1) Consolidation of Power

< GCSE 2016-18

THIS PERIOD OF 18 MONTHS, WHERE HITLER WENT FROM BEING A WEAK CHANCELLOR TO ALL POWERFUL DICTATOR, IS CALLED HITLERS CONSOLIDATION OF POWER.
CONSOLIDATION SIMPLY MEANS 'TO STRENGTHEN'
IT IS ONE OF THE SECTIONS OF THE COURSE WHERE IT IS ESSENTIAL YOU LEARN THE KEY STEPS. IT IS ALSO ONE OF THE SECTIONS OF THE COURSE WHICH COMES UP IN EXAMS REGULARLY!

1933-34 : From Chancellor to Dictator

Hitler was made Chancellor of Germany in JANUARY 1933.
This did not make him dictator! However,in time, with FIVE carefully crafted steps, Hitler would move to CONSOLIDATE (Strengthen) his power and become supreme Leader or Dictator.
He would then create a Germany completely under Nazi control.

HITLER'S 5 STEPS TO POWER

27th FEBRUARY 1933
This KEY EVENT transformed Hitler's power. It is very important you understand it.

In January 1933 Hitler may have been Chancellor but he did not have an overall MAJORITY in the Reichstag. This meant he needed the support of other political parties.
Convinced he could win a Nazi majority and end the dependence on other parties he called an ELECTION to be held in MARCH 1933.

HOWEVER:

Very conveniently for Hitler and the Nazis, on 27 February 1933, the Reichstag (Parliament) mysteriously burned down!
A Dutch communist, MARINUS VAN DER LUBBE, was captured at the scene. Van der Lubbe was an easy scapegoat. He had well known mental problems and could have been manipulated to carry out the act (or own up to it!) he was quickly put on trial and was executed by Guillotine. There has always been a suspicion that the Nazis themselves were behind the fire.
Hitler took immediate advantage of the situation. He BLAMED THE COMMUNISTS for the fire
Hitler used the fear of communism to persuade President Hindenburg to bring in a special Emergency Decree –
THE DECREE FOR THE PROTECTION OF PEOPLE & STATE

HOW DID THE NAZIS DO IN THE MARCH ELECTION?

Despite the fire and the decree and the banning of the Communists the Nazi Party only achieved 43%. They had failed to achieve the overall majority needed to rule without reliance on others.They needed something else to boost their power - an Enabling Law.

Hitler used the 'THREAT OF COMMUNIST REVOLUTION' to boost his power further.
He wanted to pass an ENABLING LAW - This would enable him to rule without the Reichstag - making him a virtual dictator.
To accomplish this he needed to get 66% (a 2/3rds majority) in order to change the constitution of Germany and pass the law. He used many tactics to achieve this:

THE ENABLING ACT was passed allowing Hitler to make laws for the next 4 years WITHOUT consulting parliament!

Only one party voted against the law. (The Social Democrats) The SA marched outside to intimidate people to support the law

This Law gave Hitler enormous power to rule ALONE

DEMOCRACY AND WEIMAR GERMANY HAD ENDED!

HITLER'S NEW LAWS OF CONTROL (GLEICHSCHALTUNG)

With the powers of the Enabling Law, Hitler was now able to create a series of new laws against those who opposed him. The coordination of these laws was called GLEICHSCHALTUNG in Germany

By 1934, one surprising threat to Hitler's power was also close to him - The leadership of the SA. This vast private army numbered into the millions and although they had been key to helping Hitler into power, they were also run by a potential rival to Hitler - ERNST ROHM.
Rohm had been a dedicated Nazi since the 1920's but he was perhaps jealous of Hitlers power by 1933. He also disagreed with Hitler's policies. Rohm wanted to control the German army and replace it with 'his SA'. Hitler needed the army and was beginning to worry about Rohm:

He felt Rohm was a potential rival for power
He was angry that Rohms views were different when it came to the army. Rohm wanted to replace the army with the SA
Hitler knew that the army detested Rohm and were jealous of the SA and their power. Hitler could win them over by dealing with the SA
The German public were also angry with the SA. They hated the trouble they caused on the streets. Hitler could show his leadership by dealing with the SA problem

ALL THIS LED TO THE NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES WHEN HITLER ACTED DECISIVELY AGAINST THE SA LEADERSHIP AND OTHER POLITICAL RIVALS

YOUTUBE OVERVIEW

POLITICAL CARTOONS ABOUT GERMANY IN 1934
Can you work out the message?

Finally, the last piece of the jigsaw was the death of President Hindenburg in 1934.

Hitler declared himself FUHRER (Leader) of Germany.
He was now a complete DICTATOR. Supreme ruler of Germany.

Caleb C Chancellor
Reaches R Reichstag
Every E Enabling Law
Lagan L Laws
Lesson L Long Knives
Delighted D Death of Hindenburg

**For the past 65 years people have debated HOW a brutal dictator like Hitler could so easily and so precisely take complete control of Germany.**

FIRSTLY Hitler did NOT seize power. He had taken power LEGALLY, not through VIOLENT REVOLUTION. He had taken over using the rules / Laws of the time.
SECONDLY, the ENABLING LAW allowed Hitler to CONSOLIDATE (Strengthen) his grip on power Legally.
THIRDLY, Hitler had any opposition groups BANNED. Communists, trade unions etc were all banned.
FOURTHLY, FEAR was at play. People were soon terrified of the SS and gestapo and the threat of Concentration camp.
FIFTHLY, DEMOCRACY was new after the defeat of World War 1 and was never truly accepted (or trusted) by the German people