Political and governmental change

• The Weimar constitution had three main features; it was democratic, federalist and parliamentary.
• Parliamentary means that the chancellor has to be approved by the Reichstag
• What article granted the chancellor the use of emergency powers?

  Article 48
• 3 Key features of the Weimar constitution were:

  • Election every 7 years
  • Universal suffrage
  • President elects chancellor
• Why were Germans concerned about democracy

  1. Gave power to uneducated people
  2. Gave power to poor people
  3. Based on discussion and election - weak and indecisive
• When was Hindenburg elected president?

  1925
• What is proportional representation?

  A voting system where seats in a legislative body are allocated in proportion to the number of votes each party receives.
• What were 'November criminals'?

  German politicians who signed the treaty of Versilles and later the Weimar government as a whole
• What was the problem with coalition governments in Weimar Germany?

  parties were unwilling to work together effectively
• What happened in the November 1930 election?

  • Nazis and Communists made significant gains
• What party won the most seats in the 1932 elections?

  Nazi Party
• Why did Hindenburg initially refuse to make Hitler chancellor? And who did he appoint chancellor instead?

  • He didn't want to work with him
  • Kurt Von Schleicher
• Why did Hindenburg eventually appoint Hitler chancellor?

  He had little control of the Reichstag and thought he could control Hitler
• When was Hitler appointed chancellor?

  30th of January 1933
• What was the stab in the back theory?

  Blaming Germany's defeat in World War I on betrayal by the November criminals and not military failure.
• In what period was Hindenburg forced to rely on emergency powers?

  July 1930 till the 1932 elections
• when was the Reichstag fire?

  1933
• What was the result of the Reichstag fire?

  communists blamed leading to an increase in support for the Nazis
• What was the enabling act?

  Law passed by the German Reichstag in 1933 that granted Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers (in theory) for 4 years.
• Why did the Reichstag pass the enabling act?

  • Intimidation from the SA
  • Audience contained mostly Nazis
  • Military guard upon entry
• What was the night of the long knives?

  Purge of Nazi leaders, SA members and opposition.
• Why was the SA purged?

  • Seen as thugs and bad for Nazi image
  • Loyal to Rohm who was growing critical of Hitler
  • Hitler had the SS and Gestapo on his side
• When did the night of the long knives start?

  June 30, 1934
• Who was Joseph Goebbels?

  Propaganda Minister of Nazi Germany and loyal to Hitler.
• what was Volksgemeinshaft?

  'peoples community' the idea that all Germans would work together as a racially unified nation
• What was the structure of leadership in the Nazi government?

  Fuhrerprinzip. Each level down from Hitler had one person who was clearly in charge.
• What was the structure of administration in the Nazi government?

  Still largely done by the civil service led by Wilhelm Frick in the ministry of the interior