How does Hitler consolidate his power by 1934?
How does Hitler consolidate his power by 1934?
When Hitler became chancellor in January 1933, he was far from achieving the amount of power that he ultimately gained during the course of the Nazi regime. There were various obstacles to overcome in order to gain total power and to fully consolidate the rise of the Nazis.
The Reichstag Fire had given Hitler the opportunity to damage the reputation of the Communists and to heighten the reputation of the Nazis. Caught inside the Reichstag building was communist Van der Lubbe, who was captured and charged for starting the fire. This gave Hitler the perfect excuse to ‘get rid’ of the Nazis highest competition, he claimed all communists were behind the plotting of the fire and ordered many to be arrested. This left many empty seats in the Reichstag parliament and no communistic views to contrast those of Hitler. He wasted no time. On 23rd March he introduced an Enabling Act, which would allow him to have complete power in Germany. However, this law needed to be approved by the whole Reichstag, therefore great pressure was put on other parties in the Reichstag by the Nazis. By using the Law for the Protection of the People and State (article 48) and the excuse of the Reichstag Fire, Hitler banned the Communists from taking their seats, many members of the Social Democrats were beaten up by the SA, and many were too scared to turn up to the voting.
The result of these tactics was that the Enabling Act was passed. The Enabling Act gave Hitler the power to pass any laws without consulting the Reichstag, and without the approval of President Hindenburg. After March 1933 the Reichstag only really met to hear speeches by Hitler. The authority of all other political parties had been swept away. In the next elections, the Nazis were the only party allowed to stand.
Removing external opposition was a key factor for Hitler and the Nazi leaders. If they had no one to stand against their views, then they could bully
When Hitler became chancellor in January 1933, he was far from achieving the amount of power that he ultimately gained during the course of the Nazi regime. There were various obstacles to overcome in order to gain total power and to fully consolidate the rise of the Nazis.
The Reichstag Fire had given Hitler the opportunity to damage the reputation of the Communists and to heighten the reputation of the Nazis. Caught inside the Reichstag building was communist Van der Lubbe, who was captured and charged for starting the fire. This gave Hitler the perfect excuse to ‘get rid’ of the Nazis highest competition, he claimed all communists were behind the plotting of the fire and ordered many to be arrested. This left many empty seats in the Reichstag parliament and no communistic views to contrast those of Hitler. He wasted no time. On 23rd March he introduced an Enabling Act, which would allow him to have complete power in Germany. However, this law needed to be approved by the whole Reichstag, therefore great pressure was put on other parties in the Reichstag by the Nazis. By using the Law for the Protection of the People and State (article 48) and the excuse of the Reichstag Fire, Hitler banned the Communists from taking their seats, many members of the Social Democrats were beaten up by the SA, and many were too scared to turn up to the voting.
The result of these tactics was that the Enabling Act was passed. The Enabling Act gave Hitler the power to pass any laws without consulting the Reichstag, and without the approval of President Hindenburg. After March 1933 the Reichstag only really met to hear speeches by Hitler. The authority of all other political parties had been swept away. In the next elections, the Nazis were the only party allowed to stand.
Removing external opposition was a key factor for Hitler and the Nazi leaders. If they had no one to stand against their views, then they could bully