Power and Authority

Question 1

Overview and Consequences of Treaty of Versailles

Answer 1

• Between Allies and Germany in 1919
• Germans viewed it as ‘diktat’ or slave treaty, resentment built against Allies, politicians, minorities and Communists
• Clause 231 was war guilt clause that stated Germany was fully responsible for war and Clause 80 prevented Anschluss with Austria
• Germany had to pay 6 billion gold marks ($40 billion USD) in reparations and had to supply millions of tonnes of coal to France, Belgium and Italy
• Deutsche Mark lost 75% of value
• Agricultural production dropped 16%, 68% of zinc ore lost, 48% of iron ore lost, 26% of coal resources lost
• Lost 13% of territory, lost all colonies and 7 million people (12% of population)
• Army reduced to 100 000, conscription banned and were only allowed pocket battleships (below 6 tonnes) and no submarines
• Rhineland was demilitarised and west bank administered by Allied military forces
• Saar region handed to League of Nations with France controlling its coal mines
• Germany could not join League of Nations
• Italy did not receive territorial demands so animosity against Allies
• Japan was not granted racial clause despite proving itself a formidable ally, so hatred of the west grew

Question 2

Overview and Consequences of Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Answer 2

• Between Central Powers and Soviets in 1918
• Russia surrendered significant portion of land to Germany
• Russia lost arable land and industry
• Caused civil war between Red Army and White Army

Question 3

Overview and Consequences of Treaty of Saint-Germain

Answer 3

• Between Allies and Austria in 1919
• Had to pay reparations but went bankrupt before payments began
• Austrian Empire was broken apart
• Anschluss with Germany was forbidden
• Lost large German population so reduced to 7 million
• Army reduced to 30 000 men
• Navy reduced to a few Danube patrol boats

Question 4

Overview and Consequences of Treaty of Trianon

Answer 4

• Between Allies and Hungary in 1920
• Had to pay war reparations
• Lost 2/3 of population and land
• Army reduced to 35 000
• Hungary fell to Communist government

Question 5

Erik Goldstein’s quote on the Overview and Consequences of Treaty of Versailles

Answer 5

“Germany lost 13% of its European territory”

Question 6

Overall Consequences of Peace Treaties which ended WWI

Answer 6

• New political geography with disappearance of 4 European empires (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia and Ottomans) and emergence of new countries
• US President Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points called for League of Nations but USA never joined
• Rise of nationalism
• Angry and humiliated Germans
• Excluded Russians
• Japan dissatisfied at rejection of racial equality clause
• USA pursued isolationist policy
• Discontented minorities due to new borders
• Disappearance of stable balance of power and Britain and France’s unpreparedness for being arbiters created conditions for another war

Question 7

Richard Overy’s quote on the Overview and Consequences of Treaty of Versailles

Answer 7

“it was a treaty that almost no one liked except Britain and France”

Question 8

Conditions that Enabled Dictators to Rise to Power in the Interwar Period

Answer 8

• Pre-war factors: Development of mass politics/media/technologization of society resulted in large-scale political activity, dissemination of radical ideas, growth of nationalism, increased racism and spread of pseudo-scientific racial theory
• Impact of WWI: Instability in governments, brutalisation through war led to violent politics, government interference was common in everyday life and effectiveness of wartime mass propaganda showed the ease of indoctrinating civilians
• Impact of Paris Peace Conference: Dissatisfaction and anger evoked by peace settlement was exploited, growth of resentment against minorities created scapegoats and the Versailles arrangements resulted in military influence in some nations (Japan)
• Interwar Issues: Flawed democratic systems often formed unstable coalitions which turned many people against democracy, demagogues appeared across Europe and promised stability and the post-war recessions, World Agricultural Depression 1926 and Great Depression 1929 created mass distress
• Germany: hyperinflation, reparations, agriculture down 16%, employment up 4.5% in 1929 and over 30% in 1932

Question 9

Overview of the Background and Features of the Russian Dictatorship

Answer 9

• Left-wing communist regime
• Led by Joseph Stalin since 1922
• Russian resentment against Tsarist regime due to military losses in WWI, Tsarina Alexandria’s German roots and Rasputin’s interference in government led to Russian Revolution and the overthrow of Romanovs
• Revolution resulted in shared power between Duma and Bolsheviks but communists seized total power under Lenin after Russian Civil War between Reds and Whites
• Bolsheviks became less democratic in party debates and introduced harsh punishments for treason and desertion
• Stalin was General Secretary so he oversaw bureaucracy and well supported by officials so he used political manoeuvres to defeat rivals, including Trotsky
• Every aspect of life was dominated by Soviets including industry, agriculture, sport, arts, education, history and mass propaganda
• Cult of personality with Stalin’s portrait in every building and statues of him in every town
• Komsomol established for children
• NKVD used for repression
• Gulags (labour camps) for those suspected of anti-party behaviour and thinking
• Party was often purged to remove possible opposition
• Kulaks (land owning peasants) opposed collectivisation of farms and were persecuted
• 7.5 million Ukrainians died in Holodomor famine
• Five Year Plans directed economy towards heavy industry

Question 10

Overview of the Background and Features of the Italian Dictatorship

Answer 10

• Right-wing fascist regime
• Led by Benito Mussolini since 1922
• Well-supported by conservative elites and businesses wanting stability because they were used to authoritarianism due to monarchy
• Left Paris Peace Conference dissatisfied
• Very unstable after WWI because unemployment was rising, inflation was out of control, northern industrial regions had strikes, southern regions had poverty and Mafia control, very slow industrialisation, divide between Church and State supporters, unstable government with proportional representation and many prime ministers, violent politics, fear of communist revolution due to failing democracy
• Mussolini led Fascio di Combattimento (Fascist Party) and marched on Rome with Blackshirts in 1922 to pressure PM Luigi Facta into resignation, and King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Mussolini PM to avoid civil war, Fascist Party became only legal political party in Italy
• Strong nationalism and militarism, wanted Mediterranean to become “Italian Lake” and linked Italy to Ancient Roman Empire (flag had fasces - the ancient Roman symbol of power and authority)
• Opposition to regime was illegal and suppressed through state-sanctioned violence and Blackshirts
• Cult of personality with Mussolini’s image and writings becoming ubiquitous and he was referred to as “Il Duce” or the leader
• Avanguardia established for young boys and Giovani Italiane for young girls
• Lateran Accord 1929 created Vatican State in Rome so Pope recognised Italian state
• Bombarded Greek port of Corfu in 1923 following murder of Italian border commissioners
• Invasion of Abyssinia in 1935
• Italian interference in Albania and 1939 invasion

Question 11

Overview of the Background and Features of the Japanese Dictatorship

Answer 11

• Right-wing militarist regime
• Led by militant oligarchy
• Japanese had resentment towards west as it was not granted racial equality clause in League of Nations and US placed immigration restrictions on Japan with 1924 Immigration Act
• Struggled in interwar period due to unstable democracy, post-war recession, increasing population, strained resources and Great Depression deteriorated the economy
• Patriotic societies believed problems of over-population, food shortages and economic stagnation could only be solved through overseas expansion
• Military leaders began to seek aggressive foreign policy and removal of corrupt democratic politicians, Manchuria Incident was catalyst for military control of government
• Japan had no leading demagogue as military controlled country, Emperor Hirohito was revered figurehead and all Japanese pledged themselves to him
• Schools, media and patriotic societies emphasised unquestioning loyalty to tenno
• Traditional Japanese value of service, respect, patriotism and obedience were emphasised
• Western ideas and values were suppressed
• Expansionist foreign policy and creation of Japanese Empire

Question 12

Benito Mussolini’s quote on Overview of the Background and Features of the Italian Dictatorship

Answer 12

“we do not argue with those who disagree with us, we destroy them”

Question 13

Haile Sellasie the Emperor of Abyssinia’s quote on Overview of the Background and Features of the Italian Dictatorship

Answer 13

“it is us today, it will be you tomorrow”

Question 14

Reasons for the Collapse of the Weimar Republic

Answer 14

• Emerged during ‘stab in the back’ (dolchstosslegende) legend that created scapegoats called November Criminals from socialists, democratic politicians, Jews
• ‘Hole in the heart’ theory that republic failed as politicians did not support it fully
• Conservative elites opposed notion of democracy as they dominated all aspects of German life
• Far-left Spartacists led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg established Communist Party of Germany (KDP) and attempted to seize power in 1919 but were suppressed by Freikorps paramilitary units
• Kapp Putsch led by Wolfgang Kapp was right-wing attempt to seize power in 1920 but failed due to general strike, but the army refused to support Republic
• Inability to pay reparations in 1923 led France to invade Ruhr and Republic couldn’t do anything
• Joined League of Nations in 1926 which meant accepting Versailles and war guilt
• Economy relied on US loans and international trade which led to hyperinflation and bankruptcy during Great Depression
• Heinrich Bruning became Chancellor in 1930 and ruled using Article 48 (suicide clause) and the army’s help which signified end of democracy as he used it 60 times by 1932

Question 15

Richard Evans’ quote on Reasons for the Collapse of the Weimar Republic

Answer 15

“the Republic was far away from achieving stability and legitimacy”

Question 16

Rise of the Nazi Party and Hitler

Answer 16

• Hitler joined German Workers’ Party to oppose Communism and rose through the ranks, renamed party to National Socialist German Workers’ Party or NSDAP
• He became leader in 1921 and was referred to as Fuhrer
• Hitler set up paramilitary group Sturmabteilung (SA) or Brownshirts, membership was 15 000 in 1923
• Party membership was 3000 in 1920 and 70 000 in 1923
• 2000 people involved in failed Beer Hall Putsch in November 1923, led to Hitler being arrested until 1924, made him realise he needed to gain power through elections and support of army, wrote Mein Kampf in prison
• Established conservatism, nationalism, racism and anti-communism as party’s creed, and staged propaganda displays of rallies and marches with thousands of flag-waving enthusiasts, exploited misery and fears of German people during the Great Depression to gain influence
• 2.6% of votes and 12 seats in 1928, 18.3% of votes and 107 seats in 1930, 37.3% of votes and 230 seats in 1932
• Employment up 4.5% in 1929 and over 30% in 1932
• By 1932, unemployment was over 30%
• Hitler appointed Chancellor on 30 January 1933 as Franz von Papen believed he could be controlled

Question 17

AJP Taylor’s quote on Rise of the Nazi Party and Hitler

Answer 17

“the depression put the wind in Hitler’s sails”

Question 18

William Shirer’s quote on Rise of the Nazi Party and Hitler

Answer 18

“masses were unemployed, hungry and desperate”

Question 19

Initial Consolidation of Nazi Power 1933-1934

Answer 19

• Article 48 (rule as dictator) and Enabling Act (pass laws freely) gave Hitler power for 4 years in 1933, resulted in NSDAP reorganising Germany into Nazi state through Gleichschaltung (centralisation of Nazism)
• Merged office of chancellor and president after Hinderburg’s death in 1934
• SA intimidated political opponents as they voted for Enabling Act
• Reichstag building destroyed by fire, Hitler blamed communist coup attempt, Reichstag Fire Decree suspended constitutional freedoms and arrested 4000 people that were mainly communists
• First concentration camps at Dachau and Oranienburg established for political opponents, Gestapo established as secret state police free of law, around 30 000 members
• 1933 Law Against the Establishment of Parties made NSDAP the only legal party, 1933 Law for the Protection of the German People banned left wing parties, Law for the Seizure of Communist Assets dissolved KDP, SPD was dissolved and other political parties dissolved themselves, abolition of state parliaments for central Nazi control
• 1934 Night of the Long Knives: Ernst Rohm sought a second revolution and wanted SA to absorb army, Hindenburg threatened Hitler with martial law, Hitler launched Operation Hummingbird on 30 June 1934, SS units and army rounded up hundreds of leading SA officials including Rohm, and murdered them, falsely accused SA of plotting against the state, disbanded SA of 3 million people and army swore allegiance to Hitler when he became dictator

Question 20

Ernst Rohm’s quote on Initial Consolidation of Nazi Power 1933-1934

Answer 20

“The army is an island of grey surrounded by a sea of brown”

Question 21

Nature of Nazi Ideology

Answer 21

• Social Darwinism: Survival of the fittest, some races are stronger than others and Aryan race (Herrenvolk) was destined to rule inferior races so it needed to maintain racial purity through high quality and pure racial stock, ethnic minorities and the mentally ill, disabled, gypsies and homosexuals needed to be eliminated
• Anti-Semitism: Conspiracy that Jews sought world domination, pseudoscience shifted ostracization from religion to race, were considered November Criminals
• Anti-Communism: belief in the conspiracy theory of Judeo-Bolshevism
• Volkisch Nationalism: Ethno-nationalist movement that elevated German race, emphasised ethnic purity and advocated for Volksgemeinschaft
• Fuhrerprinzip: Fuhrer Principle and cult of personality that a strong leader was needed to bring back glory and ultimate authority rested with leader
• Autarky: Self-sufficient economy
• Lebensraum: Expansion needed for living space for Aryan race
• GrossDeutschland: Bringing together all German speakers and Aryans, included Anschluss

Question 22

Rudolph Hess’ quote on Nature of Nazi Ideology

Answer 22

“Hitler is Germany and Germany is Hitler”

Question 23

Role of Prominent Individuals in the Nazi State

Answer 23

• Joseph Goebbels: Minister of Propaganda and National Enlightenment, controlled all media and created Fuhrer Myth
• Hermann Goering: Ran the Gestapo for a while, Chief of Luftwaffe (air force) and was responsible for Four Year Plan of rearmament
• Rudolph Hess: Deputy Fuhrer for NSDAP and organised Nuremberg Rallies
• Reinhard Heydrich: Head of SD (intelligence branch of SS), Head of Reich Security Office, organised army purges in 1938 and established Gestapo Office of Jewish Emigration
• Heinrich Himmler: Head of SS and built up organisation, major role during Night of the Long Knives, controlled all state organs of terror by 1936 and was part of Beer Hall Putsch
• Adolf Eichmann: SS lieutenant colonel
• Robert Ley: Head of German Labour Front and introduced Strength Through Joy organisation
• Joachim von Ribbentrop: Foreign Minister and signed Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
• Leni Riefenstahl: Directed propagandist Nazi films such as ‘Triumph of the Will’
• Baldur von Schirach: Head of the Hitler Youth
• Albert Speer: Hitler’s leading architect and Minister for Munitions

Question 24

Laws used by the Nazi Regime to Exercise Control

Answer 24

• 1933 Enabling Act allowed Hitler to pass laws without parliamentary input
• 1933 Reichstag Fire Degree suspended constitutional clauses for personal liberty and suppressed opposition
• 1933 Law Against the Establishment of Parties banned other political parties
• 1933 Editors Law regulated what newspapers could publish, combined news sources into German News Agency that provided propaganda, held daily meetings with editors, closed opposing news publications
• 1933 Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service boycotted Jewish businesses, dismissed them from Civil Service and restricted their education
• 1933 Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseased Progeny forced sterilisation for physically and mentally handicapped (350 000 people), and later euthanasia in 1939 T4 Programme (200 000 people)
• 1933 Law for the Encouragement of Marriage loaned newlywed couples 1000 marks, each child let them keep 250 marks, gain tax relief and reduced mortgage
• 1933 Law Against the Overcrowding of German Schools limited Jewish populations in schools to 1.5%
• 1933 Law Against Malicious Gossip
• 1934 Law Against Malicious Acts on State and Party
• 1934 Theatre Law enforced 4 German plays for every foreign play
• 1935 Nuremberg Laws including Reich Citizenship Act so Jews were no longer German citizens, had no rights or protection, and Blood Protection Act meant German citizens and Jews could not marry or have sexual relations
• 1936 Law on the Hitler Youth banned non-Nazi youth groups and 1939 Law on the Hitler Youth made membership compulsory

Question 25

Terror and Repression used by the Nazi Regime to Exercise Control

Answer 25

• Sturmabteilung (SA) were Brownshirt thugs and ran concentration camps with brutality until 30 June 1934 (Night of the Long Knives)
• Schutzstaffel (SS) began as Hitler’s bodyguards but replaced SA, were racially pure and linked to Teutonic Knights of German Empire, had 200 000 members by 1935
• Sicherheitsdienst (SD) was intelligence branch of SS and kept tabs on civilians, had 3000 members that controlled 100 000 informers and was led by Heydrich
• Gestapo was secret state police that brutally fought opposition, was responsible for internal security, free of judicial restraint, and those released from custody spread propaganda, but was not omnipotent as commonly believed, was very bureaucratic, reactive organisation based on civilian’s denunciation, 45 000 members by 1939, led by Goering and then Himmler
• Concentration camps at Dachau and Oranienburg set up for political opponents then social undesirables and Jews, had uncontrolled brutality and depersonalised inmates, imprisoned over 100 000 in 1933, imprisoned 200 000 by 1939
• Blockleiters (block wardens) maintained control over blocks of houses and flats
• Set up People’s Courts in 1934 for those accused of crimes against the state, lawyers had to join Nazi Lawyers’ Association, judges swore loyalty to Hitler, people could be placed into protective custody if there was a chance of them committing a crime, and some trials were publicity stunts
• Organs of terror had built up a perception of fear and repression

Question 26

Propaganda and Censorship used by the Nazi Regime to Exercise Control

Answer 26

• Swastika and pictures of Hitler became ubiquitous
• Potsdam Ceremony of March 1933 for the opening of new Reichstag building linked Nazis to Germany’s past through historical links, imperial flags and large army
• 70% of Germans had Volksempfänger (people’s radio) by 1939 as they were cheap and made on industrial scale so Hitler’s speeches were easily broadcast, this was the highest radio access globally but radio frequencies were very narrow to prevent foreign stations and there was punishment for those found listening to foreign radio broadcasts
• Loudspeakers were placed in public areas to listen to Hitler’s speeches
• German music was encouraged while Jewish and black music was banned
• Cinema and theatre were tightly controlled, Leni Riefenstahl’s propaganda films were produced such as ‘Triumph of the Will’ while culturally undesirable ideas were excluded, including nudity
• Goebbels ensured propaganda didn’t monopolise radio/cinema/theatre, by having blend of music, comedy and drama
• 1933 Editors Law regulated what newspapers could publish, combined news sources into German News Agency that provided propaganda, held daily meetings with editors, closed 1600 opposing news publications by 1935, and by 1939 Nazis directly controlled 69% of newspapers
• Book burnings including 1933 Berlin Book Burning which burned 22 000 books
• Rallies such as Nuremberg presented Nazis as powerful, united and saviours
• 1936 Berlin Olympic Games presented Nazi regime in positive light

Question 27

Cult of Personality used by the Nazi Regime to Exercise Control

Answer 27

• Fuhrerprinzip or Fuhrer Myth was created by Goebbels
• Hitler was universally admired, respected, loved and seen as protector of the German people
• Seen as man of modesty and humility
• Self-sacrifice for the greater good of Germany
• Photographed with children, animals and ordinary Germans
• Given credit for ridding Germany of Treaty of Versailles, ending Great Depression while other countries suffered, and for ending communist threat
• Seen as not indulging in desires such as alcohol and women
• Party’s negative actions were blamed on other officials rather than Hitler

Question 28

Goebbels’ quote on the Propaganda and Censorship used by the Nazi Regime to Exercise Control

Answer 28

Propaganda aimed to “simplify complicated ways of thinking”

Question 29

Richard Evans’ quote on the Terror and Repression used by the Nazi Regime to Exercise Control

Answer 29

“Nazi terror machine reached down even to the smallest units of everyday life and daily work”

Question 30

Ian Kershaw’s quote on the Cult of Personality used by the Nazi Regime to Exercise Control

Answer 30

“The Hitler cult became the pivot of the propaganda effort”

Question 31

Impact of the Nazi Regime on Cultural Expression

Answer 31

• Goebbels established Reichskulturkammer (Reich Chamber of Culture), enforced rules on artists/musicians/filmmakers and ordered what to produce
• 1934 Theatre Law enforced 4 German plays for every foreign play
• Weimar theatrical creations banned and Jewish writers/directors/actors eliminated
• Artistic endeavour of Weimar Republic, cubism, modernism was suppressed as it was seen as decadent, foreign-inspired and corrupted by Jews and Communists
• Traditional German art and styles were pursued, sculptures glorifying heroic image of Aryan body, soldiers, Nazi street fighters and Hitler Youth were promoted
• Failed exhibitions of degenerate art were closed due to popularity
• Book burnings of Jewish, foreign and anti-Nazi ideological literature
• Jewish and black music was banned, German composers favoured
• Advertising was dominated by Nazi iconography
• Modern styles of architecture were frowned upon, instead opting for neo-classical

Question 32

Impact of the Nazi Regime on Religion

Answer 32

• Hitler frowned upon Christianity’s Jewish origins and ideas of love and forgiveness, but was aware of its hold on society as 1/3 Germans were Catholic and 2/3 were Protestant
• Protestant ministers formed Confessional Church and were sent to concentration camps
• Signed Concordat in 1933 with Vatican stating that Nazis would respect rights of Catholic Church if Church kept out of politics but Nazis did not uphold agreements as they closed down Catholic schools, removed Catholic youth groups, persecuted Catholic clergy that opposed them, and replaced crucifixes with swastikas and images of Hitler
• Pope accused Nazis of disregarding Concordat in 1937 so Nazis staged show trials and put priests on trial for charges of immortality, closed down monasteries and seized assets
• Nazis Formed Evangelical Reich Church, sought to remove Jewish Old Testament from Bible, attacked works of Jewish Saint Paul, claimed Jews killed Christ and Hitler was new messiah to avenge Christ, swastika was symbol of German Christianity, created Nazi holidays and marriage/funeral ceremonies

Question 33

Impact of the Nazi Regime on Workers

Answer 33

• Necessary for lebensraum as armed forces had to grow and army had to be supplied so workers were made to feel part of Volksgemeinschaft
• Nazis did not fully trust workers as their strike ended Beer Hall Putsch and they did not fully support Nazis in elections as SPD and KDP combined had 37.3% of votes in November 1932 while Nazis had 33.1%
• May 1 1933 was national workers holiday but on May 2 trade unions were banned and leaders were marched to concentration camps
• Deutsche Arbeitsfront or German Labour Front replaced trade unions, Strength Through Joy organisation provided workers benefits including cheap holidays and Beauty of Work organisation improved workers conditions by providing canteens and better bathroom facilities
• Volkswagen (people’s car) designed for average working families
• Employment rose for rearmament and autobahn (national highways), unemployment dropped from 6 million in 1932 to 200 000 in 1939 and wages rose by 20% from 1933 to 1939
• Men under 25 were conscripted into compulsory Reich Labour Service and sent to work camps, did military drills and worked on autobahnen for 6 months
• Workers were unable to strike, had low employment wages, employers could tie workers to one job and fewer consumer goods were available as rearmament took place

Question 34

Impact of the Nazi Regime on Youth

Answer 34

• Nazis needed loyal, fit, well-trained soldiers and healthy mothers to bear soldiers so youth organisations emphasised good health and physical fitness for both genders, and indoctrinated children through harangues from Youth leaders and paraphernalia of Nazi iconography
• Compulsory membership in Youth Movements from 1936 onwards and parents that refused were placed in concentration camps and had their children removed
• Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth) for boys and Bund Deutscher Madel (League of German Maidens) for girls
• 2.29 million in youth organisations in 1933 and increased to 7.28 million in 1939 (93% of all children)
• After Youth Movements, boys were expected to engage in military or labour service, and girls were expected to partake in domestic service and have an early marriage
• School education system became incredible pro-Nazi
• Teachers swore allegiance to Hitler and joined Nazi Teachers League

Question 35

Impact of the Nazi Regime on Women

Answer 35

• Promoted 3 K’s - Kinder, Kirche and Kuche (children, church and kitchen)
• National Socialist Womanhood set up to promote housewife lives
• 1933 Law for the Encouragement of Marriage loaned newlywed couples 1000 marks, each child let them keep 250 marks, gain tax relief and reduce mortgage by 20%
• Mutterkreuz or Motherhood Cross awarded to women with many children on Hitler’s mother’s birthday
• Established Lebensborn which was a place for unmarried women to meet a racially pure SS man and become pregnant
• Racially undesirable women were sterilised and by 1934, 28 000 had been sterilised
• Aryan men were pressured to divorce Jewish wives and children from Aryan-Jewish marriages were taken away from Jewish parent, abortion was outlawed in 1939 but not for Jewish women
• Laws introduced to remove married women from civil service so gradually they were barred from being doctors, lawyers, judges and were denied political roles
• Attempts to reduce women in university
• Make-up and trousers were frowned upon, hair had to be in plaits or bun and slimming was discouraged as women were encouraged to develop child-bearing hips
• Restrictions eased when women were needed for war effort

Question 36

Impact of the Nazi Regime on Minorities including Jews

Answer 36

• 1933 Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseased Progeny forced sterilisation for physically and mentally handicapped (350 000 people), and later euthanasia in 1939 T4 Programme (200 000 people)
• 1938 Decree for the Struggle Against the Gypsy Plague as Romani’s lack of settled lifestyle was considered Untermenschen (subhuman)
• Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted for not swearing allegiance to regime
• Homosexuals persecuted for not reproducing and fitting Aryan man ideals, 8000 imprisoned by 1938
• Entjudung was the Aryanisation of Nazi Germany to discriminate against Jews even though Jews made up 0.8% of German population in 1933 with 500 000 people
• 400 pieces of anti-Semitic legislation passed between 1933 and 1939
• Jews were targeted in propaganda and were scapegoats for WWI defeat, Versailles and Great Depression
• Petty regulations excluded Jews from using public buses/parks/pools and signs that certain entrances were not available for them
• 1933 Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service boycotted Jewish businesses, dismissed them from Civil Service, restricted their education
• Jews were denied marriage loans, entry into legal system and were excluded from media and arts
• 1933 Law Against the Overcrowding of German Schools limited Jewish populations in schools to 1.5%
• 1935 Nuremberg Laws including Reich Citizenship Act so Jews were no longer German citizens, had no rights or protection, and Blood Protection Act meant German citizens and Jews could not marry or have sexual relations
• 1938 regulation that Jewish males take the name Israel and females take Sarah
• Kristallnacht (Crystal Night/Night of the Broken Glass) on 7 November 1938 as German diplomat Ernst von Rath was shot by Jewish man, led to nationwide attack on Jews in which 1400 synagogues were destroyed, 7500 shops and businesses were looted, homes and shops were smashed and set alight, remaining businesses were Aryanised and bought out at low prices, 30 000 Jewish men were sent to concentration camps and nearly 100 died, Jews fined 1 billion marks
• 250 000 German Jews emigrated from 1933 to 1939

Question 37

Cate Haste’s quote on Impact of the Nazi Regime on Youth

Answer 37

The Nazis were “organising youth into coherent body of loyal supporters”

Question 38

Goebbels’ quote on Impact of the Nazi Regime on Women

Answer 38

“the mission of women is to be beautiful and to bring children into the world”

Question 39

Claudia Koonz’s quote on Impact of the Nazi Regime on Women

Answer 39

“creating their own domestic lebensraum”

Question 40

Walter Buch the President of the Nazi Party Supreme Court’s quote on Impact of the Nazi Regime on Minorities including Jews

Answer 40

The Jew was “outside the law and he was not a human being”

Question 41

William Shirer’s quote on Impact of the Nazi Regime on Minorities including Jews

Answer 41

“Jews had been excluded either by law or by Nazi terror … at least one half of them were without means of livelihood”

Question 42

Opposition to the Nazi Regime

Answer 42

• Organs of terror reduced opposition and Widerstand (resistance)
• Banning of trade unions and establishment of German Labour Front reduced workers opposition, the few that had strikes and protests were arrested by Gestapo
• Conservative elites benefitted from dissolvement of left-wing parties, trade unions, potential communist threats so they did not oppose Nazism
• Gleichschaltung ended political party opposition
• Nazification of German life led to little social unrest
• Propaganda and Fuhrer Myth painted Nazi regime as positive and Nazis were believed to have ended Depression and Treaty of Versailles
• Army was angry at rise of SA but Night of the Long Knives, Hitler’s removal of potentially disloyal generals and army’s allegiance to Hitler dissolved opposition
• Ludwig Beck the Chief of Staff of the German Army tried to convince generals to ignore orders to invade Austria in 1938 but ultimately led to Gestapo arresting 7000 people and executing almost 5000
• Catholic and Protestant Churches supported Nazis as people that opposed regime were killed or sent to concentration camps, as seen when the Confessing Church criticised Reich Church and 400 priests and thousands of members were arrested, beaten and sent to concentration camps
• Youth opposition groups like White Rose advocated for resistance, Edelweisspiraten defied restrictions, did not participate in mainstream activities and fought Hitler Youth members, and Swing Kids indulged in jazz, swing music, and wore English clothes
• Kreisau Circle and Leadership Circle of United Trade Unions hid Jews, printed and distributed illegal literature and media, and made at least 46 attempts on Hitler’s life

Question 43

Ambitions and Actions of Germany in Europe

Answer 43

• Sought autarky and lebensraum in Poland and Russia
• Wanted GrossDeutschland to bring together all German speakers and Aryans through Anschluss
• Wanted to establish 1000 year Reich
• Aimed to settle Jewish problem
• Wanted revision of Versailles and restoration of German pride, honour and economic/military authority in Europe
• Withdrew from League of Nations and World Disarmament Conference in 1933
• Began rearmament and reintroduced conscription in 1935
• 1935 Anglo-German Naval Agreement for Germany to build fleet up to 35% of Britain’s level and equal number of submarines
• 1936 remilitarised Rhineland which was the industrial heart of Germany
• 1938 annexed Austria and achieved Anschluss
• 1939 invaded Czechoslovakia and made it puppet state
• 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact
• 1939 invaded Poland
• 17% of GDP in 1938 was spent on military, 23% in 1939

Question 44

Ambitions and Actions of Japan in Asia-Pacific

Answer 44

• Wanted imperialism to provide raw materials and resources, territory for the growing population and to sustain economgy
• Aimed to remove western powers from Asia
• Wanted to be recognised as equal to west
• Sought Pan-Asianism and “Asia for the Asians”
• Anti-communist so Manchuria acted as buffer between Japan and Russia
• First and Second Sino-Japanese War
• 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War
• 1910 annexation of Korea
• Bombing of Pearl Harbour
• Pacific War

Question 45

Richard Evans’ quote on Ambitions and Actions of Germany in Europe

Answer 45

“secure recovery of the German economy was through the conquest of ‘living space’”

Question 46

Intentions and Authority of the League of Nations

Answer 46

• Aimed for collective security, preservation of world peace and international cooperation
• Article 10 (Collective Security provision) meant League members could attack aggressor nation that attacked another country
• Article 12 provided arbitration between conflicting nations
• Article 16 provided economic sanctions against the aggressor to halt its actions

Question 47

Successes of the League of Nations

Answer 47

• Successful in dealing with refugees, health, drug trade, and slavery
• Aided Austria’s disastrous economy after WWI
• Resolved some international disputes such as Sweden and Finland’s conflict over Aaland Isles in 1921

Question 48

Failures of the League of Nations

Answer 48

• Failed due to reliance on internationalism whilst interwar period was dominated by nationalism
• Did not include US which was needed as it was a major superpower
• Didn’t have its own armed forces
• Nations could deny the League a say in issues
• Was unable to act when major powers were aggressors such as during the Spanish Civil War, Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia, Japan’s invasion of Manchuria and the Nazis in Europe

Question 49

Intentions, Authority and Actions of the UN

Answer 49

• Aimed for collective security, maintenance of international peace, protection of human rights, delivery of humanitarian aid, maintenance of international law and to be an improved version of League of Nations
• Composed of many separate units with different responsibilities in achieving global peace
• Formation of Security Council as an international police force to enforce peace
• Resolved conflict between Jews and Arabs in Palestine
• Attempted to control development of atomic weapons
• Fought in Korean War to defend South Korea
• Made significant progress in health, transport and economics (vaccinations for 58% of children and protection of human rights with treaties)

Question 50

Japan’s quote on Failures of the League of Nations

Answer 50

The League of Nations was a “paper tiger”

Question 51

Overview and Consequences of Treaty of Neuilly

Answer 51

• Between Allies and Bulgaria in 1919
• Army reduced to 20 000
• Navy reduced to 4 torpedo boats
• No air force
• Had to pay reparations
• Lost land