Depth Study Germany Flashcards
What was the situation in Germany at the end of World War One?
Kaiser fled Germany when it was clear they lost war, country asked for armistice (it was bankrupt, chaotic, many starving). Allies offered peace on strict terms, and they demanded it become a democracy and imposed harsh peace terms
Why did Germany request an Armistice, in more detail?
- British navy blockading German ports, preventing supplies getting in
- shortage of weapons for troops
- shortage of food for German people
- public unrest, strikes
- German navy mutinied (refused to follow orders)
- Kaiser abdicated
Terms of Treaty of Versailles
- war guilt clause
- 6.6 billion pounds in reparations
- lost all overseas territories
- lost 13% of European land, including Alsace-Lorraine (given to France)
- demilitarisation of Rhineland (bordered France)
- 100 000 soldiers only, no aircraft/tanks/submarines
- only 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 12 destroyers, 12 torpedoboats
- banned from uniting with Austria
What does dolchstoss mean?
a stab in the back, germans thought their politicians were betraying them for signing the Treaty
Who were the November Criminals?
German politicians which signed the armistice
Why was the treaty a diktat?
Germans had no choice but to sign it or face the war again
How did the new Weimar government work, hierarchically?
- The President
- Chancellor (Prime Minister)
- Cabinet Ministers
- Houses of Parliament (Reichstag and Reichsrat)
The President in Weimar Germany
Head of state,
elected every 7 years,
could rule without consulting the Reichstag,
appointed and dismissed the Chancellor
Reichstag - detail
- members elected every 4 years by all men and women over 20
- proportional representation: each party gained seats in Reichstag depending on proportion of votes
What was article 48?
President could use it to pass laws by himself if Reichstag couldn’t agree and take control of army
Weaknesses of Weimar Constitution
- proportional representation: difficult for one party to get majority, formed weak coalitions which didn’t last long (1919-1932 Germany had 21 different gvts.)
What was the Ruhr crisis?
- Germans refused to pay reparations, French and Belgium troops invaded Ruhr and confiscated goods/machinery/raw materials
- German workers in Ruhr encouraged by gvt. went on strike
- French arrested them and brought in their own workers
- caused debts, unemployment and shortage of goods
What were the consequences of the Ruhr crisis leading to hyperinflation?
- shortages meant prices rose
- govt was receiving less money from taxes (unemployment, closed factories) (income from taxes only 1/4 of required)
- govt printed more money, flooding market with valueless currency
- prices rose, more money printed, prices rose again (vicious circle)
Statistics regarding 1923 hyperinflation
- in 1923: 300 paper mills and 2000 print shops used solely to print money
- in 1923: a loaf of bread cost 100 000 million marks
- money even lost value within the same hour
Effects of hyperinflation
- everyone suffered from shortages, no foreign companies would trade with Germany
- hard to buy things, money to be carried around in wheel-barrows
- values of savings, investments and pensions wiped out
What did those on the extreme right wing want?
- stable society, strong gvt., capitalism and private ownership, hate communism, traditional values
- th3y hated the Weimar Republic, felt it had been abandoned by the army in 1918, hated communism and feared a communist revolution, wanted to tear up TofV
What did those on the extreme left wing want?
- rapid change, treat all as equals, political power to workers, against capitalism, abolish private wonership
- wanted a communist revolution like in 1917 russia
Spartacists
- left wing threat
- 6th Jan 1919, 100 000 communists took control of key buildings in Berlin
- led by Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht
- Ebert’s gvt used Freikorps to put down revolt, several thousand Spartacists arrested/killed, both leaders killed
- right wing used to crush left wing
kapp putch - Freikorps
- right wing threat (Kapp Putsch)
- led by Wolfgang Kapp
- 5000 Freikorps (ex soldiers who hate Weimar and are still armed) and right wing supporters march on Berlin in 1920 to overthrow gvt.
- gvt had to flee and for a time rebels controlled the ciry
- Ebert encouraged worker’s strike, and they did since they didn’t want a right-wing victory, Kapp fled when he realised he didn’t have enough support
Standard themes of the Nazi Party
- dolchstoss (Germans stabbed in the back by new gvt.)
- hated TofV
- hated Weimar Republic
- Communists and Jews were trying to destroy Germany
What were some points of the 25 point programme?
- union of all Germans to form a greater Germany
- scrapping of TofV
- citizenship only to those of German blood, no Jews allowed
- only German citizens allowed to vote
- any land needed for communal purposes seized, no compensation
- all non-Germans who entered after 1914 to leave
When did Hitler become the leader of the Nazi Party?
1921
What were some things Hitler did when he became Nazi leader?
- introduced Swastika emblem
- introduced raised arm salute
- formed private Nazi army (SA/brownshirts/stormtroopers)
Goal of the SA
disrupt and undermine other parties especially communists, often with physical intimidation and violence
Who had first set up the German Workers Party?
Anton Drexler
Who was Anton Drexler?
the guy who first set up the German Workers Party
What was one reason the Nazis were becoming successful?
Hitler’s speaking skills, he played on the anger felt by Germans
How many brownshirts were there by 1923? What were they asking Hitler to do?
35 000 pressing Hitler to seize power
What was Hitler’s idea behind the Munich Putsch?
It was Hitler’s attempt to remove the Weimar Republic by seizing control of Bavaria and Munich then marching on Berlin and removing the government.
What year did the Munich Putsch take place?
1923
What was the reality of the Munich Putsch? What happened?
- Hitler + 600 Nazis stormed Beer Hall in Munich, where a meeting was taking place, captured the leader of the Bavarian Government and other authorities.
- He made these people promise support to them at gunpoint.
- Next day: authorities resisted, organising troops against Nazis, 16 Nazi supporters and 3 policemen died
- Hitler arrested, but got publicity at his trial when he said he was trying to restore German pride + resist the weak Weimar government.
- sentenced to 5 years for treason but only served 9 months, taking this time to write Mein Kampf.
What were the consequences of the Munich Putsch for Hitler and the Nazis?
- Hitler was arrested and able to write Mein Kampf
- His light sentence suggested there was support/sympathy from the judge towards Nazi views
- Hitler’s trial gained a lot of publicity
- Hitler decided to focus on more democratic ways to gain power, instead of by force
What were Hitler’s views on authoritarianism?
he thought that for success, his party needed one all-powerful leader (fuhrer)
How did Stresemann help improve hyperinflation?
abolished currency and issued a new one (Rentenmark)
What was the Dawes Plan? + year
1924
Plan between Germany and USA, where annual repayments would be reduced and American banks would invest in German industry.
This reassured their allies they would get their reparations, so the French left the Ruhr.
What were some positive economic consequences of the Dawes Plan?
- doubling of industrial output
- imports and exports increased
- unemployment reduced
- government got more taxes
What was the Young Plan? + year
1929
Plan that reduced reparations debt from 6.6 billion pounds to 2 billion pounds, and Germany was given an extra 59 years to repay it all.
What were some positive consequences of the Young Plan?
- lower taxes
- increase people’s spending power - boosted economy
What was the Locarno Pact? + year
1925
- pact between Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Belgium
- Germany agreed to keep to the 1919 border with France and Belgium (decided in TofV)
- In return, France promised peace with Germany
- other nations agreed to discuss Germany’s entry to LoN
When was Germany accepted into the LoN? What did this show?
Stresemann persuaded other nations to accept it as a member in 1926, showing Germany was being accepted again by other European nations.
What was the Kellogg-Briand pact?
- pact between 65 countries (including Germany) promising not to use war against each other in the future (memories of WW1 main reason for this pact)
- showed Germany was starting to be seen as a respectable country again by others
- nothing said about consequences of breaking this pact
Cultural recovery in Weimar Germany?
- painting, architecture and design flourished
- Berlin became a centre for theatre and plays, a very hip and happening place, rivalling Paris as cultural capital of Europe
- however, some disapproved of new shows and nightclubs, thought it was leading to Germany’s decadence
What was Stresemann’s success, summarised?
- more in Germany gained confidence in Weimar Republic
- economic stability
- Germany’s international position improved
- Stresemann had support of moderate parties, laws could be passed
- new industries set up (cars, telephones, radios, airships, ocean liners etc. built)
- Arts flourished
- Berlin became known as a good time place, entertaining with lots of freedom
- Parties that fed on desperate conditions declined
In 1924 and 1928, how many seats did Nazis have in the Reichstag?
1924: 5%
1928: only 2%, even the Communists had 4x more
What was the status of the Nazi party from 1924-1928? Why?
- Nazi support fell drastically (only 2% of seats in Reichstag in 1928)
- economic recovery brought peace, wealth and prosperity to Germany, so people were not prepared to turn to extremist ideas
- Hitler was offering desperate remedies to problems the Germans didn’t have anymore (during Stresemann years)
What did Hitler do when he was released from prison?
- started reorganising Nazi party
- set up local Nazi party branches
- Hitler Youth created
- SS set up in 1925 (personally loyal to Hitler)
- Hitler put Goebbels in charge of propaganda
Was the recovery before 1929 all it seemed?
Germany had become very dependent on American money and loans, and the Wall Street Crash and the recalling of the loans proved this
Impacts of the Wall Street Crash on Germany?
- banks lost money, people rushed to get their money back - some banks ran out of cash
- USA recalled loans, Germany was dependent on these (led to many companies closing/ drastically cutting staffing)
- unemployment
- middle class lost homes, businesses, savings
- Bruning rose taxes, upsetting workers. He reduced unemployment benefit, upsetting unemployed
- parties couldn’t agree on solutions
- private armies of political parties grew
- violence became commonplace
- Bruning (chancellor) resigned in 1932, leaving a dangerous power vacuum
What was the main factor leading to the rise of the Nazis?
the Wall St Crash, causing the Depression. It made many Germans ready to listen to extremist ideas and gave Hitler his platform.
