From Chancellor
To Dictator
The National Revolution
• Hitler had been legally
appointed Chancellor in
January 1933.
– However, he was in a
coalition government
– He did not have absolute
power
• Immediately he called for
new elections
– He wanted to gain 50% of
the vote
– He wanted to remove his
coalition partners
– Election Date: March 5th
The ‘Unfair’ 1933 Election
• Scare Tactics
– The Nazis claimed that the Communists were about
to ‘take over’ Germany
• The government banned Communist meetings
• Communist newspapers were shut down
• In Prussia, the SA were given full police powers
• Government money and power
– The Nazis no longer had to rely on their own money
to fight an election campaign. Goebbels used
propaganda very effectively.
• Huge Propaganda event on 27th Feb
– Just a week before the election
The Reichstag
Fire
• The German
Parliament was
burnt to the ground
– 5th March 1933
• Nazis claimed that
it was by a Dutch
Communist
– Van der Lubbe
• Possibly a Nazi
Conspiracy
• Gave the Nazis a
golden propaganda
opportunity
“The Decree for the Protection of
the People and the State”
• Using the Reichstag Fire as an excuse (an
assault on German Democracy), Hindenburg
signed the emergency decree on February
28th:
– Brownshirts given Police Powers
• Thousands of Communists were arrested
– ‘Protective Custody’ introduced
• Indefinite Imprisonment without trial
• First Concentration Camps created
– Freedom of Speech removed
• Opposition newspapers closed down
– Freedom of Assembly removed
• Only Nazis could hold meetings, rallies, etc…
March 1933 Election Results
(With Cheating)
Party
Seats
Nazis
288
Nationalists (DNVP)
52
Centre (Zentrum)
74
Social Democrats (SPD)
120
Communists
81
The Enabling Act
• Nazis still did not have over 50% of seats
• They needed a 2/3rds majority to change
constitution
• Nazis wanted to pass the Enabling Act
– Would allow Nazis to pass laws without votes in
Reichstag and without Article 48
• Would turn Germany into a Dictatorship
• Nazis used emergency decree powers to arrest
Communists
• Convinces Catholic Party to support him
• Enabling act passed 441 – 84
– Hitler is now a Dictator!