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‘In deepest need Hindenburg chose Adolf Hitler for Reich Chancellor. You too should vote for List 1’ [March 1933 election poster] Key Topic 3: The Nazi Dictatorship, 1933-9 Name: a. Overview Hindenburg felt he could control Hitler: 1. He could dismiss him at any time. 2. The November election of 1932 and had seen a slight fall in the Nazi vote Hindenburg hoped this might continue and he could remove Hitler at a later date. 3. The Nazis were only given 2 posts in the 12 man strong cabinet [Hitler’s group of advisers] Read Radway page 26 Action/Event Goring was appointed Minister of the Interior How it increased Hitler’s power The Reichstag burnt down March 1933 Elections The Enabling Law Ban on political parties Trade Unions abolished Regional Government Hindenburg dies in July 1934 Army Oath 2 a. The Reichstag Fire The Reichstag was the German parliament building. In March 1933 elections were to be held. Hitler hoped to gain over 50% of the popular vote. To do this he needed to convince the people that the Nazis were the best protection Germany had against communists, Jews and aggressive foreign powers. On the evening of 27th February the Reichstag building was burnt to the ground. A young Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe was arrested. He was found in the Reichstag with matches and fire lighters. In a statement to the police van der Lubbe declared ‘I acted alone. No one else helped me at all’. Hitler did not believe this and soon declared that the attack on the Reichstag was part of a wider attempt by communists to threaten Germany and overthrow democracy. Van der Lubbe was put on trial with four other communists. Only van der Lubbe was found guilty and was beheaded in January 1934. Throughout the trial he maintained that he had acted alone. Communist groups later claimed he was insane in order to distance themselves from his actions. Following the Reichstag Fire Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to pass an emergency decree- the Law for the Protection of People and the State. This decree suspended civil liberties- i.e. trial by jury, warrants for arrest, the right to a trial once arrested. This allowed the Nazis to arrest thousands of political opponents and put them in concentration camps. Most communist and many leading Social Democrats were arrested with the justification that they were a threat to the state. In the March election which followed the Nazi proportion of the vote increased from 38% to 44%- still no overall majority! Future meetings of the Reichstag now took place in the Kroll Opera House. 3 This type of question is worth 4 marks Copying or paraphrasing the source will only get 1 mark. 2-3 marks are available for inferential statements [i.e. a judgment which reads between the lines or summarise the main thrust of the source. Use words like ‘suggest’, ‘infer’ etc. Use a separate paragraph for each inferential point and number each point. 4 marks will be awarded for inferences which are supported by direct support or quotations from the source. What does Source A tells us about causes of the Reichstag Fire? Source A: A history of Germany, published in 1996 The Nazi election campaign was given a boost on 27 th February 1933 by an unexpected event. The Reichstag burnt down. A communist called Marinus van der Lubbe was caught at the scene of the blaze. Historians disagree about how the fire started. Some say that the Nazis started it, and accused van der Lubbe so that they could blame the communists. Others believe van der Lubbe’s claim that he acted alone. Whoever started the fire, it was very convenient for the Nazis. Hitler claimed it was the start of a communist plot against the government. Consider these three answers, giving each a mark out of 4 and comment as to why you have awarded the mark: Answer 1 Source A says Marinus van der Lubbe was caught at the scene of the fire. He claimed he acted alone. This act gave the Nazis a boost and was unexpected. The Reichstag was burnt down. Hitler claimed it was part of a communist plot to take power. Mark: Comment: ----4 Answer 2 The source does not say for definite who started the Fire, other than to highlight that three theories seem to exist. First the evidence points to the Fire being started by a communist- van der Lubbe. As the source says, he was found at the scene and even claimed ‘he acted alone’. Second the Nazis claimed it was not just an act by one communist- van der Lubbe, but the work of many, since as Hitler stated it was part of a ‘communist plot’ to overthrow the government. Third, some claim the Nazis started the Fire- using it as an excuse to blame the communists to attract votes. Perhaps we may never know, but it is clear that it helped the Nazis to consolidate their power. Mark Comment: ----4 4 Answer 3 The Reichstag Fire occurred on the 27th February 1933 and was unexpected. It was a great blaze which left the building completely burnt. The Nazis benefited greatly from the blaze because Hindenburg passed emergency laws which allowed the Nazi government to arrest political opponents as threats to the security of the state. Three possible explanations are given for the start of the Fire- it was started by van der Lubbe, an insane communist from the Netherlands; it was started by the communists who wanted to take control of the government; or it was started by the Nazis who wanted to blame the communists. It seems we don’t know who started it therefore but it did give the Nazis a boost in the elections. Mark Comment: ----4 Source B: Punch Magazine, 1933 Look at the following British cartoon. Annotate and explain the meaning of the indicated details: 5 Source C: Official Nazi government statement about the Fire made on 28th February 1933 This is without doubt the worst fire that the German people have experienced. The central part of the Reichstag has been completely gutted. This is the work of German communists who have planned to set fire to government buildings, castles, museums and vitally important factories. The burning of the Reichstag was to signal the start of bloodshed and a Communist uprising. Source D: Daily Telegraph, 6 December 1933 The reasoned judgment in the Reichstag Fire trial by the judge Dr Burger was that… Van der Lubbe was guilty of treason; the act of arson was intended to bring about a revolution…Lubbe could not possibly have fired the Reichstag alone but his accomplices are unknown. The section part of his judgment was like an election speech… a highly controversial attack on the Communist Party, which was evidently intended to please the Nazis. b. The Passing of the Enabling Law The March Reichstag elections increased the Nazi percentage of the vote to 44%. This was still not enough to change the constitution to give Hitler complete power. To do this he needed a 2/3 majority in the Reichstag. In March 1933 the Reichstag did just that- 444 deputies voted for the Enabling Law and only 94 voted against it. How did Hitler achieve this? Source E: Results of the March 1933 election: Source F: A Social Democrat recounts: Nazis Nationalists Social Democrats Communists Centre Party Others The wide square at the front of the Kroll Opera House was crowded with dark masses of people. We were received with wild choruses: ‘We want an Enabling Act!’ Youths with swastikas on their chests eyed us insolently…calling us names like ‘Centre Pig’ ‘Marxist Sow’. The Opera House was crawling with SA and SS men. The assembly hall was decorated with swastikas. Hitler read out his declaration…he uttered dark threats of what would happen if the Enabling Act was not passed…the SA hissed loudly at us ‘Shut up!’ ‘Traitors you’ll be strung up today!’ 288 52 120 81 74 32 6 Answer the following question: Explain how the Reichstag Fire allowed Hitler to strengthen his power over Germany between the years 1933-34? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 7 ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 8 Control of the economy Control of civil service Radio Press German Labour Censorship Front Abolition of Parties Propaganda Abolition of trade unions One-party state Coordination of politics and labour PHASE ONE (1933-4) Education Racial Policy One official ideology A single mass party Police controlled terror Control of the media Monopoly of arms Adolf Hitler- Fuhrer principle State controlled economy Minority suppression HJ/BDM Indoctrination Anti-Semitism Racial purity Youth TOTALITARIANISM? Loyalty of the army Dominance of the SS Police state KKK Women and the family Coordination of cultural life and education PHASE TWO (1933-9) GLEICHSCHALTUNG- 'bringing into line', 'coordination' From 1933 onwards the Nazis sought to consolidate their grip over the German state. By 1934 Phase Onecoordination of politics- had been achieved. However alongside political control the Nazis sought to create a National Socialist community [Volk- people]. The aim was to create a new generation of Germans who thought and acted ‘Nazi’. Phase Two would naturally take longer to achieve. The long term aim was to build a German state ready for racial struggle [war] and conquest- e.g. against the Slavs as part of Hitler’s dreams of an empire in the East [Lebensraum]. 9 c. T he Night of the Long Knives, June 1934 The Night of the Long Knives or Rohm Purge has long been a source of debate amongst historians- why did Hitler decide to dismantle the SA which had helped the Nazis to gain power in 1933? The list of possible benefits to Hitler was long and on the 30th June 1934 Hitler, with the SS, arrested the SA leadership [including its leader Ernst Rohm] and had them shot the next day. Over 200 were eventually shot and the SA reduced significantly in size and turned into effectively a boy-scouting organisation! SA membership [Official Nazi figures] 1929 30,000 1932 445,000 1934 3,000,000 10 Read Radway pages 30-1 Why was the SA purged? Identify and explain six reasons why Hitler purged the SA. Causes of the Rohm Purge 11 Consequences of the Night of the Long Knives What do the following cartoons tell us about the consequences of the purge? Annotate the cartoons below: 12 13 Focus On: Was Rohm really plotting to overthrow Hitler? Skill: Assessing usefulness- content/NOP Read through the following sources. Identify whether they agree or disagree with the theory that Rohm was plotting to overthrow Hitler. Assess the reliability of each. Source A: Recorded private comment by Rohm in 1934 by a Nazi who later left the party and fled to England. Adolf is a swine. He is betraying all of us. He is getting matey with the Prussian generals. Adolf knows perfectly well what I want. I’ve told him often enough. Not a second edition of the Kaiser’s army. Are we a revolution or aren’t we? Something new has to be brought in…the generals are old fogies. I’m the nucleus of the new army. Source B: Hitler’s Reichstag speech, July 1934 explaining reasons for the purge After the month of May, there could be no further doubt that the Chief of Staff of the storm troopers Ernst Rohm was busy with ambitious schemes which, if carried out, could only lead to the most violent disturbances… Only ruthless and bloody intervention could prevent the revolution from spreading. Source E: Field Marshall von Kleist’s description of events written after 1945. About 24th June I was warned that an attack by the SA on the army was imminent. On 28th June I asked the local SA leader to come to see me. I told him I knew of his plans. He replied that he had only put his men on alert to resist my attack. I told the government that I had the impression that the SA and army were being egged on against each other by Himmler. Source F: Goring in a press conference, reported by the Times on 2nd July 1934. Goring explained that he and Herr Himmler had been watching for weeks, even months, and had been aware preparations for a ‘second revolution’ were being made by ambitious SA leaders headed by Rohm. Source G: Anti-Rohm cartoon: If Rohm were to marry Source C: Vice Chancellor von Papen, June 1934 Have we experienced an anti-communist revolution in order to carry out the programme of communism? For any attempt to solve the social question by nationalising property is communism. Source D: Historian’s analysis, 1971 The smoothness with which the murders of 30 th June were carried out is powerful proof that no Rohm plot was imminent. There was no resistance encountered anywhere. 14 Plot? Y/N Explanation Reliable? [NOP- Nature/Origin/Purpose] A B C D E F G Overall assessment: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15 Read Radway pages 34-35. T he SS Construct a mind map to show how the SS, Gestapo, legal system and concentration camps made Germany a police state. Use colour/images and link factors together. The Nazi Police State 16 Controlling the Church Read Radway pages 52-3 POLICY EFFECT Stage 1: Control – gain as much possible control over existing Churches Creation of a unified Protestant Reich Church Concordat with the Pope Stage 2: Weaken – weaken the hold of traditional Christianity Make Protestantism more Nazi via German Christians Undermine and reduce influence of Catholic Church Stage 3: Replace – replace Christianity with a true Nazi religion Replace Christianity with German Faith Movement 17 Soviet view of Hitler and his minister of propaganda Dr. Josef Goebbels Radway page 36-37 What was the purpose of censorship? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ What was the purpose of propaganda? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 18 How were the following used to advance Nazi views? Books and newspapers ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Radio ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Cinema and Film ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Nazi Rallies ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 19 Images of Hitler. Look at the following pictures and decide how Hitler is portrayed in each: _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Hitler in 1934 Hitler addresses the Nuremberg rally, 1937 ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ________________________________________ 1930s election poster: Long Live Germany ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ 20 Handling Sources on Propaganda Source A: From a report on public opinion in Germany, written in 1936 A large section of the population no longer reads a newspaper. Basically, the population has no interest in what the newspapers say. The Nazis try to turn everyone into committed national Socialists. They will never succeed in that. People tend to turn away from Nazi propaganda. One cannot speak of popular enthusiasm for Nazism. Only the school children and those young men who have not yet done military service are enthusiastic about Hitler Source B: The Fuhrer Speaks, painting by Paul Padua, 1939 showing a German family listening to a radio broadcast by Hitler. Source C: From A History of the Third Reich, by a US journalist, published in 1959. I myself was to experience how easy it was to be taken in by a lying and censored press and radio and how difficult it was to escape propaganda in Nazi Germany. Though, unlike most Germans, I had daily access to foreign newspapers and listened regularly to the BBC and other foreign broadcasts, my job meant I had to check the German press and radio, meet with Nazi officials and go to party meetings. It was surprising and sometimes worrying how a steady stream of lies and distortions influenced my mind and often misled it. Was Nazi propaganda effective? 21 22 C B A Source Yes/No Explanation Reliable? Assessment: Was propaganda the main reason Hitler was able to establish a dictatorship of the Nazi Party in the years 1935-39? Explain your answer. 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