Power and Authority - Syllabus - Germany Flashcards
1
Q
Overview of the Treaty of Versailles - Germany:
A
- Peace agreement between Germany and the allies.
- The League of Nations was established, this was an international peacekeeping organisation. (similar to the UN).
- The treaty didn’t allow for a good relationship between the defeated central powers and the rest of Europe. It also angered Italy and Japan, as Japan and been denied their racial equality clause, and therefore felt the need to become more expansionist and militaristic to be taken seriously be the allies.
2
Q
Overview of the Treaty of St Germain - Austria :
A
- The Austro-Hungarian Empire was dismantled, with Austria forbidden from uniting with Germany.
- Austria’s army was reduced to 30 000 troops.
- Austria lost significant territory to newly created states such as Czechoslovakia, Poland and Yugoslavia.
- Population went from 30 million to 6.5 million.
3
Q
Overview of the Treaty of Neuilly - Bulgaria:
A
- Bulgaria lost territory to Greece, Yugoslavia, and Romania.
- Reparations of 100 million pounds
- Bulgarian army was limited to 20 000 troops.
4
Q
Overview of the Treaty of Sevres - Turkey:
A
- The Ottoman Empire was broken up, with large parts of the Middle East becoming mandates under British and French control.
- Turkey was forced to renounce claims to Arab territories and recognise Armenia’s independence.
5
Q
Overview of the Treaty of Trianon - Hungary:
A
- Hungary lost two-thirds of its pre-war territory to Romania.
- Military was reduced to 35 000 troops and reparations were imposed
- There was a War Guilt Clause, similar to the Treaty of Versailles.
- Often referred to the Peace Dictate of Trianon
5
Q
Overview of the Treaty of Lausanne - Turkey:
A
- Rejected by the new Turkish nationalist regime, the Treaty of Sèvres was replaced by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923.
- It emerged as a second attempt at peace after the failed and unratified Treaty of Sèvres, which had sought to partition Ottoman territories
his armistice provided for the exchange of Greek-Turkish populations and allowed unrestricted civilian, non-military passage through the Turkish Straits.
6
Q
What Were the main Factors Contributing to the Rise of Dictatorships after WW1?
A
- WW1
- Treaty of Versailles
- European Constitutions/Politics & Weak Democratic Institutions
- Economic Instability
- Great Personalities
7
Q
What Are the 3 Types of Dictatorships?
A
- Constitutional Dictatorship
- Authoritarian Dictatorship
- Totalitarian Dictatorship
8
Q
What is a Constitutional Dictatorship?
A
- A dictatorship in which existing institutions didn’t completely remove opposition.
9
Q
What is an Authoritarian Dictatorship?
A
- Often takes the form of presidential dictatorships.
- This type of dictatorship pursued defensive goals in foreign policy, and territorial consolidation, not expansion.
- It allows no opposition. Dictatorships like these may be led by a military figure or monarch.
10
Q
What is a Totalitarian Dictatorship?
A
- This kind aimed to create a new form of society, based on ideological thinking in which the private world was broken down. The nation would be led through any potential crises by a charismatic superhuman figure.
11
Q
What was the Dictatorship in Russia like?
A
-Stalin’s Soviet Union is a totalitarian dictatorship.
- Under Stalin, the regime pursued complete domination over the political, social, and economic spheres, with an extensive use of state terror, propaganda, and a secret police force to suppress dissent and control all aspects of public and private life.
12
Q
What was the Dictatorship in Italy like?
A
- Mussolini’s Italy is an authoritarian dictatorship.
- Although Mussolini aimed for full control, his regime did not completely eliminate all traditional institutions and societal structures, such as the monarchy and the church.
He maintained political power through repression and propaganda but never fully achieved the kind of total societal control seen in later regimes
13
Q
What was the Dictatorship in Japan like?
A
- Japan is an authoritarian regime.
- Although militaristic and repressive, the traditional structures of the emperor and the imperial family remained intact, and the regime did not reach the same ideological and societal control as a totalitarian state.
14
Q
What were the 2 Faults of the Weimar Republic?
A
Political Instability:
- Nine general elections between January 1919 and March 1933
- Smaller parties
- 29 different parties held seats in the Reichstag
More parties makes it harder for things to get done, laws not passed, so coalitions had to be formed and this meant compromises on laws, leading to a lack of strong policies.
Economic Instability:
- The Great Depression - Wall Street Stock Market crashed 24th October 1929
- US recalled foreign loans from Germany
Unemployment rose from 132 000 in 1929 to 3 million in 1930 to over 5 million by 1931. by 1932, over 6 million were unemployed.
15
Q
What was the Ebert-Groener Pact?
A
- Groener promised to bring the army home in good order if Ebert guaranteed that he could maintain order and prevent the same revolutionary events that had occurred in Russia a year earlier (communism)
- This pact maintains until the Spartacist uprising - Ebert sends in Groener’s troops to the Freikorps to crush them in a bloody battle.
- The KPD and SPD become mortal enemies from this point on.
- The KPD and SPD are too busy fighting each other, and Hitler is from the NSDAP which is more fascist, and climbs through the cracks to rise to power.
16
Q
What was the Weimar Constitution, plus 2 important articles?
A
- The Constitution guaranteeing numerous rights including equality before the law, freedom of speech and religion, right to form unions and property rights.
- Article 25 allowed the president to dissolve the Reichstag and call for new elections within 60 days. This power could potentially be used to dismiss unfavourable parliaments, leading to political instability.
- Article 48 was more problematic as it gave the president emergency powers to rule by decree. The president could also suspend civil liberties which were supposed to be guaranteed in the constitution.
17
Q
What was the importance of the Beer Hall Putsch?
A
- Hitler learnt that power could not be achieved by force, so he became committed to gaining power legally, according to the Constitution.
- Hitler and the Nazi movement gained national publicity.
- Hitler knew he could not hold power without the support of the German army, as they had been a key factor of the Putsch.
18
Q
What were the 5 Reasons why the Nazi Party came to power?
A
- The Appeal of Nationalism Socialism
- The Division of the Left
- The Role of Adolf Hitler
- Nazi Tactics
- Weakness of Opponents
19
Q
What were the 5 key events in the Nazi Consolidation of Power?
A
- Reichstag Fire - February 27th 1933
- The Enabling Act - March 23rd 1933
- Gleichschaltung - Centralisation
- Concordat with the Catholic Church - July 20th 1933
- Night of the Long Knives - June 30th 1934
20
Q
What was the Nazi political Ideology?
A
- Rejected internationalism - the Nazi Party put the national interests of Germany over internationalism.
- Führerprinzip - the Nazi Party replaced democracy with the Fuhrer as supreme authority.
- Foreign Policy - They carried out aggressive foreign policies and pulled out of many international treaties
- Fuhrer Cult - Heroic leadership
- Glechschaltung - Coordinating the Nazi Parliament to align with this ideology
21
Q
What was the Nazi Economic Ideology?
A
Autarky - They strived the restore the economy to the point where it was entirely self-sufficient.
22
Q
What was the Nazi Military Ideology?
A
Expansionist Ideology - Nazis sought to annex other countries and incorporate that territory into their nation. This required extension training, and equipping of military with weaponry.
23
Q
What was the Nazi Social Ideology?
A
- Social Darwinism - They used this theory to argue that the Aryan race was the most evolved and therefore superior race.
- Called for the ‘people’s community’ of pure Germans to return to the motherland and make Germany great again
24
What was the Nazi Racial Ideology?
- German people needed to rise again
- Antisemitism - racial purification
- Divided the race into Undesirables, which were Jews, Disabled, and Coloured, and the Desirable, which were Aryan.
25
Role of Hitler in the Nazi State:
- Made the 'Fuhrerprinzip' the basis of the Nazi Party
- Wrote Mein Kampf
- He often spoke about destiny and providence guiding his actions, therefore giving the impression that he had a divine mission or was somehow protected.
- He had 'saved' Germany from communism in 1933.
- He appeared devoted to the German people.
- After 1933, Hitler's foreign policy successes gave the German people the sense that he really had extraordinary skills and talent.
Hitler was the 'saviour' of Germany.
26
Role of Hermann Goring in the Nazi State:
- Joined the NSDAP in 1921. he was at the Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, and was wounded.
- He was admired by Hitler and was immediately appointed the head of the SA in 1922.
- He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe (air force) in 1935, which he held until the end of WW2.
- Led the economic despoliation of the Jews, supported the Nuremburg trials, seizing Jewish property with no compensation, ordered Heydreich to organise the "Final Solution".
- Established the Gestapo
- Helped consolidate the Nazi's rule by enlisting SA and SS men as auxiliary policemen
- Encourage Hitler to purge the SA in the Night of the Long Knives
- Sentenced for crimes against humanity
- Established the Gestapo - head of the Luftwaffe in 1935
* The failures of this wing eroded his influence
Responsible for Germany's four year economic plan
27
Role of Ernst Rohm in the Nazi State:
- Played a leading role in the Beer Hall Putsch, convicted of treason, spent 5 months in prison
- Appointed Chief of Staff of the SA
- Became increasingly critical of Hitler
- Arrested during the Night of the Long Knives and was shot in his cell
- Close confidant of Hitler
- Head of the SA
- Began calling for a 'second revolution'
- Because of this, he became a threat to Hitler, and was shot in his cell in 1934
28
Role of Heinrich Himmler in the Nazi State:
- Joined the NSDAP in 1921 - he was also apart of the Munich Beer Hall Putsch.
- Appointed as the Reichsfuhrer of the SS in 1929, in which he immediately began expanding the SS.
- Was elected a deputy to the Reichstag in 1930.
- He masterminded the June 30, 1934 purge where the SS eliminated the SA as a power within the Nazi Party.
- Head of the SS
- Formed an internal police force named the SD
- Instrumental in eliminating Rohm and the leadership of the SA
- Played a direct role in the attempted extermination of Europe's Jews as part of the Final Solution
- Chief architect of the 'Final Solution'
- Second most powerful main in Germany
- Orchestrated many concentration camps
- Played a key role in NOTLK - was in charge of all police forces
- Obsessed with 'Aryan Purity
29
How was Terror and Repression used by the Nazi's to exercise control?
- Violence and brutality was intentionally public
- March 1933 Law against Malicious Gossip - dissent is illegal
- The SS and concentration camps (Himmler and Heydrich)
* Dachau, Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald and Lichtenburg)
- The Gestapo and the SS operate above the law.
- Denunciation to the Gestapo was common and motives varied
- Block wardens - perception of being watched
- Night of the Long Knives, which assassinated Rohm, leader of the SA, along with other opposing politicians.
30
How was Laws used by the Nazi's to exercise control?
Reichstag Fire:
- The Reichstag Fire was an arson attack on the Reichstag building (German parliament). Nazi leaders and coalition partners used the fire to claim that the Communists were planning a violent uprising, essentially blaming the fire on them.
This resulted in the Reichstag Decree (Decree for the Protection of People and the Reich)
- This permitted the regime to arrest and incarcerate political opponents without specific charge
- Dissolve political organisations
- Suppress publications
- Authority to overrule state and local governments
Enabling Act:
- Removed many people's civil rights, such as the right to a fair trial before imprisonment.
- Awarded Hitler the power to make and pass laws without consultation of the Reichstag or President Hindenburg.
- This Act removed the Reichstag as a source of Opposition
- Article 48 of Constitution 1933 Law against formation of New Parties
This law signified the end to opposition in the political sphere
31
How was Censorship and Propaganda used by the Nazi's to exercise control?
Censorship in Nazi Germany was the outlawing of publications of public media, including newspapers and books. Significant events of the censorship of public media includes the Editors Law 1933, and The Book Burning of 1933.
Propaganda:
- Simultaneously generated genuine support while quelling the opposition
Key figure:
- Joseph Goebbels - Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda
- Key principles of propaganda - 'Peoples Receiver'
Film Propaganda:
- Nazi film propaganda sought to manipulate public opinion and reinforce ideology, using anti-Semitism, glorification of Aryan ideals, and persuasive cinematography in films
Print Propaganda:
Nazi print propaganda aimed to manipulate public opinion and consolidate power, using anti-Semitism, Aryan supremacy, dehumanization, and emotional appeals to control society through targeted media like posters, newspapers, and pamphlets.
32
How was Cult of Personality used by the Nazi's to exercise control?
Hitler Myth:
- The position of Hitler had been raised up to an almost divine level for several years
- Across Germany, streets, city squares and parks were renamed in Hitler's honour.
- He was presented as a man who was both 'ordinary' and 'extraordinary' in order to become a figure who the citizens could both relate to and yet aspire to be like
- Hitler was a saviour as well as an ‘everyday man’
- He spoke about destiny and providence, guiding his actions, providing the impression that he had a divine mission in mind
After 1933, Hitler’s foreign successes gave the German people the sense that he really had extraordinary skills and talents
33
Nazi Regime impact on Religion in Germany:
- Hitler had contempt for Christianity, but recognised its influence and harnessed this.
- Hitler attacked churches by seizing property, killing leading Catholics like priests and attacking the Church in the press.
- Churches were modified to reflect the Nazi ideologies, religious symbols were replaced with the swastika, the Bible was replaced with 'Mein Kampf', and they tried to get rid of the Old Testament.
- Hitler created the Reich Evangelical Church which spread the new racial and nationalist doctrines of the regime.
- Nazi's created disagreement in religion and reduced their influence in politics.
34
Nazi Regime impact on Workers in Germany:
- In 1933, Trade Unions were shut down and replaced with German Labour Front. (DAF)
- Strikes were forbidden, yet wages remained low, there was an introduction of "workbook" and maximum working hours increased from 60 to 72.
- The "Strength Through Joy" (KDF) scheme was introduced in November 1933, aiming to make workers support Hitler by offering them rewards and keeping them occupied outside the workplace by providing leisure activities and holidays.
- Unemployment changed from 6 million unemployed in 1933, to there being a labour shortage in 1939.
Wages slightly improved as well.
35
Nazi Regime impact on Youth in Germany:
- There was a big emphasis in Nazi ideology on the youth, an dhow they should be moulded to be loyal to Hitler.
- Lebensraum is where they would be the future German/Aryan population who would live on the land acquired
- Racial Purity is where they were the ones who had to carry on and emphasise the importance of racial purity
- The two main Nazi youth organisations were the Hitler Youth, and the League of German Girls.
- Nazi ideology permeated throughout every level, all youth organisations were anti-intellectual, and they reduced the influence and importance of education to children.
- While most young people embraced the opportunities that came through these youth organisations, a small number opposed, these were called the Edelweiss Pirates and Swing Kids
- All facets of education were controlled.
- Teachers had to be members of the Nationalist Socialist Teacher's League.
Children were heavily brainwashed with Nazi ideology in camps and groups, which ultimately led the youth to grow up to serve in the military or bear children for the Aryan race.
36
Nazi Regime impact on Women in Germany:
- According to Nazi ideology, women were inferior, blocked from reaching positions of prominence, and existed for the sole purpose of having children and caring for families in the home.
- Childbirth and pregnancy were further encouraged by bans on abortions, (which were made punishable by death), sterilisations (T4 program for disabled people), and contraception.
- Kinder, Kuche, Kirche (Kitchen, Children, Church), was a key phrase throughout the Nazi Party.
Under Weimar, women could vote and hold seats in Parliament, but the Nazi's took these away and restored the 'traditional use' of women.
37
Nazi Regime impact on Handicapped/Disabled in Germany:
- By 1939, more than 300,000 people had been forcibly sterilised. During World War II, people with disabilities were systematically killed, including children.
The program code-named Operation T4 carried out the killing of adults with disabilities in gas chambers and children by lethal injection or starvation. Around 5,000 children with disabilities were killed through the program and almost 250,000 adults
38
Nazi Regime impact on Jews in Germany:
- The Reich Citizenship Laws (1935) placed many restrictions on the ability for Jews to acquire citizenship/
- “The Night of the Broken Glass” (Kristallnacht) occurred on the night of 9-10 November 1938.
- The rioting was led by the SA and Hitler Youth.
- Jewish homes, hospitals and schools were ransacked and destroyed with sledgehammers.
The Jewish community was fined 1 billion Reichsmarks (equivalent to 4 billion Euros in 2009).
39
What were the Authority of the League of Nations?
- League of Nations cannot enforce military restrictions, or anything military related.
- Don’t have authority to stop anyone leaving the League of Nations
- Can't change rules.
- Can only suggest strategies.
Can't force nations to join.
40
Why did the League of Nations Fail?
Despite some success, the outbreak of WW2 ultimately signified it's failure on the largest possible scale. WHY?
- Rested on principle of internationalism at a time where politics was increasingly dominated by the radical right.
- The Great Depression in particular prompted nations to look inwards and prioritise national interests.
- Major powers weren't members (for example, USA)
- LON didn't have armed forces
- The moral authority of the LON suffered from what was perceived to be the hypocrisy of leading nations, such as Britain and France i.e agreeing to treaties to protect Poland outside of the LONG
- Economic sanctions were the League's major 'weapon' which were difficult to coordinate and in the economic crisis of the 1930's was complicated to use
- Disappointed nations could simply walk out, e.g. Japan (1933), Germany (1933), Italy (1937)
The LON's failure was largely caused by its lack of authority.
41
What were the Intentions and Authority of the UN?
- Security council members had the power of veto. With the USA and the USSR's relationship growing increasingly hostile, this would paralyse the UN from actions.
- Wider functions of the UN extended into fields of human rights, economics, development, health, science and culture.
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The IMF helps to promote international trade and reduce poverty throughout the world while the Word Bank provides loans and grants to the low and middle-income countries to help their development.
- Designed to administer global justice and avoid future conflict.
- Relied on the concept of collective security, of a member was attacked, other members would come to their aid, military force and trade sanctions, universal disbarment successes.
- The Covenant of the League of Nations declared that its aim was "to promote international cooperation and achieve international peace and security by accepting obligations not to resort to war"
