Becoming Chancellor

• when did Bruning resign and why


  may 1932- realised he had lost all support in Reichstag
• what was von Schleicher up to

  turned on Bruning and created his own gov of wealthy industrialists, army officers and landowners
• who did von Schleicher make the chancellor

  his friend von Papen
• what was von Papen's gov called and why

  the cabinet of barons- all wealthy landowners
• what happened in july 1932 and what was the result

  another election. nazis got 230 seats = largest party in Reichstag. communists got 89 seats
• what was happening in Russia at this time and how does it impact Germany

  the Great Terror- Stalin persecuting ordinary people. people fear communism even more- vote nazi
• there was another election in november- why?

  von Papen wanted to get more support in Reichstag. hoped Nazis would lose seats as country was beginning to ease out of depression (unemployment fell from 6 mill+ to 5.3 mill)
• did the nazis lose seats?

  yes. they ended with 196 seats.
• who suddenly abandoned von Papen and why

  von Schleicher. he told Hindenburg he feared civil war if von Papen remained in power. thought Papen's authoritarian cabinet of rich Germans would lead to growing support for communism. Schleicher replaced Papen as chancellor
• explain how von Schleicher and von Papen helped Hitler into power

  von Papen wanted revenge on Schleichen so told Hindenburg to make Hitler chancellor and himself vice chancellor. he claimed Hitler would be easy to control. Hindenburg agreed
• why would Hitler NOT be easy to control

  he has largest party in Reichstag!!!
• so what were the main reasons why Hitler became chancellor

  he had the largest party in Reichstag, von Papen's revenge on von Schleichen, mistakenly thinking he'd be easy to control, communist threat of revolution
• what happened on 27th February

  the reichstage is destroyed in a massive fire. dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe is found on the scene & sentenced to death. put on trial with 4 other communists
• how does Hitler react to the reichstag fire


  he declares it to be the start of a violent communist revolution and persuades Hinderburg to give him emergency powers. "protection law" to deal with threats like communists by passing emergency decrees
• give examples of how hitler and the nazis used this state of emergency

  4000 communists including leader of KPD imprisoned. SA killed 51 opponents in a campaign of terror. communist and socialist newspapers closed down. SA stood over people as they voted- intimidation tactic
• what happens on 5th March 1933

  election. Hitler wants to win absolute majority in Reichstag so he can change the constitution
• how does hitler use article 48 to his advantage in this election

  asks Hindenburg to use it to ensure free and peaceful elections. wants police to be notified of election meetings 48 hours in advance- allows police to prohibit any election meeting they consider dangerous.
• where and how will this be helpful for the nazis

  Prussia- major german state where nazis control the police. they can stop communists & other opposition from campaiging
• results of march 5th 1933 election

  nazis get 288 seats. communists and SDs still doing decently but not enought to challenge Nazis and change constitution
• does hitler form a coalition

  yes with the Nationalists. he still doesn't have the 2/3 majority he needs but can still achieve it
• how does hitler deal with the communist party

  banned them in 1933- taking up 81 seats
• how does he deal the with centre party


  they are the political party of the catholic church and share many of hitler's beliefs so he promises them he will not interfere with the church or with catholic youth groups to secure their votes in the reichstag
• how does he manipulate the reichstag into supporting him with changing the constitution

  gets SA to stand around outside of Kroll Opera House where the vote is taking place. intimidating
• when was the enabling act passed and how many voted for v against it in the reichstag

  24th March 1933. 444 votes to 94 (only SDs voted against)
• what powers did it give to hitler/the nazis

  gave emergency powers to the government for 4 years. cabinet could pass decrees without permission of Hinderburg. new laws could be passed without reichstag.
• did it get renewed and when

  yes in 1937- symbolised end of democratic rule in Germany. began period of rapid change in Germany sometimes called the Nazi Revolution
• when was the civil service act passed and what was it

  April 1933. all state administration, courts, schools, unis were purged of 'alien elements'- Jews, communists, socialists
• when was the act to set up the people's court passed and what was it

  April 1934. set up hitler's own Nazi-controlled court to try serious political offences- verdict=death
• when were trade unions banned

  May 1933. strikes declared illegal.
• when was the law against formation of parties passed and what was it

  July 1933. germany becomes a one party state. no other parties allowed. didn't affect SDs or communists because they had already been banned in March and June
• when was the act for reconstruction of the state passed and what was it

  January 1934. states in germany with local state leaders unsympathetic to the nazis were replaced by nazi officials. elected state assemblies were abolished. germany is now a centralised state
• when was the act concerning head of state passed and what was it

  August 1934. the law created the position of Fuhrer, a combination of chancellor and president. (Hindenburg died)
• when was the night of the long knives


  June 1934
• state the factors that caused the night of the long knives


  Hitler needed the support of the regular german army and the german industrialists/social elite. SA & Rohm are a threat to hitler. rohm was gay! + more socialist than nationalist. hitler wanted to settle old scores. internal struggle for power/affection in the party
• explain why hitler needed the support of the german industrialists/social elite

  Fritz Thyssen won't support hitler if rohm still has control over SA (rohm= more left wing than right). industrialists are necessary to build tanks & other military equipment. (hitler wants to discard ToV)
• what about senior nazi party members

  similar to industrialists- rohm was too socialist. Himmler created a dossier of evidence that framed Rohm for plotting to remove hitler. there was a struggle for hitler's attention and affection. Himmler (leader of SS) wanted SA to be reduced to increase power/status of SS
• why did hitler need to win the support of the regular army

  so that they will all take an oath and swear loyalty to hitler. army distrusts rohm due to the size of the SA compared to them (4 mill+ to 100,000)
• how were rohm and the SA a threat to Hitler

  by 1934 the SA had grown to over 4 mill & outnumbered the army greatly. rohm made speeches about the SA becoming a people's army/ the regular german army. the SA was loyal to rohm and complained that hitler undervalued them
• how did rohm's homosexuality have an impact?

  hitler and most of the right wing were very sexually conservative. rohm being gay represented the SA's moral decline- becoming an embarrassment for hitler
• how did hitler use the night of the long knives to settle old scores

  former chancellor von Schleicher was killed and so was von Kahr, one of the generals who sabotaged the beer hall putsch of 1923. Ernst Rohm killed by SS in his cell