Append i x
?86
2
"The Struggle For Power"
':''I
; ,\.
In one wBy, losing in t/orld tJar I could have
a blessing
In disguise for Germany. For centuries beforebeen
!/orld
l,/ar
Germans had been ruled by the wealthy noble minority, thel,
and Princes in the country. This nobilt ty h'ad not-ru"nted dukes
to
lose it: power, so they had never aliowed the German,s to vote
for thei r own government as we do.
But 'when Germa'ny
a'nv surrended
surrp nAcrl i^
in lAlR
t918, tho
the Kaiserr. the strongest
and best exaniple of chis nobi t ity, gavb up his throne,
and therefore-Germany had the opportunity'to r,start over,,, and choose
a
new form of government.
A6 we shall see, the ,governmentrlthen ended up with Adolph
Hitler, a leader who was more of a tyrant than any of the dukes
and nobles had every been.. How it was that Hitler was able to
seize power wi | | be the focus of our study for the nexr few days.
At any rate, in 1918, most people knew that the ty.pe of rule
shown by the Kaiser shbuld be repraced, but the
was very
divided on what sort of government there should counEry
be. There we're
three main divisions in thinking. some people be.l ieved that
Germany should have a Communist countty, l ike Russia. Some bel ieved
Germany should have a GnzE.-i c countiy, rike the u.s. or canada
andsomebelievedthatffiT',.h^.,iiha-.':..':;-;';.;:'|9Y9'
always had been by the wearthy noti l ity and the army. These people
Nationalists.. Here is
sumrnary'outtining who'
::l:::tled
made
up these groups, and what they".hart
believed in.
CommunisG (at 6iit
called Spartacists);
Independdnt Socialists
Crovcrnment should be
nrn by elected councilg of workers. In-
dustry and agriculture
rhould be ownrd by the
3ovcrnment. and under
control of the riorkers
ralhcr than under priYEte ownership. The
power of the mititary
rhould be ieduced-
Many factory workers.
Dacifists. and somc
intcllectuals
German Partieg
-
SoCial Dembcrals:Center Party (Cath-
olic): Democrats
I Naiion'aiists (and I later the National
I Socialists) "Nazis"
Beliefs
Government should be
run by elected representatives from all
parties. .A, constitution
should safeguard the
rights of minorities
and workers. Government ehould own a few
industries. such as
railroads.
Types of Supporters
Most n'orkers. professional mcn. most Catholics. sorne businessmen
Government should
be.run by the wealthy
and the army. Rad.
ical dernocracy should
be outlawed. and
Jews and foreigntrs
prohibited. Industrr
should be privatety
ovmed. and thc na-
tion's milita'ry power
increased.
Army officers.
somc uncrDployed.
businessmen. farrners.
and aristocrate
287
,!
Appcndix
2
Accord i ng to _this chart, which polltlcal party wou I d you
cach of the fol lowi ng pe rsons to support ln the 1920's, expect
(.,,)
!-{an: ScFleugal-tans .is an assembly I ine worker for a gonn steel factory.
He has been employed there for over twenty years, and yet still occupier
the exact, same sPot on the line. He deepiy'resents the fact that his life
ls one of hardship and squalor, and yet the factory ovrners live in splendid
I uxury
Fritz Huel lar-Ff itz runs a candy store in l'{unlch. During the war he was
ffi,'butnou,ii"tGermanyhasbeensoundIydefeated,feels
It i3 time for some new form of government to take over. In fact, he even
feels he would Iike sane say in the running of that government.
fron,a long line of nobility. His father
@Prussianwarinthe|8oo''lnis-gianafatherbattled
Napoleon around the turn of the century, and his family is related by marriage
to the former Duke of Saxony, a one-tinre German free state. During the first
world war; the Baron served as a ltajor in the Kaiserts infantry, and served
with honour and glory. No* that the Kaiser has been deposed, he too, is well
aware of the need for sorne other form of government. There are few in the
who could handle the chore as well as he and his fellow::::liT;"li.believes,
,-?
Baron van FLaupe.nlgg-The Baron cornes
Professor Erich von Strom
.
is a lecturer at the University of
Hrrremburg.
He strongly feels that the first world war was a great mistake, and lirgely
came about because of the.ridiculous pride shown by the powerful aristolrats
who ran the worldts governments. He feels that the answer to the worldrs
prob]ems rests in the promise exhibited by the Russian Revolution-that of the
government running the country, and the workers running the government.
is a Lutheran minister. He is alarmed by the g rowi ng
Germany, those which favour the power hung ry a rmy
officers on one hand, and the lunatic revolutionaries on the others. He wi shed
Germany might have the sensiblp forms of government displayed by his ne i ghbours
in France or the U.S.A.
Father Eric urlichmann
political
movements
in
0tta t/urlinburq grows grains, and owns a smalI herd of dairy cattle, and Iives
on a small farm near the Sudetanland (the border between Czechoslovakia and
Germany).' For the past decade, he has 'lived very close to the pove.rty level ,
largely because he has not been able to sell his produce for what he 6elievei
is a fair price. He wished conditions would return to the way they were before
the war, when there seemed to be so much prosperity around the country. 0tto,
'ncidentally, is uneducated, and still maintains a large picture of the Kaiser
ln his wall.
ir
r
.
Erttz t"g- owns a crothing store .in gerrin which is rapidry going out of
business.
A new store, Liberman,s oiy cooar; "iecentry
opened down the
::r::!::ld is seilins.crothes much cheap", ih.n Fritz can
afford to.
Appendix 5.1.4 CO,|PARIS0ii 0RGAI{IZER
FOR POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATIoN
the data given about each of these individuals,
political party each would support. Then, support
Based on
which
dence from
the data.
iNDIVIDUAL
POLITICAL PARTY
TO }IHICH THE
INDiYIDTJAL IJOULD
BELONG
Hans
Schleugal-Hans
Fritz
Muel
ler-Fritz
Baron Van
Haupenburg
Professor Erich
Van Strom
Father Eric
Url ichmann
0tto
llurl inburg
Fritz
Lang
2l?
gl ve your opinion as to
y0ur oDinion with evi-
JUSTIFICATION