Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils undergo a period study that provides an unfolding narrative which tells a story about a period that shaped the world we live in today. They look at the key events, developments, people and stories that defined the chosen period.

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
• Germany before the First World War Study Guide
• Germany's naval ambitions before the First World War 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
• Industrialisation, social reform and the growth of socialism Study Guide
• Nazi racial ideology and the treatment of minorities Study Guide
• Opposition and resistance to Hitler and the Nazi Party Study Guide
• Stresemann's international achievements Study Guide
• The Final Solution 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 Nazi economy and WW2 Study Guide
• The Nazi Party and religion Study Guide
• The Nazi police state Study Guide
• The persecution of Jews Study Guide
• The putsches of 1919-23 Study Guide
• The Weimar Republic 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