Model answer to the 12-mark question ‘Explain why Hitler was able to increase his control over Germany between 1933 and 1939.’ , covering the Enabling Act, the Night of the Long Knives and Nazi propaganda.
This style of question can be found in Paper 3 of Edexcel GCSE History (option 31: Wei...
Explain why Hitler was able to increase his control over Germany between 1933 and
1939.
You may use the following in your answer:
The Night of the Long Knives
Propaganda
One reason why Hitler was able to increase his control over Germany was because of the
Enabling Act, which was passed on 23rd March 1933. This was when Hitler’s intention was to
have full power over all other parties in the Reichstag, as he wanted Germany to become a
Totalitarian State. As a result of this, the act was introduced and passed by devious means, as
the intimidation of the SA ensured that other parties support it: the act was passed with 444
votes to 94. This meant that Hitler was able to increase his control over Germany because his
police forces and previous actions caused the Weimar Republic to effectively vote itself out
of existence; the Communist party was unable to contest it as all members had been banned
from the Reichstag after the Reichstag Fire. Consequently, on 14 th July, Hitler could proclaim
a law stating that the Nazi Party was to be the only party allowed in Germany, which
massively helped to increase his control as it meant he had full power to pass any law he
desired without the support of the Reichstag; he later banned Länder parliaments, which
centralised Germany and give him complete control over its government. Therefore, the
Enabling Act was a key reason why Hitler was able to increase his control over Germany
because it signalled the end of the Weimar Republic and the start of his dictatorship.
Another reason why Hitler was able to increase his control over Germany was because of the
Night of the Long Knives. This was when Hitler viewed the SA as a major threat during his
first few months as Chancellor, as he believed that they could overpower the Nazis; the SA
appeared to be loyal to Röhm, not Hitler. Consequently, on 30th June 1934, he invited Röhm
and 100 SA leaders to a meeting in the town of Bad Wiessee, where they were arrested by the
SS once they arrived. This meant that Hitler was able to increase his control over Germany
because over 85 of his political opponents were murdered, including Röhm, and he had
succeeded in securing the support of the army; previously the army was worried about being
replaced by the SA, as the army consisted of only 100,000 men compared to the SA having 3
million members. As a result of this, Hitler was able to demonstrate the threat and terror
posed by the SS, which caused him to have greater control over Germany as Germans were
worried that they too could be arrested and strived to follow his orders. Therefore, the Night
of the Long Knives was a key reason why Hitler was able to increase his control over
Germany because it caused several of Hitler’s opponents to be eradicated and highlighted just
how ruthless the SS were, which scared the public into supporting him.
A final reason why Hitler was able to increase his control over Germany was because of the
censorship of the media, which was controlled by Josef Goebbels. In order to spread Nazi
ideas and increase his control, Hitler made great changes to radios and newspapers, as these
played a large part in German citizens’ daily lives. For example, non-Nazi newspapers and
magazines were closed down and editors were told what they were allowed to publish, which
meant that the public would only read about Nazi ideology and about what Hitler wanted
them to know; in 1935, 1600 newspapers were closed down. This control was further
demonstrated through the mass production of cheap radios, which were sold to the public and
could only access Nazi stations. By 1939, 70% of German homes had a radio, and Germans
were expected to stop their daily activities and listen whenever Hitler or Goebbels made a
broadcast. Therefore, Nazi propaganda was a key reason why Hitler was able to increase his
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