How did the Great Depression lead to WW2? Flashcards
What was the Great Depression?
The Great Depression was a world-wide economic depression caused by the Wall Street stock market crash in America between 1929 and 1939. It caused mass unemployment and terrible suffering.
What economic effects did the Great Depression have on Weimar Germany?
1) People withdrew their savings from banks, causing some banks to run out of money.
2) Due to German banks demanding their loans back, businesses, farms and industry had less money and had to reduce production or close, leading to job losses.
3) US banks and businesses recalled the loans they had made to Weimar Germany.
4) Between 1929 and 1932, industrial production fell by 40% and world trade dropped by approximately 70%.
5) In 1929, Germany had 1.3 million people unemployed, and 6.1 million by 1933.
6) The government reduced unemployment benefits, which meant people suffered even more.
7) People who had jobs also struggled as taxes were increased to help pay for those who were unemployed. Wages were also cut.
8) Homelessness increased as people could not afford to pay their rent.
9) People’s savings and shares became worthless.
What political effects did the Great Depression have on Weimar Germany?
1) The people blamed the Weimar Republic for the economic problems as they had become dependent on American loans.
2) Heinrich Brüning (Chancellor) struggled to get the different political parties in the Reichstag to pass his laws, as people felt his policies of cutting unemployment benefits and increasing taxes made the situation worse.
3) Bruning asked President von Hindenburg to use Article 48 to pass emergency laws. Approximately 100 decrees were passed between 1931 and 1932.
4) The Reichstag couldn’t agree on how to solve the economic crisis of the Great Depression and by 1932 it was meeting infrequently. Democracy was failing.
5) Extremist parties, Communists (KPD) and the Nazis (NSDAP), increased their share of votes in the September 1930 and July 1932 general elections.
6) Between May 1932 and January 1933, the Weimar government was damaged by political intrigue which allowed Hitler to become chancellor.
7) Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933 due to the Great Depression.
How does the Great Depression lead to WW2?
1) Dictators like Hitler popular because people were suffering from poverty and high unemployment, and were promised solutions for this, through aggressive foreign policy.
2) Other nations were preoccupied with solving their own suffering from the social and economic problems of the Depression, rather than getting involved with foreign affairs, causing less international cooperation.
3 The League of Nations couldn’t manage international conflict, as it could not impose economic sanctions as nations couldn’t afford to harm trade. They also relied on member’s armies as they didn’t have one of their own, but members couldn’t afford the cost of a war.
