- Enabling Act (March 1933)
- Law passed 444-94 in the Reichstag on 23 March 1933. Gave Hitler the power to rule by decree for four years without parliamentary approval. The legal mechanism by which Germany became a dictatorship. The Reichstag effectively voted for its own redundancy.
- Night of the Long Knives (30 June-1 July 1934)
- SS-led purge in which SA leader Ernst Röhm and dozens of potential political rivals were killed. Secured the loyalty of the German Army (who feared the SA's ambitions), established the SS as dominant, and showed Hitler's willingness to murder within his own movement. At least 85 killed; estimates range to several hundred.
- Gestapo
- Geheime Staatspolizei — Secret State Police. Could arrest, imprison, and interrogate without legal restraint. Relied heavily on civilian informers. About 32,000 agents for 80 million people — effective because of the culture of informing, not the number of agents.
- Volksempfänger
- "People's Receiver" — cheap radio set (76 Reichsmarks) produced by the Nazi government to maximise radio ownership. By 1939, 16 million sets in use (70% of households). Goebbels' primary mass propaganda tool.
- Nuremberg Laws (September 1935)
- Two laws announced at the Nuremberg Rally: Reich Citizenship Law (stripped Jews of citizenship) and Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour (banned marriage/sexual relations between Jews and Germans). Defined "Jew" by ancestry (3-4 Jewish grandparents). Pseudo-legal foundation for all subsequent persecution.
- Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938)
- "Night of Broken Glass" — nationwide pogrom organised by Goebbels. Approximately 7,500 Jewish businesses destroyed, 1,400 synagogues burned, 91 Jews killed, 30,000 arrested. Jewish community fined 1 billion Reichsmarks. A turning point marking the shift to open state violence against Jews.
- Wannsee Conference (January 1942)
- Meeting of 15 senior Nazi officials chaired by Reinhard Heydrich, 20 January 1942. Coordinated the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" — a systematic genocide of all Jews in Europe. Death camps were constructed in occupied Poland to carry out industrial-scale murder.
- White Rose
- Munich University student resistance group led by Hans and Sophie Scholl. Distributed leaflets condemning Nazi atrocities. Arrested February 1943; executed by guillotine 22 February 1943. Sophie Scholl was 21. Symbol of moral courage under totalitarianism.
- Kinder, Küche, Kirche
- "Children, Kitchen, Church" — the Nazi ideal for women. Women were expected to leave the workforce, marry, and produce children. The Mutterkreuz (Mother's Cross) rewarded mothers for having 4+ children. Female professionals were pushed out of their careers; this was partially reversed during the war when labour was needed.
This definitions covers Key Terms within Living under Nazi Rule, 1933-1945 for GCSE History. Revise Living under Nazi Rule, 1933-1945 in Component Group 5 — World Depth Studies for GCSE History with 14 exam-style questions and 18 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 13 of 18 in this topic. Make sure you can use the exact wording confidently, because definition marks are often lost through vague language.
Practice questions for Living under Nazi Rule, 1933-1945
Describe two features of the Enabling Act of March 1933.
Write a clear and organised summary that analyses how the Night of the Long Knives helped Hitler consolidate his power in 1934.
Quick recall flashcards
How did Hitler become Führer in August 1934?
On 2 August 1934, President Paul von Hindenburg died. Hitler immediately combined the offices of Chancellor and President into the single role of Führer (Leader). He required the German Army to swear a personal oath of loyalty — not to Germany or its constitution, but to Adolf Hitler personally. This made military resistance a violation of a solemn oath, helping explain why many officers refused to act even when they opposed Hitler.
How did Goebbels use radio as a propaganda tool?
Goebbels produced the cheap Volksempfänger ('People's Receiver') radio set at 76 Reichsmarks, making radio affordable for ordinary workers. Radio sets rose from 4 million (1933) to 16 million by 1939 — over 70% of German households. Hitler's speeches, Nazi music, and anti-Semitic content were broadcast directly into homes. Radio was Goebbels' most powerful propaganda tool, creating a sense of shared national community around Nazi values.