Political and Governmental Change Flashcards
What were the 6 things that divided Germany?
- Regional. 2. Religious 3. Gender 4. Rural/Urban 5. Class 6. Race
What were regional divides in Germany like?
Inhabitants of one state often had a prejudiced view about another. For example some states saw Bavarians ad stupid. The regions had Lander which were allowed to make their own education, social welfare and other policy’s as long as they did not conflict with federal law.
What were religious divides like in Germany?
Religeon greatly influenced every day life. Church organisations could tax their parishioners a percentage of their income payment and also recieve goverment grants. Members of the lander were predominately Catholic in the South and protestant in the North. People tended to divide over confessional lines and it was unusual for friendships to be made across the divide.
What were gender divides like in Germany?
Girls were expected to be wives and mothers and there were gender specific associations for all activities from hiking to going to the opera.
What were Rural/Urban divides like in Germany?
By 1910, 150 German cities contained more then 100,000 citizens with more in the North. Many Germans stereotyped rural life as the idlyic dream and regarded cities as dirty and dangerous.
What were class divides like in Germany?
It was like everywhere in Europe and most significant in the German army which had a powerful influence in politics. Most army officers also took part in local goverment.
What were race divides like in Germany?
The German word volk refered to all people with German ancestry no matter where they lived. The majority were heavily racist despite regional differences they still saw Germans as superior.
How was Germany governed in the first world war?
It was essentially run as a military dictatorship at the start of the war as the Kaiser was incapable of military strategy. This took Germany almost to the point of collapse, economically and militarily.
What was put in place when America joined the first world war?
The revolution from above in order to calm things from the growing unrest.
What was the revolution from above?
The name given to the new government that yhe kaiser and the military introduced in 1917 to stop a revolution of the people from bellow. It was lead by Prince Max Von Baden.
When was the Treaty of versailles signed?
28 June 1919
What were the main terms of the treaty of verisalles?
Military, land, Rhineland, war guilt and reparations
What land did Germany lose with the TOV?
Upper silesia, land on the border of Belgium, land on the border with France and land gained at the treaty of brest litovsk
What was the problem with the land Germany lost?
European land taken from Germany included areas rich in coal and iron.
What was Germany forbidden from doing under the terms of the treaty of versailles?
Uniting with Austria
What were the 4 military consequences of the treaty of Versialles?
- The Rhineland became a demilitarised buffer zone for France, it remained German but German troops could not enter it. 2. The German army was limited to 100,000 troops that could not leave Germany and it was not allowed tanks or heavy artillery 3. The German fleet was not allowed any warships over 10,000 tonnes and could not have any submarines. 4. Germany was not allowed an airforce.
How much in reparations did Germany have to pay under the TOV?
In 1921 it was fixed at 132,000 million gold marks.
What reforms did the Prince introduce to try prevent a revolution?
It extended the vote to all men and made both ministers and the army responsible to the goverment not the kaiser.
What happened on the 28th of October 1918?
The navy refused sail against the British fleet. This set off strikes and mutanies across Germany. The spartacists wanted a revolution like in Russia.
What happened on the 8th of November 1918?
Bavaria broke from Germany and claimed itself an independent Republic. The kaiser abdicated and fled to Holland. Prince Maxs goverment had to resign, lasting only a month.
What happened on the 10th of November 1918?
A new government was set up, yhe Council of people’s representatives led by socalist groups which held the reichstag.
Who became chancellor?
Frederick Erbert
What parties was Erberts cabinet made up of?
The Social Democrats (SPD,) and the Independent Social Democrats (USPD.)
What pact was Erbert forced to join due to the unrest in Germany?
The Ebert Groener pact.
What was the ebert Groener pact?
The army would support the goverment as long as the goverment would oppose the more left winged views in the Reichstag
What was the first main Act of Eberts goverment?
They signed the treaty of versailles
What did the allies tell Germany after their surrender had been signed?
They could not take part in Treaty negotiations
After the end of the war what new policies did the goverment introduce to try deal with all the unease?
It set an eight hour working day, allowed indepedent trade unions, set up help for ex soliders to find work and widened health and unemployment benefits.
When did the government set a new election?
On the 19th of December they set a new election for the 19th of Januaey 1919
What happened whilst the SPD was setting up the elections?
The rift grew between it and the USPD and many members resigned and joined the KDP
What percent of the Electorate voted in the first Weimar election?
82.7%
Who won the election?
The SPD formed a party with the centre party and the German democratic party.
What was the most right winged party?
The DNVP, German National People’s Party
What was the DNVPs aims?
They did not want social reform and disliked the idea of a Republic. It supported the army and was created from older conservative parties and nationalist and monarchist. Many members were wealthy land owners and anti semetic.
What was the other right winged party?
The German people’s party DNVP
What was the DVP like?
It was a moderately conservative party newly constructed in 1919. It accepted without really supporting the new republic. Its members were mainly the conservative middle class who did not support reform but wanted a good economy for their business to carry on. It was nationalist and supported the army.
Who the Head of the DVP ?
Streseman
What was the centre party like?
It was a long-term established, mainly Catholic Party. It defended the church in its policies and drew people in from many social groups. It was very opposed to co.munism although supported some reform. Its election posters tended to show the horrors of communism
What was the DDP?
The German democrats
What was the DDP like?
It was made up of liberal, educated professionals who supported the idea of a Republic and a more representative Constitution. It was often part of coalitions. Its members believed in social reform like regulating industry to give workersa better deal and reforming the army.
How long was the SPD the biggest group in parliment?
1919-1929
How new was the SPD?
It was actually long standing and had not been anti monachisy until after the war after a split over it in 1917.
What was the SPD party like?
It believed in the Republic and moderate social reform but not revolution. Immediately after it attracted many workers groups although it also had a moderate Liberal middle class following.
What was the USPD like?
It split from the SPD in 1917. The party wanted a more radical system then the Republic and Luxembourg and Liebknecht were members of the USPD before joining the spartacists. They stood for social reform that included creating a more equal society?
What was the KPD like?
It wanted a workers revolution and a communist state. It mainly attracted the poor, young and unemployed. Holding a promise of a future that wad better then the rest of the parties.
What percent of the seats did the KPD get in 1919?
Non
What percent of the seats di d the USPD get?
7.8
What percent did the SPD get ?
37.9
What percent of the seats did the DDP get?
18.6
What percent did the centre party get?
19.7
What percent did the DVP get?
4.4
What percent did the DNVP get?
10.3
When was the Weimar Constitution passed?
31 July 1919
What 3 roles did the chancellor have in the Weimar Republic?
- Choosing the ministers that run the country. 2. Putting laws to the reighstag 3. Needing a majority in the reichstag to pass these laws.
What were the 3 features of the cabinet?
- Chosen from the ministers who give advice and administer laws. 2. Chosen by the chancellor 3. Formulates laws to the reichstag
Who was the Electorate made up of?
All men and women over 20
What were the 2 features of the reichsrat?
- Members sent by the 18 lander one for each 70,000 in the land 2. Could veto a law passed by the reichstag unless the reichstag law had two thirds majority or more
What was the Head of the government called?
The president
What the 6 features of the presidents role?
- Elected by a vote of all electors every 7 years 2. Chosen as a person not a party representative 3. Chosen the chancellor 4. Article 48 5. Can take control of army in emergency 6. Can dismiss reichstag and call new elections
How often was the reichstag elected?
Every four years by all electorates
How many votes got a party a seat in the Reichstag?
One seat for 60,000
What was the job of the reichstag?
To pass the laws of the country
How many local regions made up the lander?
18
What was land?
Each lander had its own local parliment to decide issues in the region.
What responsibilities did the land have?
They ran their own education, police, judiciar
What always overided the law of the land?
Federal laws, even if they were conflicted.
Why did right winged groups support the goverment?
They didn’t want to run the risk of getting an even more left winged one.
How many parties were then in the reichstag in the 1920s?
29
What was a problem with parties in the goverment which didn’t include Proportional Representation?
Members constantly moved between parties and some parties split all together which confused voters.
How did Hitler utilise the problem of constantly changing parties at the start of his political career?
He made a point that voters needed a simple slogan, often released to steer them through the mindfield of voting. This was one of the reasons his party won votes so fast.
What was a problem with party electoral areas?
People voted for a party in one of 35 Electorate areas rather then a person like they had done in the war. That meant that if the representative died or resigned, he’d just be replaced, there wouldn’t be another election.This left people feeling disconnected from their local politicians.
How many coalition governments were there between 1919 and 1923?
9
Why were coalition governments an issue?
Each party was focused almost entirely on what they could get out of the coalition, not what they could do to improve the government. They could barley agree on descions so the president was constantly having to interfere with article 48 making it look like the goverment was always in crisis.
Who was the president?
Hindenburg
What was Hindenburgs background?
He was in the military high command in the first world war and was a strong supporter of the kaiser and imperial war
What had right winged politicians been advocating for ever since Hindenburg was elected as president?
The goverment to resort to rule by Decree, especially as that is the type of goverment which Hindenburg really favoured
Why did Stressman stop opposing the new goverment?
He saw the damage that all the party infighting was causing
Why was Stressman foreign minister for the majority of his time in goverment?
He believed in economic recovery and stable relationships with other countrys
What year was Stressman chancellor?
1923
How many major political figures were assinated between 1924 and 29?
None
Support for what type of parties died down between May and December 1924?
Extremist parties, both left and right winged
When did the Nazis start to gain ground?
In 1928 when economic conditions worsened
How many coalition governments were there between 1924 and 1929?
6 which was less then previous. Stressmans influence was vital to this
When did Stressman die?
1929
What were 3 factors apart from the death of Stressman which lead to the collapse of democracy?
- Public feeling about the Weimar government 2. Economic problems and the goverments failure to deal with them. 3. Coalition failure.
Who was the first to voice the stab in the back theory?
Hindenburg, despite knowing that this idea was false
What was the stab in the back theory?
The theory that the German army could have won the war but was stabbed in the back by the November criminals. This contributed to the unpopularity of the Weimar government.
What economic thing happened in 1929?
The wall street crash
Between July 1930 and the elections of 1922 how many laws were passed by decree vs by the Reichstag?
109 vs 29
What was the SA?
Also known as the brown shirts, these were the nazis private army. They protected Nazi political meetings and attacked the meetings of other parties.
The the 1930 elections which two extremist parties made gains?
The Nazis and the communists. Although neither were in goverment they were a significant force within the reichstag.
Why was Hindenburg pursuaded to run again for president in April 1932 despite being 84?
They were afraid Hitler would stand.
How many votes did Hitler get vs Hindenburg?
Hitler got 13.4 million votes whilst Hindenburg won with 19.4 million votes
Who did Hindenburg appoint as chancellor after the 1930 election?
Franz Von Papen
Why was Von Papen not a success as chancellor?
He was unable to get significant support in the reichstag so had to rule by Decree.
Who held the most seats in the reichstag after the 1932 election?
The Nazis
What did Hindenburg do after the elections which caused problems?
He didnt appoint Hitler as chancellor despite Hitler being the Head of the largest majority, and instead offered into his military friend Kurt Von Schleicher and offered Hitler a place in the cabinet. Hitler refused
What did Hindenburg do when Hitler refused the cabinet post?
He called a new election
What was the result of the new elections?
While the Nazis did not win as many seats, they were still the biggest party in the reichstag.
What did Hindenburg do which he believed would make him be able to control Hitler?
He appointed him chancellor but appointed Von Papen vice chancellor, falsley believing that they could control him
In January 1933 how many seats did the Nazis have in the reichstag?
They were the biggest party but did not have a majority, only controlling a third of the seats
In 1933 how many cabinet members were Nazis?
Only 2 out of 12
What happened on the 27 Febuary 1933
The Reichstag fire
What were the 5 results of the reichstag fire?
- The Nazis got the credit for catching the arsonist 2. The Nazis were able to store up anti communist propaganda 3. The Nazis gained financial support as industrialists fear of communism rose so they began donating to the Nazis 4. Hitler was granted emergency powers 5. Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to call a new election
What did Hitlers emergency powers entail?
He was given control of the police and power to govern Germany by Decree with Hindenburgs consent to the measures. He then passed the decree of protection for the people and state.
What was Hitlers decree of protection for the people and state?
It gave him the power to suspend the civil rights of German citizens, so he could now legally arrest political opponents and ban opposition newspapers.
What was the result of the March 5th 1933 election?
Thanks to Hitlers legal use of arresting some opponents and illegal violent campaign tactics the Nazis had 17.5 million votes which won them 288 seats in the reichstag
What did Hitler use his emergency powers for during the March election?
He banned the 81 communists from taking their seats
What party supported the Nazis which gave them a majority?
The DNVP who had 52 seats
When Hitler opened the Reichstag with Hindenburg how did he make himself appear respectable?
They opened it with the SA and army together. The audience was full of both Nazis and members of the old goverment, under swastika and flags of the d empire. This showed continuity and him being accepted by the old goverment.
What was passed on the 24th of March 1933?
The enabling act
What was the Enabling Act?
It gave Hitler the right too pass laws without the reichstag for four years and it teared up the old Weimar Constitution.
When was the Enabling Act renewed?
1937 although it was ignored after that as Hitlers dictatorship was clearly established.
Why did Hindenburg not prevent the Enabling Act?
He was old and ill and would have seen that he would have only been temporarily able to stop Hitler.
What happened on the 14th of July 1933?
Hitler banned all remaining parties (he had been doing it one by one at this point.)
How did Hitler become the Furher after Hindenburgs death?
He combined the role of president and chancellor, he held a plebiscite to conform this to make his actions more acceptable abroad
Who was the Head of the SA?
Ernest Rohm
Why was the SA becoming a threat to Hitler?
They were seen as thugs and bad for the Nazi image. They were also loyal to Rohm who was increasingly critical of Hitlers conciliation of the old government, army and industrialists.
Why did Hitler not need the SA anymore?
He had established the SS and the gestapo
When was the night of long knives?
30 June 1934
What happened on the night of Long Knives?
Rohm and other senior officers were arrested and shot the next day. Over the next few days hundreds of people were murdered by the SS
Who is an example of someone not part of the Nazi party murdered during the Knight of long knives?
General Von Scheicher the ex chancellor and his wife
What happened to the SA after 1934?
It carried on working but in a reduced form.
What was the general reaction to the night of long knives?
Many people were relieved as the SA was widely hated, the full extent of the violence did not become known until later.
What was the SS?
It began in 1925 as Hitlers black shirted, elite body guard. They later took over more and more of the political policing of the Nazi state. It was lead by Himmler
What was the gestapo?
The Nazi secret police who had the power to arrest and imprison people without trial
How many laws did the reichstag pass between 1934-1945 and what took over their role?
Only 7, it was the Nazi goverment which made and enforced laws.
What was the civil service made up of?
It had been purged of Jews and opponents in 1933 and many of the clerks had been members of the Nazi party even before the dictatorship.
Why did Hitler keep some ministers who weren’t Nazis before the 1 party system?
They provided a useful level of continuity, officials and citizens felt as if they understood the system.
What ministers did Hitler keep alot of?
He kept the foreign minister the same and many German ambassadors the same.
Why was the idea that Hitler was keeping the same foreign minster and etc really an illusion?
They did not actually have as much power as they used too. Hitler set up other ministeries or authorities which took over the established ministeries whilst some where entirley new.
How did Hitler actually handle foreigh policy?
From 1934, the Bureau Ribbentop operated alongside the foreign ministery and it was either Ribbentpp or another loyal nazi who was entrusted with foreign diplomatic meetings as a ‘special envoy’
What was an example of an entirely new ministry set up by the Nazis?
The Ministry for propaganda which Geobells ran.
What are the two reasons that it’s argue Hitler set up such a confusing ministerial system?
Either detail bored him and he delayed descion making hoping that things would sort themselves out or it was done to encourage competition amongst various ministeries and departments.
What does Volskgemeinschaft mean?
People’s community. This is the idea that the German nation is a racially United body working for the good of the nation.
When did Geobbels join the Nazi party?
1922
What did the Nazi state operate on the policy of?
Fuherprinzip.
What does Fuherprinzip mean?
It means leadership principle. It was the idea that at each level of goverment from Hitler down there was a person who was clearly in charge. They took responsibility for everyone else on their level and reported to someone of the next level up. Initiative was frowned upon and it was the idea that everything was for the good of the nation.
How did decision making work in the Nazi goverment?
Hitler hated paper work so things worked on the principle of working towards the Fuher, those who were loyal to him and got the most results were given the most responsibilities. This meant that people could become very powerful
Why did Hitler stop groups of people working together to form policy?
To stop opposition groups from forming.
What’s an example of Hitler stopping people working in groups?
Hitler kept the previous mi sisters from the old govermnt but abolished cabinet meetings. Ministers worked individually and sent draft laws and policies to each other on paper.
How was administration largley done?
Like had previously been done, by the civil service under a new minister Wihelm Frick. However it also ran on the Fuherprinzip
What did administration constantly come into conflict with?
The reich special agencies, other ministeries and Nazi party officials because they were being constantly overruled by them
When were the lander stripped of most of their powers?
March 1933
What law was passed on the 30th of January 1933?
The Law for the reconstruction of the reich.
What did the law for reconstruction of the reich do?
Terminate the lander saying that the German people now had a unity which overruled land differences.
How was Lander now supposed to be run?
By Fricks civil service running regional and local goverment.
Why did Frick never really control the lander properly?
He was constantly coming into conflict with the Gauleiters who were in charge of regional party organisation.
When was the gestapo set up?
26 April 1933
What took over the gestapo in 1936?
Himmler SS although they were still run separately.
What was the Fuher chancellery made up of?
Offices and ministeries
How was the reichanvellory made up?
Ut was made up of ministeries, some which were repeated in the fuher chancellory.
What was an example of social change during the war?
Women were encouraged to work despite previously being told the opposite
What rule were made for people working in the goverment during the war?
They had to join the Nazi party or they would lose their job.
How did SS numbers change from 1939 to 1944?
They increased from 240,000 to over a million
What organisation ran Hitlers racial policies?
The SS
What were formed in German regions?
13 military districts
How did the gautierl ers change during the war?
They were made into the reich defence commisoners. They ran all home front activities in local areas, including civil defence, rations and home guard.
What was each of the armed forces given?
It’s own ministry to coordinate supplies, troops and so on.
Who was the new commander of the armed forces?
Wihelm Keitel
What was the ministerial council for the defence?
This was set up at the start of the war chaired by Goering and its members were important Nazi officials However it didn’t last very long due to Hitlers distrust of council meetings and was disbanded in November 1939.
What was the volkssturm?
The Nazi home guard, formed in October 1944 as a latched ditched effort against invasion. Boys, Oldman, physically and unfit and even girls were recruited.
What was the Nazis aims in expanding East?
Lebensraum
Who was responsible of clearing the new land of “undesirables”?
The SS
Who had the job of allocating land to incoming Germans?
11 new regional hoverments. The most heavy handed one being used in Poland.
What happened to Poland during the war?
Hitler made it clear that all Poles were untrustworthy and were to be used for hard labour only. Polish leaders were shot so they did not become leaders for resistance. Southern Poland was used as a dumping ground for all Poles and undesirables from other parts of the reich. Other parts were absorbed into the third reich and germanised.
What organisation because increasing powerful during the war?
The gauleiters because it became increasingly hard for the goverment to rule things
What did the gauleiters be given the responsibility in 1942?
Because of the British bomb raids, they because responsible for all civil defence such as firemen.
Waht was the Act called “For the implementation of total war mobilisation?
It gave gauleiters the control over local beucracy and gave them significant power over local business. This was in 1944
When did Germany start losing the war?
When they turned on the Soviet Union and when America joined
What showed how overstretched the army was after they had to start fighting on two fronts?
Boys as young as 16 were conscripted in large numbers from 1944 and at the end of the war some were as young as 12.
What was the policy of total war?
As rationing became tighter, all shops that did not contribute to the war effort were banned (like cake or sweet shops,) as were professional sporting events. Children were also evacuated from cities.
When did Germany sign the final surrender?
7 May 1945
