Hitler Gloats Over Victories.mov

Adolf Hitler: Rise to Power

Hitler’s Plan for the Third Reich• ‘Mein Kampf’ = ‘My Struggle’• Extreme nationalism• Unite all German-speaking people in

an Empire, The Third Reich including:– Dutch, Scandinavians, English, half of Belgiums– Germans in Austria, Poland, Sudetenland

• Expand territory, Lebensraum, into Russia, Ukraine

• Enforce racial “purification”– Most loathsome: Jews– Master race prevails

• Anti-Democracy

Plan for Power• While in prison

decided Nazis must use legal means to come to power

• Propaganda– Goebbels– Symbolism– Mass media– Attack current gov’t

• Offered differing solutions to differing groups

Weimar Germany & the Depression• Germany living on borrowed money,

investments which have not had time to payoff

• US difficulties lead to US banks not loaning money to Germany & asking for repayments

• Consumers stop buying German exports• Businesses go under or layoff workers,

massive unemployment results• Germany’s many political parties cannot

agree on how to resolve the situation

SA & SS Celebrate January 30th, 1933Hitler Appointed Chancellor

Reichstag Fire• Hitler immediately calls

for new elections• SA & SS attack left-wing

supporters• Hitler rants against

Communism• Goebbels turns up

propaganda• And then…the

Reichstag burns

Aftermath of Reichstag Fire• Blamed on Communists

– Dutchman & former Communist arrested

– Tried & executed• Hitler ‘whips up’ anti-

Communist support• SA harasses Communists &

Socialists at will– Beaten, killed, offices

destroyed, meetings broken-up• Goering, Nazi Minister of

Interior deputizes 50,000 SA men

Big Business Support

• At this point money pouring into Nazi Party from big business

• Hitler held meeting with industrialists

• Why the support?

New Reichstag Elections• Nazis win 288 seats just short of

majority• Outlawed Communist Party

– Now had majority• Enabling Bill

– SS outside & SA inside chanting ‘we want the bill or fire and murder’

– The Reichstag voted itself out of existence

– Centre Party supported in exchange for religious protections

– Only SPD opposed

Enabling Act and its Effects• The Enabling Act gave Hitler the right to suspend civil

rights and liberties in Germany until the crisis passed• Hitler to rule by decree for 4 years– What he says is now law

Consolidation of Power• Gleichschaltung

– ‘Bringing into line’• Nazification of Germany• Purge of ‘unreliables’

– Socialists, jews, opposition– Lost jobs as teachers, civil

servants, lawyers• SA carries out the violence

– Violence of SA grew almost beyond Hitler’s control

1st Concentration Camp

• Summer of 1934 ~27,000 prisoners in concentration camps

• 1st Concentration Camp: Dachau– Near Munich

Gleichschaltung: Elimination of Political Parties

• All parties either outlawed or forced to disband via SA intimidation

• Reichstag remained but just for show

• July 1933: Law Against the Formation of Parties

• Nazi Party only legal party in Germany

Gleichschaltung:

• State governments abolished

• Replaced by 18 Nazi governors

Army vs SA• SA, so valuable to Hitler in

gaining power, was now falling out of his control– ~ 1,000,000 men

• SA, under Ernst Rohm, wanted to continue the revolution via violent means– Left was crushed, now turn to

right– SA making Hitler look bad

• SA seeking more power, takeover of entire army

Purge of SA: Why?• Army liked much of what

they saw in Hitler– However, they hated the idea

of being turned over to the S.A. and Ernst Rohm.

– Considered SA to be a bunch of thugs

• Army suggested loyalty to Hitler if SA not put in charge

• Hitler needed the Army for future plans

• Rohm had to go for Hitler to have the Army.

Night of the Long Knives• June 29- July 1, 1934• SS, Hitler’s personal

bodyguard, used to eliminate opposition

• 100 SA leaders murdered– Including Ernst Rohm

• Many other political opponents also murdered– Von Schleicher & von Kahr– Social Dems– ‘Undesirables’ like anti-Nazi

religious leaders• Army swore loyalty to Hitler

Hindenburg• Hindenburg dies August

1934• Hitler combines

chancellor & president• Becomes Fuhrer• SS, under Himmler,

established as main instrument of terror

Hindenburg’s FuneralTannenburg Memorial: site of Hindenburg’s famous WWI victory

Hitler becomes the Fuhrer