History Nazi Germany Flashcards
1. Impact of the First World War
Describe the strengths of the Weimar Government
- The laws of the Weimar republic were in some way very democratic, men and women had the vote at the age of 20 when in Britian for men it was 21 and women 30.
- The Chancellor had to have the support of most of the politicians in the Reichstag.
- A strong president was necessary to keep control over the government and to protect the country in a crisis.
- Voting by proportional representation meant that the number of seats each part had in the Reichstag was based on the number of votes they got.
1. Impact of the First World War
Describe the weaknesses of the Weimar Government
- Who had more power ( between the President & Reichstag )? Article 48 allowed the President to rule by decree without the Reichstag.
- Leaders from the army wanted the Kaiser to return because their status would be maintained under him.
- Many judges and senior civil servants did not want Weimar because they did not agree with its liberal political views.
- Proportional representation: This produced a large number of parties and made it difficult to create political stability. No party was able to win majority vote so coalitions were formed.
1. Impact of the First World War
Describe the Impact of the Treaty of Versailles
- Germany lost 13% of their land, 48% of their iron production & 6m+ Civillians were absorbed into other countries.
- Article 231 ( War Guilt Clause ) forced Germany to take the blame for starting the war.
- All Collenies had to be given to allied powers.
- Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
- Germany’s Army could not exceed 100,000
- Rhineland was demilitarised
- Reparations were fixed at £6.6b
Reaction:
- Many in Germany believed it was the Wemair Gov.t’s fault as they forced the army to surrender. ( They were called the November Criminals )
- However, The Weimar cabinet intially rejected the terms ( of Versailles ) and on 19th June 1919 Chancellor Scheidenmann resigned in disgust.
1. Impact of the First World War
Describe the Political Instability Germany faced after WW1
( General Information )
- Weimar Gov.t was unpopular with germans since they surrendered. ( Hated by communists, socialists, nationalists, army leaders & those who had run Germany pre-1918. )
- After the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in October 1917, when temp gov.t was removed by Lenin and Trotsky, many Germans hoped that a socialist country could be established in Germany.
- Due to the fear of a revolution in the chaos of the post-war period, the Weimar gov.t made a deal with the new army leader, Groener, to support them agaisnt revolutions.
1. Impact of the First World War
Describe the Spartacist Uprising
- During the war, many groups emerged from the German SPD, the most radical of them being the Spartacists league led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg who sought for a communist state.
- In December 1918, the Spartacists demonstrations agaisnt the gov.t led to clashes with the army & 16 of them died. ( The Spartacists then formed the German Communist Party )
- On January 6th 1919, the Spartacists began their attempt to overthrow Ebert and the Weimar gov.t in order to create a communist state.
- Within days the rising was over, The Spartacists were no match for the army and the Freikorps. Liebknecht and Luxemburg were captured and killed.
1. Impact of the First World War
Describe the event of the Kapp Putsch
- When the Weimar gov.t announced measures in March 1920 to reduce the size of army & disband the freikorps, there was an uproar in Berlin. ( The freikorps leader, Ehrhardt, refused to comply )
- Together with a leading politcian, Wolfgang Kapp, a plan was drawn up to seize Berlin and form a new right-wing gov.t with Kapp as chancellor. Kapp stressed the communist threat, the Dolchstoss theory & the severity of the Treat of Versailles.
- The Reichswehr in Berlin, commanded by General Luttwitz, supported Ehrhardt and Kapp. Following Kapp’s seizure of Berlin on 13th March 1920, Weimer gov.t moved to Dresden then Stuttgart.
- The new regular army had been commanded to put down the Kapp putsch but the commander-in-chief von Seeckt, said “The Reichswehr does not fire on the Reichswehr”
- Due to little support, the Kapp putsch collapsed.
1. Impact of the First World War
Describe the issue of hyperinflation
- Germany had experienced inflation during WW1 and had borrowed alot to finance its war efforts. When reparation figures were announced - £6.6b at £100m per year, the Weimer gov.t claimed they couldnt pay.
- As inflation continued, the government began to print more money in order to pay France and Belgium as well as its own workers.
- The value of German currency began to fall rapidly and in 1921 because no reparations were paid, France sent troops into the Ruhr, Germany’s main industrial area.
- The Ruhr is sited in the Rhineland so there were no German troops to protect it.
1. Impact of the First World War
Describe how certain groups of people benefitted from hyperinflation
- Businessmen who had borrowed money from banks were able to pay off these debts
- Serious food shortages led to a rise in prices of necessities, more especially food, which helped farmers.
- Foreigners who were in Germany suddenly realised they had a huge advantage. People who had dollars or pounds found that they could change them for millions of marks.
1. Impact of the First World War
Describe the Events in the Ruhr in 1923
- Further occupation of the Ruhr took place in January 1923 by France & Belgium as Germany again failed to pay reparations. The French needed it to pay of their war debts to the USA.
- In resistance, workers in the Ruhr went on strike, some strikers took more direct actions and set factories on fire and sabotaged pumps in some mines so they flooded and couldn’t be worked. ( A number of these strikers were killed by French troops as an example )
- The strikers became the heroes of the German people as they stood up the TOV and showing that German people had not been crushed. The German gov.t supported these strikers by printing money to give them a wage.
- This extra strike money & the collapse of production sites turned inflation into hyperinflation.
2. The recovery of Weimar
How did the Dawes Plan help recover form hyperinflation?
Main points of the plan included:
- reparations payments would begin at 1 billion marks for the first year and would increase over four years to 2.5 billions marks per year; payments were far more sensible and were based on Germany’s capacity to pay
- the Ruhr area was to be evacuated by Allied occupations troops which was carried out in 1925
- the German Reichsbank would be reorganised under Allied supervision
- the USA would give loans to Germany to help its economic recovery
This came into effectin September 1924
2. The recovery of Weimar
What is the Rentenmark?
- The hyperinflation of 1923 had destoryed the value of the German mark
- In November 1923, in order to restore the German currency, Stresemann introduced a temporary currency called the Rentenmark
- Was issued in limited amounts and was based on property values rather than gold reserves
- It gradually restored the confidence of the German people in the currency
- This was converted into the Reichsmark the following year
2. The recovery of Weimar
Describe the Young Plan
- Although Germany was able to meet the reparation schedule introduced by the Dawes Plan, the government regularly complained about the level of payments
- In 1929 the Allied Reparations Committee asked Owen Young ro investigate and came up with a new plan for payments.
- The reparations figure was reduced from £6,600 million to £1,850 million
- The length of time Germany had to pay was extended to 59 years with payments at 2.05 billion marks a year
2. The recovery of Weimar
What was the extent of recovery after hyperinflation?
- with money coming in from America, the economy seems to prosper
- public works provided new stadiums, apartment blocks and opera houses
- big businesses had benefited from hyperinflation as they had been able to pay off their big debts and benefitted from industrial growth
- many workers were better off during this period as wages increased and the average working day stays the same
- there also seemed to be better relations between workers and their employers with fewer strieks between 1924 and 1929
- this was the reuslt of state arbitration which, after 1924, took a fairly middle line in disputes, often taking the side of the workers
2. The recovery of Weimar
What was the cycle of payments between Germany, France, Britain and USA?
- USA was being used by Germany to pay reparations to Britain and France then used these payments to repay loans they had received from the USA during the First World War
2. The recovery of Weimar
What is the Locarno Pact?
- Stresemann was determined to improve relations with France and Britain to reduce the worst features of the ToV
- Stresemann realised France needed to feel secure in order to co-operate over changes
- In 1925 Germany signed the Locarno Pact with Britain, France, Belgium and Italy with which countries agreed to keep existing borders between Germany, Belgium and France
- The Locarno Pact marked Germany’s return to European international scene and began a period of co-operation between Germany, France and Britain, desrcibed as the ‘Locarno Honeymoon’
2. The recovery of Weimar
What was the League of Nations?
- In order for Locarno Pact to come into operation, Germant would have to become a member of the League of Nations
- It was an international organisation established in 1920 to try to maintain peace
- In September 1926, Germany was given permanent seat on the Council of the League of Nations, which confirmed Germany’s return to Great Power status and brought prestige for Stresemann
- Stresemann used Germany’s position in the League to bring about the Young Plan
2. The recovery of Weimar
What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
- In 1928 Germany signed the Kellog-Briand Pact along with 64 other nations
- It was agreed that they would keep their armies for self defecne and solve all international disputes by ‘peaceful means’
- The pact showed futher improved relations between USA and leading European nations and solidified Germany as one of those leading nations
2. The recovery of Weimar
How important was Stresemann and his foreign policies?
1) As a result of Stresemann’s foreign policies:
- in 1925 France withdrew from the Ruhr
- the Allies agreed to the Dawes Plan and the Young Plan
- in 1927 Allied troops withdrew form the west bank of the Rhine, five years before original schedule
2) Overall, Stresemann played a crucial role in the recovery of the Republic, particularly through American loans and re-establishing the international position of Germany
2. The recovery of Weimar
What were the political developments of Germany during 1924-29 period?
- Saw greater political stability
- Period saw the moderate Social Democrats always one the most votes
- This period saw greater support for the parties that supported the Weimar Republic, and generally less support for extremist groups such as the Nazis
- In May 1924 the Social Democrats had 100 members in the Reichstag which rose to 153 in May 1928 whereas in May 1924 the Nazis had 32 members, falling to 12 in May 1928
2. The recovery of Weimar
What were the social developments of Germany in the 1924-29 period?
Described as a ‘golden age’ in the Weimar Republic due to the significant changes in the standard of living, the position of women and in culture…
Wages:
- By 1928, there had been an increase in the value of real wages of over ten percent
- This put German workers as some of the best paid in Europe
- Middle class suffered as they were left bankrupt due to hyperinflation but didnt qualify for relief by the state
- In April 1928, almost 184,000 middle class workers were seeking employment and almost half of them did not qualify for unemployment relief from the state
Unemployment Insurance:
- The Weimar Republic extended the reforms of Otto von Bismarck in the 1880’s with the Unemployment Insurance Law in 1927
- This required workers and employees to make contributions to a national scheme for unemployment welfare
2. The recovery of Weimar
What was the position of women in Weimar Republic?
- In 1919 women over 20 were given the vote and took an increasing interest in politics
- The Weimar Constitution also introduced equality in education for the sexes, equal opportunity in civil service jobs and equal pay in professions
- German women had some of the most advnaced legal rights of any country in Europe
- By 1933 there were 100,000 women teachers and 3,000 female doctors
2. The recovery of Weimar
What cultural changes happened in the Weimar Republic?
- The strict pre-war censorship was removed
- Throughout the 1920s, Berlin challenged Paris as the cultural capital of Europe, with new and significant developments in painting, cinema, architecture, literature and theatre
- Weimar artists tried to show everyday life. This new approach was given the name ‘Neue Sachlichkeit’ meaning ‘new objectivity’ because artists tried to portray society in an objective way
- Architecture flourished, especially the Bauhaus which meant ‘school of building’ who built anything and everything with their slogan being ‘Art and Technology - a new unity’
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the effects of the Wall Street Crash on Germany.
- Wall Street Crash happened in 1929 and it led a Great Depression in the USA, as a result US loans had to be called back in and unemployment in Germany began to rise.
- By 1932, about 6million unemployed and the Weimar gov.t had to invoke Article 48. The economic issues led to political discontent, and extreme parties were able to secure support.
- By 1932, the Nazi Party had become the largest party in Germany. Hitler was able to appeal to all classes of society. Hitler became chancellor in 1933.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the comming up of the Early Nazi Party
- During the 5 years after WW1 had ended several new parties emerged, one of which being the German worker’s party ( DAP ) founded by Anton Drexler. This was a right-wing, nationalistic party, which stressed the volkisch idea - the notion of pure Germans.
- DAP did have some socialist ideas, wanting a classless society and restriction of company profits. It only had 50 members by the end of 1919.
- Hitler had attended a meeting in September 1919 where he gave a powerful speech, Drexler was so impressed Hitler was then recruited. It was here Hitler found out he was good at Public Speaking
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe what the 25 Point Programme was.
- In February 1920 Hitler and Drexler wrote was became known as the 25 Point Programme. It was a political manifesto that Hitler kept to most of his life. ( the ideas )
- The programme was announced at a meeting in Munich, shortly after the words ‘National Socialist’ were added to the party’s name, making it NSDAP. The party grew rapidly in 1920 & Hitler’s public speaking was to thank for this.
- Hitler’s influence on the party was such that he became its leader in July 1921, developing his own ideas on how the party should be ran. he had the title ‘Fuhrer’, ‘leader’, for him it meant absolute authority. This was the fuhrerprinzip ‘leadership principle’
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe what the SA is and their role in the early growth of the Nazi party
- The political meetings in Munich at this time generated much violence and in order to protect Nazi speakers, protection squads were used.
- These men were organised into the Gymnastic and Sports section which was developed into the sturmabteilung in 1921, led by Ernst Rohm.
- During the period 1921-23 the SA was used to disrupt the meetings of the Social Democratic and Communist Parties, membership grew from about 1.1k in June 1920 to 55k in Nov 1923.
- During this time Hitler’s speeches began to have growing references to the purity of the Aryan race and vitriolic comments about Jews. For Hitler and his supporters, the Jews were becoming a scape goat for all their problems.
Sturmabteilung -> Stormtroopers
Key Note: In Jan 1931, Hitler reappoints Ernst Rohm as SA leader and within a years its membership rose from 100k to 170k
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the events that led to/caused the Munich Putsch
- When economic and political crises of 1923 hit Germany, Hitler decided that the Nazi Party was in a position to overthrow the regional government in Munich and could then march on Berlin.
- After the French occuptation of the Rhur and hyperinflation, Hitler felt that the Weimar Republic could easily be toppled.
- As the Nazi Party had grown in strength and popularity in Munich and Bavaria, Hitler decided his first step would be.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the events of Munich Putsch
- On Nov 8th 1923, Hitler and w Nazis seized the Burgerbraukeller when von Kahr, von Seisser, von Lossow were in a meeting. After they had been held at gunpoint, Hitler won their promises of support for his Putsch.
- The following day von Seisser and von Lossow changed their minds and organised troops to resist Hitler’s planned march through Munich. Hitler went on with the Putsch despite the Nazi’s only having about 2,000 rifles, no match for the army.
- As the 2 forces met, shots were fires and 16 Nazi’s were killed and 4 policemen. The incident was soon over with the Nazi party getting banned and Hitler arrested 2 days later.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the reasons for the Munich Putsch
- As membership of the Nazi party grew, and he became a well-known figure in Bavarian politics, Hitler began to consider the idea of launching himself onto the national scene.
- He had been impressed by the the seizure of power by Benito Mussolini in Italy in 1922. Mussolini had used his private army ( the blackshirts ) to seize power after marching over the capital.
- Hitler knew that he would need the support of the German army and navy if a march on Berlin took place. The gov.t of Bavaria, headed by von Kahr, along with army chief von Lossow had never fully supported the Weimar Repbulic. ( Hitler knew if he could get the support of these men, a march was feasible )
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the events of Hitler’s trial and imprisonment
- On Feb 1924, Hitler and his main supporter Ludendorff were tried for treason ( Lasted a month ). The trial gave Hitler nationwide publicity in which he denied his charge for treason and insisted he wanted to restore Germany’s greatness.
- He attacked Weimer gov.t at every moment possible and used the trial to put forward his political views. The sympathetic judges let him give his long speeches and only gave Hitler 5 years in prison ( minimum sentance ). Even though he only served 9 months.
- Whilst in Landsberg prison he completed his autobiography Mein kampf, in which contained his political views. Hitler had a very easy time in prison and it was believed this was when Hitler decided he was the leader Germany needed.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the Bamberg Conference
- At the Bamberg Conference in 1926, Hitler continued to strengthen his position as leader of the party. Possible rivals such as Gregor Stressor and Josef Goebbles were won over. ( Strasser was made Propraganda leader and Goebbles was made Gauleiter of Berlin )
- Hitler forced Rohm to resign as leader of the SA as he was concerned the SA would continue to be a violent group & he couldn’t guarantee Rohm would follow his orders. New leader of the SA was Ernst von Salomon.
- Hitler then created his own bodyguard unit, the SS. One further change at this time was the introduction of the Hitlerjugend ( Hitler youth ), which was set up to rival other youth groups.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the effects of Hitler’s leadership & electoreal appeal during 1926-28
- By 1926, Hitler became the undisputed leader, and his message was to use endless propraganda to win over voters. The 25 point programme of 1920 was accepted as the corner stone of Nazi Party policy. In 1928, Point 17 was ammended to say privately owned land could be taken if your a jew.
- Before 1928, Hitler tried to win the support of urban voters but now he decided to target the rural voters too. This came at a time when farmers were beginning to experience economic problems & found Nazism attractive.
- The Nazi Party only had 27,000 members in 1925, but this was over 100,000 by the end of 1928. Despite the changes, the Nazi party only won 12 seats in parliment, having owned 32 in 1924. Hitler also began to target peasents as an electoreal group. He also replaced Strasser as Propraganda leader with Goebbles.
- However, it was the events in the USA that propelled the Nazi party to the forefront of politics in Germany.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the impacts on Germany of the depression
- Bankers and financers in the USA now withdrew loans made under the Dawes plan to Germany in 1924. International trade began to contract & Germany exports fell rapidly in the years after 1929. ( Stresemenn had also died this year, making many Germans lose hope )
- Unemployment continued to rise and by 1932, over 6million Germans were unemployed. If a political party could offer clear and simple solution to the economic problems, it would readily win votes. The workers wanted jobs and the middle calss feared a revolution.
- The German Communist Party was growing and, like the Nazis, promised a way out of the depression.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the impact of the depression on the Weimar government.
- March 1930, Chancellor Muller was replaced by Heinrich Bruning, Bruning did not have a majority as Consitution demanded, and he relied on President Hindenburg using Article 48. From this point on, the Reichstag was used less frequently.
- Since Bruning did not have a majority in the Reichstag, he called for an election in Sep 1930. It was this election that gave the Nazi’s their breakthrough. They won 107 seats while the SPD won 147.
- Bruning’s reduction of gov.t spending served to help him lose support & being nicknamed the “hungry chancellor”. Bruning was also blamed for foreigner withdrawing assests from Germany.
- Bruning was unable to win support for his policies so he resigned May 1932. During his time as Chancellor, the Nazi Party were gaining support through elections. This led to Hitler becoming chancellor in Jan 1933
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe how;
A) The use of Propraganda
B) Success in elections
contributed the to growing support for the Nazi’s
A) Propraganda: 1929-33
- Some ways were by; having mass rallies, placing posters in prominent places and displaying banners whenever possible so that the Nazi’s appeared to be everywhere.
- Goebbels ensured the Nazi message was simple and repeated frequently. By early 1930s, the Nazis owned 120 daily/weekly newspapers that were red by hundred of thousands of people.
B) Elections
- During the 1930 election called by Bruning, the Hitler used the increasing unemployment to appeal to all sections of society. The Nazi message was that the Weimar gov.t had caused this crisis and that weak gov.t coaltions had no real solution.
- He went on to say only the Nazi’s could unite Germany in this time.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the March/April presidential election of 1932
- During this election, the Nazi’s were quick to use modern tech. By using the aeroplane, Hitler was able to deliver speeches to 5 cities a day. Goebbles ensured there were mass rallies. The message was spread by films, radio, and even records.
- While Hitler lost the presidential election to Hindenburg, Goebbles presented the presidential defeat as a victory because of the huge vote for Hitler. There was greater success in the Reichstag election in July 1932.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the financial support for the Nazis
- One example of how funds by financial backers were crucial came in 1932, when 600k copies of the economic programme were produced and distributed in the July Reichstag election. Nazi party recieved funds from industrialists like Thyssen & Krupp who were afraid of the communist spread.
- Further more by 1932, the Nazis had begun to develop close links with the National Party ( DNVP ). The DNVP leader, Alfred Hugenburg, was a newspaper tycoon and allowed the Nazis to publish articles which attacked Bruning.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the July presidential election of 1932
- When a general election was called for on 31 July 1932, the Nazis were optimistic about improving the number of votes they had won in the previous election of Sep 1930.
- There was much violence in the run-up to the election. About 100 people were killed and more than 1,125 wounded in clashes between the political parties. On July 17th there were atleast 19 people killed in Hamburg.
- The Nazis won 230 seats and were now the largest party in the Reichstag. However Chanceller von Papen refused to relinquish his post & began to scheme with president Hindenurg.
3. The Nazi rise to power and the end of the Weimar Republic
Describe the role of von Papen & the series of events that led to Hitler becoming chancellor.
- Von Papen dissolved the Reichstag in Sep 1932 & new elections were set for Nov that same year. Von Papen held the opinion that the Nazis were losing momentum so if he held on, they would slowly dissapear. He was correct as the Nazi Party suffered a 34 vote decrease.
- However, von Papen still could not secure a majority in the Reichstag. When von Papen suggest abolishing the Weimar consitution, Kurt von Schleicher, the Minister of Defence, said there might be a civil war if that did happen.
- Von Papen lost Hindenburg’s confidence and resigned. He was succeeded by von Schleicher. von Schleicher hoped to attain a majority in the Reichstag by forming a ‘cross-front’, whereby he would bring together different strands from left & right parties.
- Von Papen was determined to regain power and so he met with Hitler in Jan 1933. It was decided Hitler should lead a Nazi-Nationalist gov.t with von Papen as the vice-chancellor. Von Papen was able to convince Hindenburg that a coalition gov.t as Hitler as Chancellor would bring stability to Germany and that he could control Hitler.
4. Consolidation of Power
Describe the actions of Hitler leading up to the Reichstag Fire
- When Hitler became chancellor, there were only two other Nazis in the cabinet out of 12 (Wilhelm Frick and Hermann Goering) so his position was not strong because the Nazis and his allies, the Nationalist Party, did not have a majority in the Reichstag
- Hitler immediately called a general election for 5th March 1933 hoping it would give him a clear majority in the Reichstag; if he controlled parliament then he would be able to make the laws needed to tighten his grip on the nation
- Violence and terror were again seen in this election campaign and there were about 70 deaths in the weeks leading up to voting day
- Hitler received large amounts of money from leading industrialists to assist his campaign
4. Consolidation of Power
Describe the events of the Reichstag Fire
- One week before the election, on 27 February 1933, the Reichstag building was set on fire
- It is not known who started the fire, but the Nazis arrested Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch communist
- Hitler and Goebbels saw this as a great opportunity to exploit and claimed that the communists were about to stage a takeover
- Following the Reichstag fire, Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to sign the ‘Decree for the Protection of People and State’
- This suspended basic civil rights and allowed the Nazis to imprison large numbers of their political opponents
- Communist and socialist newspapers were banned
4. Consolidation of Power
Describe the 1933 election and how Hitler felt about it
- At the election in March 1933, the Nazi party (NSDAP) won 288 seats
- Despite imprisoning many socialists and communists and having all the advantages of media control, the Nazis did not win a majority of votes
- Therefore, a coalition was formed with the National Party, ensuring a majority in the Reichstag
- Even though he had a majority, Hitler was disappointed because he needed two-thirds of the seats in order to change the constitution
4. Consolidation of Power
How did Hitler secure votes for the passing of the Enabling Act?
- SA intimidated members into voting for the act as they entered the chamber
- Communist members were not allowed to vote in the chamber
- Communist Party not counted, thus reducing the overall total and number of votes needed by the Nazis
- Promises to the Catholic Centre Party won their vote (e.g no interference in Catholic schools)
- Absentees from the enabling act were counted as present
4. Consolidation of Power
What was the importance of the Enabling Act?
- The Enabling Act was passed on 23 March 1933 and was the end of the Weimar Constitution and democracy
- It is regarded as the ‘foundation stone’ of the Third Reich and let Hitler secure closer control of Germany
- It resulted in the implanting of censorship and control of the press, the abolition of trade unions and the disbanding of all political parties apart from the Nazi party
- Hitler was in a position to bring German society into line with Nazi philosophy (Gleichschaltung) which would create a truly National Socialist state
- This is how Hitler created a ‘dictatorship’
4. Consolidation of Power
How did trade unions change as a result of the Enabling Act?
- On 2 May 1933, all trade unions were banned
- Nazis said that a national community had been created, therefore these organisations were no longer needed
- The Labour Front (DAF) was set up to replace trade unions as well as employers’ groups
- Wages were decided by the Labour Front and workers received work books which recorded their employment history
- Strikes were outlawed and any dissenters would be sent to concentration camps for ‘political re-education’
- The first concentration camp opened at Dachau in March 1933
4. Consolidation of Power
How were political parties affected by the enabling act?
- The communist party (KPD) had been banned after the Reichstag fire and its property had been confiscated
- On 10 May, the Social Democratic Party had its headquarters, property and newspapers seized
- Remaining political parties disbanded themselves voluntarily at the end of June and beginning of July 1933
- On 14 July 1933 the Law Against the Formation of Parties was passed, which made the Nazi party the sole legal political party in Germany
- In the November 1933 general election, 95.2 percent of the electorate voted and the Nazis won 39,638,000 votes
4. Consoldiation of power
How was the state government affected by the enabling act?
- Hitler broke down the federal structure of Germany
- There were 18 Länder and each had its own parliament
- During the Weimar period, some of the Länder had caused problems for the President because their political make-up differed and they refused to accept decisions by the Reichstag
- President Ebert had issued more than 130 emergency decrees to overrule some of the Länder
- Hitler decided that they would be run by Reich governors and their parliaments were abolished in January 1934, centralising the country for the first time since its creation in 1871
4. Consoldiation of power
Describe why the Night of the Long Knives happened
- Hitler needed the support of the army so had to remove the leaders of the SA, so in his first months of chancellorship, Hitler saw the SA as a significant threat
- Rohm, leader of the SA, wanted to incorporate the army into the SA and was disappointed by Hitler’s close relations with industrialists and army leaders
- Rohm wanted more government intereference in the running of the country to help ordinary German citizens and wanted to move away from Germany’s class structure
- There was further tension for Hitler as his personal bodyguard, the SS, led by Heinrich Himmler, wished to break away from the SA.
- Head of Gestapo, Hermann Goering, wanted to leade the armed forces and saw an opponent in Rohm.
4. Consoldiation of power
Describe the events of the Night of the Long Knives
- Following information from Himmler that Rohm was about to seize power, Hitler had to make a choice between the SA and the army; he chose the army
- On the night of 30 June 1934, Rohm and the main leaders of the SA were shot by members of the SS
- Hitler took the opportunity to settle some old scores - von Schleicher was murdered along with Gregor Strasser who was a key figure among Nazis with socialist views similar to Rohm’s
- About 400 people were murdered in the purge
4. Consoldiation of power
What was the impact of the Night of the Long Knives?
- The Night of the Long Knives is often seen as a turning point for Hitler’s rule in Germany
- He eradicated would-be opponents and secured the support of the army
- The SA was relegated to a minor role and , if there had been any doubt about Hitler’s rule, it was now clear that fear and terror would play significant roles
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
What was the unemployment situation when Hitler became Chancellor?
- By January 1933, when Hitler became chancellor, Germany had experienced more than three years of depression with unemployment reaching 6 million
- Hitler had appealed to the unemployed and promised to create jobs if he was elected where he introduced a series of measures to reduce unemployment
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
What was the National Labour Service Corps?
- Known as the RAD
- Was a scheme to provide young men with manual labour jobs
- From 1935 it was compulsory for all men aged 18-25 to serve with the RAD for six months
- In 1939, the RAD was extended to women
- It was intended to ‘educate German youth in the spirit of National Socialism and to acquire a true conception of work, above all a respect for manual labour’
- Workers lived in Labour Service camps, wore uniforms, received very low pay and carried out military drills as well as work
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
How did Hitler tackle unemployment apart from the RAD?
- At first Hitler spent millions on job creation schemes, with costs rising from 18.4 billion Reichsmarks to 37.1 billion five years later
- The Nazis subsidised private firms, especially in the construction industry
- They also introduced a massive road-building programme to provide Germany with 7,000km of autobahns, as well as construction of hospitals, schools and houses
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
What was invisible unemployment?
The Nazis used immoral methods to keep unemployment figures down. The official figures did not include:
- Jews dismissed from their jobs
- Umarried men under 25 who were pushe into National Labour Service schemes (like RAD)
- women dismissed from their jobs or who gave up work to get married
- opponents of the Nazi regime held in concentration camps
By 1939, the official figures said that only 35,000 male workers were listed as unemployed out of a workforce of 25 million
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
How did Hitler rearm Germany?
Hitler was determined to rebuild the armed forces in readiness for future war which greatly reduced unemployment:
- The reintroduction of conscription in 1935 took thousands of young men into military service. Army grew from 100,000 in 1933 to 1,400,000 by 1939
- Heavy industry expanded to meet the needs of rearmament. Coal and chemical usage doubled in years 1933 to 1939; oil, iron and steel usage trebled
- In 1933, 3.5 billion marks were spent on rearmament which increased to 26 billion marks by 1939
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
What was the German Labour Front (DAF)?
- On 2 May 1933, to avoid the possibility of strikes and other industrial action, the Nazis banned all trade unions
- They were replaced by the German Labour Front under its leader, Robert Ley. DAF became the largest organisation in Nazi Germany and had 22 million members by 1939….
- DAF included employers and workers and was supposed to represent the interests of both
- All strikes were banned and wages were decided by the Labour Front
- Workers were given relatively high wages, job security, and social and leisure programmes
- In theory DAF membership was voluntary, but any worker in any area of German commerce or industry would find it hard to get a job without it
- Membership was 15 pfennig to 3 Reichsmarks depedning on occupation
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
Describe the Volkswagen scheme?
- In 1938, the German Labour Front (DAF) organised the Volkswagen (people’s car) scheme, giving workers an opportunity to subscribe five marks a week to buy their own car
- Was stated by the Labour Front said that, when complete, they would outproduce cars per year over Ford in the USA.
- By the end of 1938, more than 150,000 people had ordered a car and they were told to expect delivery in 1940
- This was a swindle as not a single customer took a delivery because production was shifted to military vehicles in 1939. None of the money that had been contributed was refunded
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
What was strength through joy (KdF)?
- was set up by the German Labour Front to replace trade unions
- the KdF tried to improve leisure time of German workers by sponsoring a wide range of leisure and cultural trips
- these included concerts, theatre visits, museum tours, sporting events, holidays and cruises
- About 10 million people went on KdF holidays in Germany iin 1938. All were provided at low cost, giving ordinary workers access to activities normally reserved for the richer
- Beauty of work was a department of the KdF that tried to improve working conditions
- It organised the building of canteens, swimming pools and sports facilities as well as better lighting in the workplace
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
What political, economic and social progress had women made in Germany society during the 1920s?
Political Progress:
- Women over the age of 20 were given the vote and took an increasing interest in politics. By 1933 one-tenth of the members of the Reichstag were female
Economic Progress:
- Many women took up careers in the professions, especially the civil service, law, medecine and teaching
- Those who worked in the civil service earnt the same as men.
- By 1933 there were 100,000 women teachers and 3,000 doctors
Social Progress:
- Socially, women went out unescorted, drank and smoked in public. were frequently slim and fashion conscious
- They often wore relatively short skirts, had their hair cut short and wore make-up
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
What were the Nazi ideals of the role of women and their appearance?
- did not wear make-up
- was blonde, heavy-hipped and athletic
- wore flat shoes and a full skirt
- did not smoke
- did not go out to work
- did all the household duties, especially bringing up children
- took no interest in politics
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
How did marriage and family change under the Nazis?
Nazis were very worried by declin in birth rate. In 1900 there had been more than 2 million live births per year but this was only 1 million in 1933…
- A massive propaganda campaign was launched to promote motherhood and large families.
- In 1933 the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage was introduced. This aimed to increase Germany’s falling birth rate by giving loans to help young couples to marry. Couples were allowed to keep one quarter of the loan for each child they had up to four children
- On Hitler’s mothers birthday (August 12) medals were awarded to women with large families
- In 1938 the Nazis changed the divorce law - a divorce was possible if a husband or wife could not have children which was seen as worthless to the Nazis
- Set up Lebensborn programme where specially chosen unmarried women could ‘donate a baby to the Fuhrer’ by becoming pregnant by a ‘racially pure’ SS man.
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
How did work change under the Nazis, especially for women?
- Instead of going to work, women were asked to stick to the ‘three Ks’: Kinder, Kuche, Kirche - ‘children, kitchen, church’
- Nazis had been elected partially because they promised more jobs. Every job left by a woman returning home became available for a man so women doctors, civil servants and teachers were forced to leave their jobs and schoolgirls were discouraged from going onto higher education
- From 1937, the Nazis had to reverse these policies as Germany was rearming and men were joining the army
- They abolished marriage loans and introduced a compulsory ‘duty year’ for all women entering employment
- This change of policy was not very successful as by 1939, there were fewer women working than there had been under the Weimar Republic
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
How did Hitler control education?
Textbooks:
- These were rewritten to fit the Nazi view of history and racial purity
- All textbooks had to be approved by the Ministry of Education and Mein Kampf became a standard text
Teachers:
- School teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler and join the Nazi Teachers’ League
- By 1937, 97 per cent of teachers had joined
- The teachers had to promote Nazi ideals in the classroom and many were dismissed if they did not show that they were committed to Nazism
- By 1936, 36 per cent of teachers were members of the Nazi party
Lessons:
- These began and ended with the students saluting and saying ‘Heil Hitler’.
- Nazi themes were presented through every subject
- Maths problems dealt with social issues, geography lessons were used to show how Germany was surrounded by hostlie neighbours, in history they were taught about the evils of comunism and the ToV
Curriculum:
- 15 per cent of time devoted to physical education, with boys the emphasis was on preparation for the military
- Students were taught that Aryans were superior and should not marry inferior races such as Jews
- New subjects such as race studies were introduced to put across Nazi ideas on race and population control
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
What was the Hitler Youth movement?
- Nazis wanted to control the spare time of the young which was achieved through the Hitler Youth
- Young people had to be converted to Nazi ideals such as obedience, following the Fuhrer, placing the nation first and strengthening racial purity of the nation
- If young people were indoctrinated in all parts of life (free time, leisure, education etc.) they would become loyal and committed followers of Hitler and would not criticise Nazi life
- All other youth organisations were banned and by 1939 there were 7 million Hitler Youth members
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
What was the Nazi treatment of Jews?
- Hitlers central policy was to create a pure German state which meant treating all non-German groups, especially Jews, as second-class citizens
- Theory based on the idea of the ‘master race’ (Herrenvolk) and the ‘subhumans’ (Untermenschen)
- Nazis believed that the Germans were pure Aryan descent - from the ‘master race’. Were shown in art as blond, blue-eyed, tall, lean and athletic
- Jews and Slavs on the other hand were ‘subhumans’ with Jews portrayed as evil moneylenders. Jews were regarded as an evil force and was convinced in their involvement in a world conspiracy to destroy the world
- Hitler believed he could achieve a pure Aryan state by selective breeding and destroying the Jews
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
Why were Jews persecuted?
1)
- Hitler wanted to create a ‘pure’ racial state. This did not include the 500,000 Jews who were living in Germany and he wanted to eliminate them
- until the beginning of WW2 a great deal of Nazi Jewish policy was uncoordinated
2)
- Hitler had spent several years in Vienna where there was a long tradition of anti-Semitism. He resented the wealth of many Viennese Jews and in the 1920s he used the Jews as scapegoats for all society’s problems
- This included WW1, hyperinflation in 1923 and the Depression of 1929
3)
- Jews had been persecuted throughout history as they stood out wherever they were in Europe with different religions and customs
- Christians blamed Jews for the execution of Christ and argued Jews should be punished forever
- Some Jews became wealthy moneylenders which increased resentment of them
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
What was Anti-Semitism in schools like?
- Persecution of Jews did not begin immediately with Hitler needing to ensure that he had the support of most of the German people for his anti-Semitic policies achieved through schools
- Young people were especially encouraged to hate Jews, with school lessons and textbooks putting across anti-Semitic views
- With textbooks controlled by the Ministry of Education, the government was able to put anti-Semitic material into every classroom
- In addition laws were introduced to limit Jewish influence in education
- In October 1936 Jewish teachers were forbidden to privately tutor German children
- In November 1938 Jewish children were expelled from German schools
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
Describe the aftermath of Kristallnacht
Hitler officially blamed the Jews themselves for having provoked attacks and used Kristallnacht as an excuse to step up the campaign against them with the following he decreed:
- The Jews to be fined 1 billion Reichsmarks as compensation for the damage caused
- Jews can no longer own or manage businesses or shops or employ workers
- Jewish children can no longer attend Aryan schools
Persecution continued in 1939:
- In January the Reich Office for Jewish Emigration was established with Reinhard Heydrich as its director. The SS now had the responsibility for removing Jews from Germany completely
- In the following months Jews were required to surrender precious metals and jewellery
- On 30 April Jews were evicted from their homes and forced into designated Jewish accommodation called ghettos
- In September, Jews were forced to hand in their radio sets so they could not listen to foreign news
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
Describe the measures taken against the Jews
Timeline from 1933-1938, quite laungustine
1933:
April - SA organised a boycott of Jewish shops and businesses, painting ‘Jude’ on windows and tried to persuade the public not to enter
May - A new law excluded Jews from government jobs. Jewish books burnt
September - Jews banned from inheriting land
1934:
- Local councils banned Jews from public spaces such as parks, playing fields and swimming pools
1935:
May - Jews were no longer drafted into the army
June - Restaurants closed to Jews all over Germany
September - Nuremburg Laws were a series of rules aimed against Jews passed on 15 September. This included the Reich Law on Citizenship, which stated only German blood could be German citizens
- The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour forbade marriage or sexual relations between Jews and German citizens
1936:
April - professional activities of Jews were banned/restricted including vets, dentists, accountants, surveyors, teachers and nurses
July-August - deliberate lull in anti-Jewish campaign as Germany was hosting the Olympics and wanted to give a good impression
1937:
September - For the first time in two years Hitler publicly attacked the Jews. More and more Jewish businesses taken over
1938:
March - Jews had to register their possessions, making it easier to confiscate them
July - Jews had to carry identity cards. Jewish doctors, dentists and lawyer forbidden to serve Aryans
August - Jewish men had to add the name ‘Israel’ to their names and women had to add ‘Sarah’
October - Jews had the red letter ‘J’ stamped on their passports
November - Kristallnacht. Jewish children were excluded from schools and universities
5. Nazi economic, social and racial policy
Describe the events of Kristallnacht (9 November 1938) and 1939
- On November 8 1938, a young Polish Jew, Herschel Grynszpan, walked into the German Embassy in Paris and shot the first official he met whilst protesting against the treatment of his parents in Germany
- Josep Goebbels used this as an opportunity to organise anti-jewish demonstrations involving attacks on Jewish shops, homes and synagogues across Germany
- Known as ‘the Night of the Broken Glass’ as so many windows were smashed
- About 100 Jews were killed and 20,000 sent to concentration camps and about 7500 Jewish businesses were destroyed
- Many Germans were disgusted at Kristallnacht so Hitler and Goebbels were anxious that it should not be seen as the work of the Nazis.
6. Terror and persuasion
What is the role of the SS (Schutzstaffel)?
- SS had been formed in 1925 to act as a bodyguard unit for Hitler and was led by Heinrich Himmler after 1929
- Himmler built up the SS until it had established a clear identity with members wearing black
- They showed total obedience to the Fuhrer and by 1934 the SS had more than 50,000 members who were fine examples of the Aryan race
- After the Night of the Long Knives, the SS became responsible for the removal of all opposition to the NAzis within Germany
- Membership rose to 250,000 by 1939
6. Terror and persuasion
What was the role of the Gestapo?
- The Gestapo (Secret State Police) was set up in 1933 by Goering and in 1936 it came under the control of the SS
- Was supervised by Himmler’s deputy ,a formal naval officer, Reinhard Heydrich
- By 1939, the Gestapo was the most important police section of the Nazi state and their presene was all-pervading, being allowed to arrest anyone who opposed the state
- It had been estimated that, by 1939, there were about 160,000 people under arrest for political crimes
6. Terror and persuasion
What was the role of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD)?
- Set up in 1931 as the intelligence body of the Nazi Party under the command of Heinrich Himmler
- Himmler appointed Reinhard Heydrich to organise the department
- Main aim of the SD was to discover actual and potential enemies of the Nazi Party and ensure they were removed
- The SD attracted many professionals and highly educated people such as lawyers, economists and professors of politics
6. Terror and persuasion
What were concentration camps like pre-WW2?
- As soon as the Enabling Act had been passed, the Nazis established concentration camps to confine those who they deemed political, ideological and racial opponents
- At first they were used to detain political opponents including communists, socialists, trade unionists and others with left wing and liberal political views
- In 1939 there were more than 150,000 people under arrest for political offences
- Prisoners forced to work in quarries, building, coal mines and armament factories with camp inmates being underfed and treated with great brutality, with mortality rates being very high
- If someone was killed at a concentration camp, their family was sent a note saying they died of a disease and that they were shot trying to escape
6. Terror and persuasion
What were the different categories of prisoners in concentration camps?
Prisoners were classified into different categories and each one was denoted by a different coloured triangle which had to be worn. these groups were:
Religious groups- known as the Bibelforscher ; included Catholics and Protestants who opposed the Nazi regime
Political prisoners - included Communists, members of other political parties and trade union leaders
Foreign forced labour groups - Non-German ethnic groups who were seen as a threat to the Nazi regime
The ‘work-shy’ - included anyone unwilling to work, as well as Gypsies, the homeless and alcoholics
Sexual offenders and professional criminals
Jews - regularly rounded up but in much greater numbers after Kristallnacht
6. Terror and persuasion
How did the Nazis control the legal system?
- Hitler wanted to make sure that all laws were interpreted in Nazi fashion
- The law courts therefore had to experience Gleichschlatung, just as any other part of society
- Some judges were removed and all the rest had to become members of the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of Law which meant Nazi views were upheld in court
- In October 1933 the German Lawyers Front was established and there was more than 10,000 members by the end of the year, Lawyers had to swear they would ‘strive as German jurists to follow the course of our Fuhrer to the end of our days’
- In 1934, a new People’s Court was established to try cases of treason where the judges were loyal Nazis
- Judges knew that the Minister of Justicewould check to see if they had been lenient and Hitler could alter sentences if he felt they were soft
6. Terror and persuasion
How did Goebbels use radio as a propaganda tool?
- All radio stations were placed under Nazi control and cheap mass-produced radios were sold and could be bought on instalments
- By 1939, about 70 per cent of German families owned a radio
- Sets were installed in cafés, factories, schools and offices with loudspeakers placed in streets
- It was important that the Nazi message was heard by as many people as possible as often as possible
- The People’s Radio lacked shortwave reception making it difficult for Germans to listen to foreign broadcasts
6. Terror and persuasion
How did the Nazis use rallies as a propaganda tool?
- An annual mass rally was held at Nuremburg to advertise the power of the Nazi state and spectacular parades were held on other special occasions such as Hitler’s birthday
- Local rallies and marches were held by the SA and the Hitler Youth
- Nuremburg rallies would last for several days and attracted almost 1 million people each year
6. Terror and persuasion
How did Nazs use posters and books as propaganda tools?
Posters:
- Posters were cleverly used to put across the Nazi message and many especially targeted at the young
- They were to be seen everywhere and messages were simple and direct
Books:
- All books were carefully censored to put across the Nazi message
- Encouraged by Goebbels, students in Berlin burnt 20,000 books written by Jews, communists and anti-Nazi university professors in a massive bonfire in Berlin May 1933
- Similar burnings in other cities across Germany that year
- German writers such as Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht went into self-imposed exile rather than live under the Nazis
- About 2,500 writers left Germany in the years to 1939
6. Terror and persuasion
How was art and architecture censored by the Nazis?
Art:
- Hitler hated modern art which he believed was backward, unpatriotic and Jewish with such art being called ‘degenerate’ and being banned
- Hitler encouraged art which highlighted Germany’s past greatness and the strength and power of the Third Reich
Architecture:
- After 1934 it was decided that all new public buildings had to have sculptures which demonstrated Nazi ideals
- Hitler encouraged the ‘monumental style’ of the greeks and romans as he said the Jews had not ‘contaminated’ it.
7. Hitlers foreign policy aims
Describe Hitler’s foreign policy aims
Reverse ToV:
- Hitler had never accepted the terms of the ToV and had promised to restore the lands lost in 1919 as well as build up German armed forces
Unite all German-speaking people:
- The ToV had denied Germany national self-determination
- Hitler wanted to create a ‘Greater Germany’ (Grossdeutschland) by uniting all Germans into one homeland
- For example, there were Germans living in the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia
Lebensraum:
- German word for ‘living space’
- ‘Greater Germany’ would have a population of 85 million and would have insufficient lands, food and raw materials
- Germany would have to expand in the east to take over Poland and West Russia
Anschluss:
- Hitler supported the Anschluss (union) with Austria which had been forbidden by the ToV
Destroy communism:
- Hitler wanted to destroy the USSR as he hated communism
- He believed that the communists had helped bring about the defeat of Germany in WW1
- He was also convinced that Stalin wanted to take over Germany
7. Hitlers foreign policy aims
How did the League of Nations show its weakness in 1933?
- LoN seen as weak after its failure to stop Japanese aggression in Manchuria
- Hitler saw how slow the LoN was to react to inernational aggression and how Japan dealt with criticisms from the LoN
- In spite of condemnation by the LoN, Japan simply decided to leave the organisation completely showing the powerlessness of the LoN
- Moreover Hitler knew that in Britain many people and politicians still felt that Germany had been harshly dealt with by the ToV
- Therefore if he challenged the ToV there was a good chance he would not face a great deal of opposition
7. Hitlers foreign policy aims
Describe The Disarmament Conference 1932-34
- In 1932, representatives of 60 nations met to discuss ways in which their countries might disarm and thus reduced the chance of war
- Conference failed to achieve anything because of the differences between France and Germany.
- Germany insisted that every country to disarm their armed forces to match those of Germany
- When the French refused to cooperate, Hitler withdrew from the conference
- This placed Hitler in a strong position to rearm on the grounds of equality with other nations
- During 1933, Hitler announced that the German peacetime army would eventually be 300,000 and set up a new Air Ministry to train pilots and build 1,000 aircraft
7. Hitlers foreign policy aims
Describe the Non-aggression Pact with Poland January 1934
- By making a Non-aggression Pact with Poland, Hitler showed that he had peaceful intentions in Europe
- He promised to accept the borders of Poland even though some German territory had been given to Poland as a result of the ToV
- Encouraged improved trading between the two countries
- The pact split Britain and France because France had a pact with Poland to have a common foreign policy whereas Britain saw it as Hitler having peaceful intentions
7. Hitlers foreign policy aims
Describe the attempted Anschluss with Austria 1934
- In 1934, Hitler suffered a setback in his Anschluss with Austria
- He was born in Branau Inn in the former Austro-Hungarian empire so saw union with Austria as a natural foreign policy
- The Austrian Chancellor, Dollfus, outlawed the Austrian Nazi Party as he wanted Austria to keep its independence
- In response, the Nazi party attacked radio stations in Vienna and forced the staff to broadcast that Dollfuss had resigned. They then assassinated him and tried to seize power
- This failed as Hitler was concerned about Mussolini and how he considered Italy as a guardian of Austria
- Mussolini moved 100,000 troops to the Austrian border in order to stop the takeover
- As a result, Hitler was forced to deny having any connection with the assassination of dollfuss
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the return of the Saarland, January 1935
- Following the terms of the ToV, a plebiscite was held in the Saarland 13 January 1935
- The Saar, which had been administered by the LoN since 1920, voted 477,000 to 48,000 to rejoin Germany
- On 1 March 1935 the Saar officially became part of Germany once again
- The result was pleasing for Hitler as it showed him that there was support for his ideas of uniting all Germanic people by free will and gave him encouragement to continue with his foreign policy aims
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe how conscription was reintroduced and rearmamment took place in 1935
- In March 1935 Hitler felt confident enough to announce that he was renouncing the terms of the ToV which dealt with disarmament
- Conscription was reintroduced and the army, navy and airforce were all built up opnely
- The Wehrmacht (army) was to have 550,000 men
- Hitler said he was building up his forces as an act of self-defence as France and the Soviet Union were building up their forces
- These policies made Hitler popular within Germany as jobs were created and people could see Germany becoming a strong nation again
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the Stresa Front, April 1935
- German rearmament alarmed European powers, especially France
- In a move to restrict German rearmament, France Italy and Britain met at Stresa, a town in Italy
- Here, they formally protested against Hitler’s plans to reintroduce conscription and agreed to cooperate among themselves to maintain peace in Europe
This show of unity, known as the Stresa Front, was short lived due to the:
- Anglo-German Naval Treaty of June 1935 where Britain allowed Germany to build a fleet up to 35 per cent of the size of Britain’s and the same number of submarines. Britain was accepting Hitler’s breach fo the ToV and broke the united front established at Stresa
- Anglo-French reactions to the Italian invasion of Abyssinia in October 1935. The invasion finally destroyed all cooperation between France, Italy and Britain
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the Rhineland in 1936
- Rhineland had been demilitarised under the ToV, with allied troops occupying the area for 15 years, or longer if necessary.
- Allied troops withdrew from the Rhineland in 1935 and in the followinf March Hitler reoccupied it
- On March 7 1936, Hitler denounced the Locarno Pact and re-occupied the Rhineland
- This was a gamble by Hitler, whow as convinced that neither Britain nor France would challenge his actions as they were preoccupied with the Abyssinian crisis
- Hitler committed virtually his entire trained military forces to the re-occupation and commanders carried sealed orders that told them to retreat if opposed
- This gamble succeeded. The reoccupation of Rhineland convinced Hitler that Britain and France were unlikely to act against further agression
7. Hitlers foreign policy
What were the results of the re-occupation of the Rhineland?
- Success of the Rhineland action improved Hitler’s popluarity in Germany. A referendum was held asking the German people to approve for the re-occupation
- Of the 99 percent of the electorate that voted, 98.8 per cent voted in favour
- The threat posed by Germany made it vey difficult for Britain and France to deal effectively with the Abyssinian Crisisas they feared taking action against Mussolini would only draw him closer to Hitler
- The success of the re-occupation encouraged Hitler to challenge the ToV even more
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the Rome-Berlin Axis
- In October 1936, Italy and Germany signed whar became known as the Rome-Berlin Axis in which they agreed to wokr together on matters of mutual interest
- Mussolini was keen on closer relations with Germany after Anglo-French opposition to the Italian invasion of Abyssinia
- The Axis was an agreement to follow a common foreign policy to stop the spread of communism in Europe
- The Axis was strengthened by an interchange of visits by Hitler and Mussolini in 1937 and 1938
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the Anit-Comintern Pact
- In November 1936, Hitler signed a treaty with Japan, known as the Anti-Comintern Pact, referring to ‘Communist International’, an organisation set up in Russia in 1919 to support the spread of communism.
- A year later, in November 1937, Mussolini joined the Pact
- The main aim of the pact was to limit communist influence around the world, more especially that of the Soviet Union
- However, it provided scope for much closer relations between Germany, Japan and Italy and encourage further Japanese expansion into China
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the Hossbach Memorandum
- With self-confidence after the achievement in the Rhineland, Hitler met his military chiefs in Berlin on 5 November 1937
- The meeting lasted 3 hours and Hitler spoke about his ideas for the future
- His military adjutant, Colonel Hossbach, wrote up the minutes of the meeting five days later from notes and memory where War seemed firmly on the agenda
- The minutes became known as the Hossbach Memorandum
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe why Anschluss 1938 took place
Hitler turned his attention to expansion eastwards, as Hitler was in a much stronger position in 1938:
- He had built up the German armed forces and was encourage by his success in the Rhineland in 1936 as well as the weaknesses and failures of the LoN in Abyssinia
- Mussolini ,who had opposed the Anschluss attempt of 1934, was now an ally of Germany having signed the Rome-Berlin Axis and the anti-Comintern Pact
- Hitler saw that union with Austria was justified under President Wilson’s principle of self-determination (at Versailles, he said that all people of the same language and culture should exist in the same country) with 96 per cent of Austria being German-speaking
- The Nazi party was in a much stronger position in Austria as the new Austrian chancellor, Schuschnigg, had appointed Nazis into his government in return for the shallow promise of Hitler respecting Austrian independance
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the events of the Anschluss 1938
1936-37: Hitler encouraged the Nazi Party in Austria to stir up trouble for the government where they staged demonstrations demanding union with Germany
**January 1938: ** Hitler began to step up his campaign by ordering Austrian Nazis to bomb pubic buildings and stage mass parades
12 February 1938:
- Hitler invited the Austrian Chancellor, Schuschnigg, to Germany to discuss the chaos
- Schuschnigg was bullied into accepting two Austrian Nazis as members of his cabinet and he also had to accept closer economic ties with Germany
8 March 1938: On his return to Vienna, Schuschnigg decided to hold a plebiscite to allows the Austrians to vote on the future of their country
12 March 1938:
- Hitler feared a vote against him so decided to threaten invasion and continued to bully Schuschnigg
- Schuschnigg resigned on 12 March 1938 and was replaced by Arthur Seyss-Inquart, leader of the Austrian Nazis
- The new leader then asked Hitler to send troops to restore order so German troops marched into Austria
13 March 1938: The Anschluss was proclaimed
**April 1938: ** Under the wathcful eye of Nazi troops, 99.75 per cent of Austrians voted in favour of the Anschluss
7. Hitlers foreign policy
What happened as a result of the Anschluss?
- Neville Chamberlain (prime minister) felt that the Austrians and Germans had a right to be united and that the ToV was wrong to separate them
- Most people in Britain did not object because the majority of Austrians seemed pleased with the union
- British and French politicians had followed a policy of appeasement towards Hitler and believed that he had a finite set of reasonable demands all relating to the ToV
- Once again Hitler had got away with breaking the ToV as most European politicians did not have a desire to repeat the horrors of WW1
- Hitler then turned his attention to the Sudetenland, convinced that, once again, Britain and France would accept his demands for this area
7. Hitlers foreign policy
What were Hitler’s aims for the Sudetenland?
- The Sudetenland was a part of Czechoslovakia and contained three million German-speaking people and had been a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire
- It contained almost three-quarters of Czechoslovakia’s industry and some important armament factories
Hitler had several reasons for wanting Czechoslovakia:
- a free and hostile Czechoslovakia would make it impossible for Germany to fight a war in the West, as Hitler would then have a war on two fronts
- he thought that the Soviet Union might invade Germany through Czechoslovakia
- he wanted to acquire valuable welath and resources and create more Lebensraum for German people
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the events of Sudetenland Crisis, April-September 1938
- From April 1938, Hitler ordered Henlein, leader of the Sudeten Nazi Party, to stir up trouble in the area and German newspapers then published reports of atrocities committed against Sudeten Germans by Czech officials
- Because of this ‘crisis’ Hitler said he would support the Sudeten Germans with military force if a solution could not be found
- The Czechs knew that to surrender the Sudetenland would make them defenceless against Germany as all their defences against Germany were in that area
- They also had an alliance with France and believed the French would support them
- Crisis worsened in summer of 1938 and Chamberlain intervened
- The failure of the LoN meant that someone had to try to forge a peaceful solution and Chamberlain saw himself as that person
- Chamberlain attended 3 key meetings in Berchtesgaden, Godesberg and Munich in September with most of the month seeming like war was the outcome
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the Munich Conference
- Chamberlain aksed Mussolini to persuade Hitler to agree to an international conference. Hitler agreed and postponed his planned invasion of the Sudetenland
- Four leaders from Britain, Germany, Italy and France (Chamberlain, Hitler, Mussolini and Daladier) and it was agreed that the Sudetenland would be transferred to Germany and that Czechoslovakia’s new frontiers would be guaranteed by the four powers
- The day after the Munich Conference, Chamberlain met Hitler alone and they agreed an Anglo-German Declaration where the two countries promised never to go to war with each other again and would settle all disputes by talks
7. Hitlers foreign policy
What was the result of the takeover of Czechoslovakia?
- Britain and France immediately ended their policy of appeasement and agreed that they had to stop further German agression
- Taking Czechoslovakia showed that Hitler could not be trusted as he had broken the Munich Agreement. Moreover, the Czechs were not German
- Chamberlain felt aggrieved and slighted that he had been deceived by Hitler. Britain’s rearmament, which had begun in earnest after Munich, now started to accelerate
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the planned invasion of Danzig and the Polish Corridor
- At the end of March 1939, Hitler sent troops into Memel, the Lithuanian town which had been taken from Germany at the end of WW1
- Britain was concerned that Poland might be the next place to be threatened by Hitler following comments about him wanting the return of Danzig and the Polish Corridor
- On 30 March, Britain gave guarantee to safeguard Poland’s borders. Hitler made preparations for the invasion of Poland and Operation White was ready by 11 April with the date for invasion set for 1 September 1939
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the Pact of Steel between Mussolini and Hitler
- In May 1939, Hitler and Mussolini formed the Pact of Steel which turned their friendship into a full military alliance.
- The two countries agreed to assist each other in the event of war and they would plan operations together as well as closer economic cooperation between the two countries
- Hitler seemed to move away from wanting to regain Germany’s lost land in Poland to a position of seeking to destroy them but in order to do this, he needed to secure neutrality of the Soviet Union, the country he hated above all others
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939
- As negotiations betwen Britain and USSR stalled in mid-August, talks between Germany and the Soviet Union began.
- Ribbentrop, Nazi foreign minister, and Molotov, Soviet foreign minister, signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact on 23 August.
Terms of the pact included:
- they agreed not to support any third country if it attacked the other
- Both agreed to consult on matters of common interest
- Promised not to join any alliance aimed at the other
- Agreed (secretly) to both invade and divide Poland
- Soviet Union was allowed to occupy the Baltic states
7. Hitlers foreign policy
Describe the outbreak of war 1939
- On September 1 1939, German troops invaded Poland. The British and French governments decided to honour their obligations to Poland and gave Hitler an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of all troops from Poland
- Hitler did not reply and on 3 September, Britain and France declared war on Germany; this time Hitler had gone too far and had to be resisted
