nazi control

• Rise of the Dictatorship

  Once in power, the Nazis first set out to make Germany a dictatorship. They did this by eliminating (getting rid of) political opposition and securing Hitler’s authority (power).
• The Reichstag Fire

  • On the 27th February 1933, the Reichstag was burned down.
  • The Nazis blamed a Dutch communist called Marinus van der Lubbe.
  • This 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. Fear of communist uprising had never been higher.
• The 1933 German Election

  • The Nazi Party won 43.9% in the 1933 election. The DNVP won 7.9% of the votes.
  • In the Weimar system of Proportional Representation, a coalition of parties needed over 50% to rule.
  • The Nazi-DNVP coalition had 51.9%.
• The Enabling Act

  • On the 23rd of March 1933, Hitler proposed the Enabling Act.
  • This meant that Hitler could make laws without the Reichstag.
  • The Reichstag (parliament) 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'.
  • After the Enabling Act, the Reichstag (parliament) could no longer stop Hitler.
  • Germany was no longer a democracy.
• Single party state in Nazi Germany

  • On the 14th of July 1933, all political parties were banned apart from the Nazi Party.
  • After this, all political opposition was removed.
• Trade unions

  • In May 1933, trade union leaders were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
  • After this, all trade unions were officially banned and all workers were forced to join the German Labour Front (DAF).
• The Night of the Long Knives

  Hitler felt that the SA and Röhm threatened his power. The SA wanted to take over the army and were beginning to damage the Nazi reputation. Hitler preferred to have the loyalty of the army who despite only being made of 100,000 men were much more disciplined. He also wanted the support of the SS (led by Himmler).
• The Night of the Long Knives

  • On the 30th June 1934, Hitler used the SS to purge (get rid of certain members) of the SA.
  • 400 members of the SA were killed (Röhm was arrested and later killed). As well as this, Hitler used this opportunity to kill other opponents, such as the former Chancellor, von Schleicher.
  • There was now no internal opposition (in the Nazi party) to Hitler. Rohm, his most powerful rival was dead.
• Why did the Night of the Long Knives happen?

  • Removing opposition to Hitler (Röhm) and von Schleicher was one reason.
  • Another was to secure the support of General Werner von Blomberg. On the 9th of April 1934, aboard a German battleship, historians believe Blomberg agreed to support Hitler as the leader of Germany after Hindenburg if he reduced the SA's power and grew the German army under Blomberg.
• Hitler becomes Führer

  • In August 1934, President Hindenburg died.
  • Hitler merged (joined) the roles of Chancellor and President together, becoming the new Führer.
  • Hitler called his regime the ‘Third Reich’ which he believed would last 1,000 years.
• Loyalty in the Third Reich

  • Loyalty to the Führer was shown through the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute.
  • Hitler forced the army to swear an oath of allegiance (loyalty) to him personally, not Germany. On the 2nd August 1934, Blomberg added a new oath to the German army, swearing loyalty to the 'Fuhrer'.
• Control of local government

  • Provinces (called Gaue) were all run by a Gauleiter, who was a Nazi trusted by Hitler.
  • Each Gauleiter reported to Reichsleiters, who reported to Hitler. Goebbels was a Reichsleiter focused on propaganda.
  • In 1934, the Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich gave Hitler total control of local governments.
• The Maintenance of the Police State

  Hitler ran Germany as a police state. This means that the police controlled every aspect of daily life for German citizens. Heinrich Himmler was the key figure who ran the Nazi repression system.
• Gleichschaltung

  • The Nazis created 'Gleichschaltung' through repression (control by force).
  • This means that the Nazi regime combined force and fear to achieve conformity (obedience).
• Heinrich Himmler

  • Heinrich Himmler was in charge of the Nazi’s tools for repression (control by force), the Gestapo, SS and SD.
  • Himmler was one of Hitler’s closest colleagues. His career in the Nazi Party began when he led the SS in 1929.
  • Himmler enthusiastically supported the idea of Aryan superiority and the inferiority of the untermenschen (sub-humans).
  • As Himmler was in charge of police and security services, he could act how he wanted to and not fear legal punishment.
• The legal system

  • As the Nazis controlled the legal system, they had no opposition.
  • The Nazis got rid of trials by jury and instead all decisions rested with the judge alone.
  • It was compulsory for all judges to join the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law.
  • All judges had to rule in the Nazis favour.
  • The People's Court in Berlin tried "political criminals" who opposed Hitler. Most people were found guilty.

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• Police States - Examples

  A police state is a government who control the population and keep power using the force of the police, armed forces and security forces. Examples of police states include:
• The Nazi Police State

  Hitler ran Germany as a police state. This means that the police controlled every aspect of daily life for German citizens. The tools for exercising control were the Gestapo, SS, and SD.
• The Gestapo

  • The Gestapo was Hitler’s secret police service, set up by Hermann Goering in 1933 and led by Reinhard Heydrich (centre).
  • The Gestapo did not wear uniforms as they were secret investigators
• The purpose of the Gestapo

  • The Gestapo was a small unit of 50,000 police men who relied on informers to identify opponents. There were up to 200,000 informers in the Gestapo during the Nazi regime.
  • They spied on German citizens and prosecuted people who spoke against the Nazi regime.
  • Punishment for such a crime was torture or being sent to a concentration camp.
• The SS

  The SS was Hitler’s Protection Squad (bodyguards).

  • It was set up in 1925. Heinrich Himmler led it.
  • The SS wore black uniforms.
  • The SS were in charge of Germany’s police force.
  • The SS ran the concentration camps.
• The SD

  • The SD were Hitler’s Security Service.
  • It was set up by Heinrich Himmler in 1931. Reinhard Heydrich led the SD.
  • The SD spied on Nazi opposition in Germany and in other countries.
• The Success of Nazi Repression

  Hitler ran Germany as a police state. This means that the police controlled every aspect of daily life for German citizens. It was an extremely successful system.
• The success of repression

  • Nazi tools for repression (control by force) were very successful.
  • The German population thought the Gestapo and SS were everywhere.
  • This widespread fear meant that the German people did not oppose the Nazi regime.
• Fear of the Gestapo

  • As the Gestapo had so many informants (people giving information), there was no dissent (people expressing beliefs different to the common beliefs).
  • Everyone was careful about what they said about the Nazis in fear that they would be heard and reported.
• Spying citizens

  • Many German citizens were encouraged to spy.
  • While some were fervent (passionate) Nazi supporters, others used the opportunity for their personal agendas (plans).
  • Spying could help solve a personal vendetta (where the family of a murdered person seeks revenge on the murderer or the murderer's family).
  • The Gestapo had 32,000 full-time employees and 200,000 casual or informal employees who informed on fellow Germans.
• The importance of force

  • While repression (control by force) and propaganda (information designed to influence people) worked together to create gleischaltung, repression (control by force) was more important.
• Spying Citizens

  Many German citizens were encouraged to spy. While some were fervent Nazi supporters, others used the opportunity for their personal agendas.
• Concentration Camps and the Law

  The Nazis used concentration camps to house Nazi opponents. The Nazis controlled the legal system to make sure that no one could oppose them.
• Concentration camps

  • Opponents sent to the camps included political prisoners, ‘undesirables’ such as prostitutes or homosexuals, and ethnic minorities such as the Jews or gypsies.
  • The camps were isolated so no one could see the bad things that happened in them.
  • Mostly, the prisoners were forced to do hard labour and were ill-treated.
• Control of the Law

  • The Nazis got rid of trials by jury and instead, all decisions rested with the judge alone.
  • It was compulsory for all judges to join the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law.
  • All judges had to rule in favour of the Nazis.
• The Reich Church

  The Church in Germany was a threat to the Nazi Party. Lots of the principles of Christianity opposed Nazi actions. Also, people were probably more loyal to their God than their political leaders.
• The Church

  • Christianity was primarily split into Protestant and Catholic Christianity. Protestants were more likely to support the Nazi Party than Catholics for regional and historic reasons.
  • Ultimately, Hitler wanted to try to supplant Christianity with a Nazi-based religion.
  • Churches were also a great propaganda tool to spread the Nazi's message.
  • In 1933, it is estimated that there were 40 million German Protestants and 20 million German Catholic people.
• The Reich Church

  • The Reich Church was founded in 1933 to help to create a new Nazi Church.
  • Ludwig Müller led this effort after being elected to the 'Reichsbischof'.
• Changes under the Reich Church

  • The Reich Church stopped preaching (giving sermons) from the Old Testament. The Old Testament is based on the Hebrew Bible and was associated with the Jews.
  • Church ministers who were not of pure Aryan descent were banned from the Reich Church.
  • The blurring of the lines between God and the State is shown by the Nazi phrase: ‘The Swastika on our chests and the Cross in our hearts’.
  • Hitler tried to influence sermons to convey his propaganda messages.
• Religious Opposition

  The Church posed a serious threat to the Nazis because Christian values conflicted with Nazi beliefs. There was a lot of resistance from Christians to Hitler and the Nazi's regime.
• Protestants against the Nazis

  • Not all Protestants followed the Nazis. The Confessional Church was founded in 1934 to oppose the Reich Church.
  • Led by Martin Niemöller, the Confessional Church was made up by 6,000 churches.
• The Nazis and Catholics

  • Catholics posed a threat to Hitler for many reasons.
  • Catholic loyalty was split between Hitler and the Pope.
  • German Catholics would send their children to Catholic youth organisations, challenging the authority of the Nazi Party Youth movement.
• The Concordat, 1933

  • In July 1933, Hitler and the Pope signed the Concordat.
  • This promised that Catholics were allowed to worship and keep their Catholic schools in return for not intervening (meddling) in Nazi politics
• Hitler's broken promise

  • But Hitler betrayed the Concordat by closing down Catholic schools, banning Catholic youth groups and sending priests who opposed the Nazis to concentration camps.
  • By 1937, the Pope released a statement called ‘With burning anxiety’ to voice his criticism of Hitler and his policies to the world.