lammers do?

Answer 13

Drew up all gov. legislation controlling all the flow of information

Question 14

Even as a very efficient bureaucrat, Lammers found it impossible to what?

Answer 14

To co-ordinate effectively the growing number of organisations

Question 15

Ministries were generally what?

Answer 15

Conservative

Question 16

What were gov. ministries under pressure from in the late 1930s?

Answer 16

From growing Nazi institutions e.g. Economics Ministry was affected by the Four-Year Plan
Foreign Office lost its supremacy to Ribbentrop Bureau

Question 17

The aristocrat Neurath was replaced as foreign minister when and by who?

Answer 17

1938
By the Nazi Joachim von Ribbentrop

Question 18

On one level, were the untra-conservative judiciary content to work with the regime?

Answer 18

Yes

Question 19

What were the lawyers and judges obliged to join?

Answer 19

The Nazi Lawyers’ Association and take the oath

Question 20

How many in the judiciary were replaced?

Answer 20

Not many

Question 21

What is an important fact about Franz Gurtner

Answer 21

He was the justice minister who until 1941, was not a Nazi

Question 22

How did the judiciary feel the increasing power of the regime?

Answer 22

Structure of new courts enabled Nazis to get round established system of justice
- 1933 special courts set up to try political offences w/o a jury
- 1934 people’s court established to try cases of high treason w/ jury composed specifically of Nazi party members (7000/16,000 cases resulted in death sentence 1934-45)
All legal authorities became subordinated to arbitrary power of SS-Police system (increasingly behaved above the law). 1941 decree Nacht und Nabel gave SS right to imprison w/o question if thought dangerous.

Question 23

When was the Nacht und Nabel decree and what did it do?

Answer 23

1941
Gave SS-Police the right to imprison any person thought to be dangerous

Question 24

By early 1934 Gleichschaltung had destroyed what?

Answer 24

The federal principle of gov.

Question 25

The Nazi Reich governors existed only ‘to..

Answer 25

To execute the will of the supreme leadership of the Reich

Question 26

The party’s problems were caused by what?

Answer 26

Had developed out of the need to attract support from diff. sections of society & consisted of mass specialist organisations e.g. Hitler Youth, SA, National Socialist Teachers’ League. Once in power, they were keep to advance own particular interests
Party = increasingly splintered, some institutions were caught between party and state e.g. Goebbels’ prop. machine = newly formed ministry & Four-year plan Office = added response to economic crisis 1936
Membership and adminstrative strucutre of party established on basis of Fuhrerprinzip, did not work in terms of eff. gov. System led to dominance of Gauleiters in regions w/ sole allegiance to Hitler. They aimed to preserve own interests and resisted authorities of both state and party.

Question 27

The party’s position improved mainly because of who?

Answer 27

Rudolf Hess, Deputy Fuhrer

Question 28

Rudolf Hess was granted what and developed what?

Answer 28

Granted special powers and developed a party bureaucracy in mid-1930s

Question 29

What happened to Rudolf Hess in 1935

Answer 29

Given right to vet the app. and promotion of all civil servants and to oversee drafting of all legislation

Question 30

By 1939, all civil servants had to be what?

Answer 30

Be party members
(in this way the foundations were laid for increasing party supervision)

Question 31

Who was the other key figure in changing the fortunes of the party?

Answer 31

Martin Bormann

Question 32

What did Martin Bormann do?

Answer 32

Analysed the problems confronting the party and created two new departments w/ the aim of strengthening the party’s position (thus his own)

Question 33

What were the two departments that Martin Bormann created?

Answer 33

Department for Affairs of State
Department for Internal Party Affairs

Question 34

What position was Bormann given during the war?

Answer 34

Put in charge of the party chancellery

Question 35

In 1943, what happened to Bormann?

Answer 35

Officially became Hitler’s secretary, thus securing direct access to Fuhrer and had constructed an immensely strong power-base for himself

Question 36

What was the consequence of internal divisions and rivalries and the independence of the Gauleiter?

Answer 36

The Nazi Party never became an all-persuasive dominating instrument