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History GCSE Depth Study Germany 1918-45 2022-24 > The Munich Putsch, the Nazis in the 1920s, the Great Depression and the Nazis' success > Flashcards

The Munich Putsch, the Nazis in the 1920s, the Great Depression and the Nazis' success Flashcards

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1
Q

Who was killed in the summer of 1922?

A

Germany’s foreign minister Walther Rathenau was murdered by extremists.

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2
Q

What happened in the Munich Putsch, 1923? (Card 1)

A
  • By 1923 the Nazis were still a minority party, but Hitler had given them a high profile
  • In November 1923 Hitler believed the moment had come for him to topple the Weimar Government
  • On 8th November, he hijacked a local government meeting and announced he was taking over the government of Bavaria (in Germany)
  • Joined by the war hero Ludendorff
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3
Q

What happened in the Munich Putsch, 1923? (Card 2)

A
  • Nazi Stormtroopers took over official buildings
  • The police rounded up the Stormtroopers and shot 16 Nazis
  • Rebellion broke up in chaos
  • Hitler escaped in a car
  • Ludendorff and others stayed to face the armed police
  • Hitler had gambled and miscalculated and his revolution had failed
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4
Q

What was the aftermath of the Munich Putsch, 1923? (Short term effect)

A
  • In SHORT term, it was a disaster for Hitler
  • Nazis had been humiliated and he’d miscalculated the mood of the German people since they didn’t rise up to support him
  • Hitler and other Nazi leaders were arrested and charged with treason
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5
Q

What was the aftermath of the Munich Putsch, 1923? (Long term effect)

A
  • Less of a disaster
  • At his trial Hitler gained enormous publicity for himself and his ideas
  • Hitler’s every word was reported in the newspapers
  • He impressed the judges so much that he and his accomplices got off very lightly
  • Ludendorff was freed altogether
  • Hitler only served nine months of his prison sentence in Landsberg Castle
  • Hitler probably gained the attention of important figures in the army because of his connection with Ludendorff
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6
Q

What did Hitler do in prison?

A
  • Hitler used his time to write a book called Mein Kampf (My Stuggle)
  • This book clarified and presented his ideas about Germany’s future
  • He came to the conclusion that Nazis wouldn’t be able to seize power by force
  • They would have to work within the democratic system to achieve power
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7
Q

What were Hitler’s main views?

A
  • National Socialism: This stood for loyalty to Germany, racial purity, equality and state control of the economy.
  • Racism: The Aryans (white Europeans) were the Master Race. All other races and especially the Jews were inferior.
  • Armed force: War and struggle were an essential part of the development of a healthy Aryan race.
  • Living space (Lebensraum): Germany needed to expand as its people were hemmed in.
  • The Führer: Democratic discussion produced weakness and strength lay in total loyalty to the leader.
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8
Q

What did Hitler do as soon as he was released from prison?

A
  • Hitler set about rebuilding the Nazi party so that it could take power through democratic means
  • Built up their strength through youth organisations and recruitment drives
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9
Q

What happened with the Nazis in the May 1924 elections?

A

The Nazis stood in the Reichstag elections for the first time in May 1924 and won 32 seats.

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10
Q

How did the Nazis try to target the farmers in Germany?

A
  • The Nazis found they gained more support from groups
  • This included peasant farmers, middle-class shopkeepers and small business people in country towns
  • Germany had a large rural population (about 35%) that lived and worked on the land
  • They weren’t sharing in Weimar Germany’s economic prosperity
  • Nazis promised to help agriculture if they came to power
  • Peasants were considered ‘racially pure Germans’
  • Nazi propaganda contrasted the supposedly clean and simple life of the peasants with the allegedly corrupt, crime-ridden cities (for which they blamed the Jews)
  • Nazis also got support from people who saw that Weimar’s flourishing culture was immoral
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11
Q

How did Hitler strengthen the SA in the 1920s?

A
  • In 1925 Hitler enlarged the SA
  • About 55% came from the ranks of unemployed Germans
  • Or ex-servicemen from the war
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12
Q

What was the SS?

A

Organisation within the Nazi Party which began as Hitler’s bodyguard but expanded to become a state within a state.

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13
Q

By 1928, how many members were of the Nazi party?

A

Members rose to over 100,000 by 1928.

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14
Q

Why did the Nazis still have little success before 1930?

A
  • Disastrous Putsch of 1923
  • Disruption of meetings by political enemies
  • Lack of support in the police and army
  • Most industrial workers supported left-wing parties
  • Nazis aims were irrelevant to most Germans
  • Successes of Weimar Government (e.g. in the economy, foreign policy)
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15
Q

What happened in 1929? (Card 1)

A
  • The American STOCK MARKET crashed and sent the USA into a disastrous ECONOMIC DEPRESSION
  • Countries around the world began to feel the effects of this depression
  • Germany was particularly badly affected
  • American bankers and businessmen lost massive amounts of money in the CRASH
  • To pay off their debts they asked German banks to repay the money they had borrowed
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16
Q

What happened in 1929? (Card 2)

A
  • This created economic collapse in Germany
  • Businesses went bankrupt, workers were laid off and unemployment rocketed
  • Still, Germany had to pay the reparations for the Treaty of Versailles
  • The WR struggled with making decisions on how to deal with this situation
17
Q

How did Hitler’s ideas suddenly relate to the German people?

A
  • The Weimar Government was indecisive, so Germany needed a strong leader
  • The Treaty of Versailles should be abolished since it was adding to Germany’s problems
  • The unemployed should join the army, build Germany’s armaments (military equipment) and be used for public works like road building
18
Q

Who were the most vulnerable during the Great Depression?

A
  • The unemployed
  • Elderly
  • Middle classes
19
Q

How many seats did the Nazis get in the 1930 and 1932 elections?

A
  • 1930 elections: 107 seats
  • November 1932 elections: nearly 200 seats

They didn’t have an overall majority yet, but were the single biggest party.

20
Q

Why did the Nazis succeed in elections?

A
  • Mainly the Depression
  • Factor 1: Nazi campaigning
  • Factor 2: ‘Negative cohesion’
  • Factor 3: Disillusionment with democracy
  • Factor 4: The Communist threat
  • Factor 5: Decadence
  • Factor 6: Weak opposition
21
Q

Factor 1: Nazi campaigning (Hitler)

A
  • Modern and effective
  • The Nazis’ greatest campaigning asset was Hitler
  • Hitler was a powerful speaker and ran for president in 1932 though he was defeated
  • He was years ahead of his time as a communicator
  • Used films, radio and records to bring his message to millions
  • Appeared as a dynamic man of the moment, the leader of a modern party with modern ideas
  • He was also a man of the people, someone who understood their problems
22
Q

Factor 1: Nazi campaigning (Posters and pamphlets)

A
  • Propaganda was found everywhere
  • Their rallies impressed people with their energy, enthusiasm and sheer size
23
Q

Factor 1: Nazi campaigning (Generalised slogans)

A
  • ‘Uniting the people’
  • ‘Going back to traditional values’
  • However, they were never clear about what this meant in terms of policies, making it hard for criticism
  • Repeated at every opportunity that they believed Jews, communists, Weimar politicians and the Treaty of Versailles were the causes of Germany’s problems
  • Said the WR was unable to solve Germany’s problems
  • When industrialists were concerned about Nazi plans to nationalise industry, they dropped the policy to keep loyalty
  • Practical action e.g. soup kitchens
24
Q

Factor 2: ‘Negative cohesion’

A
  • Nazis benefited from negative cohesion
  • People supported the Nazis not because they shared Nazi views (that would be positive cohesion) but because they shared Nazi fears
  • ‘If you hate what I hate, then I’ll support you!’
25
Q

Factor 3: Disillusionment in democracy

A
  • Dissatisfaction with democracy in Weimar Germany
  • Politicians seemed unable to tackle the Depression
  • Chancellor Brüning actually cut government spending and welfare benefits
  • This was a bad decision as it gave the Nazis the opportunity to exploit the discontent in Germany
  • Unemployment was heading towards 6 million
  • The average German’s income had fallen by 40% since 1929
26
Q

Factor 4: The Communist threat

A
  • Communist support was rising during the Depression
  • Fear of Communism was another shared negative
  • Frequent street battler between communist gangs and the police
  • Unruly groups of unemployed workers gathered on street corners
  • In contrast, the SA and SS gave an impression of discipline and order which people felt they needed
27
Q

Who feared the Communists and why?

A
  • Business leaders because of their plans to introduce state control of business
  • Concerned about the growing strength of trade unions
  • They felt the Nazis would combat these threats, so they started to fun their campaigns
  • Farmers were alarmed by Communists
  • In the USSR, the communist government had taken over all of the land
  • Millions of peasants had been killed of imprisoned in the process
  • The Nazis promised to help these desperately struggling farmers
28
Q

Factor 5: Decadence

A
  • Nazis could count on all those who felt traditional German values were under threat
  • Nazis talked about restoring these old-fashioned values
29
Q

Factor 6: Weak opposition

A
  • The SDP was the largest party under the WR for the first 13 years
  • The Social Democratic Party made a grave mistake in thinking German people wouldn’t fall for these vague promises and accusations
  • The SDP also failed to work with other parties, particularly the Communists
  • Ebert’s crushing of the Communists in 1919-20 left too many bitter memories and the Nazis exploited the divisions among their opponents
30
Q

What was the result for the Nazis?

A

NAZI SUPPORT ROCKETED.

History GCSE Depth Study Germany 1918-45 2022-24 (21 decks)

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