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Unemployment in Germany
over 6 million Germans were unemployed in 1932 before Hitler came to power. -
Youth Groups in Germany
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they banned all youth groups, except the Hitler Youth, so that they could control young people. -
The first Nazi Bishop
In 1933, some Protestants wanted their church to be under Nazi control- they were known as German Christians- and their leader Muller, became the first Reich (Nazi) Christian in 1933. -
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Birth rate in Germany
The Nazis had some success with their control of women's reproduction as the birth- rate increased by almost 500,000 a year between 1933 and 1939 -
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Physically and Mentally Disabled Sterilization and Murder
Physically and mentally disabled men and women were forcibly sterilized by the Nazis as Hitler did not want them passing on their disabilities to their children. From 1939, Hitler began to kill people with physical and mental disabilities; about 200,000 were murdered in specially built 'nursing homes' which were places for killing them unknowingly. -
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Jewish Discrimination and Persecution
Between 1933 and 1939, Hitler discriminated against Jews and non-Jews. For example, in 1938, Jewish children were banned from German schools. During the Second World War, persecution became even worse, they were placed in ghettos and then concentration camps to be murdered by poison gas. -
Hitler became Chancellor of Germany
Hitler however did not have full control at this time as he relied on Hindenburg to keep him as Chancellor as the Nazis were not the biggest party and Hindenburg tried to restrict Hitler's power as Chancellor. This means Hitler had to consolidate his power to become a dictator. -
Reichstag Fire
The Reichstag fire- the Reichstag burnt down. It was not clear who started the fire but a communist called Van der Lubbe was arrested and blamed for the fire. He was a low down communist with mental health issues. His confession was a breakdown. -
The Law for the Protection of the People and State
Hitler stated that the Reichstag Fire was a communist plot to take over Germany. Hitler asked President Hindenburg to pass this law which banned Communists from taking part in the March election in 1933. In addition, 4000 communists were imprisoned and communist newspapers were shut down. -
The election
In this election, the Nazis got more seats than ever before. However they still did not have a majority. But Hitler had stirred enough fear of Communism that he was able to persuade the Central Party to join the Nazis. This gave Hitler and the Nazis a majority in the Reichstag. -
The Enabling Law
Hitler then forced the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Law. The SA threatened the Deputies and their families so they had to vote for the law. The Enabling Law gave Hitler the power to make laws without going through the Reichstag. -
Local Governments, Councils and the police
As soon as the Enabling Law was passed, Hitler used his powers to put Nazis in charge of all local governments, councils and the police. In addition to taking control of the police, the Nazis also formed the Gestapo (secret police), who had powers to arrest those who were suspected of opposing Hitler and the Nazis. The first concentration camp was also set up in Dachau, where opponents of Hitler (known as political prisoners) could be imprisoned. -
Trade Unions banned
Trade Unions- organisations which represent workers and try to increase their wages and improve their working conditions. Hitler banned all trade unions. He took away their money and imprisoned their leaders. -
All Political Parties
Hitler banned all political parties in Germany, except the Nazis. He passed a law called the Law Against the Formation of New Parties which stated that anyone who tried to set up another political party would be imprisoned for three years. -
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The Night of the Long Knives
Before Hitler became Chancellor, the SA had been a great support to Hitler. But by 1934, the leader of the SA, Ernst Rohm wanted to join the SA with the German army and put both under his control. This alarmed Hitler as this would make Rohm incredibly powerful and a potential threat to Hitler's power. Therefore, Rohm and other leading members of the SA were arrested and shot dead. Over the next 2 days, 400 Nazi members of the SA and leaders who did not agree with Hitler, were arrested and shot. -
The President
President Hindenburg died of natural causes. Hitler immediately took over the President's job as well as remaining in the position of Chancellor. He made the army swear an oath of loyalty to him, rather than to the country. -
Nuremburg Laws
A series of anti-Semitic Laws passed by the Nazis in 1935 which removed citizenship from the Jews and banned marriages between Jews and non Jews. -
Kristallnacht- the Night of the Broken Glass
An event in November 1938 when Jews and their shops and businesses were attacked throughout Germany. Turning point/ escalation in Nazi anti-Semitic policies, they become more brutal and extreme. -
Unemployment in Germany
By 1939, unemployment had dropped dramatically to 0.4 million Germans being unemployed after 6 years of Hitler in power. However, sacked Jews and women forced out of the workplace were not included in the 0.4 million. Part time workers were also considered full time workers in this statistic. The 0.4 million not accurate. -
Rationing in Germany
From November 1939, Germany started rationing in the Second World War. Germans were limited to one egg a week, goods like soap and toilet paper were in very short supply and hot water was rationed to two days a week. Anything that did not contribute to the war also stopped such as beer halls, dance halls and shops were closed. -
Germany's first major battle lost
Germany failed to defeat the USSR in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942. The winter made Germany struggle- food and clothing. This was Germany's first major battle lost as they had to fight on two fronts. Turning point in the Second World War -
Bombing in Germany
From 1942, the British and Americans began to drop thousands of bombs on German cities, e.g. Dresden. The bombing caused a lack of electricity, water and transport, as well as flooding and explosions. Thousands of Germans were forced to flee their homes and they became refugees trying to find safety. -
Slave Workers in German factories
By 1944, around 7 million foreign slave workers had been brought to work in Germany's factories from countries which had been conquered by Germany during the Second World War.