3.2 Impact of Hitlers rule notes

Prepared by: Mr Qin Yixuan 1 Humanities: History Elective Unit 2: The World in Crisis Chapter 3: Hitler’s Germany 3.2 Hitler’s Rule 3.1: Hitler’s Rule – What was the impact of Hitler’s rule? Political Impact a) One Party Rule  Enabling Act (Mar 1933) b) Consolidation of power  Night of the Long Knives (Jun 1934)  Creation of Fuehrer position (Aug 1934) Economic Impact a) Re-employment  Reduction of unemployment b) Improved economy  Rise of Big Industrialists c) Control of working conditions  Trade Unions (DAF)  Welfare schemes Social Impact a) Controlled society  Propaganda  Censorship  Rise of the Secret Police b) Persecution  Persecution of the Jews  Persecution of other “undesirables” c) Changed views of women and youth  Limiting women to domestic roles  Setting up of Hitler Youth 1. Political Impact a) One Party Rule Enabling Act in March 1933:  Nazi party won 44% of the vote in the March 1933 elections and Hitler wanted the German Reichstag (Parliament) to pass the Enabling Act which would give him even more power.  So, the SS and SA surrounded the Reichstag where the vote was to take place and only Nazis and Nazi supporters were allowed into the building. The Enabling Act was passed and Hitler used it to ban the Communist Party from ever taking part in anymore elections.  Hitler continued to increase his power by making the Nazi Party the ONLY political party in Germany in May 1933. He became the dictator of Germany. All other parties were banned, imprisoned or killed. Trade unions were dissolved and the SA and SS brutally punished those who opposed Nazi rule and Hitler b) Consolidation of power The Night of Long Knives (June 1934)  Although Hitler was already a dictator, the German army was not completely under Hitler’s control. Hitler has his own army – the SA who was under the control of the SA leader Ernst Roehm, who was loyal to Hitler  The problem was the German Army disliked the SA because they saw them as a threat and several Nazi leaders also warned Hitler that Ernst Roehm was too powerful and might be a threat to Hitler.  Hitler decided to gain the support of the German Army and get rid of Ernst Roehm. This was known as the Night of the Long Knives in

Prepared by: Mr Qin Yixuan 2 June 1934 where Hitler ordered the SS to execute Roehm and other SA leaders – about 400 men were executed. The rest of the SA and the German Army swore allegiance to Hitler and Hitler’s control over the army was complete. Creation of the Fuehrer Position (Aug 1934)  When President Hindenburg died in 1934, Hitler took the opportunity to consolidate his power. He wanted to ensure that he would not face any more opposition. Based on the Constitution, the President had to be elected. However, Hitler merged the powers of the President and the powers of the Chancellor to create the position of Fuehrer.  With this power, Hitler could use Article 48 to give himself Emergency Powers and could also pass laws without consulting the Reichstag (Parliament). Hitler was now above the law.  With Hitler as Fuehrer, the army swore allegiance to Hitler personally and not to Germany. 2. Economic Impact a) Re- employment  The Nazis reduced unemployment by creating the Reich Labour Service to reduce unemployment by employing people to work on public facilities like roads, motorways, hospitals and schools. This helped to give people a job and also helped to build up good services and facilities for the German people.  Hitler intentionally allowed Germany’s military to grow larger. In 1935: Germany defied the Treaty of Versailles and introduced conscription for their Army. By 1939, there were 1.4 million men in the army. Hitler also built a modern air force known as the Luftwaffe. This was also an effective way to decrease unemployment by involving unemployed men in the army and air force.  The growth of the military also helped to reduce unemployment since more men had to be employed in factories to produce weapons, equipment and uniforms. Through militarisation, the number of unemployed fell from 6 million in 1933 to below 1 million in 1939. b) Improved economy  With militarisation also came the rise of big industrialists, since industries that were important to Germany and Germany’s rise as a military power, were given subsidies. Industries producing oil, steel, coal and explosives were given valuable government contracts.  The ban on trade unions also benefitted big business that did not have to bother with disruptions by strikes or calls to negotiate for higher pay. Hence, big businesses were very supportive of the government.  Hermann Goering also introduced a 4 year plan in 1936 to prepare Germany for war in 4 years. This was very favourable for big industrialists who received funds and money from the government to help them produce the weapons and resources that Germany needed for war. During this period, German rearmament proved to be very profitable for big businesses. Large government contracts were worn

Prepared by: Mr Qin Yixuan 3 by various big companies to make weapons or other military-related supplies.  In return, these big industrialists and businesses were very supportive of Hitler and the Nazis, often donating huge amounts of money to the Nazis. c) Control of working conditions Trade Unions (DAF)  To ensure that industry was not disrupted by strikes as well as to eliminate a source of opposition, trade unions were abolished. Instead, the Nazis set up the DAF (Deutsche Arbeitsfront) which everyone had to join.  The DAF controlled the workers strictly. They were not allowed to strike or bargain for pay raises or better conditions. A wage freeze was imposed on all workers in 1935. Wages were kept low and workers had to work longer hours. In some cases, the workers needed government’s permission to leave their jobs.  As Germany geared up for war in the late 1930s, workers were working up to 72 hours a week with restricted wages. Welfare schemes  The Nazis took measures to ensure the support of the workers, as they realised workers’ support for the Nazi Party was vital.  Nazi propaganda praised workers for their contribution to make Germany a great nation.  ‘Strength Through Joy’ (KdF) programmes such as cheap theatre and cinema tickets as well as organised sport and cultural events were organised by the DAF. Workers could also work towards owning the KdF-wagen by paying instalments of five marks per week. These measures were very popular with the people.  However, these programmes to enhance the standard of living for the people also meant that the people’s leisure time was also tightly controlled.  The DAF tried to improve the working conditions of workers through the ‘Beauty of Labour’ scheme. Washing facilities and low-cost canteens were set up, but workers had to pay indirectly for them. 3. Social Impact a) Controlled Society Even though Hitler was a dictator and complete ruler over Germany, he needed to continue to win the support of the German people so that they would continue to support him and the Nazis. He did this through 2 methods – Propaganda and Censorship  Propaganda: the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was set up. Led by Joseph Goebbels it aimed to use every form of media to stir up German nationalism and communicate that: o Hitler was Germany’s saviour and keep Germans loyal to Germany o Only Nazi rule will enable Germany to become powerful again

Prepared by: Mr Qin Yixuan 4 o Jews and Communists were enemies of Germany  Goebbels made use of films, posters, portraits of Hitler, rallies, public meetings, parades and films to increase German’s support for Hitler and the Nazi policies. One of the most famous ralli