Germany & the Depression Flashcards
All 41 cards in this deck
When was the Reichstag Fire and who was blamed for it?
27 February 1933. Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch communist, was caught at the scene and blamed.
What powers did the Reichstag Fire Decree (Decree for the Protection of People and State, February 1933) give the Nazis?
Emergency powers suspending civil rights, so political opponents could be arrested without trial and placed in concentration camps.
What did the Enabling Act (March 1933) allow Hitler to do?
Make laws for four years without the approval of the Reichstag or the President.
True or false? The Enabling Act itself made Germany a one-party state.
False. It gave Hitler power to make laws without the Reichstag; other parties were banned by the Law Against the Formation of New Parties in July 1933.
What did the Nazis do to German trade unions in May 1933?
Banned them and replaced them with the Nazi-run German Labour Front (DAF).
Why did Hitler see Röhm and the SA as a threat by 1934?
The SA had over two million men and Röhm wanted it to take over the army, which angered army leaders and the SS.
What was the Night of the Long Knives?
A purge on 30 June 1934 in which the SS murdered Röhm, other SA leaders and opponents such as von Schleicher.
What happened when President Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934?
Hitler combined the posts of Chancellor and President to become Führer, and the army swore a personal oath of allegiance to him.
What caused the rapid growth of unemployment in Germany from 1929?
The Wall Street Crash: US banks recalled their loans to Germany and world trade collapsed, so firms closed; unemployment passed 6 million by early 1932.
True or false? Support for the Communist Party (KPD) fell during the Depression.
False. It grew as unemployed workers turned to the KPD, which won 100 seats in the November 1932 Reichstag election.
Why did Hitler himself appeal to German voters in 1929–32?
He was a charismatic, passionate speaker who claimed he could solve Germany's problems, and he appealed to a wide range of groups in society.
How did Goebbels use propaganda to increase Nazi support in 1929–32?
He ran campaigns such as the 'Hitler over Germany' aeroplane tour and the 'Hitler, our last hope' posters, and targeted propaganda at different groups in society.
What was the result of the 1932 presidential election?
Hindenburg was re-elected with about 19 million votes; Hitler came second with about 13 million.
What were the results of the two Reichstag elections of 1932?
In July the Nazis became the largest party with 230 seats; in November they fell to 196 seats but were still the largest party.
What was von Papen's role in Hitler becoming Chancellor?
He convinced Hindenburg to appoint Hitler Chancellor with himself as Vice-Chancellor, believing they could control Hitler.
True or false? Hitler became Chancellor because the Nazis won a majority of seats in a Reichstag election.
False. President Hindenburg appointed him Chancellor on 30 January 1933; the Nazis never won a Reichstag majority in a free election.
What was the SA?
The Nazi Party's paramilitary force, set up in 1921 and made up largely of ex-soldiers; known as 'stormtroopers' or 'brownshirts'.
True or false? One role of the SA was to disrupt the meetings of rival parties, especially the Communists.
True. The SA also protected Nazi meetings and speakers, and gave the impression that the Nazis offered strength and discipline.
How did the Nazis do in the Reichstag election of September 1930?
They won about 18% of the vote and 107 seats, up from 12 seats in 1928, and became the second-largest party in the Reichstag.
Give two examples of what Nazi propaganda promised different groups in 1929–32.
Any two: farmers were promised that their land would be safe from the Communists; workers were promised 'work and bread'; business leaders were promised an end to the economic crisis.
What happened between the SA and the Communists in the run-up to the July 1932 Reichstag election?
There was widespread street fighting between them, and dozens of people were killed. The Nazis used the disorder to present themselves as the only party able to stop a Communist revolution.
What happened to Chancellor Brüning in 1932?
He banned the SA in April 1932, lost President Hindenburg's support and resigned in May. Franz von Papen replaced him and lifted the SA ban to win Nazi backing.
What happened when Hitler demanded to be made Chancellor after the July 1932 election?
Hindenburg refused and kept von Papen as Chancellor, even though the Nazis were now the largest party in the Reichstag.
Why did Kurt von Schleicher's time as Chancellor (December 1932–January 1933) come to an end?
He had little support in the Reichstag, and Hindenburg refused his request to rule with emergency powers backed by the army. Von Papen then persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Hitler instead.
By how many votes did the Reichstag pass the Enabling Act in March 1933?
444 to 94. Only the Social Democrats voted against, while SA men packed and surrounded the building to intimidate the deputies.
Apart from unemployment, give two effects of the Depression on ordinary Germans by 1932.
Hunger and homelessness — many could not pay their rent, and desperation affected all classes.
Why did many middle-class Germans and businessmen begin to support the Nazis during the Depression?
They feared a Communist takeover of their factories, farms and wealth, and Hitler promised to deal with the Communist threat.
True or false? The Depression only damaged the lives of working-class Germans.
False. It affected all classes — businessmen and middle-class people also became disillusioned with the Weimar government.
True or false? Chancellor Brüning used Article 48 to cut wages and benefits and raise taxes during the Depression.
True. His measures added to Germans' misery and lost the Weimar government support.
Why did the Weimar system of government struggle to give decisive rule during the Depression?
Proportional representation produced many small parties, so coalitions argued and could not agree on how to deal with the crisis.
How many Nazis were in Hitler's first cabinet of 30 January 1933?
Only three out of twelve, which is why von Papen and Hindenburg believed they could control him.
What was the result of the Reichstag election of March 1933?
The Nazis won 288 seats (about 44%) — still short of a majority, despite SA intimidation and the arrest of Communists.
What was Gleichschaltung?
The Nazi policy of 'coordination' — bringing all organisations and institutions in Germany under Nazi control.
Why was the Night of the Long Knives important for Hitler becoming Führer?
It removed Röhm and the SA threat and won the army's loyalty, so the army accepted Hitler as Führer when Hindenburg died.
True or false? Germany became a dictatorship only because of its economic problems.
False. Hitler's own actions, such as the Enabling Act and the Night of the Long Knives, destroyed the democratic constitution.
How did the Nazi vote change between 1928 and July 1932?
It soared from about 810,000 votes (under 3%) in the 1928 Reichstag election to about 13.7 million (37%) in July 1932.
How did Hitler change Nazi tactics after the failure of the Munich Putsch?
Instead of attempting another armed rising, he aimed to come to power lawfully by winning Reichstag elections, and rebuilt the party with branches in every region to win votes.
Give one reason why some German women voted for the Nazis in the early 1930s.
Nazi propaganda promised to protect the family and restore traditional values, which appealed to women who disliked the new freedoms and 'immoral' culture of the Weimar years.
Who was Paul von Hindenburg?
A First World War field marshal and national hero who was elected President of the Weimar Republic in 1925, after Ebert's death, and stayed in office until he died in 1934.
How did the Nazis take control of Germany's state governments in 1933?
Laws of March–April 1933 reshaped the state parliaments in the Nazis' favour and put a Reich Governor loyal to Hitler in charge of each state; in January 1934 the states lost their powers altogether.
Give one consequence of the Night of the Long Knives for the SS.
The SS, which had carried out the killings, was made independent of the SA in July 1934; under Himmler it grew into the regime's main instrument of terror, while the SA lost its power.