Democracy Destroyed The First 100 Days of Nazi Rule

Day 76, Saturday 15 April 1933: Germany's protest over the Commons debate is handed in at an empty Foreign Office

Day 76 of 100

Germany’s protest over the Commons debate is handed in at an empty Foreign Office

On Easter Saturday the German chargé d’affaires delivered the Reich’s protest against the Commons debate to the duty official at the Foreign Office, as the Prime Minister sailed for Washington and The Times called the protest ‘absurd’. In Austria the government restored compulsory religious exercises in schools and declared an Easter amnesty, and Hamburg’s Senate placed state commissioners in the Chamber of Commerce. German radio carried the third act of Parsifal from the Berlin State Opera, and Hamburger SV drew 2–2 with the Vienna professionals WAC.

Rows of black motor cars parked in a large square, with crowds of pedestrians and a neoclassical building behind.
Cars parked in front of the opera on Unter den Linden, Berlin, 1930, as captioned by the Bundesarchiv; the State Opera relayed the third act of Parsifal on Easter Saturday 1933. For context Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-02070 / CC-BY-SA 3.0. CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons

Politics and power

Government, terror and persecution

  1. Foreign policy midday, London

    Protest delivered in London

    With the ambassador on leave, the German chargé d’affaires, Count Bernstorff, called at the Foreign Office at midday and handed over the government’s protest against the British government’s attitude in the Commons debate of 13 April. Because the Foreign Secretary was at his country house for Easter and the permanent under-secretary had left with MacDonald for America, the senior official on duty received it and promised to pass it on. The Times called the protest ‘absurd’, and other papers said it would be rejected on the ground that Parliament was sovereign.1,2

  2. The states Hamburg

    State commissioners for Hamburg’s Chamber of Commerce

    The Hamburg Senate appointed four state commissioners to the presidium of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, to run its business together with the presidium and prepare its ‘final reorganisation’, described as an interim solution because the remodelling would take time.3

  3. Foreign policy Rome

    Göring back in Rome; a birthday evening planned

    Göring, who had left Rome the day before with Prince Philipp of Hesse, flew back from Syracuse to the Roman seaplane station. The German community in Rome announced a celebration of Hitler’s birthday for Tuesday evening, at which Göring would give the address.1

Everyday life

What else was happening in Germany

  1. Radio evening, Berlin, State Opera Unter den Linden

    Parsifal from the State Opera

    At 22:30 Berlin radio broadcast the third act of Wagner’s Parsifal from the State Opera. Earlier in the evening all German stations had relayed the ‘Hour of the Nation’, a feature on the road ‘from the steam carriage to the motor coach’.2

  2. Sport 17:30, Hamburg, Rothenbaum

    HSV 2, Vienna 2

    As part of its Easter programme of international matches, Hamburger SV played the Viennese professional club Wiener Athletiksport-Club, the fixture having been moved to 17:30 on Easter Saturday at Rothenbaum. The match ended 2–2, with the celebrated Austrian goalkeeper Hiden in the Viennese goal.4,5

  3. Economy Hamburg

    Easter shopping at the Hamburg market

    Wholesale prices on the Hamburg fruit and vegetable market on Easter Saturday included oranges at 2 to 8 pfennigs each, blood oranges at 4.5 to 10.5 pfennigs, lemons at 1.75 to 4 pfennigs and hothouse cucumbers at about 50 to 55 pfennigs each.2

  4. Religion Vienna

    Austria restores compulsory school worship

    Austria’s Minister of Education revoked, with immediate effect, the decree of 10 April 1919 that had abolished compulsory attendance at religious exercises in secondary and elementary schools, restoring the pre-1919 rules. He informed Cardinal Archbishop Innitzer of Vienna, who received the news with particular thanks. Federal President Miklas issued an Easter amnesty for a range of political offences.2

Elsewhere in the world

  • United Kingdom

    MacDonald sails for Washington

    Prime Minister MacDonald left for the United States on the Cunard liner Berengaria for talks with President Roosevelt, accompanied among others by the permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, Sir Robert Vansittart, and the government’s chief economic adviser, Sir Frederick Leith-Ross. He planned to be back in England on 3 May.2,6

More pictures

Two men in dark suits stand side by side in a panelled room: on the left a tall, heavily built younger man with his hands clasped, on the right an older man with grey hair and a moustache.
Albrecht Graf von Bernstorff (left), counsellor at the German embassy in London, with Konstantin von Neurath, then ambassador there and Foreign Minister from 1932, in a press photograph of 1930. On Easter Saturday 1933 Bernstorff, as chargé d’affaires, handed in the German protest at the Foreign Office. For context Agence Rol. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  1. Hamburger Fremdenblatt, 16 April 1933 Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek, Zeitungsportal, p. 2 ('Rom, 15. April': Göring's return; birthday celebration); p. 3 ('London, 15. April': protest delivered)
  2. Hamburger Fremdenblatt, 15 April 1933 Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek, Zeitungsportal, p. 1, 'London, 15. April' (Times on the protest); p. 2 (Austrian school decree; Easter amnesty; MacDonald's departure); p. 6 (radio programme 'Heute abend'); p. 10 (Hamburg fruit and vegetable prices)
  3. Kölnische Zeitung, 16 April 1933 Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek, Zeitungsportal, p. 7, 'Hamburg, 15. April' (state commissioners for the Chamber of Commerce)
  4. Hamburger Fremdenblatt, 13 April 1933 Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek, Zeitungsportal, p. 10, 'Die Hamburger Osterspiele' (fixture moved to Easter Saturday, 17:30)
  5. Hamburger Fremdenblatt, 18 April 1933 Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek, Zeitungsportal, p. 9, photo caption 'Fußballspiel H. S. V. – W. A. C., Wien, 2 : 2'
  6. Kölnische Zeitung, 12 April 1933 Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek, Zeitungsportal, 'London, 11. April' (MacDonald's party for the voyage on the Berengaria)

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