“LIFE IN GERMANY 1918-1945”
• Weimar Republic I – 1918-1923
• The Republic was set up in late 1918 after
WW1
• + POSITIVES: Democratic, everyone could vote
at age 20. Proportional Representation.
• _ NEGATIVES: Unemployment, food shortages
until 1919, political unrest (Spartacist
revolt/Kapp putsch), rising inflation.
• Article 48
President Ebert:
THE VERSAILLES TREATY
June 1919
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How Germany was affected:
Blame- Germany blamed for the war
Reparations– damages to be paid by Germany
Armed forces of Germany hugely reduced
Territory- 15% of Germany’s land was given to
other nations particularly in the east.
• Almost all germans hate and
resent this treaty
HYPERINFLATION
• Germany’s reparation payments fixed in 1921
at £6600 million.
• Late 1922 – Germans get behind with
payments. French invade Ruhr industrial area
in Jan 1923. German workers go on strike and
the government continues to pay them.
• The lack of production pushes the economy
into HYPERINFLATION
THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC 1923-24
• The inflation crisis causes the government to
resign in late summer 1923 and a new
government comes in led by GUSTAV
STRESEMANN.
• Stresemann calls off the strike and promises
the French to resume reparation payments.
• He launches the new RENTENMARK
• He arranges a huge US loan – “Dawes Plan”
THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC 1924-29
• Thanks to the Dawes/Young plans Germany
can afford to pay its reparations
• From 1924 the German economy picks up as
Dawes plan money is invested in new factories
and infrastructure.
• There is a flowering of artistic/cultural life
especially in art, architecture, drama and film.
THE NAZIS 1920-29
• The German Worker’s Party is set up in 1919
• Adolf Hitler joins and takes over by 1920. He
renames it the National Socialist German
Worker’s Party (NSDAP) and introduces the
swastika logo.
• In Nov 1923 the Nazis attempt a putsch
(takeover) in Munich – it fails.
• In prison Hitler writes his “Mein Kampf” book and
re-thinks the party’s future as an ELECTABLE
political party. 1928 – Nazis gain 2% of the votes.
THE WALL ST. ECONOMIC CRASH
• Before his death in 1929, Stresemann had
warned that the German economy was “dancing
on a volcano” as it was dependant on the US
economy.
• When the US economic crash came in October
1929 the German economy was especially hardhit.
• Within months, unemployment rose dramatically
as companies failed or cut back production
HOW THE NAZIS GAINED VOTES
• The Nazis in 1928 only got 2% of the votes yet by 1932
they were the biggest party in the Reichstag
(parliament). How?
• The Nazis were well organised and well funded by big
business fearful of communism.
• Propaganda chief Goebbels produced effective posters
and used radio to get across his message.
• Hitler was a persuasive and expert orator.
• The “Hitler over Germany” campaign saw Hitler speak
to more voters than his opponents.
• The SA were a visible and inspiring “walking
advertisement” for the Nazis
OTHER POLITICAL PARTIES’ MISTAKES
• The Nazis growing popularity was helped by
other party’s mistakes:
• They consistently under-estimated the appeal of
Nazi ideas to voters
• They did not use modern technology such as
radio or aircraft as the Nazis did
• They had no public speakers as effective as Hitler
• The government feared inflation more than
unemployment so made policies (cutting dole
money, raising taxes) that were very unpopular
HITLER COMES TO POWER
• The Nazis gained 230 seats in parliament in the
July 1932 election but slipped back to 196 seats
by November that year.
• In spite of this the Nazis were the biggest party
and other politicians sought to use the Nazis
popularity to take power (Von Schleicher/Von
Papen)
• Eventually President Hindenburg was reluctantly
persuaded to make Hitler Chancellor in a cabinet
dominated by non-Nazis. Von Papen thought that
the Nazis could be used and “tamed”.
REICHSTAG FIRE
• Although Hitler ruled as part of a coalition
government he had no intention of remaining like
this for long.
• He asked for new elections in March 1933
• On 27 February ,just before the election, the
Reichstag building was torched by a young Dutch
communist. This allowed Hitler to ask Hindenburg
for a decree banning the Communist party and
arresting its members.
• This helped the Nazis win 288 seats in the
election – their best-ever result.
ENABLING ACT
• Although boosted by the election result, Hitler
still wished to be ruling alone. To fulfil his election
promises he knew he had to have absolute power
and to get this he needed an Enabling Act.
• Hitler got the 66% vote of the Reichstag by a
combination of deals with the centre parties and
intimidation by Nazi MPs.
• Hitler promised to return power to the Reichstag
after 4 years – a promise he never intended to
keep.
NAZI CONTROL - 1933
• Once the Enabling Act was passed, Hitler moved
quickly to establish control.
• During 1933: Boycott of Jewish shops
• State Governments brought under Nazi control
• Trades Unions abolished -replaced by Labour
Front
• All other political parties banned and disbanded
• All remaining newspapers brought under Nazi
control
• Anti-Hitler books publically burned
NAZI CONTROL – “STICK AND CARROT”
• “Stick” – TERROR
• Gestapo (secret police ) set up. They and the
SS had absolute powers of life or death
• Concentration camps (eg Dachau)
• Informers
• Indoctrination of children/young people
• Law courts dominated by Nazi judges
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SS chief Himmler:
NAZI CONTROL – “STICK AND CARROT”
• “Carrot” – PROPAGANDA
• Media – newspapers, films, books, magazines,
radio - controlled by Nazis
• Rallies – spectacular demonstrations of power
and “mass-consciousness”
• Hitler kept his election promises on employment,
Versailles treaty, etc.
• Artwork glorifying Nazi ideals
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Propaganda chief Goebbels:
NAZI CONTROL – EDUCATION
• From 1933 the Nazis took over education and
new textbooks with subtle Nazi propaganda
were produced. New subjects such as RaceStudy and Eugenics were introduced and
Religious teaching was removed. Girls and
Boys curricula were changed with the girls
studying subjects to fit them for motherhood
and the boys subjects linked to military
training and additional PE
NAZI CONTROL – YOUTH
• To control young people and their thinking
outside of school the Hitler Youth was set up.
• Young Germans between the ages of 8 and 18
were expected to join this uniformed
organisation which controlled their
evenings/weekends with camps, hikes, marches,
sports, etc. Much of this was militaristic.
• The Girls organisation – the League of German
Maidens(BDM) emphasised more motherhoodrelated activities
NAZI CONTROL - WOMEN
• Once the Nazis were in power, the rights that
German women had enjoyed in the 1920s were
removed:
• Women were encouraged to marry and have
children. Marriage grants were available.
• Work for women was discouraged
• Plain hairstyles/no makeup/flat shoes were
encouraged.
• Higher education for women was cut back
• Home-making skills were emphasised for women
OPPOSITION TO THE NAZIS
• Christian churches: churchmen such as
Bonhoeffer, Niemoller and Archbishop Galen
spoke out against Nazi ideas and practices. Many
were imprisoned or murdered.
• Youth Groups: Some youth gangs such as the
“Edelweiss Pirates” or student groups like the
“White Rose” worked against the Nazis but their
effect was limited.
• The Army came closest to removing Hitler in the
July 1944 “Bomb plot” but the plot failed.
THE ECONOMY 1933-39
• Policies: Schacht’s New Plan was designed to reduce
unemployment and to also reduce Germany’s foreign
imports and make the country self-sufficient (Autarky)
Schacht was dismissed in 1937. Unemployment was
reduced thanks to job-creation schemes, removing women
and Jews from their jobs and an upturn in the world
economy. Imports were reduced by trade agreements.
• Goering’s 4-year plan was designed to prepare Germany for
war in 4 years. It too, tried to produce Autarky and
developed synthetic alternatives for rubber, textiles and
petrol. However these were not very successful and
Germany still needed to import key raw materials like ironore and oil.
STEPS TO WAR 1935-39
• In his election speeches Hitler had promised to
not only reduce unemployment but also to
destroy the Versailles treaty and make Germany
“strong” again. It was these promises that
eventually led to war:
• 1935 conscription introduced
• 1936 Rhineland reoccupied
• 1938 Austria taken over (Anschluss)
• 1938 Czech borderland (Sudetenland)taken over
• 1939 Poland invaded – WW2 starts.
PERSECUTION TO HOLOCAUST I
• From the first beginnings of the Nazi movement
hatred of Jews had been a key element and
powered much Nazi activity up to 1945:
• 1933 shop boycott
• 1935 Nuremberg Laws
• By 1939 Jews were forbidden to own pets or
radios or work for the government or vote. They
had to attend separate schools and their
passports were stamped with a large red “J”
PERSECUTION TO HOLOCAUST II
• By 1939 half of Germany’s Jews has emigrated
as the Nazis had hoped they would.
• WW2 changed everything:
• 1939-42 Jews were sent to GHETTOES
• 1941-42 Jews in Russia shot by
EINSATZGRUPPEN
• 1942-45 Death camps murder millions of Jews
and others - HOLOCAUST