The Reichstag Fire led to the Enabling Act because Hitler had managed to convince Hindenburg that it was a ‘communists uprising’. This manages Hitler to prove to Germany that communists were bad people and he would have get more votes, in the next elections. However, I also disagree with the statement ‘the Reichstag Fire more important than the Enabling Act in allowing Hitler to consolidate power’ because of other several reasons. Firstly, the Enabling Act made a Hitler a virtual dictator. Nobody could stop him, even Hindenburg.
His first move was to test the other European powers by inserting troops into Germany’s coal mining area next to France. This was ofcourse forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles and Hitler wanted to see how far he could push his adversaries before they would strike back. If Britain had not been so passive to Hitler they might have stopped this war before it ever started. They, however, allowed Hitler to do this because they did not want to start another war. Hitler then pushed the European powers further and further until he invaded Poland and Europe had no choice but to react.The results of the vote were fixed and showed that 99% of Austrian people wanted Anschluss (union with Germany).
Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin were both powerful, ambitious leaders that worked their way into positions of power. Stalin took over after Lenin died to lead the USSR after the Russian Revolution. Hitler became leader of the Nazi Party and gained the people’s support with promises of a strong leader that resisted western powers. On their rise to power, both Stalin and Hitler became leaders of political parties, eliminated opposing parties, and promised a better future for the people and country, but Stalin used the people’s support as leverage in his power struggle with Trotsky while Hitler used his passion and the economic situation in Germany to become leader of the Nazi party and gain support over the socialists. Both Hitler and Stalin started their journey towards power by joining political parties.
2. Religion (Social Control) Hitler believed that religion was a threat to the Nazis' control over people's mind - so he tried different ways to reduce the power of the church over people. In 1933 Hitler signed the Concordat - he promised not to interfere with the Catholic Church - which was guaranteed freedom to worship and run its own youth organisations and schools. In return the Catholic Church agreed to stay out of politics (this instantly made it harder for it to voice the opinions of the religion nationally.) Within a year, Hitler began to break this agreement and attack the Catholic Church.
With the Nazi Party now firmly rooted in the political scene, Hitler sought to combine his power through the implementation of the Enabling Act; this law would effectively abolish any trace of power held by the Reichstag and the president. The introduction of the Gleichschaltung from 1933 to 1934 allowed a widespread reconfiguration of all areas of German life and thus saw the Nazification of the nation, enforcing the extent to which Nazi ideology had permeated the scope of German society and the limitless parameters of Hitler’s authority. This was assisted by the intimidation inspired by Hitler’s SA and SS, who successfully eliminated any opposition of the Nazi state. Finally, however, it was the support of the Reichswehr that would pave the rule of Nazism in Germany, which was only obtained as a result of the Night of the Long Knives, where the threat of usurpation by the SA was abolished and Hitler’s ruler ship in the event of Hindenburg’s death was guaranteed. The conservative parties and elites made up of the army, right-wing parties, politicians, businessmen and Junkers had a major role in the
General von schleicher stopped supporting von papen and decided he himself should become chancellor, this triggered of a power struggle between von schleicher nd von papen, which ended with them handing power to Hitler. Hitler was made Chancellor in 1933 after von Papen persuades Hindenburg. Von Papen thought that as long as there were a limited number of Nazis in the cabinet then Hitler could be controlled. Von Papen was wrong. Another thing was there was the weakness of the Weimar government, which played its part.
Hitler got away with this because Britain had sympathy for Germany and in 1935 signed a naval agreement with them. France was angry that Germany was re-army but there was little they could do as most countries were doing the same, especially after the disappointment of the Disarmament conference.. The failure of the League of Nations in the 1930s also contributed towards the outbreak of war. It was powerless throughout the 1920s as it was more interested in trying to keep good relations with the other countries so it would have allies against Hitler if he ever attacked. The League also didn’t work because America didn’t join and it was the American President Woodrow Wilson who created it and it would never have worked unless all the nations were allowed to join.
However, at the election, Nazis didn't win majority of the votes, therefore a coalition government was formed with the National Party. Hitler was disappointed as he needed two thirds of the seats in order to change the constitution. Although it seems as if the election hadn't really helped Hitler, I think it gave him the incentive to move on to his next step of passing the Enabling Bill, making it a key reason as to why he was able to form this dictatorship. The Enabling Bill was the next big step for Hitler as it allowed him to make laws without
This rise to power is important since the SS played a big role in the events in Germany for the duration of Nazi rule. The Night of the Long Knives, supposedly repressed a planned revolution by the SA, led by Ernst Rohm. Hitler, who had recently found status as a respected politician, was wary of these rumours undermining that status, and felt threatened by the rumours that the SA, were planning a “second
Schuschnigg compromised by appointing the Nazi Seyss-Inquart as Minister of the Interior. Hitler had built up his armed forces and achieved success in the Rhineland whilst at the same time noting the failures of the League of Nations. France and Britain both refused to help Austria, so on March 9 1938 Schuschnigg announced his intention to hold a plebiscite to allow the Austrian people decide for themselves, whether they actually wanted to join with Germany or not. Hitler got furious and moved troops to the Austrian border and demanded that Schussing should call off the plebiscite. Schuschnigg had no choice to give in and resign.