Important Nazi and Weimer Germany Flashcards
Locarno Pact
The Locarno Pact, 1925
-Treaty between Germany, France, Britain, Italy, and Belgium.
-Unlike the treaty of Versailles, it was agreed by Germany on equal terms.
-Germany accepted the new border with France, France promised peace with Germany.
-Germany and Allies agreed Rhine land would be permanently demilitarized.
-Made war in Europe less likely.
-Germany was treated as an equal.
The Retenbank
Set up Rentenbank, rentenmark, 1923.
-In Nov 1923, Stresemann set up a new state-owned bank - Rentenbank - issued a new currency - Rentenmark.
-Supply of notes strictly limited.
-Value tied to the price of gold.
-backed up by industrial plants and agricultural land.
-People trusted German money again.
-German money trusted home and abroad.
-Stabilising the economy.
The Dawes Plan
Dawes Plan 1924
-Reparations were reduced temporarily to 50 million a year.
-American banks gave loans to the German industry, between 1924 and 1930 they loaned 25 billion.
-Allies reassured that they were getting their reparations, foreign affairs somewhat settled.
The Young Plan
The Young Plan, 1929
-Further progress with reparations.
-Plan put forward by a committee in 1929, set up by allies, headed by American banker Owen Young.
-Reparations were reduced to 2 billion from 6.6 billion, Germany was given a further 59 years to pay them.
-Government could lower taxes on ordinary people.
-released public spending power - boosted german industry created more jobs, jobs boosted spending power which boosted more jobs. ‘Victorious cycle’.
economic growth.
-Increased confidence of germans in the Weimer Republic, the political situation in Germany was more stable.
Germany Joins the League of Nations
Germany Joining the League of Nations
-New international world body where powerful countries discussed ways of solving the world’s problems without resorting to war. Initially, Germany was excluded.
-In September 1926, Stresseman persuaded great powers to accept Germany as a member.
-Germany was given a place on the League of Nations council, which took the most important decisions of the council.
Kellog-Briand pact
Kellog-Briand Pact
-In August 1928, Germany + 61 other countries signed Kellog Brian Pact.
-The pact promised that states would not use war to achieve foreign policy aims.
-Step forwards in foreign affairs:
Germany is now included amongst main powers, not dictated to by them.
Bamberg Conference
1926
The local power of the Gauleiters was creating a split in the Nazi party
-Strasser Goebbles based in northern, berlin, workers, emphasized the socialist part of National Socialism. Stressed benefits for workers, attacks on businessmen.
-Hitler and other leaders were from southern, more rural areas, and emphasized Nationalism. Stressed strong German states and actions against the hews.
Hitler’s control of the party became clear
-Won Goebbles over to his side, Hitler rewarded Goebble with gauleiter of Berlin instead. Strasser was murdered in 1934.
The Socialist principles of the Nazi Part were weakened,
-He made the socialist wing of the Nazi Part sound more like communists than Nazis.
-He managed to win over Goebbels, who was originally one of the main emphasizers of the socialist part of National Socialism. thus weakening the socialist wing of the nazi party.
-Hitler had more freedom to adopt any policies he liked.
Wall Street Crash
October 1929
- Banking crisis, german banks were major investors in American shares and lost huge amounts of money.
-People worried they could not access money in their accounts.
-People queued to take money out of banks - banks ran out of cash.
-For Example, German CIvil Servants bank went bust in 1929
-banks going bust caused more loss of money.
-Cause collapse of the economy as:
-Banks needed to cash urgently too, and demanded money back from industries, which then had to cut down on production or close down.
-Government failed to assist usefully in recovering the economy.
The Enabling Act
THE ENABLING ACT
-In March 1933, Hitler proposes enabling act for the Reichstag.
-The act said that:
The Reich Cabinet could pass new laws
These laws could overrule the constitution of the Weimer republic.
The laws would be proposed by Chancellor - Hitler.
-On the 24 of march the act was passed with 444 votes to 90.
The Reichstag Fire
27th February, 1933.
The Reichstag Fire was an arson attack on the German parliament in Berlin - the Reichstag building. Hitler used the attack as an excuse to severely curtail civil liberties and restrict the activities of the Communist Party.
Max van Lubbe blammed for it, Hitler said he was working with the communist, managed to ban communist parties and take up their 81 seats, given Hitler a two thirds majority in the Reich stag
Spartacist Revolt
-The Spartacist Revolt, or Spartacist uprising, was an attempted revolution to overthrow the Weimar Republic by an extreme left-wing group called the Spartacists.
-The Spartacist Revolt took place in Berlin.
-WHY
There were 3 key reasons why the Spartacist Revolt occurred:
It took place because Chancellor Ebert sacked the chief of police of Berlin, Emil Eichhorn, on 4th January, 1919.
The workers supported Eichhorn so there were protests.
The Spartacists used this as an opportunity to stage an uprising on 5th January.
They wanted Germany to be run by small councils of soldiers and workers similar to what was set up in Russia in the February Revolution of 1917.
KEY EVENTS
There were 7 main events of the Spartacist Uprising:
-The party launched a bid for power on the 5th of January 1919, led by both Liebknecht and Luxemburg.
-They were soon joined by resentful soldiers and sailors and there was a mass demonstration of 100,000 other workers.
-The Spartacists took over key buildings, including the newspaper and telegraph offices, and the government lost control.
-However, some anti-communist soldiers formed another group called the Freikorps who were not supportive of the Spartacists.
-Ebert made an agreement with the Freikorps, so long as they crushed the Spartacists along with the help of the army.
-The two sides fought on the streets, and there were resulting high losses. The Freikorps were victorious, and Luxemburg and Liebknecht were murdered.
-The Spartacist uprising had failed, however other revolutions soon followed.
Kapp Putsch
WHAT
-The Kapp Putsch was a right-wing uprising against the Weimar Republic.
WHERE
-The Kapp Putsch happened in Berlin.
WHY
-A group of anti-communist ex-soldiers called the Freikorps had grown by 1920 and President Ebert could not control them. In March 1920, the Weimar government announced the Freikorps would be disbanded.
-The leaders of the putsch wanted to take over the country, make the army strong again and then recover the lands Germany had lost in the Treaty of Versailles.
-They wanted their empire once again.
-They deeply resented the Treaty of Versailles for their crippled economy.
-Some wanted the kaiser to return from exile.
KEY EVENTS
-The Freikorps reacted to the government’s disbanding of the group by marching into Berlin with around 5,000 men.
-Members of the army refused to fire on them as they were ex-soldiers.
-The rebels took control of Berlin and they looked to be successful. However, the government was saved by the industrial workers of Berlin who went on strike - as a result, the capital came to a halt.
-With no power, water or resources, it became clear to Dr Kapp that they could not succeed. He fled the country and later died before coming to trial.
The Night of long knives
34, leaders of the SS and the army warned Hitler that Rohm was planning to Seize power.
30 June 1934, arranged a meeting with Rohm and 100 0ther SA leaders, when they arrived they were arrested, imprisoned, and shot.
This event is known as The Night of Long Knives.
