“Against Papan, Hitler, Thalmann” – Social Democrat Party Social Democrat Poster 1932

1. “Against Papan, Hitler, Thalmann” – Social Democrat Party Social Democrat Poster 1932 “Work and Bread” What party produced this poster? What is the message in these posters? In what ways are they effective? Which one is using “Negative Cohesion” as a tool? (Negative Cohesion is using fear of others to get people to support you.

2. The Reichstag Fire Lesson starter: Write a description for the picture below.

3. Today we will… • Examine the events of the Reichstag Fire • Explain why it allowed the Nazis to seize power • Evaluate who started the fire

4. As we know, the Nazis had a lot of voters but not enough to control the Reichstag • Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January 1933 • The President in 1933 was Hindenburg who did not really like Hitler President Hindenburg

5. How strong was Hitler’s position on 30 January 1933? Strengths: He was the Chancellor The Nazis were the largest party in the Reichstag Hitler could control the police Was this enough power for Hitler to create a dictatorship?

6. Analysis • A key historical skill is the ability to take large amounts of information and extract only the most important parts • On your sheet, highlight any information that suggests what might have stopped Hitler expanding his power.

7. VIEW A: How strong was Hitler? Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, but there were only two Nazis included in the cabinet (government). President Hindenburg could have dismissed Hitler at any time. If Hitler tried to take real power, then the army could have stopped him, as they were loyal to the President. The President’s adviser, von Papen, was Vice-Chancellor. The civil service was loyal to the state, not the Nazis, and the local state governments were not all under Nazi control. Hitler’s private army, the SA, wanted a takeover, but that was dangerous as the army would have crushed them if they had attempted this.

8. VIEW A Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, but there were only two Nazis included in the cabinet (government). President Hindenburg could have dismissed Hitler at any time. If Hitler tried to take real power, then the army could have stopped him, as they were loyal to the President. The President’s adviser, von Papen, was Vice-Chancellor. The civil service was loyal to the state, not the Nazis, and the local state governments were not all under Nazi control. Hitler’s private army, the SA, wanted a takeover, but that was dangerous as the army would have crushed them if they had attempted this.

9. VIEW A Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, but there were only two Nazis included in the cabinet (government). President Hindenburg could have dismissed Hitler at any time. If Hitler tried to take real power, then the army could have stopped him, as they were loyal to the President. The President’s adviser, von Papen, was Vice-Chancellor. The civil service was loyal to the state, not the Nazis, and the local state governments were not all under Nazi control. Hitler’s private army, the SA, wanted a takeover, but that was dangerous as the army would have crushed them if they had attempted this.

10. VIEW A Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, but there were only two Nazis included in the cabinet (government). President Hindenburg could have dismissed Hitler at any time. If Hitler tried to take real power, then the army could have stopped him, as they were loyal to the President. The President’s adviser, von Papen, was Vice-Chancellor. The civil service was loyal to the state, not the Nazis, and the local state governments were not all under Nazi control. Hitler’s private army, the SA, wanted a takeover, but that was dangerous as the army would have crushed them if they had attempted this.

11. VIEW A Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, but there were only two Nazis included in the cabinet (government). President Hindenburg could have dismissed Hitler at any time. If Hitler tried to take real power, then the army could have stopped him, as they were loyal to the President. The President’s adviser, von Papen, was Vice-Chancellor. The civil service was loyal to the state, not the Nazis, and the local state governments were not all under Nazi control. Hitler’s private army, the SA, wanted a takeover, but that was dangerous as the army would have crushed them if they had attempted this.

12. VIEW A Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, but there were only two Nazis included in the cabinet (government). President Hindenburg could have dismissed Hitler at any time. If Hitler tried to take real power, then the army could have stopped him, as they were loyal to the President. The President’s adviser, von Papen, was Vice-Chancellor. The civil service was loyal to the state, not the Nazis, and the local state governments were not all under Nazi control. Hitler’s private army, the SA, wanted a takeover, but that was dangerous as the army would have crushed them if they had attempted this.

13. VIEW A Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, but there were only two Nazis included in the cabinet (government). President Hindenburg could have dismissed Hitler at any time. If Hitler tried to take real power, then the army could have stopped him, as they were loyal to the President. The President’s adviser, von Papen, was Vice-Chancellor. The civil service was loyal to the state, not the Nazis, and the local state governments were not all under Nazi control. Hitler’s private army, the SA, wanted a takeover, but that was dangerous as the army would have crushed them if they had attempted this.

14. VIEW A Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, but there were only two Nazis included in the cabinet (government). President Hindenburg could have dismissed Hitler at any time. If Hitler tried to take real power, then the army could have stopped him, as they were loyal to the President. The President’s adviser, von Papen, was Vice-Chancellor. The civil service was loyal to the state, not the Nazis, and the local state governments were not all under Nazi control. Hitler’s private army, the SA, wanted a takeover, but that was dangerous as the army would have crushed them if they had attempted this.

15. What did Hitler have to do first? Call an election for 5th March How strong was Hitler’s position on 30 January 1933? Weaknesses: He did not have a majority in the Reichstag Only two Nazis included in the cabinet President Hindenburg could have dismissed Hitler at any time The army could have stopped him The President’s adviser, von Papen, was Vice-Chancellor The civil service was loyal to the state The local state governments were not all under Nazi control Who else could stop him? Other political parties Trade Unions

16. On 27 February, just before the elections, the Reichstag was set on fire • A young Dutch Communist Van der Lubbe was blamed • Burning down the Reichstag was a serious crime • Hitler and the Nazis blamed it on The Communists

17. Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to declare a state of emergency • That meant normal rules did not apply • The SA and police rounded up Communists and imprisoned them • Communists were not allowed into The Reichstag • Hitler persuaded the other members of the Reichstag to give him extra powers

18. Was Van Der Lubbe innocent? • With two colours, add information to prove his innocence and guilt

19. Genius or Patsy? • Van Der Lubbe had mental and physical difficulties • He had often taken personal blame for the actions of others

20. Reichstag Fire a conspiracy? • It emerged there was an underground passage linking the Reichstag with offices used by Nazi members • Some who gave evidence against Van der Lubbe were Nazis • The Reichstag Fire was the most benefical thing that could have happened to the Nazis

21. It is not the actual fire that is important, but the fact that Hitler took advantage of the event and used it to give him more power

22. Election called for 5 March 1933 • 27 February 1933 Reichstag Fire • Hitler blames it on the Communists • Hitler persuades Hindenburg to declare a state of emergency (Article 48) • Communists arrested and banned from Reichstag • Hitler persuades other members of Reichstag to give him more powers

23. Source A is from a newspaper report about the Reichstag Fire of February 27th 1933.Source A Goebbels informed Hitler that the Reichstag was in flames. The whole building was destroyed. Hitler blamed the Communists for starting the fire. He said that it was a signal from God. Hitler used that as an excuse to crush them with an iron fist. The burning Reichstag building 1. Evalute the usefulness of Source A as evidence of how the Reichstag Fire helped Hitler and the Nazis.

24. COWPAT • Content – what information is in the source? • Omission – does the source leave anything important out? • When – is the source written at the time or much later? • Purpose – why was the source created? • Author – can the author be trusted? • Type – is the source a reliable format?

25. When the March election finally took place, the Nazis won 52% of the vote • They now had a majority in the Reichstag

26. Plenary • On your post-it note, write down who you think started the Reichstag Fire: • Van Der Lubbe • The Nazis • …someone else? • Why do you think this?

27. Optional Task • Design a newspaper front page reporting about the Reichstag Fire the previous night • You will need to decide whether to give your views from a pro-Hitler or anti-Hitler stance • You should create a newspaper name, headline, etc. as well as text and pictures.

28. Today we will… • Understand the events of the Reichstag Fire • Explain why it allowed the Nazis to seize power