Germany Flashcards
1
Q
Abdication of Kaiser
A
- 9th November 1918
- Prince Max of Baden announced the abdication
- 11th November armisitice signed
2
Q
Reasons for abdication
A
Revolution from above - Ludendorff conviced the Kaiser to hand pver power to a government
Revolution from below - Various Mutinies and unions made it seem a revolution was likely unless Kaiser abdicated
3
Q
Stab in the back
A
- Idea that Germany was winning the war and was betrayed by weak Weimar politicians
- Dolchstoss
4
Q
Weimar Government features
A
- 19th Januay 1919 election 82% voted
- Freedom of speech, religion and equality
- Head of Government was president, elected every 7 years
- Split into 18 states each with individual power
5
Q
Weimar Strengths
A
- Democracy
- Proportional representation
- Strong president
- Chancellors appointment democratic
- Federal system
6
Q
Weimar Weaknesses
A
- Democracy was different and unpopular
- Very hard to get a majority
- Article 48 was open to abuse, overided Germans rights
- Federal states could rebel against central government
7
Q
ToV Blame
A
Clause 231 said the war was exclusively Germanies Fault
8
Q
ToV Reperations
A
- Germany had to pay £6.6 billion to Allies
- Damaged the economy (1922 Ruhr)
9
Q
ToV Army
A
- Limited to 100,000 soldiers
- No conscription
- No tanks, air force or submarines
- Six battleships only
- Demilitarised the Rhineland
10
Q
ToV Territory
A
- Germany lost land in East Europe (polish corridor, estonia)
- Lost all of its colonies
- Anschluss with AH forbidden
11
Q
ToV Overrall
A
Germany lost:
* 13% of its land
* 12.5% of its population
* 50% of iron and steel industry
12
Q
Sparticist uprising
A
- 5th January 1919
- Lena Luxembourg + Karl Leibknicht
- Mass strikes + telegraph office occupied
- Gov created the Freikorps to handle the Spartcists
- 4,000 friekorps put it down in 5 days
13
Q
Kapp Putsch
A
- March 1920
- 5k Freikorp led by Kapp marched on Berlin to overthrow government
- Army refused to help government
- Left wing organised a strike that crippled the Putsch
- Weimar once again too weak
14
Q
French Occupation of Ruhr
A
- Germany paid £50 Million by 1922 but could not pay more
- French occupied Ruhr to take the wealth themselves
- Killed 100+ civilians
- German workers strike
- Government prints money to pay striking workers
15
Q
Hyperinflation
A
- 1919-1923 German income was 1/4 of what it needed to be
- Nov 1923 a loaf cost 200 billion marks
- Middle classes, savers, poor, pensioners hit hard
- Farmers, debters, bussinessmen did well
16
Q
Stresseman:The Ruhr
A
Stresseman called off passive resistance in September 1923
17
Q
Rentenmark
A
- November 1923 Rentenmark was introduced
- 1 Rentenmark = 1 trillion marks
- Based on assests so was secure
18
Q
Dawes Plan
A
- August 1924
- US loaned Germany 800m gold marks
- Allies reduced payment
- French agreed to withdraw from the Ruhr
19
Q
Young Plan
A
- 1929
- Reperations reduced to £2 Billion
- Payments made over 59 years ($473m per year)
- French would leave Rhineland by 1930
20
Q
Locarno Pact
A
- 1925
- Germany accepts West Border and de-mil of Rhineland
- France not to occupy Ruhr again
- Agreement of Germanies East border
21
Q
League of Nations
A
- September 1926, Germany joined
- Germany given a place on the League of Nations Council
22
Q
Economic recovery pros and cons
A
Pros:
- 25.5 billion marks (mainly from USA) came to Germany between 1924-1930
- Helped increase industrial output
- ‘Labour exchanges’ helped people find work
Cons:
- Heavily reliant on US loans
- Did not affect everyone equally - the Mittelstand
- Farmers were affected by an agricultural depression and fell into debt
23
Q
Stresseman
A
- Became Chancellor 1923
- Lead the “Great Coalition”
- Nobel Prize 1926
24
Q
Kellog-Briand Pact
A
- 1928
- “Renounce war as a means of national policy”
- 62 nations signed
- Germany gained power and respect
25
Q
Changes 1920-1922
A
- Aims reorganised and published in 25 points
- Htiler ousted Drexler and became leader in 1921
- Owned their own Newspaper
26
Q
Munich Putsch Causes
A
- Anger at Weimar for ToV, civil unrest
- Bavaria hostile to Weimar Government
- Nazi strength (20,000 supporters)
27
Q
Munich Putsch Events
A
- 8-9th November 1923
- Took control of Beerhall and attempted to convert Bavarian leaders to their cause
- Bavarian leaders escaped
- Nazis marched on Berlin and defeated by police and Bavarian soldiers
28
Q
Munich Putsch Effects
A
- Hitler used trial for publicity
- Sentenced to 5 years, served 9 months
- Hitler wrote “Mein Kampff” in captivity
29
Q
Re-org of Nazi party
A
- Nazi Party relaunched in 1925
- New divisions for different sections in Germany
- SA restructured, SS established
- Goebells increased propaganda
30
Q
Bruning as Chancellor
A
- Bruning had to use Article 48 to pass measures
- Tried to ban the SA/SS and gained more enemies in the right
- Known as the “Hunger Chancellor”
- Sacked in May 1932 due to lack of support
31
Q
Von Papen as Chancellor
A
- Von Papen replaced Bruning
- Consistently beat by Nazis but Hindenbrug denied Hitler being chancellor
- Sacked in December 1932
32
Q
Hitler as Chancellor
A
- 30th Januray 1933
- Von Papen told Hindenburg he could control Hitler
- Von Papen was desperate for power
33
Q
Wall Street Crash
A
- October 1929 share prices in NY fell rapidly
- Between 1929 and 1932 industry in America reduced 45%
34
Q
Great Depression effect on Germany
A
- Impact on Banking - American loans stopped which led to a financial crisis
- Impact on industry - Americans no longer purchased German goods, 1932 industry was 58% of 1928
- Impact on unemployment - 1929 1.5 million unemployed, 1933 6 million unemployed
35
Q
Appeal of Hitler
A
- ‘Make Germany Strong’ and ‘Smash the chains of Versailles’
- Wealthy business owners like Krupp’s and Siemens gave money to the Nazis
- In 1932, Hitler stood for president under slogans like ‘Freedom and Bread’ and Goebbels waged a furious campaign of propaganda
36
Q
Role of SA
A
- In 1930, the SA had 400,000 members
- At rallies they used lights and symbols of power
- They disrupted meetings of political opponents
- In the 1930 and 1932 elections they used violence to threaten the opposition and threatened voters
37
Q
Reichstag Fire
A
- 27th February 1933
- Marianus Van der Lubbe charged
- 4,000 communists arrested
- Communists lost 19 seats
- Passed ‘Decree for Protection of People and State’
38
Q
March 1933 Election
A
- Recruited 50,000 SA members
- Violence led to 70 deaths
- Threats at polling stations to encourage correct voting
39
Q
Enabling Act
A
- Passed 444 votes to 94
- Applied for 4 years but renewed in 1937
- Hitler could pass laws without the Reichstag
- Reichstag only met 12 more times till 1945
40
Q
Threat of Rohm
A
- SA had 2 million members
- Rohm had more socialist views
- SA wanted to replace the army
41
Q
Night of the long knives
A
- 29th June 1934 SS killed SA leaders
- 90 SA leaders killed
- SS became more powerful, SA less powerful
42
Q
Hitler as Fuhrer
A
- Hindenbrug died, Hitler combined Chancellor and President
- 2nd August 1934 Army swore oath specifically to Hitler
- Named himself Fuhrer, supreme leader
43
Q
Nazi Leadership Schools
A
- NAPOLAs - Boys aged 10-18 educated in leaderhsip, 39 schools in 1939
- Adolf Hitler Schools - Elite schools for 12-18 year olds for military leadership
44
Q
Nazi Youth Movements
A
- 1936 all eligible youth must be in the Hitler youth
- 8 million members by 1939
45
Q
Nazi policies on women
A
- Kinder,Kirche,Kuche
- From 1933 loans available to married couples
- Large focus on women being homemakers and mothers
- Contraception and abortion banned
46
Q
Nazis and Catholic Church
A
- Concordat - 1933, no cross involvement between church and state, church allowed to run youth groups and schools
- Breaking - Hitler removed catholic newspapers and images, prompting a rebuke by the pope in 1937
- Nazis responded with a huge crackdown on the church (1941 Catholic Press closed)
47
Q
Nazis and protestant church
A
- Nazis created ReichChurch in 1933
- Confessional church made in 1934 to rival Nazi churches but quickly shut down
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer hung 1945
- By 1939 only 5% of Germans believed in God
48
Q
Economic plans
A
New plan - Reduce imports and increase exports, spent 1 billion marks on public schemes
Four Year Plan - From 1936, aimed to make Germany self sufficient in raw resources, 1939 Germany still imported 1/3
49
Q
Invisible unemployment
A
- Nazis manipulated figures to make it seem employment reduced
- Women were not included
- Jews not included
- National Labour Service organised work for unemployed men and they were no longer counted as unemployed
50
Q
Effects of Nazi economic policy
A
- pre 1936 economy focused on increasing employment
- Four Year plan aimed to prepare for war
- People were not better off
- Germany had to start rationing immediatetly in Sep 1939
- Unemployment down and industry up
51
Q
Groups effects by Nazi economic policy
A
- Big bussiness benefitted most
- profits went from 1.3 Bil in 1928 to 5 Bil in 1939
- Middle classes, workers and Farmers saw little improvement
52
Q
Propaganda Key messages
A
- The supremacy of the Aryan race and the inferiority of the Jews and other races
- The tremendous work being done by the Nazis to deal with the evils of Communism
- The different roles of men and women in society and the importance of family
- The fact that all citizens had a duty to suffer for the good of the nations
53
Q
Radio
Propaganda
A
- Goebbels “spiritual weapon of the totalitarian state”
- 1939, 70% of Germans had a Radio
- Programmes would inclue Hitlers speeches, Nazi history and German music
54
Q
1936 Olympics
Propaganda
A
- Germany won the most medals
- Huge stadium to hold 100,000
- Showed Germany and Aryans as a strong people
- However, Jesse Owens a black American won 4 gold medals
55
Q
Decree for Protection of People and State
A
- The police could ban meetings, search houses and imprison without trial
- The death penalty could be used for certain crimes
- Concentration camps like Dachau were set up
56
Q
Persecution of Jews
A
- 1935 Nuremberg Laws (Jews no longer citizens, could not marry Germans)
- November 1938 Kristallnacht (91 killed, 191 synagogues destroyed)
- 1941 “Final solution”
57
Q
Gestapo
A
- 1933 Goerring set up
- Huge numbers of spies among regular people
- Had the power to search houses and arrest with no reason
- 1942, 30,000 officers
58
Q
Concentration camps
A
- 200,000 imprisoned for opposition
- The Law on Malicious Gossip made it illegal to tell even jokes about Hitler.
- Run by Deaths Head section of SS
59
Q
SS under Himmler
A
- Himmler appointed leader 1929
- 400k members in 1934
- 240k members in 1939 (due to reductions)
- Members personally vetted by Himmler as “Aryan”
- Most ruthless and loyal Nazis
60
Q
Arts/Music
Censorship
A
- All artists had to join Reich Chamber of Commerce
- Jazz was banned for being “black”
- Art had to feature Aryans
61
Q
Literature
Censorship
A
- Ministry of propaganda made a list of banned books
- Gestapo would search for and burn any non-Nazi literature
- Millions of books by Jewish or Communist authors were burned
62
Q
Propaganda
Education
A
- Geography taught lebensraum (living room)
- Focus on health for strong Volksgemeinschaft
- 1933 textbooks rewritten to enforce Nazi beliefs
- 50% decrease in higher education students
63
Q
Jews
Ghettos
A
- Ghettoisation - Jews moved to Ghettos (“Jewish quarters”)
- Warsaw ghetto with 3.5m wall and barbed wire
- 1941-42 average of 4,000 Jews a month died in Warsaw from starvation
- July 1942, 250k Jews transported to Eastern Poland camps in “Final Solution”
64
Q
Jews
Death Squads
A
- June 1941 Nazi invasion of USSR
- Einsatzgruppen followed the front and killed jews
- They murdered 1.2m civilians in USSR by 1943
65
Q
Jews
Final solution
A
- January 1942 Wannsee Conference decided to implement
- Over next 4 years - 6m Jews and 5m non-jews killed
- Camps in 2 groups:
1. Fit to work - worked and some experimented on
2. Unfit to work - Killed immediately, 2k at a time in “showers”
66
Q
Jews
Secrecy and Propaganda
A
- Films showed “resettlement” as a positive thing
- Stopped germans and other jews from protesting
- Eventual uprising at Warsaw lasted a month, 56k jews arrested
- Nazis destroyed evidence of crimes at end of WW2
- Rudolph Hoess (commandent of Auschwitz) hung in 1947
67
Q
Jews
Reinhard Heydrich
A
- SS General in 1941 and organiser of Einsatzgruppen
- Established first Jewish Ghetto
- Chosen to lead Final Solution at Wansee conference
- Killed by Czech hit squad in 1942, Nazi response killed 1k Czechs
68
Q
HF
Evacuation
A
- Bombing very common after 1942
- 2.5mil children sent to countryside in “KLV” programme
- Stayed in 9,000 camps run by HY leaders and teachers
69
Q
HF
Rationing
A
- Began August 1939
- By November clothes were rationed
- Women allowed 1.5 cigarettes a day
- May 1942 government cut rations
- Bread restricted to half a loaf a day, meat 40g per day
70
Q
Total War
Invasion of USSR
A
- June 1941 Hitler began Op Barbarossa
- 2 mil Germans died
- Failure put Germany under strain
- February 1943 Goebbels ordered “total war” (everything used for war effort)
71
Q
Total War
Wartime Employment
A
- October 1941 Hitler said Russian POWs could be used as slave labour
- 1944 7mil POWs working for German industry
- January 1943 all men 16-65 and women 17-45 had to work
72
Q
HF
Allied Bombing
A
- August 1940 industrial areas bombed
- 1942 Civilians targeted
- 1943 Hammburg raid killed 42.6k and 1m fled the city
- Ruhr Valley raids in 1944 reduced production by 40%
73
Q
HF
Women
A
- Less women working in 1939 than 1929 due to Nazi policy
- June 1941 all women with no job or kids had to work
- 1943 “total war” meant all women 17-45 had to work
- End of war women made up 60% of labour force
- Millions of East German women killed, raped, and commited suicide due to invasion from Soviets
74
Q
Opposition
1944 July Bomb Plot
A
- Ludiwg Beck led
- Colonel von Stauffenburg planted a bomb in conference room
- Killed 4 but only injured Hitler
- Beck and von Stauffenburg shot
- 7,000 arrested and 6,000 executed
75
Q
Opposition
Catholic opposition
A
- Bishop Clemens von Galen the “Lion of Munster” protested mercy killings
- Nazis forced to stop temporarily due to his influence
- Described as “only effective protester in the Third Reich” as he managed to stop a policy
76
Q
Opposition
Protestant opposition
A
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer led anti-Nazi confessional church
- 1940 college closed and he was banned from preaching
- Joined an underground preaching circle
- 1943 arrested and hung in 1945
77
Q
Opposition
Communist party
A
- All political parties banned in 1933
- Pre-1936 spread anti-Nazi propaganda
- Post-1936 so dangerous they used word of mouth only
- 100 underground cells across Germany
78
Q
Opposition
White Rose group
A
- 1941 by the Scholl siblings at Uni of Munich
- The group “strived for renewal of mortally wounded german spirits”
- Published anti-Nazi leaflets
- Siblings killed in 1943
79
Q
Opposition
Edelweiss Pirates
A
- Group of 14-18 year olds
- Members dressed “abnormally” and listened to jazz
- Attacked HY patrols, smashed government offices, supplied adult resistance with explosives
- 1944, Bartnell Schink executed for planning to blow up Gestapo base in cologne
80
Q
End of Third Reich
A
- 1m civilians died of starvation and cold in 1945
- Germany close to defeat
- 30th April Hitler shot himself
- Admiral Doenitz took control of Germany and surrendered to the allies on the 7th May 1945
