Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Topic 4 part 1 - Hitlers consolidation of power (The problem of the SA…
Topic 4 part 1 - Hitlers consolidation of power
The Enabling Act
What was the precursor to it? The Decree for the protection of the state - removed civil rights and freedom of speech. Surveillance because Germany declared a state of national emergency
Where was it held? The Kroll Opera House
What was the reason behind it being passed? Turmoil declared in Germany as a result of the Reich-stag fire Feb 1933 - Van Der Lube a Communist was blamed
Who was not allowed to attend? The Communist were banned entry due to the suspect of Reichstag's fire being Communist Van Der Lube
When? March 1933
What meant that many people voted against their will? The SS men surrounded the Kroll Opera House to terrorise people into voting for the Enabling Act
How many votes for for and against the Enabling Act? 444:94 - hence it was passed
What did the Enabling Act signify? Although democracy was officially ended in 1930 as Hindenburg had ruled by decree, this brought a legal end to the Wiemar Constitution
It also meant that Hitler could pass laws without going through the Reichstag's (parliament)
What did the Enabling Act allow Hitler to do? It meant that Hitler could pass laws without going through parliament, essentially allowing him to make any Nazi activity legal
For example; The Night of the Long Knives was made legal as a result of the enabling act
The Catholic centre party who would have naturally voted against the Nazis voted Nazi because untrue promises were made with the Church
Gleichshaltung
What did the Nazis do to the trade unions? Hitler gave the workers May day which they had been desperately craving and then the day after, Nazi officials marched into trade union HQs and banned them. The Trade Unions were replaced with the united DAF - German Labour front. It was the Nazi alternative to trade unions however because it was one Nazi organisation , it wasn't like a trade union because wages and working hours couldn't be discussed
What did the Nazis do to regional states? Nazis opposed regional states because they believed in the unification of all Germans so scrapped these and replaced them with Gaues led by Nazi Gauelieters
What three things did the Nazis change in 1933 Gleichshaltung? Regional states, Political parties and Trade Unions
What happened to all the other political parties in Germany? The Social democrats and Communists were banned and the other parties agreed to dissolve, even the Catholic party as a result of Concordat agreed to dissolve
What was it? Gleichshaltung was the Nazification of German society and the transition from Wiemar Germany to Nazi Germany. Things the Nazis disagreed with were removed and Nazis were infiltrated into positions of authority
What was the impact of the mutual agreement for all political parties to dissolve? It meant Germany was a one party state by July 1933, removing any opposition
The problem of the SA
However, army didn't want this as saw SA as no more than untrained, violent thugs
Army were the only organisation who could topple Hitler
This was supported by the SA, who were some of the most radical Nazis
Hence, Hitler had to please the army
Rohm wanted a merger of the SA with the army so to form the "Peoples Army" and a second revolution, because he believed that Gleichshaltung had not gone far enough
Hence, a second revolution and the creation of the "People Army" had to be stopped
The size of the SA was dramatically increasing
How many SA members were there in 1931? 200,000
How many SA members were there by 1934? 3 million
Proven by in a speech made by Rohm in 1933 - "we the SA, will not tolerate the German revolution going to sleep
What was Hindenburg view on the SA? Hindenburg was so concerned about the excess of the SA men that he considered toppling Hitler and passing on leadership to the army
Hence Hitler had to get teh SA under control so to please Hindenburg and enable him to remain chancellor
Events of The Knight of the Long Knives
What did Von Scheleichers murder show to ordinary Germans? Von Schelicher who had stabbed Hitler in the back on his route to Chancellorship was brutally murdered in his home with his wife, hence showing Germans that they were safe nowhere and their family too would be persecuted if they opposed the regime
What murder proved that even criticism abroad would be persctuted? Kurt Von Bredow was murdered for criticising the regime abroad
What actually happened to Rohm? Rohm refused to shoot himself, therefor the leader of Dachau concentration camp and another SS men shot him
What showed the Nazis attitude to religion even a this point , a year after4 teh Concordat was signed? Klausner who was head of Catholic Action was killed
Why did Hitler not want to personally kill Rohm? Rohm had been a personal friends of Hitler and he was only getting rid of him due to the threat his aims posed. Hence Hitler instructed Rohm to shoot himself, rather than being shot
Wha was the benefit of removing leaders of organisation? Killing leaders meant that the group beneath them could be more easily "Gleichshaltunged", hence allowing Hitler to gain control of more opposition without having to kill them
SA were carrying out rally at a countryside hotel
Brownshirts were driven into the forests by SS men and then shot
What shocking thing happened to Von Kahr and why? Cut into pieces by SS men because he had called the army on the Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923
\What made the act legal? Hitler passed the Night of the Long Knives through the Enabling Act, hence making it retrospectively legal
When? June 30th 1934
What were the Consequences of the Night of the Long Knives?
Provided warning to Catholics, that the regime was not tolerant despite the Concordat of 1933
Hence kept the army on side
Suppressed a second revolution
Goebbels used the violent event as a propaganda tool
Schleichers death meant the leader of the army had been killed, hence Hitler could do what he wanted with the army, rather than having to carry out events to keep the army happy, in the fear that they would topple him
Acted as a deterrent society - Schleichers death proved that family would be persecuted if opposition occurred - hence causing submissive conformity
Leaders of opposition groups were killed, hence making them easier to coordinate into the Nazi regime
Hindenburgs death
What did Hitler immediately do? He merged the titles of Chancellor and president, so to form Fuhrer
What did the army have to do? The army had to swear allegiance to Hitler as their new Commander, following the death of leader Schleicher in NOLK and death of Hindenburg
When? August 1934
19th August