Unit 2 - The Great Depression in Germany

Question 1

How many days did Germany have to begin repaying Dawes Plan?

Answer 1

The US gave them 90 days to begin repaying the $200 million loan

Question 2

What impact did the Hawley Smoot tariffs have?

Answer 2

Less exports to America - America was the largest importer of German goods before WSC

Lack of demand = bankrupt or lay off workers

Rapid unemployment and declining economic activity (1932 industrial prod. decreased 58% in comparison to 1928 levels)

Question 3

Unemployment in 1928 vs in 1933

Answer 3

1928 = 650 000
1933 = 6.1 million
(1/2 all Ger aged 16-30 = unemployed / 60% uni graduates + 40% factory workers)

Question 4

What was the impact of high unemployment?

Answer 4

Poverty + deprivation

Mass starvation (thousands of children starving to death)
Children had to leave school to work

Evictions (shanty towns created)

Question 5

How were the middle class feeling in 1932?

Answer 5

Humiliated again (after hyperinflation in 1923-24)

Wanted a strong leader because didn’t think democracy was working
= support communist parties/extreme parties

Question 6

How were the working class feeling in 1932?

Answer 6

Disillusionment with democratic gov
= support for communist party

Desperate + frustrated bc wages increased during WR

Question 7

Election results of extreme parties 1928 vs 1932

Answer 7

1928: Nazis = 2.6%
Communist = 10.6% (4th)

1932: Nazis = 33.1% (1st)
Communist = 16.9% (3rd)

Demonstrates support for extreme political parties because they seemed like they offered solutions

Question 8

Why was the Nazi party outlawed in 1923?

Answer 8

Believed to be high treason

Question 9

How did the Nazi party attempt a coup in 1923?

Answer 9

Hitler + 600 Nazis stormed a beerhall containing Bavarian PM + 3000 officials
Took PM to other room and forced him to give support to Nazis but when they let him go, he told the authorities

Attempt = failed to take buildings in Munich

Question 10

Why did Hilter only serve 9 months in jail after Munich (beerhall) Putsch?

Answer 10

The judge sympathized with his ideas and his ability to defend himself during the trial (and his passionate speaking)

Treason usually punishable by execution but only given 5 years
He was seen to have such important views and ideas about how to improve Ger that he was let out early

Question 11

German word for ‘living space’

Answer 11

Lebensraum

Question 12

What is Lebensraum?

Answer 12

Aryan race = superior to all other races
= right to take land from inferior ppl bc needed to expand east (for survival or Aryan race - need food and land to support growing population)

Question 13

What is Anti Semitism?

Answer 13

Anti - Jewish people

Jews = evil sub-humans controlling the world who planned to destroy Aryan race / soul purpose = make life difficult for Germans/
responsible for everything negative in life (WW1 + TOV)

Question 14

What is the German word for ‘people’s community’?

Answer 14

Volksgemeinschaft

Question 15

What is volksgemeinschaft?

Answer 15

Classless society where everyone works for the benefit of the race rather than them individually

‘racially pure’ Germans and practicing ‘racial hygiene’ to ensure sub-human and disabled people removed from gene pool / create perfect Aryan race

Germany needs to be united behind a single, strong leader (Hitler)

Question 16

What is Pan-Germanism?

Answer 16

All Germans should be united into a single nation = unite all German speaking ppl

Overturn TOV and get back lost territory

Question 17

How did Hitler reform and establish the Nazi party after leaving prison?

Answer 17

Move away from violence + win control of Reichstag (parliament)

Expanded party membership + establish national presence

Propaganda + Hitler’s passionate speeches to attract voters

Create certain messages to appeal to groups (middle class, working class, etc)

Question 17

What was the overall event which increased Nazi popularity?

Answer 17

Hardships of the Great Depression

(ppl wanted a new leader who would actually support them + cared about them)

Question 18

How many seats did Nazis have in Reichstag in 1928 vs 1932?

Answer 18

1928: 12 seats (2.6% of vote)
1932: largest single party (1933 = 33.1% of vote)

Question 19

Why did people vote for Nazis?

Answer 19

!! Belief that WR failed to care for Germans during GD !!

Desire for stong autocratic leader (bc disillusionment and distrust in democratic gov)

Humiliation of TOV = restore pride

Fear of communist revolution (due to growing support for communists)

Question 20

Nazi support in July 1932

Answer 20

July 1932 election = Nazi 37.8% of vote
230 seats - largest single party

= Hitler demands Chancellorship but not given

Question 21

What did Hitler do when he wasn’t allowed to be Chancellor?

Answer 21

Used his majority party in parliament to ensure laws couldn’t be passed then would explain how they would negatively impact working + middle class (increase his support and decrease support for WR + blame put on the current Chancellor)

Question 22

When did Hitler become the Chancellor of Germany?

Answer 22

30th Jan 1933

Question 23

When was Reichstag burnt down?

Answer 23

27th Feb 1933

Question 24

Who was blamed for the Reichstag burning down?

Answer 24

Blame = Ger communists

= Hitler removing opposition + ensuring Nazi control

Uses this event to ban Communist party

Question 25

What happened on the 29th of Feb 1933?
(2 days after Reichstag burnt down)

Answer 25

Declared state of emergency

Suspension of free speech

Press = controlled by Chancellor (Hitler) = more Nazi control over state

Question 26

When was the Enabling Act proposed and what was it?

Answer 26

23rd March 1933
Gives power to Chancellor to issue laws without parliament approving

Question 27

Enabling Act outcome

Answer 27

Passed 441/647
Nazi dictatorship = elected + legal

Parliament (Reichstag) = voted for own demise
(official end of WR and beginning of Nazi Ger)

Hitler achieved powers legally and was able to pass laws by himself (= live up to his promised to working class)

Question 28

What was Hitler concerned about in April 1934? What did he decide to do?

Answer 28

All external opposition gone but internal threats from within the party

Decided to purge any opposition or risk

Question 29

Who was Hitler’s main internal threat?

Answer 29

Ernst Rohm
Leader or paramilitary Nazi force called SA (brown shirts)

Question 29

What was Hitler’s main concern with the SA?

Answer 29

3 mill men whose loyalty split between Rohm and Hitler

Rohm could use the SA to begin a revolution and attempt to remove Hitler from power

Question 30

When was the Night of Long Knives?

Answer 30

30th June - 2nd July
1934

Question 31

What was the Night of Long Knives?

Answer 31

Purge of Nazi leaders and any political opposition that posed a threat to Hitler as the dictator of Germany

(=cement Hitler’s control and power)

Question 32

What was Hitler’s promise about unemployment?

Answer 32

He would solve the crisis and provide jobs for all Germans

Question 33

What was the Autobahn?

Answer 33

7000kms of road that connected Germany

= created 80,000 jobs

Question 34

What was the widespread rearmament policy?

Answer 34

Focus on the armed forces that went against TOV to increase employment

Rapid spending (to rearm Ger): 1933 = 3.5 bill marks // 1939 = 26 bill marks

Created millions of jobs in production industry (steel, iron, oil, etc to match demand needed for building military equipment)

1939 = 1.4 mill in army (conscripted but considered employed)

Question 35

What was the National Labour Service 1933?

Answer 35

6 months of work for young men unemployed

Wearing military uniform + military style discipline

No wage but ‘pocket money’ / covered food, healthcare, housing etc as long as they followed directions

Hard, physical labour
Aim = keep men fit and healthy

Question 36

Levels of unemployment by end of 1933 and end of 1939

Answer 36

End 1933: dropped 20%
End 1939: Nazi gov claimed it to be 0% but not all ppl included in this statistic

Question 37

Which groups weren’t included in ‘unemployment = 0%’ statistic?

Answer 37

Women: Hitler viewed womens role as domestic + traditional / not expected to work in industries
(1939 = few women in full time work - replaced by men)

Jews: not considered citizens from 1935 onwards so not included

Rearmament/Military: not on unemployment roles
1939 - 1.4 mill soldiers (conscripted but still paid)

Question 38

What was the impact of the spending on military?

Answer 38

Ger = close to bankruptcy

Between 1933-39 over 40 bill Reichmarks spent on military and rearmament

Question 39

When were trade unions banned and what was the impact?

Answer 39

May 1933
Banning trade unions and outlawing ability to strike = increased state control over workers

Workers have no legal way of challenging poor conditions or wage

Hitler wanted nation to be better, not individuals

Question 40

How did rights of workers decline throughout the 1930s?

Answer 40

1935 - Nazi gov chose who worked where
(bc needed more ppl to create weapons for rearmament)

Workers couldn’t leave jobs without gov permission (rarely given)

Wages set and couldn’t strike bc it was illegal
Wage in 1936 - 35 marks per week (below late 1920s average)