2.1 - the rise of the Nazi party and Hitler in Germany and the collapse of the Weimar Republic

Question 1

25 Point Plan

Answer 1

Released by National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP)

Anti-Semitism
4: Only those with German blood can be our countrymen (excluding Jews as obtaining citizenship)

Nationalism
1: We demand the unification of all Germans in a Greater Germany

Foreign Policy (expansionism) (led by nationalism)
3: We demand land and territory for the maintenance of our people (Lebensraum)

Socialist sentiment
16: We demand the creation and maintenance of a sound middle-class

Question 2

SPD

Answer 2

Social Democratic Party
Supporter of the Weimar Republic
Largest part in 20s Reistag

Question 3

KPD

Answer 3

Communist Party
Formed from Spartacists - revolutionary, opposed Weimar Republic

Question 4

DDP

Answer 4

German Democratic Party
Helped draft constitution

Question 5

NSDAP

Answer 5

National Socialist German Workers’ Party - Nazi

Question 6

Political collapse of the Weimar Republic

Answer 6

• Treaty of the Versaille 28 June 1919: Germans felt a great sense of injustice through the War Guilt Clause, military was reduced, reparations were demanded.
• Article 48: Suicide Clause gave President access to emergency (dictator) powers that was frequently exploited due to inefficency of the coalition government and to maintain public order, such as imposing martial law or banning extremist organizations.
• Proportional representation: radical groups entered parlimentary power, making it difficult to reach consensus. Coalitions failed to cooperate and compromise.
• November Criminals (dolchstosslegende): Socialists, pacifists, Jews, democratic politicians (anyone except the nationalists and the military leaders) had “stabbed the German people in the back” by signing the treaty and forming the new government.

Question 7

Reparation

Answer 7

20 billion marks

Question 8

Features of the Weimar Republic

Answer 8

President: elected every 7 years by popular vote
Chancellor: appointed from the Reichstag by the President
Reichstag: elected every 4 years.
* Proportional representation - as it is unlikely for one party to to gain majority → coalition government
* Extreme parties represented who fundamentally opposed to the concept of democracy → political instability.
Reichsrag

German people: everyone over 20 can vote

The Weimar Constitution initated 11 August 1919
Article 48 (suicide clause): The president can assume emergency powers in time of crisis, the right to close parliament and issue decrees.
Article 25: Dissolving the Reichstag and calling for elections (including Chancellors)

Question 9

Ebert-Groener Pact

Answer 9

10 November 1918

• Ebert would protect the military’s autonomy and oppose any revolutionary/Communist socio-economic changes
• Groener would guarantee that the army would support Ebert’s moderate government against possible threats
• It guaranteed the survival of the Ebert government - no right-wing army coup
• It meant that there would be no radical socio-economic changes in Germany
• It guaranteed the survival of the conservative elites and the maintenance of army political influence in the future
• Groener legitimised and supported emerging paramilitary groups such as the friekorps.

Question 10

First president

Answer 10

January 1919: Friedrich Ebert (SPD)
* Freedom of speech
* 8 hour working day
* Wide-ranging welfare reforms (healthcare)

Question 11

Spartacist Uprising

Answer 11

5 January 1919
* Dissatisfaction with WR, merely continuing the old regime. The SPD were too compromising with militarty/capaptalist interests.

Led by Spartacist League (rev. socialist group) to seize control of Berlin.
* Uprising gained traction
* SPD called on Friekorps - better equipped and trained
* Ended 12 Jan

100s Sparatacists died, including prominent leaders Karl Liebknecnt and Rosa Luxemburg.

• Failure - saved Republic from revolution
• This violent suppression alienated previous supporters (workers)
• Radicalised the left → formation of KPD

Question 12

Kiel Naval Mutiny

Answer 12

29 October 1918
Potentially disastrous naval engagement with British Navy + falling German morale → protest and mutinies across the fleet

Demanded:
* End of war
* Better treatment
* Democratic govt.

Formed Russian revolutionary inspired councils → protests and strikes across the country (resonated with broader political and social unrest)
→ Catalyst for German Revolution
* Declaration of a republic 9 November 1918

Question 13

Kapp Putsch

Answer 13

March 1920
13: Wolfgang Kapp led a group of Friekorps (5000) to Berlin, aiming to overthow the Weimar Govt. as they were disillusioned to the new democratic government.

• Kapp seized government buildings - officials fleed. Declared himself new Chancellor and invited the Kaiser to return.
• Army refused act- “Reichswehr does not fire upon Reichswehr”
• The Weimar Government called for a general strike → country came to a standstill (utilities, transportation)
• Friekorps isolated and unable to maintain order.

17 March: abandoned their attempt to seize power and the government returned. Kapp died in prison.

• Highlighted the threats of right extremism.
• This emboldened leftist groups at the success of a collective strike.

Question 14

Ruhr Uprising

Answer 14

March 1920
Region central for coal and steel production (economy). Inspired by Kapp Putsch

Hyperinflation, unemployment and the ToV created widespread discontent, feeling betrayed by the Weimar Republic. When the govt. tried to disband the Ruhr Red Army
* Viewed as direct attack on workers rights
* 13 March 1920: workers striking out of solidarity.
* Broader uprising: control of factories, mines and transportation networks.
* Formed councils, demanding better condtions and wages
* As inspired by Bolshevik Rev., govt. responded in force → quickly suppressed by govt. army

Divide between the working class and govt. was highlighted, intensifying disillusionment.

Question 15

Ruhr Occupation

Answer 15

End of WW1 - Bankrupt by spending reserves on the war.
* Assisting with cost of living but not increasing taxes to maintain morale post-defeat.
* Compensation payments for demobilising troops (ToV)
* Reparation payments.

Jan 1923: As Germany failed to send coal to France as per ToV, French army invaded.
* Confiscate raw materials, manufactured goods & industrial machinery
* Government compensated workers to strike when they lost this important revenue (key industry for national revenue)
* Workers forced to work anyways, occupation ends in September → economic turmoil

Question 16

Beginning of Hitler and Nazi

Answer 16

1921: Hitler becomes leader of NSDAP
Formation of SA “Brownshirts” – “Fighters for our ideology” - Hitler
* Justified the group as not military but emphasis on sporting activity (ToV restriction)

Question 17

Hyperinflation

cont from ruhr occupation

Answer 17

• Hyperinflation: Bread is 1 mark in 1919, 200 billion in 1923
• Debt and loans easily repaid
• Middle class was most impacted - Savings wiped out, and those on pensions suffered
• Industrial workers’ wages did not keep pace with prices.
• Suffering from shortages
• Unemployment
• Landowners and businessmen bought small companies.
• Property owners largely unaffected.
  As centrist led government created this economic turmoil, gravitation towards political extremes.

“Lingering at shop windows was a luxury because shopping had to be done immediately. Even an additional minute could mean an increase in price” —George Grosz on the hyperinflation of 1923

Question 18

Beer Hall Putsch

and hitler’s arrest

Answer 18

8 November 1923
Hitler and the Nazis attempt to seize power in Russia.
* Emulating Mussolini’s March on Rome: 600 brownshirts and supported by 2000 middles class members
* Hitler ordered the government officials to join his attempted putsch - they agreed, but once freed of captors the army and police moved against the Putsch.
* Hitler charged with high treason.
* 200 gold marks + 5 years imprisonment with parole at 6 months→ reflective of right wing sympathies of the jury system.
* Spent only 9 months in a degree of comfort.

Question 19

Significance of Beer Hall Putsch to Hitler’s rise to power

Answer 19

Failure to achieve power by force → must gain power through legal process (ballot box).
* When released from prison, → reorganised the party, increased membership and propaganda
* Would need support of the army → cultivate relations with the army.
* Trial brought Hitler to national prominence. Before the putsch, Hitler was a minor right wing politician in Southern Germany. Now he was a national figure. His ideas and his speeches in the courtroom (which he used as a soap box) had been read all across Germany.

Question 20

Great Depression - wall street crash and before

Answer 20

Germany’s economy was already suffering long before the Wall Street Crash of October 1929 → economy relied almost entirely on overseas loans (US)
* US investors began to pull out of their loans to invest in Wall Street 1928 → slowing of the German economy and increased unemployment.
* To maintain foreign funds (for industry) → Reichstag increased interest rates as incentive → Limited domestic investment, and slowing the German economy.
* As money is not reinvested in the economy, by 1932: 40% industrial workers unemployed.
* Price of agricultural goods fell sharply - most farmers in deeply debt.

Economy heading into a deep recession long before the Wall Street Crash → immediate end to US funds flowing into the country. The impact on Germany was immediate and catastrophic.

Question 21

Impact of Great Depression on society

Answer 21

1932: 6 million unemployed - not including those “underemployed” - minimal shifts.

50% 16-30 unemployed
60% uni grads unemployed → discontent after investing in their education.

Other countries protecting domestic interests → increase in trade tarrifs. Cannot rely on international trade.

Heinrich Bruning (Hunger Chancellor): policy of rigid deflation - increasing taxation (esp. working class) and decreasing government expenditure → deeper depression.

** July 1931: Danat** (largest) went bankrupt → withdrawals increase as people panic. Reducing capital accentuates economic decline.

Development of shanty towns, suffering evictions, health levels deteriorate, children working → humiliation for middle class families as they slip to working class rank.

Question 22

Gustav Stresemann - positives

Answer 22

Chancellor then Foreign Minister until his death.
* Introduced Rentenmark as an alternative currency which printed only what was in the government reserves.
* Increased global trust in Germany → Treaty of Locarno 1925 (respecting serenity of land borders, non-agression, settling disputes by pacific means) → led to acceptance into LoN 1926
* Dawes Plan 1924: The US agreed to help Germany pay off reparations (As Germany resumes payments, Britain and France can repay their loans + interest rate from German loans) → international trade rose as more faith in stabilising economy + currency. Industry was modernised and rationalised.
* Highly respected General Hindenburg became Presdient 1925: Stressemann’s maintained orderly changes + political and military life separated:
* Democratic parties - 50%
* Decrease in political violence (+Hindenburg did not abuse 48)
* Germany had best welfare system: women’s rights, regulation of working hours and unemployment payments.

Question 23

Young Plan

Answer 23

1929
* Intended to lower the amount of reparations to £2.2 billion
* 58 years to pay
* Remove internation control of factories and rail
* Very unpopular with anti-ToV politicians - acceptance of German’s war guilt and making Germany liable to pay reparations.
* Referendum: 85% supported

Question 24

Stresemann - negatives

Answer 24

• Faith remained in Stresemann, not the Weimar Republic → voting for nondemocratic parties
• Social welfare → high taxes resented by businesses and salary earners.
• Diplomatic achievemennts came at a price. Dawes Plan → paying reparations. Young Plan → accepting Versailles and war guilt.
• Weimar culture was hated by older generations
• Weimar’s economic success relied on US loans that could be withdrawn quickly.

Question 25

Great Depression impact on Weimar

Answer 25

Economic crisis → political crisis which saw the effective end of Germany as early as March 1930.
* The deflationary economic policy (Bruning from March 1930) → Germany deeper into a depression.
* Feelings of desperation and psychological disillusionment within the German people → polarisation of German politics and increasing political violence
* Opportunity for Nazi to gain support + behind the scenes manoeuvring by the conservative elites which would lead to Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor.

Question 26

Heinrich Bruning’s Government

Answer 26

• Abuse of 48
• Appointed by Hindenburg, who did not have majority (undermining democracy)
• Increase of taxes
• Unemployment scheme was not well funded
• Decreasing wages to support industry
• Increasing food prices

Question 27

Hitler becomes Chancellor

Answer 27

Propaganda + ideology: scapegoating Weimar politicians, Jews and communists for unemployment.
1933: 43.9% of the Reichstag