Chapter 4: Nazi consolidation of power 1933-4
The Nazi ‘legal revolution’
- ‘In two months, we’ll have pushed Hitler into a corner so hard that he’ll be squeaking’
- Limitations as chancellor: only 2 Nazis in the cabinet of 12 (Frick and Goring),
dependence on Hindenburg, coalition didn’t have majority
- Strengths as chancellor: leader of the largest political party in Germany, Nazis had
access to resources to the state e.g. police/propaganda, Hitler was a political
tactician determined to achieve absolute power
- Reichstag election, 5 March 1933- called for election within 24hours of his
appointment, final ‘democratic’ election(despite street fights/ police- 69 died)
- Improved Nazi finances?: Hitler was promised 3mil Reichssmarks from 20
leading industrialists (this + propaganda and media= ensured a majority)
- Reichstag Fire, 27 February 1933- blamed on Dutch communist Marinus van der
Lubbe. On the next day, Decree for the protection of the People and the State was
drawn up suspending political liberties, strengthening the power of central govt
- 5 March Election: 88% turnout, Nazi increased vote from 33.1% to 43.9% = secured
288 seats
- Enabling Act, March 1933- full power to the chancellor and his government for four
years
- Problems: momentum in lower ranks of the party, law taken into their own
hands= revolution from below (threatened to destroy Hitler’s image of legality
- Day of Potsdam
-
Coordination ‘Gleichschaltung’
- Means coordination
- Revolution from above: directed by the Nazi leadership from the political centre in
Berlin
- Regional States (Lander): dissolved regional parliaments and reformed them with
Nazis holding majorities (31 March 1933), created Reich governors with full powers
(1933) and regional state parliaments abolished (Jan 1934)
- Trade Unions: 1 May declared a national holiday but on the following day TU
premises were occupied by SA nad SS and union funds confiscated. Leaders
arrested and sent to Dachau, replaced with DAF (had 22mil members)
- Political parties: 14 July 1933= The Law against eh Establishment of Parties which
made the Nazis the only legal political party in Germany
- Success of Gleichschaltung: limited influence on army, big businesses and churches.
Civil service and education also only partially coordinated
The Night of the Long Knives
- Growing SA (membership of 2million) represented the radical left-wing of the Nazi
Party and a more working-class membership
- SA= larger than army but didn’t match in terms of discipline
- Rohm openly called for a genuine ‘National Socialist Revolution’
- Power struggle: Rohm’s plan was anathema to the Army (Traditional roles and
values threatened
- Purge, 30 June 1934: Rohm and main leaders of the SA shot by members of the SS,
Schleicher and Strasser both killed. 200 people murdered
The Nazi ‘legal revolution’
- ‘In two months, we’ll have pushed Hitler into a corner so hard that he’ll be squeaking’
- Limitations as chancellor: only 2 Nazis in the cabinet of 12 (Frick and Goring),
dependence on Hindenburg, coalition didn’t have majority
- Strengths as chancellor: leader of the largest political party in Germany, Nazis had
access to resources to the state e.g. police/propaganda, Hitler was a political
tactician determined to achieve absolute power
- Reichstag election, 5 March 1933- called for election within 24hours of his
appointment, final ‘democratic’ election(despite street fights/ police- 69 died)
- Improved Nazi finances?: Hitler was promised 3mil Reichssmarks from 20
leading industrialists (this + propaganda and media= ensured a majority)
- Reichstag Fire, 27 February 1933- blamed on Dutch communist Marinus van der
Lubbe. On the next day, Decree for the protection of the People and the State was
drawn up suspending political liberties, strengthening the power of central govt
- 5 March Election: 88% turnout, Nazi increased vote from 33.1% to 43.9% = secured
288 seats
- Enabling Act, March 1933- full power to the chancellor and his government for four
years
- Problems: momentum in lower ranks of the party, law taken into their own
hands= revolution from below (threatened to destroy Hitler’s image of legality
- Day of Potsdam
-
Coordination ‘Gleichschaltung’
- Means coordination
- Revolution from above: directed by the Nazi leadership from the political centre in
Berlin
- Regional States (Lander): dissolved regional parliaments and reformed them with
Nazis holding majorities (31 March 1933), created Reich governors with full powers
(1933) and regional state parliaments abolished (Jan 1934)
- Trade Unions: 1 May declared a national holiday but on the following day TU
premises were occupied by SA nad SS and union funds confiscated. Leaders
arrested and sent to Dachau, replaced with DAF (had 22mil members)
- Political parties: 14 July 1933= The Law against eh Establishment of Parties which
made the Nazis the only legal political party in Germany
- Success of Gleichschaltung: limited influence on army, big businesses and churches.
Civil service and education also only partially coordinated
The Night of the Long Knives
- Growing SA (membership of 2million) represented the radical left-wing of the Nazi
Party and a more working-class membership
- SA= larger than army but didn’t match in terms of discipline
- Rohm openly called for a genuine ‘National Socialist Revolution’
- Power struggle: Rohm’s plan was anathema to the Army (Traditional roles and
values threatened
- Purge, 30 June 1934: Rohm and main leaders of the SA shot by members of the SS,
Schleicher and Strasser both killed. 200 people murdered
