IBWN - Germany Under Hitler. (Lesson)

Germany Under Hitler.

Hitler moved to consolidate his power by sending his opponents to concentration camps or placing them in exile. By July, he outlawed all other parties and destroyed the opposition, and by November he had restructured the government, purged the civil service and judiciary, outlawed strikes, and controlled the press.

Then in June 1934, he eliminated all of the other leaders of the party and any opposition leaders who were left in what became known as the Night of the Long Knives. When Hindenburg died in August, Hitler declared himself Führer (uniting the Presidency and Chancellorship) and supported the decision through a vote.

Next, the federal states lost their autonomy (gleichschaltung – coordination) and all government employees were made appointees of Hitler. The Gestapo (secret police) infiltrated all levels of society.

In economics, the Nazi party experienced great success. Public works projects lowered unemployment to a tolerable level, and the government used deficit spending to restore the economy. To pay for this, a system devised by the brilliant economist Hjalmar Schacht required that payments for foreign trade be made with money whose value changed according to the products and nations involved (pretty much barter). This increased Germany's self-sufficiency, but in the end they paid by printing more money.

During this time, propaganda advertised the benefits of the new government. Women were presented as subordinate members of the family (meant for breeding more Aryans). Also, Hitler began pushing rearmament and gained more direct control of different branches of the government, such as the foreign services. To deal with the church, Hitler made a concordat with the Vatican in 1933, which gave the state a voice in the appointment of bishops, but assured the Church of its authority over Catholic orders and schools. Protestants were given the Evangelical Church under a bishop appointed by Hitler. Most clergy cooperated with the state, and the ones who resisted were arrested.

Then there was anti-Semitism. In 1935, the gov't codified its anti-Semitic beliefs in the Nuremberg Laws. In 1938, Kristallnacht occurred after a Jewish youth in Paris murdered a minor German diplomat: Jews were beaten and murdered and their property was destroyed. Gypsies were also attacked.

 

 

Document Discussion.

It's time to take a closer look at the Nuremberg Laws. Click on the link below and be sure to read it carefully.

As you read, consider the following:

• Why were these written?
• Why are these particular issues of issues of interest?
• What was hoped to be gained out of these measures?
• In section 4 part 2 - why would this be noted?

Click here to download and read the Nuremberg Laws. Links to an external site.

 

Authoritarian Regimes in Central Europe.

By 1929, in Central Europe, authoritarian regimes had taken over Hungary, Spain, Albania, Portugal, Lithuania, and Yugoslavia, and by 1936, liberties had also been suppressed in Romania, Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia and Greece. For the most part, the new regimes were conservative, Christian and anti-communist, and are sometimes called semi-fascist. The only exception to the rule was Czechoslovakia, which was a democratic republic with free enterprise led by Thomas Masaryk.

 

The Interwar Years.

Please view the slideshow below to review the major nations and their challenges during the interwar years.

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