AB Germany, 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship Flashcards
what is prussia
before 1870 germany was made up 25 states
prussia was the biggest, richest and most powerful one and it wanted to unite Germany
because of how powerful prussia was it had a large influence on the new german empire
prussia was very militaristic which influenced Germany
what were the weaknesses of the German parliamentary system in 1871
The Chancellor had to stay in the Kaiser’s good books, or he could be dismissed.
The 25 individual states controlled income tax, which meant the central government, struggled to raise enough
tax to cover its spending.
Prussian influence was dominant although Wilhelm II’s first Chancellor, Caprivi (1890-1894) did give up the position of Prime Minister of Prussia that his predecessor had held.
Industrialisation led to a large rise in Germany’s urban population. Poor working and living conditions were largely ignored by the unelected Chancellor and the Kaiser who held the greatest power in Germany
what was germanys parliamentary system in 1871
The Emperor (Kaiser) – Head of the armed forces, controlled foreign policy, and appointed the Chancellor.
The Chancellor – In charge of the government and had authority over the Bundesrat.
The Bundesrat – Federal Council made up of 58 representatives from the 25 states. Introduced laws to the Bundestag and power to approve them.
The Bundestag – Federal parliament made up of 397 deputies. Voted on laws introduced by the Bundesrat
what happened when Germany got unified in 1871
created the new German Empire
The Empire’s constitution was formed and it was federal. This meant that each state kept their own individual princes, constitutions and governments
what did Prussia influence in Germany
The army was led by Prussian officers, who reported directly to the Emperor (who was of course also the King of Prussia!)
Prussia provided 17 out of 58 representatives in the Bundesrat. Only 14 votes were needed to veto (block) any laws passed by the Bundestag.
Germany’s legal system, civil service and diplomatic corps were dominated by powerful Prussian noble landholders, known as the Junkers
the junkers controlled the Prussian Army, which had enormous influence over German foreign and domestic affairs
what industrialism happened in germany 1821-1910
rapid industrialisation in the second half of the 19th century.
Agricultural production and heavy industries were replaced by modern industries such as manufacturing (electrical products - Siemens and AEG), chemicals and motor construction (Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler) as the most important sectors of the German economy.
Unification in 1871 accelerated the process of industrialisation and by 1900 Germany had the largest industrial economy in Europe
why did industrialism happen in Germany before WW1
the Kaiser wanted to match Britains army and achievements so needed to have a larger income so he built up Germanys industry
why was there an increase in support for socialism before WW1
By 1910 there were 10.86 million industrial workers in Germany, making them the biggest single group in society. They generally faced poor living and working conditions. The fact that all adult males could vote meant that the workers were able to influence politics through their support for the German Social Democratic Party, or SPD. The party grew rapidly during this period to become the largest party in the Reichstag by 1912
what happened during the social reform in Germany
1891 - the Social Law banned Sunday working and the employment of children under 13.
1900 - the length of time accident insurance could be claimed for was increased.
1901 - industrial arbitration courts were introduced to settle disputes between workers and employers.
1903 - health insurance was extended and further restrictions were placed on child labour.
why did Germany expand its navy so much
From 1898 onwards Germany massively expanded its navy. This was a key part of the policy known as Weltpolitik, or ‘world politics’, which began in 1897. This policy was designed to turn Germany into a world power by building an overseas empire, growing its world trade and increasing its naval power
what was the Navy league
The key figure in these plans to expand the navy was Admiral von Tirpitz. To win support for his policy he helped to create the Navy League in 1898, which campaigned for his Naval Laws to be passed
what were the advantages of the Navy league
it pleased the Kaiser, who was determined that Germany would become a world power
it increased support for the Kaiser and his government by appealing to German people’s sense of patriotism
it won the government support from a majority of deputies in the Reichstag
what were the disadvantages of the navy league
The government’s majority in the Reichstag did not last and the government found it difficult to reform the
Tariff (taxes) Law in 1902.
The German government’s budget went into deficit as it spent more and more money on the army, the navy and its new colonies. The national debt grew to 490 billion marks by 1913.
The government found it very difficult to raise extra taxes to reduce the deficit and the debt.
what was the impact of WW1 on Germany
Germany was virtually bankrupt
the war had divided the German society further
Germany had become even more politically unstable
what happened to the kaiser at the end of WW1
mutiny was happening across the German army towards the autumn in 1918 and the soldiers sent to fix it just joined
the mutinying army took over towns and set up special councils and Germany was in chaos
the kaiser lost all power so he abdicated
did the people of germany like the war
no
in 1915 500 women protests in front of parliament buildings because they wanted their husbands back
in 1916 10,000 workers gathered in berlin to shout “down with the war, down with the government”
what effect did WW1 have on the german civilians
A British naval blockade had led to severe food shortages. In 1918 293,000 Germans died from starvation and hypothermia
German workers’ wages were falling despite the extra work they were doing to support the war. By 1918 German miners were earning only 60 per cent of their pre-war salaries
60,000 women were without husbands
2,000,000 children were without fathers
what were the post WW1 problems for germany
Germany’s currency, the Mark, was losing its value and inflation was rising rapidly. The government was running a huge budget deficit but was unable to raise taxes on the rich.
the treaty of versailles
november criminals - many civilians and ex-soldiers thought Germany could have won the war and so refused to support the new government
occupation of the Ruhr by France
Hyperinflation
terms of the Treaty of versailles
land:
Eupen + Malmedy to Belgium
Saar + Alsace-Lorraine to France
Posen + West Prussia to Poland
Lost all overseas territories
lost 13% of European land
could not join with Austria (Anschluss)
army:
demilitarised Rhineland
no air force
no conscription
no heavy artillery
only 100,000 man army
navy limited to; no submarines, 6 cruisers, 6 battleships, 12 destroyers
money:
6.6 billion pounds in reparations
blame:
Germany took war guilt
how did the occupation of the Ruhr affect Germany
the Ruhr was a heavily industrialised part of Germany which was taken over by the allies for just over 2.5 years because germany had failed to pay reparations
this affected Germany as most of its income came from the Ruhr so it being occupied meant that Germany was not making any money
the German workers working for France in the Ruhr then went on strike meaning that they weren’t making any money but the german government still had to pay them
how did the hyperinflation affect Germany
as the German government still had to pay the striking German workers in the Ruhr, it meant that the government had to print money to pay the workers
this lead to the hyperinflation
which lead to uprisings
why was there political unrest in Germany 1919-1923
Kaiser had abdicated and there was a new government
Many Germans hated the government for signing the armistice in November 1918 - they called them the November criminals. The defeat in the war came as a huge surprise to the German people, which led to a theory that the brave German army had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by the politicians.
Many Germans felt their country had received a very harsh deal in the Treaty of Versailles. They resented the government for agreeing to its conditions and signing it, even though they were forced to by the Allies
who are the Spartacists
During 5 – 12 January 1919, 50,000 members of the post-World War One Communist Party, known as the
Spartacists, rebelled in Berlin, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.
The government was saved when it armed bands of ex-soldiers, known as the Freikorps, who defeated the Spartacist rebels.
In the aftermath, communist workers’ councils seized power all over Germany, and a Communist People’s Government took power in Bavaria.
By May 1919 the Freikorps had crushed all of these uprisings
what was the Kapp Putsch
In crushing the communists the Freikorps had saved the government, but the terms of the Treaty of Versailles meant Germany’s army had to be significantly reduced and the Freikorps had to be disbanded.
During 13 - 17 March 1920, as a reaction to this, the right-wing nationalist, Dr Wolfgang Kapp led a Freikorps takeover in Berlin.
The regular army refused to attack the Freikorps; Kapp was only defeated when the workers of Berlin went on strike and refused to cooperate with him.
what was the Munich Putsch
In November 1923, Hitler tried to take advantage of the hyperinflation crisis facing the Weimar government by instigating a revolution in Munich – known as the Munich Putsch. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to take power, but poor planning and misjudgment resulted in failure and the subsequent imprisonment of Adolf Hitler
how did Stresemann end the hyperinflation
Calling off the ‘passive resistance’ of German workers in the Ruhr. This helped Germany’s economy because goods were back in production and the Government could stop printing money to pay striking workers.
Promising to begin reparations payments again. This persuaded France and Belgium to end the occupation of the Ruhr by 1925.
Introducing a new currency called the Rentenmark. This stabilised prices as only a limited number were printed meaning money rose in value. This helped to restore confidence in the German economy.
Reducing the amount of money the government spent (700,000 government employees lost their jobs) so that its budget deficit reduced.
The payment of reparations, which had caused the hyperinflation crisis in the first place, had to resume, but Stresemann’s decisive actions in the autumn of 1923 gained Germany the sympathy of the Allies. They agreed to renegotiate payments and this led to two new repayment plans in the next five years:
- dawes plan
- young plan
what is the Dawes Plan
USA would loan Germany 800,000,000 marks to allow Germany to start to pay the Reparations again
what is the Young Plan
reduced the amount that Germany had to pay from 6.6 billion to 1.8 million and germany had longer to pay it
what was the impact of the international agreements on recovery in Germany
the 1920s were often referred to as the ‘golden ages’ as during the war all forms of entertainment were removed and now they were back it gave the German people a sense of freedom
what is the Weimar culture
the Golden ages
these all grew and became popular:
cinema
nightlife
literature
art
design
how did the depression affect the amount of support Hitler and other extremist parties got
The rise in unemployment significantly raised government expenditure on unemployment insurance and other benefits.
Germans began to lose faith in democracy and looked to extreme parties on the both the Left (the communists) and the Right (the Nazis) for quick and simple solutions
When people are unemployed, hungry and desperate, as millions were in Germany between 1930 and 1933, they often turn to extreme political parties offering simple solutions to their problems. Between 1930 and 1933 support for the extreme right-wing Nazis and the extreme left-wing communists soared.
By 1932 parties committed to the destruction of the Weimar Republic held 319 seats out of a total of 608 in the Reichstag, with many workers turning to communism. However, the real beneficiaries were the Nazis
what is the role of the SA for increasing support of Hitler
intimidating the Nazis’ political opponents – especially the communists – by turning up at their meetings and attacking them
providing opportunities for young, unemployed men to become involved in the party
protecting Hitler and other key Nazis when they organised meetings and made speeches
what groups of people did the Nazis appeal to
wealthy businessmen: frightened by the increase in support for the communists, they began to finance Hitler and the Nazis
the middle-class: alarmed by the obvious failure of democracy, they decided that the country needed a strong government and gave their votes to Hitler
nationalists: they blamed the legacy of the Treaty of Versailles and reparations for causing the depression and so lent their support to the Nazis
rural areas: Nazi support was particularly strong amongst both middle class shopkeepers and artisans, farmers and agricultural labourers
how many seats did the nazis have 1928-32
May 1928: 12 seats
September 1930: 107 seats
July 1932: 230 seats
November 1932: 196 seats
how was Hitler appointed to chancellor
1932
April - Presidential election. Hitler came second to Hindenburg, who won 53 per cent of the vote to Hitler’s 36.8 per cent.
May - Brüning resigned as Chancellor. Hindenburg appointed Franz Von Papen, a conservative, as his replacement.
July - Reichstag elections. The Nazis became the largest single party with 230 seats, but still did not have a majority. Hitler demanded to be made Chancellor but Papen remained.
November - Reichstag elections called by Von Papen to try to win a majority in parliament. Nazis lost 34 seats but remained the largest party with 196 seats.
December - Von Papen resigned. Hindenburg appointed Kurt Von Schleicher, an army general, as Chancellor. Von Schleicher tried to split the Nazis by asking a leading Nazi called Gregor Strasser to be his Vice Chancellor. Hitler forced Strasser to decline.
1933
January - Von Papen and Hindenburg turned to Hitler, appointing him as Chancellor with Von Papen as Vice Chancellor. They believed they could control Hitler and get him to do what they wanted
what was the Reichstag fire
on 27 February the Reichstag building was set on fire. A Dutch communist, van der Lubbe, was caught red-handed in the burning building. Days later in the election 44 per cent of the population voted for the Nazis, who won 288 seats in the Reichstag – still not an overall majority. Hitler had to join with the nationalists to form a majority
how did the Reichstag fire lead to Hitler becoming dictator
Hitler used the fire to persuade Hindenburg to pass an emergency law restricting personal liberty. This enabled him to imprison many communist leaders, which stopped them campaigning during the election. Although the Nazis did not gain the overall majority that Hitler had hoped for in the Reichstag, it gave them enough seats - after Hitler had arrested all the communist deputies and the other parties had been intimidated by the SA - to pass the Enabling Act
what was the enabling act
with the communist deputies banned and the SA intimidating all the remaining non-Nazi deputies, the Reichstag voted by the required two-thirds majority to give Hitler the right to make laws without the Reichstag’s approval for four years
how did the enabling act lead to Hitler becoming dictator
Arguably this was the critical event during this period. It gave Hitler absolute power to make laws, which enabled him to destroy all opposition to his rule. This removed the Reichstag as a source of opposition
how was the banning of other political parties help Hitler become dictator
Banning political parties made Germany a one-party state and destroyed democracy in the country. This removed other parties as a source of opposition
what was the night of the long knives
Many members of the SA, including its leader Ernst Röhm, were demanding that the Nazi party carry out its socialist agenda and that the SA take over the army. Hitler could not afford to annoy businessmen or the army, so the SS (Hitler’s personal body guards) murdered around 400 members of the SA, including Röhm, along with a number of Hitler’s other opponents like the previous Chancellor, von Schleicher
how did the night of long knives help Hitler become dictator
This destroyed all opposition to Hitler within the Nazi Party and gave power to the brutal SS. It also showed the rest of the world what a tyrant Hitler was. This removed any internal Nazi Party opposition to Hitler
why did Hitler ban trade unions
he saw trade unions as exercising more power over the workers than he could. Therefore, trade unions were seen as a challenge to be dispensed with. Hitler knew that he needed the workers to be on his side but he could not allow trade unions to exert the potential power they had. Therefore, trade unions were banned in Nazi Germany and the state took over the role of looking after the working class
how did Hitler finally become Fuhrer
when Hindenburg died, Hitler declared himself jointly president, chancellor and head of the army. Members of the armed forces had to swear a personal oath of allegiance not to Germany, but to Hitler
order of events leading to Hitler becoming dictator
Reichstag fire
enabling act
banning of political parties
banning of trade unions
night of long knives
death of Hindenburg
what type of state was Germany during Hitlers rule
Nazi Germany was a totalitarian state, which means that the government sought to control every aspect of life.
how did the Nazis reduce enemployment
all men from 18-25 had to spend 6 months in the RAD (national labour service)
public work schemes
Rearmament -> created jobs in the factories
Invisible unemployment -> didn’t count women and jews in unemployment stats, fired Jews to create more jobs
conscription for men aged 18-25 for 2 years
what was the RAD
national labour service
all men 18-25 had to spend 6 months in the RAD
they planted forests, mended hedges, dug drainage ditches in farms
had to wear uniform and live in camps but got free meals and were paid pocket money
what were the public work schemes
created job opportunities
they made autobahns and new schools and hospitals
the new schools and hospitals also created jobs
how did Germany become self sufficient under the Nazis
if they couldn’t find a particular thing they would come up with an alternate way to get the same things
for example making coffee from acorns, petrol from coal, wool and cotten from wood
how did rationing affect the germans
Rationing of food was introduced on 27 August 1939 and a points system for clothing was introduced in October 1939.
Autarky and rearmament meant consumer goods were already expensive due to low supply.
Germans’ diets became more monotonous, with lots of bread, potatoes and preserves.
There were meat shortages due to lack of imports from the USA.
Many Germans feared a repeat of the shortages experienced during World War One.
Food entitlements depended upon the importance of individuals to the war effort: ‘normal consumers’, ‘heavy workers’ ‘very heavy workers’ – there were also categories for children, pregnant women.
Jews’ food entitlements were set below Aryans’
shortages of soap, toilet paper, eggs, meat, clothes
how did bombing effect the Germans
Up until the middle of 1942 the British had tried to target their bombing raids on industrial and military targets.
In 1942 RAF Bomber Command switched to a policy of ‘area bombing’ – targeting large industrial cities with incendiary bombs (bombs designed to cause fires), and not distinguishing between military and civilian targets.
On 30 May 1942 the first British ‘thousand bomber raid’ was launched against the German city of Cologne.
Over the next 3 years: 61 German cities, with a combined population of 25 million, were attacked; 3.6 million homes were destroyed; 7.5 million people were made homeless; 300,000 – 400,000 Germans were killed in the raids; and 800,000 people were wounded. However, German industrial production continued to increase until mid-1944.
The raids had a mixed impact on the morale of the German population as Nazi propaganda tended to downplay their impact and the number of deaths.
refugees
At the outbreak of war, many Germans from the western regions bordering France, such as the Saar, fled east further into Germany. However, many returned soon after when immediate fighting with France failed to begin.
The intensive British ‘area’ bombing campaign from May 1942 onwards, targeted at the industrial Ruhr region, created thousands of refugees as whole cities were flattened or burnt down.
During the advance of the Soviet army through Poland and eastern Germany during 1944 and 45, much of the civilian population fled westwards to avoid the brutality of the Russian soldiers
employment during WW2
13.7 million German men served in the army during the war, and this created a huge labour shortage on the home front.
As they did during World War One, women entered the workforce in large numbers, working in armaments factories and as medics.
The Nazis also made extensive use of forced labour, transporting hundreds of thousands of civilians and prisoners of war from Eastern Europe and elsewhere to Germany to keep the war effort going.
At the end of the war, eight million enslaved labourers and other ‘displaced persons’ became refugees inside Germany. In addition, 11 million ethnic Germans were either refugees or had been expelled from the countries surrounding Germany in the East
how did the nazis impact the lives of young people
the children were brainwashed in school with Nazi ideas
for example:
they were taught about how badly germany was treated at the end of WW1
in geography they were taught about what land Germany was going to take
the Hitler youth and league of young maidens were set up where the boys were taught to fight and the girls were taught to look after children and cook
how did the nazis impact the lives of women
before Hitler came to power the women had lots of rights and freedom but once the nazis were incharge the declining birth rate meant that women had to stay home and look after children and have babies
how did the nazis impact religion
Jews
for the catholics Hitler originally promised to not affect them however he went against this as he thought that the pope had more power over the catholics then he did. he arrested priests and shut down religous groups
the protestants were split into 2 groups. the German christians and the confessional church
the German christians wanted the Nazis to take over the church and believed in Nazi ideas
the confessional church was the opposite and dislike the nazis and openly criticized them
what were the aryans
the ‘master race’ according to Hitler
they were blond haired and blue eyed, white, tall and strong
prosecution of undesirables
the nazis got rid of undesirables
500,000 tramps, beggars and alcoholics were sent to the concentration camps
1000s of prostitutes, homosexuals, and problem families were sent to concentration camps
many people with strong religious beliefs were sent to the camps
350,000 physically and mentally disabled people were sterilized
200,000 physically and mentally disabled people were killed
what was the final solution
in 1942 the nazi leaders met to discuss what to do with the jews
the final solution was to either kill them all in gas chambers or to work them to death
how did the use of propaganda win Germans over
Goebbels used propaganda to persuade the German people that the jews were the cause of germany’s problems, the treaty of versailles is bad and that Hitler was making Germany great again
He also controlled censorship to control the other ideas and not allow the german people to see them
this combination made it so the Germans were only seeing certain ideas over and over again making them believe them.
what was the police state made up of
concentration camps - set up to put people in who the Nazis didn’t like or who disagreed with Hitler
SS
the gestapo
the regular police
the law courts
Himmler
what did the SS do
a large group of strong, tall men (black coats) split into 3 sections:
- the SD looked after ‘security’. they could arrest anyone for any reason, search homes and seize property
- the waffen SS were a elite unit in the air force
- The death head units ran the concentration camps and the death camps
what did the gestapo do
they were a group of secret police who didn’t wear uniforms and spied on people and had the power to arrest and imprison without trial, and torture anyone
they had a whole network of ‘informers’ who would report anyone who moaned about the nazis
who was himmler
he was the leader of all of the police state and reported to Hitler
what did the regular police do
continued their normal work however ignored any crimes committed by the Nazis
all of the top jobs in the police were given to the Nazis
what did the courts do
they were all under Nazi control and could have someone killed for listening to a foreign radio
Nazi culture with censorship
newspapers - only showed the good things the Nazis were doing
mass rallies - spectacular parades were often held to celebrate Hitlers greatness
films - all films had to show the Nazis as good and the ‘enemies’ as bad
radio - Nazis controlled all stations and loud speakers were placed on streets to play the nazi radios
books, theatre - writers were forced to write plays and books showing Hitler as good
white rose group
2 siblings who handed out anti nazi leaflets, graffitied walls and put up posters
swing youth
a group of youths that openly opposed Hitler by being friends with Jews and listening to jazz music
july bomb plot
the closest anyone got to killing Hitler
the war was going badly and a delusional army general, colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, agreed to detonate a bomb in a meeting
it killed 4 others and burst Hitlers ear drums and destroyed his clothes but didn’t kill him
Edelweiss Pirates
beat up Nazi officials and helped army deserters
opposition to the Nazis
moaning or grumbling - lowest type of opposition where in the safety of their own homes people may tell an anti-Hitler joke or complain about the way a jew was being treated
passive resistance - germans publicly showing they didn’t like the Nazis - not doing the heil hitler salute
