Nazi Germany - Hitler Becoming Fuhrer

Nazi Germany - Hitler Becoming Fuhrer

In January 1933 he became Chancellor, by the August 1934 he was Fuhrer, what happened?

Reichstag Fire:

• 27th February 1933 - whilst Hitler was having dinner with his propaganda minister, the Reichstag building was set on fire
• Hitler immediately blamed communists
• Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe caught at the scene
• After arrested he acted strangely, didn't speak, not even to defend himself
• 11 months later he was found guilty and confessed - beheaded
• Communists said it was a Nazi plot so Hitler could blame the communists
• Another story was that van Lubbe started one fire and the SA started the others
• Some suspicion that the Nazis started the fire because of how well Hitler used it as propaganda
• Day after the fire Hitler persuades President Hindenburg to pass emergency decree by using Article 48
• Hitler could arrest anyone under suspicion of opposing the government
• Ended political liberty, freedom of speech and took control of the press
• Hitler arrested many political opponents, others were afraid to vote because of the SA

The Nazis did well in the elections because:

• They controlled news media
• Opposition meetings banned
• They used SA to terrorise opponents
• They blamed communists for Reichstag fire
• Emergency decrees were used
• Communists were arrested, making people scared to vote for them

The enabling act:

• The SA intimidates all the…