The Nazi Consolidation of Power

Lesson objectives By the end of this lesson you should: Have an opinion about whether the Nazi consolidation of power can be called a ‘revolution’ Be prepared to answer an AS exam question about the consolidation of power

Did Germany undergo a ‘political revolution’ between ? Consolidation of Power has been termed as a: ‘national revolution’, ‘legal revolution’, ‘revolution from above and below’, ‘cultural revolution’. How appropriate is such terminology to describe the events between ? What is a revolution?

Arguments for… Change (p.23/4 Layton): Situation by 1934 (authoritarian) totally opposite to that of the Weimar Republic. Intolerance shown to any kind of political opposition. Dissolution of the Reichstag (14 th Oct 1933). Federal states were now under tight Nazi control (Gleichschaltung – bringing into line/co- ordination).

ARGUMENTS AGAINST… Continuity (p.24 Layton): Major forces continued to operate independent of the Nazi regime (army, big business, Protestant and Catholic Churches). Night of the Long Knives was an attempt to enter into political partnership with these representatives of old Germany. No real fundamental social or economic change.

Your opinion Did Germany undergo a ‘political revolution’ between ? Write a brief answer to this question explaining your own view. Explain your answer using the evidence you gathered for homework

Exam technique AS Unit 2: Periods of Change HIS2M Life in Nazi Germany, 1933 – 1945 (1hr 30mins written paper) Q1 – compulsory source based questions (12 and 24 marks) – 50mins Q2 or Q3 – choose one (12 and 24 marks) – 40mins

12 mark question 10-12mins About 3/400 words, 1/1.5 sides of hand written A4 No introduction needed but could explain in a couple of sentences that you know what you’re being asked. This shows the examiner that you are aware of what the question is all about 3 paragraphs with 3 reasons explaining why (a bit like the 6 mark question at GCSE but in more detail), and evidence to support your points. If appropriate, could choose a short, medium and long term reason/prioritise Short conclusion and judgement (argue what the most important reason is). It’s good to leave this until the end and not try to work it out at the start as you can then leave making your decision until you have looked at all the evidence

12 mark question - tips L3: Answers will demonstrate good understanding of the demands of the question providing relevant explanations backed by appropriately selected information, although this may not be full or comprehensive. Answers will, for the most part, be clearly expressed and show some organisation in the presentation of material L4: Answers will be well-focused, identifying a range of specific explanations, backed by precise evidence and demonstrating good understanding of the connections and links between events/issues. Answers will, for the most part, be well-written and organised

12 Mark Plan Intro sentences: The Enabling Act was…it was passed in…it allowed Hitler to…. There are many reasons why Hitler would want these kind of powers… Reason 1: enabled him to destroy the WR and gain total power for himself (the Enabling Act gives a legal sheen to Nazi activities and credibility to Hitler’s actions). He was trying to appease certain groups and make his actions look acceptable to the groups who still had influence over him (army, big business) Reason 2: allowed him to co-ordinate and ‘Nazify’ German society (banned other political parties, takeover of media institutions, purge of the civil service, disbanded TU, dismantled TofV). Mention some of the laws he passed to achieve this Reason 3: allowed him to organise and co-ordinate his own party (Night of the Long Knives, suppress the momentum that had built up in lower ranks for revolution etc, army oath). Under the Enabling Act, he could carry this out and make it look like he was doing it for the state Conclusion: what was the most important reason and why? Why the others weren’t as important

24 mark question 30-35mins About 800 words, 2.5 sides of hand written A4 Short introduction in which you set up the debate. This shows the examiner that you know what the debate is about so give some background knowledge Section 1 – agree with the statement and why – give evidence and examples (don’t need more than one well developed argument). Break this section up – a paragraph on the most important events and then another paragraph about the others that were less important Section 2 – disagree with the statement and why – give evidence and examples (don’t need more than one well developed argument). Break this section up – a paragraph on the most important events and then another paragraph about the others that were less important Conclusion – remember to explicitly answer the question and try to lift your answer a bit here. Don’t just repeat what you’ve said, add a summary and weigh up the arguments you have made

24 mark question - tips L4: Answers will show explicit understanding of the demands of the question. They will develop a balanced argument backed by a good range of appropriately selected evidence and a good understanding of historical interpretations. Answers will, for the most part, show organisation and good skills of written communication L5: Answers will be well-focused and closely argued. The arguments will be supported by precisely selected evidence leading to a relevant conclusion/judgement, incorporating well-developed understanding of historical interpretations and debate. Answers will, for the most part, be carefully organised and fluently written, using appropriate vocabulary So don’t just pick one legal example and one terror example, you need more depth and a range of examples It is the quality of your conclusion that will get you up into L5 of the mark scheme

24 mark plan Introduction: Hitler had become Chancellor by 1933 and by August 1934 had consolidated his power; Germany was effectively a one- party state. All the power rested with Hitler and the army had sworn an oath of personal loyalty to him and he had become Fuhrer. The question is whether he achieved this through legal means or did he rely more on fear, terror and intimidation? Section 1 agree: 1). Enabling Act – gave him total control to pass laws without the Reichstag, his word become the law of the state. Laws passed using this act – disbanded trade unions, banned other political parties, civil service laws. 2). Decree for the Protection of People and State – circumstances it was passed in and allowed Hitler to round up opponents. Hitler as shrewd/compromising in order to neutralise opponents e.g. Concordat Section 2 disagree: 1). Night of the Long Knives – eliminated threats to his power within his own party, used it to create a reputation of fear and terror. 2). Gestapo – secret police to hunt down opposition. Intimidation – always present and even though elections were legal, people were intimidated into doing as Hitler wished. Exploited peoples fears e.g. over the communist threat after the Reichstag Fire.

Conclusion: you could argue 1). Although a number of important stages of the consolidation and the establishment of a dictatorship lay within the law, actually all this did was give a gloss of legality to actions and made violence and intimidation legal. Gave credibility and a framework to the violence, legalised violent acts. 2). Hitler was shrewd and manipulative so he made his actions legal which was key to consolidating his position. Yes there may have been violence and intimidation but ultimately it is this legal framework which helped Hitler establish a dictatorship by 1934.

General tips Do not exceed the recommended word limits as this is unnecessary and will waste time you could spend on answering other questions Be smart in choosing your questions – some may set out a very specific time frame in which to frame your answer while others may more generally say ‘the 1930s’ for example. These ones are tougher as you are expected to cover a range of years You do not need to attribute any views to particular historians – be aware of the different views but no need to mention any by name These questions are not hard in themselves – the challenge is going to be the timing in exam conditions e.g. the last question of the exam is 24 marks so need to have time to answer this. Also you’ll have learnt the whole course and end up having to just choose one topic

homework Answer Q2, parts 03 (12 marks) and 04 (24 marks) These essays will determine your tracker grade for this half term Any problems come and find me/ me Due: 15/10