Knowledge organiser: Nazi Control and Dictatorship, 1933-39

Chronology: what happened on these dates? The Reichstag building was set on fire. In 1933 Hitler became chancellor of Germany and by February, 1933 Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch Communist, 1934 he had declared himself Führer - the leader of was found at the scene. Germany. Hitler eliminated all sources of opposition, Hitler passed the Enabling Act. This would March, 1933 both within the Nazi Party and in Germany. give him full powers for the next four years. All trade unions were banned and the Nazis May, 1933 became the only legal party. Summarise your learning The Night of the Long Knives, which was the June, 1934 purging of Hitler’s political and military rivals Hitler combined the posts of Chancellor and Hitler and the Nazis secured control August, 1934 President, and assumed the title of Führer. Vocabulary: define these words. Topic 1: of all aspects of the German state. The German army swore allegiance to Hitler. The creation By August 1934, Hitler had Bringing people into an identical Who or what were these people/events? Gleichschaltung of a combined the posts of Chancellor way of thinking and behaving dictatorship and President. The banning of Organisations set up to protect and and the political parties, the control of the Originally the Nazi paramilitary organisation Trade Unions improve the rights of workers police state, media, trade unions and police that acted as Hitler’s bodyguard, they became Schutzstaffel (SS) Prison for political prisoners and 1933-34 ensured that there was little or no the most powerful troops in the Third Reich Concentration enemies of the state, placed there opposition to the Nazi regime. and carried out the Final Solution. camp without trial A country or government in which Sicherheitsdienst ‘Security service’, the intelligence agency of Dictatorship absolute power is exercised by a The Nazi dictatorship was based on (SD) the Nazis. fear – make people too frightened to dictator Topic 2: actively oppose the Nazi state. This Nazi name for Germany. Means Gestapo Official secret police of the Nazi regime. Third Reich Controlling was achieved through the ‘Third Empire’ and establishment of a police state, Nazi Controlling what is produced and Minister of propaganda for the German Third influencing control of the law courts and the Josef Goebbels Censorship suppressing anything considered Reich. attitudes setting up of concentration camps. to be against the state Also, Hitler was determined to Information, especially of a biased Groups of youths who opposed the military reduce the influence of the German or misleading nature, used to Edelweiss Pirates discipline of the Nazi youth groups and the Propaganda Catholic and Protestant Churches. promote a political cause or point lack of freedom. of view The Nazis restricted challenges to Converting people to your ideas Indoctrination their power by means of They took part in activities that were frowned using education and propaganda Topic 3: Gleichschaltung, the use of the The Swing Youth on by the Nazis – American clothes, films and Sought to move Germany away Opposition, Gestapo, SS and SD and laws such German Faith music. from Christianity. It put forward the resistance as the banning of political parties Movement Nazi idea of ‘blood and soil' and and trade unions. Many Germans conformity in feared the Nazis, so they silently An agreement between the Pope Leader of the Confessional Church, which Nazi accepted Nazi policies. There was and a government concerning the followed tradition German Protestantism. He Germany some opposition to the Nazi regime Martin Niemöller Concordat legal status of the Roman Catholic established the Pastors’ Emergency League from the young, the Church and the Church within that government’s to oppose Nazi control of the Church. army, but they were never enough territory to threaten the regime.