Useful/difficult facts to remember - Germany Flashcards
What two problems did the Kaiser face in his government during his reign?
The growth of socialism/trade unions.
Naval Laws, requiring lots of taxpayer money increasing distaste for the government.
Who signed the armistice for Germany?
Matthias Erzberger.
What are the main parts of the Treaty of Versailles?
Small navy, army and air force (100,000 men army)
Hand over colonies
Reparations (£6.6 billion)
Land handed over to other/new countries
No German soldiers in the Rhineland
Germany cannot unite with Austria
Why did hyperinflation occur?
German government ordered workers to strike
The workers require money that the government pays
In order to supply them they print more money
This devalued the currency
As a result hyperinflation occured
Why did France and Belgium invade the Ruhr?
In 1922, when the next payment was due, the Germans couldn’t pay reparations. They invaded the Ruhr to take the money from the profit in industry.
What political uprisings occured between 1919 and 1923?
Kapp Putsch - Right Wing March 1920
Political Assassinations e.g. Erzberger (most right wing)
Spartacists - Left Wing January 1919
Red Rising in the Ruhr - Left Wing March 1920
Munich Putsch - Right Wing November 1923.
What was the Dawes Plan?
The USA lent money to restart reparations (800 million gold marks).
What was the Young Plan?
German reparations were decreased.
What two new currencies did Stresemann introduced?
Rentenmark, then Reichsmark
What was the problem with American loans?
If the US economy would fail, Germany’s would too (foreshadowing lol)
What were the main changes in the ‘golden years’?
Cinema became popular
Nightlife became more developed - Jazz, vulgar songs
Literature became more open (AQWF)
Art and design changed e.g. Modern designs (Bauhaus)
What was the Locarno Pact?
Signed in 1925, Britain, France, Belgium and Italy agreed not to invade each other
What did Germany do in 1926 (global level)?
Germany joined the League of Nations.
What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
Signed in 1928, participating agreed not to invade each other, unless out of defence.
What result did the Stresemann years have on German position globally?
Germany regained some of its international status.
Why did support for Nazism increase aftet the Wall Street Crash?
The government couldn’t pass laws quickly and people were left hungry on the streets.
How Much did Nazi support increase between 1928 and 1932?
They went from 800,000 votes to 14million.
What factors affected the growth of the Nazis?
The Depression (Wall Street Crash)
Discontent with the Weimar government
The appeal of Hitler
Fear of communism/socialism
Nazi party structure/methodology
Which people voted for the Nazi Party?
Farmers
Middle-class people
Traditional women
Ex-soldiers
Upper class / rich factory owners
How did Hitler consolidate power after he was elected Chancellor?
Hitler arranged for a new election in March 1933
Before the election happened the Reichstag was burned down
Communists were blamed for the Reichstag Fire
Hitler asked Hindenburg to pass the ‘Protection Law’ which he did
The decree for the ‘Protection of the People and State’ banned communists from elections
The Enabling Act was passed, making him able to pass laws without the Reichstag
Hitler established the Gestapo
Hitler banned all trade unions
Hitler banned all political parties in Germany except for the NSDAP
Hitler murdered his political opposition during the Night of Long Knives including Röhm, leader of the SA
Hindenburg dies of natural causes
Hitler combines the position of Chancellor and President to form the position of Führer
Hitler forces all members of the army to swear loyalty to him
What was the National Labour Services?
All men aged between 18 and 25 had to spend 6 months in the RAD, planting forests and digging ditches on farms, they were paid little but it kept them from unemployment
Why did building autobahns help with unemployment?
Work was given to nearly 100,000 people and nearly 3800 kilometres of road was built, allowing for greater connectivity
How did rearmament help reduce unemployment?
More people joined the army and thousands of jobs were created, making huge government contracts for factory owners, increasing the number of people required to build equipment
How did conscription help reduce unemployment?
The army grew from 100,000 to 1,400,000 in 5 years, giving people new jobs
What is ‘invisible unemployment’?
The tactics used to cover up unemployment figures, for example not counting Jews or women and counting part-time workers as full time
What was the economy under Schacht like?
He still made the country reliant on imports, signing deals with South America and the Balkans to import goods in return for German made goods
What was the economy like under Goering?
The Four Year Plan was introduced to militarise Germany. Huge amounts of weapons, equipment and uniforms were ordered, creating jobs
How was Germany self-sufficient?
If Germany was unable to find a particular resource it would find alternatives or develop artificial substitutes
Which organisation replaced trade unions in Nazi Germany?
The German Labour Front.
It promised to protect workers’ rights and improve conditions
What two schemes were ran by the German Labour Front?
Beauty of Labour
Strength through Joy
What was the Beauty of Labour scheme?
It tried improving the working environment by installing better lighting, safety equipment, washrooms, low-cost canteens and sports facilities
What was the Strength through Joy scheme?
Leisure activites were organised to reward workers with holidays, trips to the theatre and tickets to football matches if workers met targets
What was the ‘People’s Car ‘scheme?
Volkswagen was designed to make cars accessible for people
What did Albert Speer do in 1942?
Organised the resources of Germany for Total War
What new subject was introduced in schools during the Nazi regime?
Eugenics
Why were university professors replaced?
Some did not align themselves with Nazi viewpoints or were considered part of ‘inferior races’ like Jews
What groups were boys part of in Nazi Germany?
‘Little Fellows’ was joined from age 6 to 10.
‘Young Folk’ was joined from age 10 to 14.
‘Hitler Youth’ was joined from age 14 to 18.
What groups were girls part of in Nazi Germany?
‘Young Girls’ was joined from age 10 to 14
‘League of German Girls’ was joined from age 14 to 17
What resistance groups did youth join (as opposed to the Hitler Youth)?
The Swing Youth, the Roving Dudes, the Edelweiss Pirates, the Navajos
What was the three Ks for women? (not the KKK💀)
Kinder, Kirche and Küche - Children, Church, Cooking
What incentives were given to new families to have children?
The equivalent of a year’s wages was given to newly married couples and each child lead to them having a quarter of money kept.
What was the Motherhood Medal?
An award given to the woman who had the most children
What was the Gold Cross?
An award given to mothers who had 8 or more children
What was the Lebensborn programme?
A movement to increase the birth rate that lead to the births of 8000 children
How did the birth rate change in Nazi Germany?
It rose from 970,000 babies born in 1933 to 1,413,000 by 1939
Why was the Nazi party in conflict with Christian ideas?
Nazis believed weak people should be hated whereas Christians thought weak people should be helped
Nazis thought of Hitler as a God-like figure, Christianity opposes making other idols apart from God
Nazis believed some races were superior to others, Christianity teaches all humans are made in the image of God
What denomination of Christianity was accepted by Hitler?
Protestant churches.
What happened to pacifist Christians during the Nazi regime?
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Salvation Army, Christian Scientists and the Seventh Day Adventist Church all disappeared
Which groups were considered ‘undesirables’?
Gypsies, Jews, Slavs and black people were considered inferior and were persecuted
Where were ‘undesirables’ housed?
ghettos
What was the name of the execution squads in Nazi Germany?
Einsatzgruppen
What was the goal of the ‘Final Solution’?
To genocide all of Europe’s Jews in concentration camps
What tactics were used by the Nazi police state?
Concentration camps were set up where enemies of the state were held as well as ‘undesirables’.
The SS was used as personal bodyguards to be feared by people as they were tall, strong and atheltic and totally loyal to Hitler.
The Gestapo were used to spy on people and remove anyone who wasn’t loyal without trial as there were informants everywhere.
All jobs in the police were given to Nazis as well as law courts and judges. Anti-nazi rhetoric was cracked down by the law.
What units of the SS were there?
The SD looked after security, being able to arrest anyone for any reason, search homes and seize property.
The Waffen SS were an elite unit in the army.
The Death’s Head Units ran the concentration camps and death camps.
Who was in charge of Propaganda?
Joseph Goebbels
What ideas were propagated?
The Treaty of Versailles was too harsh
Germany should be strong
Jews were blamed for problems
What media was used for propaganda?
Newspapers showing pro-nazi ideas
Mass rallies with choirs, bands and speeches
Writers were forced to write books, plays and songs that were pro-nazi
Nazis controlled radio to propagate pro-nazi ideas
All film plots were shown to Goebbels to ensure his approval
What was the Chamber of Culture?
An organisation set up by the Nazis with all musicians, writers, artists and actors
How did music change?
Old German music like marching songs or classical music like Bach or Beethoven. Jewish composers and jazz music was banned
How did theatre change?
Jewish writers were banned, instead focusing on Germany history and politics
How did literature change?
Some books were burned or banned, classed as ‘un-German’ or by Jewish authors, encouraging books about race, the glory of war and the brilliance of the Nazis.
How did Art change?
Art considered ‘degenerate’ was burned. In 1937, they put on an exhibition of unacceptable art.
How did design change?
The Bauhaus movement, important in Weimar, was closed down and the leader, Walter Gropius, fled Germany.
Old renaissance design like in ancient Greece or Rome was promoted
What was Sports and Leisure like?
Health and physical fitness was important to Nazi culture. The 1936 Berlin Olympics displayed this.
What types of resistance were there?
Grumbling or moaning about policies
Passive resistance like refusing to give a ‘Heil Hitler’ or give money to Hitler Youth organisations going door to door
What resistance groups were there?
Swing Youth
White Rose group
Edelweiss Pirates
Navajos
What did the resistance groups do?
Beat up Nazi officials and helped army deserts
What did the White Rose group?
They urged Germans to get rid of Hitler
What did Christians do as resistance?
Catholic and protestant churches spoke out and some people were sent to concentration camps
What was the Kreisau Circle?
A group consisting of army officers that were disgusted by Hitler and the Nazis’ actions
They contacted the British about removing him and even made attempts on his life in March and November 1943 and were behind the July Bomb Plot of 1944.
What happened during the July Bomb Plot?
In 1944, the war was going very badly and Claus Von Stauffenberg agreed to be part of a group that would detonate a bomb during a meeting.
Despite killing four men and burning Hitler’s hair, bursting his eardrums and some of his clothes, it didn’t kill him
Which chancellors were selected by Hindenburg before Hitler?
- Heinrich Brüning, a centre politician
- Von Papen, also a centre politician, he called an election, the Nazis won and he had little support
- Von Schliecher, a friend of Hindenburg, who had no support so he resigned
Hitler was finally given chancellorship on 39th January 1933.
What did Hitler promise people during the Depression?
Work and bread
