5. groups instrumental to hitler’s rise: topic: popularity of the nazi regime - 1933 to 1939...

5. Groups instrumental to Hitler’s rise:

TOPIC: Popularity of the Nazi Regime - 1933 to 1939OBJECTIVES: 4. Explain the reasons for and extent of Nazi support from 1933 - 1939.5. Describe the extent and nature of opposition to the Nazi regime, 1933 - 1939.

KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT:2. Study the timeline on pages 114, 135 - 136. Select three dates that helped make the Nazis popular. Explain why.

3. Look at the SKILLS BUILDERs on pages 136 - 139 for Sources A - G.

4. Read p. 73 from the Edexcel Revision Book - Linking Sources. Use Sources 1, 2 and 3 and your own knowledge. To what extent do you agree with the view that the Nazi regime rested on ‘a good deal of consensus’ between 1933 and 1939? (40)

• Show links of how they agree.• Show links of how disagree.


MAIN MESSAGES - Source A - G, pages 136 - 139: • Source A, p. 136 - Hitler is beloved and popular - Nuremburg Rally

held from Aug 30 – Sept 3, 1933 as the 5th Party Congress

• Source B - Noakes and Pridham, p.136 - Consent came from the positive image of Hitler as Führer, “portrayed as a national leader … selfless in his dedication to the service of the German people” - through Goebbels propaganda.

• Source C - Kershaw, p. 137 - Spheres of consensus were more powerful than dissent, even when aspects of Nazism were rejected because the Nazis improved living standards (or at least raised hopes they would).

• Problems of Evidence. p. 137 - Debate persists about the popularity of the Nazi regime between 1933 - 1939 because so much of what we study came from ‘propaganda’ and genuine, popular opinion could NOT be expressed openly (no widely credible opposition perspectives).


MAIN MESSAGES - Source A - G, pages 136 - 139: • Source D - Noakes and Pridham, p. 137 - Independent public opinion

did NOT exist in the Third Reich. Historians faced with problems - no opinion polls, no freedom of

expression, elections rigged, media strictly controlled and editors severely disciplined by Propaganda Ministry.

• Opposition Crushed, p. 138 - By the end of 1933 the Nazis consolidated power and opposition was crushed. Hitler’s attack on the Communists/Socialists sent a message to ALL Non-Nazi groups to ‘fall in line’ with the regime. Sources E and F describe public reaction to Nazi dominance.

• Source E - Kershaw, p. 138 - the Emergency Decree for the Protection of People and State of Feb 28, 1933 was welcomed as it gave the Nazis a legal platform to crush “… the German disease … the ulcer … Bolshevism …”


MAIN MESSAGES - Source A - G, pages 136 - 139: • Opposition Crushed, p. 138 - Sources E and F describe public reaction

to Nazi dominance.

• Source F - H. Beck, p. 138 - The Reichstag fire (Feb 27, 1933) helped spread fear and resentment against communism (KPD and SPD). The Nazis were aided by years of anti-Soviet reports (from 1918) and by Russian emigrants confirming tales of horrors perpetrated in the USSR.

• Source G - R. Evans, p. 139 - Germany’s road to dictatorship was augmented (sped up) by the Reichstag fire decree and the March elections. Both gave Hitler political legitimacy.

DATE: March 9 - 15, 2015 TOPIC: Popularity of the Nazi Regime - 1933 to 1939

OBJECTIVES: 4. Explain the reasons for and extent of Nazi support from 1933 - 1939.5. Describe the extent and nature of opposition to the Nazi regime, 1933 - 1939.

REVIEW:• Main Messages - Source A - G, pages 136 – 139• Use pages 160 - 175, Walsh Textbook• As Elly Hardy wrote (Thurs 12 March, 2015) - Quinn says, “Historians do an autopsy of history.”

VIDEO REVIEW:WW2: The Night of the Long Knives 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCMqV0r-9V4Hitler's Bodyguard: The Night Of The Long Knives http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dk8lEH5cSg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCMqV0r-9V4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCMqV0r-9V4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dk8lEH5cSg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dk8lEH5cSg


KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT:“Coordinate to accumulate.” Elly Hardy, March 19, 20151. In what ways did the Nazis continue the process of Gleichschaltung during 1933? p. 139 - 140

2. In 1933, Joseph Goebbels was appointed Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda. How did Goebbels coordinate propaganda to achieve Volksgemeinschaft (a national community) during 1933? p. 140

3. What had Hitler done to further secure his power in 1933? What critical obstacles remained? p. 141 - 142

4. What impact did von Papen’s Marburg Speech (June 17, 1934) have on Hitler? p. 143 - 144


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 1:1. Ways the Nazis continued the process of Gleichschaltung, 1933: p. 139 - 140

• To maintain a general consensus the Nazis portrayed themselves as respectable and propaganda was instrumental in projecting the image of a legal seizure in 1933. This made opposition harder to justify.

• Potsdam Day (March 21) stages to demonstrate reconciliation and unity between the revolutionary Nazi movement and "Old Prussia" with its elites and virtues.

• The Enabling Act (March 23, 1933) - ‘Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich’. allowed the Cabinet to introduce legislation without it first going through the Reichstag.

• This approach worked – between Jan and May, 1933 – over 1.6 million people joined the Nazi Party.



• April 1933 – Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service – a purge of the civil service unreliable elements.’

• The business community created the Reich Corporation of German Industry.

• All independent organisations either dissolved or joined equivalent Nazi groups (Women’s Front, bowls clubs, choirs, veterans associations)

• Court System – Lawyers were coordinated’ into the Nazi Lawyers Association, 1933. The emergency decree ‘For the Protection of People and State’ on Feb 28th, put Germany under a permanent state of emergency, with full legal endorsement.

TOPIC: Popularity of the Nazi Regime - 1933 to 1939

KD ANSWERS / NOTES 2:Process of Gleichschaltung, April 7, 1933 – Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service – a purge of the civil service

http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks4/the-nazification-of-germany/impact-of-anti-jewish-policies/the-development-of-anti-jewish-laws/



• The process of Gleichschaltung took place with ease because people either FEARED the Nazis or were ENTHUSIASTIC about being connected to the new regime.

• Dissenting intellectuals were forced out of their jobs and on May 10, 1933, the Nazi-supporting German Students’ Association (DS) burned the books of ‘forbidden’ authors.


Gleichschaltung, 1933 - Book Burning of ‘forbidden’ authors:

On the evening of May 10, 1933, some 70,000 people gathered at the Opernplatz in Berlin. Students had carted over 20,000 books to the public square, including works by famous German authors like Heinrich Mann, Erich Maria Remarque and Joachim Ringelnatz. These burnings were largely organized by university students.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 4:2. Goebbels coordinates propaganda to achieve Volksgemeinschaft: 1933

• Nazis deployed propaganda to denigrate, indoctrinate, enforce conformity and protect their ideology.

• March 1933 – Reich Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda was created to seize all forms of communication.

• June 1933 – the Association of German Publishers was purged and Max Amann (head of Eher Overflag – the Nazi publishing house) was appointed its chairman.

• Oct 1933 – ‘Editors’ Law called for ‘racially pure journalism’, with Jews, communists and socialist journalists being dismissed.


Reich Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda - seize all forms of communication.

Joseph GoebbelsGoebbels was appointed Gauleiter of Berlin in 1925 and was given the task of building up Nazi support. He did this between 1926 and 1930. In 1928, he was elected to the Reichstag - something that he repeated in 1930. In 1929, he had been given overall charge of the party’s propaganda machine. It was here that Goebbels excelled. In 1933, after Hitler was appointed chancellor, Goebbels was appointed Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda. He held this post until 1945.On April 30, 1945, the day Hitler killed himself in his bunker, Goebbels was among a small coterie who retrieved the body and placed it in the garden outside where it was burned. On May 1, Goebbels followed Hitler's lead. He poisoned his six children, and then shot his wife and himself. His adjutant set fire to the bodies. The next day Russian troops found the family's charred remains.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/holocaust/peopleevents/pandeAMEX98.html




KD ANSWERS / NOTES 5:3. Hitler further secures his power in 1933:

• The Nazis destroyed opposition and dominated the ideology by the end of 1933.

• Nov 12, 1933 - Reichstag Plebiscite – 88% of voters approved a measure making Germany a one-party state.

Critical obstacles: p. 141 - 142• The Church and the German Army (Reichswehr - Reich Defence,

formed the military organization of Germany from 1919 until 1935). • The Army was loyal to von Hindenburg and wanted to quell the SA

threat.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 6:3. Hitler further secures his power in 1933 / critical obstacles: p. 141 - 142

• Many generals welcomed Hitler’s denunciation of the TOV, but the aristocratic generals (along with von Hindenburg) wanted to tame the Nazis and ‘use’ their popularity to form a conservative coalition.

• General Werner von Blomberg was appointed Hitler’s Defense Minister, giving the army some weight in Hitler’s Cabinet.

• Doubters were calmed by Hitler’s apparent ‘legality’ and the Potsdam Day (March 21) reconciliation and unity ‘gestures’.



• Hitler wanted the ‘Nazi Revolution’ to bring wholesale, fundamental changes to Germany. With the consolidation of power, he intended cultural change

based on race, destruction of democracy and shedding of Gleichschaltung.

• Being pragmatic, however, Hitler knew that compromises in the ‘short term’ were necessary.



• Another fierce obstacle were the Brown-shirted SA, led by Röhm.

The SA called for a ‘second revolution’ with no compromise to business or the establishment; and an immediate purging of ‘enemies of the state’.

Röhm clashed with Hitler and saw him compromising from the early days on the Twenty-Five Point Programme (Feb 1920 manifesto written by Anton Drexler and Adolf Hitler calling for revising TOV, ending reparations, Lebensraum, Volksgemeinschaft and anti-Semitism).

• Röhm went as far as threatening / continuing revolution and Hitler reacted. On July 6, 1933, Hitler spoke to the Reich Governors and ended the revolution. He brought Röhm into the Cabinet as Reich Minister without Portfolio.



• The Brown-shirted SA remained a menace. By 1934 they had over 2.5 million members, their own police force (Feldjäger) and Röhm even contacted Defense Minister von Blomberg with the demand that the SA take over responsibility for national defense.

• Hitler was caught between the army, whom he praised in a January 1934 speech; the SS / SD, under Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich and the SA.

• The SA, who technically were under the supervision of Himmler’s SS, made enemies by 1934, especially among Hitler’s closest advisors (Führer Deputy, Rudolf Hess and Prussian Governor, Hermann Göring). Hitler suspended the SA in May 1934.

Heinrich HimmlerIn 1933, Himmler became police president in Munich and head of the political police in Bavaria. He used his position to build a state within a state, expanding the SS and establishing its autonomy within the Nazi party and its dominance in Germany. In 1933, he set up Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp. By 1936, he was given overall control of the newly unified national police.Himmler was obsessed with racial purity in Germany and encouraged Aryan 'breeding programmes'. The outbreak of World War Two allowed Himmler to pursue another racial goal - the elimination of Jews and other so-called 'sub-humans‘ (Untermenschen). By June 1941,

Himmler controlled not only the police but the political administration of the occupied territories and, through his control of the SS, the concentration camp system. In 1943, Hitler appointed Himmler minister for the interior. In this post he oversaw the 'Final Solution' - the attempt to exterminate all the Jewish people in Europe - and administered the system of forced labour. As Germany's defeat became imminent, Himmler made attempts to negotiate with the Allies. Hitler was furious and stripped Himmler of all his offices. Following Germany's surrender, Himmler tried to escape under a false identity but was captured by the Allies. On 23 May 1945 he committed suicide in custody. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/

himmler_heinrich.shtml

How did the Terror State Work?

Gestapo Spies inform on you

You are woken up by the Gestapo at 1 am in the morning and told

that you have 5 minutes to pack your

bags.

You are arrested and thrown into a cell at the police

station

Days or maybe weeks later you are

interviewed and asked to sign form

D11

By signing this form you are giving your consent to be put

into a concentration camp.

You are handed over to the SS who

run the concentration

camps.

You are imprisoned for up to six months doing hard physical

labour.

When you are released you tell

everybody what has happened to you

Fear


SD - Sicherheitsdienst (SS Security Service) - leader Reinhard Heydrich

Führer Deputy, Rudolf Hess

Prussian Governor, Hermann Göring


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 10:4. Impact of von Papen’s Marburg Speech (June 17, 1934) on Hitler: p. 143 - 144

• Some conservative ‘elites’, linked to the army, began to express unease about the Nazi regime and discussed replacing the aging von Hindenburg with a conservative from the ‘establishment’ to block Hitler’s further ambitions.

• Catholic conservatives - von Papen, Herbert von Bose, Edgar Jung and Wilhelm von Ketteler - formed an opposition cell and challenged Hitler through von Papen’s Marburg Speech of June 17, 1934. von Papen criticised the rowdy, anti-intellectual behavior of the SA and denouncing Nazi excesses (strict press censorship). Papen also focused on the possibility of a 'second revolution' by Röhm and the SA and urged Hitler to put a stop to it.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 11:4. Impact of von Papen’s Marburg Speech (June 17, 1934) on Hitler: p. 143 - 144

• Hitler was forced to take action. He needed the business establishment for continued economic growth.

• Operation Hummingbird (The Night of the Long Knives ) was launched on June 30, 1934 to purge SA leadership and targeted conservatives. As many as 200 people were murdered, including Röhm, Kurt

von Schleicher, Gregor Strasser, Berlin SA leader Karl Ernst and Herbert von Bose.

• July 3, 1934 - Law Concerning Measures for the Defense of the State Any action taken by the ‘state’ was legal as long as it was taken in

self-defense - even murder.

• July 13, 1934 - Hitler justified the murders to the Reichstag. The rule of law was dead in Germany. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/n

uremberg/meetthedefendants.html

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/nuremberg/meetthedefendants.html

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/nuremberg/meetthedefendants.html

The Night of the Long KnivesThe behavior of the SA was a problem for Hitler that threatened his own political survival and the entire future of the Nazi movement. The anti-capitalist, anti-tradition sentiments often expressed by SA leaders and echoed by the restless masses of storm troopers also caused great concern to big industry leaders who had helped put Hitler in power. Hitler had promised them he would put down the trade union movement and Marxists, which he had done. However, now his own storm troopers with their talk of a 'second revolution' were sounding more and more like Marxists themselves. The SA was headed by Ernst Röhm, a battle scarred, aggressive, highly ambitious street brawler who had been with Hitler from the very beginning. Röhm and the SA had been very instrumental in Hitler's rise to power by violently seizing control of the streets and squashing Hitler's political opponents. However, by early 1934, a year after Hitler came to power, the SA's usefulness as a violent, threatening, revolutionary force had effectively come to an end. Hitler now needed the support of the regular Army generals and the big industry leaders to rebuild Germany after the Great Depression, re-arm the military and ultimately accomplish his long range goal of seizing more living space for the German people. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/

timeline/roehm.htm

The Night of the Long Knives - continuedAt the end of February, 1934, Hitler held a meeting attended by SA and regular Army leaders including Röhm and German Defense Minister General Werner von Blomberg. At this meeting Hitler informed Röhm the SA would not be a military force in Germany but would be limited to certain political functions. In Hitler's presence, Röhm gave in and even signed an agreement with Blomberg. However, Röhm soon let it be know he had no intention of keeping to the agreement. In April he even boldly held a press conference and proclaimed, "The SA is the National Socialist Revolution!!" Within the SA at this time was a highly disciplined organization known as the SS (Shutzstaffel) which had been formed in 1925 as Hitler's personal body guard. SS chief Heinrich Himmler along with his second-in-command, Reinhard Heydrich, and Hermann Göring, began plotting against Röhm to prod Hitler into action against his old comrade, hoping to gain from Röhm's downfall.

On June 17, Vice Chancellor Franz von Papen, who had helped Hitler become Chancellor, stunned everyone by making a speech (Marburg Speech) criticizing the rowdy, anti-intellectual behavior of the SA and denouncing Nazi excesses such as strict press censorship. Papen also focused on the possibility of a 'second revolution' by Röhm and the SA and urged Hitler to put a stop to it.

http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/roehm.htm

The Night of the Long Knives - continued"Have we experienced an anti-Marxist revolution in order to put through a Marxist program?" Papen asked. On Saturday, June 30, Hitler first ordered the arrest of the SA men who were inside Munich Nazi headquarters, then proceeded to the Ministry of the Interior building where he confronted the top SA man in Munich. Next it was on to Röhm. A column of troops and cars containing Hitler, Rudolf Hess, and others, sped off toward Röhm and his men. At this point, the story is often told (partly conceived by the Nazis) of Hitler arriving at the resort hotel about 6:30 a.m. and rushing inside with a pistol to arrest Röhm and other SA leaders. However it is more likely the hotel was first secured by the SS before Hitler went near it. Hitler then confronted Röhm and the others and sent them to Stadelheim prison outside Munich to be later shot by the SS. By Saturday morning a phone call was placed from Hitler in Munich to Göring in Berlin with the prearranged code word 'Kolibri' (hummingbird) that unleashed a wave of murderous violence in Berlin and over 20 other cities. SS execution squads along with Göring's private police force roared through the streets hunting down SA leaders and anyone on the prepared list of political enemies (known as the Reich List of Unwanted Persons).


The Night of the Long Knives - continuedIncluded on the list: Gustav von Kahr, who had opposed Hitler during the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923 - found hacked to death in a swamp near Dachau; Father Bernhard Stempfle, who had taken some of the dictation for Hitler's book Mein Kampf and knew too much about Hitler - shot and killed; Kurt von Schleicher, former Chancellor of Germany and master of political intrigue, who had helped topple democracy in Germany and put Hitler in power - shot and killed along with his wife; Gregor Strasser, one of the original members of the Nazi Party and formerly next in importance to Hitler; Berlin SA leader Karl Ernst, who was involved in torching the Reichstag building in February, 1933; Vice-Chancellor Papen's press secretary; Catholic leader Dr. Erich Klausener.



KD ANSWERS:

4. Twenty-Five Point Programme called for: p. 115• Presented in February 1920, it was a manifesto written by Anton

Drexler and Adolf Hitler.• It called for revising TOV, ending reparations, Lebensraum,

Volksgemeinschaft (a national community); and anti-Semitism. http://www.forvo.com/word/volksgemeinschaft/

http://www.forvo.com/word/volksgemeinschaft/

http://www.forvo.com/word/volksgemeinschaft/

DATE: March 22, 2015 TOPIC: Popularity of the Nazi Regime - 1933 to 1939


REVIEW:• Nazis continue Gleichschaltung• Joseph Goebbels propaganda to achieve Volksgemeinschaft• Hitler further secures his power / critical obstacles • Impact of von Papen’s Marburg Speech (June 17, 1934)


KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT 1:1. What position was the Army left in after the Night of the Long Knives (NLK)? p. 144

2. How did Himmler establish himself and the SS as the main ‘police arm’ of the Nazi state? p. 145 - 146

SOURCES CAUTION – Understand that many historians writing in the 1950s and 1960s were greatly influenced by the concept of totalitarianism and oppressive regimes in Europe at the time (mostly communist ones). We might call them ‘TRADITIONAL’ Historians. Therefore, it is important to know that their research into Nazism was likely focused on, or even exaggerated Nazi levels of Totalitarianism and consensus.


KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT 2:3. What point is Robert Gellately trying to make about the Gestapo from the Denunciations heading on page 147?

4. Describe the concept of Resistenz. p. 148

5. How does Mallmann and Paul’s ‘loyal reluctance’ differ from Broszat’s concept of Resistenz? p. 148 - 148

MAIN MESSAGES - Source H - N, pages 146 - 149:


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 1:1. Position of the Army after the NLK: p. 144

• The Army was happy to see the SA threat removed, but they were then complicit to the events and afterward made subordinate to Hitler and the Nazis.

• Some in military intelligence (Abwehr) turned their support to Hitler. http://www.forvo.com/word/abwehr/

• Aug 2, 1934 - von Hindenburg died and Hitler declared himself ‘Führer and Reich Chancellor.’

• Defense Minister Blomberg ordered every member of the military to take an oath of loyalty to the Führer. This was an attempt to establish influence over Hitler.

• Aug 19, 1934 - 89.9% of Germans voted Ja (approval) that Hitler be made Führer.

Defense Minister Blomberg

http://www.forvo.com/word/abwehr/



TOPIC: Effectiveness of the Nazi State - 1933 to 1939OBJECTIVES: 7. Describe the arguments for Nazi state efficiently reflecting the Führer’s will.

KD ANSWERS / NOTES 7:6. Hitler - ALL the POWER - 3 steps to assumption of power:

• Aug 2, 1934 - von Hindenburg died.• Hitler absorbed the powers of Chancellor and President as Führer of

Germany.• Aug 1, 1934 - Law of the Head of State of the German Reich was

signed by Hitler’s leading ministers.• Aug 2, 1934 - General Blomberg gets the army to swear allegiance. • Aug 19, 1934 - a plebiscite was held where 89% of Germans voted Ja

(approval) to reform the constitution.

• All these steps saw Hitler assume power (under the guise of legality); yet his role would change thereafter, as well as the functioning of the government diminished. The 72 Cabinet meetings in 1933 saw none by 1938


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 2:2. Himmler - SS as the main ‘police arm’ of the Nazi state: p. 145 - 146

• April 1933 - Prussian Governor Göring incorporated the Prussian political police into the state secret police, the Gestapo.

• Himmler was put in control of the Bavarian police.

• April, 1934 - Himmler was made ‘Inspector of the Gestapo’ and he was able to put more control into the hands of the SS.

• The SS created a concentration camp system (1933, Dachau) for those considered undesirable or ‘asocial.’


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 3:2. Himmler - SS as the main ‘police arm’ of the Nazi state: p. 145 - 146

• After the NLK, the SS became the police arm of the Nazi party and attempted to eliminate all opposition through the SS Security and Intelligence Service (SD) and the Gestapo.

• SD - Sicherheitsdienst (SS Security Service) leader - Reinhard Heydrich http://www.forvo.com/search/Sicherheitsdienst/

• June 1936 - Hitler appointed Himmler head of the German police. He controlled the security service (Sipo), the regular police

(Orpo) and the security police (SD). Himmler controlled bureaucrats, torturers, policemen,

spies and informants. Germany became a ‘Terror State.’ • 1939 - All police and security was put under the umbrella of

the Reich Security Head Office (RSHA).

http://www.forvo.com/search/Sicherheitsdienst/

Himmler / SS - ‘police arm’ of the Nazi state:



• Source H - Richard Evans, p. 146 - The Terror State was achieved through FEAR and Deprivation.

“… the threat of arrest, prosecution and incarceration … loomed over everyone in the Third Reich.”

“ … regime intimidated Germans into acquiescence …”

• Source I - Jacques Delarue, p.146 - Never before in history had such total and complete power been witnesed.



3. Point Robert Gellately is trying to make - Gestapo - Denunciations p. 147

• The Gestapo was under-manned and not as pervasive or intrusive as traditional views suggest.

• Statistics suggest that denunciation reports came from hostile or jealous neighbours. For example, in Saarbrücken, 87.5% cases of slander against the regime came from denunciations, while only 8% came from Gestapo activism.

• Look at the numbers – Gestapo was only 32,000 strong. In 1935 Hanover had only 42 officers, Würzburg only 21 and by 1939, Saarbrücken had only 50 informants.



• Source J - Robert Gellately, p. 147 – The Gestapo relied heavily on denunciations and public cooperation.

“… denunciations from the population constituted the single most important cause for the initiation of [Gestapo] proceedings …”

“… functioning was structurally dependent on the continuing cooperation on German citizens. ”

• Source K - Michael Burleigh, p. 147 – There are limitations, or even misconceptions about denunciations. Yes, the Gestapo used them (“… casual denouncers, informants and agent provocateurs.”) but relied on, “… opening mail and tapping telephones … the most effective resources were contact agents or V Leute … “


MAIN MESSAGES - Source H - N, pages 146 - 149: 4. Broszat’s Concept of Resistenz: p. 148 – 149

• It’s important to distinguish between ACTIVE and PASSIVE resistance. • The idea that the authority and impact of the regime was limited by

indifference, dissent and non-conformity is what Broszat calls Resistenz. People resisted by NOT conforming ... a form of SUBTLE ACTIVISM.

5. ‘loyal reluctance’ differs from the concept of Resistenz: p. 148 - 149• It’s argued that the vast majority of those considered ‘indifferent’ were

generally indifferent or apathetic to politics anyway. This shows that the Nazi regime was unable to control people’s lives totally.

• Some groups (peasants or even factory workers) were not happy with Nazi policies but did not attempt rebellion either. They were loyal but some times or some issues angered them. They represent PASSIVE ENTHUSIASM or Resistance.



• Source L - Martin Broszat, p.148 – Relatively independent institutions (church, bureaucracy or even military) did NOT FULLY participate in Nazism, thus suggesting that the Nazis had limitations.

“… effective Resistenz could find its expression in active counteraction …”

“… they played a role in curtailing the impact of the national socialist regime and National Socialist ideology.”

• The newsreels which preceded feature films were full of the greatness of Hitler and the massive achievements of Nazi Germany. There is evidence that Germans avoided these productions by arriving late!


Walsh Text - page 162:

• The Nazis faced relatively little open opposition.

• Serious criticism was always in private, never in public. • The Nazis’ relied on Terror - main opponents had been killed, exiled

or put in prison. The rest had been scared into submission.

• Many Germans admired and trusted Hitler. They were prepared to tolerate rule by terror and to trade their rights in political freedom and free speech in return for work, foreign policy success and what they thought was strong government.



• Source M - Klaus Tenefelde, p. 149 - Resistenz is by no means a definite political rejection of the Nazis, but rather a defense mechanism to protect customs or habits.

“… Resistenz signified more the desire to protect customary habits against challenges of the regime than any political criticism …”

• Source N - Klaus-Michael Mallmann, p. 149 – Resistenz is overstated. People didn’t RESIST through their behaviour as a political move, but rather simply didn’t fully adopt Nazism. This, in turn, didn’t cause trouble or difficulty for the Nazis. “… it was and issue of forms of behaviour which at most

caused the National Socialist regime peripheral trouble …”



REVIEW:• Position of the Army left in after NLK• Himmler consolidates SS as the main ‘police arm.’• Robert Gellately’s - Gestapo and Denunciations• Broszat’s concept of Resistenz • Mallmann and Paul’s ‘loyal reluctance’ vs. Broszat’s Resistenz• MAIN MESSAGES - Source H - N, pages 146 - 149


KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT:1. What effect did opposition to the Nazi regime have? Use p. 150 - 151. p. 108 (Hitler and the Nazi State) and previous notes from Sources H - N, p. 146 - 149

2. Describe how Goebbels - Reich Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda - developed the Hitler Myth. p. 151 - 152 and p. 74 of Edexcel Revision Notes

3. What steps did the Nazis take to improve the economy and reduce unemployment? p. 153 - 154

KD ANSWERS / NOTES 1:1. Effect of opposition to the Nazi regime:

• Broszat’s Resistenz vs. Mallmann and Paul’s ‘loyal reluctance’ • The Nazis faced relatively little open opposition and relied on Terror

(main opponents had been killed, exiled or put in prison) and Propaganda. Others were scared into acquiescence.

• The speed of Gleichschaltung in 1933 - 1934 and immediate popularity of the Nazis made any opposition almost impossible. The improvement of the ECONOMY, the REMOVAL of the supposed ‘socialist threat’ and the curtailment of the SA (NLK) acted to reassure ‘Middle Germany’ of the regime’s acceptability.

• Understand that there were NO OPINION Polls or ELECTION Results to study.

• Some opponents became disillusioned and opposition can be represented through the fact that industrial accidents, illness and absenteeism DOUBLED between 1936 – 1939.

KD ANSWERS / NOTES 2:

1. Effect of opposition to the Nazi regime: p. 150 - 151 and previous notes from Sources H - N, p. 146 - 149

• Even though the KPD and SPD won 201 seats and over 12 million votes in the March, 1933 Reichstag elections, they had divisions between them politically that hampered any attempts to face the Nazis in a concerted way. Communists (KPD) and Socialists (SPD) miscalculated and misread Hitler’s appointments as Chancellor.

• The KPD viewed Hitler’s appointment as a sign of deteriorating democratic-capitalism, and decided to wait for the impending failure.

• By 1934 Nazi authorities seized some 1.25 million communists leaflets, but larger scale subversion was hampered by difficulties to infiltrate the German Labour Front (DAP) due to active DENUNCIATIONS.

• Even the Communist newspaper, Rote Fahne (‘Red Flag’) was still distributed up to 1935.

• In 1936 there were strikes at Rüsselsheim and Berlin.

• SPD leaders fled to Prague and set up SOPADE. They reported that many workers abandoned the ‘class struggle’ and converted to the regime.

KD ANSWERS / NOTES 3:1. Effect of opposition to the Nazi regime: p. 150 - 151 and previous notes from Sources H - N, p. 146 - 149

• Economic recovery was deeply appreciated.

• Many felt that the Nazis were bringing some much needed discipline back to Germany by restoring traditional values and clamping down on rowdy Communists.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 4:2. Goebbels - Reich Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda - develops the Hitler Myth. p. 151 - 152 and p. 74 of Edexcel Revision

• Hitler was shown as a modern day Teutonic Knight and associated with popular aspects of the Nazi Regime: Foreign Policy (TOV and Remilitarisation) Reduction in unemployment 1936 Olympics - held in an atmosphere of political stability and growing prosperity, and even suspended anti-Semitic programmes.

• Goebbels, however, used the Führer sparingly to preserve his ‘mystique.’

1936 Olympics - held in an atmosphere of political stability and growing prosperity, and even suspended anti-Semitic programmes.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 5:2. Goebbels - Reich Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda - develops the Hitler Myth.

• The cut of the Führer was reinforced through the media and the RMPEP. Films and Newsreels - Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will

(1935) and Olympia (1938). The cinema was also closely controlled. All films – factual or fictional, thrillers or comedies – had to carry a pro-Nazi message.The newsreels which preceded feature films were full of the greatness of Hitler and the massive achievements of Nazi Germany.

The state press agency (DNB) - Dec 1933 monitored news and held daily press conferences.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 6:2. Goebbels - RMPEP - develops the Hitler Myth.

Newspapers - Max Amann (head of Eher Overflag – the Nazi publishing house) and Vőlkischer Beobachter’ translated as ‘People's Observer.’

Festivals were held in the spirit of popular routine, which commemorated Nazi accomplishments, and undermined traditional Christian holy days.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 7:2. Goebbels - RMPEP and the Hitler Myth.

Radio broadcasts - Germany had the largest radio audience in Europe and the government produced the ‘People’s Radio’

for only 35 marks.

All Germans could buy a radio and that of course, he controlled all the radio stations.

Listening to broadcasts from the BBC was punishable by death.

Hitler’s speeches and those of other Nazi leaders were repeated on the radio over and over.

Loudspeaker Pillars were erected in public places.

© Hodder Murray

Poster advertising cheap Nazi-produced radios. The text reads ‘All Germany hears the Führer on the People’s Radio.’ The radios had only a short range and were unable to pick up foreign stations.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 8:3. Steps the Nazis took - improve the economy / reduce unemployment:

• Hitler and the Nazis came to power because they promised to use radical methods to solve the country’s two main problems – desperate unemployment and a crisis in German farming.

• 5 million were unemployed in 1933. Hitler was fortunate in that by 1933 the worst of the Depression was over.

• By 1936 the unemployment level fell from 25.9% (1933) to 7.4%, creating nearly 6 million jobs.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 9b:3. Steps the Nazis took - improve the economy / reduce unemployment:

• Dr Hjalmar Schlacht introduced Hitler to wealthy industrialists. A conservative, Schacht joined the ‘Harzburg Front’ in October 1931. This was an alliance of right wing nationalists who were opposed to the government of Heinrich Brűning.

• Schacht said: “I am no National Socialist, but the basic ideas of National Socialism contain a great deal of truth.” As well as being appointed head of the Reichsbank, Hitler appointed Schacht Reich Minister of Economics – a post he held from August 1934 to November 1937.



• The brilliant economist Dr Hjalmar Schlacht organised Germany’s finances to fund a huge programme of work creation. The National Labour Service sent men on public works projects and conservation programmes, in particular to build a network of motorways or autobahns.

• Railways were extended or built from scratch. There were major house-building programmes and grandiose new public building projects such as the Reich Chancellery in Berlin.



• Other measures brought increasing prosperity. Rearmament and conscription - 1935 - reduced unemployment.

In 1936 he announced a Four Year Plan under the control of Goering to get the German economy ready for war.

The need for weapons, equipment and uniforms created jobs in the coal mines, steel and textile mills. Engineers and designers gained new opportunities, particularly when Hitler decreed that Germany would have a world-class air force (the Luftwaffe).



• All workers had to join the DAF (General Labour Front) run by Dr Robert Ley. This organisation kept strict control of workers. They could not strike for better pay and conditions. In some areas, they were prevented from moving to better-paid jobs.

• Many middle-class business people were grateful to the Nazis for eliminating the Communist threat to their businesses and properties.

• Big business really benefited from Nazi rule. The big companies no longer had to worry about troublesome trade unions and strikes. Other household names today, such as Mercedes and Volkswagen, prospered from Nazi policies.

• These measures also boosted Hitler’s popularity and national pride.

Unemployment and government expenditure in Germany, 1932–1938. Economic recovery was almost entirely funded by the state rather than from

Germans investing their own savings. Despite this, unemployment fell steadily and Germany was actually running short of workers by 1939.



REVIEW:• Opposition - Nazis faced relatively little open opposition, relied

on Terror and many acquiesced.

• RMPEP - Hitler Myth - popular aspects of the Nazi Regime: Foreign Policy (TOV and Remilitarisation) Reduction in unemployment 1936 Olympics - political stability and growing prosperity

• Steps to improve the economy / reduce unemployment Two main problems – unemployment and a crisis in farming. 1936 - unemployment from 25.9% to 7.4%, creating nearly 6 million

jobs.


KD:1. How did State Paternalism contribute to the economic recovery? p. 154 - 155

2. Identify the Main Message of Sources P - T and discuss their areas of agreement and disagreement. p. 156 - 157.

3. Use Sources P, Q, S, T and U to explain the significance of the Cult of the Führer. p. 156 - 157, 159

4. How was Hitler able to curtail the Army and gain ‘total control’ by February, 1938? p. 157 - 158


KD ANSWERS 1a - p. 154:1. State Paternalism was the idea that the State would help look after you, like a ‘father.’ This approach contributed to the economic recovery:

• Hitler wanted a disciplined workforce that would not challenge his dictatorship or threaten rearmament with excessive wage demands.

• In May 1933 Trade Unions were put under Nazi control – within the German Labour Front (DAF) – led by Robert Ley. Workers were compensated for their loss of rights by state paternalism.

• Schönheit der Arbeit (Beauty of Labour): Persuade employers to improve working conditions. This was done by promoting better lighting, cleanliness and the benefits of wholesome meals.


KD ANSWERS 1b:1. State Paternalism contributed to the economic recovery: p. 154

• KdF (Kraft durch Freude - Strength through Joy): Rewarded loyal workers with evening classes, theatre trips, sporting competitions and package holidays. By 1938, 180,000 enjoyed a KdF cruise and 10 million enjoyed state-financed holiday,

• Winterhelp: Offered charity to the unemployed

• Days of National Solidarity: Leading party members would collect money for the party

• The promotion of cheap housing and the production of mass produced goods (people’s radio and people’s car) was the attempt to embrace all classes.


KD ANSWERS 2a:2. Main Messages - Sources P - T / areas of agreement and disagreement. p. 156 - 157.

• Sources P and S - Kershaw - argues that the grumblings of material dissatisfaction did not signify a rejection of Nazism which stood outside this day to day normality. Complaints aside, the TERROR factor limited resistance. Hitler was above the criticism since he had the ‘charisma’ and the ‘Hitler Myth’.

• Source Q - Peukert - agrees and says that this grumbling increased as time went on but Hitler was exempt from this criticism. Germans accepted ‘Passive Adjustment’ as reality that couldn’t be changed.


KD ANSWERS 2b:2. Main Messages - Sources P - T / areas of agreement and disagreement. p. 156 - 157.

• Source R - Burleigh - argues that even though workers had concerns (exploited by capitalist and lack of consumer goods) state paternalism provided enough compensation to appease working class resistance (foreign policy).

• Source T - Lee - argues that the Führer Cult was due to many of Hitler’s perceive attributes (vision of the Kaiser, moderate, traditional virtues, revisionist and foreign policy) but resistance was constrained, even though they saw through Hitler as an apparent moderate.

• Source U - Kershaw - argues that the Army was silenced and froze over the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair. Hitler proceeded to cement his absolute power over the last bastion of hope - the non-Nazi elite Army.


KD ANSWERS 3:3. Sources P, Q, S and T - significance of the Führer Cult. p. 156

• Sources P - “… stood in every sense above and outside the system, detached from the everyday sphere of dismal normality.”

• Source Q - “The personal figure of Hitler … was largely exempt from criticism.”

• Source S - “The ‘Hitler Myth’ secured the loyalty to the regime even of those who opposed the Nazi movement.”

• Source T - “The main reason for the popular support was the personal popularity of Hitler.”


KD ANSWERS 4a:4. Hitler curtails the Army and gains ‘total control’ by Feb, 1938:

• In January 1935 Hitler met with the German leadership at Berlin’s State Opera House. There he promised his faith in the Wehrmacht (the new name of Germany’s armed forces, replacing Reichswehr - which formed the military organization of Germany from 1919 until 1935).

• Hitler proceeded to establish Foreign Policy success: Rearmament to 500,000, Naval agreement with Britain,

Saar plebiscite, Rhineland, destroying TOV


KD ANSWERS 4b:4. Hitler curtails the Army and gains ‘total control’ by Feb, 1938:

• In 1937 at the Hossbach Conference Hitler clarified his thoughts on foreign policy, including Lebensraum.

• However, leading members of the armed forces were skeptical about his plans including the Reich War Minister (Blomberg) and the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (Fritsch). In their view Germany was not ready to go to war against Britain or France.

• In January 1938 the Gestapo tipped off to Hitler that Blomberg (recently married) used to be a Prostitute; he was sacked. There were rumours that Fritsch used to be involved with a rent boy; he faced military trial. Consolidation of power had been completed.


KD ANSWERS 4c:4. Hitler curtails the Army and gains ‘total control’ by Feb, 1938:

• Suspicions remained as a result of the Hossbach Conference but this was dealt with during the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair.

• Hitler gained total control of the Army by February, 1938, Himmler provided Hitler with compromising evidence about Blomberg and Fitsch. (Blomberg’s former prostitute wife, Margarethe Gruhn and Colnel-General Fritsch’s rent boy). Blomberg was sacked and Fritsch faced a military trial.

• On Jan 27, 1938 Hitler took over leadership of the Army and 12 generals were dismissed for lack of loyalty.

• By February 1938 - Hitler had his last ever Cabinet meeting, poised to wage war.

DATE: March 31 - April 2, 2015 TOPIC: Popularity of the Nazi Regime - 1933 to 1939


REVIEW:• Impact of State Paternalism on economic recovery

• Sources P, Q, S, T and U - Cult of the Führer

• Hitler curtails the Army, Hossbach Conference, Blomberg-Fritsch Affair and ‘total control’ by Feb, 1938


KD:1. Describe the extent of Opposition from the following:

a) Churchesb) Protestantsc) Catholicsd) Youthe) Women

2. Evaluate the success of Nazi Indoctrination. Use Sources V, W, X , Y, Z and AA as evidence. p. 163 - 165


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 1:1. Extent of Opposition from the following: a) Churches – leaders of Germany’s Christian churches mostly

welcomed the Nazi seizure of power. • The Weimar government had alienated church leaders because

of the perceived ‘liberalisation’ and the feared spread of atheism and Bolshevism.

• Hitler seemed to offer spiritual and moral salvation. Even the anti-Semitism was tolerated as long as it was constrained by legal means.

• The churches were seduced by the legality and conservatism of the Nazis.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 2:1. Extent of Opposition from the following: b) Protestants - The Protestant church was sympathetic to the

Nazi revolution as they had always been enshrined with the state and thus were attracted by national revival.

• They believed Weimar to be un-German and resented the rise of the Centre party. They had been tricked by the appearance of legality.

• Many believed the anti-Semitic programme as evidence of God’s curse of the Jews. The churches remained silent when Kristallnacht took place.

• The German Christians (branch of Protestantism) advocated the wholesale restructuring of German Protestantism to embrace Nazi ideology.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 3:1. Extent of Opposition from the following: b) Protestants

• Muller led the German Christians and he was Hitler’s nominee for National Bishop, winning widespread support. He coordinated 28 Protestant churches into a single Reich Church and incorporated 700,000 members of Protestant youth groups into the Hitler Youth.

• Dissident Protestants formed the Confessional Church led by Pastor Niemoller and Pastor Barth. They were not opposed ideologically to Nazism; they just wanted to remain independent.

• In any case leading dissidents were imprisoned and over 700 priests were arrested in 1935 for condemning the teaching of paganism in schools.

• Protestant Pastor, Erich Klapproth wrote a letter of protest to Hitler and other leading Nazis, but most churches remained silent as Jews excluded from society.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 4:1. Extent of Opposition from the following: c) Catholics - The Catholic Church was more resilient as it had an

internationalist following led by the Pope, its interests were also defended by the Centre Party.

• This party had been crucial in allowing Hitler to consolidate his power and the Concordat (June 1933)had agreed that they could maintain social control in return for giving up political control.

• Tensions grew as Hitler broke the Concordat: crucifixes were banned from schools in 1935 and youth groups were banned in 1936.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 5:1. Extent of Opposition from the following: c) Catholics

• The papal encyclical With Burning Concern (1937) was prompted by the banning of Catholic Youth Groups and the undermining of Catholic schools. Pope Pius XI had Catholic clergymen read it on Palm Sunday in every church.

• The pope's encyclical was but one of his statements against Nazism. In a widely disseminated 1938 speech he reminded Christians that we are spiritual seed of Abraham and that therefore anti-Semitism is intolerable: "No, no, I say to you it is impossible for a Christian to take part in anti-Semitism. It is inadmissible. Through Christ and in Christ we are the spiritual progeny of Abraham. Spiritually, we are all Semites."

• However once again dissent was not caused by an objection to Nazism but by a desire to exist and remain independent. There were many examples of Catholic support including for the Anschluss and the seizure of the Sudetenland. Dissent was individual, not institutional.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 6:1. Extent of Opposition from the following: d) Youth - Boys were trained as fearless soldiers in the ‘German Young People’ (10-14) and the Hitler Youth (14-16)

• By 1935, 60% of all young people belonged to the Hitler Youth and it was made compulsory by the Hitler Youth Law (1939).

• Girls were taught to be loyal, submissive and prolific mothers. At age 10 they joined the ‘League of Young Girls’ and at 14 the ‘League of German Girls’. Membership became compulsory in 1936 and an oath of allegiance to Hitler had to be sworn from 1939.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 7:1. Extent of Opposition from the following: d) Youth -

• A minority of young people rebelled against the brutality of the regime. Working-class dissidents joined pirate groups such as the ‘Edelweiss Pirates’. Disillusioned middle-class groups joined ‘Swing Groups’ to celebrate American style culture.

• The school curriculum was amended to place an emphasis on racial theory, physical education and history

• In 1937 the elite school system was set up. The Adolf Hitler Schools were established to train the political leaders of the next generation. The students were given military and political instruction to prepare them for leadership in the Third Reich

• The majority of Germany’s youth remained loyal to the dictatorship.

Edelweiss Plant - a white flower found high in the Alps.


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 8:1. Extent of Opposition from the following: e) Women - Nazi ideology stressed that women should produce

healthy Aryan children, uphold conservative principles and comfort husbands.

•The Nazi slogan - Kinder, Küche, Kirche (children, kitchen, church.

•The Women’s Front was created by Ley in 1933. All 230 women’s organisations in Germany were expected to expel their Jewish members and integrate into the Women’s Front or face being disbanded.

•Most women’s organisations were happy to become part of the Women’s Front as they were pleased to support a regime that was nationalistic and supportive of the traditional role of women


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 9:1. Extent of Opposition from the following: e) Women -

•By 1934 there were NO women working in the Prussian civil service. The economic improvement after 1933 was first felt in rearmament-based industries. Labour shortages, however, forced the Nazis to persuade women back to work. By 1939 there were nearly 7.5 million women employed.

•Teachers were encouraged to join the National Socialist Teachers’ Alliance (NSBL). By 1937, 97% of 320,000 teachers had joined.

•The NSLB took responsibility for indoctrinating teachers in Nazi ideology. 15% of women teachers lost their jobs


KD ANSWERS / NOTES 10:2. Success of Nazi Indoctrination - Sources V, W, X , Y, Z and AA:

• Many Germans were enthusiastic Nazi supporters, while other accepted the system through fear, ignorance, lethargy or indifference (‘loyal reluctance’).

• There limits, however, to Nazi indoctrination - Christian values and the decency of most Germans precluded them from being indoctrinated. Expansionism, war, racial persecution and dictatorship failed to attract many Germans; and FEW Germans actually wanted another war.



• Source V - Dülffer - argues that Indoctrination was tested by the consent of the Germans toward war, and Germans seemed dismayed and not at all enthusiastic. Dülffer further suggests that Hitler’s Policy of Extreme Risk was met with ‘anxiety’, and absent was the Euphoria from 1914.

• Source W - McDonough - argues that Youth Opposition existed

as many objected to Indoctrination and Discipline (Edelweiss Pirates and Swing Youth). TQ Notes – this opposition should not be surprising since youth ALWAYS resist conformity. The more interesting point is that the Hitler Youth were so loyal from 1933 – 1945. (1936, became compulsory to join)



• Source X - Bartov - argues that Nazi ideas (Indoctrination) had an impact on working class but likely out of economic self-interests. Nazis exploited phobias and prejudices, and used the Führer Cult to keep support.

KD ANSWERS / NOTES 13:

2. Success of Nazi Indoctrination - Sources V, W, X , Y, Z and AA:• Source Y - Schäfer - argues that political problems were ignored

because the Nazis successfully stabilised relations with Germans through popular policies that had previously reserved to rich people (payments, contributions, KdF holidays, theatre and concert, sailing, tennis, skiing).

• Source Z - Fest - argues that Control was achieved through PACIFICATION and COMPENSATION for POLITICAL DEPRIVATION ( trips, sport, festivals, factory celebrations, dancing, political education).

• Source AA - Evans - argues that Germans appreciated the KdF but did not do so for Nazi Ideological aims. Gestapo agents reported wide-spread drunkenness – suggesting that most just wanted to unwind and have fun on a holiday. The notion of a ‘nuclear family’ enjoying a Nazi vacation was not realistic.

• p. 165 PPQ – ‘The Nazis enjoyed broad consent brought about by popular policies.’ How far do you agree? Use Y, Z and AA and own knowledge.

5. groups instrumental to hitler’s rise: topic: popularity of the nazi regime - 1933 to 1939...

Documents

nazi regime

extent of nazi support

nazi dominance

nonnazi groups

nature of opposition

main messages source

source e kershaw

source d noakes