Part One: Germany & the growth of democracy 1890-1929
R
Kaiser Wilhelm wanted to make Germany powerful by having an empire (a place in the sun) and a large navy and army. His was in charge of the military
taxation was used to enlarge it. Germany was in debt for 490 billion marks by 1913. The Kaiser had a parliament (Bundesrat, Reichstag) which was elected by
PR. The president was elected separately and chose the chancellor. However, the president could overrule the Reichstag if it could not agree on passing laws.
The Kaiser was worried about the rise of communist and socialist parties and feared a revolution.
The impact of WW1 on Germany: Meant many war widows and fatherless children. Germany was in huge debt and unemployment was high. Many starved
during the turnip winter of 1917 due to food shortages. The Kaiser abdication (resigned) and fled to Holland.
The Spartacist Uprising 1919: A group of communists tried to create a revolution in Berlin after 100,000 workers went on strike. Newspaper and communication
buildings were seized and the demonstrators armed themselves. The government used the Freikorps to stop the revolution. who were ex-army soldiers who
hated the communists. Over 100 workers were killed, even those who surrendered.
The Kapp Putsch 1920 - Ebert the chancellor tried to disband the Freikorp and so they attempted a revolution (putsch). The Friekorp led by Kapp marched on
Berlin and seized the main buildings and declared a new German government. Ebert’s government had fled Berlin (it was too dangerous) but ask the workers to
go on strike. This worked! The new government couldn’t run without gas, electricity and water and quickly fell.
1919- Versailles Treaty - £6.6 billion to pay – army reduced to 100,000 – Lost land (Alsace - coal)
Problems in 1923 – Occupation of the Ruhr - The German government couldn’t make a payment, so the Belgium and France invaded to get assets. The German
government ask the workers to go on strike, many were killed.
Problems in 1923 - Hyperinflation - Due to rising costs workers demanded more wages as prices began to rise, the government issue more money and soon in
became worthless. THIS ONLY HAPPENED ONCE! 1914 one egg cost .9 marks and in 1923 4,000,000.
Problems in 1923 – The Munich Putsch - Due to hyperinflation and the occupation by Belgium/France – Hitler tried to seize power in Munich. He failed, some
Nazis were killed. His trial made him famous. He got a fine and a short prison sentence (9 months) and wrote his infamous book Mein Kampf.
1924-1929 Stresemann and the ‘Golden Years’ – Dawes Plan (1924) – Money from USA, Young Plan 1928 – cut the debt to £ 2 billion. A new currency was
created. Germany economy improved (rebuilt factories), more exports, peace with its neighbours and it was welcomed into the League of Nations.
A
G
Part Three: Life in Hitler’s Germany 1934-1945
R
The SS was created by Himmler to enforce Nazi ideology. The ran the Gestapo (secret police) which spied and punished critics of the government. The SS also ran the concentration camps.
Goebbels was the minister for propaganda: Posters: Work and Bread – The Eternal Jew – Films: Triumph of the Will – Radio: Broadcasting pro-Nazi ideas – Rallies/Speeches: Nuremberg. State
newspapers were censored, and illegal publications were shut down. ‘Der Sturmer’ was a anti-Jewish newspaper run by the Nazis.
The Nazis needed to build the economy to ready itself to invade (Poland/France/Russia) so under The New Plan(Schacht) imported lots of raw materials so the German economy could build
planes and tanks. The Four Year Plan (Goering) was designed make even more tanks and planes and so the Nazis also planned to have autarky/self-sufficiency (no imports) by making synthetic
oil, rubber and coffee (erstatz). 1942 Total War (Speer) shops shut, dance halls and pubs.
Rationing: Clothes/Toilet paper/Hot water– Slave Labour: 7 million Bombing: Dresden/Cologne: (1945: 500,000 killed bombing) Homelessness/Refugees: As the Russians advanced people fled
to bombed overcrowded cities.
Women lost the right to vote under the Nazis and has to give up their roles if a man was better qualified. Were rewarded the Motherhood Medal if they had lots of children (8=gold). Had to
look after the home (Kinder/Children, Kurche/Kitchen and Kirk/Church). They had to cook a frugal meal one Sunday a month. During the war they had to start working in factories.
The Hitler Youth was started in 1922 for boys and was designed to create soldiers of the German Reich. They did military training, read Der Sturmer and had a uniform (similar to the SA). Girls
were trained to be physically fit, cook and learn parenting skills. Many girls were encouraged to have children with SS men. Hitler Youth membership went up 5 million from 1933 to 1939.
Education for focused on History, Geography, PE, Science and Maths. The lessons focused on making Germany look great and emphasized past wrongs (Versailles Treaty) Anti- Jewish books
(the poisonous mushroom) used in schools to depict Jews as evil. Maths and History used to reinforce anti-Jewish ideas. Race Studies was added to promote racial purity.
The Christian church was controlled by the Nazis in 3 ways: 1) Creating a pro-Nazi church (The German Christians) 2) By agreeing with Catholic church not to get involved in Catholic matters
(The Concordat) 3) Imprisoning in camps members of opposing churches (Jehovah’s Witnesses) – The Confessional Church preached anti-Nazi ideas (Niemoller).
The Nazis believed in racial purity (Aryan race) and therefore persecuted Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and brought in laws which forbade inter-racial marriage Nuremberg Laws 1935. Jews were
made to where the Star of David. The systematic slaughter (via concentration camps) is called the Holocaust. The Final Soultion was the building of death camps.
Employment: RAD (National Labour Service) were used to get unemployed, single men (18-35) to work on roads and forest clearance . The Beauty of Labour designed to improve factories
(canteens and ventilation) and Strength Through Joy offered discounted holidays & free concerts for workers to increase production (Skiing, cruises and the VW car) Wages fell and hours
worked increased.
Opposition and resistance – The White Rose group: Sophie Scholl = Anti-Nazi posters = Executed- Swing Youth: Dressed in American clothes to = imprisoned - Edelwiess Pirates: Attacked Hitler
Youth = Hung in public. 1944 Bomb Plot – Army officers try to assassinate Hitler because the war is going so badly = Hitler survived and they are executed.
A
G
Part Two: Germany, the Depression and Hitler takes power 1933-1934
R
Different people voted for Hitler for different reasons: Poor wanted jobs as unemployment in Germany by 1933 was 6 million. The rich wanted to protect their
wealth against the communists. Hitler was a great speaker and Goebbels created some great propaganda for him. He promised ‘Work and Bread’ . The Versailles
Treaty was hated by so many Germans who believed in the ‘stab in the back theory’. Some believed that Jews were to blame. Hitler promised to solve all these
issues
Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 due to infighting amongst the leaders of Germany and the fact the Reichstag failed to pass laws to help the German people.
President Hindenburg hated Hitler (called him a ‘bohemian corporal’) so asked Von Papen and then Von Schleicher to run the Reichstag as chancellors. They
hated each other. The Nazis were the biggest party in the Reichstag (196 seats in 1932) and kept disrupting. Von Papen suggested to Hindenburg that Hitler
could be controlled if he was appointed chancellor with Von Papen as vice-chancellor, Hindenburg reluctantly agreed. The Nazis held a celebratory torchlight
parade.
The Reichstag Fire Feb 1933 wasn’t planned by Hitler. Van Der Lubbe a Dutch communist was said to have started it. The burning of the German parliament
enabled Hitler to convince Hindenburg to grant emergency powers (Using Article 48) which meant communists were barred from the parliament, many
communists arrested, newspapers were shut down. Many voters believed it was a communist plot and voted Nazi in the March election. Which meant that the
Nazis won more seats, increasing their share of the vote from 33% to 44%. This gave the Nazis and their allies a majority of 52% in the Reichstag.
The Enabling Act 23 March 1933 was passed by the Reichstag by two-thirds majority to give Hitler the right to make laws without the Reichstag's approval for
four years. The SA was used to intimidate the politicians in to voting for the Act. This gave Hitler the powers of a dictator. Hitler then on 2 May 1933 banned
trade unions and their leaders arrested. Abolishing the trade unions allowed Hitler to destroy a group that might have opposed him. It also gave Hitler the
opportunity to set up the German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront – DAF), which gave him control over German workers. In July 1933 Hitler banned all
political parties meaning the only party allowed to exist was the Nazi party. This made Germany a one-party state, ran by a dictator
The Night of the Long Knives 30 June 1934 was Hitler final step towards becoming a dictator. He had to remove any body that could challenge him. Many
members of the SA, including its leader Ernst Röhm, were demanding that the Nazi party carry out its socialist agenda and that the SA take over the army. Hitler
could not afford to annoy businessmen or the army, so the SS (Hitler's personal bodyguards) murdered around 400 members of the SA, including Röhm, along
with a number of Hitler's other opponents like the previous Chancellor, von Schleicher and Von Kahr (Munich Putsch 1923). This destroyed all opposition to Hitler
within the Nazi Party and gave power to the brutal SS.
Hitler becomes the Fuhrer (leader) 19 August 1934. When Hindenburg died Hitler declared himself jointly president, chancellor and head of the army. This
formally made Hitler the absolute ruler of Germany (dictator). Members of the armed forces had to swear a personal oath of allegiance not to Germany, but to
Hitler. This neutralised any sources of opposition to Hitler within the army.
A
G