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Year 11 - History

Hitler's creation of a dictatorship

Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils study a modern society and the issues that affected it in great depth over a shorter period. They learn about the key events, developments, people and stories that shaped this modern society over a period of around twenty to thirty years.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain how Hitler created a dictatorship between March 1933 and August 1934.

Key Notes

  • Röhm's radical SA posed a threat to the army, business elite, and Nazi Party unity.
  • Hitler then removed internal Nazi opposition in the SA along with other opponents in the Night of the Long Knives.
  • Hitler used the SA purge to gain the military's trust and secure their loyalty.
  • Hindenburg's death let Hitler merge presidency and chancellorship, becoming Germany's supreme ruler (Führer).
  • A new oath made German soldiers personally loyal to Hitler, not the constitution.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • SA (Sturmabteilung): also known as Stormtroopers or Brownshirts; the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing who protected meetings and used violence to intimidate opponents
  • socialist: a person who believes the government should own key industries to ensure wealth and resources are shared more equally among all people
  • SS (Schutzstaffel): a highly trained elite paramilitary unit, originally formed as Hitler's bodyguards, later central to Nazi terror and repression
  • purge: the forceful removal of people seen as unwanted or threatening, often involving violence against political opponents
  • Führer: meaning 'leader'; a key Nazi idea promoting total authority under one ruler to end chaos, Hitler later adopted it to assert himself as Germany's supreme ruler

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Hitler was already an all-powerful dictator by 1934.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

Röhm's radical SA posed a threat to the army, business elite, and Nazi Party unity. Hitler then removed internal Nazi opposition in the SA along with other opponents in the Night of the Long Knives.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'SA (Sturmabteilung)'

also known as Stormtroopers or Brownshirts; the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing who protected meetings and used violence to intimidate opponents.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: Hitler was already an all-powerful dictator by 1934. Correction: While Hitler had crushed political opposition, the military remained a powerful, independent force. The SA purge was crucial to win over the army, which still had the power to challenge him.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 11 History guide library.