1929-33 - rise of Nazis

Question 1

what was the impact of the wall street crash on unemployment?

Answer 1

• over the winter of 1929-30, the number of unemployed rose from 1.4 million to 2 million
• by the time hitler became chancellor, 1 in 3 germans were unemployed, with the figure hitting 6 million

Question 2

why was the rise in unemployment a particularly bad problem?

Answer 2

-the government had recently passed the unemployment insurance scheme in 1927, this had a huge impact on government finances

Question 3

why did Bruning lose support after the wall street crash?

Answer 3

-only a couple of months into Bruning’s chancellorship, he cut unemployment benefits and cut government expenditure, leaving many inserious poverty

Question 4

when did democracy seem to start to crack?

Answer 4

Bruning could not get the Reichstag to get to agree to his cutting of expenditure, so Hindenburg used Article 48, which gave him power to rule by decree to allow Bruning’s policies to pass. this weakened the power of the Reichstag

Question 5

how did the wall street crash lead to a rise in extremism?

Answer 5

• many people were left desperate, and were keen to listen to anyone.
• parties like the KPD and the Nazis offered simple solutions to their problems
• this led to the support for the communists and the Nazis soaring

Question 6

what were the figures on rising extremism?

Answer 6

by 1932, parties who were committed to the destruction of the Weimar Republic held 319 seats out of 608 (a majority), suggesting support for democracy had been lost

Question 7

what were the figures for rising support for the Nazis?

Answer 7

before the wall street crash in 1928, they only held 12 seats - in the depths of the depression in 1932, this rose to 230

Question 8

who did Hitler and the Nazis appeal to?

Answer 8

• wealthy business who were frightened of the communists and funded the Nazis
• the traditional middle-class
• nationalists who blamed the legacy of the ToV for the depression
• farmers who were scared of the communists

Question 9

how did the Nazis use of propaganda help increase support?

Answer 9

• Hitler was portrayed as the saviour to Germany
• use of scapegoating the jews allowed people to release their anger on something
• the Hitler over Germany campaign allowed him to reach rural areas often unreached by politicians
• his use of radio also allowed for people to be contacted easily
• the SA rallies presented order which many believed would fix Germany in a time of Chaos

Question 10

how did the SA play a part in increasing popularity?

Answer 10

• they intimidated the Nazi’s political opponents, especially the communists by turning up at their meetings and attacking them
• provided opportunities for young, unemployed men to become involved in their party
• protected Hitler and other key Nazis when there were organised rallies

Question 11

how did Hitler become Chancellor?

Answer 11

• in July 1932, the Nazis became the largest party in the Reichstag, making Hitler demand to be chancellor
• Papen called elections in november to gain a majority in parliament - Nazis lost 34 seats but remained the largest party
• December, Papen resigned and was replaced by Schleicher
• Schleicher tried to split the Nazis by offering Strasser, a leading Nazi, to become vice chancellor. Hitler made him refuse.
• in january 1933, Hindenburg turned to Hitler, appointing him as chancellor with Papen as vice chancellor, thinking they could control him

Question 12

How many seats did the Nazis win in 1928?

Answer 12

12

Question 13

What was the vote for removing papen in 1932?

Answer 13

512-42

Question 14

Who did the Nazis have trouble getting support of

Answer 14

• catholics - less support in catholic south
• people in big cities - on average, the Nazis received 10% lower vote in cities with more than 100,000 people - potentially showing how the Weimar republics city culture was popular