HISTORY
GERMANY- OPTION 1C 1918-1945
- PART 3
1) THE NAZI DICTATORSHIP
KEY DATES
March 1933 Communist Party outlawed
May 1933 Abolition of trade unions
June 1933 SPD outlawed
July 1933 Law Against the Formation of New Parties
30 Jun-2 Jul ‘Night of the Long Knives’
1934
KEY FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE NAZIS DICTATORSHIP
- Terror- use of SA, intimidation, torturing opponents using violence without
legal restriction
- Legality- destroying the parliamentary gov from within → reichstag
biggest party, hitler as chancellor, use of emergency decrees
- Deception- misled groups to destroy them
- Propaganda- powerful messages applying to all members of society
THE ENABLING ACT OF 1933
Hitler aimed to destroy the 1919 constitution and establish a dictatorship
Enabling act allowed him to- create laws without permission from the
reichstag / president for 4 years → officially making hitler a dictator
However hitler needed 2/3rds of the majority’s votes → after march 1933
elections they did not gain the votes necessary causing the nazi party to
look for support in order to pass the enabling act
March 21st- ‘grandiose display’ promising to align nationalism socialism
with old germany to be in favour with conservatives → maintaining
tradition
- Centre party won over- 74 votes- due to hitlers promise of allowing them to
practice catholic religion and not restrict their influence on education, also
intimidated by the actions of the SA against the communists
- Social democrats heavily opposed → only 94 brave deputies
voted against bill
- Communists banned admittance and intimidated by SA
March 23rd 1933 → enabling act passed → 444 to 94 votes
Was the beginning of the third reich → end of democracy in germany and
now violence can be used as tools
,GLEICHSCHALTUNG
Literally means → ‘bringing into line’ nazis wanted full control over nazi
life
Institutions in germany either abolished or nazified (under nazi control)
Aimed to get political supremacy → wanted coordination between federal
states, trade unions and political parties
LANDER GOV (LOCAL GOV)
Nazi’s aim was to destroy local govs → previously regions eg bavaria had
their own local govs
- Law of 31 March 1933 – regional parliaments were dissolved and then
reformed with acceptable majorities → the Nazis could now
dominate regional state govs.
- Law of 7 April- Reich Governors who more often than not were the local
party Gauleiters with full powers to introduce Nazi policies.
- Jan 1934- regional parliaments were abolished. Federal govs and governors
were subordinated to the authorities of the ministry of the interior in the central
gov
- early 1934 the federal principle of gov was basically gone → Even the
Nazi Reich governors existed simply ‘to execute the will of the supreme
leadership of the Reich’.
- Jan 1934- centralisation of state completed → abolition of the upper
house of the Reichsrat. Now the provincial govs and the local govs
were made completely subordinate to the central gov.
Germany was fully coordinated→ Choirs and chess clubs as well as town
halls surrendered themselves to new Nazis
- In Northeim, the Social Democrat Choir was disbanded and the more
respectable middle-class one Nazified. The town shooting club invited a Nazi
leader, to become its captain. The town library was purified of any books that
caused offence to the new masters.
CIVIL GOV
- 1933- civil service purged from opponents → members who remained
became nazis
- 7 April 1933- Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service of
Jews and political opponents of the Nazis were thrown out of the civil service.
- 1 Dec 1933- Law to Ensure the Unity of Party and State on To bring the
running of party and state closer together, the Nazis passed the
,TRADE UNIONS
Trade unions experienced great ordeal of suffering during depression →
was under the false idea that they would have independence under the
nazis
May 1st 1933- trade unions enjoyed the traditional may day celebrations – proved to
be briefest of illusions of more rights for workers
During 1920s→ socialist unions used to be a powerful now they disappeared
10th may- creation of DAF (german labour front) was meant to represent
workers but instead but instead set wages and controlled them → workers
and managment encouraged to join DAF
Jan 16th 1934- labour charter- meant to be sum up of nazi economic cooperation
with labour management but actually curbed influence of workers but was significant
during 1935 and represented 20 million workers
ABOLISHMENT OF POLITICAL PARTIES
Gleichschaltung could allow the existence of other political parties. Nazism openly
rejected democracy any other opinions
Post Reichstag fire - the communist KPD had been outlawed
June 1933- SPD was banned.
The DNVP, DVP, and DNVP disbanded themselves.
5 July- To avoid confrontation with the Nazis, the Centre Party followed suit
14 July 1933- Law Against the Formation of Parties - made it easier for Hitler
to abolish organised political opposition→ Germany officially a one-party
state.
- Goebbels boasted in a speech in mid-1933 that Hitler had destroyed
Weimar’s multi-party system and unified the German people into one will.
^ no opposition to decree since the parties effectively banned
VIOLENCE AND TERROR USED AGAINST OTHER PARTY
Mid 1933- hundreds of socialists and communists murdered
^ often sent to ‘work camps’ that werent publicized
- Henrich himmler from the SS given responsibility to abolish opponents
- 1933- 80 concentration camps created → camps were still not made
for elimination but ‘protective custody’ most inmates being political
opponents
THE NIGHT OF LONG KNIVES
REASONS:
- Threatened by ambittions of ernst rohm of SA → rohm believed in a
socialist revolution
- Rohm wanted to form a ‘peoples army’ under his leadership → army
threatened due to the treaty reducing army numbers to 100,000
whilst SA consisted with 3million men → Hitler feared the merger
, would undermine the discipline and effectiveness of Germany’s
armed forces.
- Conservative forces threatened Hitler in business- the civil service and
army → clear that the plan to trap Hitler in a conservative coalition
had failed. Conservatives were alarmed at the lawlessness of the
Nazi gov and the actions of the SA→The SA wanted to reform big
businesses and Hitler could not risk losing their support.
- April 1934- group of leading generals demanding that hitler limits the SA’s
violence
- Hitler knew the importance of conservatives support and that they had
hidenburgs ear
- Rohm had enemies in the nazi party → henrich himmler and
hermann goering → goering made acting head of gestapo
(secret police) and they pressured hitler to take action
against rohm
EVENTS:
30th june 1934- beginning of night of long knives
- Due to excuses that the SA was on the edge of uprisings in berlin and munich
he ordered the purge on SA leaders
- Hitler flew to bavaria to order arrest of rohm who was shot 2 days later
- 400 oponents dead including strasser and ex chancellor schieler
- Around 180 nazis executed eg karl ernst
RESULTS
- Hitlers image was not damaged since SA was widely unpopular and viewed
as ‘greedy’
- 13th july 1934- hitler formally expressed his reasons for the cause of
calling the purge but did not mention the non SA members who
were murdered → wilhem frick (minister of interior) passed his actions as
legal
- Hitler overcame radical left in his own party and conservative right in germany
- SA now rendered unarmed → was now a showpiece
- Summer 1934- german army now behind nazi regime showing signifance
- Secured hitlers powers and influence as dictator
HIDENBURGS DEATH:
Aug 1934- Hindenburg died
2 August- Hitler abolished the position of President→ now Fuhrer of the
German state.
- The Nazis could not now legally be removed from power.
the Minister of Defence, Field Marshal Werner von Blomberg and all officers of
the army were called on to take a personal oath of loyalty to the Fuhrer →
importance in securing the dictatorship.
GERMANY- OPTION 1C 1918-1945
- PART 3
1) THE NAZI DICTATORSHIP
KEY DATES
March 1933 Communist Party outlawed
May 1933 Abolition of trade unions
June 1933 SPD outlawed
July 1933 Law Against the Formation of New Parties
30 Jun-2 Jul ‘Night of the Long Knives’
1934
KEY FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE NAZIS DICTATORSHIP
- Terror- use of SA, intimidation, torturing opponents using violence without
legal restriction
- Legality- destroying the parliamentary gov from within → reichstag
biggest party, hitler as chancellor, use of emergency decrees
- Deception- misled groups to destroy them
- Propaganda- powerful messages applying to all members of society
THE ENABLING ACT OF 1933
Hitler aimed to destroy the 1919 constitution and establish a dictatorship
Enabling act allowed him to- create laws without permission from the
reichstag / president for 4 years → officially making hitler a dictator
However hitler needed 2/3rds of the majority’s votes → after march 1933
elections they did not gain the votes necessary causing the nazi party to
look for support in order to pass the enabling act
March 21st- ‘grandiose display’ promising to align nationalism socialism
with old germany to be in favour with conservatives → maintaining
tradition
- Centre party won over- 74 votes- due to hitlers promise of allowing them to
practice catholic religion and not restrict their influence on education, also
intimidated by the actions of the SA against the communists
- Social democrats heavily opposed → only 94 brave deputies
voted against bill
- Communists banned admittance and intimidated by SA
March 23rd 1933 → enabling act passed → 444 to 94 votes
Was the beginning of the third reich → end of democracy in germany and
now violence can be used as tools
,GLEICHSCHALTUNG
Literally means → ‘bringing into line’ nazis wanted full control over nazi
life
Institutions in germany either abolished or nazified (under nazi control)
Aimed to get political supremacy → wanted coordination between federal
states, trade unions and political parties
LANDER GOV (LOCAL GOV)
Nazi’s aim was to destroy local govs → previously regions eg bavaria had
their own local govs
- Law of 31 March 1933 – regional parliaments were dissolved and then
reformed with acceptable majorities → the Nazis could now
dominate regional state govs.
- Law of 7 April- Reich Governors who more often than not were the local
party Gauleiters with full powers to introduce Nazi policies.
- Jan 1934- regional parliaments were abolished. Federal govs and governors
were subordinated to the authorities of the ministry of the interior in the central
gov
- early 1934 the federal principle of gov was basically gone → Even the
Nazi Reich governors existed simply ‘to execute the will of the supreme
leadership of the Reich’.
- Jan 1934- centralisation of state completed → abolition of the upper
house of the Reichsrat. Now the provincial govs and the local govs
were made completely subordinate to the central gov.
Germany was fully coordinated→ Choirs and chess clubs as well as town
halls surrendered themselves to new Nazis
- In Northeim, the Social Democrat Choir was disbanded and the more
respectable middle-class one Nazified. The town shooting club invited a Nazi
leader, to become its captain. The town library was purified of any books that
caused offence to the new masters.
CIVIL GOV
- 1933- civil service purged from opponents → members who remained
became nazis
- 7 April 1933- Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service of
Jews and political opponents of the Nazis were thrown out of the civil service.
- 1 Dec 1933- Law to Ensure the Unity of Party and State on To bring the
running of party and state closer together, the Nazis passed the
,TRADE UNIONS
Trade unions experienced great ordeal of suffering during depression →
was under the false idea that they would have independence under the
nazis
May 1st 1933- trade unions enjoyed the traditional may day celebrations – proved to
be briefest of illusions of more rights for workers
During 1920s→ socialist unions used to be a powerful now they disappeared
10th may- creation of DAF (german labour front) was meant to represent
workers but instead but instead set wages and controlled them → workers
and managment encouraged to join DAF
Jan 16th 1934- labour charter- meant to be sum up of nazi economic cooperation
with labour management but actually curbed influence of workers but was significant
during 1935 and represented 20 million workers
ABOLISHMENT OF POLITICAL PARTIES
Gleichschaltung could allow the existence of other political parties. Nazism openly
rejected democracy any other opinions
Post Reichstag fire - the communist KPD had been outlawed
June 1933- SPD was banned.
The DNVP, DVP, and DNVP disbanded themselves.
5 July- To avoid confrontation with the Nazis, the Centre Party followed suit
14 July 1933- Law Against the Formation of Parties - made it easier for Hitler
to abolish organised political opposition→ Germany officially a one-party
state.
- Goebbels boasted in a speech in mid-1933 that Hitler had destroyed
Weimar’s multi-party system and unified the German people into one will.
^ no opposition to decree since the parties effectively banned
VIOLENCE AND TERROR USED AGAINST OTHER PARTY
Mid 1933- hundreds of socialists and communists murdered
^ often sent to ‘work camps’ that werent publicized
- Henrich himmler from the SS given responsibility to abolish opponents
- 1933- 80 concentration camps created → camps were still not made
for elimination but ‘protective custody’ most inmates being political
opponents
THE NIGHT OF LONG KNIVES
REASONS:
- Threatened by ambittions of ernst rohm of SA → rohm believed in a
socialist revolution
- Rohm wanted to form a ‘peoples army’ under his leadership → army
threatened due to the treaty reducing army numbers to 100,000
whilst SA consisted with 3million men → Hitler feared the merger
, would undermine the discipline and effectiveness of Germany’s
armed forces.
- Conservative forces threatened Hitler in business- the civil service and
army → clear that the plan to trap Hitler in a conservative coalition
had failed. Conservatives were alarmed at the lawlessness of the
Nazi gov and the actions of the SA→The SA wanted to reform big
businesses and Hitler could not risk losing their support.
- April 1934- group of leading generals demanding that hitler limits the SA’s
violence
- Hitler knew the importance of conservatives support and that they had
hidenburgs ear
- Rohm had enemies in the nazi party → henrich himmler and
hermann goering → goering made acting head of gestapo
(secret police) and they pressured hitler to take action
against rohm
EVENTS:
30th june 1934- beginning of night of long knives
- Due to excuses that the SA was on the edge of uprisings in berlin and munich
he ordered the purge on SA leaders
- Hitler flew to bavaria to order arrest of rohm who was shot 2 days later
- 400 oponents dead including strasser and ex chancellor schieler
- Around 180 nazis executed eg karl ernst
RESULTS
- Hitlers image was not damaged since SA was widely unpopular and viewed
as ‘greedy’
- 13th july 1934- hitler formally expressed his reasons for the cause of
calling the purge but did not mention the non SA members who
were murdered → wilhem frick (minister of interior) passed his actions as
legal
- Hitler overcame radical left in his own party and conservative right in germany
- SA now rendered unarmed → was now a showpiece
- Summer 1934- german army now behind nazi regime showing signifance
- Secured hitlers powers and influence as dictator
HIDENBURGS DEATH:
Aug 1934- Hindenburg died
2 August- Hitler abolished the position of President→ now Fuhrer of the
German state.
- The Nazis could not now legally be removed from power.
the Minister of Defence, Field Marshal Werner von Blomberg and all officers of
the army were called on to take a personal oath of loyalty to the Fuhrer →
importance in securing the dictatorship.
