Question

paragraph 2: elections and legitimacy
evaluate the extent to which elections between 1933 and 1938 helped legitimate nazi rule.

Explanation:

To evaluate the extent to which elections between 1933 and 1938 helped legitimate Nazi rule, we analyze the following:

1. Initial Nazi Electoral Gains (1933): The March 1933 election, held after Hitler became Chancellor, saw the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and its coalition partners gain a majority. However, this election was not free or fair—opposition parties faced harassment, and the Communist Party was banned. The result gave the Nazis a veneer of democratic legitimacy to pass the Enabling Act, which centralized power.

1. Subsequent Elections and Referendums: After 1933, elections became farcical. Opposition parties were outlawed, civil liberties were suppressed, and the media was controlled. Referendums (e.g., on the Anschluss with Austria, 1938) were staged to show overwhelming support for Nazi policies, but these were not genuine democratic exercises. They served to create a perception of popular approval rather than reflecting real choice.

1. Propaganda and Coercion: The Nazis used propaganda to portray electoral success as a mandate for their rule. Simultaneously, coercion (e.g., intimidation of voters, suppression of dissent) ensured compliance. The "success" of these elections/referendums was more about demonstrating control than gaining legitimate consent.

1. Limited Legitimacy Value: While the 1933 election initially provided a legalistic basis for Nazi actions (via the Enabling Act), the lack of free and fair processes in subsequent polls meant their legitimacy was superficial. The regime relied more on terror and indoctrination than genuine democratic approval.

Answer:

Elections between 1933–1938 provided only a superficial veneer of legitimacy for Nazi rule:

• The 1933 election (marred by intimidation/ban on opposition) enabled the Enabling Act, but later polls/referendums were staged (no free choice, opposition suppressed).
• Nazi “success” relied on coercion, propaganda, and eliminating democracy, not genuine popular consent.

In reality, these elections/referendums were tools of authoritarian control, not legitimate democratic endorsements.