3. The Collapse Of Democracy (1928-33) Flashcards
What were the core beliefs and ideology of communists (KPD)?
Revolutionary communist ideology. Demanded end to cuts in unemployment benefits and wages, and the legislation of abortion, also advocated close cooperation with the USSR, the end of military spending and the establishment of a workers state. Ultimate aim to overthrow Weimar Republic. Priority after depression was to replace SPD as leading party on the left.
What are some examples of communist campaigning and propaganda?
Posters and speeches by Thälmann: emphasised class struggle and the smashing of the capitalist system. There were explicit appeals to the unemployed, as for example in the slogan ‘Bread and freedom’, and there were images of capitalist capitalists being smashed with hammers wielded by workers. Much of the KPD’s propaganda attacked the SPD as the tool of the capitalist classes.
Who were the main support base of the communists (KPD)?
Strong presence in factories and workshops where trade union was well established. Forced to focus on unemployed. Presented as defenders of working class districts.
What were the strengths of the communists (KPD)?
-Communist propaganda helped attract membership, particularly through it’s posters but also in the speeches of Thalmann; they emphasised class struggle and the smashing of the capitalist system
-They were explicit appeals to the unemployed, as for example in the slogan ‘bread and freedom’, and there were images of capitalists being smashed with hammers wielded by workers
-There were also posters which emphasised the KPD’s links with the USSR and it’s belief in internationalism
-Much of the KPD’s propaganda attacked the SPD as the tool of the capitalist classes. It projected an image which would appeal to it’s committed followers and to many of those whose situation had become desperate as a result of the depression
-It must be remembered that electoral support for the KPD grew through the years 1930-32 reaching a peak of 16.9% of the votes cast in the November 1932 Reichstag election
-With it’s growing membership, success in attracting votes and organisation at street and neighbourhood level, the KPD had considerable strength.
-Indeed, the perceived threat of a communist revolution frightened many middle class voters into supporting the Nazi’s and led business leaders such as Thyssen to give financial support to the Nazi’s. Hitler was very adept at playing on these fears
What were the weaknesses of the communists (KPD).
-The reality, however, was that the KPD never came close to launching a successful revolution. It’s membership turnover was very high- more than 50% of its new members in 1932 left within a few months, only to be replaced by new recruits
-It failed to attract support outside the main industrial areas and had very limited appeal amongst women
-Because a high proportion of it’s members were unemployed, the KPD was forever short of money
-Finally, it’s concentration on fighting the ‘social facists’ in the SPD blinded the KPD to the serious threat posed by the Nazi party and divided anti nazi forces at a crucial time
What was the Nazi ideology?
-Hitler and the Nazi’s put forward a wide ranging but loose collection of ideas which, when assembled, might be described as an ideology. Nazi policy was first put forward in their twenty-five point programme of 1920, which was still officially the statement of their aims in 1933 even though Hitler did not agree with many of it’s points
-While he was in prison after the failed Munich beer hall Putsch in 1923, Hitler started writing Mein Kampf, his most complete statement of his ideas and aims
-His ideas were not original, nor where they coherent or consistent, as he modified his policy statements according to the audience he was addressing
-The book was also not widely read before 1933
What were the key themes in Nazi propaganda?
-The power of the will
-Struggle and war
-A racial community
-A national socialism
-The Führerprinzip
-Agressive nationalism
-Anti-semitism
How was the power of the will a part of Nazi propaganda?
-Hitler presented himself and the Nazi movement as being a force for change in Germany: ‘If one has realised a truth, that truth is valueless so long as there is lacking the indomitable will to turn this realisation into action’ (Hitler 1922)
-Nazi propaganda claimed that power, strength and determination to succeed were qualities personified by Hitler
-The Nazi movement, with it’s parades of stormtroopers (SA), presented an image of discipline and unity that would sweep all opponents aside
How was struggle and war a key theme of Nazi propaganda?
-Struggle, violence and war were at the heart of Nazi thinking and actions. Hitler defined his outlook in terms of struggle and claimed scientific justification for his view that struggle and conflict between races was part of the natural order of things
-War, he believed, would reconstruct German society and create a new German Reich through conquest and the subjugation of other races
-Nazi propaganda, therefore, glorified, the military virtues of courage, loyalty and self sacrifice, and the SA was projected as an organisation that gave German makes the chance to demonstrate their manliness
What was the appeal of Nazism?
As the economic crisis in Germany deepened, society became more polarised and the political system failed to provide governments equal to the situation. The nazis projected an image of decisiveness and energy, and offered the prospect of change. Their appeal was based on a number of factors
How was a racial community a method of Nazi propaganda?
-The concept of a ‘peoples community’, or Volksgemeinshaft, was a key element in Nazi ideology. Although it was never defined very clearly, Hitler advocated a state based on a racial community.
-Only aryans could be citizens of the state; all others were to be denied the rights of citizenship and it’s benefits, and would be treated as mere subjects of the state.
-Within the ‘real community of the people’, there would be no social classes and all Germans would have equal chances to find their own level in society. All would work together for the good of the nation, thereby demonstrating their commitment to common ‘German values’, and in return would benefit from access to employment and welfare benefits
-Nazism thus aimed for a cultural and social revolution in Germany. The objective was to create a ‘new man’ and a ‘new woman’, individuals who would have awareness of the importance of their race, the strength of character to work unselfishly for the common good, and the willingness to follow the leadership in pursuit of their aims.
-Yet this revolutionary ideology was essentially backward-looking. When the Nazi’s talked of a ‘people’s community’, they wanted to return to a romanticised, mythical German past before the race had become ‘polluted’ with ‘alien’ blood and before industrialisation had divided society along class lines.
-Their volksermeinschaft would be based on ‘blood and soil’ that is, on the German peasants who they believed had retained their ‘racial purity’ and their traditional values more than city dwellars
How was a national socialism a method of Nazi propaganda?
-The Nazi’s adopted the title National Socialist German workers’ party in an attempt to gain working class support, but at the same time to differentiate themselves from the international socialism of the communist party
-The points laid out in the twenty five point programme were economically radical and were similar to many of the anti capitalist policies of the communists and the socialists
-They called, for example, for the confiscation of war profits, the nationalisation of large monopoly companies and the confiscation of land from the large estates without compensation to the landowners
-Hitler, however never fully committed to these radical aims and modified his message according to the audience he was addressing. Increasingly, after 1929, Hitler sought the support of wealthy businessmen such as Hugenberg and Fritz Thyssen, and was at pains to reassure them that a Nazi government would not threaten their interests
-Hitler used the term ‘socialism’ loosely, in a way that might appeal to working class voters. In his view, socialism and the Volksgemeinschaft were one and the same thing: ‘to be national means to act with a boundless all embracing love for the people and, if necessary, even to die for it. And similarly, to be social means to build up the state and the community of the people so that every individual acts in the interest of the community of the people’
How was the Führerprinzip a method of Nazi propaganda?
-Hitler set out to destroy the Weimar Republic because it was a parliamentary democracy, a system he viewed as weak, ineffective and alien to Germany’s traditions of strong, authoritarian government.
-He also believed that parliamentary democracy encouraged the growth of communism, in his opinion an even greater evil
-He argued in a speech in April 1922: ‘Democracy is fundementally not German; it is Jewish. This Jewish democracy, with it’s majority decisions, had always been a means towards the destruction of any existing Aryan leadership’. Weimar democracy, being based on a betrayal, in which the ‘November criminals’ had stabbed the German army in the back. As such, it should be destroyed and replaced and replaced by a dictatorship, a one party state run on the basis of the Führerprinziprinzip (the principle of leadership)
XThe Führerprinzip was the basis on which the Nazi party had been run since 1925. Within the party, Hitler had supreme control over policy and strategy, and party members became subordinated to Hitler’s will
How was agressive nationalism a method of Nazi propaganda?
As a German nationalist, Hitler had 3 main aims:
-To reverse the humiliation of the treaty of Versailles- which he described as an instrument of ‘unlimited blackmail and shameful humiliation’- and restore to Germany those lands taken from it
-To establish a ‘greater German Reich’ in which all Germans would live within the borders of the state
-To secure for Germany it’s ‘Lebensraum’ to settle it’s people and provide it with the food and raw materials needed to sustain it as a great power, since ‘only an adequately large space on this earth assures a nation it’s freedom of existence’
This was an agressive form of nationalism. Hitler did not merely want to restore Germany to it’s border of 1914 but also expand the territory of the Reich. This would involve a war of conquest to secure Germany’s Lebensraum in the East, which was justified by Hitler’s racial theories and his belief in the necessity of struggle
How was anti semitism a method of Nazi propaganda?
-Hitler saw the Jews as responsible for all of Germany’s ills. Jews were represented in Nazi propaganda as greedy, cunning and motivated only by selfish motives
-They were described as ‘a parasite in the body of other nation’s’, having no state of their own and working through a worldwide Jewish conspiracy to establish their dominance over other races
-The Jews were held responsible for the evils of capitalism and, at the same time, for the growth of communism. Ok that basis, they were held responsible for Germany’s defeat in ww1, the hated TOV and Germany’s decline as a great power, together with the political weaknesses of democratic system in the Weimar Republic
-Above all, Hitler regarded communism as a Jewish creed that had undermined the political and social cohesion of Germany and should be eradicated
What was the importance of Hitler to Nazi success?
-By 1929, Hitler had established undisputed control over the Nazi party and a leadership cult had been created around him. His political skills and qualities were therefore of crucial importance to the party.
-For many, although certainly not all Germans, he possessed great charisma and unparalleled oratorical skills
-His speeches often went on for hours and contained a lot of repetition and outright lies, but he had a hypnotic effect
-He knew how to play on people’s emotions and fears, and to convince them he had the answers
-He was also an opportunist who could tailor his message to his audience.
-His mass appeal was therefore vital to the success of the Nazi’s in winning votes
What was the role of anti semitism in Nazi electoral success?
-The Nazi’s used the Jews as scapegoats in their propaganda, portraying them as responsible for Germany’s economic and political problems. During the depression, many shopkeepers and small business owners were receptive to the idea that their problems were caused by ‘Jewish capitalism’
-People who had previously kept their anti Semitic views quiet were now willing to express them more freely
-However, although many ordinary Germans were still unwilling to go along with openlu anti Semitic propaganda, they were so pre occupied with immediate economic hardships that they heard the messages they wanted to hear
-Reaching a judgement about the political appeal of anti semitism is extremely difficult. Millions of people voted for the Nazi party who had never done so before. It is likely that only a small minority of these new voters had anti semitism as a main motive or were influenced by it in any way at all
-A statistical analysis of Nazi propaganda posters and campaign speeches in 1931-32 shows an overwhelming concentration on economic issues with very little emphasis on anti semitism
What was the role of propaganda in Nazi electoral success?
-The Nazi’s were very skilled in propaganda techniques and this played an important part of their success in winning votes. Hitler understood the importance of propaganda and Joseph Goebbels, his Reich propaganda chief from 1928, as a master of the medium
-We have already seen how Hitler’s oratorical skills played a huge role in Nazi success; with the money provided by big business leaders such as Hugenberg and Thyssen, Hitler was able to travel by air and car to make speeches in all the main cities in Germany. The Nazi’s had their own newspaper’s
-They also published many posters and leaflets, put on film shows and staged rallies
-Nazi marches and rallies, with their banners, songs, bands and the sheer force of numbers, made a powerful statement about Nazi strength
-Nazi propaganda skilfully targeted different groups in the population and adapted the Nazi message to particular gather audiences. Nazi speakers were well trained in oratorical techniques and in the party’s ideology
-Anti Semitic slogans were used with some audiences but not with others, depending on how useful the Nazi’s judged them to be
-For the most part, the Nazi’s concentrated on their simple message that Weimar democracy was responsible for economic depression, national humiliation and internal divisions
-In it’s place, they offered a vague but powerful vision of a prosperous and United Germany, restored to it’s rightful position among the great powers of Europe
What were chancellor Brüning’s policies to manage the economic crisis?
Chancellor Brüning thought that the best way of combating the economic collapse was to adopt a policy of deflation (reducing the prices of goods and services to reduce government spending). He thought that if state revenue (income) declined, state expenditure had to also be cut. Brüning used an emergency decree to introduce wage cuts, rent cuts and tax rises. One of the few benefits of his policies was that, as Germany’s depression deepened, it was clear to other countries that it would not be able to meet reparations payments or repay loans. On July 1, 1931, the Hoover Moratium suspended the need for Germany to pay back loans for a year. To boost the economy, others had suggested a plan for job creation, as had happened in the US, or devaluing the Reichsmark to make German goods cheaper and to increase demand for these goods abroad. Instead, Brüning’s policies deepened the recession between 1930 and 1932. Industrial production fell, prices fell and exports fell, all by around 50%. Unemployment rose to its highest level ever in 1932.
What were Chancellor Von Papen’s policies to manage the economic crisis?
In May 1932, Brüning was replaced by von Papen who introduced some tax concessions (discounts) and subsidies (financial support) for businesses that created new jobs and helped to improve the economy. However, by then, the government was caught up in political problems which made it increasingly difficult to focus on the economy and produce a coherent policy to bring about economic stability.
How did the Wall Street crash cause the German economy to spiral into an economic depression? (Timeline)
-To re-stabilise the German economy following the collapse of the currency and hyperinflation crisis, Stresemann settles the Dawes (1924)and Young (1929) Plans. The plans renegotiate reparations payments and result in Germany being loaned 25.5 billion marks to aid her recovery
-The American economy collapsed in October 1929 following the Wall Street crash
-America immediately stopped foreign lending, and recalled loans from abroad, including from Germany.
-The German economy was especially vulnerable since it was propped up by foreign capital, mostly loans from America, and was very dependent on foreign trade.
-German businesses which had relied on bank loans did not have enough money to sustain their production and pay their workers
-Unemployment increased, German people had less money to spend and the demand for consumer goods/products dropped
-Businesses sold fewer goods, which resulted in them laying off more workers. Suppliers and businesses struggled to pay off loans from banks, and went bankrupt
-With unemployment on the rise, many Germans could not to meet rent and mortgage payments, and lost their homes.
-With many businesses and individuals unable to pay back their bank loans, a number of German banks collapsed and people lose their money and savings
-The German economy spiralled into an economic depression
What was the Wall st crash, 24th October- Black Thursday?
Share prices on Wall St collapse
• Value of US companies fell by $10bn in one day
• Fortunes lost, companies went bankrupt, workers lost jobs, banks stopped lending, international trade collapsed, so
• Depression spread to other countries
What was the impact of the wall st crash on German banking?
• Banks stop lending
• May 1931 collapse of an Austrian bank leads to collapse of German banking.
• July 1931 Government close banks and stock exchange for 2 days to prevent complete collapse, but respite temporary.
What was the impact upon unemployment of the wall st crash?
• Crash Rising unemployment put enormous pressure on the otherwise generous welfare provision. Steps were taken in 1930 to reduce unemployment benefit which put more pressure on local authorities
• Registered unemployed: 1929 –1.5m, 1930 – 3m, 1931 – 4.2m, 1933 – 6m. Figures don’t include many women & redundant who had not registered. A better estimate of unemployed is 8m by 1933.
• Worse in industrial areas: Ruhr, Silesia, ports.
• White collar workers were hit by cuts in civil service: those
who didn’t lose their job faced wage cuts.
