Factors: Germany Flashcards
To what extent did Bismarck succeed in reducing divisions in the new Germany in the years 1871-79?
-Political:
Each of the 22 royal rulers in the newly unified Germany were given substantial powers under the Prussian king, who became German emperor
According to the constitution, each of the German sovereigns were equal but since the Kaiser controlled the civil service and military, this wasn’t true
The Kaiser was able to proclaim imperial laws which superseded state laws
The Reichstag was established as an elected parliamentary body and all men over 25 could vote in elections for Reichstag deputies
All votes for the Reichstag were equal and took place every 5 years
-Centralization:
A single German currency was created (the mark) as well as standardized measurements and weights
A national legal system was introduced, a national civil service and the German railway system was linked up between states
A single German flag was created in 1892
The German army was made up of 4 separate states; Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg
Each army owed its allegiance to the king of that state except when the country was at war, then the Kaiser was put in charge
The army recruited from all around the country
Army was controlled by the Prussian elite, Junkers
-Kulturkampf:
Bismarck believed the Catholics were undermining him by supporting the Center Party and speaking their own foreign languages and not German
Kulturkampf led to the inspection of Catholic schools, banning Jesuits priestly orders
Prussian May Laws 1873 - Established control over the catholic church
Bread Basket Laws - No financial aid for priests who didn’t declare support for German state
1800 priests jailed, 16 million seized in Reichsmarks
Reinforced catholic separation from German state and strengthened support for center party
18.6% of the vote in 1871, 27.9% in 1874
By 1878 they were the equal biggest party in the Reichstag
1/3 of the population was catholic
To what extent did Bismarck successfully achieve his political goals in the years 1870-79?
-Succeeded:
Unity was being created as the Reichstag was elected through universal suffrage of all males of age 25
30% of the German population was voting for a Pro-Bismarck party, the National Liberals
He managed the smaller parties by allowing them to grow and feel represented in the Reichstag and they reached a peak of around 10% of the vote in 1878
Kulturkampf allowed Bismarck to achieve short term political unity and allow the National Liberal cooperation to be a success until 1878
Efforts to teach nationalism in schools as part of the curriculum and instil nationalism through conscription in the army helped
-Didn’t Succeed:
The fact that Bismarck needed to change the constitution regarding the Reichstag in the 1880s suggests that it was not supporting his political goals
The National Liberals supported Bismarck until their split in 1878, this split itself created both political disunity but also social disunity among the voters
Smaller parties complicated proceedings and hampered some attempts to integrate and assimilate those who they represented fully into German Society
By 1879, 1800 priests had been arrested or exiled, furthering the disunity in Society
North/South divide became increasingly separate within German Society
The Kulturkampf actually increased political divisions by strengthening the Catholic Party and coalescing all anti-Bismarck voters into supporters of the party
The fact that Bismarck no longer found the policy useful by 1879 would suggest it didn’t help to achieve his political goals
‘It was primarily the constitution of the Second Reich (1871) that made governing the new Germany extremely difficult in the years 1871-79’ How far do you agree?
-Consitution of the Second Reich:
22 different kings across the country but only 1 Kaiser
The Kaiser was able to proclaim imperial laws which superceded state laws
Reichstag had control over the budget and could undermine Bismarck that way
Just 14 votes of the 58 in the Bundesrat was enough to veto legislation
The German army was made up of 4 separate states; Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg
Each army owed its allegiance to the king of that state except when the country was at war, then the Kaiser was put in charge
The army recruited from all around the country
Army was controlled by the Prussian elite, Junkers
-Socialists:
Bismarck certainly believed that they were the biggest threat towards the end of the time period, as he persecuted them very aggressively
Law for Combatting the Criminal Aims of Social Democracy implemented October 1878, which prohibited socialist meetings and gave police power to randomly search and arrest socialist politicians -1878-90, 1500 socialist imprisoned and many more exiled
Bismarck also used the two assassination attempts on Wilhelm I to propagate anti-socialist imagery
Bismarck called a new election when the Reichstag refused to pass his anti-socialist laws
NL lost 130,000 votes and 29 seats, SAPD seats fell from 493,000 to 312,000
Became more of a threat to his political authority after his split with the National Liberals in 1878, where the National Liberals and Conservative Party coalition could not achieve a majority, allowing other parties to gain more votes such as the left, socialists and Catholics
-Catholics:
Major threat to German nationalism because they reported to the Pope rather than Bismarck and the Kaiser
Reinforced by the Syllabus of Errors (1864) and the Dogma of Papal Infallibility (1870)
Bismarck felt they were a big enough threat to implement the Kulturkampf starting with Prussian May Laws 1873
Bread-Basket laws withdrew financial support from any priest that did not publicly declare his support for the German state
Catholics were persecuted in both private and public life
Effect of Kulturkampf actually increased the threat of the Z Party to Bismarck: votes increased from 18.6% in 1871 to 27.9% in 1874, and by 1878 were of equal size as the NL, making them a significant political challenger
Z party campaigned for polish students to continue speaking polish, and for the decentralization and autonomy for German states
Went against Bismarck’s aims, who wanted German to be used instead of Polish as it allowed the Poles to have a separate identity
-Reichstag:
Reichstag could only vote on laws- could not initiate them so had limited power
However, had control over the budget, which they could use against Bismarck
Limited power as members received no payment- only rich could be deputies, could be dissolved to call for new elections, and Bundesrat could veto legislation from Reichstag
Bismarck still had to recognise them, which is why he worked with the NL as they were the biggest party – 29.4% of votes in 1874 which they somewhat maintained until 1878
Were a challenge because once they opposed Bismarck on the introduction of tariffs to protect German farmers and industry in 1873 Bismarck declared them unpatriotic and in 1878 election NL votes slumped and they eventually split
This allowed the Z Party to gain more power and become a greater threat to Bismarck
Reichstag deputies have parliamentary issues and debates widely reported, so can put public pressure on Bismarck
How far do you agree that the Kulturkampf failed to achieve its objectives in the years 1871-79
-Achieved its objectives:
Aim of the new center party was to protect the rights of the catholic minority
The new Catholics weren’t only supporting themselves but also the Polish and French minorities in the country and encouraging them to speak their own languages
Catholics were undermining the new government and something had to be done about it
Increased their state control over religious affairs by inspecting catholic schools, banning Jesuits priestly orders, minimizing the catholic’s influence in education was one of it’s greatest achievements as the government sought to minimize their influence from the beginning
Bread Basket Laws - Not giving financial aid to any priests who didn’t declare support for the German state
1800 priests jailed
16 million seized in Reichsmarks
-Failed to achieve Objectives:
Reinforced catholic separation from the German state and rather than uniting all the people
Strengthened catholic support for the Center Party
Center Party Vote 18.6% in 1871
Grew to 27.9% in 1874
By 1878 they were the equal biggest party in the Reichstag
Seriously failed to limit the catholics and they only grew following the Kulturkampf and posed as more of a challenge to Bismarck
‘The socialists posed the greatest challenge to Bismarck’s political authority in the years 1871-79’ How far do you agree
-Socialists:
Bismarck certainly believed that they were the biggest threat towards the end of the time period, as he persecuted them very aggressively
Law for Combatting the Criminal Aims of Social Democracy implemented October 1878, which prohibited socialist meetings and gave police power to randomly search and arrest socialist politicians -1878-90, 1500 socialist imprisoned and many more exiled
Bismarck also used the two assassination attempts on Wilhelm I to propagate anti-socialist imagery
Bismarck called a new election when the Reichstag refused to pass his anti-socialist laws
NL lost 130,000 votes and 29 seats, SAPD seats fell from 493,000 to 312,000
Became more of a threat to his political authority after his split with the National Liberals in 1878, where the National Liberals and Conservative Party coalition could not achieve a majority, allowing other parties to gain more votes such as the left, socialists and Catholics
-Catholics:
Major threat to German nationalism because they reported to the Pope rather than Bismarck and the Kaiser
Reinforced by the Syllabus of Errors (1864) and the Dogma of Papal Infallibility (1870)
Bismarck felt they were a big enough threat to implement the Kulturkampf starting with Prussian May Laws 1873
Bread-Basket laws withdrew financial support from any priest that did not publicly declare his support for the German state
Catholics were persecuted in both private and public life
Effect of Kulturkampf actually increased the threat of the Z Party to Bismarck: votes increased from 18.6% in 1871 to 27.9% in 1874, and by 1878 were of equal size as the NL, making them a significant political challenger
Z party campaigned for polish students to continue speaking polish, and for the decentralization and autonomy for German states
Went against Bismarck’s aims, who wanted German to be used instead of Polish as it allowed the Poles to have a separate identity
-Reichstag:
Reichstag could only vote on laws- could not initiate them so had limited power
However, had control over the budget, which they could use against Bismarck
Limited power as members received no payment- only rich could be deputies, could be dissolved to call for new elections, and Bundesrat could veto legislation from Reichstag
Bismarck still had to recognise them, which is why he worked with the NL as they were the biggest party – 29.4% of votes in 1874 which they somewhat maintained until 1878
Were a challenge because once they opposed Bismarck on the introduction of tariffs to protect German farmers and industry in 1873 Bismarck declared them unpatriotic and in 1878 election NL votes slumped and they eventually split
This allowed the Z Party to gain more power and become a greater threat to Bismarck
Reichstag deputies have parliamentary issues and debates widely reported, so can put public pressure on Bismarck
-German States:
22 royal rulers within Germany which had to be given some power or else would argue against unification
Under the constitution, each ruler was supposedly equal and could therefore challenge Bismarck’s power, but Prussia/Kaiser/Bismarck controlled civil service/military had the most power
· German army made up of four separate armies: Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg which belonged to the king of each state, so could challenge Bismarck’s political authority through military threats
Lander parliaments controlled education, transport, direct taxation, policing and health- limiting Bismarck’s power, but not necessarily challenging it
Delegates from Lander parliaments could vote in Bundesrat + could veto legislation if 14 voted against
How accurate is it to say that the Weimar constitution failed to make a significant change from the previous political system of the Kaiser Reich?
-Weimar:
President - Elected every 7 years and can appoint the chancellor and also dismiss the Reichstag as well as call a state of emergency
Reichstag - Elections every 4 years, everyone over 20 could vote
Elections - Germany split into regions, each party could put forward a number of candidates per party, each candidate got 1 seat for every 60,000 votes
Chancellor - Chosen by the party with the most votes, equivalent to the British Prime Minister, proposes laws voted on by the Reichstag
Reichsrat - Germany divided into 17 states, 67 people in the Reichsrat, could be overruled by the Reichstag
Article 48 - Known as the emergency powers
Bill of Rights - Unemployment benefits, freedom of speech, belief, etc, trade unions, sick pay
-Previous Constitution:
Each of the 22 royal rulers in the newly unified Germany were given substantial powers under the Prussian king, who became German emperor
According to the constitution, each of the German sovereigns were equal but since the Kaiser controlled the civil service and military, this wasn’t true
The Kaiser was able to proclaim imperial laws which superseded state laws
The Reichstag was established as an elected parliamentary body and all men over 25 could vote in elections for Reichstag deputies
All votes for the Reichstag were equal and took place every 5 years
A single German currency was created (the mark) as well as standardized measurements and weights
A national legal system was introduced, a national civil service and the German railway system was linked up between states
A single German flag was created in 1892
The German army was made up of 4 separate states; Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg
Each army owed its allegiance to the king of that state except when the country was at war, then the Kaiser was put in charge
The army recruited from all around the country
Army was controlled by the Prussian elite, Junkers
To what extent did events in Germany from September 1918 to January 1919 amount to a revolution?
-Revolution from above:
Many felt that the Kaiser was a stumbling block in the move to reform and the US President said the Kaiser was an impediment to peace in Europe
Under instruction of Ludendorff, Prince Max created a government made up of members of the SPD, Z party and the Progressives
Ludendorff did this because he was terrified of a revolution and believed that moderate change would end the demands for radical change
Woodrow Wilson said he wouldn’t negotiate with a military leadership, only a democratic one
Prince Max introduced political reforms:
Abolished the Prussian three-class franchise system
Kaiser lost control of the army
Chancellor and government were made accountable to the Reichstag
-Revolution from below:
During the Kiel Mutiny, sailors were ordered out to sea one more time but they refused calling it a ‘lunatic gesture’
600 sailors were imprisoned and on the 4th November 100,000 sailors mutinied and seized the ships
On the 9th November a general strike in Berlin brought the city to a halt, 15 soldiers were killed following a military revolt and the same day a socialist became chancellor and Germany became a republic
Between the 4th-9th November a pro-Bolshevik uprising took place in Bavaria aiming to become their own independent Bolshevik state
-Spartacist Uprising:
January 5th 1919 the KPD attempted to take control of Berlin, this became the Spartacist Uprising
The 2 leaders, Liebknecht and Luxemburg didn’t want the uprising to happen but one it had happened they felt obliged to support it
On January 10th, the Freikorps stormed Berlin, led by General Von Luttwitz and attacked the communist positions
Both Luxemburg and Liebknecht were killed by the Freikorps and the rest of the Spartacists were defeated
The Freikorps were organised, army and had military background and the Spartacists were mainly civilians
How accurate is it to say that domestic opposition in Germany to the war was mainly responsible for Germany’s decision to seek an armistice in 1918?
-Domestic Opposition:
1.8 million German soldiers died in the war
In 1915 35% of Germany’s pigs were killed to save on grain
Turnip winter of 1916-17
Germany was dependent on 1/3 of its food to be imported, British blockades prevented this
During the war, 750,000 civilians died of starvation
Infant mortality increased by over 50%
Inflation was rising and average prices doubled in Germany but wages only rose 50-75%
By April 1917 200,000 workers were on strike in Berlin because of Bread rationing
-SPD Opposition:
Burgfriede was a political truce between all the parties where they agreed to pass all the necessary loans to finance the war unanimously
In a vote on war credits in December 1915, 20 members voted against it
Similar events happened in March 1916 where 19 deputies voted against the government’s emergency budget
This meant that less money was able to be put towards the war, and considering only 18% of the money for the war came from taxes this was a big issue
USPD was created from the SPD in January 1918 and they began strikes with 120,000 people attending each, these grew to involve millions across the whole country
-US Entry into the war:
Germany had been antagonizing the US for a long time prior to their entry to the war
German U boats sinking american transport ships bringing equipment to the west, the sinking of the Lusitania killing 128 Americans on board and the final one was the Zimmermann telegram asking Mexico to invade the US, this was intercepted and then America finally joined the war
They brought 1 million soldiers in 1917 and a further 1 million in 1918
They gave $7.7 billion in total to nations fighting against Germany to help them
-German military failures:
Battle of Amiens, 16,000 German soldiers captured, seen as the darkest day for Germany during the war
General Ludendorff also informed the Kaiser that the war was lost at the Spa conference
Kiel Mutiny, 100,000 soldiers mutinied on the 4th November 1918
Germany had lost the support of it’s soldiers
Failure of the German spring offensive essentially sealed the fate of Germany in WW1
How significant was the contribution of Ebert to the development of a democratic German state in the years 1918-19?
-Ebert:
Ebert-Groenen Pact linking the army and government together
Stinnes-Legien agreement, massive deal with industrialists on workers rights
Bill of rights in the Weimar constitution securing freedom and stability for everyone
Article 48 allowing the government to pass whatever they want in an emergency
Ebert played a significant role in the creation of the Weimar constitution
-Role of Prince Max:
Abolished Prussian 3 class Franchise where a Junker’s vote was worth three times as much of that as a peasant’s vote
Kaiser lost control of the army and navy, this went to the Reichstag, preventing the Kaiser from having direct control over whatever they wanted
Chancellor and government were made accountable to the Reichstag, not the Kaiser, representing a huge shift to a new parliamentary democracy
-Impact of WW1:
Economic problems after the war were still continuing, such as working striking, hyper inflation and shortages of goods
There was still much unrest after the war and it led to uprising across the whole country, significantly in Bavaria
Following the Kiel Mutiny there was still some instability between the armed forces and the new German government
Food shortages and livestock shortages causing more unrest across Germany
-Other influences e.g. Spartacists:
Split with the USPD and set up the KPD meaning there was now more radical opposition in Germany
Spartacist uprising was essentially civilians against trained militia, very unfair fight and didn’t end very well for the spartacists
Lead to Berlin being held for some time and this meant the government was forced to flee to Weimar, this shows the great levels of instability in Germany at the time
‘The Weimar constitution (1919) established the foundations for achieving freedom and stability in Germany.’ How far do you agree with this statement?
-Agree:
President - Elected every 7 years and can appoint the chancellor and also dismiss the Reichstag as well as call a state of emergency
Reichstag - Elections every 4 years, everyone over 20 could vote
Elections - Germany split into regions, each party could put forward a number of candidates per party, each candidate got 1 seat for every 60,000 votes
Chancellor - Chosen by the party with the most votes, equivalent to the British Prime Minister, proposes laws voted on by the Reichstag
Reichsrat - Germany divided into 17 states, 67 people in the Reichsrat, could be overruled by the Reichstag
Article 48 - Known as the emergency powers
Bill of Rights - Unemployment benefits, freedom of speech, belief, etc, trade unions, sick pay
-Disagree:
Any party winning 30,001 votes in a region gained a seat in the Reichstag, this meant that small extremist parties gained representation in the Reichstag
There were a large number of small parties, none with a majority which led to coalition governments, these led to ideological disagreements and slow decision making
Both Reichstag and President were directly elected but President’s powers often referred to as Ersatzkaiser (substitute emperor) in relation to Reichstag since it seems his only was to prevent the Reichstag becoming too powerful
Article 48 were the emergency powers which the President could use to bypass the Reichstag have been seen as a mistake
Some believe that the referendums provided rallying points for those opposed to democracy
Many Germans blamed the Weimar constitution as being part of the humiliating defeat for Germany
‘Nazi consolidation of power in 1933 was primarily due to the use of terror and violence.’ How far do you agree with this judgement?
-Terror and violence:
Kopenick blood week - 300 SPD members tortured, 23 died - SPD 2nd largest party
Night of the Long Knives, gaining the support of the Junkers in Germany
Dachau concentration camp - 30,000 communists sent there after the Reichstag fire
SA had more than 3 million men by 1933
SA used to intimidate other political opponents and attack people
57% of Gestapo reports came from the general population in Wurzberg
-Consolidations to different groups:
Nazis tried to improve the lives of the working people so they would side with them
Industrial pay packets went up by 18%
By 1939 only 35,000 out of 25,000,000 males unemployed
Average paid holiday rose to between 6 and 12 days by 1939
KdF giving holidays to people to get them to side with the Nazis
-Gleischaltung:
German citizens cooperating with the Nazis
They made associating with the Nazis beneficial
Jews removed from every aspect of German law and government
Made participating in the Nazi groups a part of everyday life e.g. Hitler Youth - 2,300,000 members by the end of 1933
-Widespread Appeal:
Reichstag fire allowed 30,000 communists to be arrested
Nazis used Article 48 to repress the KPD and the decree for protection of nation and state
Employment Law - Creating many public works schemes
Nazi membership increased by 3 million between by 1933
DAF and KdF schemes such as the holidays for working people
RAD, 6 month labour service allowed for indoctrination that didn’t involve terror and violence
To what extent were the Nazis genuinely popular in Germany between 1933 and 1935?
-Use of Violence:
SA abusing the power to attack the Jews
After the Austrian Anschluss, 200,000 Jews in Vienna were attacked in the following month
Kristallnacht - Destroying Jewish homes, 100 killed and 20,000 deported to camps
Dachau concentration camp - 30,000 communists sent there after the Reichstag Fire
Night of the Long Knives
Kopenick blood week - 300 SPD members tortured, 23 died - SPD 2nd largest party
-Widespread Appeal:
Reichstag fire allowed 30,000 communists to be arrested
Nazis used Article 48 to repress the KPD and the decree for protection of nation and state
Employment Law - Creating many public works schemes
Nazi membership increased by 3 million between by 1933
DAF and KdF schemes such as the holidays for working people
RAD, 6 month labour service allowed for indoctrination that didn’t involve terror and violence
-Concessions to groups:
Improving the lives of working people
Industrial pay packets up by 18%
By 1939 only 35,000 of 25 million males unemployed
Average paid holiday rose from 3 days to between 6 and 12 by 1939
Appealing to the workers was the attempt to get them on side with the Nazis, as the working class would be the most important group for the Nazis to work with
-Use of propaganda:
Posters and signs used all around the country
Newspapers e.g. Der Angriff used to put out the Nazi’s agenda
Cinema and Movies e.g. The Eternal Jew - German film industry comparable to Hollywood at this point
Nazi Newspaper: Volkischer Beobasher had 1.7 million readers by 1944
Goebbels brought all radio companies under the Reich Radio Company
How far do you agree that the Nuremburg Laws marked a change in the policy of the Nazi regime towards the Jewish population of Germany in the years 1933-35?
-Nuremberg Laws:
Became illegal for Jews to be married or have sex
Jews banned from employing German women as domestic servants
Jews could not display a German flag
Jews were no longer German citizens
Jews were now legally second class citizens
Jews were classed as anyone with three Jewish grandparents or two Jewish grandparents if they were a practising Jew
-Use of terror and violence:
SA abusing the power to attack the Jews
After the Austrian Anschluss, 200,000 Jews in Vienna were attacked in the following month
Kristallnacht - Destroying Jewish homes, 100 killed and 20,000 deported to camps
Dachau concentration camp - 30,000 communists sent there after the Reichstag Fire
Night of the Long Knives
Kopenick blood week - 300 SPD members tortured, 23 died - SPD 2nd largest party
-Previous Legal Changes:
Law for the Restoration of the Civil Service - Tried to remove all jews from the civil service, but only ended up removing 5%
This was due to the fact that Hindenburg stopped the law from targeting any Jews who had fought in WW1 or had family that died in the war
The Boycott of Jewish shops April 1933 - SA men stood outside Jewish businesses to discourage Germans from shopping, but the boycott was unsuccessful and was never extended beyond this day
-Nature of Hitler’s Dictatorship:
Hitler was quite a lazy leader, making a stamp for documents rather than signing them
Intentionally laid back gives him party members control so they actually wanted to work for him
He had 4 Nazis in charge of the entire economy
Preserved his own authority
Hindenburg died allowing Hitler to cement his leadership
The process of Gleichschaltung was fully completed in the years 1933-34. How far do you agree with this statement?
-Nature of Hitler’s Leadership:
Hitler was quite a lazy leader, making a stamp for documents rather than signing them
Intentionally laid back gives him party members control so they actually wanted to work for him
He had 4 Nazis in charge of the entire economy
Preserved his own authority
Hindenburg died allowing Hitler to cement his leadership
-Use of Violence:
SA abusing the power to attack the Jews
After the Austrian Anschluss, 200,000 Jews in Vienna were attacked in the following month
Kristallnacht - Destroying Jewish homes, 100 killed and 20,000 deported to camps
Dachau concentration camp - 30,000 communists sent there after the Reichstag Fire
Night of the Long Knives
Kopenick blood week - 300 SPD members tortured, 23 died - SPD 2nd largest party
-Concessions to groups:
Improving the lives of working people
Industrial pay packets up by 18%
By 1939 only 35,000 of 25 million males unemployed
Average paid holiday rose from 3 days to between 6 and 12 by 1939
Appealing to the workers was the attempt to get them on side with the Nazis, as the working class would be the most important group for the Nazis to work with
-Use of propaganda:
Posters and signs used all around the country
Newspapers e.g. Der Angriff used to put out the Nazi’s agenda
Cinema and Movies e.g. The Eternal Jew - German film industry comparable to Hollywood at this point
Nazi Newspaper: Volkischer Beobasher had 1.7 million readers by 1944
Goebbels brought all radio companies under the Reich Radio Company
How accurate is it to say that the SPD lost the 1949 election due to the leadership of Kurt Schumacher?
-Leadership of Kurt Schumacher:
Spent 10 years in Dachau – weak due to conditions, or strong for surviving
Only SPD member not to flee or collaborate with the Nazis
Refused to collaborate with the KPD, wanted to be socialist and anti-communist
Stated goal was to focus on the economy, doesn’t distinguish him well from Adenauer
Very critical of the Catholics, 45% of the population were catholic
Was a protestant, again 45% catholic wouldn’t vote for him
Personally attacked Adenauer, calling him the “Chancellor of the allies”
-Leadership of Konrad Adenauer:
Was already an established politician, mayor of Cologne from 1917-1933
Detained by the Gestapo in 1944, shows that he is committed against Nazism
CDU were more moderate, attractive to those that have just been under Nazism for 12 years
CDU were explicitly Christian and in 1950 45% of the population were Catholic
Anti-Communist
Heavy focus on economic development
Formed the ECSC in 1951 with other major European powers
Backed by America
Sought to blame Hitler and minimize the blame on the German people
-The Legacy of WW2:
The Marshall Plan $1.3 billion West Germany and established the democratic zones in Western Germany. Adenauer was the leader of the Western Zones and his support of the USA through programs such as the Fragebogen proved his loyalty
The rape of Berlin, where 100 000 women were raped by Soviet forces ensured that people were firmly against the communist regime.
The USA was fundamentally desperate for a safe pair of hands not he frontier of east and west. Schumacher was simply too close to the communists, despite rejecting the KPD wholeheartedly.
Divided Germany put it on the frontier of East and West. It meant that the Communist threat was exceptionally tangible in Germany - SPD bore much closer to communism than the CDU
Adenauer’s record of economic under Erhard success pre 1953 under the allies means that people would seek and continuity and want the economic success to continue.
Adenauer’s slogan was NO EXPERIMENTS, nodding to both Nazism and Weimar, as well as a jab against Schumacher’s planned economy
