• Consolidating power January-March 1933

Connector

Outcomes

• To know how Hitler gained power legitimately • To know the events of Enabling Act, the March elections

and the Reichstag Fire• To be aware of the different interpretations of Hitler

coming to power

Jan-March 1933 Legal Revolution

Hitler had been appointed Chanceller but he had limited power Von Papen “Hitler will be squeaking in two months” Hitler's constitutional power was weak as

2/12 of the Cabinet were Nazi's- Frick and Goring Hitler's Coalition government did not have a majority in the

Reichstag The post was dependent upon the whim of the President and he

openly resented Hitler- why? Hitler also had to be aware of the army and Trade Unions- he could

not alienate either. The army could arrange a coup or the unions could strike which could break the government

Strengths of Hitler Within two months these were not problems as He was the leader of the largest political party in Germany which is

why the policy of ignoring him did not work . The politicians probably needed him more than he needed them. The alternative to Hitler was a civil war or communist revolution

The Nazi party now gained access to resources of the state ie Goring being Minister of the Interior in Prussia- he could ignore Nazi crimes but pursue others

Hitler was a masterly tactician- he was determined to achieve absolute power.

1933 March Election Within 24 hours of his appointment a fresh Reichstag election had

been called, so that Nazi support could be increased and also enhance his own status

The final Reichstag election was one of little democratic endover. Violence and terror dominated socialist meetings. In Prussia Goring enlisted 50 000 extra police, all were SS or SA

They also created an atmosphere of hate and fear through propaganda. Hitler blamed the economic crisis on the democratic government and terror activities of the communists

The government was a national uprising determined to restore Germanys pride and power , without ever really commiting to economic or political details

Hitlers election fund had also been boosted by 3 million marks, through meetings with 20 leading industrialists

Reichstag Fire On 27th Feb the Reichstag building was set on fire and a young Dutch communist,

von Lubbe, was arrested in incriminating circumstances At the time many believed it was a Nazi plot and was to justify their policy of

repression. To this day no satisfactory explanation has been found Von Lubbe has been founded both guilty and innocent in studies. However at the

time the Nazi's were able to exploit the situation On 28th Feb Frick and Hindenburg drew up and signed the “Decree for the

Protection of People and State”, suspending civil liberties and the central government was strengthened, the justification being the threat by the communists. In the last week of elections hundreds were arrested and violence by the Nazis reached a new high

The result was an 88% turn out, and the Nazi's increased their vote from 33% to 43% securing 288 seats in the Reichstag. Hitler could claim a majority with the help of the 52 seats from the Nationalists. Also a blow for democracy- constitutional changes could be made with 2/3 majority in the Reichstag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt5HtPYv1FQ

Enabling Law March 1933

Hitler decided to propose a new Enabling Law to the Reichstag which would do away with parliamentary procedure and legislation, and transfer power to the Chancellor and the government for four years

Therefore the dictatorship would be grounded in legality but this depended upon other political parties in order to achieve the 2/3's majority

There were further problems with a revolution from below- those who had taken Nazi power into their own hands, which threatned to challenge Hitlers legality, as well as antagonise the DNVP support (Conservative)

To help legitimise the Nazi's Hitler arranged at the opening of the Reichstag in the presence of Hindenberg and the Crown Prince as well as army generals- alisgning the Nazis with Germany's old regime

Two days later at the Opera House (Reichstag) the Reichstag met to discuss the Enabling Law. The communists were refused entry, whilst the Nazis knew they would need the backing of the Centre party if the SPD voted against them. Hitler promised to respect the Catholic church and uphold relgious and moral values if they supported him- these were lies

The Enabling Law was passed- 244 to 94 (hello)

Task

• Read the consolidation of power by Hitler in the red book between Jan-March 1933

• Extension (Whats up?)• Find out what happened in the Night of the Long

Knives

The Key Debates Why did the Weimar Republic collapse and why did it give

way to Hitler and Nazism Left wing Marxist view- crisis of captialism Anti German determinists- Hitler an inevitable result of German

history (Hi there) Ritter- Moral crisis in Europe Structuralists- response to economic and political structure Intentionists- Hitlers Ideology and Evil Genuis Kershaw-result of miscalculation

Essay

• “Nazi consolidation of power in 1933 was primarily due to the use of terror and violence”

• How far do you agree with this judgement?

• How far do you agree with this judgement?

• Due next lesson

Planning in 3’s

• Arguments for

• Arguments against

• Just shhh.

Trouble Spot

• Hitler was not really elected into office, as he never won a majority of members in a parliament. He never got 51% of the vote, only 37% due to the system of PR.

• He can to power as Hindenburg legally appointed him. He could claim a “moral” right as he had the largest party in the Reichstag. He was appointed by the democratically elected President

• The issue of the violence used to block Communist support is how some historians disagree over how Hitler was appointed- many people favoured a strong government to restore law and order.