Cambridge CIE IGCSE History Past Paper PDF

Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History Your notes Why was Hitler Able to Dominate Germany by 1934? Contents What Did the Nazi Party Stand For in the 1920s? Why Did the Nazis...

Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History Your notes Why was Hitler Able to Dominate Germany by 1934? Contents What Did the Nazi Party Stand For in the 1920s? Why Did the Nazis have Little Success Before 1930? How Did Hitler Become Chancellor? How Did Hitler Consolidate His Power in 1933–34? Page 1 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources What Did the Nazi Party Stand For in the 1920s? Your notes How Involved was Hitler in the Creation of the Nazi Party? - Timeline & Summary Adolf Hitler served as a messenger in the First World War. His role was to pass messages between regiments. Being a messenger was a dangerous job and Hitler was awarded two medals for his bravery. In October 1918, a mustard gas attack injured Hitler. He was temporarily blinded and required hospital treatment. It was in the hospital that Hitler learnt about the armistice of the First World War and Germany’s defeat. He, like many other soldiers, believed that Weimar politicians committed a ‘dolchstoss’ by agreeing to the Treaty of Versailles. Page 2 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources The abdication of the Kaiser in November 1918 led to the creation of many new political parties. The Weimar Republic became increasingly worried about the threat these new parties posed to public safety. As a result, the government employed Hitler as part of their intelligence operation. His job was to attend a Your notes meeting of a new political party and report back to the government how dangerous it was. This was when Hitler discovered the DAP - The German Workers’ Party. Over the next two years, Hitler’s involvement in the party grew until he became leader. His skill as an orator and his political vision caused an increase in party membership. As a result, he rebranded the party to the NSDAP or the Nazi Party. The Development of the DAP Anton Drexler founded the DAP in February 1919 Drexler was a railway mechanic from Munich In September 1919, the DAP had 23 members It was a right-wing party that targeted the working classes The government hired Hitler to spy on political parties in Munich The Weimar Republic had struggled to survive threats from extremist parties As an ex-soldier, Hitler desperately needed the work The majority of Germany’s armed forces had been made unemployed after the Treaty of Versailles restricted the German army to 100,000 soldiers Hitler attended his first meeting of the DAP on 12th September 1919 The ideas discussed at the meeting aligned with Hitler’s personal beliefs On 19th September 1919, Hitler signed up as a member This went against his government assignment Changing the DAP to the NSDAP By 1920, the DAP had changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (the NSDAP or Nazi Party) Hitler implemented his takeover of the NSDAP by 1921 in five ways: 1. Changing the party’s policies to the Twenty-Five Point Programme 2. Hitler’s personal appeal 3. Developing the party’s organisational structure Page 3 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources 4. Forcing a change of leadership and choosing members for key positions 5. Creating the NSDAP’s private army, the SA (Sturmabteilung) Your notes A flow diagram showing Drexler’s actions towards Hitler in the DAP Examiner Tips and Tricks A common misconception that students have is that Hitler created the Nazi Party from nothing. Hitler took over an existing party. He changed the party’s name and formulated its policies. You will notice a recurring theme throughout this course of Hitler taking existing ideas and rebranding them as his own. The Twenty-Five Point Programme When Hitler became responsible for the DAP’s propaganda, he realised the party needed an official document stating its policies The DAP already spoke on key issues such as: Page 4 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Removing Weimar politicians who had signed the Treaty of Versailles Rewriting of the Weimar Constitution to increase restrictions on democracy Your notes Blaming the Jewish people for all of Germany’s issues In January 1920, Hitler and Drexler wrote the Twenty-Five Point Programme, which formalised the aims of the DAP Point Summary of the point Nationalist or number Socialist? 1 Anschluss and the union of all German speakers into one German Nationalist country 3 The return of Germany’s overseas colonies to provide extra food Nationalist and space for the German people 4 The belief that Jewish people were not German citizens Nationalist 7 The government’s top priority was to provide jobs for German Socialist citizens 9 All citizens to have equal legal rights Socialist 17 The banning of private ownership of land Socialist 25 The implementation of a strong, centralised government Nationalist Examiner Tips and Tricks The table above highlights which points were Nationalist or Socialist aims. This is important to understand as Hitler renamed the DAP the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Nationalism is an extreme right-wing belief whereas socialism is a left-wing belief. The Twenty-Five Point Programme tried to deliver the best of both ideologies to increase the DAP’s popularity among the workers. Communism appealed to workers as they wanted social improvements, but the majority of voters considered it too extreme. Many male workers still held traditional, nationalist values. In an attempt to appeal to the masses, Hitler and Drexler had created a confused political identity with Page 5 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources contradicting aims. For example, a centralised government (Point 25) would not give all citizens equal legal rights (Point 9). Your notes Worked Example What was the Twenty-Five Point Programme? 4 marks Answers: This was the political programme of the Nazi Party, written in 1920 (1). It had a mixture of socialist and nationalist ideas (1). It opposed the Treaty of Versailles (1). It said that Jews would not be allowed to be German citizens (1). Examiner Tips and Tricks This style of question does not require you to explain your answer. The Cambridge IGCSE gives you a point for each relevant piece of information that you write. Therefore, do not spend any additional time trying to describe or explain each reason. The Appeal of Hitler The DAP experienced a rapid increase in membership in 1920 By June 1920, the DAP had 1,000 members By the end of the year, this increased to 3,000 The main cause of this increase in membership was the appeal of Hitler Hitler spent a considerable amount of time practising his speeches Hitler developed a unique pattern of oration, increasing his tempo of speaking until he reached a frantic and aggressive crescendo. This made his arguments very persuasive He would practice hand gestures to utilise in certain sections of his speeches. To ensure these had maximum impact, he took pictures of how he looked as he practised them As propaganda minister, he created images and posters of himself speaking In the first year of his DAP membership, he delivered 31 speeches Page 6 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes Examiner Tips and Tricks The power of Hitler’s oration skills cannot be underestimated. Historical sources state that, in a few sentences, Hitler could turn a room full of people who hated him into his supporters. You should use Hitler’s skills as an orator as evidence for why the Nazi Party became the biggest party in Germany by 1932. Nazi Party: Organisation and Leadership Hitler used his influence over Drexler to make key changes in the organisation of the party In January 1920, the DAP created a headquarters in Munich Rudolf Schüssler, a friend of Hitler, took over the party’s administration Meetings became better organised and funds for the party increased Hitler suggested that the party be called the NSDAP to represent the nationalist and socialist elements The intention behind the new name was to appeal to multiple groups of people The NSDAP adopted the swastika and straight-armed salute to distinguish it from other nationalist parties The swastika derived from Asia to symbolise prosperity The Nazi salute originated from Ancient Rome In December 1920, the NSDAP began producing a newspaper called Völkischer Beobachter (the ‘People’s Observer’) Within a year, the NSDAP was distributing 17,000 copies of the newspaper The party’s influence was spreading beyond Munich In July 1921, Hitler triggered a leadership contest Hitler’s popularity meant he defeated Drexler to gain control of the NSDAP Hitler needed to consolidate his position as leader of the party. He made some key changes to the inner circle of the NSDAP The Structure of the NSDAP Page 7 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A flow diagram showing how Hitler organised the leadership structure of the NSDAP What was the SA? The Sturmabteilung (‘Stormtroopers’ or ‘SA’) was the NSDAP’s private army The political violence in the streets of Weimar Germany made many political parties adopt a paramilitary force The SA was formed in August 1921 They gained the nickname ‘Brownshirts’ due to the colour of their uniform Hitler hired the unemployed, students and ex-soldiers into the SA These groups were very angry with the Weimar government Hitler offered them money and a daily structure Hitler used the SA to: Control crowds at meetings Start fights on the streets Disrupt the meetings of opposition groups like the KPD Strengthen the image of the NSDAP The SA became problematic Page 8 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources By 1922, there were 800 Brownshirts. This number was increasing Ernst Röhm became the leader of the SA in 1923 Your notes The SA was not under Hitler’s direct control Ernst Röhm was popular among the stormtroopers To combat this, Hitler created the Stosstrupp or ‘Shock Troop’ These were Brownshirts specially selected by Hitler as his bodyguards The Impact of Hitler on the NSDAP In January 1922, Hitler called a party conference. Hitler established his autocratic control of the party He spoke for two and a half hours He persuaded the NSDAP members to surrender their right to elect the leader of the party This effectively made the NSDAP a dictatorship The popularity of the NSDAP accelerated in 1923 By November 1923, the NSDAP had 50,000 members The Weimar government was dealing with the hyperinflation crisis. Many Germans began to look at extremist parties like the NSDAP for solutions Examiner Tips and Tricks It is important to link parts of the course together to understand the historical context. The hyperinflation crisis caused a surge in popularity for the Nazi Party. Without this event, the NSDAP would have remained a small, extremist party. The party also benefited from the Wall Street Crash in 1929. This would eventually lead to them becoming the biggest political party in Weimar Germany in 1932. Page 9 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Why Did the Nazis have Little Success Before 1930? Your notes Why did the Nazi Party Lose Support Between 1924 and 1928? - Summary Historians call the support for the Nazi Party 1924-1928 ‘The Lean Years’. This means that the German people considered the NSDAP a small, extremist group after the Munich Putsch. There is a clear link between the ‘Golden Age’ of the Weimar Republic and ‘The Lean Years’ of the Nazi Party. For extremist parties to succeed, a country’s economy or political leadership needs to be failing. The public is more likely to look for alternative solutions offered by extremism if moderate government is ineffective. The recovery of the Weimar Republic through Stresemann’s policies limited the need for the NSDAP. This resulted in a decline in support for Hitler’s party. Although the Nazi Party lost support, Hitler used 1924-1928 as a period to restructure the party. Hitler had learnt much from the Munich Putsch. He wanted to ensure the NSDAP was ready to benefit if Germany experienced political or economic turmoil again. Without ‘The Lean Years’, the Nazi Party would not have been able to benefit from the subsequent impacts of the Wall Street Crash on Germany from 1930. The Munich Putsch By November 1923, Hitler decided that the NSDAP was ready to take control of Germany Support for the Nazi Party had increased due to the Weimar government’s failure to deal with the hyperinflation crisis Many people were looking to extremist parties for economic and political solutions Hitler had studied the failed putsches launched by the Freikorps and the Spartacists He had learnt that a putsch needed the support of the military and the police to succeed The inclusion of General Ludendorff, a respected military veteran, in the putsch aimed to rally the support of the army Hitler also needed the backing of the police Members behind the Munich Putsch Bavarian government officials Adolf Hitler - Leader of the NSDAP and key organiser of the Gustav von Kahr - Leader of the State Munich Putsch Government of Bavaria Page 10 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources General Ludendorff - First World War hero and conspirator of Colonel von Seisser - Head of the the putsch Bavarian Police Your notes Ernst Röhm - Leader of the SA. Responsible for securing the General von Lossow - Head of the local army and police headquarters in Munich German Army in Bavaria Hermann Goering - Key member of the NSDAP and participated in the putsch Julius Streicher - Key member of the NSDAP and participated in the putsch Learn more about the causes and the events of the Munich Putsch Why Did the Munich Putsch Fail? Hitler left the beer hall placing Ludendorff in charge of watching the Bavarian officials Ludendorff failed in this role by being persuaded to let Kahr, Seisser and Lossow go Without their support, the putsch had no official backing and the army suppressed the SA with ease Hitler continued with the putsch after learning he had lost the support of the Bavarian officials Hitler and the SA only had 2,000 guns. This meant the NSDAP and their supporters could not fight the German army when they attacked The army remained loyal to the government despite the inclusion of General Ludendorff in the putsch Hitler rushed the execution of the Munich Putsch in an attempt to benefit from the hyperinflation crisis If Hitler had delayed the putsch, this would have allowed for better preparation and a bigger chance of success Hitler needed to gain more support from the Bavarian people. Most citizens in Munich did not stop the uprising but also did not actively support it Outcomes of the Munich Putsch After his arrest, Hitler and General Ludendorff went on trial for committing high treason Treason is one of the most serious crimes a person can commit In February 1924, Hitler represented himself in court Page 11 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Usually, a person would hire a lawyer to represent their case in court and persuade the judge of their innocence Your notes Hitler wanted to use his oration skills to defend himself Although Hitler was found guilty, his approach to the trial rewarded him with successes Positive consequences for Hitler Negative consequences for Hitler As an Austrian citizen, Hitler’s punishment could Hitler was convicted of high treason. His putsch have been deportation. He avoided this by was unsuccessful in achieving its aims impressing the right-wing judges. Hitler received a prison sentence of five years at Landsberg Prison Multiple newspapers across Germany reported on The Munich authorities decided to ban the Hitler's trial. Hitler became a national celebrity NSDAP. Support for the party dropped. They briefly changed their name and won 32 seats in the Reichstag at the May 1924 election In prison, Hitler wrote a book called Mein Kampf Many Germans believed Hitler had missed his (‘My Struggle’), which formalised his ideas and a opportunity to govern Germany. The new approach to how to govern Germany appointment of Stresemann marked the improvement of Germany’s economy and government Hitler had learnt that violent putsches did not work. After being released from prison, he considered how to use the Weimar legal system to gain ultimate power in Germany The Lean Years of the Nazi Party, 1924-1928 In Landsberg Prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (‘My Struggle’) He considered what the core values of the Nazi Party should be He dictated the piece for Rudolph Hess, who later became a deputy in the party, to write He published Mein Kampf in July 1925 Key Beliefs in Mein Kampf A key belief in Summary of the belief Nationalist Mein Kampf or Socialist? Page 12 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources The superiority of Hitler believed the German race was the best in the world. He Nationalist the Aryan race was against Germans marrying Jewish people as he stated this Your notes weakened the Aryan race Social Darwinism The pseudo-science that some races are better than others. He Nationalist believed the Aryan race was the best and the Jewish race was the worst. He stated that the Jewish people conspired to take down the Aryan race. Hitler believed Jewish people dominated industry and infiltrated politics through parties such as the SPD Lebensraum This means ‘living space’ in German. Hitler theorised that the Nationalist Aryan race needed more territory so that the population could grow. He believed this space should come from Eastern Europe by taking over parts of the Russian empire Führerprinzip The concept was that Germany needed an autocratic leader with Nationalist ultimate power. He believed that democracy was weak and totalitarianism could keep the people happy The restoration of Hitler saw the ‘Golden Age’ of Weimar Germany as a corruption of Nationalist traditional values traditional values. He wanted to reintroduce strong family values, Christianity and realism in art and culture Redistributing the Hitler believed that landowners and factory owners should have Socialism wealth from their profits taken from them. The German workers would benefit industry and land from this money Examiner Tips and Tricks When comparing Mein Kampf to the Twenty-Five Point Programme, it is clear that Hitler had moved the party firmly towards nationalism. While there were still elements of socialism, this was more in name rather than in policy. This move to the extreme right-wing created a clearer political identity. It also shrunk its potential support base as Mein Kampf made NSDAP’s policies more extreme. Reorganising the Nazi Party, 1924-1928 Hitler left prison after serving nine months of his five-year sentence Judges were much more lenient on right-wing offenders Page 13 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources The government lifted the ban on the NSDAP in February 1925 Hitler relaunched the party on 27th February 1925 Your notes The failure of the Munich Putsch made Hitler rethink the organisation of the party To make the Nazi Party electable, its systems needed to be a lot clearer A flow diagram showing the restructuring of the NSDAP in the Lean Years Hitler divided Germany into 35 regions (called gaue) These corresponded to the regions created by the Weimar government Each gau (single region) had a local Nazi Party leader called a gauleiter Hitler left it to the Nazi members in the gaue to fight over who became the gauleiter Page 14 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Hitler strongly believed in the survival of the fittest mentality. Whoever wanted the position more would win it by any means necessary Strasser became a powerful gauleiter in North Germany Your notes Goebbels established his power in the Rhineland To fund a national party, Hitler persuaded business owners who shared his nationalist vision for Germany to contribute: Big corporations such as Thyssen, Krupp and Bosch funded the Nazi Party The business owners believed Hitler’s influence over the workers would limit the power of trade unions Business owners feared trade unions because they could make unreasonable demands for increased pay and benefits Trade unions had strong links to Communism. If Communism became powerful, business owners would lose their ability to make lots of profit The Creation of the SS By 1925, Hitler was losing trust in the SA The SA had 400,000 members Ernst Röhm had increased his control over the SA during Hitler’s time in prison The SA were hard to control Many middle- and upper-class Germans considered the SA to be violent thugs If Hitler wanted to make the NSDAP electable, he had to change the image of the party Hitler took two steps to improve his paramilitary forces: 1. Hitler sent Ernst Röhm abroad. He returned to the Nazi Party in 1930 2. Hitler created a new private army called the Schutzstaffel (‘Protection Squad’), or SS The SS was a much smaller group than the SA They wore black uniforms from 1932 Many members of society found them intimidating They conducted themselves better and less violently than the SA Hitler selected and trusted members of the SS. They became Hitler’s personal bodyguards Heinrich Himmler, one of Hitler’s most trusted party members, became head of the SS Under Himmler, by 1930, there were 3,000 SS members Page 15 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources The Bamberg Conference, 1926 Hitler began to realise that the Nazi Party was splitting into ‘nationalist’ and ‘socialist’ sides Your notes In North Germany, where Strasser and Goebbels were gauleiters, they were winning the support of the workers by emphasising the socialist aspects of the NSDAP. They verbally attacked local businessmen In South Germany, where Hitler was based, Nazi leaders emphasised the nationalist aspects of the NSDAP. They campaigned for a strong state and anti-semitism In 1926, Hitler called a party conference in Bamberg, Bavaria Due to the conference’s location in the south, the majority of attendees were southern gauleiters Key outcomes of the Bamberg Conference were: Hitler called the ‘socialist’ side of the NSDAP “Communists” who were the enemy of the Nazi Party Hitler’s statement weakened the socialist aspects of the NSDAP, bringing the party’s policies in line with Hitler’s beliefs in Mein Kampf Hitler persuaded Goebbels to switch to the ‘nationalist’ side of the Party Strasser believed Goebbels had betrayed him. After this, Strasser lost Hitler’s trust. In 1934, a cull of the Nazi leadership structure resulted in Strasser’s murder Hitler promoted Goebbels to gauleiter of Berlin The Bamberg Conference allowed Hitler to develop new policies. Hitler placed more emphasis on nationalist aspects such as: Reminding Germans of the ‘dolchstoss’ committed by the Weimar government in 1919. He campaigned for revenge on the ‘November Criminals’ for ending the First World War and signing the Treaty of Versailles Accusing the Jewish people of being ‘enemies of Germany’. He argued that the Jewish people were responsible for all of Germany’s issues Promoting the return to traditional values Why was There Limited Support for the Nazi Party? By 1929, the NSDAP had 100,000 members Despite this success, historians call this period ‘The Lean Years’ In the May 1928 election, the Nazi Party only won 12 seats (roughly 3% of the overall votes). They were the seventh biggest party in the Reichstag Page 16 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A concept map showing the reasons why the Nazis had limited support in the Lean Years Worked Example Why did the Nazis fail to win much support between 1924 and 1929? 6 marks Partial answer: One reason why the Nazis had limited support was because of the failure of the Munich Putsch (1). In November 1923, Hitler attempted to seize power in Munich to allow a takeover of the whole of Germany. The plan failed due to the mistakes made in the planning process and General Ludendorff’s actions (1). This caused a lack of support for the Nazi Party because Hitler was arrested and the party was banned. This meant that the gains that the party had made in 1923 were taken away. When Hitler was released from prison in 1924, he had to rebuild the party (1). Page 17 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Examiner Tips and Tricks In Paper One, ‘explain why’ questions are worth either six or ten marks. To achieve all marks for this Your notes question, an examiner is looking for two fully explained reasons why the Nazi Party failed to win support. Use the PEE structure in your answer: P - Make a point about the question E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made E - Explain why this evidence caused a lack of support for the Nazi Party. Avoid repeating the point again. Explain how this factor caused the Nazi Party to be weak or unpopular with the people. Page 18 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources How Did Hitler Become Chancellor? Your notes How Did Hitler Use the Political System to Become Chancellor in January 1933? - Timeline & Summary Some Germans were ‘pushed’ towards fascism because of the Wall Street Crash. Experiencing a second economic crisis within a decade made people lose hope in Weimar politicians. They distrusted democracy as they could not see the Weimar Republic working in times of crisis. More Germans began to wish for the return of a totalitarian government. A strong government would take control of Germany and resolve the country’s issues. In 1930, the NSDAP experienced some success in the elections. The Nazi Party achieved 18.3% of the vote, which corresponded to 107 of the 577 seats in the Reichstag. At this stage, this was the largest proportion the NSDAP had achieved in its history. By 1932, the NSDAP became the largest party in the Reichstag. Chancellor Brüning’s unpopular policies to combat unemployment and recession in Germany were failing. Many sectors of the German public had lost faith in moderate political parties resolving the crisis. Hitler and the Nazi Party took advantage of the situation by increasing their production of Page 19 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources propaganda. Hitler became a national celebrity. His oration skills converted many sceptics of the NSDAP’s policies to back him. Your notes Hitler’s plan to use the electoral system to become chancellor succeeded in January 1933. President Hindenburg had very limited options but to give the chancellorship to Hitler. Due to his right-wing beliefs, Hindenburg could not accept a Communist government under the KPD. At the same time, Hindenburg could no longer ignore Hitler’s power over the German people. Historians agree that Hindenburg made a serious misjudgement in believing he could control Hitler by appointing von Papen as co-chancellor. Within a year of his chancellorship, Hitler combined the powers of chancellor and president to become the Führer of Germany. The Impacts of the Depression on Germany The Wall Street Crash created economic collapses across Europe, including Germany The Dawes Plans Plan connected Britain, France and Germany to the USA’s economy. The USA's money allowed the payment of reparations and First World War loans The USA began to recall its loans to save its economy. This jeopardised the economies in Europe Page 20 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A flow diagram explaining how the Wall Street Crash caused Germany's economy to collapse The Effects of Unemployment The economic issues triggered an employment crisis The USA’s crash affected other countries across the world. Other countries stopped purchasing German goods, which increased unemployment Unemployed workers did not spend money on goods or services. This resulted in even more redundancies Page 21 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources By September 1931, 4.3 million German workers were unemployed 40% were factory workers Your notes Half of all 16- and 30-year-olds had no work By January 1933, unemployment hit 6.1 million people The Impact of Goebbels Goebbels was a loyal member of the Nazi Party Goebbels organised Hitler’s political campaigns in 1930 and 1932 Financial support from big businesses funded Hitler’s tour around Germany. During the tour, Hitler: Used his oration talents to make numerous speeches to the people Hired aeroplanes for travel across the country Organised impressive marches and rallies Goebbels also used the money to produce posters, radio broadcasts and pamphlets to spread Nazi propaganda They criticised the government for its handling of the Depression This allowed them to gain more public support Hindenburg and Hitler in Presidential Elections In 1932, Hindenburg’s seven years as president had come to an end Aged 84, Hindenburg was becoming increasingly frail Moderate politicians persuaded Hindenburg to stand for re-election to stabilise the Weimar Republic Hitler decided to enter the presidential election In March 1932, the first round of presidential elections began Hindenburg achieved 49.6%. This was not the 50% required to become president Hitler achieved 30% of the votes Ernst Thälmann, leader of the KPD, received 14% of the votes In April, the government repeated the election Hitler and Goebbels had relentlessly campaigned in the run-up to the election Page 22 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Political opponents fought in the streets across Germany The results of the election gave Hindenburg the presidency Your notes Hitler increased his share of the votes to 36% Thälmann fell in the polls, showing a decline in the popularity of Communism Examiner Tips and Tricks Although Hitler lost the 1932 presidential elections, the margin of defeat was small. Many Weimar politicians assumed that Hindenburg would be easily re-elected. The fact that Hitler achieved 13 million votes scared many moderate parties in the Reichstag. An exam question may ask you to explain why Hitler became chancellor in 1933. You can use the 1932 presidential election as evidence of the amount of Germans who believed in Hitler’s ability to restore Germany’s economy and reputation. Brüning as Chancellor, April 1932 The chancellor in 1932 was Heinrich Brüning He became chancellor in 1930 He was the leader of the Centre Party He raised taxes for workers He reduced the monetary benefits to the unemployed From 1930-1932, he implemented harsh policies in an attempt to control the economic and unemployment crisis in Germany In April 1932, Brüning had lost the support of the Reichstag Bruning’s policy Reaction towards the policy Banning the SA and SS. Brüning argued that they The policy angered Hitler. He believed he caused public unrest was being unfairly targeted Other political groups feared that Brüning would ban their paramilitary forces The breaking up of large land estates in Germany. The The landowning classes refused to give land would provide space for the unemployed to live their land over to the government Page 23 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources President Hindenburg, a rich landowner himself, opposed the plan Your notes On 30th May 1932, Brüning resigned He did not have majority support in the Reichstag Hindenburg no longer supported Brüning’s government Von Papen Becomes Chancellor, May 1932 After Brüning’s resignation, Hindenburg considered who should be the new chancellor Von Papen was a personal friend of Hindenburg’s Von Schleicher, a high-ranking soldier and ambitious politician, wanted to create a new coalition The coalition would contain right-wing landowners, businessmen and officers under the leadership of ex-general von Papen The new government went against the principles of the Weimar Republic The SPD held the most Reichstag seats Hitler only agreed to support the coalition if the SA were no longer banned This was a clear abuse of Article 48 It did not have a majority in the Reichstag It required the support of Hitler to bring the public around to the coalition It passed policy primarily using Hindenburg’s presidential powers Despite public criticism, Hindenburg announced that von Papen would be the new chancellor on 30th May 1932 The upper classes controlled the inner circle of the government and their policies did not benefit the lower classes Von Schleicher believed that giving Hitler this small portion of power would keep him under control The German public called the government ‘the Cabinet of Barons’ It marked the Nazi Party’s first involvement in government The July 1932 Elections The Reichstag elections in July 1932 created chaos in the streets of Germany During June and July, the SA and the KPD’s Red Front Fighters fought Page 24 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources These fights resulted in 7,000 injured people and over 100 deaths The election results announced the NSDAP was the biggest party in the Reichstag Your notes The Nazi Party received 38% of the vote This was not the 50% needed to have a majority in the Reichstag The NSDAP’s share of the votes had increased from 18% in 1930 Hitler demanded that Hindenburg appoint him as chancellor Hindenburg ignored Hitler’s request and kept von Papen as chancellor. He called for another election in November 1932 Hindenburg did not like Hitler. Hitler was a corporal when he was in the First World War. Hindenburg believed he acted in an unsuitable way for a person of his lowly rank Hindenburg was gambling on the public turning against the NSDAP In the November 1932 Reichstag election, the NSDAP retained their position as the biggest party Their share of the votes had reduced to 33% Hitler lost some of the middle-class support by verbally attacking von Papen The KPD had grown their representation in the Reichstag, achieving 17% of the votes The increase in votes for the KPD scared moderate and right-wing politicians Von Papen could no longer remain chancellor of Germany Von Schleicher abandoned the coalition He went to Hindenburg arguing that, if von Papen remained chancellor, there would be civil unrest on the streets. The army would struggle to keep control Hindenburg persuaded von Papen to resign Von Schleicher Becomes Chancellor, December 1932 Out of desperation to avoid a Nazi government, Hindenburg appointed von Schleicher chancellor on 2nd December 1932 Von Schleicher told Hindenburg that the November 1932 election results proved that the NSDAP’s popularity was declining Von Schleicher's government could not function It had no majority in the Reichstag The people had not elected Von Schleicher Page 25 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Hitler and the Nazi Party openly opposed von Schleicher at every opportunity Von Schleicher called for Hindenburg to suspend the Weimar Constitution Your notes A suspension of the constitution would allow von Schleicher to form a military dictatorship Hindenburg refused Von Papen heard about von Schleicher’s plans. Von Papen contacted Hindenburg on 30th January 1933 He stated that, if Hindenburg did not form a new government, von Schleicher would take control through a military coup Examiner Tips and Tricks Students find Hitler’s path to becoming chancellor very confusing. Try to remember that, from July 1932, Hitler had won the right to become chancellor. However, Hindenburg’s hatred and distrust for the NSDAP meant he wanted to try any solution to avoid Hitler gaining power. By December 1932, Hindenburg had run out of choices. He was not willing to enact von Schleicher’s suggestion of a military dictatorship. Despite his right-wing tendencies, he did not believe in placing Germany under martial law. He knew he could not delay Hitler’s chancellorship any longer. Hitler Becomes Chancellor, January 1933 On 30th January, von Papen suggested that he should be co-chancellor to Hitler’s chancellorship Hindenburg and von Papen believed they had Hitler ‘in their hand’ and could make all the decisions about Germany Von Papen’s plan succeeded in persuading Hindenburg to make Hitler chancellor Factor How did this factor cause Hitler to become chancellor? Hitler’s personal Hitler’s oration skills persuaded more and more of the German public to vote appeal for the NSDAP The policies of the Hitler’s policies created national unity and common enemies of the German NSDAP state. Hitler blamed Germany’s political and economic problems on minority groups like the Jewish people. The weakness of the Proportional representation made it nearly impossible for political parties to Weimar Constitution gain a majority in the Reichstag. The chancellors continually abused Article 48. Page 26 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources This turned the public away from democracy. It also made Hitler's actions look appropriate Your notes The economic Germany had suffered two depressions in a decade. The people did not trust collapse of 1929-1933 moderate parties in times of crisis. They looked to Hitler for an alternative solution Von Hindenburg Hindenburg allowed the abuse of Article 48. He never fully supported the Weimar Republic. His actions weakened the power of the Reichstag and people’s belief in democracy. The public looked to Hitler for a strong ruler Von Schleicher and Von Schleicher and von Papen ignored election results to favour a government von Papen controlled by the wealthy. This weakened the people’s trust in the Weimar Republic. Von Schleicher’s suggestion of a military dictatorship gave Hindenburg no choice but to give the chancellorship to Hitler Underestimating Von Schleicher, von Papen and Hindenburg believed they could control Hitler Hitler’s power and the NSDAP. Hitler used their naivety to his advantage. He used the Weimar legal system to manoeuvre himself to the position of Führer of Germany by 1934 Page 27 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A flow diagram to show why each Weimar government failed and how this led to Hitler becoming Chancellor of Germany in January 1933 Page 28 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes Page 29 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources A cartoon called ‘The Temporary Triangle’ by the British political magazine Punch. It shows Hitler on the shoulders of President Hindenburg (on the left) and von Papen (on the right) Your notes Worked Example Why was the Depression important to the Nazis? 6 marks Partial answer: The Depression was important to the Nazis because it meant that Germany was in a terrible state (1). The policies of Stresemann linked the German economy with the US economy. After the US economy collapsed, it created an economic and employment crisis in Germany. This resulted in widespread unemployment – it went up to 6.1 million (1). This gave the Nazis a great opportunity to do well in the elections. They criticised the government for not dealing with unemployment. This gave them a lot of votes and they became the largest party in the Reichstag in the July 1932 election, which meant that they would have to be given a part in government (1). Examiner Tips and Tricks In Paper One, ‘explain why’ questions are worth either six or ten marks. For full marks in this question, an examiner is looking for two fully explained reasons as to why the Depression was important for the Nazis. Use the PEE structure in your answer: P - Make a point about the question E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made E - Explain why this evidence was important for the Nazis. Avoid repeating the point again. Explain how this factor caused an opportunity for Hitler and the Nazis to achieve power. Page 30 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources How Did Hitler Consolidate His Power in 1933–34? Your notes Hitler's Path to Dictatorship - Timeline & Summary Hitler’s appointment as chancellor on 30th January 1933 was the first step in his taking power and complete control of Germany. The Reichstag Fire provided the Nazi Party with the legal means to limit and restrict the power of the KPD. With a two-thirds majority following the March 1933 election, Hitler was able to pass the Enabling Act - a law that transformed Germany into a one-party state. Opposition was silenced, trade unions banned and local governments ruled by pro-Nazi leaders. With external opposition to Hitler and the Nazi Party greatly reduced, attention was turned to dissent within the Nazi Party. Ernst Röhm - head of the SA - had distanced himself from Hitler. The SA were becoming more and more unsettled, frustrated by unemployment like the Freikorps before the Kapp Putsch of 1920. Hitler struck during the Night of the Long Knives, when leading members of the SA were purged. Page 31 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources The death of President Hindenberg in August 1934 allowed the rise of Hitler to Führer. The Weimar Republic had ended and the era of Nazi Germany had begun. Your notes The Reichstag Fire Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on 30th January 1933, but still did not have complete control of Germany: The Nazi Party only controlled one-third of the Reichstag Hindenburg was President of Germany The Weimar Constitution limited the power of the chancellor A fire destroyed the Reichstag building on 27th February 1933 The police arrested a Dutch Communist named Marinus van der Lubbe at the scene He was later executed for the crime The fire resulted in the arrests of around 4,000 Communists Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree The Reichstag Fire gave Hitler the opportunity to scapegoat the KPD Hitler imprisoned political opponents and shut down Communist newspapers The SA used the decree to justify using violence and intimidation towards political opponents Worked Example What was the Reichstag Fire? 4 marks Answers: The Reichstag building burnt down in 1933, just before the March election (1). A Dutch Communist called van der Lubbe was arrested on the grounds (1). Hitler claimed that there was a Communist plot against Germany (1). President Hindenburg issued an emergency decree, which led to the arrest of political opponents (1). Page 32 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Examiner Tips and Tricks This question in Paper One requires you to state information you know about the Reichstag Fire. The Your notes Cambridge IGCSE gives you a point for each relevant piece of information that you write. Therefore, do not spend any additional time trying to describe or explain each reason. The Election of 1933 On 5th March 1933, the government held Reichstag elections The Reichstag Fire allowed Hitler to control the radio Hitler used the SA and SS to intimidate opponents The election results were important The Nazis received nearly 44% of the votes This was short of the two-thirds majority to change the constitution Hitler forced a coalition with Nationalists and the Centre Party using promises and threats The Enabling Act The Enabling Act became law on 24th March 1933 by 444 votes to 94 All 81 members of the Communist Party were absent Only the SPD opposed the vote The SA intimidated other members of the Reichstag before the vote took place The Act gave the Nazi Party several powers As chancellor, Hitler could propose new laws Hitler’s cabinet could pass these laws without the Reichstag’s approval These laws could overrule the Weimar Constitution The Enabling Act was only valid for four years, but it was renewed again in 1937 Parties in the Reichstag could no longer oppose new laws, marking an end to democratic rule in Germany Examiner Tips and Tricks Page 33 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Consider the significance of the Reichstag Fire Decree and its links to the Enabling Act. By reducing the power of the Communist Party and branding them enemies of Germany, Hitler weakened his opposition. The event portrayed Hitler and the Nazi Party as the defenders of the German state. Your notes Many members of the public mistakenly believed the Enabling Act would protect their security and livelihoods. However, it was used as a tool by Hitler to set up the foundations for a police state. Removing Public Opposition The Enabling Act provided Hitler and the Nazi Party the power to pass laws without the consent of the Reichstag Hitler used the powers of the Enabling Act to remove forms of public opposition: A flow diagram showing how vital the Enabling Act was to Hitler The Night of the Long Knives The Enabling Act allowed Hitler to remove external opposition to the Nazi Party Hitler was concerned about internal opposition, particularly from the head of the SA - Ernst Röhm: Röhm was a suspected homosexual, which did not align with Nazi Party values Röhm led around three million SA members, around 60% of which were unemployed by 1933 Röhm believed in merging the SA with the army Röhm wanted a ‘second revolution’ with a greater focus on supporting the working class Page 34 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources This contrasted with Hitler’s desire to win the support of the rich It sounded like a Communist strategy Your notes Röhm’s SA clashed with the SS, led by Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich The SA had a poor reputation Hindenburg threatened to impose martial law if Hitler could not bring the SA under control Hitler arranged a meeting with Röhm and other SA leaders at a hotel in the town of Bad Wiessee on 30th June 1934: Röhm and around 400 SA members were arrested and later shot Other opponents such as von Schleicher, Gregor Strassor and von Kahr were also arrested and killed The Nazi Party told the public that Röhm had been planning to replace Hitler Röhm’s death served the interests of the country Worked Example Why did the Night of the Long Knives take place? 6 marks Partial answer: One reason why the Night of the Long Knives took place was Hitler’s desire to remove opposition (1). Ernst Röhm was a potential threat to Hitler. The SA had about three million members loyal to Röhm (1). This caused the Night of the Long Knives because Hitler needed to violently remove Röhm and before the SA became too powerful (1). Examiner Tips and Tricks A strong response to this answer would contain two PEE paragraphs explaining the reasons why the Night of the Long Knives took place. Other reasons could include: To secure Hitler’s position To gain the support of senior army officers To reduce the power of the SA as the upper classes considered them thugs Page 35 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers  Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Röhm wanted to merge the SA with the army and take control of the army Your notes The Death of Hindenburg Paul von Hindenburg had been President of Germany since 1925 On 2nd August 1934, he died of lung cancer aged 86 Hitler combined the positions of president and chancellor to make himself Führer 90% of the public voted in favour of Hitler becoming Führer Hitler forced every soldier to swear an oath of loyalty to him This marked the end of the Weimar Republic and the beginning of Hitler’s Nazi Germany Page 36 of 36 © 2015-2025 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers