Transcript How did Hitler set up a dictatorship?

How did Hitler consolidate
power?
L/O – To identify the key events that helped Hitler to
establish his dictatorship
Reichstag Fire
Enabling Act
Night of the Long Knives
Death of Hindenburg
Complete control?
How did Hitler consolidate Power?
• Within 18 months, Hitler had turned himself
into a dictator. He had the power to issue
decrees and there was no legal way to
replace him.
• His conservative, liberal and socialist
opponents were divided, demoralised and
weakened by repression.
• Political opponents were intimidated by
both violence ‘from below’ (by the SA who
murdered around 500 people in 1933) and
terror ‘from above’ as the Nazis could now
use the power of the government.
How did Hitler consolidate Power?
• By the end of 1933, over
100,000 potential opponents
had been arrested.
• In addition, the elite politicians
who had sought to use Hitler
had been outmanoeuvred.
• The only potential threat came
from the army, but it had
committed itself to the new
government.
How did Hitler consolidate Power?
• The process by which Hitler gained control
of Germany was called GLEICHSCHALTUNG
(co-ordination).
• He ensured the government had control of
all aspects of society, so that there would
be little opposition.
• The regime developed organisations that
Germans had to join e.g. the German
Labour Front (DAF) and Hitler Youth. This
ensured the regime’s control and that the
members would work to fulfil the
government’s aims.
The Reichstag Fire
• On 27th February 1933, the
Reichstag building was destroyed
by fire.
• A young Dutch communist, Marinus
van der Lubbe, was caught on site.
He confessed, was put on trial and
executed. He was beheaded!
• Hitler declared that the fire was part
of a communist conspiracy and
persuaded Hindenburg to pass the
‘Reichstag Fire Decree’ giving Hitler
Article 48 powers.
How did the Reichstag Fire help Hitler?
Hitler used the Reichstag fire to convince everyone that
there was a real threat of a communist revolution. Hitler
used the confusion and unease that people felt to
consolidate his position.
1. Emergency powers: Hitler persuaded
Hindenburg to pass the ‘Law for the
Protection of People and State’ on 28th Feb.
This ended freedom of speech, freedom of
association and freedom of the press.
2. Election success: Hitler persuaded Hindenburg
to call fresh elections for the 5th March. He used his
new powers to make life difficult for non-Nazi
candidates. Hitler increased his share of the vote and
thereby gave his party more power in parliament.
Source A – Decree of the Reich President on
the Protection of the People and the State,
28th Feb 1933
On the basis of Article 48, paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the
Reich, the following is decreed as a protection against
communist acts of violence endangering the state:
1. Sections 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153 of the
Constitution of the German Reich are suspended until further
notice. Thus restrictions on personal liberty, on the right of
free expression of opinion, including freedom of the press, on
the right of assembly and association… are permissible
beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed [laid down].
2. If in any German state the measures necessary for the
restoration of public security and order are not taken, the
Reich Government may temporarily take over the powers of
the supreme authority in such as state in order to restore
security…
1. On what
grounds are
the
government’s
new powers
justified?
2. To what
extent did
the
emergency
decree
undermine
the Weimar
Constitution,
in spirit and
fact?
The March 1933 Reichstag elections
Party
The Nazi Party
Number of seats
Social Democrats
120
The Communist Party
81
The Centre Party
73
Others
85
288
Who won the 1933 election?
Did this mean that the Nazis now had complete power?
Although the Nazis didn’t have a majority, the Nationalist Party
joined forces with them. He also used emergency powers to
prevent Communists from taking their seats. The 53 seats added
to the Nazis’ meant Hitler now controlled over half of the total
seats – the Reichstag would do as Hitler wanted.
The Reichstag Fire
LO: To examine the significance of the Reichstag Fire and Enabling Act
The Enabling Act
When the Reichstag met again after the
election, Hitler proposed a new law:
The Enabling Act: This gave Hitler the
right to make laws for 4 years without the
consent of the Reichstag.
The Act was passed by 444 votes to 94.
The only thing stopping Hitler from becoming
a dictator was President Hindenburg.
Source B – Enabling Act, March 1933
Article 1 In addition to the procedure for the
passage of legislation outlined in the
Constitution, the Reich cabinet is also authorised
to enact Laws…
Article 2 The national laws enacted by the Reich
cabinet may deviate from the Constitution
provided they do not affect the position of the
Reichstag and Reichsrat. The powers of the
President remain unaffected.
Article 3 The national laws enacted by the Reich
cabinet shall be prepared by the Chancellor and
published in the official gazette. They come into
effect, unless otherwise stated, upon the day
following their publication…
1. On what
grounds are
the
government’s
new powers
justified?
2. To what
extent did the
emergency
decree
undermine the
Weimar
Constitution, in
spirit and fact?
Why was it passed so easily?
What did Hitler do next?
• Banned Trade Unions – Hitler also made
strikes illegal. If communists could control the
trade unions, they could use strikes to cripple
Hitler’s government.
• Banned Political Parties – In July 1933,
Hitler decreed a new law called ‘Law Against
the Establishment of Parties.’ Article 1
removed all opposition to the NSDAP.
• Abolished Local Government – In Jan 1934,
Hitler abolished the Lander parliaments and
each region would be ruled by a governor
appointed by him.
Consolidation of the Nazi Party
Once Hitler was chancellor, the SA – Hitler’s private army –
wanted him to take control of big businesses and to put the SA in
charge of the regular army.
Hitler however, did not want to lose the support of the industrialists
– they had helped fund his election campaign, and he would need
them in order to start rearmament.
Hitler was also worried that the SA, led by the ambitious Ernst
Röhm, was getting too powerful, posing a threat to his leadership.
Most army officers saw the SA as
undisciplined thugs whom they would
not take orders from.
Use this information to complete
the table on the next slide.
The Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives
In June 1934, Hitler ordered the SA to go on leave for the
entire month. Hitler then ordered Himmler and Goering to
eliminate the threat posed by the leaders of the SA.
On 30 June, Himmler's SS and Goering's special police
arrested and executed the leaders of the SA and other
people against whom Hitler had a score to settle.
Ernst Röhm was shot after refusing to commit suicide.
Kurt von Schleicher, who had preceded Hitler as
chancellor, was also shot.
Gregor Strasser, a Nazi member with socialist views
similar to Rohm was also shot.
Altogether, it’s thought that as many as 400 people were
killed in the Night of the Long Knives.
Consolidating the state
President Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934.
Hitler seized the opportunity to:
combine the offices of President and
Chancellor and to declare himself ‘Führer’
(leader) of the new Third Reich
make the whole of the army swear an
oath of loyalty to him personally.
A plebiscite was then held. Bombarded by Nazi
propaganda, 90% of the electorate voted in favour of
Hitler’s actions. Hitler’s Third Reich had begun.
David Low, They salute with both hands now (3rd July, 1934)
A cartoon by David Low