Germany Flashcards
What were some of the impacts of the Wall Street Crash on Germany?
Unemployment soared, homelessness increased and many were hungry
Many turned to extremist parties in large numbers who said they could stop unemployment (KPD and Nazis)
How did the Nazis get financial support for the elections of 1932?
Leading industrialist gave them money for they disliked trade unionists and communists, losing them money
1932-Gained close links to National Party whose leader had newspapers Goebbels put anti-Bruning articles
Why did people disagree with the signing of the TOV?
They felt it was a betrayal of the German Army
What did politicians do when signing the TOV and what were they called due to this?
They performed a dulchdoss and were called the November Criminals
Why was the Republic set up in Weimar?
After the January 1919 elections the politicians felt Berlin was too dangerous
Why was proportional representation in the Weimar Republic an issue?
It led to many coalitions, so little was got done, increasing unpopularity
What is Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution?
If public order in the Reich is disturbed the President may take the necessary measures to restore public order
Who challenged the Weimar Republic and why?
The leaders of the Army wanted the Kaiser back as their status would be maintained under him. Judges and civil servants disliked the liberal views of the Weimar
What deal did the Weimar make which helped it’s survival?
They struck a deal with the army leader, Groener, that the Republic will support and supply the army if the army supported them
Why was the deal with Groener seen as a weakness for the Weimar?
It showed that they were dependent on the army
What was Article 231?
The War Guilt Clause
What percentage of Germany’s land, iron production and population (numbers) did they lose in the TOV?
13% of land, 48% of iron production and 6 million population
What did Germans see the TOV as, and then therefore the Weimar Republic?
They saw it as a humiliation and a Diktat or dictated peace, and therefore saw the Weimar Republic as scapegoats
What became demilitarised in the TOV and how expensive were reparations?
The Rhineland became demilitarised and the reparations were fixed at £6600 million
What was the limit to the size of the German Army?
100,000
What did the Weimar Republic do in 1919, why, and what did this cause to do with the economy?
They began to print money to pay for reparations which caused hyperinflation
What happened when Germany was unable to pay reparations?
In 1923 Belgium and France entered the Ruhr
Who saved the German economy and what did he do?
Gustav Stresemann introduce a new currency called the Rentenmark (later the Reichmark) and struck a loan with the USA
What was introduced in 1924 and 1929 to reduce the burden of reparations?
First the Dawes Plan, then the Young Plan
What did the Young Plan do?
Cut the cost of reparations by 3 quarters and extended the time of paying for 59 years
What showed the Weimar had come to peace with the conservatives in Germany?
The election of wartime General Hindenburg as president
Who founded the DAP and what did it stand for (in English)?
Anton Drexler founded the German Workers Party
What caused Hitler to join the DAP?
He was so angered with someone’s comment in the meetings he was spying on that he made a powerful speech, so Drexler asked him to join the party
When was the 25 point programme written and what also happened to the DAP at that time?
It was written in February 1920 and Hitler put the words Nationalist Socialist onto the front of DAP to make NSDAP
Why did membership of the NSDAP increase in 1920 (and the rest of time) and what did they do with this money?
Hitler’s superb oratory skills increased membership and they bought up and published their own newspaper in 1920
What did Hitler become in July 1921 and what was the party policy called?
He became the leader or Fuhrer, and the Fuhrerprinzip idea of him being unanswerable to no one carried through the party
What was the job of the SA in the early days and who led it?
Ernest Rohm led the SA who protected the Nazi’s in this violent time. It also disturbed Social Democratic and Communist gatherings
Who were the Bavarian Triumvirate?
Von Kahr (Government leader), von Lossow (Army), and von Sessier (police)
Who inspired Hitler for the Munich Putsch?
Mussolini
What was the great error in the Munich Putsch?
Von Lossow and Von Sessier were allowed to leave the Bergerbrau Hall by Ludendorff, so they called the army against the Nazi’s
What happened after the Putsch to the Nazi Party?
It was banned
What happened in Hitler’s trial?
He was allowed to make long, anti-Weimar and anti-Semitic speeches in court due to lenient judges, who gave him the minimum 5 years
What was the impact for Hitler and the Nazi Party of the trial?
Hitler became famous all over Germany, making front-page news and his message and the Nazi one was heard all over the country, increasing support
What did Hitler do in Landsberg prison?
Wrote Mein Kampf and came to the conclusion he was the leader Germany needed
What happened to the Nazis in 1926?
They did the Bamberg Party conference
What happened to possible rivals to Hitler in the Bamberg Party Conference?
They were won over by being made gauleiters or put into important positions, or replaced like Rohm
Which 2 groups were set up in Bamberg?
The SS and the Hitler Youth
How many party members were there in 1925 and 1928?
27,000 in 1925 to 100,000 in 1928
Who did Hitler target voters-wise after Bamberg?
Farmers and rural people who were suffering
Which 2 economic factors in Germany led to the rise of the Nazis?
Wall Street Crash causing inflation and death of Gustav Stresemann
How many people were unemployed in 1932?
6 million
What did the Nazi’s promise that was so important in the Great Depression?
They promised a way out of the depression creating jobs and reducing hunger and unemployment
Who were the Nazi’s complete rivals in politics?
The KDP or the communists
Who became the Chancellor of Germany in 1930 March, and what did he do in September and why?
Bruning became the Chancellor and called for a second election in 1930 as he did not have a majority
What did Bruning do during his time in office?
Use the President to create more laws, that restricted government spending making him unpopular
What did Josef Goebbels understand and who was he?
He was the Head of Propaganda and understood mass media and getting a message across
What did Goebbels use in his propaganda?
Posters, mass rallies, banners, newspapers read by thousands, making sure the Nazi’s were always seen and on the minds
Which election was a breakthrough for the Nazi’s?
The 1930 September one
Which tactics did Hitler use in the 1930 elections?
Opening old wounds with the November Criminals, making unemployment promises, creating a Jewish and Weimar scapegoat idea
Why was Hitler’s persuasion with unemployment so good?
People of all classes were unemployed
What new technology to Goebbels use in the 1932 elections?
Planes so Hitler could speak to 5 cities in a day, film, radio and records
What was the March/April 1932 election?
A presidential one
Who did the Nazi’s receive backing from?
Industrialists such as Bosch and Krupp who feared the spread of communism leading to the loss of their businesses and also trade unions
Who did the Nazi’s buddy up with politically and how did they use them?
The Nationalist Party, the DNVP, whose leader Hugenberg was a newspaper tycoon so the Nazi’s printed their propaganda in his newspapers
What did the SA do in 1931 and how many of them were there in January of that year?
The 170,000 bully boy SA members had skirmishes with the Communists and disrupted their meetings
What did Hitler have as a person which other politicians lacked?
Charisma, and the idea that he has given his whole existence over to Germany and making it the strongest country in the world
Which election did Hitler win?
The 1932 July one
Who stopped Hitler becoming Chancellor?
Von Papen
What did Von Papen want more than anything?
To lead the country even if he didn’t have a majority in the Reichstag
When did Hitler become leader of Germany?
30th of January 1930
What was the deal in Hitler’s coming to power?
He would lead a Nationalist-Nazi Government with Von Papen as Vice President
When was the Reichstag fire in comparison to the other events of the time?
It was a week before Hitler’s 1933 March general election
Who was apparently the person who started the Reichstag fire?
Van der Lubbe, a Dutch Communist
Why did Hitler call for a March 1933 election?
To consolidate his power and so he could start easily pass Nazi rules
Why was the blaming of the communists of the Reichstag fire important?
It made the public feat the Communists even more, just before the elections
After the Reichstag fire, what did Hitler pass with the help of Hindenburg?
Decree for the Protection of People and State
What did the Decree of Protection allow?
The imprisonment of political opposition, and the banning of their newspapers
Why did Hitler struggle to pass the Enabling Act
He needed 2/3rds of the Reichstag to agree he only had control of a little over half of the seats
How did Hitler pass the Enabling Act
Through devious means, where Communists were not counted, the SA intimidated those entering the chamber, and by making deals with the Catholic Centre Party
When was the Enabling Act passed?
23 March 1933
What did Hitler do with the ‘foundation stone’ of the Enabling Act?
Suspended civil liberties, imposed censorship, controlled the press, abolished trade unions, and disbanded other political parties, creating a dictatorship
What is Gleichshaltung?
Bringing the German society in line with Nazi views, where the Nazi’s control everything
What was banned in May 1933 and what was put in place to replace it?
Trade unions were banned and the Nazi Labour Front was put up to replace it
When was Dachau set up?
March 1933
What did Hitler do with Landers?
He removed their parliaments and put in their place Reich governors, centralising the government to Berlin
What did the SA members want which Hitler did not?
They wanted the more socialist policies of the Nazis to be implemented as they were working class
What did Rohm want which Hitler did not?
More government intervention, so a social revolution
Why did Hitler feel he had to weaken the SA?
It had become more powerful than the Army so threatened Hitler’s power as it answered to Rohm. Also it disagreed with the Gestapo and the SS
Who was killed in the Night of the Long Knives and who by?
Rohm, Von Schleicher, Strasser, were killed by the SS
Where did Rohm see the future of the SA?
Incorporated into the army
What were others opposition to the SA?
The army felt threatened by it, and the generals of the army disliked its socialist nature
Why was the support of the army important for Hitler in terms of leadership of Germany?
He felt that the army’s support would allow him to win the presidency, and also the army could defend him in any leadership challenges
When did Hitler become Fuhrer?
In August 1934
What percentage of people supported his creation of the Fuhrer role/
90%
What was the Fuhrer as a role, and what did Hitler also become in that time?
It was a merge of the Chancellor and the President, and Hitler also became the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces
What was the RAD?
The National Labour Service, a scheme to provide young men with manual labour jobs
Who took part in the RAD and what did they do?
Men aged 18-25 had to serve for 6 months. They worked in camps and were paid very little, and did military drills as well
What did Hitler spend much of his money on in the first years in office?
Job creation schemes
What did Hitler do to create jobs?
Subsidise private firms in the construction business especially, and started the autobahn network being built as well as other public works
What did Schacht do as Economic Minister to stimulate the economy?
Deficit spending, as well as the production of Mefo Bills, so spending without inflation
What did Goering create in 1936?
The 4 Year Plan
What was the plan behind the 4 Year Plan?
To achieve autarky, where Germany will be self sufficient
What did the 4 Year Plan involve?
Experimenting to try and obtain raw material necessities from products that Germany already has, such as oil from coal
What did Nazi employment figures include?
Jews dismissed from their jobs, unmarried men under 25 in labour schemes, women dismissed from jobs or married, those in concentration camps
What did Hitler put in place in 1935 in preparation for war?
Conscription
