The Rise of the Third Reich: A Cautionary Tale

[Dunvegan]

Perhaps it's time we reviewed history, so as not to repeat it.

From Wikipedia (in accordance with "copyleft" guidelines):

The Road to Power

The Brüning administration

The political turning point for Hitler came when the Great Depression hit Germany in 1930. The Weimar Republic had never been firmly rooted and was openly opposed by right-wing conservatives, Communists and the Nazis. As the parties loyal to the republic found themselves unable to agree on counter-measures, their Grand Coalition broke up and was replaced by a minority cabinet. The new Chancellor Heinrich Brüning, lacking a majority in parliament, had to implement his measures through the President's emergency decrees. Tolerated by the majority of parties, the exception soon became the rule and paved the way for authoritarian forms of government.

The Reichstag's initial opposition to Brüning's measures lead to premature elections in September 1930. The republican parties lost their majority and their ability to resume the Grand Coalition, while the Nazis suddenly rose from relative obscurity to win 18.3% of the vote along with 107 seats in the Reichstag, becoming the second largest party in Germany.

Brüning's measure of budget consolidation and financial austerity brought little economic improvement and was extremely unpopular. Under these circumstances, Hitler appealed to the bulk of German farmers, war veterans and the middle-class who had been hard-hit by both the inflation of the 1920s and the unemployment of the Depression. Hitler received little response from the urban working classes and traditionally Catholic regions.

Meanwhile in September 1931 Hitler's niece Geli Raubal was found dead in her bedroom in his Munich apartment (his half-sister Angela and her daughter Geli had been with him in Munich since 1929), an apparent suicide. Geli was much younger than he was and had used his gun, drawing rumours of a relationship between the two. The event is viewed as having caused lasting turmoil for him.

In 1932 Hitler intended to run against the aging President Paul von Hindenburg in the scheduled presidential elections. Though Hitler had left Austria in 1913, he still had not acquired the German citizenship and hence could not run for public office. In February however, the state government of Brunswick, in which the Nazi Party participated, appointed Hitler to some minor administrative post and also gave him citizenship. The new German citizen ran against Hindenburg, who was supported by the Republican parties, and the Communist candidate, and came in second on both rounds, attaining more than 35% of the vote during the second one in April.

The cabinets von Papen and Schleicher

President Hindenburg, influenced by the Camarilla, became increasingly estranged from Brüning and pushed his Chancellor to move the government in a decidedly authoritarian and right-wing direction. This culminated in May 1932 with the resignation of the Brüning cabinet.

Hindenburg appointed the nobleman Franz von Papen as chancellor, heading a "cabinet of barons". Von Papen was bent on a authoritarian rule and since in the Reichstag only the conservative DNVP supported his administration, he immediately called for new elections in July. In these elections, the Nazis achieved their biggest success yet and won 230 seats.

The Nazis had become the largest party in the Reichstag without which no stable government could be formed. Von Papen tried to convince Hitler to become Vice-Chancellor and enter a new government with a parliamentary basis. Hitler however rejected this offer and put further pressure on von Papen by entertaining parallel negotiations with the Centre Party, von Papen's former party, which was bent on bringing down the renegade von Papen. In both negotiations Hitler demanded that he, as leader of the strongest party, must be Chancellor, but President Hindenburg consistently refused to appoint the "Bohemian private" to the Chancellorship.

After a vote of no-confidence in the von Papen government, supported by 84% of the deputies, the new Reichstag was dissolved and new elections were called in November. This times, the Nazis lost some votes but still remained the largest party in the Reichstag.

After von Papen failed to secure a majority he proposed to dissolve the parliament again along with an indefinite postponement of elections. Hindenburg at first accepted this, but after General Kurt von Schleicher and the military withdrew their support, Hindenburg instead dismissed von Papen and appointed Schleicher, who promised he could secure a majority government by negotiations with both the Social Democrats, the trade unions, and dissidents from the Nazi party under Gregor Strasser. In January 1933 however, Schleicher had to admit failure in these efforts and asked Hindenburg for emergency powers along with the same postponement of elections that he had opposed earlier, to which the President reacted by dismissing Schleicher.

Hitler's appointment as Chancellor

Meanwhile von Papen, resentful because of his dismissal, tried to get his revenge on Schleicher by working towards the General's downfall, through forming an intrigue with the camarilla and Alfred Hugenberg, media mogul and chairman of the DNVP. Also involved were Hjalmar Schacht, Fritz Thyssen and other leading German businessmen. They financially supported the Nazi Party, which had been brought to the brink of bankcruptcy by the cost of heavy campaigning. The business men also wrote letters to Hindenburg, urging him to appoint Hitler as leader of a government "independent from parliamentary parties" which could turn into a movement that would "enrapture millions of people."

Finally, the President reluctantly agreed to appoint Hitler Chancellor of a coalition government formed by the NSDAP and DNVP. Hitler and two other Nazi ministers (Frick, Göring) were to be contained by a framework of conservative cabinet ministers, most notably by von Papen as Vice-Chancellor and by Hugenberg as Minister of Economics. Von Papen wanted to use Hitler as a figure-head, but the Nazis had gained key positions, most notably the Ministry of the Interior. On the morning of January 30, 1933, in Hindenburg's office, Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor during what some observers later described as a brief and simple ceremony.

Reichstag Fire and the March election

After the Reichstag was set on fire (for which the communists were blamed), the Reichstag Fire Decree (28 February) suspended basic rights including habeas corpus and in the resulting legal confusion the entire Communist Party and some quarter of the SPD were un-constitutionally arrested, put to flight or murdered under this general cover.

Despite evident questions concerning the perpetration of the Reichstag Fire, and resulting calls for cancellation of the elections, Hitler successfully utilised the full novel force of State broadcasting and aviation in a massive modern general election campaign. This period was characterised by extremely strong anti-Semitic and anti-Communist propaganda. On 6 March 1933, after elections marred by paramilitary violence the Communists vote decreased by 4 per cent, and the Social Democrats by 2 per cent, with thus their representation in the Reichstag little changed. The Nazis received an increase to 43.9% of the vote. This brought the coalition between them and the DNVP into a slim but absolute majority.

Hitler's extant parliamentary majority was however to be much exacerbated through the un-constitutional preventative detention of the Communist deputies, carried over from before the elections. The manner in which Hitler excluded them and their mandates from parliament revolved on an Interior Minister settlement with the Reichstag Elders . This amounted to a change of procedure categorising them as voluntarily absent and achieved thereby the necessary long-term Hitler aim of legal appearance for NSDAP policy of subverting democracy from within .
Hindenburg greets Chancellor Hitler at Reichstag opening ceremony

At an impressive opening ceremony of the Reichstag, held in the replacement parliament building on 21 March, both Hindenburg and the world press were impressed by Hitler's apparent acceptance of constitutional government.

The Enabling Act

The government in the newly elected Reichstag brought to its table the Enabling Act which was to give Hitler's cabinet legislative powers. The bill required a two-thirds majority in order to pass and the Nazis still needed support from other parties. Efforts towards this drastic 4-year abandonment of democracy had been continuous off and on for some period, perhaps since the Centre Chairman Ludwig Kaas had independently contacted now Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen on 6 March.

The Centre Party was split on this issue, but had negotiated with Hitler to supporting the parliamentary bill in return for his government giving sundry guarantees. These concerned Catholic civil service trade unions belonging to the Centre Party along with educational freedom and autonomy of the Catholic Church. However beyond these guarantees, developed in Committee from 20 March, was a decisive promise by Hitler to Kaas of further written general constitutional guarantees. On this basis the Centre Party agreed on the morning of 23 March to assent to the Enabling Act.

On 23 March the Reichstag assembled and effort was made by Hitler to continue with the apparent constitutional dignity of the Ceremonial Opening, and he gave a careful and welcoming speech emphasizing, in co-ordination with the Papal Prelate and Centre Party Chairman Kaas, the importance of both Christian denominations to German culture. Kaas gave his speech, voicing the Centre's support for the bill amid "concerns put aside."

At the later session for the voting, the still Communist-depleted assembly met under extreme turbulent circumstances. Some SA paramilitaries served as guards within while large groups outside the building shouted slogans and threats towards the Social Democrats. As Social Democrat Otto Wels denounced the treachery against the Act, motivating an enraged Hitler to berate this temerity and to threaten all Leftist parties with physical eradication. During this speech, Ludwig Kaas is recorded as having been told on his enquiry, that the letter of general Constitutional guarantee "was being typed-up", and despite earlier warning from the ex-Centre Chancellor Brüning, who had experience in such promises, Kaas silently cast the Centre and BVPlarge bloc-vote.

Thus all parties present, of which minor others there were several, but excepting the Social Democrats voted assent. The Enabling Act was dutifully renewed every four years, even through World War II.

Removal of remaining limits

With this combination of legislative and executive power, Hitler's government further suppressed the remaining political opposition. The SPD was banned but not before itself assenting to Communist party proscription with the fortnight. All other political parties dissolved themselves.

Labour unions were merged with employers' federations into an organisation under Nazi control and the autonomy of state governments was severely diminished. Hitler also used the SA paramilitary to push Hugenberg into resigning and proceeded to politically isolate Vice Chancellor von Papen. Meanwhile the SA was growing into an independent power of its own and Hitler used allegations of a plot by the SA leader Ernst Röhm to purge the paramilitary force's leadership during the Night of the Long Knives. Opponents unconnected with the SA were also murdered, notably Gregor Strasser and former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher.

Soon after, president Paul von Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934. Rather than holding new presidential elections, Hitler's cabinet passed a law proclaiming the presidency dormant and transferred the role and powers of the head of state to Hitler as Führer und Reichskanzler (leader and chancellor). Thereby Hitler also became supreme commander of the military, which swore their military oath not to the state or the constitution but to Hitler personally. In a mid-August plebiscite these acts found the approval of 90% of the electorate. Combining the highest offices in state, military and party in his hand, Hitler had attained supreme rule that could no longer be legally challenged.

[AX10]

1. Recomended!

.

[sproutster]

2. I am using the Enabling Act as text in my faxes.

Don't let Alito Enable the Administration.

[FightingIrish]

3. The text of the Reichstag Fire Decree is frighteningly timely.

Articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153 of the Constitution of the German Empire are suspended until further notice. It is therefore permissible to restrict the rights of personal freedom (habeas corpus), freedom of opinion, including the freedom of the press, the freedom to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications, and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_Fire_Decree#Text_of_the_decree

[passy]

4. That's funny I was reading that yesterday, many similarities isn't there.

I was thinking about Hitler came to power and how it similar it was to what we are witnessing now.
So I looked it up on Wikipedia to refresh my memory and it's not pretty.
His methods were a bit heavy handed but back then they didn't have reality TV or fox news.
So be a good american and spy on your neighbor, you know he is a liberal that reads the Koran.

[CatholicEdHead]

5. I have read "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" three times

and I can see the parallels and similarities.

[Pachamama]

7. An even better read for all of those who want to understand the actual

events leading up to the rise of the 3rd Reich and Hitler:

"The Coming of the Third Reich" by Richard J. Evans

Unlike all the other books out there (such as the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich) which are primarily "Scholar Books", this one is written for the non-scholar who then gets a real education in the developments and going-ons during the years/decades leading up to the 3rd Reich and rise of power of the Nazis and Hitler.

It is apparentely the first in a 3 part series to be written by the author. I was given the book at X-Mas by my Father in law who is a retired Professor and highly reccommended it. He said that even he as a scholar found it to be one of the best books about the historical aspects and giving a sociological explanation of certain events that he really hadn't seen done before. Also, he said that it actually taught him some things that he had previously had incorrect info on, in particular on the various "factions" of thugs that became the various groups such as the SS, Brownshirts etc.

Anyway, I highly reccommend it. Also, the 2nd book "The Third Reich in Power 1933-1939" is out now and I plan to get it....

[bvar22]

6. "When Democracy Failed!"

An excellent essay by Thom Hartmann.
Give it a read. :patriot:

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0316-08.htm

[Peace Patriot]

8. I've thought a lot about this parallel, the rise of Hitler. One of my

concerns is the shattering of the center/left, and its inability to govern, which I think could happen here, especially if the Democratic Party leadership persists in its support for the Mideast war.

There are some significant differences between Germany in the early 1930s and our current situation. One of them is that Germany was a broken country at the time of Hitler's rise. He took an impoverished country and built it into an economic powerhouse, aimed at military conquest. Bush has done just the opposite. He took a prosperous and powerful country, and turned it into a basket case. Where are the industry, the efficiency, the competence, the organization, the jobs, the passionate nationalistic commitment on the part of ordinary citizens, and so on, that characterized the Third Reich? Nowhere! Yes, it was all used for diabolical purpose, but you can't dispute its success as an industrial/military/gov't machine--a good part of the reason for Hitler's popularity. The Bush junta is characterized by INcompetence. It may be studied incompetence, but it is nevertheless incompetence. Our country is failing on every front, foreign and domestic.

Bush is despised, not worshiped. He's had a 38% approval rating now for a year, and never did have much popularity. The country is trillions of dollars in debt, and bleeding jobs as we speak. Schools, medical care, infrastructure, everything neglected.

I don't see the Bushites creating anything, not even a fascist state. What I see is thieves. I think that's their main thrust--looting.

So, why are they setting up all these precedents of tyrannical executive power? Part of it may be self-protection--ways to avoid exposure and prosecution, now and in the future. For instance, secrecy allows them to shred/alter all sorts of records that could indict them. Spying allows them to see what-all anybody has on them. Torture, rendition--and whisking anonymous prisoners off to secret prisons in middle Europe and points east--allows them to get information about witnesses to their crimes, and allows them to directly eliminate some witnesses and potential whistleblowers.

Another reason for the unprecedented executive powers may be a plan they have for the future--one I've suggested here at DU in various posts--that is, to install a War Democrat '08, for a short tenure, to accomplish certain purposes: to get a military Draft (which Bush can't do); to set up a "Gulf of Tonkin II" for Iran/Syria (and possibly to advance that part of PNAC); to generate the last bits of wealth that we are capable of, for future looting; to put down the Draft protests, the food riots, etc.; and to begin putting the blame for Bush's financial and foreign policy disasters on the Democrats. When the War Democrat's administration falls to pieces (a la the German Bruning administration), THEN we get Herr Hitler II (I'm thinking Rumsfeld). The War Democrat may not use all the powers Bush is asserting, but likely won't disavow them. They'll remain latent, to be used by the leader of the Fourth Reich. My guess is that Hillary Clinton will be this short-term War Democrat. She may have already made a deal to be chosen (she's sure acting like it).

The reichwing currently has the power to pretty much install whomever they want to--with their "trade secret," proprietary vote tabulation. (Diebold and ES&S--brethren companies, who counted 80% of the vote in 2004--are very, very dangerous corporations, with ties to the Chalcedon Foundation--you want to be scared? look up Chalcedon, 451 AD, and today.) They literally have that power--and most certainly used it in the 2004 election. So (--unless we throw Diebold and ES&S election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' now), THEY will choose who our Dem candidate is in 2008, and who "wins" the White House (and will of course again "select" a fascist Congress).

In my opinion, the only way to prevent the above scenario is election reform--a still doable thing, since the power over election systems still resides at the state/local level, where ordinary people have some influence. There are many local movements under way, with some notable successes (in North Carolina, Florida, New York, California, New Mexico and elsewhere), even though the movement is still in its infancy. Transparent elections are a no brainer. It is only entrenched power and corruption that are protecting the current, fraudulent election system. Once people hear the facts, they DON'T WANT private corporations counting our votes in secret. (Duh.) Of course, the corporate media is just as corrupt as the election system itself, and is actively covering this story up. (They CHANGED their own exit polls, on election night 2004, to force them to 'FIT' the "trade secret" results fed to them by Diebold and ES&S!)

Hitlerizing the U.S. is a lot more complicated and difficult than hitlerizing Germany was. We're a MUCH bigger, and FAR more diverse country, for one thing. Also, Germany's democracy was short-lived, at that point; ours is long-lived and difficult to kill. And we are not yet on our knees economically. It's taken the reichwing 40 years to "undo the lessons of Vietnam" (create excuses to re-militarize) (note: 9/11 was reason for police action, not military action), to gain control of the news media through monopoly, to corrupt our election process with corporate money, to corrupt sufficient Democrats with military/industrial booty to get their cooperation, and, finally, to take over our election system with a $4 billion electronic voting boondoggle from Tom Delay's Congress, passed in the name of election reform (har, har) but really aimed at "trade secret" programming (with no audit/recount controls) and at lining the pockets of Bush's rightwing buds at Diebold and ES&S.

This another reason why I think we may be in for a round of "Bruning" (pre-Hitler) type government, likely to be full of turmoil and civil unrest, before the real Hitler is installed. And there may be some hope in this (in an installed War Democrat scenario--not in turmoil/civil unrest): hope for election reform--hope for a good federal bill that will achieve transparent elections quickly. It's something we could negotiate for (since candidates do need support, even in Diebold/ES&S elections), and since even a War Democrat has to pay lip service to progressive values such as transparent elections.

I could be wrong, and we are in for an immediate, total fascist coup. What's coming out of Bush's mouth these days is truly scary--his open defiance of the rule of law, and the utter failure of the "balance of powers." And I'm aware of the slow "frog boil" analogy that old Germans themselves have spoken of (that Hitlerism came upon them gradually, and then, suddenly, one day, they woke up to the Third Reich). But still, I see the Bush junta more as a "house of cards" than as a great power. The American people are NOT with them--and there is no economic strength upon which to build anything; they've looted the country into serious bankruptcy.

[AntiFascist]

9. Excellent post...

I would point out that one of the primary financial sponsors behind the Chalcedon Foundation as well as Diebold and ESS is California banker Howard Ahmanson who is also on the Council for National Policy.

[kath]

10. Another good book:

"They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45", by Milton Mayer.

Excerpt here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/12/20/12819/467

[Dunvegan]

11. I've just started reading "They Thought They Were Free"...

...It's just an amazing book that tells the "slow boil" story from the viewpoint of a German citizens of several differing classes.

Sometimes I put the book down, and go online to read the news, and I have trouble telling that I've moved from one source to another.


They Thought They Were Free