GermanyKeyWords
Anti–Semitism HatredoftheJews.
Article48
PartoftheWeimarConstitution,givingthePresidentspecialpowerstoruleina
crisis.UsedbyChancellorstorulewhentheyhadnomajorityintheReichstag–andthereforean
undemocraticprecedentforHitler.
Aryan SomeonewhobelongstotheEuropeantyperace.TotheNazisthismeantespeciallynon–
Jewishandtheylookedfortheidealcharacteristicsoffairhair,blueeyes...
Autobahn
Motorway–showpiecesoftheNazijobcreationschemes
Bartering
Buyinggoodswithothergoodsratherthanmoney.(Ashappenedintheinflation
crisisof1923)
BavariaLargestateintheSouthofGermany.Hitler&Nazis’originalbase.Capital–Munich
BeerhallPutschFailedattempttoseizepowerbyHitlerinNovember1923.Hitlerjailedforfiveyears
–infactreleasedDec1924
BrownShirts
ThenamegiventotheS.A.
CentreParty PartyrepresentingRomanCatholics–oneoftheWeimarcoalitionparties.Dissolves
itselfJuly1933.
Chancellor
LikethePrimeMinister–themanwhoisthechieffigureinthegovernment,
Coalition
Agovernmentmadeupofanumberofpartiesworkingtogether,Becauseofthe
electionsystemunderWeimar,allitsgovernmentswerecoalitions.Theyarewidelyseenasweak
governments.
Conscription Compulsorymilitaryservice–introducedbyHitlerApril1935inhisdrivetobuildup
Germany’smilitarystrength(againstthetermsoftheVersaillesTreaty)
Conservatives Inthosewhowantto‘conserve’orresistchange.InWeimarGermanyitmeans
thosewhosesupportfortheRepublicwaseitherweakornon–existentastheywantedareturnto
Germany’smoreorderedpast.
DAF
“DeutscheArbeitsfront’.SeeGermanlabourFront.
DawesPlan
1924.NamedafterCharlesDawes,anAmerican,whoorganisedloanstohelp
WeimarGermanydealwithitsreparationscrisis.
Demilitarised Notroopsallowedtobestationed.AppliedtotheRhinelandforGermantroops
undertheVersaillesTreaty–overthrownbyHitlerinMarch1936whenheorderedhistroopsin.
EnablingLaw
March1933.GivesHitlerpowertorulewithouttheReichstagforfouryears.
Freikorps
Organisationofex–soldiers.HelpedtobrutallycrushSpartacistuprisinginJan1919.
Exertedextremeright–wingpressure–involvedinfailedKappputsch,March1920
Führer ‘Leader’.TitletakenbyHitler
GermanLabourFront OrganisationsetupbyNazisinMay1933toreplaceTradeUnions–to
ensurecontrolofworkers.RunbyRobertLey.
Gestapo
‘GeheimeStaatspolizei’=secretpolice.CameunderthecontrolofHimmler.An
importantpartofmaintainingabsoluteobediencetoNazirule.
Gleichschaltung=‘Coordination’.Theprocessofbringingallaspectsoflifeandorganisationsin
GermanyunderNazicontrol(from1933).
HitlerYouth HitlerJugend(HJ).OrganisationunderBaldurvonSchirach.Averyimportantpart
ofNazicontrol:byindoctrinatingthecountry’syouththeycouldensurethatNaziideaswouldcome
tobeheldbyall.
Infallibility
Someoneorsomethingthatcannotfail,alwaysright.InthiscaseHitler.Also
claimedbyPopesandHistoryteachers.
KappPutsch March1920.FailedattemptbyFreikorpsandotherextremeright–wingerstoseize
powerfromWeimargovernment.LedbyDrKapp.Defeatedbyageneralstrike.
KDF “KraftDurchFreude’(=‘StrengththroughJoy’).PartoftheGermanLabourFront.
Organisedcheaprecreation&holidays.
Kristallnacht 9–10November1933.InrevengefortheshootingofaGermandiplomatinParis
Jewishshopswerelootedandsynagoguesburnt.So–calledafterallthebrokenglass.
Lebensraum ‘LivingSpace’.LandtotheEastwhichHitlerinMeinKampfdeclaredtheGerman
populationneeded
Left–wing
Thosewhobelieveinradicalchangeinsociety,usuallytoimprovethelotofthe
workingclasses.e.g.Socialists
MarxistSupporterofKarlMarxandhistheoryofCommunism.
MasterRace Hitlerpromotedtheideathattherewascompetitionbetweendifferentracesand
thatthe‘fittestwouldsurvive’.ThemasterracewastobetheAryans–Slavswouldbecometheir
slaves,andJewsmustbeeliminated.
MeinKampf Partautobiography,partideas:writtenbyHitlerwheninjailfollowingtheMunich
putschof1923.Becamethe(unread)bibleofNaziGermany
MiddleClass Thosewhosawthemselvesasbeingabovetheworkingclass–oftenprofessional
people,smallbusinessmen,smallfarmers.Manyofthesewhosufferedinthecrisesofthe‘20s&
30sturnedtotheNazis.
NationalistParty
PartywhichopposedtheWeimarConstitutionformuchofitsexistence.
BelievedinastrongGermany–asbeforedefeatin1918.FormedallianceswithNazisafter1929–
sharedinJan1933government.
NightoftheLongKnives
30June1934:Hitler’sdestructionofrivals,espS.A.underRöhm.
NovemberCriminals ThosewhosignedthearmisticebywhichGermanygaveupfightingtheFirst
WorldWarandwhowerethusaccusedof’stabbingtheGermanarmyintheback’.Usedtoattack
Weimar&espSocialistpoliticians.
NSDAP “NationalsozialistischeDeutscheAbeiterpartei’(NationalSocialistGermanWorkers’Party),
foundedbyHitlerfromtheGermanWorkers’Partyin1920.
NurembergLaws
1935:lawsdeprivingJewsofmanyrights.
Propaganda Spreadingideasortellingnewsinawaythatisdesignedtogainsupportforone’s
ownideas.TheNaziswereexpertatusingpropaganda.
Prussia ThelargeststateinGermany–coveringabout2/3ofthecountry.Capital–Berlin.
Putsch Anattempttoseizepower–usuallybyforce(sameasa‘coup’).Kapp(1920)andHitler
(1923)attemptedputsches.
Reichstag
TheGermanParliament.
ReichstagFire 27February1933.UsedbytheNazistocrushtheCommunistsandforcethrough
the‘EnablingLaw’.
Reparations AmountGermanywasmadetopaytorepairthedamagecausedduringtheFirst
WorldWar.Fixedat$6600000.WorsenedtheeconomiccrisisGermanyfacedinthe1920sanda
sourceofgreatill–feeling.
Rhineland
ThepartofGermanytothewestoftheRiverRhineand50kmtotheEast.‘De–
militarised’undertheVersaillesTreatytoprotectFrancebutremilitarisedbyHitlerinMarch1936.
Right–wing
Thosewhostandfororderandauthorityandwhoareusuallyresistingchange.e.g.
Nationalists&Conservatives.
S.A.
‘Sturmabteilung’(=Stormtroops).TheNazis’armyofthugsusedtointimidaterivals.
Mergedintothepolicein1933.Called‘Brownshirts’.Leaderspurgedin‘NightoftheLongKnives’.
S.S.
‘Schutzstaffel’(=protectionsquad).BeganasHitler’sbodyguard.Developedintooneofthe
mainNaziweaponsofcontrol.LedbyHeinrichHimmler.Woreblack.
Slavs
ThepeopleofEasternEurope–seenasinferiorbytheNazis.
Spartacists
SPD
Communistorganisation.AttemptedrevolutioninJan–Feb1919crushed.
SocialistParty–formedpartofmostWeimarcoalitions,beingthelargestpartyuntil1932.
StabintheBackNationalistswhocouldnotacceptGermany’ssuddencollapseinlate1918accused
thepoliticianswhosignedthearmisticeasbetrayingtheGermansoldiers.
Stormtroopers SeeS.A.
ThirdReich
ReichmeansEmpire.“Third”wasintendedtopointoutcontinuitywithprevious
‘gloriousperiodsofGermanHistory’:FirstcreatedbyFredericktheGreatinthe18thC,2ndby
Bismarckinthe19thC.
Totalitatarian Asysteminwhicheveryaspectoflifeiscontrolledbythegovernment,asunder
FascismandCommunism.
TradeUnion
conditions.
Organisationwhichcampaignsfortherightsofworkers–forpayandworking
VersaillesTreaty
Signed28June1919.HatedbymostGermans,forthe‘WarGuiltClause’,
forbeingone–sided,fortakinglandfromGermany,fordestroyingitsmilitarypower,forthe
crushingreparations...
Volk Means‘people’or‘race’.AnimportantideatotheNaziswhoemphasisedthisaspectofthe
wholecountrypullingtogether.
WallStreetCrash
Oct1929.WhentheStockMarketintheUSAcollapsedmanyAmericans
neededthemoneytheyhadinvestedabroad.ThishelpedspreadDepressionroundtheworld.
WarGuilt
OneoftheclausesoftheVersaillesTreaty–whichGermanywasforcedtosign–
declaredthatGermanywasresponsiblefortheFirstWorldWar(andthereforehadtopay
reparations).
WeimarWherethenewconstitutionforGermanyafterWorldWarIwasdecided(Berlinbeingtoo
dangerous).GaveitsnametotheRepublicansystemofgovernmentfrom1919untiltheNazitake–
overin1933.
YoungPlan
1929.NamedafteranAmerican,OwenYoung.PlantohelpGermanywithits
continuingproblemsinpayingreparations.NazisandNationalistsjoinedinacampaignagainstit.
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