Germany Flashcards
when was germany unified as one nation
1871
which state was the most powerful when germany was unified
prussia
what was the kaisers job
to rule over all the states in germany. he could ignore government advice and make is own decisions. he made all military and foreign policy decisions
what was the chancellors job
advise the kaiser and look after the day to day running of germany
what was the Bundesrat
it was made up of representatives from every state
what was the reichstag
parliament elected by men over 25. They debated and voted on laws made by the kaiser and his ministers
who was kaiser wilhelm ii
he was from prussia and belived in having strong armed forces (militarism) prussian generals made up the basis of the new german army.
his mother was queen Victoria’s daughter
he was born with an arm problem and blamed the english doctor
he wanted a bigger army than england
what was WELTPOLITIK
germany becoming a global power with a larger empire than england
how did socialism grow during kaiser wilhelms reign
many workers were unhappy in low paying jobs with bad conditions. they joined trade unions and went on organised strikes. by 1914 over 3 million workers were in trade unions. the social democratic party became very popular.
what did the SDP want during kaiser wilhems reign
they wanted the kaiser to allow the reichstag to make more social reforms to improve workers rights. they disagreed with the privalidge that the factory workers held. extremists wanted a revolution
what were the navy laws
between 1898 and 1912 a series of navy laws were introduced to rapidly increase the seize of the german army.
why was germany close to defeat in 1916
a flu epidemic killed those weak from starvation.
soldiers were worn down
protesters at home demanded an end to the war
what did kaiser wilhelm do at the end of ww1 so that the allies would treat germany more fairly
he allowed the main political parties to form a government and transferred some of his powers to the reichstag
what events lead to the kaiser abdicating in 1918
navy in keil mutinied and soldiers sent to deal with the protest join the sailors. the kaiser knew he had lost control as cities in germany were being governed by workers and sailors councils. the kaiser abdicated secretly leaving germany on 9 nov 1918
who took over when the kaiser abdicated
Ebert because he was leader of the largest political party (spd)
what were the impacts of ww1 on germany
virtually bankrupt
owed money on loans
factories were exhausted
war pensions were expensive
women worked in factories which some people thought damaged traditional family values
revolutions everywhere - politically unstable
what happened during the spartacists revolt
Ebert declared germany would be a democratic republic and elections would be held in january 1919.
a group of communists called the spartacists wanted germany to be run by small councils . they seized power of berlin on 6 jan 1919
ebert sent 2000 freikorps to attack and after 3 days of street fighting the spartacist leaders were captured
what was the weimar constitution
a formal set of rules for how germany would be run
what were the weaknesses in the weimar constitution
proportional representation = different political partys were allowed to win seats in the reichstag but it was difficult for one party to get a majority
many people didnt like the new democratic system ( generals . landowners , upperclass families )
what was article 48
laws could be passed without the reichstag by order of the president
what was demanded of germany in the treaty of versailles
land- all coloneys were given to the winnig countries - no german soldiers could enter the rhineland
army- 100,000 soldiers only
money - £6.6 billion
blame- take full blame for the war
why did france and belgium invade the ruhr in 1923
germany announced it could not pay the second reparations’ instalment so france and belgium decided to invade the ruhr with 60 000 soldiers in january 1923 to take back what they were owed in goods
when was hyperinflation
1923
what caused hyperinflation
the government ordered all its workers in the ruhr to go on strike and not help the french and belgium soldiers, however they continued to pay them. in order to do so the gov printed loads of money which was spent in shops and prices increased. prices rose so high that workers were paid daily so that they could afford food
who lost money during hyperinflation
people with money in savings
elderly people living on fixed pensions
small businesses when trading was impossible due to daily price changes
who gained from hyperinflation
people with loans found it easier to pay off debt
what happened during the kapp putch
in march 1920 right wing ( socialist ) politicians and 5000 freikorps took over berlin.
kapp wanted to take over the country and regain land lost in the treaty of versallies.
workers went on strike and ebert left the city. after 100 hours as leader kapp feld abroard and ebert returned to berlin
what happened during the munich putch
on the 8th november 1923 hitler crashed a bavarian government meeting in a beer hall
he took three ministers hostage whilst ernst rohm and the SA took over the police
when hitler left ludendorf allowed the three hostages to return home
however they alerted the police
on the 9th hitler 2000 supporteers and 1000 SA marched on munich
the people and army did not support him
in the end hitler escaped but was later arrested and the NSDAP was banned
when was the stresseman era
1924-1929
how did stresseman fix hyperinflation
replaced the worthless currancy with a temporary note called the rentmark. in 1924 it was replaced by the riechmark which remained stable for 25 years
how did stresseman get troops out of the ruhr
the dawes plan (1924) meant that the usa leant germany 800 million marks to re start reperation payments. the french and belgium troops left the ruhr
what plan reduced the reperation payment to £2.2 billion
young plan in 1929
how did stressemnan help economic recovery
built new factories , houses , schools and roads. this meant more jobs for german people
how did stresseman improve foreign policy
1925 locardo pack with britain , france , belgium and italy to never invade each other
joined the league of nations in 1926
1928 kellog briand pack - to never go to war unless in defence
what concerns surrounded stresseman
people who lost savings with the old currancy never got their money back
people wanted reperations payments scrapped altogether
fears he relied too much on american money
think he should have demanded back money from the treaty of versallies
why were the 1920s the golden age
cinema , nightlife , jazz bands , 120 newspapers and magazines , modern art and architecture
when did the depression start
1929
what caused the depression
wal street crash in october 1929 meant american companies went backrupt and and people no longer bought german goods. also US banks demanded back money they loaned germany after ww1
economic impacts of the depression
german banks needed money to play the americans which they demanded from businesses. when they couldnt pay they went bankrupt
americans stopped buying german cars , clothing and equipment which damaged the econemy
political impacts of the depression
people listened to extreme left and right wing parties who offered radical solutions
in the 1930 elections communists increased their seats in the riechstag to 77 and nazis increased seats to 107
social impacts of the depression
many people were homeless , jobless and hungary
they blamed their political leaders
reasons for growth in the nazi party
unemployment was at 6 million in 1932
hitler gave charismatic speeches
people were annoyed with the Weimar because the chancellors kept changing but made very little impact
the democratic system was not working
SA - stormtroopers influenced people at elections
rallies displayed nazi power
hitler youth encouraged younger followers
radio , cinema news reports and newspapers helped spread propaganda
who was incharge of propaganda
Goebbels
who voted for the nazis
farmers who were promised higher prices for their crops and a better quality of life
women who believed weimar culture had been a bad influence on the young
middle class who were worried communists would take over and destroy their way of life
wealthy who were affraid of the communists and thought hitler would oppose them
youth who wanted a strong germany
how did hitler rise to chancellor in the 1930s
september 1930 - no majority won so a coalition gov was formed , nazi was the second biggest party
1932 - hitler challenged hindenburg for president
july 1932 - bruning resigns and von papen is appointed chancellor - nazis are the largest party
von papen resigns in nov 1932
von schleicher is given chancellor with little support so resigns and it is given to hitler 30 jan 1933
how does hindenburg try to limit hitlers power when he becomes chancellor in 1933
he appoints von papen as vice chancellor and only two nazis are allowed in the cabinet
how did the reichstag fire on 27 feb 1933 help hitler gain more power
a week before the next election the riech stag burned down. it was blamed on a communist plot to take over germany. hitler asked hindenburg to pass an emergancy protection law to deal with germanys problems
what did the emergancy law passed by hindenburg in feb 1933 allow hitler to do
bann communists taking part in the up coming elections
imprison 4000 communists
ban communist newpapers
what and when was the enabling act
23 march 1933
allowed hitler to pass laws without approval from the riechstag
who were the gestapo
secret police
what happened in april 1933
nazi were put in charge of all local government, council and police
gestapo were formed
first concentration camp opened for political prisoners
when did hitler ban all trade unions
2 may 1933
when were all political parties apart from the nazis banned
what was the law called
14 july 1933
law against the formation of new parties
when was the night of the long knives and what happened
30 june 1934
hitler arranged a meeting with the leaders of the SA and ernts rohm . the SS arrested them and they were later shot dead
over the next few days 400 political opponents were executed including ex chancellor von schiler
who were the SA
violent thugs who were paid to protect hitler and beat up his opponent.
their leader was ernst rohm and hitler worried he was becoming too powerful because he wanted to combine the SA with the army
impacts of night of the long knives
hitlers rivals were dead
himmler controlled the SS who were now in control of hitlers protection
they made up the police state along with the gestapo
how did hitler reduce unemployment
nation labor service : all men between 18 and 25 had to serve 6 months. they planted forests, dug drainage ditches and worked on farms for little money and free accomodation
rearmament : building tanks , aircraft , ships and guns provided factory jobs
conscription : in 1935 all men between 18-25 had to serve in the armed forces for at least 2 years
public work schemes : building schools , hospitals , motorways gave work to nearly 100,000 people
jews and women were not counted in employment records
what schemes were used by the nazis to control workers
german labor front replaced trade unions and made strikes illegal and run two schemes to improve lifestyle
beauty of labor : improved work place by installing better saftey equipment , washrooms and canteens
strength through joy : organised leisure activitys ( theatre trips , holidays ,football tickets ) to encourage hard work
negatives of the german labor front
they encouraged people to save for a volkswagen car although no one ever recived it and all the money was put towards weapons
people could be forced to work many hours
jews were sacked to give other people jobs
holidays were still expensive
what were hitlers economic policies to make germany self sufficient
in 1936 goerrings introduced a four year plan to increase military production but they still needed raw materials from forigen countries
what were hitlers policies to help farmers during the depression
+ taxes were reduced
+ they couldnot be thrown off their land if they got into debt
+ land could not be divided between children which meant they would be secure for many generations
- some wanted to divide their land between children and went looking for jobs in the city instead
- nazis controlled food prices in the late 1930s
what were the impacts of ww2 on germany
rationing began in november 1939 on food and clothes
in 1942 everything was focused on making weapons and growing food for soldiers anything that didnt contribute was closed own . this was called total war
women had to work in factories and slaves from germanies conquered countries worked in factories
from 1942 britain and usa were bombing german cities leaving people homeless or without electricity
how did the nazis control education
teachers had to join the german teachers league and teach the nazi curriculum
lessons were tailored to teach children nazi belief
text books were rewriten
race studies taught kids that aryan race was superior
PE prepared boys for the army
studenst identified as a possible nazi leader were sent to a special school
3000 uni lecturers were sacked for their radical views
what was the hitler youth and league of german madens
founded in 1922 , 1939 attendance was compulsory
boyes learned how to march , fight , shoot and keep fit
girls were taught to keep fit , cook , care for babies and prepare for motherhood
what was the life of a woman like in weimar germany
rights and freedoms that other countries did not have
they could vote , work in government , pay was equal , attend uni
what was life like for women in nazi germany
officials were worried abou the falling birth rate so women had to stay home and focus on kinder , kirche , kuche
women in employment were sacked , discouraged from smoking for wearing trousers , “unfit mothers “ were forcibly sterilized, contreception and abortion was banned , mothers were awarded medals depending on how many children they had and newly weds were given loans to encourage them to have children
what were the impacts of the new nazi policies for women
birth rate increased from 970,000 in 1933 and 1,413,000 in 1939
what fraction of germany were catholic and protestant under nazi rule
1/3 catholic
2/3 protestant
why did some christians support the nazis
they believed in the importance of marraige and family values
hitler swore to destroy communisum which was good because they were anti religion
he promised to respect the church
what was the concordat and when was it signed
1933 argreement with the pope said that nazi and catholics would not interfer with each other , they could remain incharge of the catholic schools
how did hitler go against the concordat
soon after it was signed preists were harrased and catholic youth groups and schools were shut down
what happend to catholics who spoke out about thenazis
1937 - pope issued his “with burning axiety “ statement saying that the nazis were hostile to christ and his church. the nazis continued to persecute the catholic priests
1941 - archbishop galen openly critisied the nazis , he was put under house arrest untill the end of the war
how did the nazis interact with the protestants
some wanted the church to be run by the nazis. muller was the leader of the german christians and became the first reich bishop in september 1933. they often wore nazi uniform
some dint want the church to be controlled by the nazis. niemoller started the confessional church who openly critisied the nazis but 800 pastors were rounded up and the church was banned
when did germany become a police state
after 1933
how was himmler part of the police state
head of the ss
reported directly to hitler
how were the police and law courts part of the police state
ordinary police ignored the crimes of nazis
top jobs went to loyal nazi
judges were chosen by the nazis and death penalty could be given for telling an anti hitler joke
how were the gestappo part of the police state
secret police
didnt wear a uniform
spied on people by tapping phone calls and opening mail
could arrest people without trial
encouraged people , especially children , to snitch on anti hitler people
how were the ss a part of the police state
set up in 1925
wore black uniform
originally hitlers body guards but now divided into three sections
SD - security , could arrest or search anyones house
waffen SS - elite army
death heads unit - ran concentration and death camps
how were concetration camps part of the police state
large prisons to hold enemies of the state
inmates were forced to do hard labor
how was properganda used by the nazis
Goerbbels was incharge of properganda
he blamed the jews and the treaty of versallies and said that the nazis were making germany great again
newspapers and films only showed good things about the nazis and negative stories about german enemies
writers were forced to write books and plays that praised hitler
radio were under nazi controll and cheap radios were only in tune to nazi stations
impressive rallies should hitlers greatness to the public
what was the chamber of culture
set up by goerbells all musicans , writers and artist had to join
how did the chamber of culture affect culture in nazi germany
a list of banned books was released and in 1936 art was burned that the nazis disaproved of
hitler had clear ideas about the architecture of public buildings that he wanted
goebbels aproved all film scripts
jewsih music was banned and so was osme from the weimar
shows had to be about german history not modern like in the weimar
germany held the olympics in berlin in 1936 to show the superiority of the aryan race
who were classed as inferior by hitler
jews , gypsies , russian , balck and indian people
how many jews were killed in concentration camps up to 1945
over six million
who did hitler class as undesirable
people with mental and physical disabilities
how many undesirable were forcably sterilised
350,000
how many undesirables were killed frm 1939 in “nursing homes “
200, 000
when were the nuremburg laws and what did they do
1935
banned marraiges between jews and germans and their german citizenship was removed
how did jewish persecution begin in nazi germany
from march 1933 jewish doctors lawyer and teacher were no longer able to work
jewish children were forced out of state schools
from jan 1934 all jewish shops were marked with a yellow star and soldiers turned people away
when was kristalnatch and what happened
november 1938 jewish homes synagogs and businesses were attacked all over germany
100 jews were killed
20,000 sent to concentration camps
what happened to jews when war broke out
they were rounded up to live in ghettos or sent to labor camps
execution squads were sent to the county side to kill them
what was the final solution
it was planned in 1942 to kill every jew under german occupation. it was lead by himmler
6 death camps were to be built with gas chambers
did any jews fight back against the final solution
the warsaw ghetto uprising in 1943 lasted 43 days
some formed resistance groupd and attacked soldiers or blew up railway lines
how did the german people resist hitler
grumbeling - complaining about him in the privacy of their own homes
passive restitance - show of resistance by refusing to salute
open resitance - swing youth: lisend to jaz and had jewsish friends
white rose group: handed out anti nazi leaflets , and wrote grafiti
edelweiss pirates : beat up nazi officials and helped army deserters
attempts to kill hitler : there were 50
some just talked about it but the bomb plot in july 1944 lead by cornel von stauffenberg set off a bomb at a nazi meeting killing 4 men but not hitler
