2.5 Hitler's Dictatorship

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3

2.5: Hitler's dictatorship

AGE 9. The Time of World Wars

What is this lesson about?

Because of the economic crisis of 1929, the Nazi Party became the biggest party in Germany. In 1933, Hitler was appointed as Reichskanzler. After the Reichstag Fire, he used the fear of the Germans to get dictatorial powers. Through propaganda, Hitler secured his power, indoctrinating the population and especially the youth. The SS and the Gestapo arrested Hitler’s political enemies and send them to concentration camps.

people in this lesson

Paul von Hindenburg

president

(head of state) 

Heinrich Himmler

leader of the SS

and Gestapo

Adolf Hitler

chancellor

(prime minister) 

Josef Goebbels

minister of 

Propaganda

Word Duty

NSDAP: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or Nazi Party

Reichstag: German parliament

Enabling act: act through which Hitler obtained dictatorial power

SS: abbreviation for Schutzstaffel; security and military organisation controlled by the Nazi Party

Night of the Long Knives: purge used by Hitler to eradicate the critics of his regime in the SA 

nazification: measures taken by Hitler to turn Germany into a totalitarian state

indoctrination: process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically

Hitler Youth: organisation in Nazi Germany for children aged 10 to 18

Gestapo: state secret police of Nazi Germany (geheime staats polizei) tasked with hunting down people who opposed or were critical towards Hitler and the Nazis.

Führer: literally: Leader. The title Hitler adopted after president Hindenburg died in 1934.

concentration camp: camps were a government forces many people to live, sometimes under terrible conditions

KEY WORDS

Important dates in this lesson:

1925:  founding of the SS

1929:  start economic crisis in Germany

1933: 

          January: Hitler appointed Reichskanzler

           February: Reichstag Fire

           March: new elections + Enabling Act

1934

           April: founding of the Gestapo

          June: Night of the Long Knives

           August: Hindenburg dies. Hitler becomes Führer.

           

What you will learn in 

this lesson

1. How the Great Depression affected the rise of Hitler
   
2. How Hitler became Reichskanzler
   
3. How Hitler used the Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act to get dictatorial power
   
4. what happened during the Night of the Long Knives
   
5. How Hitler became Führer
   
6. Which means were used to turn Germany into a totalitarian state
   
7. How Hitler dealt with the German youth
   
8. How Hitler dealt with his opponents
   

Introduction

Hitler had attempted a coup in 1923 but this failed and he was arrested. He was the leader of the Nazi Party, which was not very popular at that time. This changed in 1929, when the economic crisis struck the world and millions of Germans lost their jobs, money and houses.

Hitler’s rise to power

German was hit hard by poverty during the crisis, but Hitler thought this was necessary to bring the real issues to people’s attention. Hitler put all the blame on the Treaty of Versailles: he promised to break up the Treaty, solve problems and make Germany proud and powerful again. He wanted the Germans to believe that he would defend them from communists, Jews and democrats. He also promised that he would give work to the unemployed. Thanks to the crisis, Hitler’s party grew. In 1928, they only had 12 seats in the Reichstag (the German parliament), but four years later they had 230, which had made the NSDAP the country’s largest political party. However, they did not have a majority, so needed to cooperate with other parties. Some conservatives, nationalists, rich landowners and industrialists believed that they could control Hitler and use him for their own plans. They convinced President Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Reichskanzler (Prime Minister) on 30th January 1933.

Hitler sitting next to the German head of state: president Hindenburg.

Hindenburg reluctantly appointed Hitler to be Reichskanzler (prime minister) because the Nazis had  become the largest party during the 1932 elections.

summarize

1. start with the title of the lesson, then repeatedly the title of the paragraph / section you are summarizing
   
2. Hitler's promises
   
3. link the Great Depression to the rise of the Nazis
4. How (and when) did Hitler get to be Chancellor

president

Under a "Presidential" government the chancellor is responsible to the president, and not the Reichstag. 

The "25/48/53 formula" was the three articles of the Constitution that could make a "Presidential government" possible:

Article 25 allowed the President to dissolve the Reichstag.

Article 48 allowed the President to sign into law emergency bills without the consent of the Reichstag. (The Reichstag could cancel any law passed by Article 48 by a simple majority within sixty days of its signing).

Article 53 allowed the President to appoint the Chancellor.

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Reichstag elections July 1932

Nazis (brown) are largest parties, but don't have an overall majority

What is a parliament?

Every democratic country has a parliament.

In a democracy, the power to make laws (legislative power) is in the hands of parliament.

parliament = the people's representatives

This means that every new law MUST be accepted by "the people".

A parliament is elected every 4 years, by means of general elections.

After the elections, the seats in parliament are divided proportional to the % of votes that a party has received.

SO... parliament is in fact a miniature version of society.

Parliament has a different name in different countries:

- NL: 1e + 2e Kamer

- Germany: Reichstag (today: Bundestag)

- USA: Congress,               Russia: Duma

What is a government?

In general, the winner of the elections, the largest party, may form a new government.

A government is a group of ministers, lead by the prime-minister.

The government must execute the laws made by parliament (executive power)

For a prime minister to fulfill his own party's plans and laws, his party needs to have a majority in parliament, because parliament votes about every new law that is proposed. This includes the representatives from parties that do not agree with the prime minister's plans. They will most likely vote against the proposals.

With a majority in parliament, a prime minister (and his party) can pass any new law he wants. Without a majority, he cannot. 

But.... that is democracy...

1.What causal relation does the chart show between the
unemployment rate and the popularity of the NSDAP?
ps, you don't need to include numbers in your answer.

The bars show the percentage of votes received by the NSDAP during the elections between 1924-1933. The line shows the unemployment rate.

2.Which statement is false?

1. Thanks to the crisis, Hitler’s party grew immensely.
2. According to Hitler, poverty in Germany was caused by the Treaty of Versailles.
3. In 1928, the NSDAP was still a small political party.
4. In 1932, the NSDAP had a majority in the German parliament.

3a. Read source A
What motive could the people, described by
Hauser, have had for voting NSDAP?

3b. Read source A
What motive could they have had for
not voting for a democratic party?

Hitler becomes a dictator

On 27th February 1933, fear spread in Berlin when the Reichstag building went up in flames. The Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe was arrested and he admitted his guilt. As soon as Hitler heard about the fire, he used it to his advantage: he blamed the communists for causing terror and trying to take power. A wave of anticommunist sentiment struck Germany: communists were arrested and Hitler banned their party. At new elections on 5th March 1933, the NSDAP and another nationalist party together gained 52% of all votes, which gave them a majority to rule.

summarize

1. How did Hitler take advantage of the Rechstag Fire?
2. How did the Reichstag Fire help Hitler to an overall majority in the Reichstag?

Reichstag elections March 1933

Nazis (brown) , together with another nationalist party, have an overall majority

4. In March 1933, tens of thousands of alleged German communists were arrested, brutally tortured and, in some cases, killed. Research shows that a large part of German population agreed on this policy. Explain the most probable reason for people agreeing with this policy.

Hitler reached for dictatorial power as soon as possible: riding the wave of fear in Germany, he convinced president Hindenburg to sign the Enabling Act on 23rd March 1933.

This enabled Hitler to make and pass laws without the involvement of the parliament. The Enabling Act opened up a path towards totalitarian control. Hitler altered the constitution to banish all political parties and labour unions, except the Nazi Party. He also divided the country up into provinces and shires, ensuring that each was ruled by a highly-placed Nazi that he could trust. In this way, Hitler was able to exert sole power and thus became a dictator.

summarize

1. What was the Enabling Act and why was this important for Hitler?
2. What measures did Hitler take to ensure his dictatorial power after the Enabling Act was passed?

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5. Do this question in class with a class mate.
Explain in your own words how Hitler used democracy to become a dictator.
In your answer use the words: Enabling Act, Reichstag, NSDAP, Reichskanzler, elections, Reichstag Fire, 1932, 1933.

6a. Read the source. Göring does not give any specifics about the meaning of the underlined sentence. You should be able to work them out anyway, though. Two examples of things Göring would describe as ‘misery, hardship, humiliation, disgrace’, are given. Decide if they are true, or false

A. The random violence committed by the SA

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

6b. Read the source. Göring does not give any specifics about the meaning of the underlined sentence. You should be able to work them out anyway, though. Two examples of things Göring would describe as ‘misery,
hardship, humiliation, disgrace’, are given. Decide if they are true, or
false

B. The shortages due to economic crisis

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Night of the Long Knives

After Hitler came to power, he started to ‘purify’ the Nazi Party. For a long time, he wanted to get rid of some party members who focused too much on the socialist aspect of the ideology. Now that Hitler controlled the government, he ordered his notorious personal lifeguards, the Schutzstaffel (SS), led by Heinrich Himmler, to eliminate all Nazi-members who had opposed or questioned him. Many leading SA figures (brownshirts) were murdered in cold blood. This event on 30th June 1934 was later called the Night of the Long Knives.

Hitler was now in full control of the Nazi Party. When president Von Hindenburg died on 2nd August 1934, Hitler cancelled the office of president and proclaimed that he now combined the presidency and Reichskanzler in the position of Führer. Hitler now ruled Germany alone, as a dictator.

summarize

1. What happened during the Night of the Long Knives and how did this help Hitler to gain even more power?
   
2. How did Hitler become Führer?
   

SA members looking fearful in surrender

SA leaders, dead on the floor, killed by Hitler, who holds a smoking gun.

a smoking gun, indicating that Hitler just shot the men lying dead on the floor. A smoking gun is also a clear piece of evidence.

members of the Army and SS stand with their weapons pointing towards the SA members

 The caption ‘They salute with both hands now’ is a joke about the Nazi salute. The SA used to be fiercely loyal to Hitler, and so would salute him with the Nazi salute (with one hand). However, now they have both their hands up to Hitler in surrender, showing their powerlessness. 

On the floor, lies ‘Hitler’s unkept promises’, clearly discarded. This represents how Hitler betrayed the SA, as they had been led to believe that they would gain power alongside Hitler. 

Hitler (standing aggressively with an armband that reads: ’the double cross’- a pun about the swastika and Hitler’s betrayal)

Goering (who is dressed as a violent god of war, showing how the Nazis have abandoned democracy and now rule by terror)

Goebbels (shown as Hitler’s poodle, since in Britain, where this cartoon was published,he was seen to be cowardly and extremely loyal to Hitler). It was all three of these men that were responsible for this night, because Hitler asked Goering and Goebbels to compile a list of ‘disloyal SA members’,; this list formed the basis of those killed on the Night of the Long Knives.

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7a. During the Night of the Long Knives the following people were eliminated:

1. communists
2. members of the SA
3. members of the SS
4. Jews

7b. Which of these reasons for the Night of the Long Knives is wrong?

1. SA leaders wanted to turn the SA into the new German army
2. The SA was not purely Aryan anymore.
3. Several members focused too much on the socialist aspect of the SA
4. SA leaders had become critical towards Hitler

Nazification

Hitler relied on an effective system of propaganda to gain full support of all Germans. He wanted totalitarian control over every aspect of life and society. To drive this nazification, he appointed his loyal friend Joseph Goebbels as Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Goebbels was able to control the press, radio and film; he developed sophisticated ways to influence and even control the minds of the people. Goebbels was well aware of the power of radio broadcasting on people and encouraged the production and distribution of cheap radios to make sure everyone could hear his and Hitler’s speeches. People were even forced to listen to these speeches at work. To promote Aryan art production that was in line with the Nazi ideology, all artists such as painters, sculptors, writers and filmmakers were forced to become members of the ‘Chamber of Culture’.

summarize

1. What was the function of propaganda for Hitler?
2. What means of propaganda were used?
3. How did Hitler make sure all arists and media would only propagate Nazi art and Nazi messages?

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8a. Study the picture. It was made in 1938 and was
depicted in a brochure. The corresponding
text stated: ‘The Führer wanted to provide the
German people with cars. And now, the will of
the Führer becomes reality!’
Look at the family depicted. Name three things they have
(or appear to have), which they probably did not have in 1932.

see brochure VW

8b. In what way did this development contribute to Führer adoration?

see brochure VW

9. Write down several examples of mass media that Goebbels had to his disposal to brainwash the German people.

Führer adoration

The propaganda proved to be effective: Hitler managed to unite the German people through a shared history and offered them a way to feel proud of their country again. Most important of all, he delivered on his promise to give them jobs. He ordered the building of a network of highways, created jobs in the war industry and hired unemployed men as soldiers. He was ignoring the Treaty of Versailles. Using techniques of indoctrination, deliberately putting certain ideas into people’s heads by repeating them again and again, he persuaded many Germans to perceive him as the saviour of their nation. He developed a huge cult of personality around himself. Even Germans who had not voted for the Nazi Party started to believe in Nazi ideology. Besides, everyone who was against Hitler was punished.

German girls cheer Hitler, who is passing by in an automobile, during a Nazi Party parade

summarize

1. What measures did Hitler take to make the Germans idolise him?

10 Study the source and read the text in the box.
a. Explain the meaning of the underlined word in the box.
b. Many well-educated people believed the information ‘Der Stürmer’
provided, was true. How is that possible?

But Hitler wanted more; he was keen on making sure all children were educated as good Nazis. To achieve this, the school system was reformed. First communists, socialists, Jews and all other teachers that opposed Nazi rule, were fired. Race studies were introduced as a new school subject and students were taught to become nationalistic, aware of race differences, willing to fight for Germany and to obey the Führer’s orders without question. All teenagers from 10 to 18 years of age were forced to join the Hitler Youth. This organisation tried to indoctrinate the German youth, to make them believe in racism and prepare them for a soldier’s life.

summarize

1. What measures did Hitler take to turn children into good nazis?

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11. What were the nazis' goals for forcing all boys to become a member of the Hitler Youth?

Terror and concentration camps

In 1925, the highly-trained SS personnel became Hitler’s personal bodyguards. From 1934 onwards, when Hitler got rid of the SA, the task of the SS was to defend the national-socialist state and eliminate all its opponents. In 1934, the Gestapo was founded, the Nazi secret police. At the start of Hitler’s rule, ten thousand of Communists had been arrested, many after the Reichstag Fire. Prisons soon proved to be too small and so many of the prisoners were send to abandoned areas. Here wooden barracks were set up, surrounded by barbed wire and watchtowers. The SS took command of these concentration camps. At first, political adversaries, such as critical teachers, journalists and members of different political parties were locked up. But soon Hitler also ordered people who were inferior, according to his racial doctrine, to be send to these camps: Jews, homosexuals, gypsies and disabled people were sent prison, tortured and mistreated. Most of them did not survive.

summarize

1. What were the SS and Gestapo used for?
2. Which two groups were locked up in concentration camps?

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12. What was the Gestapo’s main task?

13. What were the two main groups of people that were sent to concentration camps by the Nazis

14. Put the events in the correct chronological order

Enabling Act

Reichstag Fire

Hitler becomes Führer

Night of the Long 

Knives

Hitler appointed Reichskanzler

Is there anything you still don't understand from lesson 2.5?

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