Nazi Germany

HISTORY

Nazi Germany

The rise of Nazi Germany

1) Appeal of Nazism

Working class

· Promises no unemployment

· No exploitation

· Nazi’s could solve all problems

Middle class

· They will not get overthrown by the other classes

Upper class

· Get rid of the Treaty of Versailles

Women

· Appealing to them because of the family and moral values

2) The Depression in Germany

· Criticism of the Weiner government because they did little to help the situation

· In times of crisis people turn to radical groups

3) Reasons why Hitler was popular in 1932

· Radical party

· Strong leader – charismatic, propaganda, rallies etc,

· Willing to use money to bribe people

· New ideas

· Strong policies

- Treaty of Versailles

- End unemployment

- Rearm

- Great nation

- Anti – Semitic

- Anti – communist

· Appealed to all classes

Nazi dictatorship

1. Reichstag fire – 1933

· Marinus van der Lube – a Dutch Communist was blamed for starting the fire

· Hitler wanted to implicate the Communist, he saw them as a threat

1. Elections of March – 1933

· Hitler did not ban the Communist Party from standing in the election. He did not know which way their supporters would vote

· Hitler stopped the Communists from taking their seats in the Reichstag

1. The Enabling Act

· Hitler’s first change to the constitution

· When Hitler wanted to pass a law he didn’t have to get the Reichstag and the Reichsrat to pass it.

· He could do this because he had 2/3 majority

· Meant that Hitler could pass any law he wanted

· Moved Germany out of democracy and in to dictatorship

1. Political Parties – July 1933

· All political parties were banned – so he would have no opposition

· He could do this because of the Enabling Act

· Nazi party was the only one that was allowed – Germany became a one party state

1. Ban newspapers

· Official Nazi papers but the others were closed down

· Papers that were allowed had full Nazi control and editorship

1. Banned trade unions

· Hitler thought that they were a breeding ground of socialism

· Hitler hated socialism because it was close to communism which he was also opposed to

· Trade unions were replaced with German Labour Front which was nazi controlled

· The GLF did not look after the employees but the employers by stopping strikes etc.

1. Night of the Long Knives

· Ernst Röhm was head of the SA, who wanted to take over the regular army

· Obviously the army didn’t want this to happen and neither did Hitler as the army were the only body that could overthrow him so he needed control of them Hitler decided to get rid of the power that the SA had to gain favour with the army

· June 30^th – 200 SA leaders and members (incl. Röhm) were killed by the **

· SA came back…