Hitler consolidates and expands his power

Gaining Power Legally

• In 1925, Hitler judged that the government was too strong to be seized by illegal force, so he would follow the legal path to power

• He never showed anything but contempt for the Reichstag, and though leader of the majority party, would never himself take part in its proceedings

• During the period from 1925 to 1928, he built up his party and made a propaganda machine

• Party membership reached 97,000 in 1929. The economic crisis helped the Nazis

Hitler appointed chancellor in 1932

by HindenburgNazi’s (NSDAP) had

gained a majority in the Reichstag

Reichstag Fire

• After a series of ineffective chancellors, Hindenburg granted Hitler the chancellorship in 1933

• Occurred on February 27, 1933, probably by Dutchman Marinus van der Lubbe alone (he was a little crazy). Historians aren’t sure if he was the only one involved, but he probably was

• The Nazis blamed the Communists and used this charge to crack down on Communist party officials, but to suspend civil rights as well

New Elections• As a condition for accepting office, Hitler had

insisted on new elections, intending to gain an absolute majority

• Because of the Reichstag fire and under cover of emergency decree, the Nazis terrorized their opponents. Joseph Goebbels manipulated the press and radio to help secure a Nazi victory

• However, the Nazis didn’t gain a 2/3 majority needed to pass an Enabling Bill that would give Hitler dictatorial powers in times of emergency

• With the Nationalist Party, the Nazis could gain a majority, but not 2/3

Enabling Act• All communists were arrested by the Gestapo (secret

police) or were being hunted down. In addition, more than 20 Socialists were under arrest or prevented from attending

• On the day the vote took place, SS personnel surrounded the building in which the Reichstag met, while SA troopers stationed themselves inside and chanted, “We want the bill or fire and murder!”

• Eventually, the Center Party gave in to Hitler and agreed to vote for the Enabling Act

• Only the Social Democrats voted against the bill. It passed by 347 votes on March 23, 1933

• Hitler proclaimed the Third Reich – 1st was the medieval Holy Roman Empire and the 2nd was WWI

Gleischaltung• Means coordination (firmly established a dictatorship)• Nazi bodies were set up to supervise all the activities of

society, which were to be forcibly subordinated:– Government– Administration– Press– Trade unions– Education

• Hitler insisted on his own final say and to maintain some of the traditional structures of German society if he needed to overcome doubt

• He decided not to interfere with the army at first, but later applied Gleischaltung to them as well

Not Being Too Bold• Knew the German people would need to accept the

harshness and brutality of his regime in stages• Would use euphemisms– Becoming dictator – “an act for relieving the distress of the

nation”– Invading a country – “protecting it”– Destroying a town – “pacifying it”– Concentration camps – “preventative detention” or

“reeducation”– Death camps – “final solution” or “resettlement”

• Although he was breaching civil rights against Jews with the Nuremberg Laws, he gave the outward appearance of acting mildly and reasonably, and always in conformity with proper laws

Consolidating Power• German states - In March 1933, Hitler

abolished independent powers of the federal states

• Jews - In April, a decree purged the civil service “unreliable elements” - Jews and those of Jewish descent

• Political parties - By the summer, the remaining parties were disbanded. Communist leaders were already in the new concentration camps

• Religion - The Vatican decided to conclude a treaty – the Concordat – with Hitler in an effort to protect Catholic interests

Consolidating Power• Labor unions - The trade unions were quickly

suppressed, and the workers enrolled in the Nazi Labor Front

• Mass media - The press and broadcasting were placed under Goebbel’s direction

• Education –– The universities did not put up any resistance. Many

professors out of opportunity and for the sake of their careers supported the Nazis

– Curriculum from the elementary through the university level fell in line with Nazi ideas; stressed character building and physical skills the Nazi way (volkisch themes)

Book Burnings• Academics participated in the famous

burning of the books by Jewish and anti-Nazi authors

• Scientists, writers, and artists joined the “national revolution” of the Nazis

• Theologians made Christ an Aryan

Heinrich Himmler

• Dachau was the first concentration camp, established near Munich in 1933

• It was headed by Heinrich Himmler, head of the Bavarian political police

• It became a model for others. By the end of the summer, 30,000 Germans were held in concentration camps

• Himmler soon advanced to become the head of the SS and the police throughout the Reich

• Knowledge of concentration camps was a deterrent to any thought of opposition from all except the courageous

Nazi Groups

• Gestapo – secret police that tracked down enemies of the regime

• SS – original purpose was to serve as Hitler’s bodyguard; later took the SA’s place

• SA (Brownshirts or Stormtroopers) – paramilitary group that was to:– Discourage opposition with

violence– Staff concentration camps– Protect the Nazi party

Ernst Roehm

• Ernst Roehm, the leader of the SA, also clashed with Hitler

• Hitler wished to draw on the young stormtroopers (SA) who would be trained as a large armed force that could quickly augment the regular army in time of crisis

• Roehm wanted his Brownshirts to become the new German army. With him in charge, of course

Night of the Long Knives

• Hitler decided to get rid of some sources of opposition

• He feared Rohm might use the SA to seize power

• Some SA members were still keen on the original ideas of the Nazis – a Socialist Revolution

• SA wanted rich landowners and big businesses to be swept away or taken over

Getting Rid of the SA

• He got his friends to compile hit-lists of disloyal SA men.

• Himmler, Heydrich and Goering were keen to do this.

Night of the Long KnivesJune 30, 1934

• The SS and the police arrest dozens of SA leaders.

• Many are shot dead in their homes, others are taken to camps for execution.

• Rohm is jailed, and shot the next day.

• Strasser is also shot dead.• Hitler even takes the opportunity

to have von Schleicher, the ex-chancellor, killed.

• Over 1,000 opponents were killed.

Hindenburg• On August 2, 1934, Hindenburg dies. He was the only

other man still more popular than Hitler• After Hindenburg died, Hitler announced that the offices

of president and chancellor were merged in one person, Hitler, who now became Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor

• This violated Article 48, but the people approved through a plebiscite

• Hitler also had the army on his side because he promised to increase the size of the army and provide it with modern equipment

• As a result, they took an oath of allegiance and loyalty to Hitler

Hindenburg’s Burial - Tannenberg, East Prussia (today: Stębark, Poland) – His coffin was dug up as the Soviets approached and was later found by American troops at a salt mine