Political

• Von Papen gained NSDAP support b lifting ban on the SA (1932)
• Nazi propaganda- methods

  • Radio
  • Rallies
  • Speeches (to diff areas of Ger)
  • Posters
• Joseph Goebbels role

  • Propaganda providing contact b/w gov & people
  • Aimed at lowest level of intelligence (easy slogans about love & hatred)
  • Propaganda for the masses had to be made simple
  • Repeated and easy slogans on emotions (love & hatred)
  • Propaganda techniques determined by Hitler (gain power by any means)
• Mass Appeal of Nazis

  • Only credible RW alternative to leftists
  • Appeal to all Germans
  • Policies deliberately vague (so both R + moderate L joined due to agreeing with 1 policy)= pensions + increased employment
  • Supremacy of German race (nationalists)
  • Hatred of Jews struck a chord w/ many- scapegoat for Germany’s problems
• Propaganda against Weimar by Nazis

  Often organised rallies & concerts for ‘entertainment’, brilliance of Hitler’s speeches and infectious patriotism radicalised attendees

  Used improved tech to spread message ‘Freedom of work & bread’

  SA(functioning Nazi militia) portrayed as strong & organised, unlike Weimar
• Demography Nazis attracted

  1925-32, ½ new working class voters came from villages (>5000 people)

  Much more attractive to female workers than LW

  55% SA from working class

  ¼ workers voted for Hitler (Jul 1932)
• Weimar- political instability

  ·  Hindenburg changing chancellors made gov appear haphazard

  · SPD refused to form coalitions

  · Couldn’t agree how to fix Wall Street Crash, and couldn’t agree with a policy

  · Article 48 (Jul 30 elections 1932)
• Weimar- lack of public support

  · Extremist parties rose in support

  · 'November criminals’ believed by even the elected president (popular only due to pre-war position)
• Weimar- economic failure

  · Full blown depression

  · Extremist parties gained support

  · Unemployment rose, wages fell

  · US calling back loans & not lending anymore
• Factors contributing to growth of extremist parties (1928-30)

  • Wall Street Crash (economic depression creates political instability)
  • Proportional representation (moderate gov couldn’t solve Germany’s problems
  • Treaty of Versailles (Germany under harsh conditions which affected everything)
• 1928-6.3% workforce unemployed

  1929-8.5%

  1930-14%

  1931-21.9%

  1932-29.9%
• Illegal violence

  Political opponents

  • police told not to intervene in SA use of violence
  • murdered during night of long knives, 1934 (Von Schleicher)

  Prominent Nazis

  • night of long knives- Rohm & SA= thugs (bad for image) and loyal to Rohm (critical of Hitler w/ army, old gov & industrialists)
  • Had SS & Gestapo, & army wanted conciliation only w/Rohm gone
  • People relieved as SA brutal tactics widely hated

  Communists

  • Reichstag fire (1933)- Van der Lubbe executed afterwards
• Reason’s democracy in the Weimar Republic failed

  1. Von Papen had to rule through Article 48 (as he didn’t have the Reichstag’s support)
  2. Chancellors lasted for months before needing to go
  3. Both running presidents were RW (Apr 1932- Hindenburg= 19.4 mil votes, Hitler= 13.4 mil votes), which the public clearly wanted
• Commencement date of each chancellor (1932-3)

  1.Von Papen (May- Nov 1932)

  2.Von Schleicher (Dec- Jan 1933)

  3.Hitler (30 Jan 1933)
• Nazi actions (1933-4)

  1933

  • Hitler is Chancellor of Germany
  • Elections (44% NSDAP+ DNVP= 52% of Reichstag), Enabling act, Lander stripped of power
  • Reichstag fire, Presidential decree
  • Law to Restore Civil Service, Jews & political opponents removed
  • trade unions seized, now DAF
  • SDP & DNVP banned
  • only Nazi party, cabinet discussions unneeded

  1934

  • Hitler abolishes Lander(Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich)
  • Hitler dissolves Reichsrat
  • Peoples court + Special court set up (for treason)
  • SA gone in Night of Long Knives
  • Hindenburg dies, army swear oath to Hitler, confirmed Fuhrer by plebiscite
• SA murdered 500 people
• 1938- all civil servants had to be members of the Nazi party
• Gestapo

  • 50-80% investigations= denunciations (7.3% foreign radio cases)
  • At most, 30,000 Gestapo per 6.5 mil
• 1939- Nazis= 69% newspapers
• 1939- 70% owned radios
• Plebiscite- A vote on a single issue, by all who can vote in elections
• • Volkgemeinschaft(People’s community)- The German nation as a racially united body working for the good of a nation, individuals were expected to obey the Nazi gov & work as one big community
• • Fuhrerprinzip (Leadership principle)- Idea that, at each level of gov from Hitler down, there was the people in complete leadership, mirrored the top as that individual in charge would have absolute control over their level field (can blame weak leaders, who would have greater initiative to succeed, as sent to conc camps otherwise)
• • Lebensraum (Living space)- Nazi policy to take land from other countries to provide Germany w/ the farmland & natural resources the German people needed
• Legal violence


  Violence that is sanctioned or permitted by law
• Constitutional loopholes

  Weaknesses or gaps in the constitution that can be exploited
• Enabling act

  Teared up Weimar constitution
• Article 48

  1. Hindenburg persuaded to declare state of emergency

  2. Control police
• Hindenburg's errors

  • Let Hitler use Article 48 after Reichstag fire (1933)
  • Too old to prevent powers of enabling act
• Reichstag


  Both open together to get acceptance from old gov & respect from people
• Political opponents

  • credit for catching arsonist (Reichstag fire)
• Protection of the People & State

  1. Suspended German civil rights

  2. Arrest political opponents

  3. Ban opposition
• People relieved SA gone
• Enabling act

  1. Hitler passed laws w/o Reichstag

  2. Ride of other parties

  3. Become one-party state
• Elections

  1. Plebiscite confirmed role of Fuhrer

  2. Made actions more acceptable abroad
• German industrialists contributed to Nazi funds
• Reichstag dominance

  • only party (Jul 1933)
  • Enabling act- 444 votes vs 85
• Nazi Leadership

  Hitler had ultimate power as Germany operated on Fuhrerprinzip

  Strict hierarchical order

  Initiative was frowned upon

  Essential for people to work together & not make own decisions

  Work as a nation & for the good of it

  Didn’t have hierarchical system

  Leadership rested on Chancellor & President, as well as Lander

  No ‘normal/skeleton cabinet’

  Goebbels (effective propaganda) enjoyed increased power due to successes

  Brunings cabinet were restricted from meeting to discuss laws by Nazis cabinet (overshadowed)
• Nazi decision-making

  Everyone needed to be aware of Hitler’s wide principles ‘working towards the Fuhrer’

  Loyal & get results gets more power

  Prompted loyalty and effective results

  Stops groups working together on policies, making it easier for oppositions

  Hitler installed himself as Fuhrer

  All ministers worked individually and send drafts to e/o

  Goebbels was very powerful

  Cabinet ministers were kept
• Nazi administration

  • Largely done by civil service under minister Wilhelm Frick (minister of the interior)

  Operated within Nazi ideology & Fuhrerprinzip

  Frequently conflicted w. Reich special agencies & Nazi party officials

  Pretend gov gives Nazi principles more power & exposure

  Cabinet removed

  Passive country

  Despite slew of Nazi ‘clarifications; that insisted Nazi party would only increase in civil service (there were gaps)