germany - chapter 3 Flashcards
what were left-wing beliefs
- workers should have power and rule the country as a collection of workers’ councils
- there should be equality, with no different classes and no huge differences in the wealth of people in a country
- change is welcome
- left wing views should be spread around the world
- anti right wing
example of a left wing party
communists
right wing beliefs
- strong leaders should rule over the people
- there are, and should be, major differences between people, classes and races
- own country should be strong and powerful, with a large empire
- anti left wing
example of a right wing party
nazis
who led the Kapp Putsch
Wolfgang Kapp
was the kapp putsch a left or right wing rebellion
right wing
how many men were involved in the kapp putsch and what group did they belong to
around 5000 men
were the free corps
what happened in the kapp putsch
- the free corps took over Berlin
- President Ebert and the rest of the government fled from Berlin
- Kapp didn’t have the support of the workers and they all went on strike, resulting in no gas, water, electricity or trains
- after only 100 hours as Germanys newest leader, Kapp gave in and fled abroad
- Ebert and his government returned to Berlin
what was wolfgang kapp’s aim with the kapp putsch
he aimed to eventually take over the whole country, make the army strong again, and then recover the lands germany had lost in the Treaty of Versailles
when was the kapp putsch
March 1920
what is the red rising
- as soon as wolfgang kapp fled abroad (after failure of kapp putsch), left wing workers in the industrial area of the Ruhr stayed on strike
- they rose up and took over several towns
- the government, now back in Berlin, send soldiers and some free corps units to deal with the rebellion
how many workers were killed in the red rising
over 1000
when was the red rising
right after the kapp putsch failed
- 1920
betweeen 1919 and 1922 how many political murders were there in germany
over 350
why did some groups use terror tactics against government
wanted to eliminate those who accepted the Treaty of Versailles
did the left or right wing carry out most of the political assassinations
right wing
when was Matthias Erzberger assassinated and why
- august 1921
- he was the man who signed the armistice in 1918 to end the war
- shot dead by a right wing group
which politicians had attacks on them
- Matthias Erzberger
- the foreign minister, Walter Rathenau
- Phillip Scheidemann (threw acid on him)
when did hitler first discover the german workers’ party
may 1919
what was the german workers party like when hitler first discovered it
- party had only started a few months before
- small political party
- its members met in a beer hall in munich and hitler attended regularly because he liked what was being said
- people make speeches about how the treaty of versailles made germany weak and defenceless and how the country would become a great nation once more
- this appealed to hitler, a wounded and defeated ex-soldier who hated the politicians that ended the war which germany had not lost on the battlefield
what did hitler do as soon as he joined the german workers party
- put advertisements in newspapers
- held public meetings all over munich
how was hitler able to run the german workers party so quickly
- he was a brilliant speaker who could fascinate his audience with powerful speeches
- in the early days of radio, and with no television, this was a very important skill
- he persuaded the party to buy a newspaper (the Munich Observer) to put forward their views
what changes did hitler make to the german workers party
- designed a new flag and symbol - the swastika - in order to attract attention
- set up a private army of thugs to up anyone who disagreed with him - called the stormtroopers (SA) and they wore a brown uniform with swastika armbands
-> they would guard hitlers meetings and disrupt the meetings of other political parties - changed the name to the Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP), known as Nazi for short
how much did the Nazi Party grow under Hitlers influence between 1920 and 1921
3000 members in 1920 -> 5000 in 1921
when was the Munich Putsch
8th November 1923
what happened in the munich putsch
- hitler interrupted a meeting in a beer hall in munich where Gustav von Kahr (head of Bavarian gov) was speaking
- hitler fired a bullet into the ceiling and announced he was taking over Bavaria, and that he would march to berlin and take over the whole country
- he locked Kahr and his companions in a small room
- general Ludendorff (a german war hero who knew about the plan) walking in and said he supported hitler
- around munich, hitlers stormtroopers took control of gov buildings and arrested officials
what happened the morning after the munich putsch
- kahr had promised to help hitler and was released, but went back on his word and contacted the police
- when hitler and about 2000 supporters began their march through Munich’s streets, they were met by armed police
- after a short gun battle, 3 policemen and 16 nazis were dead
- hitler was wounded with a dislocated soldier
- hitler and ludendorff were arrested and taken to prison
- hitler got put on trial for treason
how long did hitlers trial last
24 days
how did hitlers trial help him
- it was a media sensation + was reported in newspapers all over germany
- this was the largest audience hitler had ever had so he used every opportunity to criticise the gov and put across his political views
- his tactics worker and he impressed the judges
how long was hitler sent to prison for after the munich putsch
only 5 years
what book did hitler write during his time in prison and what was it about
Mein Kampf
it described his lifestory and his political views
when was hitler released from prison and how long did he serve in the end
released in december 1924
served only 9 months
what did the failure of the munich putsch and his time in prison teach hitler
- he realised he had to change his strategy
- the nazis would have to stand in elections and win votes, just like any other political party
- he would have to win power democratically
how did Gustav Stresemann help germany out of the hyperinflation crisis
- introduced a new currency called the Rentenmark
- Dawes plan
- Germany joined League of Nations
- used money borrowed from the USA to build new schools, factories, houses, roads
Young Plan
what was Stresemann’s solution to the hyperinflation crisis + german money being worthless
introduction of a new currency called the Rentenmark
what was Stresemann’s solution to French and Belgian troops invading the Ruhr when Germany stopped paying reparations
the DAWES PLAN
what was the Dawes plan and was it a success
- Stresemann met with the American Vice president and arranged for the USA to lend money to Germany (800 million gold marks)
- Germany could now begin to pay reparations
- a repayment schedule was agreed which saw Germany restart their reparation payments
- was successful
- French and Belgian troops left the Ruhr
- however, some Germans felt Stresemann had ‘given in’ to the bullying tactics of the French and Belgians and should have demanded an end to the reparations all together
what was the introduction of the rentenmark and was it a success
- stopped printing the old paper money and replaced it with a temporary, new currency called the RENTENMARK
- this could be exchanged for the old currency
- in 1924 the Rentenmark was replaced by the Reichsmark, a stable currency that remained for the next 25 years
- was a success
- the germans quickly accepted the new currency and hyperinflation ended
- however, people who had lost all their savings never got their money back, and blamed Stresemann and his government
what was the young plan
- Stresemann negotiated the reparations down from £6.6 billion to £1.8 billion
- Germany was given longer to pay it
when was the young plan
1929
when was the dawes plan
1924
when was the rentenmark introduced
1923
what was Stresemanns solution to Germanys world status declining
joining the League of Nations
germany joining League of Nations and was it a success
- Stresemann worked hard to improve germanys relation with other countries
- signed many different agreements to try and ensure peace
- was sort of successful
- Germany regained its international status and became an important part of the League of Nations
- however, some right wing germans criticised stresemann for not demanding back some of the land that had been taken from germany by the treaty of versailles
when did germany join the league of nations
1926
when was the Locarno treaty and what did it state
- 1925
- signed by Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Belgium
- promised to never invade each other
when was the Kellogg-Briand pact signed and what did it state
- 1928
- stated the participating countries agreed never to go to war, unless to defend themselves if they were attacked
what was Stresemanns solution to german industries being in trouble after the war (run down factories, few jobs, poor schools, poor housing, poor hospitals) and was it a success
- used some of the money borrowed borrowed from the USA (in the Dawes Plan) to build new factories, schools, houses and roads
- this meant more jobs, with germans earning more money
- some american companies built factories in germany too
- kinda successful
- slowly, germany became more prosperous and many germans were better off
-> eg. the sales of radios rose from 1 million in 1926 to 4 million 1932 - however some germans, even stresemann himself, feared that germany relied too heavily on american loans
when did stresemann die
1929
what were the underlying problems that still existed in germany after stresemann died (1929)
- still many political parties in germany, and no single parties could ever get enough votes to rule on their own -> meant parties formed coalition governments, which were weak as they couldn’t agree on issues
- political parties, like the communists and nazis, continued to hate the politicians in the reichstag
- farmers incomes were still really low and the middle classes had their savings wiped out by hyperinflation
- much of the prosperity was created by american loans - what if they wanted their money back?
when was germanys ‘golden age’
the 1920s
why did the golden age happen
- before WW1 the kaiser kept tight control on all types of entertainment
-> when these controls were removed in weimar germany, the people felt a new sense of freedom - after the horrors of war and the difficulties of the early 1920s, people decided to experiment with new ideas and try new things
cinema in the golden age:
- became very popular in weimar germany
- Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang was the most technically advanced film of the decade
- german-born actress Marlene Dietrich became a worldwide star playing glamorous, strong-willed women
nightlife in the golden age:
- germany became a centre for new plays, operas and theatre shows during this time
- musicians performed songs, about politicians, that would have been banned in the days of the kaiser
- berlin was famous for its nightclubs with live bands that played american jazz music
literature in the golden age
- writing became a big business
- people had 120 newspapers and magazines to choose from
- a german anti-war novel, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ sold half a million copies in just three months
art in the golden age
- art flourished
- avant-garde artists, such as Otto Dix and George Grosz believed art should show the reality of everyday life, in particular the differences in social classes and society, and should make people think
-> they tried to show what germany was actually like at this time and often painted in a way that criticised current events
design in the golden age
- a new group of designers and architects, known as the BAUHAUS, began work at this time
-> they designed anything from chairs to coffee pots to office buildings
-> they believed in modern, simple and practical designs, rather than the elaborate designs of long ago
reactions to the cultural changes of the golden age
- while some germans embraced the changes, others hate them
-> they wanted art, music, theatre and film to celebrate older, traditional values of germany
-> they thought the new nightclubs, shows and paintings were leading germany into a moral decline - the nazis openly criticised the nightclubs and art of this period, and when hitler came to power in 1933, many weimar artists and performers had to flee germany
