1. Hitler Becomes Chancellor
To learn how Hitler became Chancellor
To understand how this allowed him to take control of Germany

2. Increasing Electoral Success
Following Hitler’s new ideas on how to persuade people to vote for the Nazi Party, the Nazis were rewarded with increasing percentages of the vote
However, despite the fact that the Nazis had grown to become the largest single party in the Reichstag, Hitler was not offered the Chancellorship

3. Why do you think that Von Papen and Hindenburg were unwilling to offer Hitler the Chancellorship?

4. The 1932 Elections
The 1932 elections were a disaster for the Nazi Party
They lost over 2 million votes, and more importantly 34 seats in the Reichstag
This meant that the Nazis had lost influence in German politics
Hitler was reputedly suicidal about the results

5. Controlling Hitler The Chancellor Schleicher resigned
However, Von Papen and Hindenburg saw this as an opportunity to appoint Hitler, believing that in his weakened position he would be easier to control
Throughout January 1933, Von Papen and Hindenburg met with industrialists and businessmen
On 30th January, Hitler was offered the Chancellorship

6. Another Election
Hitler called another election in 1933, determined to gain a Nazi majority in the Reichstag
On the 27th February, the Reichstag building was burned down
Hitler blamed this on the Communists
Hitler gained emergency powers to enable him to deal with the Communist threat
The results in the election gave the Nazis their largest share of the vote to date

7. Do you think the Nazis were responsible for the burning of the Reichstag? Why?

8. The Night of the Long Knives
Hitler’s position was still not secure, and there were many people in powerful positions that were opposed to him
Many opponents either left Germany or were taken to concentration camps
On 29th and 30th June, Hitler sent SS squads to arrest 400 key figures, including Rohm (head of the SA) and Schleicher (former Chancellor). These people were quickly executed
Hindenburg thanked Hitler for nipping treason in the bud!

9. Why did the Night of the Long Knives happen?