Factors in Hitler's consolidation of power

by khadijasheikh2021gmailcom (student)

After becoming Chancellor in 1933 Hitler had to consolidate his power.

. Briefly describe the events in 1932-33 that led to Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor.

[5 marks]

Von Papen was appointed Chancellor in 1932, even though the Nazi’s was the party with the most seat and therefore Hitler should have been Chancellor. Von Papen could not control the Nazi’s so Von Schleicher became Chancellor, however Von Schleicher could not control the Nazi’s either. Von Papen advised Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor to keep the Nazi’s under control and allow him to be Vice Chancellor. This way Hindenburg could control Hitler and Von Papen could also have some say in what happens. Hindenburg went along with Von Papen’s idea and appointed Hitler as Chancellor, with Von Papen as Vice Chancellor, on January 30th, 1933.

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. Explain why the Reichstag Fire was important to Hitler?

[7 marks]

The Reichstag fire was important to Hitler because it enabled him to get rid of the communist opposition party. The fire happened in 1934 and a Dutch communist (Van der Lubbe) was found nearby after the fire, as the people were scared and hoping nothing like this would happen again it was easy for Hitler to convince President Hindenburg to pass the emergency decree which frightened many communists because it meant their houses could be searched and they could be arrested at any time and Van der Lubbe was arrested. Also, 4000 communist leaders were arrested and eventually the communist party was banned because of the Reichstag Fire - this was important because it meant many previous communist supporters looked for other parties.

As it was Hitler and the Nazi’s that found the Dutch communists, to many they appeared to look like the heroes of the day and therefore as many communist supporters looked for another party they joined the Nazi’s. This boosted the number of supporters and helped Hitler because in allowed for more progress in the future, for example when he needed the Enabling Act to be passed, many people believed Hitler knew what he was doing and he had gained supporters from after the Reichstag fire meaning it was easier for him to have the Enabling Act passed.

. ‘The Night of the Long Knives was more important than the Enabling Act in Hitler’s consolidation of power in 1933-34.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

[8 marks]

The Night of the Long Knives was important to Hitler’s consolidation of power because he got rid of the SA, however the Enabling Act is also important because it allowed him to make any decisions without the Weimar.

Hitler needed the support of the army to be a successful dictator, therefore the Night of the Long Knives was important as it showed the army they should side with Hitler. By gaining the support of the army Hitler had them as well as their resources which was important to his consolidation of power. Also, the Night of the Long Knives was important because 400 SA leaders as well as Rohm were killed, which was beneficial to Hitler because the SA were becoming too strong and Hitler was afraid they might take him down. Therefore, breaking the partnership between Hitler and the SA and gaining a relationship between Hitler and the army was essential for his consolidation of power.

However, the enabling act was important towards Hitler’s consolidation of power because it got rid of the Weimar without the public being aware. It also allowed Hitler to pass any laws without going through the Weimar - he became a dictator. This was necessary because it meant he was able to control the people as well as giving him ultimate power.

Overall the Night of the Long Knives was more important as there were more positive and rewarding effects towards Hitler’s consolidation of power in 1933-34 than the Enabling Act, because the Night of the Long Knive allowed Hitler to get rid of the one force that had the potential to destroy him - the SA.