Hitler Establishes a Dictatorship

http://bookworm-megs.blogspot.com/2009/04/april-blogging-day-two.html

Opposition

http://www.oddee.com/_media/imgs/articles/a55_longlive.jpg

30 January 1933 Hitler - appointed ChancellorHowever, the Nazis did not have a majority in

Reichstag

REICHSTAG ELECTION NOVEMBER 6 1932

Party vote %

Nazi 11,737,000 33.1Social Democratic 7,248,000 2.4Communist 5,980,000 16.9Center 4,231,000 11.9Nationalist 2,959,000 8.8Bavarian People's 1,095,000 3.1Other parties 2,635,000 7.6

http://opal.kent.ac.uk/cartoonx-cgi/ccc.py?mode=single&start=12&search=hitler

REICHSTAG ELECTION MARCH 1933• Party vote %• Nazi 17,277,000 43.9• Social Democratic 7,182,000 18.3• Communist 4,848,000 12.3• Center 4,425,000 11.7• Nationalist 3,137,000 8.0• Bavarian People's 1,074,000 2.7• Other parties 1,533,000 3.8

http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/germany/elect.htm

Reichstag Fire

• A Communist was arrested for the crime• Gave Hitler an ideal excuse to arrest &

persecute leading Communists + break their organization

• Communists were outlawed

February 27, 1933 Reichstag burned down

• Two weeks after the Reichstag fire, Hitler requested the Reichstag to temporarily delegate its powers to him so that he could adequately deal with the crisis.

• the vote was taken, the result was 441 for and 84 against, giving Hitler the two-thirds majority he needed to suspend the German constitution.

http://opal.ukc.ac.uk/cartoonx-cgi/ccc.py?mode=single&start=0&search=nazis

Enabling ActsMarch 23, 1933

• Gave Hitler the power to make laws without parliament’s approval for four years

• Made Hitler a dictator

• Bill acquired 2/3 majority with only the Socialist voting against it

• May 2, 1933 trade unions abolished and leaders are arrested

• By July 14 – all political parties are banned only the NAZI party left

• The SA (Storm troopers or Brown Shirts) intimidated all non-Nazi members of the Reichstag

http://opal.ukc.ac.uk/cartoonx-cgi/ccc.py?mode=single&start=2&search=nazis%20hitler%20reichstag%20fire

SS (Blackshirts)

• A German police/ military style organization created to serve as the personal bodyguards of Adolf Hitler

• they eventually controlled the intelligence, security and police forces, and extermination of those they considered undesirable.

GESTAPOSecret State Police

• Gestapo (secret state police) were given the job of identifying & bringing to justice opponents of the Nazis (included: Communists, Socialists, Jews, homosexuals, gypsies)

• All important offices (judges, chiefs of police) were held by Nazis

Heydrich led the Gestapo‘Henchman Heydrich’

• Gestapo could arrest anyone on suspicion and taken into ‘protective custody’

(imprisonment without trial)

Himmler controlled the SS + the regular police (and was Heydrich’s superior)

Hitler encouraged rivalry between the two –

so he would not be challenged

Night of the Long KnivesJune 30, 1934

• some SA (Brownshirts/Nazi Storm troopers, formed in 1921 to protect the party) leaders were demanding that the Nazi party carry out its socialist agenda

• National Socialist German Workers’ Party• Hitler had only used the word Socialist to

get support from workers as he hated socialism

• Two points of the party’s original plan were– Profit sharing in the great industries– Abolition of all incomes unearned by work

• SS murdered 400 of the SA (Brownshirts) members, including its leader Ernst Roehm and along with a number of Hitler's other opponents

• Roehm wanted nationalization of major firms but Hitler could not afford to annoy ‘big business’ who supported the Nazi party

• Roehm wanted the SA (2 million men) to replace the professional army (200,000 men) but Hitler could not afford to annoy the generals

British cartoon by David Low, 1934

They salute with both hands, now!

FuhrerOath of Army Loyalty

• President Hindenburg died in 1934; Hitler abolished the titles of Chancellor & President and made himself Fuhrer or leader

• Night of the Long Knives had impressed the army; when Hitler became Fuhrer, the army swore an oath of personal loyalty to the Fuhrer

• As the Fuhrer, Hitler was in complete control

First published by Daily Express on 13 March 1933http://opal.kent.ac.uk/cartoonx-cgi/ccc.py?mode=single&start=14&search=hitler

The Fuhrer OathI swear by

almighty God this sacred oath:

I will render unconditional

obedienceto the Fuehrer of the German

Reich and people, Adolf

Hitler,Supreme

Commander of the

Wehrmacht,and, as a brave

soldier,I will be ready

at any time to stake my life for this oath."