Praxis II Citizenship

Answer: D - Adolf Hitler ascended to power as a member of the National Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) Party in 1933, when he was appointed Chancellor of Germany. With Hitler in power, the Nazis moved swiftly to eliminate their rivals, including the Communists and the Social Democrats, as well as all unions. He facilitated the passage of several laws that consolidated his own power, including a law that allowed his position to be merged with the office of the presidency when the sitting president died (which occurred about a year and a half later). He also secured the passage of legislation that made it impossible for the government to remove him from office in the future, ensuring that he could legally be in power for life. After the chancellory and presidency were merged, making Hitler the self-styled Führer, he began rebuilding the military, aiding Franco in Spain, and making the armed forces’ oath of allegiance to Germany an oath of allegiance to Hitler personally. He set the country on a Four Year Plan to rebuild the economy in preparation for war. In September 1939, World War II officially began when Hitler and Germany invaded Poland.