When the Nazis Took

Over GermanyNazi Legislative Changes

1933-1939

1933

January 30, 1933 President Paul von Hindenburg appoints Hitler

Chancellor February 27, 1933

The Reichstag goes up in flames Nazis claim it is the beginning of a Marxist

revolution Hitler convinces Hindenburg to issue a Decree for

the Protection of People and State This grants the Nazis sweeping power to deal with

the so-called “emergency” Lays foundation for a police state

Weimar Constitution: Article 48

Article 48 allowed the President, under certain circumstances, to take emergency measures without the prior consent of the Reichstag

Article 48 did not precisely define the kind of emergency that would justify its usage!

Under the decree (on the basis of Article 48) the government was given authority to curtail constitutional rights including: Free expression of opinion, freedom of the press, rights of

assembly, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications

Constitutional restrictions on searches and confiscation of property were also suspended

Enabling Act

Passed by the Reichstag on March 23, 1933

Parliamentary democracy ended with the Reichstag passage of the Enabling Act, which allowed the government to issue laws without the Reichstag

The act stated that it was to last for four years unless renewed by the Reichstag This was renewed twice

1933

Nazis created Special Courts to punish political dissent

Dachau  concentration camp was created Communists, Socialists, and labor leaders

were arrested Dachau became a training center for

concentration camp guards and later commandants who were taught terror tactics to dehumanize their prisoners

1933

From April to October, the regime passed civil laws that forbid Jews from holding positions in the civil service, in legal and medical professions, and in teaching and university positions

The Nazis encouraged boycotts of Jewish-owned shops and businesses and began book burnings of writings by Jews and by others not approved by the Reich.

1934

August 2, 1934 President Hindenburg dies

Hitler combined the offices of Reich Chancellor and President Declares himself Führer  and Reich

Chancellor, or Reichsführer  (Leader of the Reich)

What Rights Are Most Important To Me?

Date/marry whomever you

choose

Swim and play in a public swimming

pool or park

Eat what you want according to taste

and religious custom

Live in a neighborhood of

your choice

Leave your home whenever you

choose

Shop at stores and businesses of your

choosing

Go to a public school close to

home

Be able to own a pet

Vote

From Echoes and Reflections Curriculum

The Nuremberg Laws Passed on September 15, 1935

These laws stripped Jews of their civil rights as German citizens and separated them from Germans legally, socially, and politically

Jews were also defined as a separate race under "The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor" Being Jewish was now determined by ancestry This used race, not religious beliefs or practices, to

define the Jewish people

The Nuremberg Laws

Those laws soon followed by “The Law for the Protection of the Genetic Health of the German People”

This law forbade marriages or sexual relations between Jews and Germans Required medical examination for all persons

wishing to marry After this they could get a “Certificate of

Fitness to Marry”

The Nuremburg Laws

More than 120 laws, decrees, and ordinances were enacted after the Nuremburg Laws and before the outbreak of World War II, further eroding the rights of German Jews

Many thousands of Germans who had not previously considered themselves Jews found themselves defined as "non-Aryans"

The Nuremberg Laws

After the Nuremberg Laws of 1935

A dozen supplemental Nazi decrees were issued that eventually outlawed the Jews completely, depriving them of their rights as human beings

Themes of the Nuremberg Laws

Theme 1: Definition of who is a Jew A full Jew is anyone with three Jewish

Grandparents First Class Mischlinge- two Jewish

Grandparents but did not practice Judiasm or have a Jewish spouse

Second Class Mischlinge- one Jewish Grandparent

Themes of the Nuremberg Laws

Theme 1: Defining who is a Jew Seven documents were required to

prove German descent▪ Your birth or baptismal certificate, certificates

for both parents, and certificates for all four grandparents.

The Nuremberg Laws

Theme 2: Stripping Jews of Rights of Full Citizenship

Theme 3: Racial Purity Prevent intermarriages and extramarital

relationships between Jews and non-Jews. Jews could not hire female help under the age

of 45

The Nuremberg Laws

Theme 4: Deprivation of Income Capacity

Theme 5: Taking Property Jews are forced to register their assets Forced selling or “Aryanization” of property

Theme 6: Exclusion from Educational Opportunities

The Nuremberg Laws

Theme 7: Branding- force Jews to proclaim to the world they are Jewish Adopt the middle names of Sarah and

Israel Have to carry identity papers that are

stamped with a “J” Yellow star- Must be sewn on the left side of

all garments

1936: Berlin Olympics

Hitler viewed this as a perfect opportunity to promote a favorable image of Nazism to the world

Monumental stadiums and other Olympic facilities

were constructed as Nazi showpieces

International political unrest preceded the games Could the Nazi regime accept the terms of the Olympic

Charter of participation unrestricted by class, creed, or race?

There were calls for a U.S. boycott of the games The Nazis guaranteed that they would allow German

Jews to participate The boycott did not occur