Revision:Hitler’s Consolidation of Power: Jan 1933 - Aug 1934

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Hitler’s Consolidation of Power: Jan 1933 - Aug 1934

Hitler ensured his consolidation of power using a combination of several key factors:

• LEGALITY;
• TERROR and INTIMIDATION;
• CONCESSIONS;
• HITLER’S OWN PERSONALITY,
• SKILLS OF PERSUASSION AND OPPURTUNITISM; AND
• THE POLICY OF GLEICHSCHALTUNG.

LEGAL PROCEDURE THE MOST IMPORTANT

Feb 28, 1933: Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the Nation and the State issued by Hindeburg using Article 48. Suspended constitutional civil rights, resulted in: Imprisonment without trial; secret Police could hold people indefinitely in protective custody; used to repress KPD (left-wing opposition).

March 13, 1933: Control of Media Joseph Goebells appointed head of new Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

March 24, 1933: Enabling Act Passed with 441 v 94 majority (only SPD voted against, KPD banned; Centre supported it after H’ made promises). Gave Hitler power to pass decrees without President’s involvement. Terror and Intimidation helped him pass this law!

July 14, 1933: Law against the Formation of New Parties Germany effectively becomes a One-Party State. No legal opposition possible.

January, 1934: Law for the Reconstruction of the State Created new Reich Governors to control states. Dissolved state assemblies.

August 1934: Office of the Fuhrer Merges the offices of President and Chancellor after the death of President Hindenburg. Hitler becomes Dictator!

TERROR AND INTIMIDATION

Used SA (Stürmabteilung - Brown Shirts) to intimidate voters. Example- In assembly on Enabling Act, the SA surround the Opera House. When Hitler is announced Führer, hundreds of industrialist and worker's union leaders are arrested by Gestapo.

CONCESSIONS

July 1933: Concordat Signed between Nazi’s and Pope. Several concessions given to ensure Church would ban all political activity and give approval to Nazis.

Concession to Elites/ Big business

Eliminated threat of left-wing political party and reduced workers powers by banning TU’s and creating DAF (German Worker's Front).

Concessions to the Army

Most important concessions. Army wanted assurances from Hitler that they were the only Military force of German. Ernst Röhm and SA want to be new army. SA is absorbed into Army and made to swear allegiance in August of 1934 (SA leader's were killed in Operation Hummingbird)

GLEICHSCHALTUNG

Policy of sub-ordinating all important government and non-government institutions under Nazi control. Extends their reaches of influence and reduces outside interference. Gleichschaltung, coupled with Policing network made any organised resistance almost impossible.

• Creates DAF in May 1933.

• The Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

HITLER’S OWN PERSONALITY AND PERSUASION

Example of Hitler's opportunism

Essentially, as the historian A.J.P. Taylor has highlighted, many of Hitler's actions were ad hoc in response to unforeseeable events, as opposed to premeditated actions as part of Hitler's master plan or Weltanschauung.

For instance, a week before election day, the Reichstag burned to ground. A Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was caught inside. Hitler exploited the event by blaming the communists for arson, accusing them of being a terror organization. He uses all this to justify the actions of the SA and persuades Hindenburg to issue the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the Nation and State (Feb, 1933), effectively passing Article 31 from the president to the chancellor. It could very well have been a set-up by the Nazi party, as it created a massive opportunity for Hitler to gain more power.

This suspended civil rights and was used to repress opposition.

The Night of the Long Knives (Operation Hummingbird) in 1934 was carried out in response to the fears of the army, as opposed to being a premeditated event right from the start.

Comments

These notes are aimed at Edexcel A Level history students at A2 level.

Originally written by KingDingle22 on TSR Forums.