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Introduction

How did Hitler establish a Dictatorship? Introduction When Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933 it was easy to forget that he was in a very precarious position. Few people thought he would hold on to power for long. Even fewer thought that by the summer of 1934 he would be the supreme dictator of Germany. He achieved this through a clever combination of methods - some legal, others dubious. He also managed to defeat or reach agreements with those who could have stopped him. His first actions Adolf Hitler, the new Chancellor of Germany, had no intention of abiding by the rules of democracy. He intended only to use those rules to legally establish himself as dictator as quickly as possible then begin the Nazi revolution. Hitler moved quickly to establish a dictatorship. He used terror to gain power while maintaining an air of legality throughout. On his first day as chancellor, Hitler manipulated Hindenburg into dissolving the Reichstag and calling for the new elections he had wanted - to be held on March 5, 1933. Hitler also reassured the generals there would be no attempt to replace the regular army with an army of SA storm troopers. For years this had been a big concern of the generals who wanted to preserve their own positions of power and keep the traditional military intact. That evening, Hitler attended a dinner with the German General Staff and told them Germany would re-arm as a first step toward regaining its former position in the world. ...read more.

Middle

With no money problems and the power of the State behind them, the Nazis campaigned furiously to get Hitler the majority he wanted. On March 5, the last free elections were held. But the people denied Hitler his majority, giving the Nazis only 44 per cent of the total vote, 17, 277,180. Despite massive propaganda and the brutal crackdown, the other parties held their own. The Centre Party got over four million and the Social Democrats over seven million. The Communists lost votes but still got over four million. The goal of a legally established dictatorship was now within reach. But the lack of the necessary two-thirds majority in the Reichstag was an obstacle. For Hitler and his ruthless inner circle, it was obstacle that was soon to be overcome. As for Van der Lubbe, the Communist arsonist, he was tried and convicted, then beheaded. Enabling Act For Adolf Hitler, the goal of a legally established dictatorship was now within reach. On March 15, 1933, another cabinet meeting was held during which Hitler and G�ring discussed how to obstruct what was left of the democratic process to get an Enabling Act passed by the Reichstag. This law would hand over the constitutional functions of the Reichstag to Hitler, including the power to make laws, control the budget and approve treaties with foreign governments. As Hitler plotted to bring democracy to an end in Germany, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels put together a brilliant public relations display at the official opening of the newly elected Reichstag. ...read more.

Conclusion

The SA was not disbanded afterwards. It remained as a Nazi paramilitary organization, but was very much subordinated to the SS and never regained the influence of 1933. The army and the SS absorbed many of its members. Der F�hrer Soon after the Night of the Long Knives, Hindenburg died, and Hitler took over as Supreme Leader (F�hrer) of Germany. On 2nd August 1934 the entire army swore an oath of personal loyalty to Adolf Hitler as F�hrer of Germany. The army agreed to stay out of politics and to serve Hitler. In return Hitler spent vast sums on rearmament, brought back conscription and made plans to make Germany a great military power again. Conclusion It was due to many facts all mentioned above that Hitler established a Dictatorship. But I think the main reason is that Hitler had in a way power over Hindenburg as Hindenburg being an old and befuddled man signed anything put infront of him by Hitler. He trusted and believed in Hitler so if Hitler gave him something to sign he thought it was for the good of the public and the country. For example Hindenburg thought that signing the Emergency act was "for the Protection of the people and the State." Really this was another step, which helped Hitler to establish a Dictatorship. But if you took any one of the points above than I don't think that Hitler would have established a Dictatorship as each point helped a little bit and had some sort of input in helping Hitler establish a Dictatorship. Debbie Lord 08/05/07 ...read more.

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Germany 1918-1939 section.