Nazi Party - consolidation of power

Problems facing Hitler upon becoming chancellor in Jan 1933
1. Still had to listen to Hindenburg
  1. No dictatorship yet
2. Communists posed a huge threat
3. The SA was getting out of hand
  1. Opposed many of Hitler's views
  2. Could cause a Putsch
4. Economic turmoil from great depression
  1. 6 million unemployed
  2. He promised to solve all their problems
    1. If he couldn't he may be ousted
5. Loads of people he didn't like still in Germany
  1. Jews, gypsies etc
  2. Needed a dictatorship to get rid of them
Reichstag fire - Feb 1933
1. What?
  1. Pretty self - explanatory
  2. Who did it?
    1. Nazis?
      1. In their best interests to start it
        Allows them to go harsher on communists
      2. 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?
      3. Goering had secret, direct access through underground tunnel to Reichstag
      4. Hitler seemed genuinely unsure
    2. Communists?
      1. Perpetrated by a communist - Van Der Lubbe
        He was only one caught
        Other communists could have arranged it
      2. Hated Nazis and hated Reichstag system
      3. Very little to gain from it
        An excuse for Nazis to be harsher on them
        Make people scared of them
    3. Van der Lubbe (alone)?
      1. Had cognative disability
        Why would communists send him - could more easily be caught
        Pyromaniac traits
      2. No other communists found there
      3. He confessed to it
2. Effects
  1. Banning of Communist Party
    1. They got blamed immediately for the fire
    2. They were therefore banned ASAP
      1. Their leaders were quickly put into concentration camps
  2. Enabling act - March 1933
    1. Voted for by the Reichstag
      1. Overwhelming majority voted for
        441 to 94
        SA forced intimidated voters
      2. Had to be renewed every 4 years
    2. Meant that Hitler and Hindenburg didn't need to put things through the Reichstag
      1. When Hindenburg died in 1934 Hitler simply became 'Führer'
        Dictatorship: established
      2. Banned all other parties in July 1933
      3. Nazis took over local governments
      4. SA could do anything they wanted
Night of the Long Knives - June to July 1934
1. What?
  1. SA leader Röhm was arrested and killed
  2. SA (Sturmabteilung) leaders were killed
  3. Anyone he didn't like was killed
  4. Around 200 dead overall
2. Why?
  1. SA was unruly
    1. Disagreed with Hitler
    2. Had 2 million members
      1. Some had military experience
      2. Enough to cause a coup
        Similar to Freikorps in the Kapp Putsch
    3. Scare them into loyalty
  2. Hitler said that they were found to be planning a coup
3. Effects
  1. Any threat from the SA was completely gone
    1. Members would never dare oppose him
  2. SS formed
    1. Led by Himmler
    2. Basically an elite SS
    3. Only Aryans allowed
      1. No faults at all - even fillings were banned
    4. Had many different subdivisions
      1. 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
      2. Waffen SS
        Fighting force
      3. Regular police
      4. Concentration camps
Therefore, after 1934, Hitler had successfully created a dictatorship, in whch nobody would dare oppose him

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Nazi Party - consolidation of power

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