Rise of the nazis

• Problems with 1930 election

  -Vote split between 14 parties

  -weak coalition government

  -nazis were only ones with substantial gains

  -pretended to be a legitimate political; party and destroy democracy from within the Reichstag

  -Nazis had 18% of vote
• Who was Kurt von Schleicher?

  -An army general who became Hindenburg's political adviser

  -Responsible for the appointment AND removal of Papen

  -Chancellor for one month, before forced to resign in Jan 1933
• Significance of Geli Raubal

  - living with his niece in 1930

  - rumoured to have an affair with

  - Geli shot herself in sept 1931 with Hitlers revolver

  - Hitler has an episode and thinks him political career is over
• Who was Hans Litten?

  - Jewish lawyer

  - takes 4 stormtrooper to court for an attack on a nightclub

  - Hitler denies attack and stresses legality

  - litten cross examines Hitler for 3 hours

  - litten provides a pamphlet on a guide to Nazi ideology for new stormtroopers

  - "democrat no longer believes in democracy"
• Why was Schleicher interested in the Nazis

  - wanted to use them to solve a threat posed to aristocrats from left wing

  - plans to replace chancellor with right wing position

  - schleicher wants a right wing coalition

  - Hitler refuses

  - schleicher compromises and brings election forward as long as Hitler votes for the coalition
• How does schleicher bring down the chancellor

  - conspires with military elites and uses media propaganda

  - spreads gossip to weaken chancellor - convinces hindenburg to replace chancellor as it is controlled by socialists

  - franz von Papen was selected by schleicher
• Who was Von Papen?

  -Politician, was chancellor from May to November 1932

  - reputation of incompetence
• Nazi votes 1932

  18% to 37%
• Vote of no confidence 1932


  512 vote against papen
• What is the Wall Street Crash?

  The collapse of the American stock market in October 1929
• Economic impact of depression on Germany

  - loans from USA were stopped and outstanding loans have to be repaid quickly

  - by 1931 German banking was in crisis - collapse of Austrian bank

  - Ruhr and Silesia were effected by mine and factory closures

  - farmers were heavily indebted
• How did industrial production fall between 1929 and 1932

  58% of 1928 level
• How did trade fall between 1929 and 1932

  61%
• How did the depression impact the unemployed and working class

  - by 1932 1/3 of Germans were registered as unemployed

  - did not record true scale as any redundant workers did not register - estimated figure in early 1933 of 8 million

  - poverty and malnutrition increased
• How did the depression impact the youth

  - unemployment under 25 was hit and there were little benefits for the unemployed youth

  - juvenile crime and gang involvement increased

  - many young people joined extremist political parties involved in political violence
• How did the depression impact women

  - the female proportion of labour force increased - cheaper

  - heightened hostility to married women in employment - "double-earners"

  - in may 1932 married female civil servants were dismissed
• What did Brunning (chancellor) suggest to fix the depression


  1930-32 proposed higher taxes to pay for unemployment benefits
• How did the Nazis appeal to women?

  - priorities family life, good morals and self discipline

  - over the past 10 years "our youth have been exposed to a flood of muck and filth in word and print, in film and cinema"
• How did the Nazis appeal to farmers

  - told they were the purest Germans and that their blood was related to German land

  - promised higher crop prices, better quality of life and higher social status
• How did Hitler appeal to young people

  - old soldier who knows the benefit of a powerful military

  - promised to tear the TOV and make the country strong again

  - young people wanted to be part of germanys future
• How did Hitler appeal to the upper class?

  - promised strong leadership and a powerful nation like the days where Germany was feared and respected

  - promised to let the factories run how the owners wanted
• How did Nazi votes increase from 1928 to July 1932

  - 8th most popular to most popular

  - 1928- 800,000

  - 1932- 14 million
• What happened in the September 1930 election?


  - coalition was formed

  - Heinrich bruning, centre party, became chancellor

  - unpopular as he reduced unemployment pay and increased tax's

  - Nazi party was second largest - Hitler only expected 50
• What were the September 1930 election results


  SPD - 143

  Nazis - 107

  KPD- 77

  Centre party - 68
• How did support for the Nazis grow after the 1930 election

  - put up millions of posters and flags

  - mass rallies
• Who were the reichsbanner

  -SPD and centre party's version of the stormtrooper

  - clashed with Nazis and communist

  - in 1932 there were bomb plots, street fights and murders
• When did Brüning resign?

  July 1932
• Who replaced brüning

  Franz von Papen
• Results of the 1932 Election?

  Nazis - 230

  SPD- 133

  Centre party - 97

  KPD- 89
• What happeneeed in November 1932 election

  Nazis were biggest party but share of votes fell
• Who replaced Von papen

  Kurt von Schleicher - hindenburgs adviser and bitter rival of Von papen
• When was Hitler made chancellor

  30th January 1933
• How did Hindenburg try to limit Hitler's power?

  He appointed Von Papen as the vice Chancellor and restricted the number of Nazis Hitler could have in his cabinet.
• When was the Reichstag fire?

  27th February 1933
• Who was to blame for the Reichstag fire?

  Dutch communist van der lubbe
• How did Hitler use the Reichstag fire to the Nazis advantages

  1- expelled communists from parliament and imprisoned communist leaders - stopped them campaigning for next election

  2- announced country was at threat from communists - won vote of anti communists

  3- declared state of emergency with article 48- newspapers were censored, personal letters and phone calls checked
• What was the 'Decree for the Protection of People and State'?

  March 1933 - banned leading communists from taking part in the election , 4000 communists jailed and newspapers banned
• When was the Enabling Act passed?

  23rd March 1933
• What is the Enabling Act?

  Gave Hitler and his cabinet the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag - dictatorial power
• When was the Gestapo set up?

  April 1933