2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945 – The Nazi Dictatorship, 1933–1939 (A-level only) — AQA A-Level History
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2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945 – The Nazi Dictatorship, 1933–1939 (A-level only) explained
Between March 1933 and August 1934, Hitler transformed Germany into a dictatorship.
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Governmental and administrative changes began with the March 1933 Enabling Act, bypassing the Reichstag, and the April 1933 Civil Service Law, purging opponents. The establishment of a one-party state culminated in the July 1933 Law Against the Founding of New Parties, outlawing all opposition. To secure army support and eliminate rivals, Hitler orchestrated the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934, purging SA leadership including Röhm. Finally, the death of President Hindenburg in August 1934 allowed Hitler to merge the offices of Chancellor and President, becoming Führer and extracting a personal oath of loyalty from the army, completing his consolidation.
The 'Terror State': the police, including the SS and Gestapo; the courts; extent, effectiveness and limitations of opposition and non-conformity; propaganda: aims, methods and impact; extent of totalitarianism
The Nazi regime maintained control through terror and propaganda, aiming for total societal coordination. The 'Terror State' relied on the SS and the Gestapo, who operated above the law to root out dissent, supported by a compromised court system, notably the People's Court, which delivered predetermined verdicts. Despite this, opposition and non-conformity existed, ranging from private grumbling to youth group defiance, though its extent and effectiveness were severely limited by fear. Simultaneously, Goebbels directed propaganda aiming to indoctrinate the masses, using methods like cheap radios, rallies, and censored press. The impact of these forces raises debate over the extent of totalitarianism: while the regime aspired to total control, administrative chaos and pockets of non-conformity suggest it was never absolute.
Economic policies and the degree of economic recovery; Schacht; Goering; the industrial elites
Nazi economic policies shifted from recovery to rearmament. Hjalmar Schacht’s 1934 'New Plan' used deficit financing via Mefo bills and bilateral trade to reduce unemployment. His reluctance to accelerate rearmament led to his replacement by Hermann Goering. Goering’s 1936 Four Year Plan prioritised autarky and rapid military expansion. Industrial elites, like IG Farben, cooperated extensively, benefiting from smashed trade unions and state contracts despite increasing regulation. The degree of economic recovery was mixed; while unemployment fell drastically, this involved statistical manipulation (excluding women and Jews), and living standards stagnated as resources were diverted to the military.
Social policies: young people; women; workers; the churches; the degree of Volksgemeinschaft; benefits and drawbacks of Nazi rule
During the Nazi Dictatorship (1933–1939), social policies aimed to forge a Volksgemeinschaft (people's community) by subordinating individuals to the state. Youth were indoctrinated via the Hitler Youth and a Nazified curriculum. Women were pushed into maternal roles, though labour shortages later forced them into factories. Workers lost trade unions but gained benefits via Strength Through Joy (KdF), offsetting the drawback of frozen wages. The Churches faced suppression despite the 1933 Concordat, as Nazism demanded total loyalty. The degree of Volksgemeinschaft achieved was limited; while some enjoyed benefits like employment, drawbacks included pervasive terror, loss of freedom, and the brutal exclusion of minorities.
Your focus
- Describe the key governmental and administrative changes implemented between March 1933 and August 1934.
- Explain the sequence of events that led to the establishment of a one-party state by July 1933.
- Analyse the causes and consequences of the Night of the Long Knives and Hindenburg's death on Hitler's absolute power.
Show all 12 objectives
- Detail the roles of the SS, Gestapo, and the courts in enforcing the Nazi 'Terror State'.
- Categorise different forms of opposition and non-conformity, evaluating their effectiveness and limitations.
- Assess the aims, methods, and impact of Nazi propaganda and use this to evaluate the extent of totalitarianism in Germany.
- Compare the economic strategies of Schacht and Goering.
- Evaluate the extent to which Germany achieved economic recovery by 1939.
- Analyse the relationship between the Nazi regime and industrial elites.
- Evaluate the impact of Nazi policies on the lives of women and young people between 1933 and 1939.
- Assess the extent to which the regime successfully controlled workers and the Churches.
- Analyse the reality of the Volksgemeinschaft compared to its propaganda image, weighing the benefits and drawbacks of Nazi rule.
2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945 – The Nazi Dictatorship, 1933–1939 (A-level only) exam tips
Marking Points
- Explain how the Enabling Act (March 1933) provided the legal foundation for governmental change by allowing the cabinet to enact laws without Reichstag approval.
- Detail the process of Gleichschaltung (coordination) in administrative changes, such as the abolition of state assemblies and the purging of the civil service.
- Analyse the steps taken to establish a one-party state, including the banning of the KPD and SPD, and the voluntary dissolution of right-wing and centre parties before the July 1933 decree.
- Evaluate the Night of the Long Knives (June 1934) as a turning point that neutralised the SA threat, secured the allegiance of the regular army (Reichswehr), and established murder as a legitimate tool of state.
- Assess the impact of Hindenburg's death (August 1934), specifically how it removed the final constitutional check on Hitler's power and led to the army's personal oath to the Führer.
- Analyse the structure and function of the 'Terror State', specifically the overlapping roles of the SS, the Gestapo, and the SD in monitoring and eliminating perceived enemies.
- Evaluate the Nazification of the justice system, including the creation of the People's Court (Volksgerichtshof) and the removal of judicial independence to serve Nazi ideology.
- Assess the extent, effectiveness, and limitations of opposition, distinguishing between active resistance (e.g., underground political networks) and non-conformity (e.g., listening to foreign broadcasts or youth swing groups).
- Examine the aims, methods, and impact of Nazi propaganda under Goebbels, focusing on the use of radio, film, the press, and public spectacles to manufacture consent and the Hitler Myth.
- Debate the extent of totalitarianism in Nazi Germany, contrasting the regime's aspirations for total control with the realities of polycratic inefficiency and the persistence of minor non-conformity.
- Evaluate the success of Schacht's New Plan in stimulating job creation and managing foreign exchange.
- Analyse the shift in economic priorities marked by Goering's Four Year Plan and the drive for autarky.
- Assess the symbiotic but unequal relationship between the Nazi state and industrial elites like Krupp.
- Critically examine the 'economic miracle', noting the role of statistical manipulation in unemployment figures.
- Assess the effectiveness of the Hitler Youth and education system in indoctrinating young people during the 1933–1939 dictatorship.
- Evaluate the contradictory nature of policies towards women, contrasting ideological goals with economic realities.
- Analyse the impact of the DAF and KdF on workers' living standards and morale.
- Examine the regime's failure to fully coordinate the Catholic and Protestant churches.
- Weigh the perceived benefits of the Volksgemeinschaft against the severe drawbacks of Nazi rule, such as repression and exclusion.
Examiner Tips
- 💡When evaluating Hitler's consolidation of power, weigh the importance of legal measures (like the Enabling Act) against the use of violence and terror (like the Night of the Long Knives).
- 💡Use the concept of 'pseudo-legality' to explain how the Nazis used existing constitutional mechanisms to dismantle the Weimar Republic from within.
- 💡Connect Hindenburg's death directly to the army oath; this demonstrates an understanding of how the military became personally bound to Hitler rather than the state.
- 💡When discussing the 'Terror State', highlight the synergy between the Gestapo and the general public; the reliance on civilian denunciations is a sophisticated point for evaluation.
- 💡Use the 'Hitler Myth' as a specific example of the impact of propaganda, showing how it helped maintain regime popularity even when specific Nazi policies were unpopular.
- 💡In essays on totalitarianism, contrast the theoretical model of a totalitarian state (total control) with the structuralist view of Nazi Germany as a chaotic, polycratic system.
- 💡Contrast Schacht's focus on balanced recovery and export trade with Goering's aggressive push for rearmament and autarky.
- 💡Use specific examples of industrial elites, such as IG Farben or Krupp, to illustrate big business cooperation.
- 💡When evaluating the 'degree of recovery', distinguish between macroeconomic growth and the actual living standards of ordinary Germans.
- 💡Use the concept of Volksgemeinschaft as a framework to evaluate the success or failure of specific social policies between 1933 and 1939.
- 💡Contrast the propaganda image of a classless, unified society with the reality of persistent social divisions and terror.
- 💡Highlight the tension between ideological goals (e.g., women at home) and practical necessities (e.g., the need for female factory workers).
Common Mistakes
- Error: Claiming Hitler became a dictator immediately upon being appointed Chancellor in January 1933. Correction: Emphasise that his power was initially limited by Hindenburg and a coalition cabinet; the consolidation took 18 months, culminating in August 1934.
- Error: Confusing the SA (Sturmabteilung) with the SS (Schutzstaffel) during the Night of the Long Knives. Correction: Specify that the SS, led by Himmler, carried out the purge against the SA leadership, led by Röhm.
- Error: Stating that the Enabling Act legally abolished the Reichstag. Correction: Note that the Reichstag continued to exist but was rendered powerless, serving merely as an audience for Hitler's speeches.
- Error: Assuming the Gestapo was a massive, omnipresent force with agents on every corner. Correction: Explain that the Gestapo was actually relatively small and relied heavily on voluntary denunciations from ordinary citizens to function effectively.
- Error: Conflating 'non-conformity' with 'opposition' or 'resistance'. Correction: Distinguish between non-conformity (behaviour that deviated from Nazi norms, like Swing Youth) and active political opposition aiming to overthrow the regime.
- Error: Stating that propaganda successfully brainwashed the entire German population. Correction: Note that the impact of propaganda was uneven; it was highly successful in reinforcing existing prejudices but less effective in changing deeply held religious or class loyalties.
- Claiming unemployment was solved entirely by Nazi policies; correction: acknowledge that recovery began under Weimar and figures were manipulated by removing women and Jews from the register.
- Stating that autarky was fully achieved; correction: explain that Germany still relied heavily on imports for key raw materials like oil and rubber by 1939.
- Assuming industrial elites were completely controlled by the state; correction: note that while regulated, elites retained private ownership and actively profited from rearmament.
- Stating that all women were successfully removed from the workplace; correction: note that female employment actually rose between 1933 and 1939 due to rearmament labour shortages.
- Claiming the Churches were completely destroyed; correction: explain that while heavily persecuted, the Churches remained the only major institutions not fully coordinated by the regime.
- Assuming the Volksgemeinschaft was fully realised; correction: argue that class divisions persisted and the community was largely held together by propaganda and terror rather than genuine unity.
- Confusing the 1928–1933 collapse of democracy with the 1933–1939 dictatorship period; correction: ensure social policies are analysed within the context of the established Nazi regime (1933–1939).