Case Study of Nazi Germany
G2 Full History - syllabus K227, 2027
How Hitler rose to power, built a dictatorship and changed people's lives. Learn to use laws, speeches and workers' accounts as evidence.
- Why the Weimar Republic struggled
Germany had an elected parliament, but divided parties and growing use of emergency decrees weakened it.
- How economic crises helped the Nazis
Money became worthless in 1923, and mass unemployment after 1929 turned many voters towards the Nazis.
- How Hitler and the Nazis won support
Hitler promised jobs, strength and unity; Nazi propaganda spread the message, while the SA used violence against opponents.
- How Hitler became chancellor
Hitler did not win an election to become chancellor; President Hindenburg appointed him on 30 January 1933 after a deal with conservatives.
- How Hitler became a dictator
Hitler used laws and violence to remove every check on his power, step by step, between February 1933 and August 1934.
- Jobs, lost rights and war
More Germans found work under the Nazis, but workers lost their rights and the economy was geared towards war.
- Who was shut out of Nazi unity
The Nazis promised a united nation, but used racist laws and violence to strip Jews and other groups of their rights.
- Why people obeyed
Some Germans supported the Nazis, some wanted the benefits, many feared punishment, and a few resisted.
- Put it together: How did Hitler reach the chancellorship?
By January 1933, the Nazis had many supporters but no majority in parliament. Only President Hindenburg could appoint the chancellor. Compare how the economic crisis, Nazi campaigning and the decisions of Papen and Hindenburg fitted together.
What you will be able to do
I can describe the political problems new governments faced in Europe and Asia after World War I.
Syllabus K227, Rise of Authoritarian Regimes, Learning Outcomes. Demonstrate awareness of political developments after World War I.
Taught in Why the Weimar Republic struggled
I can explain how authoritarian regimes rose and how they changed politics, the economy and society.
Syllabus K227, Rise of Authoritarian Regimes, Learning Outcomes. Explain the rise of authoritarian regimes and their impact on the political, economic and social context of countries.
Taught in Why the Weimar Republic struggled, How economic crises helped the Nazis, How Hitler and the Nazis won support, Jobs, lost rights and war, Who was shut out of Nazi unity, Why people obeyed
I can explain how leaders, the army and other groups helped set up authoritarian rule.
Syllabus K227, Rise of Authoritarian Regimes, Learning Outcomes. Explain the roles of key players in the establishment of authoritarian rule.
Taught in How Hitler and the Nazis won support, How Hitler became chancellor, How Hitler became a dictator
Sources and context
Background reading for this chapter.
- Hitler asks for trust
Paraphrase of Hitler's radio appeal on behalf of the new Reich government, 1 February 1933, reproduced by GHDI.
- USHMM, Enabling Act; law translated from Reichsgesetzblatt I, 1933, p141
Paraphrase of Articles 1-3 of the Enabling Act, promulgated 24 March 1933; text translated from the official law gazette by USHMM.
- Wels opposes the Act
Paraphrase of SPD leader Otto Wels' Reichstag speech, 23 March 1933, as reproduced in the German Bundestag historical exhibition, p2.
- workers' mixed responses
Paraphrase of a Central Germany report commissioned by the exiled Social Democratic leadership (Sopade), September 1938; published in GHDI.
- Hitler's confidential memorandum on autarky, August 1936, GHDI
Paraphrase of the concluding instructions in Hitler's confidential memorandum on autarky, August 1936, published in GHDI.
- a Nazi election poster, July 1932
An original poster drawn for these notes in the style of Nazi Party posters for the Reichstag election of 31 July 1932. It is not a copy of a real poster, but its promises match what Nazi posters of that campaign offered unemployed voters.
- the Enabling Act, March 1933
Extract from the "Law to remove the distress of people and State" (the Enabling Act), 24 March 1933, signed by President Hindenburg and Chancellor Hitler. English translation of document 2001-PS from Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression, volume IV, published by the US Office of Chief Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality (1946); text from the Avalon Project.
- the American ambassador reports, 30 June 1934
Extract from a telegram from William Dodd, US Ambassador in Germany, to the Secretary of State, Berlin, 30 June 1934, 5 p.m., sent on the day the purge began. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1934, volume II, document 194. A US government document in the public domain.
- the ambassador looks again, 2 July 1934
Extract from a telegram from Ambassador Dodd to the Secretary of State, Berlin, 2 July 1934, two days later. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1934, volume II, document 197. A US government document in the public domain.
- the German Foreign Minister explains, July 1934
Extract from a telegram from Ambassador Dodd to the Secretary of State, Berlin, 6 July 1934, reporting what the German Foreign Minister, Konstantin von Neurath, told him. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1934, volume II, document 199. A US government document in the public domain.