• In February 1933 the Reichstag building was set on fi re, allegedly by a Dutch communist. This provided Hitler with an excuse to ban the Communist Party and give extra powers to his SA.
• Hitler called a general election in March 1933. Hitler’s SA, along with his bodyguards known as the Waffen SS (Schutzstaffel), attacked opponents and voters. Votes for the Nazis soared, but they failed to win an overall majority.
• Hitler created a law called the Enabling Act in March 1933. This allowed him to rule by decree, meaning he could make laws without going through parliament fi rst – creating a dictatorship. Hitler was now known as der Führer (‘the leader’).
The Waffen SS CHECKPOINT!
1. What was the Weimar Republic? What problems did it face? 2. What was the Beer Hall Putsch? Why was it important in Hitler’s rise to power? 3. What beliefs did Hitler write about in Mein Kampf? 4. How was Hitler infl uenced by Mussolini? 5. What was the Wall Street Crash? Why was it important in Hitler’s rise to power? 6. How did Hitler use propaganda? 7. How did Hitler establish a dictatorship after 1932?
. I can explain how Hitler rose to power. TIME TO GO BACK I CAN MOVE FORWARD
Go to page 145 of your Sources and Skills Book for an evidence task on Mein Kampf.
