germany part two: germany & the depression Flashcards
1
Q
chapter 4: what had caused the GD?
A
- USA grown rich after WWI
- some in USA even had money to buy shares in companies, hoping to make profit, or loaned money from bank to invest
- but in Oct 1929, Wall Street Crash: tried selling shares quickly, share prices plummeted, some couldn’t pay banks back & left ruined as debt collectors took cars or homes
- soon, many couldn’t afford to buy any new goods at all, as result firms went out of business & millions lost jobs
2
Q
chapter 4: why did the GD affect other countries too?
A
- USA bought goods from G, I, B & J too
- GD meant they couldn’t afford these, so foreign factories shut down
3
Q
chapter 4: what goods made in German factories weren’t selling & what was the effect?
A
- cars
- electrical goods
- clothing
- factories had to close down & millions now jobless
4
Q
chapter 4: how did the USA make the GD even worse for Germany?
A
- USA banks demanded back all money lent to G after WWI
- G banks tried getting this money back from G businesses, which couldn’t pay, so went bankrupt
- ppl soon living on streets - jobless, hungry, angry & full of resentment
5
Q
chapter 4: what was the difference in unemployment in Germany, in 1928 and then in 1932?
A
1928: just under 1.5 million
1932: over 6 million
6
Q
chapter 4: why did the GD mean support for extremist parties grew?
A
- unemployment & hunger made millions blame Weimar gov for problems
- ppl prepared to listen to parties whose leaders promised radical solutions to all G’s problems, & ways of making lives better
7
Q
chapter 4: what are 5 factors that helped the growth of the Nazi Party?
A
- The GD
- G unhappy w Weimar gov
- appeal of Hitler
- fear of other G extremist parties like Communists
- Nazi Party structure, methods & tactics
8
Q
chapter 4: how did the GD contribute to the growth of the Nazi Party?
A
- GD hit G hard
- businesses collapsed, unemployment soared, banks closed
- voters who’d paid little attention to Hitler in 1920s now started to listen
- Nazis continued to repeat core beliefs: ToV crime to G, Jews blamed for economic problems, G should be reborn as great & powerful country
- message still same as 1920s, except now desperate G wanted to believe & vote for them
9
Q
chapter 4: how did the unhappiness with the Weimar government contribute to the growth of the Nazi Party?
A
- Weimar politicians argued constantly & achieved v little on how to help unemployed & solve GD
- first 1 Chancellor (Muller) & then another (Bruning) made little impact
- for many ordinary G, democratic system of Weimar G not working
- some, who’d always tried hard to support key principles of democracy, drawn to extremist ideas
10
Q
chapter 4: what did Bruning do to upset people (part of how did the unhappiness with the Weimar government contribute to the growth of the Nazi Party?)
A
- Bruning passed laws by using President’s emergency decrees & making them legal under Article 48
- but when he tried to pass laws to seize rich ppl’s land & give to poor peasants, new President Hindenburg quickly withdrew support (he owned tons of land)
- w/o this support, Bruning resigned
11
Q
chapter 4: how did the appeal of Hitler contribute to the growth of the Nazi Party?
A
- had charismatic personality
- could make ppl believe he could be trusted to make G great nation
- powerful & inspiring speaker, filled audiences w hope
12
Q
chapter 4: how did fear of other extremist parties like the Communists contribute to the growth of the Nazi Party?
A
- 1917: communist revolution in Russia, Communist party took over all businesses & farms
- been attempts by G communists after WWI to take over G too
- as result, upper & middle class G frightened of G communists, particularly businessmen & landowners
- Communists didn’t believe in religious institution either, so worried churchgoers
- from start, Hitler said he’d deal w communism: sent SA to fight w communist gangs
- Hitler gained support from upper & middle classes bc promised to deal w communist threat
13
Q
chapter 4: how did the Nazi party’s structure, methods & tactics contribute to the growth of the Nazi Party?
A
after Munich Putsch 1923 Hitler changed tactics to take power legally:
- offices set up all over G to recruit more loyal followers - 100,000 men in SA by 1931, growing to 400,000 by 1932
- used propaganda through new media like radios & cinema news reports, also bought newspapers & printed millions of leaflets & posters to persuade & influence G
- Hitler himself took part in fabulous parades to show off Nazi power, & rallies where made passionate speeches
- Hitler Youth Organisation set up to encourage younger followers - special clubs & camping trips organised where could learn to fire guns, wrestle, read maps & build campfires
- 1932: Hitler used aeroplane to take him to 20 cities in 7 days to make election speeches, this + use of radios showed how modern Nazis were
14
Q
chapter 4: what number of men were there in the SA by 1931 and 1932?
A
by 1931: 100,000
1932: 400,000
15
Q
chapter 4: when did Joseph Goebbels become chief Nazi propagandist?
A
1928
16
Q
chapter 4: why did farmers vote for the Nazis?
A
- Nazis popular in countryside
- farmers hit hard by GD; ppl not buying as much food & farmers had to lower prices
- Weimar gov didn’t help them either
- Nazis promised higher prices for crops, better quality of life, & higher status in G society
- Nazis also hate communists - if communists took over, would seize land families had farmed for generations
17
Q
chapter 4: why did women vote for the Nazis?
A
- say that family life, good morals & self-discipline important
- some women agree w Hitler when he said over last 10 yrs ‘our youth have been exposed to a flood of muck & filth, in word & print, in the theatre & in the cinema’ - Nazis promise to sort this out
18
Q
chapter 4: why did middle-class people vote for the Nazis?
A
- some ppl’s wages cut by gov in GD, & large groups of unemployed youths all over place
- middle class fear that law & order might break down or communist takeover could destroy way of life
- want Weimar gov to be strong, but they just seem to argue between selves
- Nazis promise to deal w problems decisively - & SA not afraid to take on communism
- Nazis seem to show order & discipline in time of chaos
19
Q
chapter 4: why did young people vote for the Nazis?
A
- Hitler old soldier who knows value of powerful army, navy & air force
- promised to tear up ToV signed by weak Weimar politicians & make G strong again
- many young ppl want to be part of G’s bright future & get jobs in armed forces or building new homes, motorways & hospitals
- ppl who’ve heard Hitler speak won over by sheer force of beliefs
20
Q
chapter 4: why did the upper class vote for the Nazis?
A
- might not support everything Nazis want, but do support them on some key issues
- promised wealthy classes strong leadership & more powerful nation, like in ‘good old days’ when G feared & respected throughout Europe
- Hitler promised to allow them to run factories how they want, & plan to use factories to build weapons, battleships & fighter planes means might make even more money
- Nazis will fight communists too, & not let them take their businesses
21
Q
chapter 5: what happened in the Sept 1930 Reichstag election?
A
- coalition gov formed since no single party won majority, Bruning (Centre Party politician) became Chancellor
- not very popular bc reduced unemployment pay & inc taxes for everyone
- however, 1 v significant event happened: Nazi Party now second largest party in Reichstag (107 seats)
22
Q
chapter 5: what was unemployment like in the Sept 1930 Reichstag election?
A
a yr after GD hit G, unemployment more than doubled to around 3 million
23
Q
chapter 5: why didn’t people like Heinrich Bruning, when was he appointed chancellor & what party was he from?
A
- reduced unemployment pay & inc taxes for everyone
- in Sept 1930 Reichstag election
- Centre Party
24
Q
chapter 5: how did the SA help Hitler become Chancellor?
A
beat up the communists & disrupted their meetings, making hard for them to campaign freely
25
chapter 5: was it violent on the streets in 1932?
yes, in 1932 alone there were dozens of bomb plots, street fights & murders as different groups fought
26
chapter 5: what did the chaos & violence on the streets make people think about the Weimar gov?
proved it was failing to many people, unstable government
27
chapter 5: what was President Hindenburg doing that made people think democracy had already failed?
using his emergency decrees to make decisions w/o consent of democratically elected Reichstag
28
chapter 5: when did Bruning resign?
July 1932
29
chapter 5: who did Hindenburg appoint as Chancellor after Bruning resigned?
Franz von Papen, another Centre Party politician - didn’t have much support either, so called an election
30
chapter 5: how did the Nazis do in the July 1932 Reichstag election?
they were now the largest political party - had 230 seats, next one (Social Democratic Party/SDP) has only 133
31
chapter 5: did Hindenburg appoint Hitler as Chancellor after the July 1932 Reichstag election?
no, Hitler demanded him to but didn’t - thought Nazis were disruptive & violent party, instead used emergency powers to give it to von Papen again
32
chapter 5: how did the Nazis do in the November 1932 election?
votes fell slightly, but still largest political party, Von Papen’s Centre Party got fewer seats too so he resigned again
33
chapter 5: who was appointed as Chancellor after von Papen?
Kurt von Schleicher, but he had no support & couldn’t make any new laws so resigned
34
chapter 5: when did Hindenburg appoint Hitler as Chancellor?
30th January 1933
35
chapter 5: did Hindenburg want to appoint Hitler as Chancellor?
no, but had little choice in 1933 after all others resigned
36
chapter 5: how did Hindenburg try to limit Hitler's power?
- appointed von Papen as Vice Chancellor
- restricted no. of fellow Nazis Hitler was allowed in cabinet to two
- Hindenburg & his closest advisors thought they'd be able to control him
37
chapter 6: how did Hitler begin to eliminate his opposition/become dictator? (9 short points w dates)
1. **feb 1933:** arranged new election for march 1933, as Chancellor could push more propaganda
2. **27th feb 1933:** Reichstag fire
3. **28th feb 1933:** Hitler asked Hindenburg to pass special emergency **'Protection Law'**
4. **march 1933:** new decree for the **'Protection of the People and State'**; 5th march election Nazis got more votes than ever (but still not majority)
5. **23rd march 1933:** persuaded Centre Party to join Nazis, now had majority, forced Reichstag to pass **Enabling Act**
6. **7th april 1933:** Nazis put in charge of all local govs, councils, & police; **Gestapo** formed; first **concentration camp** opened
7. **2nd may 1933:** banned all trade unions
8. **14th july 1933:** banned all parties aside from Nazis; **'Law Against the Formation of new Parties'** passed
9. **2nd aug 1934:** when Hindenburg died, immediately took over as President & remained Chancellor, gave himself title of Der Führer
38
chapter 6: what did Hitler do in feb 1933?
- arranged new election for march 1933
- hoped he'd get huge victory & get majority he wanted in Reichstag
- as Chancellor, now had greater influence over many newspapers & radio stations
- also controlled police, who he could use to intimidate voters & beat up opponents
39
chapter 6: what did Hitler do on 27th feb 1933?
- Reichstag burned down (Reichstag Fire)
- although evidence unclear, young communist **Marinus Van der Lubbe** arrested & blamed
- Hitler said it was part of communist plot to take over country; said he knew how to deal w it
40
chapter 6: what did Hitler do on 28th feb 1933?
- asked Hindenburg to pass special emergency 'Protection Law', giving him power to deal w G's problems
- bc of Reichstag fire & appearance of a communist plot, he agreed
41
chapter 6: what did Hitler do in march 1933?
- new decree for the 'Protection of the People and State' banned leading communists from taking part in election campaign
- 4000 communists thrown into prison & all their newspapers shut down
- in election on 5th march, due to way Hitler dealt w communists, Nazis got more votes than ever
- but Hitler still didn't get majority he wanted
42
chapter 6: what did Hitler do on 23rd march 1933?
- he'd stirred up enough fear of communism to persuade politicians in Centre Party to join Nazis
- now had majority he wanted
- forced Reichstag to pass **Enabling Act**
- gave him power to make laws w/o asking rest of Reichstag
- now he didn't even have to worry about what Hindenburg/Reichstag thought of him
43
chapter 6: what did Hitler do on 7th april 1933?
- immediately began to use new powers
- Nazis put in charge of all local gov, councils, & police
- Gestapo formed
- first concentration camp for political prisoners opened in Dachau, southern G
44
chapter 6: what did Hitler do on 2nd may 1933?
- banned all trade unions
- took away their money & threw leaders in jail
- by removing them, took away a worker's way of complaining about pay & conditions
45
chapter 6: what did Hitler do on 14th july 1933?
- banned all parties in G aside from Nazis
- 'Law Against the Formation of New Parties' stated anyone trying to set up/run another party would go to prison for 3 yrs
- G now one-party state
46
chapter 6: what did Hitler do on 2nd august 1934?
- by this time, he'd murdered opponents in SA & brought them under control w Night of the Long Knives
- when Hindenburg died, immediately took over his job as well as remaining Chancellor
- made army swear oath of loyalty to him & not to country
- gave himself title of Der Führer
47
chapter 6: how did Hitler feel about the SA in 1934?
felt threatened by the power of it and the army, so decided to take action (night of the long knives)
48
chapter 6: why did Hitler feel threatened by the SA and Ernst Rohm?
- they wanted well-paid jobs as reward for loyalty
- Rohm wanted to merge the 400,000 Stormtroopers w the G army (100,000 men) & take charge
- this would've made him incredibly powerful, so alarmed Hitler & army leaders; needed to keep army leaders happy to get back land G lost in ToV
- rumours that Rohm about to seize power & take over from Hitler
49
chapter 6: when was the Night of the Long Knives?
30th June 1934
50
chapter 6: what happened in the Night of the Long Knives?
- Hitler & SS stormed into hotel where many important SA members were staying, armed w machine guns
- SA leader Ernst Rohm & others arrested and later shot dead
- over next few days, around 400 people executed in this way (incl. former Chancellor, Kurt von Schleicher, who wasn't even Nazi)
51
chapter 6: what was the impact of the Night of the Long Knives?
had major impact:
- many close to Hitler who were regarded as threat now dead - not just Rohm, but all leading Nazis who didn't agree w him
- SS, led by Heinrich Himmler, emerged as group now responsible for Hitler's security, not SA - SS grew in importance after this
- they, along w Gestapo, now formed basis of 'police state' G had become
- SA itself not abolished, but was never again major force in G
- Hitler being very open about it meant he'd literally gotten away w murder - now established murder as part of what Nazi gov did (he proudly publicised the event & rewarded SS)
52
chapter 6: did Hitler try to cover up the Night of the Long Knives?
no - proudly publicised it & rewarded the SS
53
chapter 6: what happened after the Night of the Long Knives?
- Hindenburg died soon after
- new President not appointed; instead, powers of President & Chancellor joined together as Führer
- army swore oath of loyalty to Hitler (not country), army leaders agreed to stay out of politics & serve Hitler
- in return, he promised to spend large sums of money to make G great military power once more
