Living under Nazi Rule

4th Feb - Hindenburg encouraged by Hitler to allow him to use terror

27th Feb - Reichstag set on fire. Dutch communsit Van der Lubbe was found and charged

Hitler used this to remove communsim. He also arrested 4000 people

28th Feb - Hindenburg passed Article 48, suspending freedoms of speech, press and assembly for 12 years.

Intimidation used by ** and SA in the run up to the election

Best ever results for Nazi party but no majority (288 of 647 seats)

Joined with DNVP to get 52 extra seats

Banned Communist Party using Article 48

Act passed by 444:94 votes

• Laws didn't have to adhere to constitution (Article 2)
• 48 hours to enact a law (Article 3)
• Enabling Act expired in 4 years (Article 5 - 01/04/1937)
• Article 5 extended the Enabling Act for 11 years

Gleichschaltung - Brining into line

Civil Service Act - Removed all non-Nazi / non-Aryan civil servants

Book Burning (10/05/1933) - 25,000 books burned (Mainly non-German or Jewish authors)

Persecution of the Jews - Exclude Jews from life, 1st April 1933 marked boycott of Jewish owned businesses

Terror: Secret police, encouraged denunciation, ** murdered people, 100000 perople imprisoned in concentration camps

Feb 1933 -  Arrested main union leaders

1st May -  Day of National Labour holiday, 1 million gather

2nd May - Offices of all unions were raided, shut down and leaders arrested. German Labour Front (DAF) took control.

Opposition remained to the Nazi's despite their campaign of terror, so they...

10th May - Nazis claimed that the Social Democrats has been using their funds for corruption. All money seized

21st June - SD officially banned as 'dangerous enemy of the state'. Over 3000 are arrested and imprisoned. Other parties voulantarily disbaneded.

14th July - Act to Ban New Parties made Germany officially a one-party state

Under leadership of Ernst Rohm, the SA had grown too powerful (2 million members). Business owners and leadersd dislikes their thuggish and socialist ways.

30th June - ** assasinated just under 100 of the SA's leadership and other opponents e.g ex-Chancellor General von Sleicher

President Hindenburg died of old age.

Hitler unified offices of Chancellor and Presidency and became the Fuhrer.

German Army swore allegience to Hitler on the 19th Aug 1934