Hitler’s new political order was based on the elimination of the
party pluralism and federalism of the Weimar Republic. Starting in
February 1933, Nazi leaders sought the so-called coordination
[Gleichschaltung] of all public and
private authorities under Nazi auspices. This involved, among other
things, the neutralization or integration of competing political
organizations, such as parties, labor unions, and other interest groups.
Taking control of state, city, and municipal governments and
administrations was one key step toward centralizing all state
authority. The “Reichstag Fire Decree” had broadened the regime’s powers
of intervention, allowing it to abolish state governments and put them
under the control of Reich commissioners named by the central
government. Intimidation, violence, and arrest were used to drive
“unreliable” state and municipal politicians and officials out of
office; they were then replaced by deputies loyal to the Nazi regime. By
the end of May 1933, some 500 high-ranking community officials and 70
mayors had already been dismissed. The “Preliminary Law Coordinating the
States with the Reich” of March 31, 1933, called for the membership of
state parliaments to reflect the distribution of parties in the
Reichstag. The “Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich” of January 30,
1934 decreed the final dissolution of all state parliaments.
The Nazi takeover in Hamburg took place on March 5, 1933, and set the
precedent for many similar actions throughout the country. Like Hamburg,
numerous other cities saw political “coordination” imposed from below by
brute force and from above by legislative decrees. For example, the
Hamburg City Hall was occupied by members of the SA and the SS on the
evening of the last Reichstag election. At the same time, the
Reich Ministry of the Interior decided that the Hamburg senate had to
follow Nazi guidelines. The Social Democratic mayor of the city resigned
under protest. The new, “coordinated” city senate was composed of 6
members of the NSDAP, 2 members of the DNVP, and 2 members of the
Stahlhelm. Photo by Joseph
Schorer.
