IGCSE REVISION - GERMANY: HITLER COMES TO POWER

1. DEPTH STUDY
REVISION GERMANY
HITLER COMES
TO POWER
06

2. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY – MR. D
CHANGING THE LAWS TO KEEP
CONTROL
• Once Hitler was chancellor he set about strengthening his power.
• The Nazis won 288 seats but no majority, The communists still won
81.
• Hitler declared the Communist Party illegal.
• This gave him enough support in parliament to bring in an Enabling
Bill which was passed with threats and bargaining in March 1933.
• This bill let him govern for four years without parliament and made
all other parties illegal.
• Hitler was almost in full control.

3. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY – MR. D
THE NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES
• Hitler still had opposition – and was worried about rivals within the
Nazi party. The biggest threat was Ernst Rohm, who controlled the
SA (over 400,000 men).
• On the 29th-30th June 1934, Hitler sent his own men to arrest Rohm
and others in the Night of the Long Knives.
• Several hundred people were killed, including Rohm, Strasser and
von Schleicher. Any potential opposition had been destroyed.That
was the beginning of his dictatorship
• A month later Hindenburg died. Hitler combined the post of
Chancellor and President, made himself the Commander-in –Chief
of the army, and was called Der Fuhrer (the leader). That was the
beginning of his dictatorship.

4. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY – MR. D
STRONG LEADERS
• Germany was reorganised into a number of provinces.
• Each province was called a GAU, with Gauleiter (loyal Nazi) in
charge of each.
• Above them were the Reichsleiters who advised Hitler, e.g. Goebbels
who was in charge of propaganda, and Himmler who was chief of
the German police.
• At the top was the Fuhrer – Hitler himself – who was in absolute
control.
• Every aspect of life was carefully controlled, and only loyal Nazis
could be successful.