what method did the Nazi's adopt to gain complete control over the public
Answers
Explanation:
Following Hitler’s appointment as chancellor the Nazis were finally in a position of power.
However, this power was limited, as the Nazis were just one party in a three party coalition government, under President Hindenburg.
This topic will explore how the Nazis managed to eliminate their opposition and consolidate ultimate power over Germany, whilst maintaining an illusion of democracy.
It will first explore this topic in chronological order, from the Reichstag Fire through to the death of President Hindenburg, and then explore it thematically in the last section.
The Reichstag Fire
On the 31 January 1933, Hitler, conscious of his lack of a majority in the Reichstag, immediately called for new elections to try and strengthen his position. The Nazis aimed to increase their share of the vote so that they would have a majority in the Reichstag. This would allow them to rule unopposed and unhindered by coalition governments.
Over the next two months, they launched themselves into an intense election campaign.
On 27 February 1933, as the campaign moved into its final, frantic days, the Reichstag, the German Parliament building, was set on fire and burnt down. An atmosphere of panic and terror followed the event.
This continued when a young Dutch communist, Van der Lubbe was arrested for the crime.
The Nazi Party used the atmosphere of panic to their advantage, encouraging anti-communism. Göring declared that the communists had planned a national uprising to overthrow the Weimar Republic. This hysteria helped to turn the public against the communists, one of the Nazis main opponents, and 4000 people were imprisoned.
The Night of Long Knives was the purge of the SA leadership and other political opponents from the 30 June 1934 to the 2 July 1934. Over 150 people were murdered and hundreds more were arrested.
Following the purge, the Nazi’s sculpted the media coverage to portray the event as a preventative measure against a revolutionary, violent, and uncontrollable force, rather than a series of political murders.
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The Nazis adopted the following methods to gain complete control over the public-
- The Nazis capitalized on Germany's defeat in the First World War, which lasted from the summer of 1914 until November 1918.
- Hitler promised the Germans that he would make their country great once more.
- Hitler also gave the German people a scapegoat when he claimed that Jews were to blame for Germany's heavy debt load and high unemployment rate. The Germans found this appealing because it offered them an easy way out rather than forcing them to shoulder the guilt.
- On January 30, 1933, Hitler and the Nazis took control of Germany. By March of that year, Hitler gained complete control of the nation.
- Hitler established the Nazis as the sole recognized political party in the nation; all other organizations were outlawed or disbanded, and no one could now question the Nazis legally, making resistance highly hazardous.
- Nazi governors who had the authority to appoint and remove officials and judges took the place of the German states' legislatures (Lander) in April 1933.
- Trade unions were outlawed and their leaders imprisoned on May 2, 1933. They were replaced by the Labor Front of German. Thus, the Nazis gained authority over the workforce.
- All political parties, with the exception of the Nazi Party, were outlawed on July 14, 1933, eliminating the need for elections and establishing a one-party system.
- People's Courts were formed on April 24, 1934, and Nazi judges presided over all treason trials.
- Hitler consolidated the roles of president and chancellor and took over as commander in chief of the German Army after President Hindenburg passed away from old age. He adopted the title of "Führer" and assumed total autocratic authority.
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