German referendum, 1934
The referendum on the Head of State of the German Empire took place on 19 August 1934. The then Chancellor Adolf Hitler could be confirmed merging the offices of the Chancellor and the Reich President on his person as a leader and chancellor in retrospect of the German population. As provided, the vote revealed a clear approval.
Prehistory
On 14 July 1933, the National Socialist Reich government passed a law on referendum. Thus it was possible to tune besides laws now also of other " government action " (including a constitutional amendment regulations). It was a simple majority of the valid votes cast for approval sufficient. Ceased thus were any barriers that are subject to a democratically elected legislative body and the imperial government had been imposed on the basis of the Enabling Act. Referendums should be conducted in order to ultimately show the apparent or actual unity between the governance of the NSDAP and propagated by their national community.
Already on August 1, 1934, one day before the death of the non-party Reich President Paul von Hindenburg on August 2, united Adolf Hitler by law, the office of the chancellor, which he had held since January 30, 1933, and of the President. This law on the Head of State of the German Empire came with the death of Hindenburg in force. So it was after the last election in 1932 no new election, but the people should subsequently vote by referendum. The Cabinet Hitler put to the referendum on the merger by decree for 19 August 1934.
Adolf Hitler (1933 ), Fuhrer and Chancellor from 1934 to 1945
Alignment and result
The poll question on the ballot was:
" The Office of the President is combined with that of the Chancellor. As a result, go to the existing powers of the President over to the Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler. He determined his deputy. Do you agree, German man, and you, German woman of the measures in this Act to control? "
The final official result was:
Follow
Hitler renounced the official title " Reich President " because this is inseparably linked with the name of Hindenburg, and led known thereafter as the Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor.
As the time for the preparation of the referendum was very tight - the death of Hindenburg to vote passed just 17 days, including one weeks of national mourning - a greater period of propaganda has been scheduled for the following ballots in 1936 and 1938 to the Reichstag.