Nazi Germany

Question 1

Autocracy?

Answer 1

when one figure dictates law and rules. they may be advised, but this can be ignored.

Question 2

Kaiser Wilhelm?

Answer 2

an autocratic leader who was forced to stand down by his own people in November, 1918.

Question 3

Name one example of a democratic Government.

Answer 3

The Weimar Republic.

Question 4

What was Proportional Representation?

Answer 4

The voting system used in the Weimar Republic. It made a strong and decisive Government impossible because —-

Question 5

The Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 5

The peace agreement at the end of World War One. It weakened Germany as it cost Germany——

Question 6

What are “Left Wing” extremists?

Answer 6

Left Wing politics= communism. Left wing politics wanted to see the Weimar Republic fail because—–

Question 7

What are “Right Wing” extremists?

Answer 7

Nationalist Politicians. Extreme nationalists thought the Weimar Republic were failing germany because of how T.O.V weakened germany, the unstable government and the disintegrating economy

Question 8

What was the DAP?

Answer 8

It was a nationalist party made of working people. It was originally led by Anton Drexler and then by Adolph Hitler, who renamed it the Nationalist Socialist Party.

Question 9

What happened during the years of recovery?

Answer 9

In the middle of the 1920s, the threats from extremists to the Weimar Republic declined. During the period 1924-1929, it seemed that democracy might work in Germany.

Question 10

The depression?

Answer 10

Germany dramatically ran out of money between 1929 and 1932, and support for extremists dramatically increased.

Question 11

Name three problems with the new Weimar Republic.

Answer 11

i. The voting system meant that every Political Party got a share in running the country, this led to lots of uneasy teaming up of Parties that had not much in common.
ii. There were 29 different Political Parties.
iii. Article 48 meant the President could take charge in an emergency, meaning the chance of a new Dictatorship was built into the constitution of the country.

Question 12

Why did Germans find the Treaty of Versailles humiliating?

Answer 12

i. The Germans were given no say in the Treaty. It was a Dikat - dictated peace. Germany had to accept all blame for WW1, when the reality of the causes was more complex.
ii. Germany felt weak and insecure because of the loss of armed forces and land.
iii. The amount they had to pay back was going to increase poverty and difficulty. The war had already cost Germany billions of pounds.

Question 13

Why was the Treaty of Versailles a challenge to the Weimar government?

Answer 13

i. People thought Ebert/the government were weak for signing it. They believed a strong government would have stood up to the Treaty.
ii. People began to view the armistice, signed in November 1918, differently. All of a sudden it seemed like a bad idea. The amount of people missing the Kaiser increased. The Weimar Government got a new nickname - “The November Criminals”. People felt they had been stabbed in the back by the government signing the Treaty.

Question 14

What were the big challenges faced by the Weimar Government between 1919 and 1923?

Answer 14

A country ruined by war.
Revolutionary mood in the country.
Weak Constitution.
Treaty of Versailles.
Left and Right Wing Uprisings.
Political murders.

Question 15

What happened in the 1919 Spartacist Uprising?

Answer 15

50,000 Communists rose up.

They attempted to capture the government newspaper.

SDP had to use right-wing Friekorps to put them down.

Question 16

What happened in the Kapp Putsch?

Answer 16

Right-wing groups hated the SDP.
Attempts to disband the freikorps was hated.
Wolfgang Kapp rose up but people supported the SDP not him.

Question 17

What political murders were there in the 1920s?

Answer 17

376 murders between 1919 and 1922.

Matthias Erzberger was killed in 1921. He was a “November Criminal”.

Question 18

Why was the Ruhr invaded by France in 1923?

Answer 18

Germany could not keep up with the money it owed France through reparations.

Question 19

What were the consequences of the invasion of the Ruhr?

Answer 19

Workers refused to cooperate with the French.

There was protest and the amount that Germany was producing fell dramatically. The government had to start printing money to pay wages.

Question 20

What did hyperinflation do to Germany?

Answer 20

There was a rush to the shops, as prices changed by the hour.

Savings became worthless. Every class of people was affected.

Question 21

In what year did the DAP publish the 25 Point Plan?

Answer 21

1920

Question 22

Who was the leader of the DAP who Adolf Hitler worked with at first?

Answer 22

Anton Drexler

Question 23

What did the DAP Party eventually become?

Answer 23

The Nazi Party

Question 24

What were two things that the 25 Point for Plan for Germany outlined should happen.

Answer 24

1. Get rid of the Treaty of Versailles.

2. All Jewish people should be expelled from Germany.

Question 25

Why was there an increase in hatred for Jewish people in Germany after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 25

Step 1: The Treaty of Versailles weakened Germany and damaged peoples pride in their country.

Step 2: This made people think differently about the revolution that had got rid of the Kaiser in 1918, maybe the protests should not have happened.

Step 3: Back in 1918, lots of the leaders of the protests against the Kaiser had been Jewish so they became an easy target for blame.

Question 26

How was the Nazi Party formed?

Answer 26

The DAP was one of 29 Political Parties set up in the Weimar Republic.

Adolf Hitler spied on it and ended up speaking at a meeting.

Anton Drexler was impressed with him as a speaker. Hitler ended up working with Drexler and writing the 25 Point Plan, eventually he changed the name of the Party to the Nazi Party and became leader in 1921. He persuaded everyone to give up their right to choose the leader of the Party in 1922.

Question 27

Who were the SA?

Answer 27

The SA were a private army for the Nazi Party, recognisable by their Brown Shirts. Their job was to patrol meetings and beat up opponents of the Nazi Party, opponents like Communists.

Question 28

Why did the Nazis set up two newspapers?

Answer 28

To spread the Nazi message of hatred of the Treaty of Versailles and of Jewish people. The two papers were Der Sturmer and the Peoples Observer.

Question 29

Who was Herman Goerring and General Ludendorff?

Answer 29

Herman Goerring was a World War One hero and deputy leader of the Nazi Party. Ludendorff was a well respected nationalist who was friends with Hitler but not a fully signed up Nazi. In the early 1920s, Hitler thought he would need the support of Ludendorff in order to take control of Germany.

Question 30

Why was the time between 1919 and 1923 particularly bad for politicians?

Answer 30

There were 376 political murders in this time. This included two Weimar Republic Officials: Mathias Ezberger and Waitlar Ratbunan.

Question 31

Name two rebellions against the Weimar Republic.

Answer 31

The Spartacist Uprising- 50 000 people took part in January 1919. It was an attempt to overthrow the WR that failed, led by Rosa Luxembourg.

Kapp Putsch- the attempt to take control of government buildings. It was led by Wolfgang Kapp, involved 400 army officers and was originally successful, as it declared a new Government, but workers went on strike so it failed.

Question 32

Why did Nationalists abhor the treaty of Versailles?

Answer 32

Germany had fought hard for five years in World War One, and had lost thousands of soldiers, so they all expected some kind of positive outcome. TOV felt more like a negative outcome to Germany, as it involved a portion of Germany’s land being given away and 6.6 billion pounds being fined from them as well as the 37 billion pounds they spent on WW1.

Question 33

Name three key facts about Anton Drexler.

Answer 33

• He set up the DAP.
• He was head of the Weimar’s workers party
• Gave the DAP to Hitler for his participation.

Question 34

Name 5 key facts about Adolf Hitler.

Answer 34

• Hitler was a very good soldier who fought in WW1 and also had a job in journalism in his life, which is how he heard about the DAP
• He joined the DAP in 1919, when he was meant to be spying on them
• He helped publish the 25 point plan in 1920, which lead to the DAP growing to 5000 by then.
• He became leader of the DAP in 1921 and was the first person to suggest they name it the Nazis
• He thought that everyone with “Pure” German blood was descended from the Tutonic Knights who were known for being immensely brave.

Question 35

Name 5 factors of the 25 point plan?

Answer 35

• To build up Germany’s armed forces.
• Increase pensions for the elderly
• Nationalise industries
• Only native germans are allowed to stay in the country, no jews or non germans.
• Lebensraum- the plan to expand across new territory to feed and shelter more people.

Question 36

What was on of the first things Stresemann did?

Answer 36

Recognised the need for Germany to be less confrontational. He ordered workers in the Ruhr to stop striking against the French. He wanted the French to begin to see Germany as less of a threat.

This meant that rich raw materials were being produced in the Ruhr once more.

Question 37

Who were the bavarian government?

Answer 37

Certain authorities who just looked after Bavaria. Adolf Hitler tried to get help from the leaders of this as they hated the Weimar Republic.

Question 38

What was the plan for the Munich Uprising?

Answer 38

Because Bavaria was very strong and capable, whilst they also hated the new democracy, Hitler thought they could team up and tried to do this by force.

Question 39

How many German men were lost in WW1?

Answer 39

7 million.

Question 40

What did the treaty of versailles make the German Army reduce themself to?

Answer 40

100 000 men