1929-1934: Hitler's Rise To Power

• What was the Wall Street Crash?

  1929

  • American stock market crashed and sent the USA into economic depression
• How did the Wall Street Crash affect Germany?

  • USA recalled the loans paid to Germany under the Dawes Plan and the Young Plan.
  • Germany could not afford to repay, so the economy collapsed.
• What happened to unemployment in this period?

  • Rose from 1.4 to 2 million over the winter of 1929-30.
  • By 1933, it had rose to 6.1 million
• Why did support for extremist parties grow in this period?

  Many blamed the Weimar Constitution for the economic collapse
• Who resigned as Chancellor in March 1930 after his government failed to agree on how best to solve the problems presented by the depression?

  Hermann Muller
• Who replaced Müller as Chancellor?

  Heinrich Bruning
• Why was Brüning considered an ineffective Chancellor?

  • In July 1930 Chancellor Brüning cut government expenditure, wages and unemployment pay.
  • This added to the spiral of decline and unemployment continued to rise, as well as making those who had lost their jobs even poorer.
• What did Hindenburg do which weakened the power of the Reichstag and the Weimar Constitution?

  • Bruning could not get the Reichstag to agree, so President Hindenburg used Article 48 to govern.
  • This undermined democracy, weakened the power of the Reichstag and lowered confidence in the Constitution
• Who did Hitler blame for the troubles faced by Germany?

  • The Allies
  • The November Criminals
  • Jews
  • Communists
• Who did the Nazi’s 25-Point Programme appeal to most?

  • The unemployed
  • The elderly
  • The middle class
  • Those who were most affected by the Depression
• How did Goebbels appeal to the ordinary German people?

  • simplified the main policies so they could be easily understood by everyone
  • understood the effectiveness of propaganda and used this to gain publicity and support
• What was the Führer cult?

  • Portrayed Hitler as Germany’s saviour.
  • The man who would rescue the country from the grip of depression.
• Who were the SA?

  • Known as the Brownshirts
  • Ex Soldiers who became the Nazi Party’s army
  • Provided protection for leading Nazis, disrupted political meetings and rallies .
  • Played a significant role in Hitler’s rise to power
• Who were the SS?

  
  

  • known as the Blackshirts
  • Hitler’s personal bodyguards who became the secret police
  • a splinter group of the SA
  • Led by Heinrich Himmler
• What does the ‘negative cohension’ belief suggest?

  People supported the Nazis, not because they shared the same views, but because they shared the same fears and dislikes.
• What happened in April 1932?

  Hitler ran for President against Hindenburg and lost
• How many votes did Hitler gain when he ran for President in 1932?

  13 million compared to Hindenburg’s 19 million
• When did Brüning resign as Chancellor?

  May 1932
• Who replaced Von Papen when he resigned in December 1932?

  Kurt Von Schleicher, an army general
• How did Von Schleicher try to split the Nazi party?

  He asked leading Nazi, Gregor Strasser to be his Vice Chancellor. Hitler forced Strasser to decline.
• What happened in January 1933?

  Von Papen (acting as an advisor) and Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Chancellor and Von Papen as Vice Chancellor
• Why did Hindenburg and Von Papen appoint Hitler Chancellor?

  • They needed someone who had popularity in the Reichstag to restore faith in the constitution
  • They thought they could control Hitler and limit his authority
• What were the main factors that led to Hitler being appointed as Chancellor?

  • His speaking skills
  • Nazi propaganda & Nazi policies
  • Support from big businesses
  • The Depression & failure of the Weimar Government
  • Back-room deals between Hindenburg and Von Papen
• When did the Reichstag Fire occur?

  27th February 1933
• How did the Reichstag Fire further cement Hitler’s power?

  • He blamed the Communists for the fire
  • Hindenburg granted him special emergency powers to deal with the ‘communist uprising’.
  • Arrested 4000 Communists, broke up meetings and frightened potential voters.
• What happened in the March 1933 elections?

  Nazis, who won 288 seats, and with the support of the Nationalist Party, they formed a majority
• What was the Enabling Act of 1933?

  Gave Hitler the right to make laws without the Reichstag’s approval for four years
• How did the Enabling Act help Hitler gain power?

  • It gave Hitler absolute power to make laws
  • He was able to destroy all opposition to his rule
  • Removed the Reichstag as a source of opposition.
• How else did Hitler eliminate political opposition in 1933?

  • law courts and education purged of Nazi opponents
  • trade unions banned
  • political parties other than the Nazis were banned
  • Concordat between the Catholic Church and state
• When was the Night of the Long Knives?

  June 1934
• What caused the Night of the Long Knives?

  • The SA was badly disciplined, and under its leader, Ernst Röhm, was a threat to Hitler’s power.
  • The SA and German army came into conflict after Röhm talked of making the SA a second German army
• What happened on the Night of the Long Knives?

  • the SS murdered around 400 members of the SA, including Röhm, along with a number of Hitler’s other opponents like the previous Chancellor, Von Schleicher.
• What impact did the Night of the Long Knives have?

  • This destroyed all opposition to Hitler within the Nazi Party and gave power to the SS.
  • It also showed the rest of the world what a tyrant Hitler was.
  • This removed any internal Nazi Party opposition to Hitler.
• When did Hitler become Führer?

  19th August 1934 after Hindenburg’s death
• How did his role as Führer differ from President?

  • As Führer, he was jointly president, chancellor and head of the army.
  • Members of the armed forces had to swear a personal oath of allegiance not to Germany, but to Hitler.