The Nazi Dictatorship 1933–1934

When Hitler became Chancellor on 30 January 1933, he was not yet a dictator. He led a coalition government with only three Nazis in the cabinet, and President Hindenburg could dismiss him at any time. Within 18 months, however, Hitler had destroyed democracy and established a totalitarian dictatorship. This lesson examines how he achieved this with terrifying speed. This is a crucial topic for AQA GCSE History.

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Step 1: The Reichstag Fire (27 February 1933)

On the night of 27 February 1933, the Reichstag building was set on fire. A young Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was arrested at the scene and confessed.

What the Nazis Claimed	What Actually Happened
The fire was the start of a communist revolution	Historians debate whether Van der Lubbe acted alone or whether the Nazis started the fire themselves to create an excuse for emergency powers

Consequences

• Hitler persuaded President Hindenburg to sign the Reichstag Fire Decree (28 February 1933).
• This decree suspended civil liberties: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to assemble were abolished.
• The police could arrest and detain people without trial.
• 4,000 communists were arrested in the days that followed.
• The decree gave the Nazis a legal basis for terrorising their opponents.

Exam Tip: Whether or not the Nazis started the fire, they certainly exploited it brilliantly. The Reichstag Fire Decree was the first major step towards dictatorship.

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Step 2: The March 1933 Election

Hitler called a new election for 5 March 1933, hoping to win a two-thirds majority that would allow him to change the constitution.

Party	Seats	% Vote
NSDAP (Nazis)	288	43.9%
SPD	120	18.3%
KPD (Communists)	81	12.3%
Centre Party	74	11.2%
DNVP (Nationalists — Nazi allies)	52	8.0%

The Nazis won 288 seats — their best ever result — but still did not have a two-thirds majority. With the support of the DNVP (52 seats), they had a simple majority, but not enough to change the constitution.

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Step 3: The Enabling Act (23 March 1933)

The Enabling Act (officially the "Law to Remedy the Distress of the People and the Reich") was the most important step in Hitler's destruction of democracy.

Provision	Effect
The government could pass laws without the Reichstag's approval	The Reichstag became irrelevant
The government could pass laws that overrode the constitution	Constitutional protections were destroyed
The Act was valid for 4 years (and was renewed in 1937)	Gave Hitler unlimited power for the foreseeable future

How Did Hitler Get the Enabling Act Passed?

• Communist deputies (81 seats) were banned from attending after the Reichstag Fire Decree.
• SA stormtroopers surrounded the building, intimidating opposition deputies.
• The Centre Party was persuaded to vote in favour after Hitler promised to respect the Catholic Church (a promise he later broke).
• Only the SPD voted against (94 votes). Their leader, Otto Wels, gave a courageous speech defending democracy.
• The Act passed with 444 votes to 94.

Exam Tip: The Enabling Act is the single most important event in the creation of the Nazi dictatorship. It gave Hitler legal power to rule without the Reichstag, making Germany a legal dictatorship. Be ready to explain how Hitler achieved this through a combination of violence, intimidation, and political deals.

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Step 4: Gleichschaltung (Co-ordination)

After the Enabling Act, Hitler moved swiftly to bring all aspects of German society under Nazi control. This process was called Gleichschaltung ("co-ordination" or "bringing into line").

Action	Date	Detail
Trade unions banned	May 1933	Replaced by the German Labour Front (DAF), controlled by the Nazis
Political parties banned	July 1933	The Law Against the Formation of New Parties made the NSDAP the only legal party
State governments dissolved	January 1934	All regional governments were abolished; Germany became a centralised state
Civil service purged	April 1933	The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service removed Jews and political opponents from government jobs
Media controlled	1933 onwards	Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda controlled newspapers, radio, film, and the arts

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Step 5: The Night of the Long Knives (30 June 1934)

By 1934, the SA (led by Ernst Röhm) had become a problem for Hitler.

Why Was the SA a Problem?

Issue	Detail
Size	The SA had over 3 million members — far larger than the German army
Röhm's ambitions	Röhm wanted the SA to replace the army; he called for a "second revolution" with socialist reforms
Army opposition	The German army's generals were alarmed by the SA and would not support Hitler if Röhm remained powerful
Threat to Hitler	Röhm was one of the few people who treated Hitler as an equal, not as a superior

What Happened?

On the night of 30 June 1934, Hitler ordered the SS to arrest and murder SA leaders and other political opponents.

• Ernst Röhm was arrested and shot in his prison cell.
• Former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and his wife were murdered.
• Gregor Strasser (a Nazi rival of Hitler) was killed.
• An estimated 85–200+ people were killed (the exact number is unknown).

Significance

• The SA was broken as a political force; the SS replaced it as the Nazis' main instrument of terror.
• The German army swore a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler (not to Germany or the constitution).
• Hitler demonstrated that he was willing to murder even his own followers to maintain power.
• There was no legal consequence — Hitler declared that the killings were legal as acts of "national self-defence."

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Step 6: Hitler Becomes Führer (August 1934)

On 2 August 1934, President Paul von Hindenburg died. Hitler immediately combined the roles of President and Chancellor, declaring himself Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Reich Chancellor).

• The army swore a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler (not to Germany).
• A plebiscite (public vote) on 19 August 1934 approved the change with 90% support (though voting was not truly free).
• Hitler was now the undisputed dictator of Germany.

Exam Tip: Be able to trace the steps from Chancellor to Führer: Reichstag Fire → Enabling Act → Gleichschaltung → Night of the Long Knives → death of Hindenburg → Führer. Show how each step removed another check on Hitler's power.

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Extended Worked Paragraph — Model Q7 Response

Question: Which was more important in consolidating Hitler's dictatorship: the Enabling Act of March 1933, or the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934?

Model Level 4/5 paragraph: