collapse of democracy, 1930-33 Flashcards
LO: failure of Weimar democracy, economic problems (Wall Street Crash), failure of coalition govts, rise of Nazi party and Hitler, the appeal of Nazi party, role of Hindenburg and the elite
1925 presidential election
President Ebert died unexpectedly in February 1925
2 rounds of voting → Paul von Hindenburg won
what was Hindenburg’s role in WW2?
field marshal and military dictator 1916-18 → won victory of Battle of Tannenberg on Eastern Front. Coined the term ‘stab in the back’ after war
how did Hindenburg accept the post of president?
reluctantly → not a democrat and supported monarchy
what was Hindenburg called during his presidency
‘Ersatzkaiser’ = ‘Substitute Emperor’.
how did Hindenburg perform his presidential functions?
he performed his duties and was loyal to the Weimar constitution
what was the reaction of nationalists and respectable conservatives at the fact that Hindenburg did not turn to the right after becoming president?
nationalists who hoped for a return of the monarchy or a military-backed system were left disappointed, BUT respectable conservatives were content that Hindenburg’s presidency lent some credibility to the Weimar Constitution
what were Hindenburg’s political views?
he was a right wing sympathiser, and had no great sympathy for the Republic or what it stood for. many in his inner circle were anti-republican in outlook and from military backgrounds
what is ‘stab in the back’ in German (term)
Dolchstoss
who was the first major figure to articulate the stab in the back theory
Hindenburg
what did supporters of this theory argue and who were they?
conservative-nationalists, argued that the German army was not militarily defeated in WW1 but instead the war was lost due to the betrayal by unpatriotic forces within Germany
who were the november criminals?
those who signed the Armistice and were blamed for overthrowing the monarchy and replacing it with a republic
which groups made up the november criminals according to conservative nationalists?
pacifists, socialists, democrats and Jews
what was the economic impact of the Wall Street Crash in October 1929?
Dawes Plan 1924 → crash made US demand for the repayment of loans
General worldwide demand for exports collapsed
Drop in prices and wages
Sharp rise in number of bankrupcies
give 3 statistics to show the economic impact of the great depression on Germany
In 1931, 5 major baks and 20,000 businesses collapsed
Unemployed rose to above 2 million between 1929-30
By the start of 1932 unemployment had reached 6.1 million
how did may ordinary Germans now view the Weimar Republic?
for many germans it seemed that society itself was breaking down uncontrollably. They lost faith in democracy and turned to the more extreme parties
why did the economic depression help bring about the end of the WR?
there was a lack of confidence that weakened the republic’s position in its hour of need and the democratic basis of its govt was not sufficiently well established
how many chancellors were there from 1930-33 before Hitler (name them), and what was the impacy of these frequent changes?
4 chancellors → Herman Mullen, Heinrich Bruning, Franz von Papen, and Kurt von Schleicher
The frequent changes made govt even more unstable and parties found it increasingly difficult to work together
what was the coalition between 1928-30?
Muller’s Grand Coalition
who was Herman Mullen?
chancellor after election of May 1928.
Social democrat who failed to address the govt’s internal divisions
why did he end up resigning?
by march 1930 he was unable to maintain a majority in the Reichstag due to coalition divisions over how to tackle the large deficit in the new national insurance scheme that had been created by the sudden rise in unemployment → SPD wanted to boost contributions in order to maintain the same level of welfare payments, but the more pro-business DVP wanted to make cuts
who was chancellor and which party between 1930-32
Heinrich Bruning → Centre Party (at the time second largest party in Reichstag)
what did Bruning’s govt represent
a key step towards the end of democratic govt
why did Bruning’s govt contribute to the erosion of parliamentary democracy? (2 reasons)
- a small order of conservative nationalistic advisers to Hindenburg manouevred Bruning into his post and encouraged use of Article 48
- the way Bruning dealt with burgeoning economic crisis brought about a political crisis. He proposed cuts in govt spending to achieve a balanced budget and keep inflation down, but Reichstag voted against budget by 256-193 in July 1930 BUT he went through it anyway and dissolved Reichstag in Sept 1930
which party made a breakthrough in the snap election of September 1930?
Nazi party (NSDAP) → got 107 seats
how many seats did the Communist party get?
77 seats (up from 54)
how was Bruning’s political position undermined after the election?
it was undermined by the strengthening of the extreme left and right both of which wanted to sweep away the republic
what was the response of SPD towards Bruning’s emergency decrees and why?
SPD was not an active supporter of Bruning, but decided not to oppose deu to the anti-democratic threat facing the republic
how many times was Article 48 used in 1930?
5 times
how many times was Article 48 used in 1932?
66 times
how many laws did the Reichstag pass in 1930 and 1932 respectively?
98 and 5 laws
what was the impact of this greater use of Article 48?
it weakened the very democracy which moderate parties wished to protect
what did Hindenburg first do in May when he was re-elected as president in the election of April 1932?
dismiss Bruning and appoint Franz von Papen as chancellor
who recommended Papen and why?
Schleicher recommended him as he perceived a lack of ability in his nominee so that he could manipulate him in order to try to take more control of events
what was Papen’s political views?
he was an aristocrat and well-connected member of the Centre Party
how was Papen as a politician?
he was not politically astute, though ambitious
when did the Nazis become the largest party in the Reichstag and how many seats did they have from the July 1932 election?
during the tenure of Papen as chancellor.
had 230 seats in July 1932 election compared to the second largest SPD’s 133
when did Hitler join the German Workers’ Party (DAP)?
1919
what were the core beliefs of the DAP?
nationalistic, antisemitic and anti-capitalist party
what was the new name of the party after Hitler and Anton Drexler’s 25-point programme in 1920?
National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP)
how did Hitler rise to prominence within the NSDAP?
through his oratory skills, increasing party membership and forming armed militias to protect meetings and disrupt opposition
what strategic move did Hitler make in 1921 to solidify his posiiton in the party?
Hitler offfered his resignation, then was invited back and forced Drexler to resign, allowing him to take over as Fuhrer
what 3 key developments helped strengthen the Nazi party between 1921-23?
- formation of the SA (Sturm Abteilung) in 1921 under Ernst Rohm
- gaining support from Julius Streicher, who ran an antisemitic newspaper
- Herman Goering’s support in 1922
how many members did the Nazi party have by 1923?
about 20,000 members
how did Hitler plan to regain control of the Nazi party after being imprisoned for the failed Beer Hall Putsch?
he reasserted his dominance at the 1926 Bamberg Conference and introduced the Fuhrerprinzip, which emphasised his unquestioned authority
what was the Fuhrerprinzip?
the principle that the Nazi party would be run according to Hitler’s unquestioned authority
how was the Nazi party reorganized after Hitler regained control in 1926?
the party was reorganised with regional leaders known as Gauleiters, and Josef Goebbels was tasked with building support in Berlin
how did the Nazis perform in the Reichstag election of May 1928?
the Nazis won just 2.6% of the vote and 12 seats, remaining a minor political force
how did the Nazis perform in the September 1930 election?
they won 107 seats and 18.3% of the vote, marking a significant breakthrough
what factors contributed to the Nazis’ success in the Sept. 1930 election?
targeted propaganda (rural and middle/lower-class), an increase in the electorate (grown by 1.8 million), and a higher voter turnout (75.6% to 82%)
what was the result of the April 1932 presidential election?
Hindenburg won with 53% of the vote, Hitler received 36.8% and Thalmann got 10.2%
what impact did the 1932 presidential election have on hitler?
although he lost, Hitler became a significant figure on the national political stage
what was the outcome of the July 1932 Reichstag election?
Nazis became the largest political party with 230 seats and 37.3% of the vote
what was the significance of the July 1932 election for the Nazis?
they became the largest party, making it impossible for other political parties to ignore them
who were some of the key groups that supported the Nazi party?
peasant farmers, working-class voters, middle-class protestants, youth, big businesses, and the army
why did peasant farmers support the Nazis?
due to the agricultural depression, the Nazis promised to tackle banks and reintroduce tariffs to protect farmers
how did the Nazis appeal to the working class?
they promised to support small traders and artisans and used slogans like ‘work and bread’
how did the Nazis appeal to the middle class?
middle class feared left-wing extremism, and the Nazis promsied to protect them from communism
why did young people support the Nazis?
many young people, struggling to find work during the Great Depression, saw the Nazis as a movement for change
how did big business support the Nazis?
industrialists supported the Nazis’ anti-left stance, fearing a state takeover of indsutry, and some financially backed the party
how did the Nazi party use propaganda effectively?
through media outlets, posters, leaflets, and new technologies like radio, the Nazis targeted key electoral areas with tailored messages
how did Hitler’s use of modern media influence his image?
his use of planes for campaigning and media like newsreels helped project a dynamic, charismatic image of him as a leader
how did the Nazis use mass rallies for propaganda?
mass rallies with uniforms, flags, and speeches created a charged atmosphere, whipping up emotion and obedience among crowds
why did Papen replace Bruning as Chancellor in 1932?
Papen and Schleicher sought Nazi political support and hoped for a right-wing authoritarian govt with Nazi involvement
what happened in November 1932 Reichstag election?
the Nazis lost seats, likely due to financial issues and waning morale, but remained a significant political force
what was Papen’s response after the November 1932 election?
Papen considered dissolving the Reichstag and declaring martial law but faced resistance from Schleicher and the military
how was Schleicher appointed Chancellor and when?
After Papen’s political crisis, he demanded his resignation and was appointed Chancellor by Hindenburg in December 1932
what was Schleicher’s main goal as chancellor?
achieve political stability by establishing a govt with broad support
how did Schleicher’s tenure as Chancellor fail?
Schleicher’s plan to gain support from the moderate left and split the Nazis failed, and Gregor Strasser’s (figurehead of more socialist faction of Nazi party) resignation weakened his position
what was the ‘backstairs political intrigue’ leading to Hitler’s appointment?
Papen secretly struck a deal with Hitler on 4 January 1933, arranging for him to become Chancellor in a Nazi-Nationalist coalition, with Papen as vice-Chancellor
how did Hindenburg end up appointing Hitler as Chancellor?
Hindenburg, persuaded by his son and key advisors, agreed to Papen’s plan, leading to Hitler’s appointment on January 30, 1933
