How did Hitler turn the role of Chancellor into a total dictatorship?
The creation of the Nazi dictatorship 1933 to 39: the Reichstag Fire and Enabling Act, the removal of opposition, the Night of the Long Knives, the death of Hindenburg, and the machinery of control (the SS, Gestapo, propaganda and censorship).
A focused answer to Key Topic 3 of Edexcel's Weimar and Nazi Germany depth study, covering the Reichstag Fire and Enabling Act, the removal of opposition, the Night of the Long Knives, the death of Hindenburg, and the police state of the SS, Gestapo, propaganda and censorship.
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What this dot point is asking
This is Key Topic 3: how Hitler turned the office of Chancellor into a total dictatorship between 1933 and 1934, and how the Nazis then controlled Germany through a police state and propaganda. You need the Reichstag Fire and Enabling Act, the removal of opposition, the Night of the Long Knives, the death of Hindenburg, and the machinery of control (SS, Gestapo, courts, propaganda and censorship). Expect Paper 3 source and interpretation questions on Nazi control.
The Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act
Removing opposition
The Night of the Long Knives and Hindenburg's death
The police state and propaganda
Try this
Q1. What did the Enabling Act allow Hitler to do? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. It let him make laws for four years without the approval of the Reichstag or President, the legal basis of the dictatorship.
Q2. Explain why the Night of the Long Knives was important. [Short explanation]
- Cue. It removed the threat from the large, radical SA by murdering Rohm and other leaders, and won the army's loyalty, which helped Hitler become Fuhrer when Hindenburg died soon after.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Edexcel 201912 marksExplain why Hitler was able to establish a dictatorship in Germany in the years 1933 to 1934.Show worked answer →
The Paper 3 "Explain why" question (12 marks). Reward at least three developed reasons with precise detail.
Reason one (the Reichstag Fire and Enabling Act). After the Reichstag Fire (Feb 1933) Hitler banned the Communists and passed the Enabling Act (March 1933), letting him make laws without the Reichstag, the legal basis of the dictatorship.
Reason two (removing opposition). Other parties and trade unions were banned, and Germany became a one-party state by July 1933, ending legal opposition.
Reason three (the Night of the Long Knives and Hindenburg's death). In 1934 Hitler purged the SA leadership (the Night of the Long Knives), winning the army's loyalty, and when Hindenburg died he merged Chancellor and President as Fuhrer.
Top band. Three developed reasons, each with detail, explaining how the dictatorship was built.
Edexcel 202112 marksExplain why the Nazis used terror and the police state to control Germany.Show worked answer →
The Paper 3 "Explain why" question (12 marks). Reward at least three developed reasons.
Reason one (to crush opposition). The SS and Gestapo arrested, imprisoned and intimidated political opponents, sending many to concentration camps, so resistance was dangerous.
Reason two (to create fear and conformity). The threat of informers and arrest made people afraid to speak out, so most conformed even if they privately disagreed.
Reason three (to support propaganda). Terror worked alongside propaganda and censorship: people saw only the Nazi message and feared the consequences of dissent, reinforcing control.
Top band. Three developed reasons, each with detail, explaining the use of the police state.
Related dot points
- Hitler's rise to power 1919 to 33: the early Nazi Party and the Munich Putsch, the lean years of 1924 to 28, the impact of the Depression after 1929, the growth of Nazi support, and Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in January 1933.
A focused answer to Key Topic 2 of Edexcel's Weimar and Nazi Germany depth study, covering the early Nazi Party and the Munich Putsch, the lean years of 1924 to 28, the impact of the Depression, the reasons for growing Nazi support, and Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in 1933.
- The Weimar Republic 1918 to 29: its origins after defeat in the First World War, the strengths and weaknesses of the new constitution, the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, the crisis of 1923 (the Ruhr and hyperinflation), and the Stresemann recovery.
A focused answer to Key Topic 1 of Edexcel's Weimar and Nazi Germany depth study, covering the origins of the Republic, the new constitution, the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, the 1923 crisis (the Ruhr occupation and hyperinflation), and the Stresemann recovery and cultural revival.
- Life in Nazi Germany 1933 to 39: the role and expectations of women, the control of young people through education and the Hitler Youth, the experience of workers, the Nazis and the Churches, and opposition and resistance.
A focused answer to Key Topic 4 of Edexcel's Weimar and Nazi Germany depth study, covering the role of women, the control of youth through education and the Hitler Youth, the experience of workers, the relationship between the Nazis and the Churches, and opposition and resistance.
- Nazi racial policy and the persecution of minorities (Jews, and other groups), the events of Kristallnacht, the policy towards the racial state, and the Nazi economy of rearmament and self-sufficiency before 1939.
A focused answer to Nazi racial policy and the economy in Edexcel's Weimar and Nazi Germany depth study, covering the persecution of Jews and other minorities, the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht, the idea of the racial state, and the Nazi economy of rearmament and self-sufficiency before 1939.
- Analysing sources in Edexcel GCSE History: making inferences from a source, judging the usefulness of one or more sources for a stated enquiry using content and provenance (nature, origin and purpose), and applying contextual knowledge.
A focused answer to the Edexcel GCSE History source questions, covering how to make inferences from a source, and how to weigh content against provenance (nature, origin and purpose) and use contextual knowledge to judge the usefulness of sources for a stated enquiry.
Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History (1HI0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2016)