German Depth Study

Question 0

What was the name of the Kaiser and when did he abdicate?

Answer 0

Kaiser Wilhelm II. He abdicated on the 9th November 1918.

Question 1

When was the first word war?

Answer 1

1914-1918

Question 2

Germany changed into a republic in 1919. What party came to power and who was their leader?

Answer 2

Social Democratic Party. Their leader was Fredrich Ebert.

Question 3

When and why was the Treaty of Versailles signed?

Answer 3

June 28th 1919. It was signed by Ebert because Germany was too weak to risk restarting conflict.

Question 4

Describe the Weimar constitution.

Answer 4

All men and women over 20 could vote.
Members of the reichstag were voted by the public.
Article 48.
Proportional representation was used.
The president chose the chancellor.

Question 5

What, when and why were the 3 left wing rebellions?

Answer 5

Communist revolt 1918-1919 in Bavaria. They wanted a soviet republic.
Spartacist revolt January 1919. Wanted Germany to be ruled by worker’s councils or soviets.
Communist uprising 1920. Russian revolution in 1917 inspired them.

Question 6

Describe the 2 right wing rebellions.

Answer 6

The kapp pustch in March 1920. They opposed the treaty of Versailles.
The Munich pustch in 1923. Hitler had an army and the Nazi party had 55,000 members.

Question 7

Why did the rebellions fail?

Answer 7

Weaknesses of the opposition: 3 seperate left wing rebellions, Nazis overestimated the amount of public support.
Government strengths: government supported by majority (kapp pustch- public had general strike), the freikorps fired at the communists under Ebert’s instruction.

Question 8

What were the key terms of the treaty of Versailles?

Answer 8

G uilt clause (231)
A rmy reduced to 100,000
R eparations £6.6 billion
G erman land lost 10%, 12.5% population
L eague of nations (not allowed to join).

Question 9

Why was the Weimar government able to survive?

Answer 9

Effective leaders (gustav stresemann, Ebert), public support (kapp pustch 1920, French 1923), support from France and Britain 1924, the Daws plan (America loans), revolutions were unsupported

Question 10

Who was Gustav Stresemann?

Answer 10

Chancellor 1923, foreign minister 1924-1929. Set up the Daws plan.

Question 11

Was it really the golden years 1924-1929? (Agree)

Answer 11

Daws plan- USA loaned 800 million marks (became 2nd greatest industrial power, Weimar constitution didn’t use censorship, 1927, 900 dance bands in Berlin, after 1923 there were no more revolutions, the Locarno treaties 1925 (securing western borders), accepted into League of Nations, the young plan.

Question 12

Was it really the golden years 1924-1929? (Disagree)

Answer 12

Unemployment rose by 6% by 1928, loans could be call back at any time, the wandervagal organisation wanted country values back, 30% of votes went to parties opposing the Republic, many opposed the league of Nations and the Locarno pact as it was seen as an agreement to the Treaty of Versailles.

Question 13

Explain Hitler’s beliefs.

Answer 13

Aryans where the master race, he wanted to smash communism, provide lebensraum, destroy the Treaty of Versailles, Jews should not be members of the nation, physical fitness should be encouraged non-German immigration should be stopped, provide old age pensions, help small businesses, should be a dictatorship

Question 14

What were the key events in the development of the Nazi party?

Answer 14

1919 Hitler became part of the German workers party
1920 25 point programme, party renamed the national socialist workers party
1921 hitler became leader
1922 hitler youth started
1923 the Munich putsch took place

Question 15

How successful was Hitler in developing the Nazi party in Germany between 1924 and 1932?

Answer 15

Share of votes rose from 3% in 1924 to 37% in 1932
membership increased from 27,000 in 1925 to over 100,000 by 1928
1926 Hitler youth nazi student league and ss set up
Hitler wrote mein kampf
Who stood against President Hindenburg in 1932 and lost
Nazis failed to get a majority in the reichstag between 1924 and 1932
German workers supported the communist party

Question 16

Why did Hitler become chancellor in January 1933?

Answer 16

Hitler was a great orator and charismatic, The SS and SA did rallies showing discipline, Hitler produced scapegoats and promised to get rid of the treaty of Versailles, he had support from businesses like Thyssen and krupps, negative cohesion, skimming of Hindenburg and von Papen in 1933, hyperinflation in 1923

Question 17

Why and when did the night of the Long knives take place?

Answer 17

30th of June 1934. Hitler needed to get rid of his opponents (Ernst Rohm- leader of SA too powerful), send the message that he was ruthless, The SA had 4 million men and had power to overthrow Hitler

Question 18

How were people controlled by Hitler?

Answer 18

Incentives e.g. jobs theatre tickets
propaganda persuade people to like the Nazis
terror e.g. The Gestapo

Question 19

Describe the work of Josef Goebbels.

Answer 19

Goebbels the minister of propaganda and public enlightenment, he convinced Hitler to hold the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, he banned jazz music as it was black music, the Gestapo and SS were used to close down antiNazi and Communist propaganda, he organised the Nuremberg rallies.

Question 20

What were the aims of the Nazis for young people?

Answer 20

To love Hitler, prepare boys for war, get girls to become traditional housewives, to create an Aryan race

Question 21

Why were young people important to the Nazis?

Answer 21

They could be easily indoctrinated young boys were trained for war to gain lebensraum, they could create a pure race

Question 22

Describe the Hitler youth movement.

Answer 22

A youth organisation to teach nazi values. They take part in sports, summer camps and military drills.
In 1932 there were 100,000 members.
In 1934 there were 3.5 million members.
In 1939 it became compulsory.

Question 23

Why did some young people support the Nazis?

Answer 23

It was fun to be part of a group, they liked equality, they were respectfully saluted to, they had no choice after 1939.

Question 24

What opposition groups were there that opposed the Nazis?

Answer 24

Swing movement- interested in American and English music and fashion, they accepted jews.
Edelweiss pirates- changed lyrics of nazi songs, did graffiti, beat up members of the Hitler youth and killed a Gestapo chief.

Question 25

Why do some young people oppose the Nazis?

Answer 25

Curfews at 9 o'clock told them how to do their hair and weren't allowed make up.
Didn't like old nazi values.
Parents didn't support them.
Jews weren't allowed.
They were boring- no free time.

Question 26

What were the main features of the education of German children 1933 to 1945?

Answer 26

They indoctrinated children with ideas, they would talk to you love Hitler, maths was taught by plotting how bombs fell, Sports were promoted so they were healthy for war or childbearing, Jews were separated after 1942.

Question 27

To what extent were nazi policies towards women successful?

Answer 27

100,000 female teachers sacked to become housewives. 1933 47 couples got married.
When married you got 1000 marks loan each child allowed you to keep 250.
1938 the mothers honours cross was introduced and the birth rate increased,
when abortion was banned in 1943 home methods were used.
Triumph of the will was the film directed by a woman.
1.2 million women were working after the war.

Question 28

How successful were nazi economic policies?

Answer 28

1933 trade unions banned
KdF set up by Ley cheap cruises, cinema tickets.
Reduce unemployment to 0% in 1938 autobahns created work for 80,000.
Autarky (independence) reached.
Stopped reparations and achieved lebensraum.
Strength through Joy set up.

Question 29

How did the Second World War change Germany?

Answer 29

Rationing introduced in 1939, women had to work from 1939, concentration camps set up in 1942, young people still had to go to hitler youth.

Question 30

Why did the Nazis persecute the Jews?

Answer 30

Easy scapegoat minority group, doubts over Hitler’s own heritage, history of anti-Semitism, jews believed they were God’s chosen people, they were seen to be communists, orthodox Jews didn’t integrate, exploit Germans financially