Germany Flashcards

1
Q

What was the Weimar Republic?

A

A new government led by Friedrich Ebert, that signed an armistice with the Allies, and set up the Weimar Constitution

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2
Q

What was the Weimar constitution?

A

President elected by the people
Laws were made in Reichstag
Everyone over the age of 20 could vote
Bill of Rights
Proportional representation

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3
Q

What could the president do?

A

Control armed forces
Elect Chancellor

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4
Q

Proportional representation

A

Where the number of seats a party wins in parliament is worked out as a proportion of the number of votes they win

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5
Q

Who were the November Criminals?

A

What the Weimar Republic was called when they signed the Treaty of Versailles

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6
Q

What happened on the 5th January 1919?

A

The Spartacist Uprising

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7
Q

What was the Spartacist Uprising?

A

Spartacists tried to seize power in Berlin
Inspired by Bolshevik revolution in Russia
Weimar Republic gave weapons to 4000 Freikorps and crushed the Uprising

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8
Q

What happened in 1920?

A

The Kapp Putsch

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9
Q

What was the Kapp Putsch?

A

5000 Freikorps led by Wolfgang Kapp tried to seize power in Berlin
Workers called general strike and ended the Putsch

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10
Q

Was the Weimar government doomed from the start?

A

The enemies of the government hated each other more than they hated the Weimar government, so it wasn’t doomed from the start

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11
Q

What was 1923?

A

The Year of Crisis

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12
Q

What happened in the Year of Crisis?

A

French invasion of the Ruhr
Hyperinflation
Munich Putsch
Stresemann appointed Chancellor

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13
Q

What was the French invasion of the Ruhr?

A

In 1922 Germany couldn’t pay reparations. France did not believe this, so French troops invaded the Ruhr, but the workers in the Ruhr went on strike

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14
Q

What was the Ruhr?

A

Germany’s most valuable industrial area

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15
Q

Hyperinflation

A

When production can’t keep up with the amount of money there is, so the money keeps losing its value

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16
Q

What was hyperinflation?

A

The government printed more money to pay reparations - the Mark became worthless and Germans lost their savings and pensions

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17
Q

What was the Munich Putsch?

A

Nazi attempt to overthrow government, however police suppressed the Putsch

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18
Q

Who was Gustav Stresemann?

A

Chancellor of Germany from August 1923 - October 1929
Led Germany back to recovery

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19
Q

What did Stresemann do?

A

Introduced Rentenmark to make currency stable
Told workers in Ruhr to return to work
Dawes Plan
Locarno Treaty
Young Plan

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20
Q

What was the Dawes Plan?

A

Reorganised reparation payments

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21
Q

What was the Locarno Treaty?

A

Western borders of Germany were agreed

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22
Q

What was the Young Plan?

A

Reparations reduced by three-quarters
Germany given 59 years to pay them

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23
Q

Why did the Nazis fail to get into power before 1928?

A

Lacked support of working class
1924-1929 was a time of peace
Nazi ideas were too extreme

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24
Q

What led to Hitler’s rise to power?

A

External factors
Internal factors

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25
External factors that led to Hitler's rise to power
Wall Street Crash: Impact of Depression made Weimar Government look weak Increased support for extreme parties
26
What was the Impact of the Depression?
Businesses went bankrupt Farmers struggled and went out of business Unemployment reached 6 million
27
How did the Wall Street Crash make the Weimar government look weak?
Politicians couldn't agree what to do At first, they did nothing Then they reduced money spent, which made the government unpopular
28
How did the Wall Street Crash increase the support for extreme parties?
Many blamed the government, and started to criticise the democratic system. People started to vote for more extreme parties
29
Internal factors that led to Hitler's rise to power
Hitler's leadership skills Nazi promises Fear of communism Weak opposition
30
How did Hitler's leadership skills lead to Hitler's rise to power?
He was a powerful and inspiring speaker He was able to fill audiences with a sense of hope
31
How did Nazi promises lead to Hitler's rise to power?
The Nazi concentrated on issues that Germans were worried about - Promised to reverse Treaty of Versailles - Create jobs - Solve economic crisis
32
How did Nazi propaganda lead to Hitler's rise to power?
Organised by Josef Goebbels: - Used loudspeakers and films to spread their message - Used mass rallies and marches to give impression of discipline and order - Used propaganda poster with simple slogans to spread key ideas
33
How did the fear of communism lead to Hitler's rise to power?
Support for communism increased from 1930 to 1932 In Germany, people began to fear that communists would take over the country
34
How did weak opposition lead to Hitler's rise to power?
Communists and Social Democrats were not prepared to work together People lost trust in parties that ruled during the Depression
35
How was Hitler made Chancellor?
Nazis needed majority to control Reichstag Hitler demanded to be Chancellor However, Hindenburg refused
36
What happened when Hindenburg refused to make Hitler Chancellor?
Hindenburg appointed Von Papen However he did not have the support of the Reichstag Then, Hindenburg chose Von Schleicher as Chancellor
37
What happened when Von Schleicher was elected as Chancellor?
Von Papen wanted revenge He thought he could use the Nazi Party to get power for himself So Hindenburg appointed Von Papen as Chancellor and Hitler as vice chancellor
38
What happened after Hitler was appointed Vice Chancellor?
Hindenburg and Von Papen thought that they could control Hitler However Hindenburg died and Von Papen resigned Then Hitler called another election
39
What happened after Hitler called another election?
Reichstag Fire Enabling Act Night of the Long Knives Hitler become 'Der Führer'
40
What was the Reichstag Fire?
A Communist called Van Der Lubbe was found at the scene The Nazis claimed that this was the start of a Communist plot to take over Germany The Communist Party was banned Then the election was called
41
What happened at the election?
Enabling Act passed: - Small parties were persuaded to vote - Communists were banned - Only Social Democrats voted against - The law was passed with 444 votes to 94
42
What happened after the Enabling Act?
Trade unions banned Political parties banned Night of Long Knives
43
What was the Night of the Long Knives?
Ernst Rohm (leader of SA) and 200 other leaders killed Hitler claimed Rohm was plotting against him Hitler needed the support of the army
44
What happened after the Night of the Long Knives?
Hindenburg dies Hitler becomes President Army swears oath of loyalty (because he destroyed SA)
45
Nazi Germany aims
Nazi Terror Propaganda Economy Women Education Youth Movements Persecution of minorities Persecution of the Jews
46
What was the aim of Nazi Terror?
Nazis wanted to remove all opposition and use terror as a way of controlling people
47
How did Nazi Terror achieve its aim?
Gestapo Concentration camps The courts SS Informers
48
Gestapo
Searched out opponents to the Nazis They could arrest anyone They could send anyone to concentration camps without trial
49
How did the courts achieve Nazi Terror?
Liberal or Jewish judges were replaced by Nazi supporters. 500 opponents of Hitler were sentenced to death
50
How did informers achieve Nazi Terror?
People were encouraged to report on anti-Nazi activity. Those accused were mainly killed in concentration camps
51
What was the aim of Propaganda?
Nazis wanted to control what people heard and read - they used the media to help mould the minds of the media
52
How did Propaganda achieve its aim?
Josef Goebbels Radio Film Music Literature Rallies All newspapers
53
How did Josef Goebbels achieve Propaganda?
All films, books, records, newspapers, radio broadcasts and posters were controlled (censorship)
54
How did radio achieve Propaganda?
Cheap radios were provided in order that all Germans could hear Hitler's speeches (70% of German households had a radio by 1939)
55
What was the aim of the Economy?
Reducing unemployment would increase Hitler's popularity Autarky would help them during times of war
56
How did the Economy achieve its aim?
By reducing unemployment
57
How did Hitler reduce unemployment?
Public work programmes Rearmament Armed services
58
What was the aim of Women?
Nazis believed that German women should stay in the home and look after the children. They wanted women to be the centre of family life
59
How did Women achieve its aim?
Professional women were forced to give up their jobs Marriage loans were given The Honour Cross was given for having children Unfit women were sterilised
60
What was the aim of Education?
Nazis controlled schools to ensure that the children were taught the Nazi way of seeing things
61
How did Education achieve its aim?
All teachers had to be Nazis All lessons had to reflect Nazi beliefs The education of girls concentrated on turning them into perfect Aryan mothers Jewish teachers were sacked in 1933
62
What was the aim of Youth Movement?
To make young people grow up supporting the Nazis
63
How did Youth Movement achieve its aim?
Hitler Youth League of German Maidens
64
What was the Hitler Youth?
10-18 year old boys Activities involved war games Boys wore military style uniforms This was because Hitler wanted a strong army
65
What was the League of German Maidens?
Girls encouraged to be fit, healthy and taught to become mother
66
What was the aim of the Persecution of minorities?
The Nazis wanted to remove all people with physical or social defects to prevent the weakening of the German Aryan 'Master race'
67
How was the Persecution of minorities achieved?
Physical and mentally handicapped were sterilised Homosexuals and gypsies were sent to concentration camps
68
What was the aim of the Persecution of the Jews?
Hitler regarded the Jews as an inferiror race who had infected the Aryan master race and caused Germany many problems
69
How did the Persecution of the Jews achieve its aim?
Nuremberg Laws Kristallnacht Final Solution
70
What were the Nuremberg Laws?
Made it illegal for Jews to marry with Aryan Germans. Jews lost their right as German citizens, and were banned from public places
71
What was Kristallnacht?
Thousands of Jewish shops and synagogues were destroyed 40 000 Jews were sent to concentration camps The trigger of this even was the shooting of a Nazi in Paris by a Jewish man This was just an excuse to increase persecution of Jewish people
72
What was the Final Solution?
Systematic killing of 6 million Jews in extermination camps
73
What were the opposition of the Nazis?
Edelweiss Pirates Stauffenberg Plot Confessing Church