Collapse of democracy 1928-33

Question 1

When and what was the Wall Street Crash?

Answer 1

24 October 1929. NY stock exchange experienced a fall in share prices. another collapse on 29th October. value of largest American companies fell by ten billion dollars.

Question 2

What effect did the Wall Street Crash have in Germany?

Answer 2

the economic recovery was largely financed through US loans through the Dawes Plan. these loans were called back and demanded immediate repayment.

Question 3

What was the effect of the Great Depression?

Answer 3

1) reduced demand for imported goods in the US and Germay’s export trade declined rapidly.
2) between 1929 and 1932, Germany’s export trade declined by 61% and its industrial production fell by 58% of its 1928 level.

Question 4

What was the economic impact of the Depression in Germany?

Answer 4

1) foreign trade collapsed and prices fell. companies declared themselves bankrupt.
2) banks got into difficulties as customers withdrew their money and outstanding loans weren’t repaid.
3) collapse of Austrian bank in May 1931, govt closed banks and stock exchange for two days to provide financial system with breathing space.

Question 5

How many people were unemployed by 1932?

Answer 5

One third. these figures didn’t reflect the full extent of unemployment as they only recorded those who registered as unemployed. redundant workers and women didn’t register and weren’t counted.

Question 6

What was the estimated number of unemployed in Jan 1933?

Answer 6

8 million.

Question 7

Which industrial areas suffered from the Depression?

Answer 7

Ruhr, Silesia and main port cities like Hamburg. White collar workers were also badly hit and there were severe cuts in the civil service and reductions in salaries of those who remained.

Question 8

What happened to the farming industry during the Depression?

Answer 8

Farmers had struggled even through the golden age. Prices collapsed, exports of agricultural produce declines and sales of food fell as Germans has less money to spend. Farmers were forced to give up their farms as banks demanded repayment of loans.

Question 9

What was the social impact of the Depression?

Answer 9

1) unemployed were only entitled to state benefits for a fixed period, after which they had to apply to local authorities for relief, and local benefits were less generous and strictly means-tested.
2) women received less benefit than men and young people less than adults.

Question 10

What was the effect of the Depression on Brand-Erbisdorff?

Answer 10

near Dresden. a centre for glass making. by April 1931, after local glassworks had closed. half of the population was receiving welfare payments. the unemployed were out of work for at least two years and could no longer qualify for state unemployment benefits. relied on much less generous relief provided by local authority. a visitor reported in 1930 “ increasing poverty, increasing bitterness, increasing doubt; a world of impoverishment and hunger and exploitation.”

Question 11

What diseases increased as a result of poor nutrition and living conditions?

Answer 11

Tuberculosis and rickets. After an increase after a period of decline. doctors reported numerous cases of malnutrition among children. suicide rate increased.

Question 12

What did journalist Hubert Knickerbocker report on the average family’s diet?

Answer 12

Daily meal for an average family consisted of six small potatoes, five slices of bread, a small cabbage and a knob of margarine. Each adult could expect to eat a herring on about three Sundays in each month. Meat rarely figured. “too little to live on but too much to die from”.

Question 13

What was the impact on young people?

Answer 13

1) Hamburg June 1933 = unemployment rate among males in the 14-25 age group was 39%, females it was 25.2%.
2) gangs of young men congregated in public spaces in German towns and cities.

Question 14

What was juvenile crime like?

Answer 14

1) Overall rate of juvenile convictions didn’t increase but number of 14-25 year olds accused of crime did.
2) number of young men charged with theft grew during the Depression, significant increase in youths charged with offences against the state and with assault and threatening behaviour.
3) offences against the state included participating in violent disorder during political demonstrations and the rise in this reflected the deteriorating political situation.

Question 15

What was political extremism like?

Answer 15

1) involvement of young men in extemist political organisations increased.
2) KPD had success in recruiting working-class youths from the ‘wild cliques’ to join political demonstrations and engage in street battles with their opponents.
3) Hitler Youth and SA offered unemployed boys and young men food, uniforms, shelter and the excitement of fighting street battles, relieved insecurity and boredom of unemployment.
4) youth membership was not stable and majority of young unemployed males had little or no contact with political extremes. women less involved.

Question 16

What were established for the young people?

Answer 16

Day centres wherein they could participate in work related activities and socialise. emergency labour schemes in which unemployed youths were required to undertake unskilled manual labour, receiving wages lower than the legal minimum.

Question 17

When were the strikes for higher wages?

Answer 17

October 1930 and June 1932.

Question 18

What else were there in addition to compulsory schemes?

Answer 18

Voluntary labour schemes. young unemployed people being sent away from the cities to residential work camps for periods of six months. few of these offered any prospect of vocational training.

Question 19

What was the impact on women?

Answer 19

1) female proportion of total workforce increased
2) dismissal of many millions of workers from their jobs reignited the debate about whether married women should continue to be employed
3) married working women were labelled as ‘double earners’
4) campaign against ‘double earners’ achieved success in May 1932 when a law was passed allowing married women civil servants to be dismissed
5) limited to central govt employees and women couls only be dismissed if it could be proved they were stable
6) after law was passed, Reich Postal Service dismiessed 1000 married women from its employment.

Question 20

Which parties did the Grand Coalition represent?

Answer 20

Five political parties from the SPD on the left to the moderate RW in the form of the DVP.

Question 21

What led to the collapse of the Grand Coalition?

Answer 21

state budget was in deficit by end of 1929 due to falling tax revenues and rising cost of unemployment benefit placed a severe strain on state finances. this split the coalition. DVP wanted to reduce unemployment benefit and SPD wanted to protect level of benefits and raise taxes. govt was deadlocked and in March 1930, Muller resigned.

Question 22

Who was Muller’s successor?

Answer 22

Bruning, leader of Centre Party. Hindenburg’s decision to appoint Bruning was heavily influenced by two figures - Groener, Defence Minister since 1928, and von Schleicher, political adviser of Groener. role was an indication that the army had begun to play a key role in politics.

Question 23

What did Bruning’s coalition do?

Answer 23

Excluded the SPD. meant that his govt didn’t have enough support in the Reichstag to pass laws. After March 1930, no govt had majority support in Reichstag and govts had to rely on ruling by presidential decree.

Question 24

What was Bruning’s response to the Depression?

Answer 24

cut expenditure and raise taxes in order to balance the budget. he persuaded Hindenburg to issue a presidential decree passing the budget into law. provoked another political crisis. SPD won Reichstage support for a motion demanding that the decree be withdrawn. Bruning dissolved Reichstag and called an election in Sept 1930.

Question 25

What were the results of the September 1920 election?

Answer 25

Communists gained over a million votes and 77 seats
Nazis gained 6.5 million and 107 seats as opposed to 810,000 and 12 seats in 1928.
2/5 voters gave their support to anti democratic parties.

Question 26

What did the Nazis claim in 1924-29?

Answer 26

claimed that 29 of their men had been killed in clashes with communists. communists said that 92 of their supporters had been killed.

Question 27

What did action did Bruning take against political violence by end of 1931?

Answer 27

issued a decree in December, banning the wearing of political uniforms. SA continued to march wearing white shirts. April 1932, Hindenburg was persuaded to sign a decree outlawing the SA. failed to curb the activites of the SA. membership continued to grow and political violence was not brought under control. end of 1932, SA was estimated to have 400,000 members.