LESSON 14 1933-34: How did Hitler move from being Chancellor of Germany to its ‘Fuhrer’?
In January 1930, Hitler was appointed Chancellor. However, his power was still limited. There was still the rules of the Weimar Constitution that Hitler had to stick to. President Hindenburg remained the most
powerful person with Hitler only second in command as Chancellor. Finally, only around 1/3 of politicians in the Reichstag (German parliament) were members of the Nazi Party. However, there were five
events which allowed Hitler to declare himself the ultimate leader or Fuhrer of Germany. By August 1934, Hitler had created a dictatorship where no other person or political party had any power.
EVENT #1- The Reichstag Fire (February 1933)
What happened?
The German parliament building was destroyed by a massive fire in February
1933. A young communist was caught by building with matches and
firelighters by the police. He confessed and was found guilty of the fire. He
was then executed in prison in January, 1934.
How did Hitler use this event to his advantage?
Despite the young communist being arrested that evening, Hitler
used the fire to make the German public and President
Hindenburg believe that there was a bigger communist threat
against Germany. Now Hitler was in charge of the police, he
ordered his newly appointed Chief of Police, Herman Goering to
arrest 4,000 communists that same evening.
How did Hitler persuade Hindenburg to give him more power?
After the fire, Hitler put pressure on Hindenburg to declare a state
of emergency. This meant that Hitler was able to make decisions
by himself without a vote from the Reichstag.
What did Hitler do with his ‘State of Emergency’?
• Hitler issued a Decree for the Protection of the People which
gave him the legal power to imprison anyone he saw as
opposition.
• He banned communist newspapers.
• He told the German police force to ignore the violence of the
SA towards the communists.
• Hitler used the fear of the Communists to persuaded a wealthy
industry owner called Gustav Krupp to give the Nazi Party 3
Whymillion markscall
did Hitler to for
fight againstElection?
another the Communist Party.
Now that many Communists had been banned or under arrest,
Hitler called for another election. After a bloody and violent
campaign, the Nazis increased their share of the vote dramatically.
Hitler now had enough members in parliament to vote for any
laws he wanted and change the constitution of the Weimar
Republic as he wanted.
EVENT #2- The Enabling Act (March 1933)
What was the Enabling Act?
The Enabling Act was the name of a law created by Hitler. If it
was voted for, the Enabling Act would simply allow Hitler to
make new laws without ever needing to get the support of other
politicians in the Reichstag. Put simply, the Enabling Act would
bring an end to democracy in Germany.
Why did the Reichstag vote for the Enabling Act?
• The Nazi Party used the SA and SS to intimidate politicians
before the vote. There were no longer any Communist
politicians to oppose the Enabling Act because of the events
of the Reichstag Fire. The Nazi Party had a 2/3rds majority in
the Reichstag anyway.
• The Enabling Act was voted for by 444 votes to 94. Even
though members of the Reichstag were threatened and
intimidated during the vote, it was still achieved legally.
EVENT #5- The Death of Hindenburg
(August 1934)
On 2nd August, 1934, President
Hindenburg died aged 87. This
automatically meant that Hitler took
over supreme power. He declared
himself Germany’s Fuhrer and added
all of the President’s powers to those
he already had.
• Hitler forced an oath of loyalty to
him from every soldier in the army.
• A public vote was help on 19th August to confirm Hitler
as the Fuhrer. Bombarded by Nazi propaganda, 90%
of voters supported this. On 19th August The Weimar
Republic formally ended and Hitler’s Third Reich had
begun
key
EVENT #3- Removing Opposition (May - July 1933)
Hitler Banned Political Parties
In May 1933, Hitler sent the SS to the offices of other political parties, arrested
their leaders, destroyed their newspapers and took their party funds.
In July 1933, Hitler banned all other political parties in
Germany.
Hitler Banned the Trade Unions Local Government Power
Trade Unions were organisations set up to In January 1934, Hitler then
support workers and they had the power to abolished the power of regional
oppose the government. In May Trade governments in Germany. This
Union leaders were arrested and trade meant that Hitler would control all
unions were banned. Strikes by workers regional governments in Germany
were also made illegal. from Berlin.
EVENT #4- The Night of the Long Knives (June 1934)
What was the Night of the Long Knives?
This was the name given to the evening on 30 th June, 1934 when Hitler executed the
leader of the SA, Ernst Rohm with around 100 other members of the SA. More than
1,000 others were arrested.
Why did Hitler decide to take action against Ernst Rohm?
Hitler wanted no rivals to his power but he began to think that the leader of the SA,
Ernst Rohm was a threat to him. Rohm had been the SA leader from the start and
had huge respect from them – in some cases more than Hitler. They numbered
around 3 million and they would be able to give Rohm huge support if he ever
wanted to challenge Hitler. Many SA hated Hitler for forming another loyal group of
Nazi troops, the SS. Hitler was also under pressure from the leader of the SS,
Heinrich Himmler to reduce the power of the SA.
What happened on 30th June, 1934?
The SS leaders warned Hitler that Rohm was planning to seize power. Hitler
arranged to meet with Rohm and other leaders of the SA as a hotel on 30 th June
1934. When they met, Rohm and other senior SA officers were shot and killed.
Hitler told the public that they had been monitoring Rohm for months and that he
was planning a revolution. Hitler therefore told the public that killing Rohm was in
the best interests of Germany and the German people.
 Practice Exam Question: Interpretation
Study Interpretations 1 and 2. They give different views about the threat from Ernst Rohm
towards Hitler in 1934. What is the main difference between these views? [4]
Interpretation 1 The main difference between the interpretations is…
___________________________________________________
From Life in Germany 1919-1945, by Steve ___________________________________________________
Waugh, published in 2009.
The greatest threat came from within the Nazi Party. ___________________________________________________
Rohm as leader of the SA was a genuine threat to ___________________________________________________
Hitler’s own position as leader. Rohm was the For example, the historian in Interpretation 1…. (with
___________________________________________________
commander of a very large organisation of men
whose members were increasingly out of control. quotation)
___________________________________________________
Rohm favoured a ‘Second Revolution’ which would ___________________________________________________
lead to more socialist policies. There was also a
power struggle between Rohm and leading Nazis ___________________________________________________
such as Herman Goering, the leader of the SS. ___________________________________________________
Interpretation 2 However, the historian in Interpretation 2…. (with quotation)
___________________________________________________
From Germany 1918-45 by G. Lacey and K. ___________________________________________________
Shephard, published in 1971.
The smoothness with which the murders of 30 th June ___________________________________________________
were carried out is powerful proof that no Rohm plot ___________________________________________________
was imminent. There was no resistance
encountered anywhere. Many victims surrendered ___________________________________________________
voluntarily believing it was a big mistake. The only ____________________________________
shots fired were those being of the executioners.