Nazi Party - consolidation of power

Nazi Party - consolidation of power

1. Problems facing Hitler upon becoming chancellor in Jan 1933

   • Still had to listen to Hindenburg
     • No dictatorship yet
   • Communists posed a huge threat
   • The SA was getting out of hand
     • Opposed many of Hitler's views
     • Could cause a Putsch
   • Economic turmoil from great depression
     • 6 million unemployed
     • He promised to solve all their problems
       • If he couldn't he may be ousted
   • Loads of people he didn't like still in Germany
     • Jews, gypsies etc
     • Needed a dictatorship to get rid of them

2. Reichstag fire - Feb 1933

   • What?
     • Pretty self - explanatory
     • Who did it?
       • Nazis?
         • In their best interests to start it
           • Allows them to go harsher on communists
         • Nazi general said that's what happened
           • At war crimes trial, General Halder said that Goering told everyone he started it while at Hitler's birthday party
           • Lying to reduce punishment?
           • Goering drunk / joking?
         • Goering had secret, direct access through underground tunnel to Reichstag
         • Hitler seemed genuinely unsure
       • Communists?
         • Perpetrated by a communist - Van Der Lubbe
           • He was only one caught
           • Other communists could have arranged it
         • Hated Nazis and hated Reichstag system
         • Very little to gain from it
           • An excuse for Nazis to be harsher on them
           • Make people scared of them
       • Van der Lubbe (alone)?
         • Had cognative disability
           • Why would communists send him - could more easily be caught
           • Pyromaniac traits
         • No other communists found there
         • He confessed to it
   • Effects
     • Banning of Communist Party
       • They got blamed immediately for the fire
       • They were therefore banned ASAP
         • Their leaders were quickly put into concentration camps
     • Enabling act - March 1933
       • Voted for by the Reichstag
         • Overwhelming majority voted for
           • 441 to 94
           • SA forced intimidated voters
         • Had to be renewed every 4 years
       • Meant that Hitler and Hindenburg didn't need to put things through the Reichstag
         • When Hindenburg died in 1934 Hitler simply became 'Führer'
           • Dictatorship: established
         • Banned all other parties in July 1933
         • Nazis took over local governments
         • SA could do anything they wanted

3. Night of the Long Knives - June to July 1934

   • What?
     • SA leader Röhm was arrested and killed
     • SA (Sturmabteilung) leaders were killed
     • Anyone he didn't like was killed
     • Around 200 dead overall
   • Why?
     • SA was unruly
       • Disagreed with Hitler
       • Had 2 million members
         • Some had military experience
         • Enough to cause a coup
           • Similar to Freikorps in the Kapp Putsch
       • Scare them into loyalty
     • Hitler said that they were found to be planning a coup
   • Effects
     • Any threat from the SA was completely gone
       • Members would never dare oppose him
     • SS formed
       • Led by Himmler
       • Basically an elite SS
       • Only Aryans allowed
         • No faults at all - even fillings were banned
       • Had many different subdivisions
         • Gestapo
           • Led by Heydrich
           • Secret police
           • Caught people who opposed Nazis
           • Used informers
             • High incentives to inform on others
               • e.g.
                 • You get persecuted if you don't inform
                 • Loads of propaganda
                   • Encouraged kids to inform on parents
             • Nobody felt safe talking bad about the Nazis
               • Therefore nobody did talk bad about the Nazis
         • Waffen SS
           • Fighting force
         • Regular police
         • Concentration camps

4. Therefore, after 1934, Hitler had successfully created a dictatorship, in whch nobody would dare oppose him