1. The Government of the Third Reich Decision Making in the Third Reich

2. Key Questions How were decisions made in the Third Reich? Was Hitler ‘master of the Third Reich’ or a ‘weak dictator’? Was the Third Reich chaotic?

8. The Rise to Power PRECONDITIONS Germany pre WWI Versailles The ‘context of Weimar’ CONTRIBUTORS Nazi Party- Early failure and regrouping DECIDERS Economic crisis and the breakdown of parliamentary democracy

9. Frustrated Nationalism Disillusionment with Democracy Fear of Communism Economic Problems

10. The Role of Hitler In theory: In theory Hitler’s power was unlimited. Nazi Germany was a one party state and Hitler was the undisputed leader. Hitler was ‘Head of State’, combining the position of Chancellor and President. He was also Commander- in- chief of all the armed services.

11. In Reality… Impossible for one individual to control all aspects of government. Hitler was therefore still dependent on sympathetic subordinates. “He never left his room before 2pm…he disliked the study of documents. I have sometimes secured decisions from him without him ever asking to see the relevant files.” Hitler was indecisive, loathed paperwork and disliked formal committee meetings. Hitler was portrayed as the powerful dictator by the propaganda machine, but he never showed any desire to co-ordinate government.

12. Schools of Thought INTENTIONALIST VIEW: The traditional view- Nazi Germany was a strict totalitarian state controlled from the centre by the sheer power of Hitler. The chaos seen was a result of Hitler attempting to maintain his own political authority by encouraging division and confusion on both the structure and personnel of government. “The point cannot be stressed too strongly, Hitler was master in the Third Reich.” Norman Rich, (1980) The theory of Divide.and conquer

13. Schools of Thought STRUCTURALIST VIEW Weak and indecisive dictator, chaotic- no control. The Nazi Regime and its policies evolved from the pressure of circumstances and that confusion in government was a true reflection of Hitler’s limitations because of the continued influence of other sources of power. Therefore Hitler was not in complete control. “Unwilling to take decisions, frequently uncertain, exclusively concerned with upholding his personal prestige and personal authority, influenced in the strongest fashion by his current entourage, in some respects a weak dictator.” Hans Mommsen, (1979)