Nazi Germany 1933-39

• What were the limitations to Hitler's role as chancellor?

  • Under the Weimar Constitution, the Chancellor had limited power over making new laws
  • Hindenburg remained with all presidential powers (Article 48)
  • Hitler’s cabinet of 12 only had 2 other Nazis
  • Only a third of the Reichstag were Nazis
• What did Hitler's chancellor powers mostly depend on?

  The support from other political parties
• Who supposedly caused the Reishtag fire?

  A Dutch communist called Van der Lubbe was found on site. On Feb 27th, during his trial, he insisted that he acted alone and was later put to death by the guillotine in 1934.
• How did Hitler use the Reischtag fire to wipe out the communists (his main competition)?

  Nazi chief of police (Goering) said that Van der lubbe was part of a communist anti-government opposition. Hitler used society's fear and hatred towards the communists to wipe them out.

  On the same day as the fire, 4000 communists were arrested.
• How did Hitler use the Reischtag fire to increase his own power?

  On Feb 28th, Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to pass Article 48, which gave the police rights to search homes and imprison anyone without trial. Meetings were banned, newspapers were closed and Goering took over the state radio.
• Why did Hitler call for another election six days after the Reischtag fire on march 5th 1933?

  He wanted the Nazis to secure more seats and he claimed the Reichstag fire was proof the communists were a serious threat. He also took many other steps to ensure the Nazis succeeded.
• What were the results of the March elections?

  The Nazis gained more seats but only had 2/3 of the Reischtag. Hitler was dissapointed because he did not have the majority which meant his plans to change the constitution were hindered.
• What violent tactics did the Nazis use to ensure they got more votes for the march election??

  - Threatening supporters were posted at polling stations to correct votes.

  - SA broke up opposition party meetings

  - Recruited 50,000 SA members to be police auxiliaries with Hitler in control (their violence led to 70 deaths during elections)
• What tactics did Hitler use in order to increase the Nazis' favourability for the German citizens and business leaders?

  - Thousands of communists and socialist democratic party members were arrested and send to concentration camps.

  - Hitler secured funds from industrialists to help Nazi election campaign – they gave generously because Hitler promised to remove communism + install stability
• What propaganda tactics did Hitler use to gain more votes for the election?

  - started to generate large amounts of propaganda

  - Newspapers opposing the nazi's were shut down.
• What violent acts did the SA do that discredited Hitler and eventually lead to the night of the long knives?


  - they used violence and intimidation as their main tactic.

  - there were frequent fights between the drunk SA members. As a result, the Nazis lost support from conservative Germans.
• How did Hitler's and Rohm's (head of SA) beliefs contradict each other?

  Rohm wanted to adopt socialist policies and opposed big businesses whereas Hitler wanted to form alliances with the business leaders in order to recieve fundings.

  Hitler thought that Rohm's sexuality 'corrupted' the Hitler youth.
• How did Hitler's and Rohm's (head of SA) plans contradict each other?

  There were only 100,000 military members yet they were well respected and highly influential men. Hitler wanted to rearm Germany in order to become stronger but Rohm wanted the SA to replace the army. In 1934, the SA were stopping army convoys and confiscating their weapons.
• What happened during the night of the long knives?


  There was a purge of nazi leaders and other potential competitors. Hitler took full responsibility of the events and claimed that he was defending Germany against a Rohm-lead plot.
• What types of competition did Hitler eradicate on the night of the long knvies?

  200 SA officers (including Rohm) and SS members arrested.

  Old enemies like Von Kahr and Schliecher were killed. Also a potential Nazi leader was killed.
• What did Hitler achieve from the Night of Long Knives?

  He managed to supress competition by killing potential leaders and scaring the other oppositions away. He also gained one loyal army (SS) under his control. Even though he killed many people, supporters continued to support him because he was saving Germany.
• When and how old was hindenburg when he died?

  Hindenburg died on August 2, 1934, at the age of 86.
• What did Hitler do immediately after becoming chancellor in order to ensure loyalty of the army?

  An oath of loyalty was made directly to him, not to Germany. The army had to obey him and if there was a power struggle, they had to ignore their commanders and listen to Hitler.
• What did Hitler do to ensure that the public was comfortable to the changes to the army after he became the furher?

  He held a plebiscite (pulic vote on an internal matter). A large Nazi propaganda campaign followed and Hitler gained 90% of the pubic vote.
• How did Hitler use his emergency powers to ban all Communist Parties (81 seats) from the Reischtag prior to the March elections?

  He using his emergency powers (enabling act)
• How did Hitler manage to gain support from the Nationalist party (52 seats) prior to the march elections?

  Both parties supported each other's beliefs.
• How did Hitler manage to gain support from the Centre party (74 seats) prior to the march elections?

  He promised to protect the catholic church
• How did Hitler manage to pass the Enabling act with 444 votes to 94?

  Hitler got the majority he needed and to keep the supporter’s promises, he placed the SA / SS around the Reichstag to intimidate members and persuade the Social Democrat Party to vote for the new law
• Why was the enabling act a significant turning point for the way Germany was governed?

  it marked an end to the Weimar Constitution and democracy in Germany. The act let Hitler make laws and sign foreign treaties without the Reichstag’s approval. Over the next 4 years where the Reichstag met 12 times, they no longer debated – they listened to Hitler’s speeches.
• What was the 'Nazi Revolution'?

  Hitler used his new powers to eradicate any kind of oppposition to the government.
• Which 3 sectors did Hitler particularly target during the Nazi Revolution?

  He targeted local governments and political parties and trade unions as those had communist sympathisers and were not loyal to Hitler. They also wanted to win over big businesses. 
• How did he take measures agains the local goverment?

  Soon after the enabling act, he closed down germany's 18 separate state parliaments and reorganized them to the Nazi's held a majority in each parliament. Then, he appointed Nazi state governers to make laws.

  However, in 1934, Hitler abolished all state parliaments altogether.
• How did Hitler take measures against the trade unions?

  on May 2nd 1933, the nazis broke in to the trade unions offices and arrested their leaders.

  Then he created the German Workers front and forced all workers to join his new organisation
• How did Hitler take measures against opposing Political parties after the enabling act was passed?


  During th month of may, he suspended the Social Democrats by occupying their offices and taking their funds. They also did the same for communist parties.

  In July 1933, Hitler created a new law which banned all parties except the Nazis.
• What is a police state and how did Hitler use it to his adantage?

  the government uses police to control the population. Hitler wanted to use the police to remove oppositions to his rule. He installed fear into the population to the point where the Nazis faced no criticism.
• What were the role of informers in nazi Germany?

  The gestapo relied greatly on informers who would provide information about their close friends/family/co-workers.
• What was the concordat signed in 1933 with the catholic church?

  An agreement that stated that the Church would not get involved wih political affairs and the Nazi would allow the catholic church to have freedome of worship and its right to run its own youth groups/
• How did Hitler first break the concordat with the Church??

  In shcoool, christian symbols were replaced with Nazi propaganda. Catholic newspapers were censored and propaganda began to hint at financial corruption in the church.
• What did Hitler do to the Nazi church in 1937 when Pope Pius XI made a statements that criticised the Nazis?


  - Membership of the catholic league was illegal because Hitler wanted everyone to join the Hitler youth.

  - State funding for the church was cut

  - Gestapo and SS spied on church organisations

  - catholic priests who opposed were arrested
• Protestants in Germany were nationalists so their beliefs did not oppose the Nazis.
• In 1933, Hitler organised the Protestant Church into the Reich Church.
• What caused the night of the broken glass?

  Nov 1938, a German official was murdered by a Jewish man. This gave the Nazis an excuse to launch a campaign of terror and murder.
• What was the aftermath of the night of the broken glass?


  91 jews killed, 30,000 arrested.

  However, the damaged property was rented from German landlords and not owned by Jews. When they realised, they fined the Jewish community 1 bil Reischmarks.