Nazi Consolidation of Power

• In 1932, the Nazis gained political power in the Reichstag.
• In 1934, the Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich gave Hitler total control of local governments.
• Between April and December, there were three different Chancellors: Brüning, von Papen and von Schleicher.
• Von Papen, supported by the DNVP, and Hindenburg secretly met with wealthy industrialists and powerful politicians.
• They decided that Hitler and his 196 Nazi politicians should be used to create a political majority.
• They decided to make Hitler the new Chancellor, let him have a few Nazis in his cabinet and make von Papen the vice-chancellor.
• The aim of the pact was to use Hitler as a 'puppet leader', as the Soviet Union did in satellite states during the Cold War, whilst using Hitler's popularity for their benefit.
• Von Papen and Hindenburg seriously underestimated Hitler’s power.
• Hitler was too charismatic and popular to be controlled by von Papen and Hindenburg.
• In January 1933, Hitler was made Chancellor.
• The Nazis first set out to make Germany a dictatorship by eliminating political opposition and securing Hitler’s authority.
• On the 27th of February 1933, the Reichstag was burned down.
• The Nazis blamed a Dutch communist called Marinus van der Lubbe for the Reichstag Fire.
• The Reichstag Fire allowed Hitler to pass an Emergency Decree, which suspended the Weimar constitution.
• Thousands of communists were arrested after the Reichstag Fire.
• German election day was on the 5th of March 1933, 1 week after the Reichstag Fire and the arrest of thousands of communists.
• The Nazi Party won 43.9% in the 1933 election.
• Hitler also took this opportunity to kill other opponents, such as the former Chancellor, von Schleicher.
• In May 1933, trade union leaders were arrested and sent to concentration camps, after which trade unions were officially banned and all workers were forced to join the German Labour Front (DAF).
• Hitler called his regime the ‘Third Reich’ which he believed would last 1,000 years.
• On the 14th July 1933, all political parties were banned apart from the Nazi Party, eliminating all political opposition.
• On the 30th June 1934, Hitler used the SS to purge (get rid of certain members) of the SA, killing 400 members including Ernst Röhm, Hitler's biggest threat.
• In August 1934, President Hindenburg died, and Hitler merged (joined) the roles of Chancellor and President together, becoming the new Führer.
• Hitler forced the army to swear an oath of allegiance (loyalty) to him personally, not Germany.
• The Night of the Long Knives removed opposition to Hitler (Röhm) and von Schleicher, and secured the support of General Werner von Blomberg.
• Provinces (called Gaue) in the Third Reich were all run by a Gauleiter, who was a Nazi trusted by Hitler.
• Goebbels was a Reichsleiter focused on propaganda.
• Germany became a dictatorship after the Enabling Act.
• On the 2nd August 1934, Blomberg added a new oath to the German army, swearing loyalty to the 'Fuhrer'.
• The Enabling Act in 1933 removed the ability of the Reichstag (parliament) to stop Hitler.
• Loyalty in the Third Reich was shown through the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute.
• Each Gauleiter reported to Reichsleiters, who reported to Hitler.
• In the Weimar system of Proportional Representation, a coalition of parties needed over 50% to rule.
• The Nazi-DNVP coalition had 51.9%.
• On the 23rd of March 1933, Hitler proposed the Enabling Act, which meant that Hitler could make laws without the Reichstag.
• The Reichstag supported the Enabling Act by 444 votes to 94, with Hitler's SA threatening opposition MPs and politicians fearful of voting against a majority government and 'the people's will'.