Opposition Control and Consent Flashcards
When was the KDP set up?
December 1918
What were the friekorps?
A private army made up of ex soldiers, unemployed youths and other discontents lead by ex officers and other former military personnel. They first formed in December 1918
What were many Germans afraid of?
The red plague of communism spreading from Russia
What specific units did the friekorps have?
Units specially recruited to fight in the East against a possible communist invasion
What caused the sparticist revolt?
KPD meetings were coming under attack ot private armies of other political parties
When did the spartacist revolt breaks out?
January 1919
Where was the spartacist revolt and what did this mean for the goverment?
It broke out in Berlin so Eberts goverment was forced to move to Weimar to escape the violence
How did the spartacist revolt end?
The friekorps were asked to deal with the revolt. The leaders Liebknecht and Luxemburg were captured beaten then murdered and the rising collapsed
Why did so many political parties have their own private armies?
Returning soldiers were unemployed and bitter about the signing of the armistice so refused to return their military equipment
Between 1919 and 1922 how many political murders were there in Germany ?
376
How many politcal murders were by right winged groups?
356
What was one of the reasons that Germans were so angry about the treaty of Versialles that wasn’t actually about its content?
There had been tons of misinformed throughout the war so Germans did not really no how badly they were doing in the war. They believed the ideas put forward in newspapers that of the Weimar goverment had not been cowardly and betrayed the country they could have won the war.
Why did the Dawes plan and the Young plan not fix the issue of Germans being angry at the reparations?
They still existed and this caused anger.
What sparked the spartacist revolt?
On the 4th of January the government had dismissed a popular police chief who was a radical USPD member. This brought the goverment into conflict with the workers councils.
What were some left winged tactics of opposition during the early weimar period?
It included attempts to take over individual German states and establish communist goverments, for example happening once in saxons in 1921
Why was respect for the weimar goverment not really passed onto young people?
People in the teaching profession’s were usually of a more right winged background and the goverment did not do anything to try and convince teachers of the weimar constitusion so they never passed it on to their students.
Who was the leader of the kappa putsch?
Wolfgang Kapp and other friekorps leaders.
What figure was the putsch supported by?
Eric Ludendorff who had been a general in the first world war.
What happened on the 12th of March 1920?
The friekorps took over Berlin and the goverment fled.
How did the army respond to the friekorps?
Most of them did not join the putsch but they would not fight them either.
What happened when the goverment fled Berlin?
The leaders proclaimed themselves the new goverment, dissolved the national assembly and said that the weimar constitusion was no longer in force.
How was the putsch resolved?
Trade unions demanded a general strike, demanding an end to the putsch and a new government with the Spd in power. The general strike was almost universal and 4 days after the strike began the putsch fell.
What happened to the leaders of the Kapp putsch?
Kapp died in prison awaiting trial and the other ring leaders were given short prison sentences.
What was Hitlers Munich Putsch inspired by?
Mussolinis march on Rome which had also been in 1922
Why did Hitler start his putsch from Munich?
He thought that he could gain the support of the local politicians and citizens there.
What happened on the 8th of November 1922?
The SA surrounded a large beer cellar in Munich where Gustav Von Kahr and other important officials were in a meeting. Hitler crashed into the hall and announced that the goverment of bavaria and the national government were deposed and that he and Ludendorff were going to form a new goverment. . He locked the officials in but the prisoners escaped and organised their resistance to the putsch.
What happened when the Nazis attempted to start their march on Berlin in the morning?
They were taken prisoner after a short battle with police
Why was the Munich Putsch really a success for Hitler?
The trial allowed him to give a speech about his beliefs which was widely reported and increased his fame. Hitlers sentence was only 5 years in a open Landsberg prison, similar to other right wingers who were given lenient sentences. He used the time to write mein kampf and it pushed him into understanding he should try to get power through legal means
What had happened to many members of opposition parties during the Nazi period?
They had left the country of were in concentration camps which were built to house political prisoners without trial.
What was one way that Hitler controlled the army?
He had made them swear an oath of loyalty
What is an example of Hindenburg opposing Hitler?
He wrote to him in 1933 about proposed anti semteic laws asking him not to pass them, talking about all the Jewish people who had fought during the first World War.
What were 6 ways that people tried to oppose the Nazis?
- Anti Nazi campaigns 2. Sabotage. 3. Disobedience 4. Attempts to assinate Hitler 5. Church opposite 6. Spontaneous protests
In the early 1930s how did the SPD, KPD and trade unions attempt to oppose the Nazis?
They printed pamphlets and other anti Nazi literature.
What was the Red Shock Troop?
A SPD group which published the news paper, the Red Shock Troop, about every 10 days and built up membership of around 3000
What happened to the Red Shock Troop?
The leaders were arrested and sent to concentration camps so the group folded.
How did the KPD mainly oppose the Nazis after they realised forming groups would just get them caught?
They did most of their work by word of mouth and tended not to form organised groups
How did the SPD work during the Nazi period?
They formed a group outside of the country and mostly gathered information about public opinion in Germany to pass onto the allies.
When did communist opposition groups revive?
During Operation Barbossa.
What was Urhig groups?
They leflated factories and put up posters urging workers to acts of sabotage.
What was the red orchestra group?
A group of mainly goverment employees who while not necessarily communist, passed on information about the German war effort to the USSR.
What were lightning strikes ?
These were acts of sabotage by workers, they would strike but it would only last for a few hours
What’s an example of a lighting strike?
In 1936 the workers who built the autobahns held one.
What was other ways that workers sabotaged production?
By working slowly, damaging machinery or reporting in sick when they were not. All of these could lead to arrest if they were reported.
Why were actions of sabotage often overlooked during the war?
Workers were in great demand so even actions like not giving the nazi salute when an official was present was overlooked.
What happened if groups sabotaging the Nazis became too organised or successful?
Then the gestapo would stop turning a blind eye and attest his members.
What was an example of a opposition group that got powerful enough for the gestapo to arrest them?
The anti fascist group members were arrested in 1944
How did acts of sabotage change during the war?
They became increasingly violent such as blowing up bridges or railway lines as they sometimes revieved support from the allies
How did some young usually middle class people oppose the Nazi goverment?
They did deliberately not join the Hitler youth and instead went to clubs to listen to music such as swing and jazz. They dressed in clothes that were similar to that in the West if possible and some even set ip their own bands.
What happened to these opposition clubs in 1940?
They were made illegal and most went underground, the Nazis made occasional arrests but did not really go after them as they were not directly expressing anti Nazi sentiments.
Who were the edelweiss pirates?
It was a largley working class movement which were actively anti Nazi. Many pirates wore their own uniform as a deliberate statement that they were not members of the Hitler Youth. Their activities changed in different areas, some ran their own activities such as hiking whilst others painted anti nazi slogans or collected anti Nazi lefleats dropped by allies planes and posted them through letterboxes. Some even worked with resistance groups.
What happened if edelweiss pirates were caught?
They were excecuted
What was another example of a anti Nazi group?
The white rose
Who was the white rose group made up of?
Students from the university of Munich
What did the white rose group do?
They operated in secret and distributed anti Nazi materials encouraging sabotage and exposing the Nazi murder of Jews, while urging non violent resistance to the Nazis.
What happened to the white rose group?
They were caught and excecuted.
What was one of the most widespread ways that people opposed the Nazis?
Helping those that the Nazis wanted ro arrest, whether it be for the race or political beliefs.
What did the protestant church do to oppose the Nazis?
It ran an escape line to help people escape the Nazis.
What is an example of two people who helped escapees?
Bonhoeffer, a protestant pastor and his brother in law who worked in the Nazi justice system helped escappes. They were both arrested and sent to concentration camps in 1943.
Between July 1921 and July 1944 how many known attempts were there to assinate Hitler?
15
After 1939 who carried out the 7 attempts to assinate Hitler?
They were by army members or groups led by army members.
What was the most serious plot to assinate Hitler?
The July Plot of 1944
What did the July plot aim to do?
It was an attempt by the German army to take over the German goverment and negotiate the end of the war with the allies.
Who was the Luitenant who left a bomb in the brief case to assinate Hitler?
Lieutenant Claus Von Stauffenberg
Who died in the July plot?
4 people but not Hitler
What happened to the people who had planned the July plot?
One of the chief plotters arrested the rest of them to prove his loyalty. They were either shot or commited suicide. Investigation lead to the arrest, trial and excecution of about 200 people who were said to have been involved in the plot. Fromme was one of these, he did not save himself by betraying others.
What did Hitler set up with the Catholic Church?
A concordat which the pope saying that Germany would leave the Catholic Church alone if it did not interfere with German politics
What church did Hitler develop?
The Nazi influenced people’s church. This was with a reichbishop in control as a branch of the biggest protestant church organisation, the German evangelical church
Why were many church members supportive of Hitlers Peoples church?
They were soothed by the Nazis nationalism, conservatism and anti communist stance aswell as point 24 in the 25 point programme.
By 1933 what had the Nazis changed about the people church?
It became less Christian and more Nazi, displaying Nazi banners and the removal of the old testament from the Bible because it was Jewish.
What did the development of the peoples result in?
The development of the confessing Church in May 1934
What was article 24 of the Nazis 25 point plan?
They demanded freedom for all religious nominations in the state, provided that they do not threaten its existence nor offend the moral feelings of the German race. The party stands for Christianity but not of any particular denomination.
What is an example of when there was a protest against Nazi actions against religious figures?
The Nazis imprisoned two bishops for speaking out against the Nazis in October 1934. There was public out cry and people took to the streets in protest. The Nazis as they were very cautious with Christianity released them.
What was one of the reasons that Hitler was prompoted to work with Chamberlain at the Munich conference?
When Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938 he ordered military processions in Berlin. The people there were enthusiastic so Hitler decided to reach an agreement over the land he was claiming then just going to war.
What did Erbert sign on the 10th of November 1918?
The Ebert Groener pact
What was the Everton groener pact?
The army agreed too support the new government as long as they did not allow it to become too leftist.
What agreement did Ebert reach with trade unions on the 15th of November 1918?
The Stinnes-Leigen Agreement
What was the Stinnes-Leigen Agreement?
For the trade unions support, Ebert offered legislation om yours of work and on adequate union representation.
Who did the Weimar government have to turn too if the army refused to help and why was this a problem?
The friekorps. It was a problem because when they both refused like with the kapp pustch, the goverment was in a difficult position.
Why did the government have difficulties controlling the German regions?
Not all of them adopted the weimar Constitution straight away. For example, Thuringia did not hold elections until June 1920, in places like Saxony this lead to communists attempting to set up a goverment of their own.
How did the weimar goverment deal with the problematic regions?
They used the army and friekorps to restore order through the process of reichsexekution.
What was reichsexekution?
A takeover by federal government and the army until the Weimar consitustion and the Weimar system of government could be put into place.
What’s an example of the judiciary system being less harsh on right winged opposition?
During the Munich Putsch
Why did Hindenburg coming into government make right winged opposition increasingly more confident?
Chancellors changed more rapidly and the economy went into a depression, it made them think people wanted a strong, right winged goverment.
What did Geobells do on the 25th of March 1933?
He told all comtrollers of German radio that radio station served the government, they had to express Nanzi ideology and follow government instructions about what to broadcast.
What else did Geobells order radio stations to do on the 25th?
The staff were purged to get rid of Jews, half Jews, people married to Jews, and people who had belonged to the KPD or SPD in the past
Why was it harder to the Nazis to censor the press then the radio?
Germany had more daily newspapers then the USA, having national, regional and even printed for cities and towns.
What decree was passed on the 4th of October?
Hitler announced that the content of any paper was the responsibility of the editor and made it a crime for the editor to publish anything that might weaken the third reich, at home or abroad [= harm the german economy, culture or people.
What association did the Nazis establish to do with journalism?
The Reich Asscossiation
What was the Reich Asscossiation?
It was made to completing a list of accredited journalists. Many who had Jewish connections or were politically unsuitable did not make the list.
By the end of 1933 how many newspapers and readers did the Nazis have?
86 newspapers and 3 million readers
What was a state own press agency set up to do in 1933?
All newspapers were expected to pick up their newsstories from the agency with guidelines on how to report the story whilst issuing a list of stories which was not to be reported on. These were incredibly detailed and included things like not publishing a photo of Nazis with several bottles of alcohol around them
Between 1933-1945 how many non Jewish people were sent to concentration camps for political crimes?
500,000
What was the first political camp and when did it open?
Oranienburg in Prussia, it opened in 1933
How did the gestapo run?
It inaugurated its own legal system and operated independently from the existing legal system.
How did the SS begin?
As Hitlers personal body guard of 240 men
What did the SS run after 1934?
The concentration camp system
By 1936 what were 240,000 SS men in charge of?
The gestapo with their own economic branch to run labour and concentration camps
When was the people’s court set up?
In Berlin in 1934
What was the Job of the people’s court?
To specifically try people accused of being traitors to the third reich.
How did the peoples court work?
It had two judges and five other members chosen from. the Nazi party, the SS and armed forces. The trials were not publicly held and it was not possible to appeal against their verdict . Tens of thousands of people had passed through by 1945
What percentage of people voted in 1919?
83%
What percentage of people voted in November 1932?
80.6%
What was it the majority of people disliked about Weimar Germany?
Not the constitustion but the goverment members themselves.
When was there a rise in support for the Weimar goverment?
When they were actually getting things right from 1924 to 1929 for example when the economy was working again.
How many seats did the SDP win in 1924?
131
How many seats did the SPD win in 1928
153
What did the results in 1924 and 28 show?
As the SPD was the face of the goverment and there was such support for them it showed that there was support for the goverment
Why is it hard to tell what support for Hitler was actually like?
The amount of propaganda and fear and control
What was the Fuhrer myth?
One way which the Nazis gained support where they made Hitler into a national hero, a God like figure who could do no wrong. This made more people willing to make sacrifices when Hitler asked them too.
Why were the Nazis so successfully at using propaganda?
As early as the 1920s Hitler was saying that the German people could be won over by anything as long as it was presented as one simple idea with a slogan being repeated over and over again. They used this with the racist image of a Jewish person for example. Their control of the media meant that the Nazis reported reaction to Hitlers appointment of chancellor
How did the Nazis report Hitlers appointment as chancellor?
They said that there were huge cheering torchlight processions in Berlin with masses of people chanting Nazi chants so anyone listening to the radio would be immediately convinced of the Nazis chants.
How did the Nazis control radio ownership?
They made sure that the most cheapest and widely available radio was the people’s receivers. These had limited range and unless the owners lived close to the German border they could not pick up foreign radio stations
How much of the population owned a radio by 1939 and what changed about this by 1943?
Over 70% and by 1943 one third of all radios were people’s rescievers.
What did the movement of Jews into Nazi ghettos do to do with propaganda?
It reinforced the anti semetic propaganda as it painted them as dirty and subhuman.
What was an example of Nazis awarding conformity?
How they awarded mothers for having babies with medals
What loan was introduced to encourage couples to have children?
A 1000 mark loan that would reduce by 250 marks for every child born.
What medical benefits did mothers recieve under the Nazis?
Regular check ups and vitamins whilst pregnant.
What were medal of honours rewarded for?
Having more then 4 children
How were workers rewarded for conformity?
The strength through joy programme
What was the strength through joy programme?
It was an organisation set up by Nazis which was the only trade union that was allowed. They organised after work activities, weekend activities and holidays for workers and their familys. Activities were either free or offered at very favourable prices. They were also full of opportunities to push Nazi propaganda messages.
Why did wealthy industrialists support the Nazis?
Because of the banning of the KPD and trade unions
Why did the middle class support the Nazis ?
They found that their savings had value again
Why did people who applied to Germanise an area support the Nazis?
They were given homes and farmlands on which to live. They were usually people who would have not have been able to buy their own farm otherwise so they did not think about how the land had been acquired. They were told that owners were party of a move eastward and were starting their new lives on farms there
Why did people see the Nazis as asserting the power of Germany in Europe?
They saw them as reversing the losses of the treaty of versialles, these were people who failed to see how Stressman had managed to improve reparations and gain other reversals of Versialles because he had done so by working with the enemy.
Why did people begin to support the war?
After they saw how well Germany was doing and this effect was perpetuated by the Hitler myth
What are 2 examples of how people supported the Nazis during the war?
- Collecting for various charities organised to help 2. Joining the murder squads that took part in genocides
Why did it become harder for the Nazis to keep support during the war?
The living conditions of ordinary German citizens were completely deteriorating and allied bombing devastated their cities.
