On this day in 1933, the Nazis pass the “Enabling Act.” Also known as the “Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich,” the legislation gives Hitler unlimited power and transforms Germany into a totalitarian dictatorship.
On this day in 1933, the Nazis pass the “Enabling Act.” Also known as the “Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich,” the legislation gives Hitler unlimited power and transforms Germany into a totalitarian dictatorship.
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The Enabling Act of 1933 (Ermächtigungsgesetz), officially titled Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich (lit. ’Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich’), was a law that gave the German Cabinet – most importantly, the Chancellor – the powers to make and enforce laws without the involvement of the Reichstag or Weimar President Paul von Hindenburg, leading to the rise of Nazi Germany.
The Enabling Act allowed the Reich government to issue laws without the consent of Germany’s parliament, laying the foundation for the complete Nazification of German society. The law was passed on 23 March 1933, and published the following day
Critically, the Enabling Act allowed the Chancellor to bypass the system of checks and balances in the government.
We have this called “state of emergency” in Hungary since 4 years now.. Orban rules by edicts and just announced to extend the “State of emergency due to migration crisis” with another 6 months. Not for the last time I can assure everyone..
Fun fact, the reason this law passed was because Hitler had used the Reichstag Fire in February 1933 as a pretext to arrest pretty much all Communist politicians and suspend civil liberties (while claiming this was necessary against “Communist violence”), which many people supported because of high anti-Communist sentiments at the time.
By the time the vote for the Enabling Act was held, there were no members of the KPD (Communist Party) left in the Parliament. This mean that when the “moderate” Social Democratic showed up – the only ones who voted against the proposal – they were completely outnumbered.
The moral of the story is, if someone suspends all civil rights and suppresses the political opposition, you shouldn’t trust that they will only do it against the “right” kind of people.
That’s the background of the famous poem “First they came for the Communists” by Niemöller
Look at all those superior humans, bald and fat and I heard the one in middle had just one nut.
This is how democracy dies, to thunderous applause.
Maybe I’m getting spoiled with all the fancy new colorization tools, but this isn’t the best colorization I’ve ever seen.