Nazis 1933-1949 Flashcards
What led to the Nazis coming to power?
1929 Wall Street Crash
Elites and middle classes losing faith in democracy after coalition governments
“Stabbed In The Back Myth”
Stats on the 1929 Wall Street Crash
By 1932:
6 million unemployed
The economy was 58% the size it was in 1928
How did the 1929 impact Germany
The German economy was built on US loans.
The crash caused the USA to demand their money back from the Dawes Plan
US investors also pulled out of Germany
What led to increased extremism towards the end of Weimar?
Bruning ruling through Article 48, showing that democracy had failed
Details of Bruning’s stint as chancellor
Began in 1930
Ruled a minority government without SPD support
Used Article 48 to force through finance bill despite Reichstag rejecting it
Called for the Reichstag to be dissolved and elections to be called
Dismissed in 1932 after losing Hindenburg’s support
Election results 1930
Nazis 18%
KPD 13%
How many times did Bruning use Article 48?
109
How did Bruning attempt to control the rise in extremism?
1932 ended reparation payments
Banned the Nazis’ SA
How did Schleicher use the Nazis?
As Hitler stood for president in 1932, Schleicher thought he could use the Nazis to get the old elites back into power.
Von Papen appointed as chancellor in 1932
How did Hitler become chancellor?
Schleicher and Strasser tried to take Hitler’s position so that a compromise with the Nazis could be met
Hitler found out and expelled Strasser
Von Papen negotiated a compromise that Hitler would be chancellor and he would be vice
Evidence for how Hitler got into power
Economics:
- 1923 Hyperinflation
- 1929 Wall Street Crash
Opposition
- Stabbed In The Back Myth
Governance
- Coalition governments being vastly ineffective
- Von Papen misjudging and appointing him as chancellor
How did Hitler turn Germany into an authoritarian state?
Reichstag Fire 1933
- Decree for the Protection of the People and State
Enabling Act 1933
- Extended these powers for 4 years
1933
- Trade Unions banned
- Political Parties banned
What did the “Decree for the Protection of the People and State” set out?
Political opponents could be arrested and detained without trial
KPD was banned
SA and SS could do whatever they wanted in suppressing opposition forces
How did the Nazis pass the Enabling Act despite only winning 43% of the vote?
Collaboration with Zentrum and DNVP
When and what was the “Night of the Long Knives”
1934
Hitler ordered the SS to kill key SA leaders and political opponents
85 people died
What was Volksgemeinschaft?
Hitler’s plan for society which saw a race based system, not class divisions
Evidence for Hitler’s racialist society
Blood and Soil
Key Nazi concepts of racial hygiene, eugenics and survival of the fittest
Girls were taught racial theory
Evidence for worsening position of women under the Nazis
Not counted in the employment figures
Married women banned from civil service jobs
Child rearing loans, marriage loans and Cross of Honour of The German Mother all disincentivised women from working
HOWEVER
Many supported returning to traditional roles
Amidst the second world war, women cam back into employment
Evidence for worsened position of the working class under the Nazis
DAF replaced unions and kept wages low
Banning of political parties inhibited their representation
Only skilled workers saw pay rises
Whilst some goods were cheaper, they weren’t at the level of the UK or USA
Evidence for improved position of the working class under the Nazis
Holiday schemes to Norway and Italy for racial workers
Better facilities in factories for workers
More mobility for racial workers under Volksgemeinschaft
Most goods fell in price
Wages were rising faster than costs, making people feel richer
How did the Nazis influence the youth?
Hitler Youth and BDM made compulsory in 1936
School curriculum focused on German history, sports and racial studies
Boys taught military skills
Girls taught homemaking and racial studies
How did the Nazis enforce the terror state?
Himmler was head of SS, police and Gestapo
The SS ran concentration and death camps and had military units
The Gestapo acted as a secret police and created a culture of silence and fear and acted beyond the law to those opposing the Nazis
Political opponents were sent to camps
Evidence for opposition the the Nazis
Uprising in Sobibor Concentration Camps
Edelweiss Pirates - helped Jews to hide or escape Conc. Camps
Some hid Jews and shared food with them
Some church leaders opposed the Nazis such as Neimoller’s confession church
When and what were the Nuremburg Laws?
1935
Prevented mixed marriages between Jews and non Jews
When and what was the Kristallnacht?
1938
A night of violence that saw the destruction of Jewish property and synagogues as well as Jews being sent to camps
Evidence for the persecution of Jews
Had to wear yellow stars, moved into ghettos, transported to concentration camps
Jewish shops boycotted
Kristallnacht
50% of the Jewish population of Europe was murdered
How did Hitler govern Germany?
Hitler found the day to day governing of Germany boring and left many decisions to his subordinates
The system was polycratic
Hitler stayed above politics to separate himself from any failures to retain the support of the German people
Key Nazis and their roles:
Goering - Military
Himmler - Security
Goebbels - Propaganda
Bormann - Hitler’s personal secretary
How did Hitler hope to change the economy?
Autarky
Lebensraum for additional resources
Stats for economy 1932-1933
1933 Unemployment was at 8.5 million
Hitler alleviated peasant debts and established the Reich Food Estate which introduced tariffs, driving up prices
By 1932,Germany’s economy was only 70% the size it was in 1913
How did the Nazis seek to reduce unemployment?
Jews and women not considered in employment figures
1933 - Government spending on autobahn, private subsidies for construction firms and tax reliefs on big businesses
1935 - RAD, Conscription (over 1 million men)
How was the economy geared towards war?
Autarky
Mefo bills to re arm Germany
Goering’s 4 year plan from 1936 (focus on Ersatz products, worsen condition of workers)
What happened to peoples’ living standards under the Nazis?
They were limited in growth due to the rearmament yet propaganda led people to believe that they were better off
How did the Nazis use art as propaganda?
it depicted strong and healthy Aryan men and women
What did the Nazis do regarding the media?
Censorship of radio and film
Films propagated stereotypes e.g. “The Eternal Jew”
Books were burnt and censored
Jazz was banned for being African-American
What was the state of the economy by 1939?
Struggling
This led Hitler to increasingly aggressive foreign policy
When was the Munich Conference and what happened at it?
1938
Invasion into Poland was marked as a red line
Second World War economy info
Speer was in charge
Set up a central planning board
Encouraged the employment of women as discouraged skilled workers being conscripted
He standardised units of measurement to increase efficiency, increasing the productivity of each worker by 60%
The economy faced issues regarding a lack of raw materials and poor resource management
What was the short term legacy of the Second World War
Red Army had committed mass rape
6.5 million dead
20 million homeless
7 million more women than men
25% of buildings in Germany had been destroyed
12-14 million Germans were expellees
Food shortages
How did the zones work separately?
Each zone decided reparations separately
The East gave Poland territory which would then, in turn, go to the USSR
The East began sovietisation with the SED leader being Ulbricht
Bizonia 1947 Trizonia 1948
How did Bizonia and Trizonia lead to increased collaboration?
Bizonia
- US and UK zones collaborated through the use of Marshall Aid
Trizonia
- Currency reform to Deutschmark
- Central bank established
- Plan for a West German government and increased Marshall Aid
How did the USSR respond to Bizonia/Trizonia?
They claimed it violated Potsdam and blockaded Berlin
The Western Powers airlifted supplies to Berlin
When and what was the Basic Law?
1949
Established the new West German constitution
In May 1949, the FRG was created
What were the results of the 1949 Elections?
CDU/CSU winning 31%
SPD won 29%
Adenauer became chancellor by 1 vote
What happened to each German economy?
The West experienced free market capitalism
The East was sovietised
How was denazification achieved?
Nuremburg trials saw 21 major Nazi leaders trialled for war crimes
Many saw the trials as revengeful
