chapter 3 nazi germany

Question 1

when DAP set up

Answer 1

january 1919

Question 2

When did Hitler join the German Workers’ Party?

Answer 2

Hitler joined the German Workers’ Party after attending a meeting as a spy for the German Army on 19th September, 1919.

Question 3

How did Hitler take over the German Workers’ Party?

Answer 3

Hitler took over the party slowly. By 1921 he had replaced Anton Drexler as the head of the German Workers’ Party.

Question 4

How did Hitler change the German Workers’ Party?

Answer 4

❖In February 1920, Drexler and Hitler wrote the Twenty-Five Point Programme which stated the party’s policies.
❖He increased the membership using his personal appeal and skill as a public speaker.
❖In 1920, the name of the party was changed to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) and introduced the swastika and the Nazi salute.
❖He officially took over from Drexler as the leader in July 1921, and gave jobs to his supporters such as Rudolf Hess, whom he made his deputy, and Ernst Röhm.
❖He created the Sturmabteilung, or SA, in August 1921, who were nicknamed the ‘Brownshirts’. They were the NSDAP’s private army.

Question 5

How many members did the German Workers’ Party have?

Answer 5

Twenty-three people attended a DAP meeting on 12th September, 1919. By the end of 1920, membership had increased to 3,000 people

Question 6

What was the Munich Beer Hall Putsch?

Answer 6

The Munich Beer Hall Putsch, was an armed uprising led by Hitler. He planned to establish a dictatorship in the Bavarian city of Munich, with the ultimate aim of overthrowing the Weimar Republic. It was the last in a series of uprisings that threatened the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1923.

Question 7

When was the Munich Beer Hall Putsch?

Answer 7

The Munich Beer Hall Putsch happened on the night of 8th November, 1923 and the morning of 9th November, 1923.

Question 8

What caused the Munich Beer Hall Putsch?

Answer 8

❖Many people resented the Weimar Republic because they blamed the republic for Germany’s defeat in the First World War and the government were known as the ‘November Criminals’ for signing the armistice and the Treaty of Versailles.
❖Hitler was inspired by the actions of Benito Mussolini, who had overthrown democracy and set up a dictatorship in Italy in 1922.
❖The Nazi Party had grown to around 55,000 members in Bavaria by 1923.
❖The hyperinflation of 1923 had weakened the Weimar Republic, so it seemed that it was the perfect time for Hitler to organise a Putsch.
❖The former commander-in-chief of the army during the First World War, General Ludendorff, gave Hitler his support. General Ludendorff was very popular in Germany and had a great deal of influence in the German Army.

Question 9

What were the main events of the Munich Beer Hall Putsch?

Answer 9

Hilter took over a political meeting at a beer hall being held by Gustav von Kahr, the leader of Bavaria’s state government, von Seisser, the head of the Bavarian police, and von Lossow, the head of the German Army in Bavaria.
❖The three men were forced to agree to Hitler’s plan of a Putsch at gunpoint. They were then released on 9th November, 1923.
❖Under Röhm, the SA took over the local police and army headquarters.
❖On 9th November, Hitler and his supporters marched on the town centre of Munich.
❖The police stopped them. Sixteen members of the Nazi Party were killed and Hitler fled, although he was arrested on 11th November, 1923.

Question 10

Why did the Munich Beer Hall Putsch fail?

Answer 10

-Hitler made several errors - trusting Kahr and Lossow, the two nationalist politicians he planned the revolution with, was one of them.
❖The Putsch failed to gain the support needed from the Bavarian people.
❖The army also didn’t support the movement.

Question 11

What were the negative consequences of the Munich Beer Hall Putsch for the Nazis?

Answer 11

❖Hitler was sent to prison for 5 years, but served only 9 months.
❖The Nazi Party was banned and Hitler was forbidden to speak in public until 1927.

Question 12

What were the positive consequences of the Munich Beer Hall Putsch for the Nazis?

Answer 12

❖Hitler decided to use what had happened, and his subsequent trial, to his advantage to gain publicity across Germany, not just in Bavaria.
❖Hitler used his time in prison to write his book, ‘Mein Kampf’, which means ‘My Struggle’.
❖In the long-term, Hitler realised the Nazi Party would have to come to power through elections, not by force.
❖In the long-term, Hitler would have to re-organise the party.

Question 13

What was done to reorganise the Nazi Party?

Answer 13

The Nazi Party underwent many changes between 1924 and 1929 when Hitler relaunched it after his release from prison. Hitler used his ideas in ‘Mein Kampf’ as a blueprint of how to change the party.

Question 14

When did the Nazi Party reorganise under Hitler?

Answer 14

The Nazi Party was relaunched officially on 27th February, 1925.

Question 15

Why was the Nazi Party reorganised by Hitler between 1924 and 1929?

Answer 15

❖To create a party that could appeal to the electorate and win seats in the Reichstag.
❖To turn the Nazi Party into a party that was active throughout Germany and not just Bavaria.

Question 16

What was reorganised in the Nazi Party by Hitler between 1924 and 1929?

Answer 16

The headquarters.
❖The structure of the Nazi Party across Germany.
❖The creation of the SS.
❖The party finances.
❖Propaganda.
❖The SA.

Question 17

When was the Bamberg Conference?

Answer 17

14th February, 1926.

Question 18

What was the Bamberg Conference?

Answer 18

The Bamberg Conference was a very important meeting that occurred while Hitler was reorganising the Nazi Party between 1924 and 1929. Hitler used the conference to establish total control over the Nazi Party

Question 19

What happened at the Bamberg Conference?

Answer 19

❖Hitler dominated the conferences. He made the northern ‘socialist’ members out to be communists who were the enemies of the Nazi Party.
❖Hitler persuaded Goebbels to change his views so that he joined the party’s nationalist wing

Question 20

What were the results of the Bamberg Conference?

Answer 20

❖Hitler was now in complete control of the Nazi Party as he had used the conference to put in place the ‘Führerprinzip’, or ‘Leader Principle’. This meant that Hitler, as the party’s leader, was in total control and party members must show total obedience to him.
❖The socialist ideas of the Nazi Party were now no longer as important as its other ideas, such as nationalism.

Question 21

Why did the Great Depression have an effect on Weimar Germany?

Answer 21

American banks and businesses had loaned money to Germany under the terms of the Dawes Plan in 1924. This connected America’s economy directly to Germany’s.
❖German banks suffered terrible losses because they were investors on the US stock exchange on Wall Street.
❖Ordinary people panicked about their savings in the banks and rushed to withdraw them. This caused some banks to run out of money.
❖German industry and businesses were affected because the collapsed German banks demanded they pay back any bank loans.
❖As a result, businesses, farms and industry had less money and had to reduce production or close. Both led to job losses.
❖After the Wall Street Crash, US banks and businesses recalled the loans they had made to Weimar Germany.
❖Businesses were closing all over the world, which meant there was lower demand for goods, which led to businesses laying off workers. By January 1933, there were 6.1 million Germans unemployed.

Question 22

How many people were in the SA?

Answer 22

By 1932 the SA had 400,000 members, which quickly surged to 2 million after Hitler became chancellor of Germany.

Question 23

Why did the support for the Nazi Party increase in the 1930s?

Answer 23

❖Unhappiness with the Weimar Republic’s failure to solve the Great Depression.
❖Hitler appealed to many voters.
❖The tactics of the Nazi Party.
❖The impact of the Great Depression.
❖The fear of the Communist Party.

Question 24

How did the appeal of Hitler help increase support for the Nazi Party?

Answer 24

❖He presented himself as a strong leader who promised to solve the crisis.
❖He promised to restore law and order which was breaking down.
❖He was a powerful speaker.
❖He promised something for everyone.

Question 25

How did Nazi Party tactics help increase support for the Nazi Party?

Answer 25

❖Propaganda was used to target different groups in society with different election promises.
❖They spent a lot of money on propaganda such as posters, newspapers, rallies and speeches.
❖The SA increased support for the Nazi Party because they were well organised and disciplined.
❖The SA attacked the Communists (KPD) whom the middle class and upper class people feared.

Question 26

How did the Great Depression help increase support for the Nazi Party?

Answer 26

❖There were 6.1 million people unemployed and 17 million relying on benefits. The Nazis promised them ‘work and bread’.
❖The terrible suffering encouraged people to turn to the extremist parties, like the Nazis, as they searched for a solution.
❖The moderate political parties seemed unable to solve the crisis.

Question 27

What were the Nazi Party’s election results in December 1924?

Answer 27

The Nazi Party won 14 seats in the December 1924 general election.

Question 28

What were the Nazi Party’s election results in May 1924?

Answer 28

The Nazi Party won 32 seats in the May 1924 general election.

Question 29

What were the Nazi Party’s election results in May 1928?

Answer 29

The Nazi Party won 12 seats in the May 1928 general election.

Question 30

What were the Nazi Party’s election results in September 1930?

Answer 30

The Nazi Party won 107 seats in the September 1930 general election.

Question 31

What were the Nazi Party’s election results in July 1932?

Answer 31

The Nazi Party won 230 seats in the July 1932 general election.

Question 32

What were the Nazi Party’s election results in November 1932?

Answer 32

The Nazi Party won 196 seats in the November 1932 general election

Question 33

What were the results of the presidential election of 1932?

Answer 33

❖March 1932: Hindenburg, 18 million votes (49.6%); Hitler, 11 million votes (30%); Thälmann, 5 million votes (14%).
❖April 1932: Hindenburg, 19 million votes (53%); Hitler, 13 million votes (36%); Thälmann, 4 million votes (11%).

Question 34

How did Hitler become chancellor?

Answer 34

❖The Nazis rose to popularity during the Great Depression, having taken advantage of rising unemployment to gain votes.
❖Hitler also took initiative within the political intrigue caused by General von Schleicher, Franz von Papen and President von Hindenburg to achieve the chancellorship.
❖These showcased that the Nazis and their leader were quick to react to opportunity.

Question 35

When did Hitler become the chancellor of Germany?

Answer 35

30th January, 1933

Question 36

Why did Hitler become the chancellor of Germany?

Answer 36

❖The Nazi Party increased its number of seats in the Reichstag to 230 in July 1932 to become the biggest party in the Reichstag.
❖Without von Schleicher and von Papen, Hitler may not have become chancellor because he did not have enough seats in the Reichstag. They thought they could control Hitler.
❖The failure of the Weimar government to solve the crisis of the Great Depression.
❖Funding from big business that meant the Nazis could spend a lot of money on propaganda.

Question 37

What role did General von Schleicher play in Hitler becoming chancellor?

Answer 37

❖On 30th May 1932, von Schleicher persuaded President von Hindenburg to appoint von Papen as chancellor.
❖The new government did not have the support of the majority of the Reichstag.
❖The number of seats won by the Nazis dropped to 196 in November 1932 but they were still the largest party. Von Schleicher persuaded the president to sack von Papen and appointed Schleicher as chancellor on 2nd December.
❖Von Papen now plotted with Hitler against von Schleicher.
❖Von Papen persuaded President von Hindenburg to sack von Schleicher and appoint Hitler as chancellor on 30th January, 1933.

Question 38

What role did Franz von Papen play in Hitler becoming chancellor?

Answer 38

❖General von Schleicher persuaded President von Hindenburg to appoint von Papen as chancellor on 30th May, 1932.
❖This new government did not have the support of the majority of the Reichstag.
❖Von Papen’s government struggled and he called new elections in July 1932, in which the Nazis won 230 seats, making them the largest party in the Reichstag.
❖Hitler demanded von Papen be sacked and himself be appointed chancellor.
❖He called for new elections in November 1932. The number of seats won by the Nazis dropped to 196 but they were still the largest party.
❖Von Schleicher persuaded the president to sack von Papen and appointed Schleicher as chancellor on 2nd December, 1932.
❖Von Papen told the president that von Schleicher was planning a military coup.
❖He persuaded the president to sack von Schleicher and appoint Hitler as chancellor as he believed he could control him.

Question 39

What role did President von Hindenburg play in Hitler becoming chancellor?

Answer 39

❖He allowed himself to be persuaded by General von Schleicher to appoint Franz von Papen as chancellor in May 1932. The Nazis were part of this government.
❖He allowed himself to be persuaded by General von Schleicher to sack von Papen as chancellor in November, 1932 and appoint von Schleicher in von Papen’s place on 2nd December, 1932.
❖He believed the rumours that Chancellor von Schleicher was planning a military coup.
❖He was persuaded by von Papen to sack von Schleicher as chancellor on 30th January, 1933 and appoint Hitler to the role.
❖He did not want Hitler to be chancellor but he had little choice. He thought he could control him by limiting the number of Nazis allowed in the cabinet.