Transcript Decisions to total power

Voting Activity 4.1:
Hitler’s decisions to total power
Briefing
• Hitler was definitely not an all powerful
dictator when he became Chancellor in
January 1933
• He deliberately set about getting rid of his
opponents
• You are going to look at the events of 1933
from Hitler’s perspective and analyse the
decisions he made
Decision 1: February 1933
• Hitler wants to eliminate his non-Nazi
partners in the government, especially von
Papen
• For this Hitler needs control over half the
seats in the Reichstag
Decision 1: Should Hitler…
A. Call another election for the Reichstag
B. Wait for the death of President Hindenburg
and then stand for President so he can
change the law
C. Have his opponents in the Reichstag
murdered?
Decision 2: February 1933
• If Hitler calls an election, what sort of
campaign should he fight against his
opponents?
Decision 2: What sort of campaign?
A. A 'fair' campaign using only propaganda
B. A campaign using propaganda, but first ban
all Communist and Social Democrat
meetings and newspapers
C. A campaign as in b) but also use violence to
kill and injure his opponents?
Decision 3: February 1933
• Hitler needs to make the people aware of
the danger of a Communist victory.
• Does he take a chance and set the
Reichstag building on fire and blame it on
the Communists?
Decision 3: Set fire to the
Reichstag?
A. Yes: Nazi agents know just the person to
blame.
B. No: it is too dangerous and the people will not
believe him.
Decision 4
• Someone does set fire to the Reichstag.
How can Hitler best use it to help the Nazi
election campaign?
• Does he (and you can choose more than
one) …
Decision 4: After the fire, should
Hitler…
A. Arrest thousands of Communist officials and
other anti-Nazi leaders
B. Use it to persuade President Hindenburg to sign
a decree taking away rights such as freedom of
speech and freedom to hold meetings
C. Keep quiet about the fire in case people think it
is a Nazi plot?
D. More than one of these
Decision 5
• After the election results of 4 March 1933
the Communist members are under arrest
and cannot vote
• So Hitler has more than half of the
remaining votes in the Reichstag
• Now he wants to make sure no party can
threaten his power. How should he do
this?
Decision 5: How can Hitler reduce
threats:
A. Ignore the Reichstag and President
Hindenburg, and use force to get rid of his
enemies – this will be illegal under the
Constitution
B. Get the Reichstag to pass an Enabling Act
giving him power to make laws without first
asking the Reichstag – this requires a twothirds majority to pass, since it changes the
Constitution
C. Simply use his majority in the Reichstag to run
the country as normal?
Decision 6
• Now Hitler can consolidate his power by
removing his enemies.
• First he wants to remove the Communist
and Social Democratic Parties. How can
he do this?
Decision 6: How to remove the other
parties…
A. Make them illegal
B. Try to persuade them to disband and join the
Nazi Party?
Decision 7
• The Centre and Nationalist parties have
helped Hitler in the past. How should Hitler
handle them now?
Decision 7: How to handle the Socialist
and Nationalist parties…
A. Allow them to continue
B. Persuade them to dissolve themselves
C. Make them illegal?
Decision 8
• Many of the biggest trade unions are
linked to the Social Democrats
• They had defeated the Kapp Putsch in
1920 and may now persuade workers to
act against the Nazis. How should Hitler
handle them?
Decision 8: How to deal with the
trade unions…
A. Ban them
B. Ban them and smash them by occupying
their offices and beating up and imprisoning
their leaders?
Decision 9
• The Nazis want the Civil Service, lawyers,
teachers and other groups to do as they
are told. How can they achieve this?
Decision 9: How to control other
sectors…
A. Dismiss all of them and appoint only good
Nazis to do these jobs
B. Keep them if they do as they are told and
dismiss only those who obstruct the Nazi
Party?