Hitler and Nazi Germany Flashcards
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
- Germany lost land to Poland, Belgium and France.
- The Rhineland was to be demilitarised
- The union of Germany and Austria, the Anschluss, was forbidden.
- Germany lost all her colonies
- The German army was reduced to 100,000 men
- The German army was not allowed to have tanks or an air force
- Germany had to pay reparations of £6.6 billion to the Allies
- Germany had no choice but to sign Article 231 of the Treaty which said Germany alone accepted the blame for having caused the war
The effects on Germany of the end of the First World War and the Peace Settlement
- Millions killed and injured in WW1
- German national debt tripled during the war
- The British naval blockade of German ports stopped food, fuel and medicine coming into Germany
- flu epidemic killed many thousands of people
- Kaiser Wilheim II (the German dictator during the war) was forced to abdicate after strikes and mutinies had spread across the country
- WWI stopped when the Armistice was signed
German views on Versailles
- Germans thought it was unfair as they had not taken part in the discussions
- Felt tricked and betrayed
- Many Germans hated the politicians that signed the armistice (“November Criminals”) They said these politicians had caused the army to be “stabbed in the back”
- Humiliated and angry due to War Guilt Clause
- German pride was hurt by the reduction in military strength
- Many Germans now lived in other countries due to the territorial clauses
Characteristics of the Weimar Republic
- Germany would be a Republic (have no King or Queen)
- It would be a democracy and all adults 20+ could vote
- A President would be elected every 7 years
- A Chancellor would be chosen by the President
- The Parliament (Reichstag) would be voted for by the German people using Proportional Representation
Every German would have rights such as: - the right to meet in groups,
- freedom of speech
Strengths and Weaknesses of Weimar
Strengths:
- It was democratic, right to vote and proportional representation
- There was a system of checks and balances to make sure the government was fairly run
Weaknesses:
- Coalitions, smaller parties gained seats which meant no single party could gain a majority, made decision making difficult
- Weakness in crisis, coalitions made it hard for laws to be passed in crises
- Based on division and violence as not everyone wanted this system
Spartacist Revolt, 1919
- Spartacists: extreme left communist party
- lead by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.
- Spartacists aimed to start a revolution, destroy the power of the army and to set up a socialist state
- They did not want elections as they believed worker’s voices would be ignored
- Workers in Kiel Naval Base mutinied
- Spartacists attacked people in streets for a week
- Ebert gave far-right militia Freikorps money and arms to stop revolution
- Many Spartacists captured/killed
Beer Hall Putsch, 1923
- Hitler and far-right Nazi party planned to to seize the whole of Germany
- Leading Bavarian politicians including Kahr were meeting at a Beer Hall in Munich
- Hitler and the SA interrupted the meeting, threatened crowd with
violence, fired a shot into the ceiling - Bavarian leaders locked in a back room and forced to publicly announce their support for the Nazis
- Hitler and politicians left, politicians immediately spoke out against the Putsch
- Nazis, led by Hitler and Ludendorff, marched into the centre of Munich, fought police
- Nazis killed, Hitler sentenced to 5 years, only served 9 months
Economic problems of the Weimar Republic
- WWI was very costly for Germany - national debt tripled
- Germany had to pay 6.6 billion under ToV
- Germany failed to make reparations once, in response France invaded the Ruhr
- German workers in Ruhr slowed down work in rebellion
- Ruhr invasion meant Germany lost major money making region
- Weimar government decided to solve the problem by printing more money, leading to hyperinflation
Effects of Hyperinflation
- People had to be paid more than once a day
- Pensioners suffered greatly as their income was fixed
- Life saving became worthless
Benefitors: - People and businesses who had taken out loans could repay them easily
- Farmers could charge more and the value of their land increased
Recovery of the Economy
- Key politician Gustav Stresemann called off passive resistance in the Ruhr, Germany could make money of Ruhr
- This allowed the government to stop printing money
- Stresemann promised to begin reparations payments again, French left the Ruhr
- Stresemann created a new currency called the Rentenmark
- Allies allowed Germany to renegotiate reparation payments, reducing payments
- Germany took large loans from America in new plan
Wall Street Crash
The German economy now heavily relied on American loans so when the Wall Street Crash sent the American economy into meltdown the German economy was pulled down with it, lead to mass unemployed, wage drops
Role of Women
- Nazis encouraged large, Aryan families with housewives and working fathers
- Propaganda encouraged having children, and money and medals were awarded to mothers with many children
- Girls were prepared for motherhood in school through lessons in motherhood, cookery
- Unmarried women were encouraged to find husbands and have kids
Treatment of Jewish Women
- Jewish women were forced from their jobs
- Jewish women were banned from public transport
- Jewish women were prevented from marrying/having kids with Aryan men
- Jewish women lost citizenship
- Jewish women were forced into ghetttos
Treatment of Jews and other minority groups
- Hitler’s Nazi government persecuted many minorities including Jews, Slavs, ‘Gypsies’, Homosexuals
- The Nazis believed in a hierarchy of races.The Aryan (master) race at the top, all others were ‘Untermenschen’
(sub-human) - Jews were attacked and killed in the streets
- Jewish businesses were harassed
- Jewish people were denied
the right to be German citizens under Nuremberg Laws - Jewish children were bullied in schools, eventually denied education
Discontent against the Weimar Republic
- Weimar was blamed for defeat in the war.
- The government (November Criminals) were blamed for signing the hated Treaty of
Versailles and its harsh terms - Criticised for proportional representation voting system which produced weak coalition governments
- The German people felt coalition governments lacked authority/seemed unable to
solve problems facing Germany - Blamed for economic hardships such as hyperinflation
- They were blamed for failing to deal with rising unemployment after the Wall Street Crash
Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis
Hitler as leader:
* Great orator
* Strong and decisive leader
* Speeches inspired people
Popular Policies:
* Nazis to destroy ToV
* Nazis promised to create jobs for the unemployed
* Nazis promised to restore law and order
Party Organisation:
* Nazis’ huge rallies impressed people
Propaganda:
* Posters presented Hitler as Germany’s last hope
Key Nazi Moves to Power
Check what PPs want
Reichstag Fire
- Reichstag set on fire on the 27th of February
- van der Lubbe, Dutch Communist, blamed, trialed, executed
- Hitler blamed Communist conspiracy
- Convinced Hindenburg to pass Decree for the Protection of the People and State
- Gave him power over Germany beyond Constitution
- Arrested over 4k Communists that night
Nüremburg Rallies
- Nuremberg
rallies held in
late August or
early
September, lasted several
days. - Hitler made a speech each year
- Hundreds of thousands of party
members/spectators attended - Nazi brownshirts marched in
formation at the rallies - Nazi symbols were displayed
prominently - rallies were filmed and later shown
in cinemas all over Germany
Removing Opposition
Trade Unions:
* Hitler feared trade unions uprising
* May 1933, trade unions abolished, leaders arrested
Political parties:
* All opposition parties attacked by stormtroopers
* July 1933, Nazi party made all other parties illegal
Local government:
* Hitler couldn’t control regional parliaments
* Jun 1934, regional parliaments abolished, replaced by hand-selected governors
Night of the Long Knives
- June 1934, Hitler used SS to murder many enemies
- Victims included von Schleicher, von Kahr, Ernst Rohm
- Hitler destroyed SA, fearing uprising from Rohm
Characteristics of the Nazi government
- The Führer Principle - there must be a single leader of a single party, holding complete power
- Racism - Germans were the “Master Race” as they were descended from the Aryans and all other races were inferior. All inferior races had to be removed or made slaves of the Master Race
- Lebensraum (living space) - the territorial expansion of Germany was required in order to allow the Master Race to grow
- Autarky - meaning that Germany must be economically self-sufficient and not dependent on goods imported from abroad
Propoganda
- Joseph Gobbels was head of Propoganda
- The Nüremburg Rallies were held
- The 1936 Berlin Olympics demonstrated the power and Nazi Germany, and the superiority of the Aryan race as Germans won many medals
- Posters advertised Nazis’ discipline, control, and strength, and present an idealised version of the Aryan race
- Newspapers were not allowed to print anti-Nazi ideas
- Radios presented Hitler’s speeches to over 70% of German homes
- Films were encouraged to show Nazi ideas
Gestapo
Plain-clothed Nazi secret police. Aimed to silence critics and political opponents of the Nazis. Used torture and inhuman jail facilities, spread fear of dissent across country
SS
Hitler’s private police force. Coul act outside the law. Controlled Concentration Camps
Kristallnacht
- In response to the murder of a German diplomat in Paris by a Jew
- SS looted 700 Jewish shops, killed 36 Jews, burned 200 synagogues
- Jewish community fined 1 billion Reichsmarks in damages
- Thousands of Jews sent to Concentration Camps
Nüremburg Laws
Banned Jews from many things. including:
* Marrying Germans
* Displaying Reich flag
* Becoming citizens
* Forced to carry special identification papers
Opposition to the Nazis
Socialists and Communists:
* Continued to resist despite arrest of leaders and banning of party
* Printed illegal newspapers and pamphlets
* Encouraged workers to resist by slowing down work
Protestant Churches:
* Refused to yield to Hitler’s attempts to control the church
* Criticised Hitler in speeches and writing
Edelweiss Pirates:
* Young teens who formed anti-Nazi gangs, sheltered army deserters and concentration camp escapees
Meuten:
* Groups attempting to destroy Nazi control
Swing Kids:
* Partook in American culture, listening to jazz and wearing American fashion
White Rose:
* distributed anti-Nazi leaflets
Nazi Economic Policies
German Labour Front:
* Nazi replacement to trade unions
* Offered members extra day of holiday
* Forced workers to keep working same job, didn’t listen to worker’s complaints
German Labour Service:
* Required all young people to work for the government for 6 months
* Workers built hospitals, autobahns
* Low wages
Strength Through Joy (KdF):
* Offered cheap holidays e.g subsidised cruises
* Offered activities
* Promised every family a free car
Nazi Military Policies
(might have already answered above)
Effect of Nazi Economic Policies
