The Creation of the Nazi Dictatorship

Hitler’s “Legal Revolution”

• Hitler's power as chancellor not absolute
• Hindenburg only agreed to Hitler's appointment if measures were in place to limit his power
• Conservatives sure of Hitler's limited power because of the following...
• Conservative: opposed to fundamental change and maintaining the traditional political order. Conservatives unsympathetic to Weimar Republic & democracy
• Constitutional terms limiting Hitler's power: 
• Only two other Nazis in the 12-person cabinet
• Wilhelm Frick- minister of interior
• Hermann Goring- Minister without portfolio
• Hitler's coalition was the minority (much harder to win votes)
• Hindenburg could easily get rid of Hitler as chancellor
• Hitler, very aware of the power of the army (for a coup) and trade union (for a general strike)

Hitler's Strengths

• Despite limitations, Hitler became a dictator within two months 
• Hitler's key strengths:
• Nazi party= largest political party in Germany (therefore, the conservatives could not ignore him. Alternative to appointing him chancellor was a communist coup or civil war.)
• Access to state recourses
• Hermann Goring- in the cabinet & minister of the interior in Prussia, responsible for the police. He used this to target and harass enemies while ignoring Nazi crimes
• Gobles, access to propaganda for party use

Reichstag election- 5 March 1933

• Violent means of getting votes (69 people died in the 5-week campaign)
• Nazis broke up socialist and communist meetings
• Goring  added an extra 50,000 members of the police (all  SS and SA members)
• Hitler's "Appeal to the German People" (31 January 1933)
• Bad economic state, the fault of Democratic gov't and communist's terrorist acts
• election= "national uprising"
• promised to restore Germany to "pride and unity" 
• Nazis in good financial standing (Hitler given 3 million Reichsmarks, a new German currency)

The Reichstag fire

• 27 Feb. 1933 Reichstag building set on fire
•  a young Dutch communist (van der Lubbe) arrested- many believe it was actually Nazis
• Nazis exploited fire
• Frick drew up, Hindenburg signed, "Decree for the Protection of the People of the State"
• essentially suspended most civil liberties (to protect against the threat of communists)
• Violence stepped up, hundreds of Anti-Nazis killed

Election Result

• 88% voter turnout (suggestion of intimidation by the SA, corrupt officials, & increased government control of the radio)
• Nazis won 43.9% of the vote (288 seats), and only clamed majority with the 52 seats won by the nationalists (changes to the Weimar needed a 2/3 majority)

The Enabling Act, March 1933

• Enabling act: effectively do away with Parliament and legislator and give full power to the chancellor & his gov't for four years
• Hitler needed to gain support or abstinence from other major parties to get 2/3 majority 
• Regional Nazi parties beginning to rebel, giving the image of a "revolution from below" and tainting Hitler's image of Legality
• To remedy his tainted reputation ^^, he symbolically aligned National Socialism with powers of  "Old Germany"
• March 21st- Hitler stood with Hindenburg, the Crown Prince (son of Kaiser Wilhelm II) and the Army's leading generals at a ceremony, orchestrated by Gobbles, to "celebrate the opening of the Reichstag"
• Two days later, the new Reichstag met in Kroll Opera House to consider enabling bill
• Communists refused admittance
• All deputies in admittance intimidated by SA (who had completely surrounded the building)
• Knowing the social democrats would vote against, Hitler needed the Center Party to win the majority
• promised to respect the rights of the Catholic Church and uphold religious and moral values (fake promises, but effective in winning the Center Party's vote)
• Enabling act passed with 444 seats, only 94 seats voted against
• Karl Bracher (German Scholar) "Legal Revolution"
• Hitler dismantled the Weimar Republic in a matter of weeks