germany- part 2, germany and the depression Flashcards
chapters 4-6 (depression and rise of nazis, failure of weimar, establishment of hitler's dictatorship)
when was the Wall Street Crash
Oct, 1929
what caused the Depression
- America had grown very rich after WW1, buy manufacturing things like cars and fridges and selling them all over the world
- some Americans brought shares in companies to make a profit
- some Americans borrowed money from banks in order to join this share-buying trend
- October 1921, the wall street crash occurred
- many Americans hadn’t made as much money as expected from shares, so sold them very quickly
- the share prices dropped as more and more people tried to sell their shares
- millions of Americans couldn’t sell their shares for as much as they brought them for
- some couldn’t pay the banks back either -> were left ruined as debt collectors took their homes and cars
- soon, many Americans couldn’t afford to buy new goods, meaning many firms went out of business and millions lost their jobs
how did the Wall Street Crash affect other countries
- America brought items from Germany, Italy, Britain and Japan
- the Depression meant that Americans couldn’t afford this stuff anymore, so foreign countries had to shut down
how did the Wall Street Crash affect Germany (economically and socially)
- America used to buy from them, but due to the depression they could no longer afford to
- goods made in German factories, such a cars, electric goods and clothing, were not selling
-> factories had to close down and millions lost their jobs - American banks demanded back all the money they had lent Germany after WW1
- German banks tried to get this money back from German businesses, which could not pay, and so went bankrupt
- people were soon living on the streets - jobless, hungry and full of resentment
why did the Depression increase support for extremist parties
- millions blamed the Weimar government for their problems (unemployment, hunger, etc.)
- people were prepared to listen to extremist parties, like the Nazis and communists
-> the leaders of these parties promised radical solutions to all Germanys problems
-> promised to make the German peoples lives better
how many votes did the Nazi party have in 1928, how many did they have by July 1932
1928 - 800,000 votes
- 8th most popular party in Germany
July 1932 - 4 million votes
- most popular party in Germany
what reasons contributed to the Nazi party becoming so popular?
- the Depression
- Germans unhappy with Weimar gov
- appeal of Hitler
- fear of communism
- Nazi party structure, methods and tactics
how did the Depression contribute to increased support for the Nazis
- Depression caused businesses to collapse, unemployment to soar and banks to close
- the voters who paid little attention to Hitler in the 1920s now started to listen to him
- the Nazis continued to repeat their core beliefs: that the Treaty of Versailles was a crime to Germany, that jews should be blamed for the economic problems, and that Germany should be reborn as a great and powerful country
-> desperate Germans wanted to believe them and so, voted for them
what were the Nazis core beliefs
- Treaty of Versailles was a crime to Germany
- Jews should be blamed for the economic problems
- Germany should be reborn as a great and powerful nation
what did Hitler promise
work and bread (for the millions of unemployed and hungry Germans)
why were the Germans unhappy with the Weimar gov (at time of depression)
- couldn’t seem to agree on how to help the unemployed and get Germany out of the depression
- they argued constantly and achieved very little
- both chancellor Müller, then chancellor Brüning made little impact
what did Chancellor Bruning do (at the time of the depression)
- at one point, Brüning was passing laws uses the Presidents emergency decrees and making them legal under Article 48
- however, when Brüning tried to pass laws to seize rich people’s land and give it to poor peasants, the new President Hindenburg quickly withdrew his support (Hindenburg himself owned lots of land)
- without this support Brüning resigned
what did the chaos of the Weimar government cause ordinary Germans to do
- for many ordinary Germans then, the democratic system of the Weimar gov was just not working
- some people, who had always tried hard to support the key principles of democracy, were drawn towards parties with extreme ideas about to tun the party
how did the appeal of Hitler increase support for the Nazis
- he had a charismatic personality
- he could make people believe he could be trusted to make Germany a great nation
- as a powerful and inspiring speaker, he was able to fill his audiences with hope
why were German people so afraid of Communism, how did this increase support for the Nazis
- in 1917 there had been a communist take over in Russia
-> the communist party took over all businesses and farms - there had been attempts by German communists to take over Germany in the years after ww1
-> as a result, middle and upper class Germans, particularly businessmen and landowners, were frightened of German communists
-> they didn’t want to lose the wealth and position in society they had worked so hard to build - Communists didn’t believe in religious institutions, so this worried churchgoers
- from the start, Hitler said he would fight communism
-> he sent the SA to fight with communist gangs - he gained support from middle and upper class because he promised to deal with the communist threat
what did Hitler and the Nazis start to do after Hitler’s time in prison
started to spread their ideas systematically and to build support through an effective combination of persuasion and intimidation
how did the Nazi structure, methods and tactics increase support for them
- Nazi party officers were set up all over Germany to recruit more loyal followers. there were 100,000 men in the SA by 1931, growing to 400,000 by 1932. the SA protected Hitlers meetings and tried to influence voters at elections
- the Nazi party made use of propaganda through new media like radio broadcasts and cinema news reports. they also bought newspapers and printed millions of leaflets and posters to persuade and influence Germans to their ways of thinking
-> Hitler made Joseph Goebbels the chief Nazi propagandist from 1928 - Hitler himself took part in parades to show off Nazi power, and rallies where he made passionate speeches
- the Hitler Youth Organisation was set up to encourage younger followers. special clubs and camping trips were organised for young Nazis where they could learn to fire guns, wrestle, read maps and build campfires
- after the depression hit Germany, the Nazis appeared the more organised and disciplined ground in the country - a party that might restore the nations greatness
what factors caused the growth in support of the Nazi party
- Depression
- unhappy with the Weimar gov
- appeal of Hitler
- fear of Communists
- Nazi structure, methods, tactics
why were the Nazis popular in the countryside (farmers)
- farmers had been hit hard by the depression -> people were not buying as much food so farmers had to lower prices
- the Weimar gov didn’t help farmers
- the Nazis promised farmers higher prices for their crops, a better quality of life, and higher status in German society
- the Nazis also hated communists - and if communists took over they would seize the land that families had farmed for generations
why were the Nazis popular with women
- the Nazis said that family life, good morals and self-discipline were important
- some women agreed with Hitler when he said that over the last ten years ‘our youth have been exposed to a flood of muck and filth, in word and print, in the theatre and in the cinema.’ -> the Nazis promised to sort this out
why were the Nazis popular with middle-class people
- some peoples wages had been cut by the gov in the depression, and large groups of unemployed youth were all over the place
- the middle class feared that law and order might break down or a communist takeover would destroy their way of life
- they want the Weimar gov to be strong but they just seem to argue between themselves
-> the Nazis promised to deal with problems decisively - and their SA were not afraid to take on communists
-> the Nazis seemed to show order and discipline in a time of chaos
why were the Nazis popular with young people/ soldiers
- Hitler was an old soldier who knew the value of a powerful army, navy and air force
- he promised to tear up the ToV signed by the weak Weimar politicians, and make the country great once again
- young people wanted to be part of Germanys bright future and get jobs in the armed forces or building new homes, motorways and hospitals
- people who had heard Hitler speak were won over by the sheer force of his beliefs
why did Hitler have the support of the upper class
- the Nazis promised the wealthy classes strong leadership and a more powerful nation, like the ‘good old days’ when Germany was feared and respected throughout Europe
- Hitler promised to allow them to run factories how they wanted, and his plans to use their factories to build weapons, battleships and fighter planes meant they would make even more money
- the Nazis were opposed to the communists, and would not let them take their business
why was Bruning not a popular chancellor
he reduced unemployment pay and increased taxes for everyone
in the September 1930 election, what happened to the Nazis
became the second largest party in the Reichstag (with 107 seats)
what did the Nazis do after their success in the September 1930 election
- worked harder to get their message across to more people
-> put up millions of posters and flags
-> Hitler gave speeches at huge meetings, called mass rallies, all over the country
how did the SA help Hitler at the time of the 1930 election
beat up Communists and disrupted their meetings- making it hard for them to campaign freely
who were the ‘SA’
Stormtroopers (SA)- Hitler’s private army, violent group of mostly ex-soldiers, wore a brown uniform with swastika armbands
what proved the Weimar government was failing in 1930
chaos and violence on the streets (SA often caused this)
when did Heinrich Bruning resign
July 1932
who did Hindenburg appoint as chancellor after Bruning
Franz von Papen
what did Von Papen do (because he wasn’t very popular) and what were the results
- called an election
- the Nazis were now the largest party in Germany (230 seats)
what did Hitler demand now that the Nazis were the largest party and why was it rejected, 1932
- demanded the job of the chancellor
- Hindenburg refused because he thought the Nazis were a disruptive and violent party
who did Hindenburg give the job of chancellor to instead of Hitler, 1932
used his emergency powers to give the job to Von Papen (again)
-> who called for another election (Nov 1932)
-> this time the votes for the Nazis fell slightly but they were still the largest party
who did Hindenburg appoint after Von Papen and what did he do
- Kurt von Schleicher
- he had no support and couldn’t make any new laws, so he resigned
when did Hindenburg finally appoint Hitler as chancellor
30th January 1933
how did Hindenburg try to limit Hitler’s powers as chancellor
- by appointing Von Papen as vice chancellor
- restricting the number of Nazis that Hitler was allowed in the cabinet to 2
why did Hitler want to increase his power
- to establish complete control
-> this is because he could easily be replaced as Chancellor
-> Germany was a democracy (Hitler could only make rules with the Reichstag’s approval, and over half of them didn’t belong to the Nazis)
what happened in February 1933
- Hitler called a new election for March 1933, hoping to get a majority
- he now had a greater influence over many newspapers and radio stations as chancellor
- he also used his control of the police to intimidate and beat up opponents
what happened on the 27th February 1933
- a week before voting day, the Reichstag burned down
- Hitler blamed it on a communist plot to take over Germany
what happened on the 28th February 1933
- Hitler asked Hindenburg to pass an emergency ‘Protection Law’, giving Hitler the power to deal with Germany’s problems
- because of the Reichstag fire and the apparent communist plot, Hindenburg agreed
what happened in March 1933
- the new law, the ‘Decree for the Protection of the People and the State’ banned leading communists from taking part in the election campaign
- 4 thousand communists were jailed and their newspapers banned
- in the election (5th March) the Nazis got more votes than ever, but still not the majority
what happened on the 23rd March 1933
- Centre Party politicians joined the Nazis- making a majority
- Hitler then forced the Reichstag into passing the ‘Enabling Act’ which meant he could make laws without the approval from the rest of the Reichstag
what was the Enabling Act
- passed on the 23rd March 1933
- gave Hitler the power to make laws without needing the approval from the rest of the Reichstag
what happened on the 7th April 1933
- Nazis were put in charge of all local government, councils and the police
- the Gestapo was formed
- the first concentration camp for political prisoners was opened in Dachau, southern Germany
what happened on the 2nd May 1933
Hitler banned all trade unions
what happened on the 14th July 1933
- Hitler banned all political parties except the Nazis
- the ‘Law Against the Formation of New Parties’ banned the establishment of new ones
-> Germany was now a one-party state
what happened on the 2nd August 1934
- Hitler murdered his opponents in the SA during the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934
- when Hindenburg died, Hitler immediately took over as president while remaining chancellor
- he made the army swear an oath of loyalty to him, not the country
- Hitler decided to be called De Fuhrer- the leader
how did Hitler eliminate his political opposition?
- called for an election
- the Reichstag burned down
- asked Hindenburg to pass an emergency ‘protection law’
- ‘decree for the protection of the people and state’ banned communists from taking part in the election- Nazi still didn’t get majority though
- Centre Party joined Nazis (=majority)- Hitler passes the ‘Enabling Act’
- Hitler opens the first concentration camp for political prisoners, Gestapo formed, Nazis in charge of all government, councils and police
- bans trade unions
- bans political parties and the formation of new ones (‘Law Against the Formation of New Parties’)
- Night of Long Knives
- takes over as president, remains chancellor too, makes the army swear an oath of loyalty to him (not country) and is called Der Fuhrer
why did Hitler want to remove the SA (from help to hindrance)
- had protected him from harm and beaten up his opponents
- many were violent thugs who wanted well-paid jobs as a reward now that Hitler was in power
- Hitler was worried their leader (Ernst Rohm) was becoming too powerful- SA had more members than the German army (400,000 compared to 100,000)
- Rohm wanted to combine the SA and army, and control both himself
- this alarmed Hitler and the army leaders; Hitler needed to keep them happy (needed them to get back the land Germany lost in the ToV)
when was the Night of the Long Knives
30th June 1934
what was the Night of the Long Knives
when Hitler dealt ruthlessly with the problem of Rohm and the SA
describe the events of the Night of the Long Knives
- Hitler arranged a meeting at a hotel in Bavaria, southern Germany, with the SA leaders on 30th June 1934
- shortly before dawn Hitler and an assassination squad from the SS (his bodyguards, the black uniformed Schutzstaffel) stormed the hotel and arrested Rohm and the other leaders
- they were later shot dead
- over the next few days around 400 political opponents were executed, including ex-Chancellor von Schleicher
what was the impact if the Night of the Long Knives
- rivals dead: many of those who Hitler regarded as a threat were now dead, including Rohm and all the other leading Nazis who didn’t agree with Hitler
- rise of the SS: The SS (led by Heinrich Himmler) was now responsible for Hitler’s security, not the SA. Along with the Gestapo, the SS now formed the basis of the police state. the SA remained but was never again a major force
- rule of murder: Hitler did not hide what he had done. his acts established murder as a method of the Nazi government
