hitler part 1 Flashcards
effects of world war 1
physical:
- farming disrupted
- germans faced starvation
- in their weak condition, civilians were vulnerable to disease
- almost 1 million died from hunger and disease
political:
- many groups thought now was the time to make changes to the way the country was being governed
- left-wing vs right-wing (communes, vs nationalism)
- severe conflicts throughout Germany
- parties on the left and right resorted to violent ,methods to promote their beliefs
psychological:
before the war:
- germans were proud and ambitious for their country
after the war:
- bitter and angry
- looked around for someone to blame for defeat in the war
terms of treaty of versailles
war guilt clause:
- Germany was made fully responsible for the outbreak of the war
- considerable resentment at this
- established Germany’s liability for reparations
military terms
- Germany’s military capability was destroyed — the army being limited to 100,000 men and the navy to six battleships, six cruisers and twelve destroyers, but no submarines.
- Germany was to have no military aircraft
territorial provision
- Germany lost territory of economic importance (up to 20 per cent of coal production and 15 per cent of agricultural resources), as well as territory of symbolic importance
- The Rhineland was to become a demilitarised zone to act as a buffer between France and Germany. It was to be occupied by the Allies for fifteen years.
- The Saar was placed under League of Nations control and its rich coalfields were to be controlled by France.
- The Kiel Canal was opened to warships and merchant ships from all nations
colonial losses
- all German colonies handed over to allies
reparations:
- massive fine for war damages (1 billion marks)
- Germany was to hand over all merchant ships of more than 1,600 tons and a quarter of its fishing fleet
- to build 200,000 tons of shipping a year for the Allies for the next five years
results of treaty of versailles
- Germany still strong diplomatically
- Versailles left Germany humiliated and scarred but it was also left potentially strong
- the treaty left Germany as a united nation state with the potential to regain its status as an important diplomatic power, even in the short term.
- Versailles left Germany as the power most likely to dominate Eastern Europe
- Germany was not weakened as much as many people who opposed the Treaty suggested - psychological damage
- The extent of the damage the treaty inflicted on
Germany as a great power was not as great as
the psychological damage it inflicted on the
national consciousness.
- Germany was humiliated. - stab in the back myth
- powerful myth developed which said that the army had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by weak politicians
- army leaders encouraged this view and said that the army would have fought on to preserve Germany’s honour if only weak politicians and communist revolutionaries had not demanded peace
- suited many germans to believe that Germany never really lost the war
- hidenburg (general) said that the treaty was signed because of the anti-patriotic sentiments of the left-wing politicians (who had founded the Republic)
- myth was very wifely accepted as it was simple, gave many germans an acceptable framework by which they could explain defeat
- myth useful to anti-republican right
- absolved the military from responsibility for their own failings
- they played on popular resentment of the treaty
- resulted in increased support for anti-Versailles parties (nationalist parties)
- Such accusations of treachery gave the anti-Republican right a misplaced belief in the morality of their illegal actions
- caused one of the greatest threats to the Republic’s legitimacy
hyperinflation crisis
- Germans missed a reparation payment late in 1922
- The French believed Germany could make the repayment but were choosing not to, however the German government argued they could not afford to pay. In response, France and Belgium sent troops into Germany’s main industrial area, the Ruhr Valley.
- Their aim was to confiscate industrial goods as reparations payments as they didn’t believe Germany was unable to pay the second instalment.
- They occupied coal mines, railways, steel works and factories – all things that were important to Germany’s economy
- The German government ordered workers to follow a policy of ‘passive resistance’ – refusing to work or co-operate with the foreign troops and in return the government continued to pay their wages.
- The French responded firmly – in the Krupp steel works, workers refusing to take orders were shot at or expelled from the Ruhr region altogether.
- Weimar government decided to print more money to pay the workers in the region, contributing to hyperinflation.
- Germany was already suffering from high levels of inflation due to the effects of the war and the increasing government debt. ‘Passive resistance’ meant that whilst the workers were on strike fewer industrial goods were being produced, which weakened the economy still further.
- In order to pay the striking workers the government simply printed more money. This flood of money led to hyperinflation as the more money was printed, the more prices rose. Prices ran out of control
- led to many uprisings as groups struggled to take power from the government
aims of the nazi party
Socialist - public industries such as electricity and water should be owned by the state.
Nationalist - all German-speaking people should be united in one country; the Treaty of Versailles should be abolished; and there should be special laws for foreigners.
Racist - Jews should not be German citizens and immigration should be stopped.
Fascist - a strong central government and control of the newspapers.
- proclaimed hatred of communism
- self sufficient (economically)
- jews should be destroyed
–> blamed weimar, treaty, jews and promised to get rid of the enemy within who was destroying Germany
nazi growth
1920:
- nazis gather support among extreme nationalists and anti-communists
- they were the only extreme right-wing group in Germany
- seemed to be the most likely to do something in Germany
1923: The Munich Putsch
- Hitler and 600 Asoldiers stormed a public meeting in Munich, Hitler declaring that ‘The national revolution has broken out’.
- The following day Hitler led a march into the centre of Munich only to find their way barred by the police.
- Sixteen Nazis were killed during a brief street battle in which the Nazis were humiliated.
- However, Hitler turned defeat into a kind of triumph.
1924: the trial
- gave him and his comrades a nationwide platform for his beliefs, transforming the whole event into a propaganda coup.
- The sympathy of the judges ensured he received the minimum term of five years’ imprisonment
- He greatly impressed his audience by his eloquence and the strength of his nationalist feelings.
- showed how phenomenal his public speaking skills were
- The trial established his reputation as the natural leader of extreme right-wing nationalist elements throughout Germany.
- The episode convinced Hitler that the Nazis could not come to power by using violence alone.
1924-1929:
- The Weimar government under Gustav Stresemann had presided over a brief period which was dubbed the ‘Golden Years’
- Under Stresemann’s leadership, there were many achievements in which
Germany experienced a sense of revitalization in the areas of the economy and politics.
- In the economic front, Stresemann managed to negotiate for a Dawes Plan to be drawn up which allowed for reparations payment to be made and spread over a longer period, with 800 million marks in loans provided by the US government. –> benefitted German industries and allowed for a speedier recovery in the post-war years.
- In 1928, Germany finally achieved the same levels of production as before the war. Reparations were being paid and exports were on the increase.
- German politics became more stable and the parties that were in favour of Weimar governance did well between 1924 and 1929.
- Stresemann was able to negotiate the Locarno Treaties (1925), guaranteeing ‘not to try to change Germany’s western borders with France and Belgium. In 1926,
Germany was even admitted into the League of Nations
- By the time of Stresemann’s death in 1929, he had even managed to negotiate the Young Plan which reduced the burden of reparations on Germany and which led to the removal of British, French and Belgian troops from the German Rhineland.
- During the Stresemann years (Golden Years), support for the Weimar Government was at an all-time high. political opponents, made little headway in gaining the support of the people.
- During this time ‘out in the cold’, extremist parties such
as the Nazis and the Communists began to regroup and reorganize, waiting for a chance to make their mark at the expense of the Weimar government.
1924-1929:
- change in nazi tactics
- tried to win the support of the working classes.
- discovered that it was their anti-Jewish message which had most appeal among the working classes and they increased their anti-Jewish propaganda.
- tried to win support of middle classes
nazi rise to power, why were they successful?
- impact of Great Depression: people were unemployed, hungry, desperate, turned to extreme political parties offering simple solutions to their problems
- party was well-organised
- skilled leaders at almost every level
- ability to appeal to popularity–> appealed to every sector of Germany society
wealthy businessmen: frightened by the increase in support for the communists, they began ton finance Hitler and the Nazis
● the middle-class: alarmed by the obvious failure of democracy, they decided that the country needed a strong government and gave their votes to Hitler
● nationalists: they blamed the legacy of the Treaty of Versailles and reparations for causing the depression and so lent their support to the Nazis
● rural areas: Nazi support was particularly strong amongst both middle class shopkeepers and artisans, farmers and agricultural labourers - propaganda
- whipped up fear and hatred of communism
- portrayed hitler as Germany’s saviour
- scapegoating jews –> portrayed as sub-human/threat to racial purity and economic future
- flexibility: able to change plans and policies quickly
hitler’s consolidation of power
reichstag fire and reichstag election
- dutch communists caught red0handed setting recihstag building on fire
- days later 44% of population voted for nazis in the election
- not overall majority but enough seats
- hitler used the fire to persuade hidenburg to apps an emergency law restricting personal liberty (police had the power to arrest people and hold them as long as they wanted, thousands who opposed nazi party arrested)
- nazis claimed that this was the start of a communist plot to take over Germany
- enabled him to imprison many communist leaders –> stopped them from campaigning in elections
enabling act
- hitler had the right to make laws without the reichstags approval for 4 years
- had already banned communist deputies
- used police and SA to put pressure and intimidate remaining non-nazi deputies
- able to get 2 3rds majority
- could immediately pass laws
- hitler had absolute power to make laws, could destroy all opposition to his rule
- removed recihsyag as a source of opposition
political parties banned
- only nazi party allowed to exist
- Germany became a one-party state –> destroyed democracy in the country
- removed all other parties as a source of opposition
night of the long knives
- SS murdered around 400 members of SA, including leader Ernst Rohm
- SA became bigger than German Army, demanding that nazi carry out its socialist agenda and that Sa take over the army
- Nazis felt threatened
- Goering, Goebbels, Himmler convinced Hitler that SA was a danger
- hitler could not afford to annoy the army, were not subject to his authority yet, still needed their suport
- destroyed all opposition to hitler within nazi party
hitler became fuhrer
reasons for success
circumstance
- failure of weimar
- effects of war
propaganda
- effective and memorable
skill
- knew how to appeal to popularity
- oratorical skills –> ability to speak well
