Weimar and Nazi Germany
3 examples of unrest in Germany at the end of 1918
-strikes and workers councils set up in Stuttgart
-general strike in Munich
-navy mutany in Kiel
when did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate and what issue did this cause
-9th November 1918
-there was a power vacuum and so a lot of conflict and chaos
Who initially took control of Germany to stop extremist groups in 1918
SPD
What was the first act the Weimar Republic agreed to ?
-the armistice
-this was advised by German generals- Germany couldn't win the war now ans the generals didn't want to be seen as a defeated army or wlse they would lose their influence
who were the november criminals and why ?
-the politicians who signed the armistice
-the german people were angry and so wanted someone to blame for Germany's defeat and the bad peace terms
what was the stab in the back myth?
the belief that the German could have still won the war. This was supported by German generals who said the new republic's politicians betrayed them
What was the German Revolution
The change in Germany from monarchism to being a republic
who was the first Weimar president ?
Ebert
How did Ebert goven and try to keep control of Germany between Nov 1918 to July 1919
-civil servants carried on their jobs to keep country running (eg collecting taxes and running public services)
-leaders of industry were promised there would be no nationalisation of business
-trade unions were told the government would try to introduce an 8 hour working day
How often were Weimar elections held ?
-Reichstag - every 4 years
-Presidential - every 7 years
What did Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution allow ?
President could use special powers in an emergency to suspend democracy and ignore the Reichstag
What were the strengths of the Weimar constitution
-democratic - everyone voted and proportional representation meant all votes counted
-nobody had too much power- President and Reichstag elected separately and Chancellor had to get laws passed by Reichstag
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution ?
-coalition governments meant could take a long time to make a decision-coalitions often fell out (1919 to 1923 there were 9 different governments)
-article 48 gave great power to President which made democracy look weak
-created in a time of violence and crisis so weakened its authority
Why did the German representatives have to sign the Treaty of Versailles ?
If they didn't the allies would start a war and continue a naval blockade to stop supplies reaching Germany
What was the War Guilt Clause ?
Term of the Treaty of Versailles that said Germany was to blame for starting the war and so had to accept full responsibility and pay compensation to allies
What was the amount of reparations agreed and when was it agreed ?
-£6.6 billion
-1921
What were the main details of the military terms of the Treaty of Versailles ?
-army-limited to 100,000 men with no tanks and no airforce
-navy-limited to 15,000 sailors with limited battleships, cruisers and destroyers and no submarines
-rhineland-forcibly demilitarised (no German soldiers allowed only allied forces)
What did France gain from the Treaty of Versailles ?
-control of Alsace-Lorraine
-reparations
What was the Spartacist revolt ?
-January 1919
-communists attempted yo seize power by taking control of important buildings like newspaper and railway offices
-Ebert's government got far-right paramilitary group (the Freikorps) to stop the rebellion
-Freikorps brutally murdered the revolt leaders (Luxemburg & Liebknecht)
Why did the Communist party refuse to support the SPD after the Spartacist Revolt and why was this an issue ?
-because of the use of Freikorps by Ebert against communists
-the SPD needed support in a coalition. The other left wing party should have supported it but refused and this made the government weak to right-wing groups
What was Kapp Putsch ?
-march 1920
-extreme right wing leader Wolfgang Kapp led Freikorps units and marched on Berlin forcing government to flee
-Berlin workers went on strike as protest of this right wing attempt to gain power
-Kapp couldn't rule without workers so fled and the government returned
-nobody was punished for this
Who were Freikorps and what did they think of the Weimar Republic ?
-ex-soldiers with extreme right wing views
-hated communism and the republic for signing the armistice and Treaty of Versailles which made Germany weak
What did ongoing political violence (eg. Kapp Putsch and Spartacist Revolt) reveal about attitudes to the Republic ?
-extremists willing to take law into their own hands and murder representatives of the republic
-legal system showed there was support for right wing groups
-armed groups used by political parties shouldn't have been tolerated in a democracy
Why was there an economic crisis in Germany in 1923 ?
-Germany didn't pay the 2nd installment of reparations- paid for the first one in gold and industrial goods but couldn't afford to pay the 2nd
-Jan 1923 French and Belgian troops invade the Ruhr (German industrial heartland) and seize goods as payment
-passive resistance introduced in the Ruhr-this was encouraged by the German government who told workers not to work for the French. The French then expelled 150,000 workers from the Ruhr
-industrial production stops-Germany couldn't access 80% of their industrial reserves (eg. coal and iron)
-government prints more money and it becomes worthless-shortages lead to inflation and government money needed for workers (feed,house and pay those from the Ruhr) and so the government printed more money
-hyperinflation-caused big economic problems for everyone-people on fixed income,pension or with savings lost a lot of money.There were also issues buying goods as prices would rise throughout the day
Why did the 1923 economic crisis affect the middle class worse than any other group ?
-middle classes had businesses, savings and income from pensions and investments
-hyperinflation resulted in savings, pensions and other fixed incomes being worthless
-normal business and trade was impossible so many businesses had to shut down
Why was the lack of support from the middle classes a concern for the future of the republic ?
-middle class should have been the strongest supporters of a democratic state
-if democracy was threatened the middle class should have defended it
-but many of the middle class were critical of the Weimar Republic and so their loyalty was not guaranteed if in the future democracy was threatened
What 2 government positions did Gustav Stresemann hold ?
Chancellor and Foreign minister
What 3 economic problems needed to be solved and were solved by Stresemann and how did he do this ?
-money being worthless-hyperinflation-new currency (the rentenmark) which was temporarily introduced to stabilise the economy as this currency actually had value as it was tied to German industry. Then another currency was introduced (the reichsmark)
-French in Ruhr so no industrial production-promised to pay reparations so French left
-Germany's economy needed rebuilding- Dawes plan (1924) and Young plan (1929)
what were the main points of the Dawes plan of 1924 ?
-reorganised reparation payments to $50 million for a temporary period
-US banks would make loans to German industry
What were the positive impacts of Stresemann's economic policies ?
-currency accepted meant businesses could recover so more employment and more tax income for government
-industrial production in Ruhr meant resources to produce goods
-loans meant investment in industry so output doubled between 1923-28
What vunerability did the Dawes Plan create for Germany ?
Germant relied on the USA- if the USA had economic problems so would Germany
What were the main points of the Young plan 1929 ?
-lowered reparations to £2 billion
-lengthened time to pay (to 1988)
What countries signed the Locarno pact 1925 and what did they agree ?
-Germany,Britain,France,Belgium and Italy
-accepted western borders and would not invade each other
What was the main term of the 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact ?
63 countries would not use war to achieve foreign policy aim
Why did extremists not like the economic and foreign policies put into place by stresemann ?
-economic-anger at reparations still being paid and hated relying on USA loans
-foreign-hated confirmed land terms of ToV and anger at giving into French in the Ruhr
What were the key points of the Manifesto of the NSDAP ?
-hatred of the Treaty of Versailles
-rearm Germany
-anti-semitic
-anti-Weimar republic and anti-democratic
-belief in strong government
Hitler's life before 1923
-was a soldier in the German army during WW1 (1914-1918)
-after war hired by army to spy on politicak groups
-spied on a DAP meeting and joined them
When did Hitler become leader of the DAP and what did he rename it to ?
-1921
-NDSAP
Who were the SA and when were they formed ?
-the Nazi paramilitary party (also known as the brownshirts) who were led by Ernst Rohm
-formed in 1921
-made up of ex-soldiers and students
What was the role of the SA in the early Nazi movement ?
-disrupt meetings of other politicak parties
-control crowds
-stop any opposition to Hitler and the Nazi's
How many people were members of the Nazi party by november 1923 ?
50,000
What were the reasons for the Munich Putsch ?
-French invasion of the Ruhr and hyperinflation
-anger at the Weimar Republic (loss of war,stab in the back myth,Treaty of Versailles)
-success of another right wing group-Mussolini's march on Rome in Italy
Munich Putsch 1923
-8th Nov-state officials were meeting at a beer hall in Munich. Hitler and the SA storm the beer hall and force them to support their rebellion and then released them. Officials then told the police
-9th Nov at 11:00 am-Hitler and General Luddendorff led 3000 Nazi's including 1000 SA through the Munich streets hoping people would support them. Police then stopped them and there was a shootout with both police and Nazi's killed
Why did the Munich Putsch 1923 fail ?
-Hitler overestimated the support from German people
-badly organised
-army stayed loyal to the state government
Consequences of the Munich putsch
short term:
-Hitler imprisoned
-NDSAP banned
-Hitler gets publicity for his party at the trial
long term:
-Hitler changes tactics on how to gain lower-get voted in rather than use violence
-wrote Mein Kampf which detailed Nazi key policies
What were the key ideas in Mein Kampf ?
-extreme racism
-nationalism
-socialism
-anti-democratic
-traditional German family values
Why were the years 1924 to 1928 the lean years of the Nazi party ?
the party didn't get many votes and didn't have many seats in the Reichstag
4 changes Hitler made to the Nazi party after his release from prison
-party organised like mini-state with different departmnets like a government
-created a national Nazi party-divided Germany into 35 districts with its own local Nazi leader (gaultier)
-getting financial support from wealthy businessmen (eg. Bosch) by promising to control the unions and stop communism
-strengthened parliamentary forces-expanded SA to 400,000 and set up SS as Hitler's own personal bodyguard controlled by Himmler
How did Hitler change the policies of the Nazi party at the Bamburg conference 1926 ?
Decided to have more right wing policies and fewer left wing ideas eg wouldn't support workers' rights but would side with employers
Why did people not vote for the Nazis between 1923 and 1929 ?
-Stresemann's economic policy-ended hyperinflation and there was more employment so people were better off
-Stresemann's foreign policy- Locarno Pact 1925, Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 and Germany's membership of the League of Nations meant Germany began to be more respected on the international stage
-Hindenburg elected as president in 1925- ex-field marshal who was a respected war hero so people stayed loyal to moderate political parties and felt reassured with the Weimar Republic
how many seats did the Nazi party gain in the Reichstag elections in May 1928 ?
12
What was the Wall st crash ?
share prices fell disasterously on the New York stock exchange
Why did the Wall st crash badly affect Germany ?
It weakened US banks and they needed the German loans back but the German economy needed this financial support
What happened to the German Civil Servant Bank ?
Went bust in 1929 and all customers lost their savings
How did the Wall st crash cause mass unemployment in Germany ?
-businesses and factories closed down
-US and German banks demanded loans back from businesses and so they couldn't contiue to operate
-Germany couldn't sell goods abroad because there was no demand due to worldwide economic problems and so businesses closed
-German citizens went out of work so didn't buy as much and so businesses closed
What effects did the Wall st crash have on German people ?
-unemployment- in Sep 1929 1.3 million people were unemployed but in Jan 1933 6.1 million people were unemployed
-increased taxes and cut in wages for workers
-homelessness as increased poverty
-theft as people became desperate
-violence from boredom and frustration
why did the Weimar government fail to deal with the unemployment crisis ?
-nature of problem- extreme problem for any government
-moderate parties wouldn't work togerher
When the Reichstag couldn't make a decision what power could the Chancellor ask the President for ?
Article 41 of the constitution where president issues an emergency decree (law without vote in Reichstag)
Why did Chancellor Bruning have to use the powers of article 41 in 1932 and what for ?
-Reichstag wouldn't support his policies for dealing with the unemployment crisis
-higher taxes to pay for unemployment benefit with fixed time limit on claiming
How often did Bruning use the powers of article 41 and why was this worrying for democracy ?
-1933-66 times
-ruling the country without elected representatives support seen as accepted and made democracy look weak
why didnt the moderate parties in the Reichstag support Bruning ?
-right wing groups-their voters were middle class & wealthy and didn't support higher taxes
-left wing groups-their voters were working class & unemployed and did not support reduced benefits
What was the main impact of moderate parties inability to govern effectively after the Wall st crash ?
increase in votes for extreme parties like communists and the Nazi's
Which groups in society supported the Communists after the Wall st Crash and why ?
workers in urban areas- supported communism because of increases unemployment and falling wages
Which groups supported the Nazis after the Wall st crash and why ?
middle and upper classes began to support the Nazi's because they were frightened by the increase in support for the Communist party and believed Nazi's would protect them from Communism
How successful were extreme parties in the Reichstag after the Wall st crash ?
May 1928 to Sep 1930
-Nazis- 12 seats in Reichstag to 107
-Communists-54 seats in Reichstag to 77
The Reichstag fire
-27th February 1933- Dutch communist found setting fires in Reichstag
-Hitler says this is a communist plot to take over the country and persuades Hindenburg to give him emergency powers to keep law and order (arrest politicians, close down newspapers and meetings)
-the Reichstag fire enabled Hitler to weaken the Nazi's biggest electoral threat (the KPD)
-Hitler made people scared of communists and believe Nazi's would protect them to encourage people to vote for the Nazi party
the Reichstag elections 5th March 1933
-Nazis recieved 43.9% of votes which is 288 seats
-Nazis stronger in Reichstag so Hitler could form a Nazi government and decide on laws to be voted for in the Reichstag and get Enabling Act passed
Enabling Act
-24th March 1933-Reichstag passed the act which allowed Hitler to make laws without consulting the Reichstag for 4 years
-end of democracy in Germany- Reichstag voted itself out of existence
Night of the Long Knives
-30th June/1st July 1934- Rohm and many senior SA leaders were arrested and shot
-organised by the SS under the instruction of Hitler
-eliminated the threat to Hitler's leadership to the party (Rohm) and got the support of the army for the Nazi regime
Death of President Hindenburg
-2nd August 1934-Hindenburg dies who was the only person Hitler didn't control
-Nobody could stop Hitler and the Nazi's from doing what they wanted now
When Hitler was appointed Furher in 1934
-Hitler used the powers of the Enabling Act to make the new position Furher which had both the powers of the president and the chancellor. Army swore oath of loyalty to Hitler on the day he became Furher
-The Third Reich had begun and Nazi's could do as they pleased
How did Hitler become Chancellor 1932-1933 ?
1932
-April-presidential election. Hitler came 2nd to Hindenburg who won 53% of the vote to Hitlers 36.8%
-May-Bruning resigned as chancellor so Hindenburg appointed Von Papen as his replacement
-July-Reichstag elections. The Nazi's became the the largest party and Hitler demanded to be made Chancellor but Papen remained
-November-Reichstag elections called by Von Papen to try to win a majority in parliament. Nazi's lost 34 seats but remained the largest party with 196 seats
-December-Von Papen resigns so Hindenburg appoints Von Schliecher (an army general) as Chancellor. Von Schliecher tries to split the Nazis by asking a leading Nazi called Gregor Strasser to be his Vice Chancellor. Hitler forces Strasser to decline
1933
-January-Von Papen and Hindenburg appoint Hitler as Chancellor with Von Papen as Vice-Chancellor. They thought they could control Hitler and get him to do what they wanted
The SS
-black uniformed Nazi organisation led by Himmler
-by 1936 they controlled all Germany's police and security forces including Gestapo and Concentration Camps
the Gestapo
-non-uniformed Nazi secret police
-led by Reinhard Heydrich under Himmler until assassination
-feared-known to arrest and torture people, blackmail them, intimidate and spy on people
-employed or forced people to spy on each other
the SD
-Nazi security force who were led by Heydrich
-spied on all known opponents and critics of the Nazi party and government
-had a card index kept at the Nazi HQ in Munich called the Brown House
concentration camps
-anyone committing ot suspectednof committing a crime was sent to a camp
-by 1939 150,000 were in camps or prisons
-controlled by the SA and SS
-groups sent for re-education-those who threatened the Nazi way of life eg undesireables, minority groups, political prisoners
How was the legal system nazified ?
-all judges had to be members of the National Socialist League for Maintenance of the Law
-trial by jury was abolished- judges alone decided on innocence, guilt and punishment
-Peoples court for judging treason-here judges were handpicked to support Nazi ideas
Which Nazi was in charge of Propaganda and Censorship ?
Joseph Goebbels
How did Nazi's control newspapers ?
-all newspapers were Nazi newspapers and the government had all independent newspapers closed down
-Nazi government issued what they wanted newspapers to tell people
How did Nazis use the radio ?
-Radio stations were under Nazi control and in all public areas leading Nazi's made broadcasts
-cheap radios sold so by 1939 70% of Germans owned one
Why did Nazis hold rallies ?
-To create a sense of unity amongst the German people and show the strength of the Nazi Party and Germany
-To make people feel pride or terror
features of Nazi rallies
-huge stadium with 1000s of people
-Nazi swastika and flags everywhere
-Nazi uniforms
-lighting
How was German sport nazified?
All stadiums covered with Nazi flags and victories seen as victories of Nazi ideas
Berlin Olympics 1936
-used by Nazi's to show Nazi Germany in a positive way
-Olympic stadium largest in the world and covered with Nazi symbols
-well organised to show Nazi efficiency
-Germany won 33 medals which was the most in the whole competition
What was the Reich Chamber of Culture?
Government ministry responsible for making all art and culture fit in with Nazi ideas
What happened to art in Nazi Germany ?
-All artists had to be part of the Reich Chamber of Visual Arts and only produce Nazi authorised art
-unacceptable art removed (eg Picasso and Van Gogh)
What happened to architecture in Nazi Germany ?
Albert Speer, who was Hitler's favourite architect, designed all the buildings to make Germany seem powerful with lots of big domes, pillars and arches
What happened to Music in Nazi Germany ?
There was an emphasis on German music like Wagner and Black and Jewish music was band (no jazz)
What happened to literature in Nazi Germany ?
All books had to be approved by the Chamber of Culture to be published. Books that weren't approved were destroyed
How did the Nazis use film ?
To support Nazi ideas with all plots having an underlying political message that supported Nazi ideas
Why were there high levels of conformity and acceptance of the Nazi's ?
-censorship & propaganda
-Nazi success
Opposition to the Nazis from churches
-Pastors Emergency League (PEL) set up in 1933 which was a protestant group that opposed the Nazi policies of Jews not being allowed to convert to Christianity and banning the Jewish Old Testament from Christian teaching
-set up Confessing Church in 1934 to oppose Nazi interference in organisation of Church
-catholic priests who opposed the Nazi's were imprisoned in the priest block at the concentration camp Dachau
-church opposition had limited success-people still went to church but only a few christians openly opposed the Nazi's but their opposition wasn't about the terrible actions of the Nazi's but their interference in the church
Martin Niemoller
-opposed the Weimar Republic and supported Hitler as Chancellor
-didn't like Nazi's banning Jews from becoming Christians-did not disagree with other restrictions
-set up the PEL in 1933 and the confessing church in 1934 in opposition to the Nazi's
-his phone was bugged which he spoke out against the Nazi's on and so was arrested and sent to concentration camps
Edelweiss Pirates
-working class youths which the groups of all had local names but all used the white edelweiss flower as their emblem
-mostly teenage boys who resented military discipline
-copied american fashion and would sometimes camp out in the countryside and sing anti-Nazi songs
Swing Youth
-Wealthy middle class teenagers in big cities who admired American culture, clothes and music
-had record players and played illegaly imported records of swing hands (eg Glen Miller)
-organised illegal dances
-some preferred jazz music and were called the jazz youth and listened to black musicians like Louis Armstrong
How successful was Youth Opposition ?
limited as mainly cultural not political as they just wanted freedom from Nazi controls over clothes, mueic and behaviour which are typical youth complaints
What were the main Nazi policies towards women ?
-traditional family roles
-being mothers focuses on their children and husbands
-role seen as equally important as mens for the benefit of the Nazi state
What were the features of the behaviour and appearance of a loyal Nazi woman ?
-natural appearance with no makeup
-aryan
-simple clothing-skirts no trousers
-modest habits- non-smoker & non-drinker
Law for the Encouragement of Marriage 1933
-loans to couples to encourage marriage- if the wife stayed at home to bring up children for each child born a quater of the loan was written off
-loan paid off at 4 children
-women also recieved monthly payments to help raise children
What was the Mothers cross ?
-award to mothers for the number of children they had
-4 to 5 was bronze, 6-7 was silver and 8 was gold
How effective were the Nazi policies towards women ?
-birth rate did increase- but probably due to the stronger economy so now couples could afford to have children- still though seldom women had more than 2 children
-women forced to give up work- but as men went into the army women replaced them in their jobs- eventually women workers were needed in the economy
the Nazi Curriculum for German Schools
-all subjects were used to promote Nazi ideas and beliefs
-race studies- taught different racial groups were better than others and aryans superior
-more pe- ensured healthy fit children by doubling pe lesson time
-different curriculum for boys and girls (eg. girls had domestic science)
-history books gave Nazi views of history-included the stab in the back myth and glorified the Munich Putsch
-political indoctrination- in school students had to listen to political speeches
How did the Nazi's control teachers ?
-all teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler and Join the Nazi Teacher's League
-political education courses for teachers to teach Nazi ideas
What were Napolas ?
-Nazi boarding schools to train the future leaders of Nazi Germany (eg. SA, SS, generals, police)
-selected the most intelligent, competitige, agressive and racially pure students
How effective were policies towards the young ?
-education was dominated by Nazi ideas and all teachers had to follow the Nazi Curriculum or were sacked
-some children fully believed ideas
-others didn't conform-some resisted (eg. Edelweiss Pirates, Swing Youth)
what 2 economic problems faced the Nazi party in 1933 ?
High unemployment and promised jobs to voters
3 reasons why the Nazi's views workers as important
-unemployment was politically dangerous-could cause opposition to the government
-unemployed workers were a waste of resources-had to be looked after by the government
-workers needed in factories in Germany to rearm Germany
the Labour service (RAD)
-paid work for the unemployed
-6 months made compulsary in 1935
-worked on public works (eg.hospitals and motor ways)
the Autobahn project
-scheme for building motorways across Germany which were a quicker and cheaper way of transporting German goods
-boosted sale of goods so created more jobs
rearmament 1935
-conscription into armed forces
-workers needed in armament factories arms industry to make weapons & equipment
invisible unemployment in Nazi Germany
-women and jews not allowed to work and unemployed people sent to prison or conscripted into the RAD
-changed how numbers were recorded
3 Nazi organisations which affected people's standard of living
-Labour Front (DAF)-replaced trade unions to control industrial workers and employers
-Strength Through Joy (KdF)-provided workers with cheap leisure activities (eg.concerts and holidays)
-Beauty of Labour (SdA)-organisation to improve working conditions (eg.installing better toilets)
Why did the Nazi's persecute groups in Germany ?
-Nazi belief of racial purity
-creation of a German Aryan master race
-groups that threatened Aryan race had to be eliminated
What were the Nazis persecution policies hoping to do ?
-make the Nazi German state racially strong
-encourage Aryan men and women to only have children with other Aryans
-stop inter-racial relationships
-stop certain groups having children
How did the Nazis portray Jews and why ?
-dangerous-so people were scared of them
-ugly-inferior race
-rich-took advantage of German workers
-disloyal to Germany-not German and cannot be trusted
the Nuremburg laws
-Law on Citizenship-only those of German blood could be German citizens meaning Jews couldn't be German citizens and so lost rights. Jews were also forced to wear a yellow star
-Law on Protection of German Blood & Honour-Jews and other undesirables could not marry German citizens-sexual relationships between Jews and German citizens were forbidden
Night of the Broken Glass (Krystallnacht) 1938
-Nazi in Paris was shot by a Polish Jew and so Goebbels and Hitler decided to increase the violence against Jews
-a national attack on Jews was organised
-It was Called Krystallnacht because of all the broken glass from broken shop windows
-9th/10th November-Nazis organise and encourage attacks on Jewish property- many Jews killed and hundreds of shops and Synagogues destroyed
-Goebbels blamed Jews and they had to pay for and clear the damage
-by 12th November 20,000 Jews had been taken to concentration camps
Other than Jews which 4 groups did the Nazi's persecute and why ?
-Slavs-views as subhumans so threatened the Aryan race and Slavic countries were wanted for Lebensraum
-Gypsies-Nazis thought they didn't work enough or pay enough taxes and they were also a threat to racial purity so forced to live in special camps
-Homosexuals-believed to lower moral standards and did not have children and spoiled racial purity-sent to concentration camps and encouraged to have voluntary castrations
-The Disabled-seen as a costly burden on society and weakened racial purity-disabled people had to be sterilised by law (1939 Law for the Preventation of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring) and disabled babies were killed either by starvation or lethal injection (T4 programme 1939)