The Third Reich claims to be the successor to the Prussian past
Although Hitler was close to establishing a dictatorship by March 1933, he was still constrained by the Reichstag and the power of President Hindenburg. Seeking to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the Conservative elite, the NSDAP-led government organized the opening of the new session of Parliament as a Church service of thanksgiving in the heart of Prussian militarism: the Garrison Church in Potsdam.
The celebrations in Potsdam assembled the newly elected Reichstag deputies, excluding those from the SPD and KPD. They gathered to greet President Hindenburg, who in this setting bore a striking ceremonial likeness to the German Emperor. A photograph was diffused showing a soberly attired Hitler bowing to Hindenburg, who was resplendent in the uniform of a field marshal. It was widely interpreted as the passing of the baton from the Prussian-German past to the National Socialist future. The constituent session of the new Reichstag in Berlin received very little attention.
About the Deutschlandmuseum
An immersive and innovative experience museum about 2000 years of German history
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