Nazism and The Rise of Hitler Flashcards
When did Germany surrender to the Allies?
May 1945
What did Hitler do after Germany surrendered?
Hitler, Goebbels (Propaganda Minister), and his entire family committed suicide in April.
What was set up at the end of the war and why?
At the end of the war, The International Military Tribunal at Nuremburg was set up to prosecute Nazi war criminals from Crimes against, Peace/Humanity, and War Crimes.
Under the shadow of WW2, what did Germany do?
They waged a genocidal war leading to the mass murder of selected groups of innocent European civilians:
- Jews = 6 million
- Gypsies = 200,000
- Polish civilians = 1 million
- Germans = 70,000 (Mentally/Physically disabled)
- Innumerable political opponents
What was the unprecedented killing method devised by the Nazis?
Gassing people at killing centers (Concentration Camps) like Auschwitz.
The Nuremberg Trial sentenced ___________ to death. What happened to the rest.
11 leading Nazis. Many others were imprisoned for life.
Although retribution came, the punishment of the Nazis was _____________.
far short of the brutality and extent of their crimes. {The Allies didn’t want to be as harsh on the defeated Germany as they had been after the first world war.}
Defines genocidal.
Killing on a large scale resulting in the destruction of large sections of people.
Germany fought WW1 along with _________ against ___________.
the Austrian Empire, the Allies (France, England, Russia)
The war ended up eventually _____________.
draining Europe of all its resources
Germany made initial gains by _____________.
occupying France and Belgium
The Allies were strengthened by the _________ in ________.
US entry, 1917
WW1 ended with _________.
The Allies defeating Germany and the Central Powers in November 1918.
The defeat of the Imperial Germany, gave ____________.
an opportunity to parliamentary parties to recast Germany’s polity.
Describe these parliamentary parties.
A National Assembly met at Weimar and established a democratic constitution with a federal structure.
Deputies were elected to the German Parliament (Reichstag), on the basis of equal and universal votes cast by all adults (including women).
The Republic was not received well by its own people largely because of __________.
the terms it was forced to accept after Germany’s defeat at the end of WW1.
What did Germany lose in the Treaty of Versailles?
The peace treaties with the Allies was humiliating and harsh.
Germany Lost:
- its overseas territories
- 1/10 of its population
- 13% of its territories
- 75% of its iron
- 26% of its coal
- they demilitarized Germany
- they occupied the resource-rich Rhineland for most of the 1920’s
To whom did Germany lose all this?
To:
- France
- Poland
- Lithuania
- Denmark
What was the War Guilt Clause?
It held Germany responsible for the war and damages the Allied countries suffered.
How much compensation did Germany pay?
6 billion euros
The people didn’t like the Weimar Republic because__________.
they held them responsible for the defeat in the war and the disgrace at Versailles.
The ware had a devastating impact on the entire continent ____________ and __________. It went form a county of ___________ to a country of _________.
psychologically, financially
creditors, debtors
How was the infant Weimar republic made to pay for the sins of the old empire?
They carried the burden of the war guilt and national humiliation and were financially crippled by being forced to pay compensation.
Those who supported the Weimar Republic:
- Socialists
- Catholics
- Democrats
became easy targets for the conservative nationalist circles.
They were mockingly called the November Criminals.
What were the deep imprints left by the WW1?
- The soldiers came to placed above civilians
- Politicians and publicist laid great stress that
men should be aggressive, strong, and
masculine
