Authoritarian States – Germany
How Hitler became Chancellor in 1933:
End of WWI: suffered military defeat
1918: Revolts in Germany. Kaiser forced to abdicate
− Fredrich Ebert became the new leader of the Republic of Germany. Signed an armistice with the allies.
Faced opposition from Kaiser’s old advisers on the right and communists on the left. Opponents said
that Germany had been ‘stabbed in the back’
1919: free elections. Ebert’s party won a majority, he became President of the Weimar Republic
1919: Hitler joined the Nazi Party. In charge of propaganda and the party’s political ideas
May 1919: government announced the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Germany lost:
o 10% of its land o Army could be no more than 100,000
o All overseas colonies o Could not have an air force
o 12.5% of its population o Accept complete responsibility for starting
o 48% of its iron industry the war
o 16% of its coal o Pay huge reparations
o Navy reduced
1920: Nazis announced their Twenty-Five Point Programme. Became the National Socialist German
Workers’ Party
1921: Hitler forced out Drexler and took his place as leader. Hitler set up the SA – protected his meetings
and disrupted those of other parties
1922: couldn’t pay reparations so the French occupied the Ruhr – important for raw materials and
industrial production. French occupation de-stabilised Germany’s fragile post-war economy. German
currency collapsed, led to hyperinflation
1923: Gustav Stresemann took over. Introduced a new currency. Negotiated American loans to help pay off
their debts
By 1923: Nazis were a high minority party. Hitler launched a bid for power with the Munich Putsch. Failed
but gained lots of publicity
− While in prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf which set out his beliefs
− Created a network of local party branches and the Hitler Youth. Enlarged the SA with 55% of his storm
troopers from the unemployed and ex-servicemen. Formed the SS whose members were loyal to Hitler
personally
− However, Nazis failed to gain widespread support since between 1925-29 Germany enjoyed a time of
relative prosperity. 1928 Nazis gained only 12 Reichstag seats
− Gained support from peasant farmers, middle-class shopkeepers and small business owners. Nazis
highlighted the importance of peasants in their plans for Germany. Nazis despised Weimar culture so
gained support among some conservative people in towns
1928: Nazi Party membership rose to over 100,000. Appointed Joseph Goebbels to take charge of Nazi
propaganda. Nazis were still a minority party with support from less than 3% of the population
1929: Wall Street Crash. Germany particularly hit as US had leant huge amounts of money to help Germany
recover from WWI. Triggered economic collapse in Germany. Businesses went bankrupt and
unemployment shot up
,− Twenty-Five Points now seemed very attractive to those hit the worse by the Depression – the
unemployed, elderly and middle classes. Gave them a focus to blame for their despair: the Treaty of
Versailles, the ‘November Criminals’, communists and Jews
1930: Elections, Nazis won 107 seats. 1932 increased to nearly 200. Now the biggest single party
July 1932: Nazis had 230 seats. President Hindenburg refused to make Hitler chancellor
30th Jan 1933: Hitler offered role of chancellor as Hindenburg thought he could control Hitler
27th Feb 1933: Reichstag burnt down. Hitler blamed the communists and demanded emergency powers to
deal with the situation, which he was granted by Hindenburg. Used these powers to arrest communists,
break up meetings and frighten voters
March 1933: Nazis won the largest-ever share of the vote and with the support of the Nationalist Party,
Hitler now had a majority. Banned the Communist Party, used the SA and SS to intimidate the Reichstag
into passing the Enabling Act – allowed him to pass laws without the Reichstag. Made Hitler a virtual
dictator. Hitler banned other political parties and sent opponents to concentration camps
June 1934: Night of the Long Knive. Arrested and executed Rohm and other leading figures from the SA –
had been deeply suspicious of Rohm, the leader of the SA, as he had control over 4 million SA men
Aug 1934: Hindenburg died and Hitler took over as Fuhrer of Germany
2nd Aug 1934: Entire army swore an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler
Factors contributing to Hitler’s electoral success:
− Nazi election campaigns were modern and effective
− Hitler’s failed attempt for the Presidency in 1932 raised his profile
− Generalised slogans rather than detailed policies
− Hitler’s armed troops offered order
− Failure of the existing government to address the problems
− Traditional German values had been threatened by Weimar culture
− Promoted a fear of communism
Creation of a dictatorship:
Hitler’s portrayal of the Weimar Republic:
− Evil
− Focused on economic impact of their leadership
− Emphasises failures of specific politicians
− Many mentions of unity – racial and political
− Emphasises the greatness of Germany – benefits he will bring for all people
Use of violence to consolidate control:
− Within 18 months of Hitler becoming Chancellor, he had become a dictator. No legal way to replace
him
− Conservative, liberal and socialist opponents were divided, demoralised and weakened by repression
− Potential opponents were intimidated by violence – SA murdered an estimates 500 people in 1933,
Nazis could use the power of the state machine
− By the end of 1933, over 100,000 potential opponents had been arrested
, − Violence largely used in first six months of Nazi rule
SA:
− Created in 1921 by Hitler
− Majority of members were soldiers from WWI
− Paramilitary force whose role was to intimidate political rivals. Used in rallies to make the Nazi Party
seem strong, organised and disciplined
− Led by Ernst Röhm from 1931-34
− Quickly grew in numbers due to the Great Depression, the SA was much larger than the army – by 1930
had 400,000 members
− After the Night of the Long Knives, SA was firmly under Hitler’s control and power reduced. Maintained
a visual presence on the streets and still intimidated people
SS:
− Founded in 1925
− Initially served as Hitler’s personal bodyguards, later became one of the most powerful and feared
organisations in Nazi Germany
− From 1929 run by Himmler. 1930s expanded to 50,000 men
− Carried out racial purification and ran the concentration camps
− Members were Aryan in appearance and expected to marry racially pure wives
− By 1939 were 240,000 members organised into divisions
− At the Nuremberg Trials the SS was declared to be a criminal organisation
Gestapo:
− Set up in 1933 by Goering, placed under the control of the SS in 1936, led by Heydrich
− Non-uniformed secret police. Arrested people who acted against or spoke out in any way against Nazi
ideas. Could be imprisoned without trial
− By 1939, 150,000 people were in prisons
− At its peak, the Gestapo had only 30,000 officers for the whole country – image still intimidated and
there was an image of power
− Most investigations stemmed from voluntary denunciations, most inspired by personal rather than a
strong commitment to Nazism
− Didn’t have the capacity to investigate cases properly so resorted to torture, arbitrary arrest and
preventative custody
Concentration camps:
− First concentration camp opened at Dachau in 1933. Inmates were mainly political prisoners or
‘undesirables’
− From 1938 on, inmates used for forced labour eg. producing army uniforms
− Were six concentration camps by 1939, holding about 20,000 in total
− After 1939 concentration camps grew in number and size
Control of lawyers, judges and courts:
− Most lawyers and judges thought accommodation to the regime was prudent – worked to support the
regime
− March 1933 the People’s Court and Special Courts created – heard all treason cases, judges
handpicked, Hitler could lengthen the sentence given
How Hitler became Chancellor in 1933:
End of WWI: suffered military defeat
1918: Revolts in Germany. Kaiser forced to abdicate
− Fredrich Ebert became the new leader of the Republic of Germany. Signed an armistice with the allies.
Faced opposition from Kaiser’s old advisers on the right and communists on the left. Opponents said
that Germany had been ‘stabbed in the back’
1919: free elections. Ebert’s party won a majority, he became President of the Weimar Republic
1919: Hitler joined the Nazi Party. In charge of propaganda and the party’s political ideas
May 1919: government announced the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Germany lost:
o 10% of its land o Army could be no more than 100,000
o All overseas colonies o Could not have an air force
o 12.5% of its population o Accept complete responsibility for starting
o 48% of its iron industry the war
o 16% of its coal o Pay huge reparations
o Navy reduced
1920: Nazis announced their Twenty-Five Point Programme. Became the National Socialist German
Workers’ Party
1921: Hitler forced out Drexler and took his place as leader. Hitler set up the SA – protected his meetings
and disrupted those of other parties
1922: couldn’t pay reparations so the French occupied the Ruhr – important for raw materials and
industrial production. French occupation de-stabilised Germany’s fragile post-war economy. German
currency collapsed, led to hyperinflation
1923: Gustav Stresemann took over. Introduced a new currency. Negotiated American loans to help pay off
their debts
By 1923: Nazis were a high minority party. Hitler launched a bid for power with the Munich Putsch. Failed
but gained lots of publicity
− While in prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf which set out his beliefs
− Created a network of local party branches and the Hitler Youth. Enlarged the SA with 55% of his storm
troopers from the unemployed and ex-servicemen. Formed the SS whose members were loyal to Hitler
personally
− However, Nazis failed to gain widespread support since between 1925-29 Germany enjoyed a time of
relative prosperity. 1928 Nazis gained only 12 Reichstag seats
− Gained support from peasant farmers, middle-class shopkeepers and small business owners. Nazis
highlighted the importance of peasants in their plans for Germany. Nazis despised Weimar culture so
gained support among some conservative people in towns
1928: Nazi Party membership rose to over 100,000. Appointed Joseph Goebbels to take charge of Nazi
propaganda. Nazis were still a minority party with support from less than 3% of the population
1929: Wall Street Crash. Germany particularly hit as US had leant huge amounts of money to help Germany
recover from WWI. Triggered economic collapse in Germany. Businesses went bankrupt and
unemployment shot up
,− Twenty-Five Points now seemed very attractive to those hit the worse by the Depression – the
unemployed, elderly and middle classes. Gave them a focus to blame for their despair: the Treaty of
Versailles, the ‘November Criminals’, communists and Jews
1930: Elections, Nazis won 107 seats. 1932 increased to nearly 200. Now the biggest single party
July 1932: Nazis had 230 seats. President Hindenburg refused to make Hitler chancellor
30th Jan 1933: Hitler offered role of chancellor as Hindenburg thought he could control Hitler
27th Feb 1933: Reichstag burnt down. Hitler blamed the communists and demanded emergency powers to
deal with the situation, which he was granted by Hindenburg. Used these powers to arrest communists,
break up meetings and frighten voters
March 1933: Nazis won the largest-ever share of the vote and with the support of the Nationalist Party,
Hitler now had a majority. Banned the Communist Party, used the SA and SS to intimidate the Reichstag
into passing the Enabling Act – allowed him to pass laws without the Reichstag. Made Hitler a virtual
dictator. Hitler banned other political parties and sent opponents to concentration camps
June 1934: Night of the Long Knive. Arrested and executed Rohm and other leading figures from the SA –
had been deeply suspicious of Rohm, the leader of the SA, as he had control over 4 million SA men
Aug 1934: Hindenburg died and Hitler took over as Fuhrer of Germany
2nd Aug 1934: Entire army swore an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler
Factors contributing to Hitler’s electoral success:
− Nazi election campaigns were modern and effective
− Hitler’s failed attempt for the Presidency in 1932 raised his profile
− Generalised slogans rather than detailed policies
− Hitler’s armed troops offered order
− Failure of the existing government to address the problems
− Traditional German values had been threatened by Weimar culture
− Promoted a fear of communism
Creation of a dictatorship:
Hitler’s portrayal of the Weimar Republic:
− Evil
− Focused on economic impact of their leadership
− Emphasises failures of specific politicians
− Many mentions of unity – racial and political
− Emphasises the greatness of Germany – benefits he will bring for all people
Use of violence to consolidate control:
− Within 18 months of Hitler becoming Chancellor, he had become a dictator. No legal way to replace
him
− Conservative, liberal and socialist opponents were divided, demoralised and weakened by repression
− Potential opponents were intimidated by violence – SA murdered an estimates 500 people in 1933,
Nazis could use the power of the state machine
− By the end of 1933, over 100,000 potential opponents had been arrested
, − Violence largely used in first six months of Nazi rule
SA:
− Created in 1921 by Hitler
− Majority of members were soldiers from WWI
− Paramilitary force whose role was to intimidate political rivals. Used in rallies to make the Nazi Party
seem strong, organised and disciplined
− Led by Ernst Röhm from 1931-34
− Quickly grew in numbers due to the Great Depression, the SA was much larger than the army – by 1930
had 400,000 members
− After the Night of the Long Knives, SA was firmly under Hitler’s control and power reduced. Maintained
a visual presence on the streets and still intimidated people
SS:
− Founded in 1925
− Initially served as Hitler’s personal bodyguards, later became one of the most powerful and feared
organisations in Nazi Germany
− From 1929 run by Himmler. 1930s expanded to 50,000 men
− Carried out racial purification and ran the concentration camps
− Members were Aryan in appearance and expected to marry racially pure wives
− By 1939 were 240,000 members organised into divisions
− At the Nuremberg Trials the SS was declared to be a criminal organisation
Gestapo:
− Set up in 1933 by Goering, placed under the control of the SS in 1936, led by Heydrich
− Non-uniformed secret police. Arrested people who acted against or spoke out in any way against Nazi
ideas. Could be imprisoned without trial
− By 1939, 150,000 people were in prisons
− At its peak, the Gestapo had only 30,000 officers for the whole country – image still intimidated and
there was an image of power
− Most investigations stemmed from voluntary denunciations, most inspired by personal rather than a
strong commitment to Nazism
− Didn’t have the capacity to investigate cases properly so resorted to torture, arbitrary arrest and
preventative custody
Concentration camps:
− First concentration camp opened at Dachau in 1933. Inmates were mainly political prisoners or
‘undesirables’
− From 1938 on, inmates used for forced labour eg. producing army uniforms
− Were six concentration camps by 1939, holding about 20,000 in total
− After 1939 concentration camps grew in number and size
Control of lawyers, judges and courts:
− Most lawyers and judges thought accommodation to the regime was prudent – worked to support the
regime
− March 1933 the People’s Court and Special Courts created – heard all treason cases, judges
handpicked, Hitler could lengthen the sentence given
