The Munich Putsch, the Nazis in the 1920s, the Great Depression and the Nazis' success Flashcards
1
Q
Who was killed in the summer of 1922?
A
Germany’s foreign minister Walther Rathenau was murdered by extremists.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
13
Q
By 1928, how many members were of the Nazi party?
A
Members rose to over 100,000 by 1928.
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)
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
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.
