1. Hitler’s position in January 1933.
Tip-Who are the other characters in the picture? What are they doing with Hitler?

2. What had changed about Hitler’s position by 1934?
Hitler’s position 18 months later…
What had changed about Hitler’s position by 1934?

3. Setting the Scene… In January 1933-Hitler was in a weak position;
Only 2 other Nazis had positions in the New Government.
Nazi support had fallen from 37% to 33% during To control the Reichstag he needed at least 50% of the vote.
Hitler could be sacked by President at any time.
Hindenburg and Franz Von Papen planned to use Hitler like a puppet from ‘behind the scenes’.

4. Setting the scene…
By the end of 1934 Hitler was in a totally different position;
Von Papen had resigned.
Hindenburg was dead.
Hitler was President and Chancellor.
The army had taken an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler.
The Nazis were the ONLY political party.
How had this happened?

5. From Democracy to Dictatorship
Spot the differences and see if you can give a reason for these
Oath of Allegiance before August 2, 1934
The Fuehrer Oath
(effective August 2, 1934)
"I swear by almighty God this sacred oath: I will at all times loyally and honestly serve my people and country and, as a brave soldier, I will be ready at any time to stake my life for this oath."
"I swear by almighty God this sacred oath: I will render unconditional obedience to the Fuehrer of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht, and, as a brave soldier, I will be ready at any time to stake my life for this oath."

6. From Democracy to Dictatorship
Oath of Allegiance before August 2, 1934
The Fuehrer Oath
(effective August 2, 1934)
"I swear by almighty God this sacred oath: I will at all times loyally and honestly serve my people and country and, as a brave soldier, I will be ready at any time to stake my life for this oath."
"I swear by almighty God this sacred oath: I will render unconditional obedience to the Fuehrer of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht, and, as a brave soldier, I will be ready at any time to stake my life for this oath."

7. How did Hitler consolidate his power from 1933-34?
To consolidate: to strengthen

8. How did this event help the Nazis?
Watch this video clip to gain information on the Reichstag Fire?

9. How does this video clip interpret the event of the Reichstag Fire?
Marinus Van der Lubbe
How does this video clip interpret the event of the Reichstag Fire?

10. The importance of the fire.
The Reichstag (the German Parliament) burned down. 
A Dutch Communist named van der Lubbe was caught red-handed with matches and fire-lighting materials.   
Hitler used it as an excuse to arrest many of his Communist opponents, and as a major platform in his election campaign of March 1933.   The fire was so convenient that many people at the time claimed that the Nazis had burned it down, and then just blamed the Communists.  
Modern historians, however, tend to believe that van der Lubbe did cause the fire, and that Hitler just took advantage of it.

11. From the memoirs of Rudolf Diels, Head of the Prussian Police in 1933
From the memoirs of Rudolf Diels, Head of the Prussian Police in He was writing about Hitler’s reaction to the Reichstag fire. Diels was writing in 1950
Hitler was standing on a balcony gazing at the red ocean of fire. He swung round towards us … his face had turned quite scarlet with the excitement … Suddenly he started screaming at the top of his voice: “Now we’ll show them! Anyone who stands in our way will be mown down. The German people have been too soft for too long. Every Communist official must be shot. All friends of the Communists must be locked up. And that goes for the Social Democrats too.”
How useful is this source as evidence about the impact of the Reichstag Fire?

12. Following the Reichstag Fire (Feb 1933) the Nazis used Article 48 to declare a state of emergency. During the March elections only the Nazis were allowed to campaign and the SA were used to enforce law and order on the streets and at the polling stations!

13. In what way did this help Hitler gain more control over the Reichstag?

14. The Enabling Act: 23rd of March 1933
BBC Bitesize
Enabling Act - the SA intimidates all the remaining non-Nazi deputies. The Reichstag votes to give Hitler the right to make his own laws.
[SA : Also known as Storm Troopers or Brownshirts. A military style organisation of the Nazi party formed in 1921 under Hitler. ]
Age 8.2

15. The Enabling Act: 23rd of March 1933
The Enabling Act, placed before the Reichstag on 23rd of March 1933 was to allow the powers of legislation to be taken away from the Reichstag and transferred to Hitler's cabinet for a period of four years.
The act required a two-thirds majority, but passed easily with the support of the Centre and Nationalist parties and the suppression of all Communist deputies and several Social Democrats. Thus dictatorial powers were finally conferred, legally, on Adolf Hitler.
By July 14th Hitler had proclaimed a law stating that the Nazi Party was to be the only political party allowed in Germany.
All non-Nazi organizations were disbanded, including political parties and trade unions.
The individual German states were stripped of any autonomous powers they might have had and Nazi officials were installed as state governors.
Age 14.0