Study Guides

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 the Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act allowed Hitler to establish a Nazi dictatorship.

Key Notes

• Hitler gained power legally but lacked full control and planned new elections to secure a majority.
• The Reichstag Fire was exploited by Nazis to justify emergency powers and crush political opposition.
• With communist members banned and others intimidated by the SA, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act.
• The Act gave Hitler legal authority to rule by decree, marking his transformation of Germany into a dictatorship.
• Gleichschaltung made Germany a one-party state, bringing all areas of life under Nazi control.

Vocabulary To Learn

• dictatorship: a type of government where absolute power is concentrated in the hands of a single ruler or small group
• Gleichschaltung: a Nazi term meaning 'coordination'; the process of bringing all aspects of German life under Nazi control - this meant synchronising all state and social institutions with Nazi ideology

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• The Enabling Act was passed fairly.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• 1923, the Ruhr and hyperinflation Study Guide
• Early unrest and the Treaty of Versailles Study Guide
• Economic recovery under Stresemann Study Guide
• Employment in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Goebbels and propaganda in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Hitler's creation of a dictatorship Study Guide
• How Hitler became Chancellor of Germany Study Guide
• Nazi control of the police and the legal system Study Guide
• Nazi racial ideology and the treatment of minorities Study Guide
• Opposition and resistance in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Social and economic change 1924-29 Study Guide
• Stresemann's international achievements Study Guide
• The early development of the NSDAP Study Guide
• The First World War and the German Revolution Study Guide
• The growth in support for the Nazi Party Study Guide
• The growth of unemployment and rise in support for the Communist Party Study Guide
• The Munich Putsch Study Guide
• The Nazi Party and religion Study Guide
• The NSDAP's 'lean years' Study Guide
• The persecution of Jews Study Guide
• The Weimar Republic Study Guide
• Threats to the Weimar Republic from the left and the right Study Guide
• Weimar culture 1924-29 Study Guide
• Women in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Work and life in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Young people in Nazi Germany Study Guide