Machtergreifung is a
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the
NaziNazism, known officially in German as National Socialism , is the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party or National Socialist German Workers’ Party under Adolf Hitler, and the policies adopted by the dictatorial government of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.Nazism is often considered...
takeover of power in Weimar Germany on January 30 1933. This is the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
The term
Machtübernahme ("takeover of power") is also used for this event. Note that when used in German, both
Machtergreifung and
Machtübernahme retain their more general meanings and are not particularly related to the Nazis.
Machtergreifung is a
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the
NaziNazism, known officially in German as National Socialism , is the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party or National Socialist German Workers’ Party under Adolf Hitler, and the policies adopted by the dictatorial government of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.Nazism is often considered...
takeover of power in Weimar Germany on January 30 1933. This is the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
The term
Machtübernahme ("takeover of power") is also used for this event. Note that when used in German, both
Machtergreifung and
Machtübernahme retain their more general meanings and are not particularly related to the Nazis.
Machtübernahme can be used for any take over of power, whether peaceful and legitimate or violent and illegitimate.
The term
Machtergreifung was first coined by the Nazis themselves in order to portray their accession to power as an active seizure (an alternative term used was
Nationale Erhebung ("national rising"). Since
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party...
's accession to power was more a result of intrigue rather than of an active
revolutionA revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
, the term has been criticized by
historianAn historian is an individual who studies and writes about history, and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all events in time...
s and is sometimes replaced with the term
Machtübertragung ("handing-over of power") or, more
polemicallyPolemics is the practice of disputing or controverting significant, broad-reaching topics of magnitude such as religious, philosophical, political, or scientific matters...
,
Machterschleichung ("sneaking into power").
Another name commonly used for the Nazi seizure of power in 1933 is the
Brown Revolution .
History
The Nazis learned out of the failed Hitlerputsch of November 9th 1923 and developed a "Legalitätsstrategie" (legalisation strategy) for their "Nationale Revolution", to formally observe the law.
After the success in 1930 elections, the chancellor
Heinrich BrüningDr. Heinrich Brüning was a German politician during the Weimar Republic. He served as Chancellor of Germany from 1930 to 1932.- Early life :...
(
Centre Party (Germany)The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic...
) tried to keep the state and constitution alive through a minority government lead by the sozial democracts. Brüning pushed through a law illegalizing SS and SA, which had to be abolished again in 1932 after pressure of Hindenburg and the rightnational forces around
Kurt von Schleicher' was a German general and the last Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic.-Biography:...
. Seen from an economic perspective, Brüning made unemployment worse through his rigid program of budget balancing. Since 1932 the partyless chancellor
Franz von Papen' was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933-1934...
strived for a colaboration with the national socialists, to use their popularity with the masses for himself. A coalation between centre, DNVP and NSDAP failed because of Hitlers demand for chancellorship. Since Papen endeavored for the national socialists, he didn't forbid the NSDAP as a seditious party. The Boxheimer Documents of 1931, containing plans for a putsch by the Nazis could have given him the chance.
The
Machtergreifung was followed by the
GleichschaltungGleichschaltung , meaning "coordination", "making the same", "bringing into line", is a Nazi term for the process by which the Nazi regime successively established a system of totalitarian control over the individual, and tight coordination over all aspects of society and commerce. The historian...
, the period to around 1934 characterized by systematic elimination of non-Nazi organizations that could potentially influence people, such as
trade unionA trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers...
s and
political partiesPolitical Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
.
Literature
- Richard J. Evans: Das Dritte Reich - Aufstieg, München 2004, ISBN 3-421-05652-8 . In English as The Coming Of The Third Reich, London: Allen Lane, 2003.
- Norbert Frei: Machtergreifung. Anmerkungen zu einem historischen Begriff. In: Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte. (VfZ) 31/1983, S. 136–145
- Gotthard Jasper: Die gescheiterte Zähmung. Wege zur Machtergreifung Hitlers 1930-1934. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1986 (Neue Historische Bibliothek), ISBN 3-518-11270-8