Hitler Consolidating Power

the Reichstag building is set on fire. A Dutch Communist, van der Lubbe, is caught red-handed in the burning building.

ADVANTAGES

1. It gave him an opportunity to imprison many communist leaders, which stopped them campaigning during the election.
2. It allowed the Nazis to say that the country was in danger from the communists during its election campaign.

Political parties are banned - only the Nazi party is allowed to exist.

RESULT

Banning political parties made Germany a

one-party stateand destroyed democracy in the country.

After this action, Germans could no longer get rid of Hitler in an election.

27 FEB 1933

Only 44 per cent of the population vote for the Nazis, who win 288 seats in the Reichstag. 

RESULT

Although it did not give the Nazis the majority that Hitler had hoped for in the Reichstag, it gave them enough seats - after Hitler had arrested all the communist deputies and the other parties had been intimidated by the SA - to get the Enabling Act passed, which is all Hitler needed to do.

23 MARCH 1933

the SA intimidates all the remaining non-Nazi deputies. The Reichstag votes to give Hitler the right to make his own laws.

RESULT

Arguably the critical event - it gave Hitler absolute power to make his laws.

30 JUNE 1934

Night of the Long Knives - some SA leaders are demanding that the Nazi party carry out its socialist agenda, and that the SA take over the army. Hitler cannot afford to annoy the businessmen or the army, so the **murders perhaps 400 of the SA members, including its leader Röhm, along with a number of Hitler's other opponents.    

RESULT - This destroyed all opposition within the Nazi Party. It gave power to the brutal **. It also showed the rest of the world what a tyrant Hitler was.                                   

19 AUG 1934

Führer - when Hindenburg dies, Hitler declares himself jointly president, chancellor and head of the army.

RESULT

This formally made Hitler the absolute ruler of Germany.

Hitler sets up the Nazi people's courts where judges have to swear an oath of loyalty to the Nazis.

RESULT 

These were set up to give Hitler greater control over the judgements made in courts. Hitler was furious because the courts did not sentence the communists to death for starting the Reichstag fire.