Germany 1919-1991
Revision Guide
Year 11: Germany
SECTION A
What does
Source A show
you about...? (2)
1
Select one piece of information from the source
Select two pieces of information from the source
1
2
1
Generalised answer which makes weak points
1-2
Describe... (4)
2
Detailed and accurate description
3-4
Use Sources B
and C to explain
why... changed
OR
Use Sources B
and C to explain
how much...had
changed (6)
1
3
Use the sources to explain the change (explicit references to the sources needed)
Explain the change (explicit references to the sources needed) and start to explain why/how
Explain the change (explicit references to the sources needed) and explain why/how in detail
3
4
5-6
1
2
3
Generalised answer - weak points
Little attempt at an analysis - weak evaluation
Detailed and accurate analysis – not fully sustained – attempt at an evaluation
1-2
3-4
5-6
4
Detailed and accurate analysis – reasoned evaluation
7-8
Why?
2
SECTION B
Essay Question
(10)
1
Brief and vague answer
1-2
2
Some relevant facts
Outline of the changes across the period with little detail OR detailed explanation of the changes in part of the
period
Start each paragraph by stating the change. You must have enough paragraphs to cover the whole period
3-4
5
3
6
Provide information about each change
Unit 1:
Unit 2:
3
State the change
Explain the impact of the change
State the change
Explain how it affected different groups differently
7-8
4
State the change
Explain the impact of the change
Explain the pace of change
State the change
Explain how it affected different groups differently
Explain who the pace of change was greatest for
9-10
Unit 1:
What were the main
features of Germany’s
political and economic
development 1919-1991?
How strong was the Weimar Constitution?
The PRESIDENT (Head of State)
Article 48. In an Emergency
the President can make laws
without consulting the
Reichstag
Elected every 7 Years by the
German People. Appoints the
Chancellor. Has control of Army.
Can dismiss Parliament
The CHANCELLOR (Head of Government)
Appointed from the Reichstag by the
president. Had to be supported by a
majority of the Reichstag
The REICHSTAG (PARLIAMENT)
Members voted in by PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION. Parties got the
same proportion of seats as their proportion of votes. Makes the laws
THE GERMAN PEOPLE
All adults over the age of 20 can vote
and all have equal rights – freedom of
speech, assembly and religious worship
Strengths
Weaknesses
Proportional Representation meant that all
political parties got a say in government
Proportional Representation encouraged lots of small
parties which meant no one party had a majority.
Parties had to group together in coalitions. There were
9 different coalitions in the first four years. Coalitions
would frequently fall out and disagree in times of crisis
PR also meant extreme parties on the Right and Left
could also get seats in the Government
In 1919 the Republic had many enemies. It was not
sensible to give equal rights to those who wished to
destroy it.
The President had too much power. He could turn
himself into a dictator.
All Germans had equal rights, including the right
to vote
Article 48 was necessary because it made the
President strong and able to keep control of the
country and protect it with the army in a crisis
Germany had little experience of Democracy before.
Many preferred the strong system of government
under the Kaiser and felt the army and upper class
were the rightful rulers.
Who were the political parties of the Weimar Republic?
Left
Wing
Right
Wing
KPD
USPD
SPD
CENTRE
DDP
DVP
DNVP
NSDAP
Commu
nist
Party
Independ
ent
Socialist
Party
Social
Democra
ts
Catholic
Party
German
Democrati
c Party
German
people’s
Party
Nationalist
Party
Nazi Party
How far did the Threats from the RIGHT weaken the Weimar
Republic in its early years?
What was the Threat
Reasons why it was a threat
Reasons why it was
not a threat
The Kapp Putsch.
The fact that the army had not
supported the SPD led government
showed how weak the Weimar
Republic was.
In the end the
government survived
because the workers
supported them against
the Kapp Putsch. This
showed that despite the
anger against the Treaty
of Versailles many
German people
supported the new
Weimar Republic.
Nationalists protesting against the terms of
the Treaty of Versailles (in particular the term
which said the army could only be 100,000
men) marched on Berlin with Friekorps troops
in March 1920.
They were led by Dr Wolfgang Kapp and
proclaimed him to be leader of Germany.
He set up a right-wing government in Berlin
and the army did not support the government
to stop the Kapp Putsch.
The government had to flee to the city of
Dresden.
The government only survived because Ebert
called on workers to support a General
Strike. Workers supported the government so
went on strike in the gas, water, electrical and
transport industries. The Kapp Putsch
therefore collapsed after a few days
The Munich Putsch
In 1923 Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party staged
an attempted Putsch in Munich.
The SA burst in on a meeting of the Bavarian
government and Hitler declared himself
leader.
Hitler planned to march on Berlin the next
day and take over the German government.
But Von Seisser and Von Lussow changed
their minds and informed the Bavarian police.
The Nazis were met with armed resistance
and 16 were killed.
Hitler was arrested and put on trial for
treason.
The Kapp Putsch could have
overthrown the government if it had
not been for support from the
workers in striking.
The Kapp Putsch showed how the
signing of the Treaty of Versailles
had weakened the SPD government
because so many people on the right
were against the terms of the Treaty.
The Nazis had shown that they were
a serious threat and they had
managed to get support from key
members of the Right Wing like
General Ludendorff
They may have been successful if
they had not let Von Seisser and
Von Lussow go home on the
evening of the Putsch.
Hitler’s trial allowed him to gain
publicity for the Nazi Party which
encouraged a growth in supporters
throughout the 1920’s
The Putsch failed and
Hitler was arrested.
The Nazis did not have
enough support at this
point to stage a
successful Putsch – they
were still viewed as a
fringe party
How far did the threats from the LEFT weaken the Weimar
Republic in it’s early years?
THE SPARTACIST UPRISING JANUARY 1919
In January 1919 the Spartacist League (later the German
Communist Party) staged an uprising in Berlin. They captured
the headquarters of the Government’s newspaper and
telegraph bureau.
They were led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.
They aimed to set up a communist state in Germany and
claimed that the Weimar Government was not left-wing
enough.
Was it really a Threat?
The uprising was easily crushed and the
whole uprising was poorly organised.
The Spartacists did not get the support of
other left-wing groups.
The main way in which the uprising
threatened the Republic was because Ebert
had paid a high price for survival. To defeat
the Spartacists he had to rely on the
Freikorps and the army who were clearly
against Weimar Democracy. The only reason
they had defended the government was
because they hated Communism more.
They were defeated because Ebert was able to call on the
support of groups of Freikorps (soldiers returning from the
war) who hated Communists.
Hundreds were killed and Karl Liebknecht and Rosa
Luxemburg were shot
Over the next few months the Freikorps killed thousands of
Communist supporters
How much did the Treaty of Versailles threaten the Weimar
Republic?
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In June 1919 the Republic was dealt another blow when Germany was forced to sign
the Treaty of Versailles.
The Germans had hoped for a fair peace because they had signed the Armistice at
the end of the war and the Kaiser had abdicated.
But they German politicians were not allowed to take part in the negotiations at
Versaille.
They were horrified when presented with the terms of the Treaty.
The Terms of the Treaty
1, Germany had to accept the Blame for starting the war (Clause 231). This was vital
because it provided the justification for...
2. Germany had to pay £6,600 million (called Reparations) for the damage done during
the war.
3. Germany was forbidden to have submarines or an air force. She could have a navy
of only six battleships, and an Army of just 100,000 men. In addition, Germany was
not allowed to place any troops in the Rhineland, the strip of land, 50 miles wide, next
to France.
4. Germany lost Territory (land) in Europe (see map, below). Germany’s colonies were
given to Britain and France.
(Also, Germany was forbidden to join the League of Nations, or unite with Austria.)
Why did the Treaty Threaten the Weimar
Republic?
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The new government were viewed as traitors by the German
people for signing the Treaty. They were accused by the rightwing of ‘stabbing Germany in the Back’ by first agreeing peace
with allies in November 1918 then signing the humiliating Treaty
in 1919.
There were mass demonstrations against the Treaty in Germany and the
newspapers called for revenge
The signing of the Treaty helped to give support to more extreme right-wing
parties like the DNVP and eventually the Nazi Party
It was the Psychological effects of the Treaty on the minds of the German
people rather than the practical terms which were the most dangerous effects.
What happened in the Economic Crisis of 1923?
Why?
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The economic terms of the Treaty were crippling for Germany. Germany had lost 10% of coal,
48% of iron, 15% of agriculture and 10% of manufacturing industries. Unemployment
worsened. The allies fixed the reparations at £6600 million. The value of German currency
was weakening and inflation began.
Because of this by 1923 Germany could not pay it’s reparation payments to France.
In response the French (led by the President Raymond Poincare) sent troops into the Ruhr
valley which was a rich industrial area. Belgian Troops agreed to support them.
They took over mines, factories and railways in the region.
The Ruhr was the Industrial Heartland of Germany. I produced 80% of it’s coal, iron and steel.
In response the German government called on workers to carry out ‘passive resistance’ by
striking.
The French reacted with force: 150,000 people were expelled and 132 were shot.
To pay the workers more money was printed. This increased the problems with the economy
because the government was no longer making money from the coal in the Ruhr.
The striking workers began to spend their money quickly which meant shop keepers put up
their prices.
As shops raised prices all over Germany the government responded by printing more money.
The faster prices went up, the faster people spent their wages. People were being paid twice
a day in wheelbarrows.
Effects?
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•
Money became worthless: in November 1923 a loaf of bread was 320,000,000,000
marks.
The German people lost faith in their government and many turned to the Right Wing
Parties. They blamed the Hyperinflation crisis on the government because it resulted
from the Treaty of Versailles reparation burden.
Winners
Losers
Big Businesses could profit from buying up
smaller businesses which had collapsed.
Often their money was protected because
they had foreign bank accounts
Those in debt found their debts were wiped
out.
Farmers survived because inflation had
pushed up food prices
Middle Classes (Mittelstand) lost their
savings and rejected Weimar Democracy
and turn towards the right.
Workers lost jobs as unemployment grew
because businesses collapsed
Pensioners on fixed incomes found they
could not afford to buy what they needed
Businesses collapsed
How successful was the ‘Golden Age’ of Streseman 1924-1928?
In 1923 Gustav Streseman became Germany’s Chancellor. He was later Foreign Minister
between 1924-1928. Germany’s recovery was largely down to his policies.
Politics
Success
Failure
Streseman was a skilled diplomat and he helped
to keep coalitions together. During 1924-1928
there were no attempted uprisings (Putsches)
and there was greater support for pro-Weimar
parties like the SPD. Votes for the Nazis went
down in this period (14 seats in Dec 1924 and
12 in Dec 1928)
However there were still problems with
coalitions. The SPD refused to join at
first, despite being the biggest party,
and President Hindenburg worked to
set up coalitions without them. This
undermined democracy
Economy
He called off Passive Resistance in the Ruhr
and argued that Reparation payments should
resume. This led to the French withdrawal from
the Ruhr.
This made him unpopular and he
was forced to resign as chancellor
because of right-wing opposition in
the Reichstag.
He introduced a new currency called the
Rentenmark. One Rentenmark replaced 1
billion marks. This stabilised inflation and
helped the German people to regain their
confidence in the economy. They began to
deposit money in banks again.
Industry was boosted by the introduction of US
methods of Mass Production.
In 1924 the Dawes Plan was agreed with the
US, France and Britain.
It was designed to relax the Reparations system
based on Germany’s ability to pay. The US
agreed to loan Germany 800 million gold marks.
Streseman faced opposition from the
Reichstag because the Dawes Plan
was seen as giving in to the terms of
the Treaty of Versailles.
It made Germany dangerously
reliant on American loans.
The Young Plan of 1929 further eased
reparations payments by extending the deadline
to 1988.
By 1929 Germany was outpacing France and
Britain in industrial production.
International
Relations
Streseman did more than anyone to make
Germany acceptable again to the European
powers.
In 1925 the Locarno Pact with Britain, France,
Italy and Belgium secured borders and
Streseman was able to not have to agree on
Germany’s eastern border.
In 1926 Germany was allowed to join the
League of Nations
In 1928 Germany signed the Kellog Briand Pact
with over 60 countries. This was a declaration
that countries would not go to war against each
other.
In 1926 Streseman was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize for his work.
Some Germans criticised Streseman
for not asking for an improvement on
the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
What were the Origins of the Nazi Party?
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Hitler fought in WW1 and was employed afterwards by the German Army as a
propaganda agent. His job was to go to political meetings where a chance encounter
with the German Workers Party (DAP) changed his life.
Hitler joined the Party in 1920 and put together the 25 point programme with the
leader Anton Drexler.
The Party was renamed the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi for
short).
By 1921 Hitler’s skills had led him to be made leader.
The party became more aggressive with an emphasis on discipline and loyalty to
the Leader.
Hitler founded the Sturmabteilung (SA) – a brown-shirted paramilitary organisation
The SA attracted ex-soldiers and members of the Friekorps who hated communists
and wanted to intimidate them
The swastika became the symbol of the Party
Why was the Munich Putsch a turning point for
the Nazis?
What happened?
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In 1923 Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party staged an attempted
Putsch in Munich. They felt the time was right because of
the right-ing atmosphere caused by the French occupation
of the Ruhr.
The SA burst in on a meeting of the Bavarian government
and Hitler declared himself leader.
Hitler planned to march on Berlin the next day and take over the German
government.
But Von Seisser and Von Lussow changed their minds and informed the Bavarian
police.
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The Nazis were met with armed resistance and 16 were killed.
Hitler was arrested and put on trial for treason.
Why was it a turning point for the Nazis?
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Hitler used the trial to put forward his ideas. He portrayed himself as a patriot (loyal to
his country) who wanted the best for Germany.
He was able to use the trial as a publicity opportunity for the Nazis.
He was given a very lenient sentence – only 5 years. He only served 9 months.
Whilst in prison he wrote Mein Kampf which outlined his ideas for Germany and
became the bible of the Nazi movement.
He realised in Prison that he would have to take power legally through the ‘ballot’ not
the ‘bullot’
Why were Hitler and the Nazi Party so popular in Germany by 1932?
Factor
Evidence
Reorganisatio On his release from Prison in 1924 Hitler reorganised the party:
- Chose to achieve power through legal means (ballot not bullet)
n of the Party
-
Nazi
Message –
crossing
class lines
The Treaty
of
Versailles
The SA
The Wall
Street
Crash and
Great
Depression
Set up regional branches of the Party under the control of a local Gauleiter.
Party conference in 1926 at Bamberg Hitler made sure the idea of one
‘Fuhrer’ was accepted by all Nazis
Brought the SA under control by sacking Rohm to make them look more
respectable and less like thugs.
Hitler made sure his message appealed to many Germans. His idea of the Peoples
Community (Volksgemeinschaft) appealed to many
His message cut across class lines:
- Germans deserved to live with pride in a new nation free from the burdens
of Versailles and safe from those who were inferior (Jews)
- Working class promised jobs
- Businesses offered protection from Communism
- Women sold the idea of the traditional family
The rejection of the Treaty was central to Nazi Party promises. Without the Treaty
Hitler would not have had such an appealing message. It was despised by so many
Germans so Hitler could make promises to get rid of it. He exploited the stab in the
back myth to gain support.
They acted as a propaganda tool. They represented discipline, militarism and
power. They wore the eye catching brown shirts and participated at Rallies.
They also attacked Communists and other opponents and intimidated people
In October 1929 the Wall Street Crash plunged USA into chaos and triggered
European Depression.
USA called in loans from Germany which created Depression and unemployment in
Germany.
Businesses closed, workers were sacked.
6 million unemployed in 1932
Hitler and the Nazis offered answers for the German people: Jobs and Food and
elimination of Communism and the Treaty of Versailles.
Election results of 1930: 107 seats in the Reichstag
The
Collapse of
Weimar
Democracy
Role of
Propaganda
Financial
Backers
1932: 230 seats
The Great Depression led to the collapse of Democracy.
The parties in the Reichstag could not work together to create a solution.
Chancellor Bruning had to resort to Article 48 to survive. He resigned in 1932
There were fewer meetings.
Germans lost faith in Democracy and turn to extremist parties like the Nazis and the
Communists.
Goebbels organised very effective and modern forms of propaganda which
appealed to the German people.
Propaganda posters played on the misery of the German people and Jews and
Communists became scapegoats.
The ‘Hitler over Germany’ Presidential election campaign was seen as modern
and exciting.
Hitler was a powerful speech maker. His strong, style meant Nazi messages were
sold to the German people.
His self-belief persuaded people to believe him
Hitler could not have created such effective propaganda campaigns without
financial backing from leading businessmen and industrialists who were terrified of
the communist threat.
How and why was Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany
in January 1933?
The role of Political Intrigue (Meddling)
March 1932. Hitler challenges Hindenburg for the Presidency. He comes second.
Election results July 1932: Nazis get 230 seats. They are now largest party in the Reichstag.
Hitler demanded the post of Chancellor from Hindenburg but he would not give it to him.
Hindenburg viewed Hitler as a thug. He keeps Chancellor Von Papen in place
Von Papen loses the confidence of Hindenburg as he had no support from the Reichstag.
Von Schliecher persuades Hindenburg to give him the job as Chancellor
Von Papen is annoyed at being pushed out and is determined to regain power. He meets
with Hitler in secret in January 1933. He suggests to Hitler that he could lead te government
along with other Nationalist leaders with Von Papen as vice-chancellor.
Scheming and plotting took place. Leading businessmen were persuaded by Von Papen that
Hitler would be the right man to lead Germany and save it from Communism
Von Papen convinces President Hindenburg to give Hitler the job as Chancellor. He said he
could control Hitler like a ‘puppet on strings’. Hindenburg is persuaded as he is fearful of a
civil war if he does not give Hitler the job.
30th January 1933: Hitler is made Chancellor of Germany. He had achieved it by legal and
democratic means.
How did Hitler consolidate his Power by August 1934 to become
Dictator of Germany?
Limits to Hitler’s Power in January 1933:
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He was only Chancellor in a democratic system
He was answerable to Hindenburg (President)
He did not have control of the Army
He needed to ‘Nazify’ German Society in line with his ideas
Date
th
27 Feb 1933
Event
Reichstag Fire - the Reichstag building
is set on fire. A Dutch Communist, van der
Lubbe, is caught red-handed in the burning
building.
Hitler blamed the communists and argued
the fire was a signal of a Communist
uprising.
28th Feb 1933
Emergency Decree:
Hitler persuades Hindenburg to pass an
Emergency Decree For the Protection of
People and State which suspended basic
civil rights and allowed the Nazis to round up
Communists and imprison them without trial.
Left-wing newspapers were banned and
political meetings were restricted.
Violence
Violence
This was a key part of the consolidation of
power. Goring set up the Gestapo in 1933
and absorbed 50,000 SA men into the police
force. Political opponents were intimidated
and pressure was put on ‘true’ Germans to
vote for the Nazis in 1933
23rd March 1933
In the March 1933 General Election only 44
per cent of the population vote for the Nazis,
who win 288 seats in the Reichstag. Hitler
needs to have a majority of seats if he wants to
change the constitution. So he thinks up the
Enabling Act
Enabling Act - the SA intimidates all the
remaining non-Nazi deputies. The Reichstag
votes to give Hitler the right to make his own
laws without consulting the Reichstag.
The Act is passed because of SA
intimidation, banning of Communists from
voting, and making a deal with the Centre
Party to protect the interests of the Catholic
Church. This was called the Concordat (20th
June 1933)
26 April 1933
Local government is reorganised - the
country is carved up into 42 Gaus, which are
run by a Gauleiter. These Gaus are
separated into areas, localities and blocks of
flats run by a Blockleiter. Hitler sets up the
Gestapo.
2 May 1933
Trade unions are abolished and their
leaders arrested. Replaced with the DAF and
in July 1933 Political parties are
banned - only
the Nazi party is allowed to exist.
30 June 1934
Night of the Long Knives - some
SA leaders are demanding that the Nazi
party carry out its socialist agenda, and that
the SA take over the army. Rohm, leader of
the SA is demanding a more socialist,
second revolution. Hitler cannot afford to
annoy the businessmen or the army, so the
SS murders perhaps 400 of the SA
memberson 29th-30th June, including its
leader Röhm, along with a number of Hitler's
other opponents.
19 Aug 1934
Führer -
when Hindenburg dies, Hitler
declares himself jointly president, chancellor
and head of the army. He was now dictator
of Germany
How did the Hitler and the Nazi Party gain Political control?
PROPAGANDA
TERROR
Propaganda was used to indoctrinate (brainwash)
the German people.
The police state was created where the SS were in
charge of a complex network of terror. They were
given unlimited powers to deal with the opposition.
The Gestapo had powers to arrest people merely on
suspicion and without charge. ‘Confessions’ extracted
by torture. Block Wardens (local nazi informers) spied
on communities by visiting each block weekly. They
wrote reports on the ‘political reliability’ of their block.
Peoples courts were set up in 1934 to try opponents
who had committed crimes against the state. All
judges had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler
Concentration Camps were set up from 1933. Dachau
was first. They housed ‘undesirables’ – communists,
Jews, Gypsies, alcoholics – were horribly treated.
Radio Stations were brought under control of the
Nazis and cheap radios flooded the market. By 1939
70% of Germans owned a radio
Nazi film industry churned out adventure and
comedy films with a Nazi Message. Triumph of the
Will emphasised the scale of Nazi achievements
Nazi Press agency was set up with controlled all
news. Newspapers which criticised Hitler were shut
down
Books were censored. Libraries were ransacked and
banned books were burned in public
All aspects of cultural life were controlled by the
Reich Chamber of Culture
Rallies were a feature of power. Nuremberg held an
annual rally to commemorate the Nazi rise to power
How successful was Nazi Economic Policy?
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Main priority from 1933 was to reduce Unemployment
To undertake rearmament to create jobs and avenge the Treaty of Versailles
To make Germany economically self-sufficient
Schacht (Financial Expert) was put in place as Economics Minister from 1934-1937.
His scheme was called ‘Brot und Arbeit’ (Bread and Work)
Policy
National Labour Service set up in 1933 (RAD) to provide jobs for men between 18 and 25 on public works
schemes (Autobahn)
Rearmament programme brought compulsory military service and employment for many (Conscription
was compulsory from 1935)
People (undesirables) sent to forced labour camps so they were removed from the work force.
Women were made to leave their jobs and run their homes
German Labour Front set up (DAF) which took the place of Trade Unions and controlled the workforce
Schacht encouraged the use of MEFO bills which were credit notes issued by the Reichsbank and
guaranteed by the government. This helped to get firms investing
In 1936 Hitler got rid of Schacht and replaced him with Goring as he wanted to radicalise the economy to
be ready for war. The emphasis was put on the policy of Autarky (self Sufficiency). Billions were spent on
artificial substitutes
Success
Failure
Unemployment was reduced dramatically. By 1939 the
figure was less than 350,000 (compared with 6 million in
1932)
The economy was brought under tight control and policies
were implemented efficiently
These figures hid the fact that Jews and women had been
removed from the workforce
Autarky was not successful: Agriculture suffered from a
lack of machinery and man power and Germany continued
to import large amounts of food stuffs. In 1939 Germany
still imported 33% of raw materials. German economic
policy therefore became tied to an aggressive foreign
policy
The German people had their personal freedoms removed
in the name of economic recovery
How and why did Germany become divided after WW2?
Yalta February
1945
Potsdam
Conference May
1945 – relations
worsen
Tensions worsen:
Truman Doctrine
and Marshall Aid
Allies meet to decide how Germany should be dealt with after the
war. They decide:
-those responsible for war crimes should be punished
- Germany should be rid of Nazism
- Germany should be disarmed and demilitarised
Germany should pay compensation
Germany should be divided into 4 separate zones of occupation
But the leaders disagreed on how much of Germany should go to the
Poles and Western leaders were horrified at the amount of Money
Stalin wanted to take in compensation.
May 1945 Germany surrenders. Roosevelt has died and been
replaced by President Truman. Truman much more suspicious of
Stalin and took an aggressive stance against him.
Allies meet again in Potsdam near Berlin.
Imposed a harsh treaty on Germany which laid the blame on the Nazi
government not the German people.
The leaders confirmed Germany would be separated in separate
zones of occupation but tensions had worsened.
Truman did not tell Stalin that the US had an atomic bomb.
The US dropped the A bomb in 1945 which increased tensions.
Despite promises from Stalin that he would hold free elections for the
countries that the Russians had liberated from Russian control, he
simply kept Soviet troops in these countries and made them
communist ‘Satellite States’
Winston Churchill summed up the mood when he described Europe
as having an ‘Iron Curtain’ dividing it.
The USA and Britain and France now decided to try and strengthen
Germany rather than weaken it to make it a buffer against Communist
Russia.
In 1947 Truman made a speech in which he said America would
Berlin Blockade
Formal Separation
of Germany into
East and West
‘contain’ communism and stop it spreading from country to country.
This was the Truman Doctrine.
Truman ensure that $13.5 billion was offered to European countries
to stop them falling to Communism. (Marshall Aid)
The allies said that Reparations (paid by Germany) would be ended
and a new currency would be introduced.
By 1948 Stalin was concerned about the threat from a prosperous
Germany. Berlin lay in the Soviet Zone and he saw it as a Capitalist
base in Eastern Europe. Stalin viewed the idea of a Separate West
German state as a violation of the Potsdam agreement, which could
lead to German rearmament.
June 1948 he Soviet troops cut off all road, rail and canal links
between East and West Berlin.
He planned to starve West Berliners into submission.
The Allies used 3 air corridors over the Soviet Zone and the airlift
began. Aircraft landed every 3 minutes and Stalin could do little as to
shoot down planes would be an act of war.
June 1948-May 1949 27,000 trips were made.
After the Blockade there was little hope of a unified Germany.
The allies arranged for ministers to draw up a constitution for a new
West Germany which would be a democracy:
1949 (Sept) Creation of West Germany (FDR)
- Military occupation ended. Civilian agency called Allied High
Commission replaced military governers (except West Berlin which
kept military)
- Federal parliament with an upper house and lower house would
meet at the capital Bonn
-President elected every 5 years. Could only stand once. Has no
powers to declare state emergency or appoint and dismiss
chancellors
- Key political figure was chancellor – elected by Bundestag
Creation of East Germany (GDR)
Communists appointed to local offices and Soviet style system
created
Banks, factories and farms seized and reorganised
People who opposed it were arrested and imprisoned
1946 communists forced Social Democrats to join them to form
Socialist Unity Party
Ulbricht becomes first General Secretary
First elections the Unity Party were the only party allowed to put
forward candidates
Oct 1949: GDR is created with East Berlin as it’s capital
What happened at the Nuremberg Trials?
-
It was one important example of cooperation between the four powers
21 senior Nazi officials put on trial at Nuremberg
Accused of: planning and waging an aggressive war, war crimes against peace, war
crimes against humanity (genocide)
Began November 1945, ended October 1946
Three key leaders: Schact,Von Papen and Fritsche (Commander-in-chief of Army)
found not guilty
7 jailed, rest recieved death sentences
Goring and Goebbels committed suicide (Goebbels in the bunker and Goring after he
was sentenced to execution)
Describe the economic and political development of West Germany
after 1949
Economic
Expansion
under
Adenauer
‘Economic
miracle’
Konrad Adenauer becomes Chancellor of West Germany. He was a
Cathoic and anti-communist.
He became the embodiment of the Nation
Served longer than any other chancellor (1949-1963)
Aimed to: Repair physical damage done by the war, transform Germany
from post-war occupied zone into a respected nation, instil a moral rebirth
after the Holocaust
1950’s there was unparalleled economic growth in West Germany.
This was due to:
A tradition of Industry – factories could be rebuilt after the war and were
then equipped with latest technology
West
German
Economic
Success in
Europe
Economic
Problems
Political
problems
Adenauer’s first minister Ludwig Erhard was a skilled economic planner
West Germany received $1300 million of Marshall Aid from USA.
There was a demand for German industrial equipment because of the
Korean war
Trade unions did not support strikes to less strikes meant a more stable
economy
Adenauer realises key to economic success is working with the allies.
First step: 1947 Organisation for European Economic Cooperation set up to
administer Marshall Aid
May 1949: Council of Europe established at Strasbourg.
1950: formation of the ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community. This
was a significant step forward for West Germany. Put forward by French
Minister Schumann. France, Belgium, West Germany, Netherlands and
Luxemburg
Brought together the Saar coal region and France’s iron ore deposits
without customs duties.
Very successful: 170% increase in trade in the free trade atmosphere
EEC 1957: European Economic Community – Common Market
established.
1960’s there was a decline in industrial output and rise in unemployment
Mid 1970’s unemployment = 1 million
Growth in strikes as inflation rose and consumer demand fell
NDP (National Democratic Party) scored more victories in local elections. It
was a neo-Nazi party founded in 1964. It was anti-American, Anti-Russia
and against foreign ‘guest workers’
Greater threat came from student protest groups against Vietnam War and
Nuclear power stations. 1968 student riots in Berlin
Terrorist threat from Baader-Meinhof gang (RAF). They were an extreme
left-wing group. Launched bomb attacks and kidnapped and murdered
leading politicians and businessmen.
Anti- terrorist measures of Willy Brandt in 1970’s stopped the threat but
they had led people to question the government’s ability
Describe the economic and political development of East Germany
after 1949
Only possessed 30% of industrial capacity – short of materials
Many thousands of skilled workers wanted to leave to get to the West with the
attraction of better pay and lifestyle
Shortage of consumer goods – cut off electricity
USSR demands for reparations
Industrial unrest – low wages: government raises working quotas (work more
for same salary)
Construction Workers march in protest demanding improved living conditions,
Protests
speech and elections
June 1953 free
17th June 300,000 workers respond to call for General Strike
Soviet Army puts down trouble killing at least 21
Blame it on Western agitators (radio)
Post-War
economic
problems
Berlin
Wall
The East
German
Economy
and
Society
Massive state ownership of land and industry (82% production from stateowned industry by 1955)
Unemployment reduced by 1970 – East Germany highest living standards in
the Eastern Bloc: CONSUMER SOCIALISM
But life very difficult in comparison with the West. 25% of output going to
USSR
Thousands of East Germans leaving through Berlin to go to get to the West– 3
million by 1961!
Government response was to strengthen frontiers with West Germany
August 1961 a wall was built starting with barbed wire. Ordered by Erich
Honecker (took over from Ulbricht)
Within days, West Berlin was surrounded by a wall four meters high and 111
kilometers long.
The Wall had 300 watch towers manned by selected border guards (the
ZOPO) and 50 bunkers. By the end of August, the Wall seemed all but
impossible to cross.
The East German authorities tried to explain away the Wall by claiming that
the West was using West Berlin as a centre for spying and that the Wall was
for keeping out spies.
Really it was for keeping East Germans in!
By 1972 the state was the sole employer
East Germany did experience economic and social growth after WW2 but the
Unity Party kept hold of their grip on Power.
Their grip over all aspects of life was tighter and state security services more
powerful than any other Eastern Bloc country.
Describe the reunification of Germany in 1990
-
By 1985 the Soviet Economy was in crisis.
Michael Gorbachev (leader of Soviet Union) argued too much money was being
spent on the Arms race with the West and invasion of Afghanistan
Tensions began to relax between East and West
By 1989 the Cold War was at an end and Soviet control of Eastern Europe was
collapsing.
-
March 1989 Gorbachev informed leaders of communist Eastern Europe that the Red
Army would no longer be able to defend them and crush internal opposition.
May 1989: Hungary removed it’s barriers to Austria and hundreds of East Germans
fled to the West
September 1989: East Germans demonstrate for more freedom and hardline
Honecker forced out.
Helmut Kohl (West German Chancellor since 1982) pushes for reunification of east
and West Germany .
9th November 1989 East German Government announces it will open it’s borders and
allow free travel
10th November East Germans march to Berlin wall and pull it down
After November 1989 Helmut Kohl pours money into East Germany to help support
the East German economy and in July 1990 their economies are merged.
October 1990: Germany is officially reunited
Berlin becomes capital
Helmut Kohl wins decisive victory in first all-German elections since 1933. He
becomes Chancellor of the unified Germany.
Unit 1 10 Mark Essay Question Preparation Grid
Change:
Weimar Republic
DEMOCRACY
Weimar Republic
FREE MARKET
Nazi Years
DICTATORSHIP
Nazi Years
COMMAND ECONOMY
West Germany
DEMOCRACY
East Germany
COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP
West Germany
FREE MARKET
East Germany
COMMAND ECONOMY
Kohl and re-unification
DEMOCRACY and FREE
MARKET
Impact of change:
Introduction of real democracy. Men over the age of 20 gained the right to
vote by PR. Article 48 was used in times of emergency
The problem was that there were a large number of small parties with no
one having the majority. This led to weak coalitions. There were also
numerous threats from the right and left together and it was undermined by
the Treaty of Versailles. Stresemann succeeded in stabilising these problems
politically and internationally.
Free market and capitalist conditions. The French invasion of the Ruhr led to
hyperinflation. Stresemann re-introduced economic stability via the
introduction of a new currency and the continuation to pay reparations. The
Dawes plan agreed a USA loan of 800 million gold marks and the 1929 Young
plan extended the reparations deadline. Thus government support of the
economy. This short term stability was shattered by the Wall Street Crash
The Reichstag fire removed political opposition, the Enabling Act removed
the Reichstag and the Night of the Long Knives removed the threat of the SS.
Thus following the death of Hindenburg Hitler became Chancellor and
Fuhrer. Hitler had total power which was enforced by propaganda and terror
National Labour Service: Public work schemes
Rearmament programme and compulsory military service
Forced labour camps
Women were made to leave their jobs
German labour Front replaced trade unions
1936 Four Year Plan to achieve self sufficiency
Western zones combined to form the Federal Republic of Germany with a
Federal Parliament (Bundesrat and Bundestag). The president would be
symbolic and the chancellor was elected by the Bundestag. Threats from the
neo-Nazi party and the terrorist Baader-Meinhof gang in the 1960s and
1970s.
24
In the German Democratic Republic communists were elected to local
offices and a Soviet style system was established. Arrest and imprisonment
for those that opposed. The Socialist Unity Party was the only party allowed
to stand and this gripped all aspects of life.
Adenauer oversaw industrial expansion, partly due to the demand for
reconstruction, because of Marshall Aid and the Korean War. This declined
and unemployment rose in the 1960s and 1970s.
The European Steel and Coal Community and the European Economic
Community increased trade dramatically.
82% of production from state owned industry
Enormous economic problems in the 1950s. Problems of unemployment and
living standards solved in the late 1960s and 1970s. Problem of flow of
refugees was solved by the building of the Berlin Wall
Kohl pushed hard for re-unification and it was achieved in 1990. Democracy
and a free market system was introduced for all
Unit 2:
In What Ways did the
Lives of the German
People
change between 1919
and 1991?
What happened in the Economic Crisis of 1923?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The economic terms of the Treaty were crippling for Germany. Germany had lost 10% of coal,
48% of iron, 15% of agriculture and 10% of manufacturing industries. Unemployment
worsened. The allies fixed the reparations at £6600 million. The value of German currency
was weakening and inflation began.
Because of this by 1923 Germany could not pay it’s reparation payments to France.
In response the French (led by the President Raymond Poincare) sent troops into the Ruhr
valley which was a rich industrial area. Belgian Troops agreed to support them.
They took over mines, factories and railways in the region.
The Ruhr was the Industrial Heartland of Germany. I produced 80% of it’s coal, iron and steel.
In response the German government called on workers to carry out ‘passive resistance’ by
striking.
The French reacted with force: 150,000 people were expelled and 132 were shot.
To pay the workers more money was printed. This increased the problems with the economy
because the government was no longer making money from the coal in the Ruhr.
The striking workers began to spend their money quickly which meant shop keepers put up
their prices.
As shops raised prices all over Germany the government responded by printing more money.
The faster prices went up, the faster people spent their wages. People were being paid twice
a day in wheelbarrows.
Effects on the German People
•
•
Money became worthless: in November 1923 a loaf of bread was 320,000,000,000
marks.
The German people lost faith in their government and many turned to the Right Wing
Parties. They blamed the Hyperinflation crisis on the government because it resulted
from the Treaty of Versailles reparation burden.
Winners
Big Businesses could profit from buying up
smaller businesses which had collapsed.
Often their money was protected because
they had foreign bank accounts and the sold
their goods in gold value which was more
stable
Those in debt found their debts were wiped
out.
Farmers survived because inflation had
pushed up food prices
Losers
Middle Classes (Mittelstand) lost their
savings and rejected Weimar Democracy
and turn towards the right.
Workers lost jobs as unemployment grew
because businesses collapsed
Pensioners on fixed incomes found they
could not afford to buy what they needed
Businesses collapsed
How far had the lives of the German people recovered by
1929?
Recovered
Not recovered
Streseman brought stability to the economy
by calling off passive resistance, introducing
a new Rentenmark and securing the Dawes
Plan of 1924 and Young Plan of 1929
Much of the success was a result of
dependence on US loans. When the Wall
Street Crash came along it would have a
devastating effect
Living standards improved by the end of the
1920/s German people were buying as many
luxury goods as they had done in 1913
Car ownership had risen by 400% by 1927
During the Winter of 1928-29 unemployment
rose sharply to 3 million
Unemployment fell and coalmines, steel
industries and factories began to prosper
Small firms still struggled while big business
benefited more from the US loans
A worldwide slump in agriculture mean
Farmers began to sink into debt
How did the Wall Street Crash Affect the German people?
-
-
US investment dried up and loans were recalled
German exports could no longer be sold abroad
Businesses closed and unemployment rose sharply
People were unable to make mortgage payments or
rent – had to live in shanty towns and rely on soup
kitchens
Benefit payments cut to save Government spending
The Middle Classes (Mittelstand) found savings lost as
banks collapsed
Taxes increased which put pressure on businesses
1932 unemployment at 6 million
Germany gripped by social discontent. Support for
extremist groups like Nazis and Communist grows.
Nazi party gains huge support as their message
appeals to everyone who feels Weimar Democracy has
failed them
Was Weimar Culture a force for Stability or division?
•
•
•
•
ART and Literature
Upheaval of WW1 encouraged artists like George Grosz, Otto Dix and Paul Klee to
view the world in a different way. They tried to be objective and modern.
They wanted art to show everyday life
They would use art (paintings) to pour scorn on the issues and personalities they
despised such as Germany’s government and military past
Erich Remarque: All Quiet on the Western Front – anti war novel that portrayed the
horrors of war
Architecture:
-
The Bauhaus group was founded in 1919.
It attracted designers who wanted Architecture to reflect real life and make objects
which could be mass produced
Their approach was very different from the elaborate and pre-war decorative style of
Germany.
Cabaret and Nightlife
-
Berlin became famous for it’s nightlife, transvestite balls and open discussions of
sexuality
Why was it a force for division?
•
•
Despite the impression of a vibrant, creative society, there was tension and conflict
below the surface
Many right-wing, conservative people in Germany were angry at this culture – it was
anti-patriotic. Many areas other than Berlin remained conservative
The Nazis would force many of these artists to flee and they would ban ‘degenerate’
art as they saw it.
The Nazis criticised Weimar Artists like Otto Dix and George Grosz for being ‘unpatriotic’ and
‘immoral’
They viewed their work as part of a decline in decency
What were Nazi Economic policies?
1. Set up the National Labour Service (RAD).
- Jobs for men aged 18-25 – compulsory 6 month placement.
Used to also indoctrinate workers.
- Public works schemes digging ditches on farms to assist
irrigation, building the new autobahns, planting new forests etc.
- The men of the RAD wore a military style uniform, lived in
camps near to where they were working and received only what we
would term pocket money.
- However, compared to the lack of success of the Weimar
Government and the chronic misery of 1931 to 1932, these men felt
that at least the Nazi government was making the effort to improve
their lot.
2. Rearmament and Conscription Compulsory military
service
3. Removed Trade Unions and replaced them with the DAF (German Labour Front)
headed by Dr Robert Ley. Workers had to join (they
were a group that had not necessarily supported Nazism!) It was sold
as an organisation to ‘protect workers’
-
4. ‘Beauty of Labour’
Promoted better conditions in the workplace
-
Health and safety standards improved - hot meals provided/ ventilation in the workplace
5. ‘ Strength Through Joy’
-
Keep workers happy through leisure activities
Workers offered cheap holidays, entertainment, subsidised sport, theatre, opera
Famous Volkswagen car scheme ‘People’s car’. Workers could save 5 marks a week and when they
had got to
750 marks they were promised a car.
Were Germans better off under the Nazis?
YES
NO
Germany’s national income was higher by 1938
The increase in production did not reflect a rise in
wages. The average working week increased from
45 to 50 by 1938 and to 60 by 1945. People were
working for longer hours and less pay.
People had less money to spend on consumer
goods. By 1936 the price of food had risen and
taxation had increased.
Employment had been achieved partially through
removing key people from the workforce like women
and Jews.
Conscription also meant Young men were taken off
the unemployment list and the RAD placement was
compulsory
The DAF replaced all trade unions so workers had
no one else to represent them other than the DAF. If
they wanted to negotiate better pay or working
conditions they would have to get the permission of
the DAF
Unemployment was reduced dramatically. By 1938 it
was 0.5 million compared with 6 million in 1932
Many jobs were created and the RAD schemes
gave many young men a sense of purpose again
compared with the hardship of the Weimar Years.
Many had been very poor during the Great
Depression and they were now able to feed and
clothe their families again
The Strength Through Joy scheme provided many
leisure activities for thousands of workers at reduced
costs.
The Beauty of Labour scheme improved
conditions in the workplace. Hot meals and air
conditioning was provided
German industry benefited from the massive
rearmaments programme and the destruction of the
Trade Unions. The average salary of managers rose
by 70% between 1934 and 38.
Small Business owners largely benefited because
the Nazis protected them against competition from
large department stores. They banned new large
department stores and closed down Jewish ones so
that small craftsmen and businesses could do well.
The value of their trade doubled between 1933 and
1937
Farmers did benefit from an increased in food prices
and the Nazis told them they were one of the most
important groups in Germany. However they
resented being controlled by the government and
suffered a shortage of labour as workers left for
better wages in the towns
The Volkswagen scheme never actually got
completed. Not one person received a car – instead
their money went to the war effort from 1939
Why did the Nazis reject Weimar Art and what kind of Art
did they support?










The Nazis would force many of these artists to flee and they would ban ‘degenerate’
art as they saw it.
The Nazis criticised Weimar Artists like Otto Dix and George Grosz for being
‘unpatriotic’ and ‘immoral’. They closed down the Bauhaus movement in 1933.
Gropius and many teachers of the movement emigrated
They viewed their work as part of a decline in decency
They disapproved of the Cabaret culture in Berlin because it was ‘sleazy’ and full of
the ‘wrong types’
1933: Nazi Chamber of Creative Art is set up
It laid down guidelines for artists, sculptors, writers and musicians
For Art to be seen or performed it had to be in line with Nazi beliefs
Many writers were banned and public book burnings took place of ‘unacceptable
literature’
Hitler wanted art which showed German heroic figures, the power of the Master
Race, or traditional, rural family scenes. He wanted art to reject the weak and ugly.
1937: House of German Art is opened and House of ‘Degenerate Art’ is
opened. This housed banned works of art. This exhibition attracted 5 times the
number who went to the Nazi House of German Art.
How successful were Nazi Policies towards Women?
What did the Nazis want from Women?:
• Church - Kirche
• Children - Kinder
• Cooking - Kuche
• Goebbels said: "The mission of women is to be beautiful and to bring children
into the world."
Policies:
1. Law for the Encouragement of Marriage, 1933

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1000 mark loan (9 months pay) repayment of which reduced by 250 marks with the birth of
each child
Fourth child loan would be cleared
‘Family’ could be officially used
Gold cross for 8, Silver for 6 and Bronze for 4.
Birth control banned and infertile families forced to divorce
2. Women ordered to leave the workplace and female doctors, civil servants, teachers and
lawyers were dismissed
3. 1936 Women barred from being judges as they were seen to be ‘incapable of logical
thought’
4. Denied Freedom of expression: hair to be worn in bun/ plaits/ trousers and high-heeled
shoes were banned
5. 1936 Lebensborn programme: maternity homes for unmarried mothers where they
would be impregnated by SS men
How successful were these policies?
- Many women welcomed the security offered by the state to themselves and their
families
- But some women resented the loss of freedom and they protested. Some joined
opposition groups like the Communists
- Women who protested where usually disciplined
- By 1939 the Nazis had to backtrack on their policies as they needed women in the
workplace to help with the war effort as men were called up the armed forces
How successful were Nazi policies towards the Youth/
Children?
Aims:
-
To use education and Youth groups to indoctrinate the young and make them
loyal to Hitler and the Nazi State.
Hitler viewed the youth as the future of the Third Reich
Education:
-
-
Teachers were forced to join the German Teachers League. Children encouraged to
inform on teachers who failed to toe the Nazi line
Al lessons began and ended with the Nazi salute and ‘Heil Hitler’
Lessons taught with a Nazi Bias: Geography taught about the wrongs of Versailles/
Biology the need to purify the ‘master race’/ History praised glorious German past
Curriculum changed to prepare the young for their future roles in life: 15% of time
devoted to PE, New subjects like Race Studies, Boys did military focus and girls
learnt needlework and cookery.
Most promising boys sent to elite ‘Adolf Hitler’ schools
Youth Groups
-
Membership of Hitler Youth compulsory by 1936
By 1939 7 million members
Boys aged 10 in the German Young People
Boys Aged 14-18 Hitler Youth
Boys activities focused on hiking, camping, military, 80 kilometre hikes on minimal
rations
Girls joined Young Maidens at 10
Girls joined BDM (League of German Maidens) 14-18
Learned domestic skills and preparation for marriage and motherhood
Youth Opposition
1. The Swing Youth
- Upper-middle class youths in large cities like
Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt
- Opposed the strictness of the Nazi regime
- Met in bars and nightclubs and listened to Jazz
(Black music) and Jewish music and Swing
music
- Nazis tried to stop them by arrests and closing bars and clubs
2. Edelweiss Pirates
- More serious national resistance group during the War
- Wore checked shirts and dark trousers
- They would go for hikes at weekends and hope to beat up Hitler youth patrols
- Distinctive local names like ‘Navajos gang’
- Collected propaganda leaflets dropped by the allies during WW2 and put
them through peoples doors
- Some members captured by Gestapo in 1944 and 12 were publicly hanged
The White Rose Group
- Led by Hans and Sophie Scholl
- Hans was a medical student – saw the atrocities
of the war on the Eastern Front
- Wanted to expose the failings of the Nazi regime
- Issued pamphlets to spread their ideas at
Munich University
- 1943: seen handing out leaflets by the university
Janitor who informed Gestapo
- Arrested, tortured and hanged
How far did Hitler succeed in removing the power of the
church?
Hitler’s Aims:
-
Hitler did not trust the Catholic Church because it conflicted
with his Nazi belief.
His vision for a National Reich Church would Nazify the Church
Structure
He did not immediately persecute Christianity when he came into power as most
Germans were Christians
Catholic Church
-
It was prepared to support Hitler in his early years because Nazism seemed to
support tradition and could protect Germany from the threat of Communism
1933: Concordat signed with the Catholic Church. Agrees to stay out of politics if
Nazis did not interfere in church matters
But Hitler soon broke the terms of the Concordat – he saw the catholic church as
a threat as they had youth groups and schools and were loyal to the Pope
Priests arrested and harassed – those who spoke out were put in concentration
camps
Catholic schools abolished, Catholic youth groups closed down
Crucifixes banned 1935
1937: Pope issues encyclical which attacked the Nazi system. 400 Catholic
priests sent to Dachau in response
Hitler never destroyed Catholicism but he did attack it
But opposition from the Catholic church was focused on the church’s survival, not
the suffering of the Jews. Opposition was individual, not institutional.
Protestant Church
-
-
Plenty of early support for Nazism
Agreed to form the National Reich Church in 1933 led by Muller (Reich Bishop)
Bible was replaced by Mein Kampf and a sword
But lots of opposition grew to the Reich Church: led by Pastor Niemoller who
formed a breakaway Confessional Church. Niemoller arrested in 1937 and put in
a concentration camp.
But it was not ideological opposition – just wanted independence
700 imprisoned in 1935
German faith Movement was a disaster – 5% followed it in 1935
The church was handicapped but not destroyed
How did the Nazis’ treatment of the Jews change between 1933
and 1939?
April 1933
May 1933
1934
1935
Nuremberg
Laws
1936
Olympics
1938
January
1939
April 1939
September
1939 (War
breaks out)
Boycott of Jewish shops carried out by SA. Windows forced to show Jewish
Star so became targets for vandalism
Laws passed banning Jews from government jobs: Jewish civil servants/
doctors were dismissed and were not allowed to treat Aryan patients
Local councils ban Jews from public spaces such as parks, playing fields and
swimming pools
Series of Laws aimed at discrimination:
Jews denied German Citizenship, lost their right to vote, and were not
protected by the Law. Marriages between Jews and non-Jews declared illegal
A deliberate lull to satisfy the international community as the Nazis wanted to
give the outside world a good impression
Jews have to carry identity cards, Jewish men have to add ‘Israel’ to their
name and women have to add ‘Sarah’. Letter ‘J’ stamped on passports
Kristallnacht (9th November 1938)
Sparked by the murder of a German govt official in Paris by a young Jewish
student.
Goebbels used it as an opportunity to organise anti-Jewish demonstrations
like attacks on Jewish property, shops, homes and synagogues
SS Campaign of terror became known as the ‘Night of the Broken Glass’.
8000 shops and homes looted, 100 Jews killed, 30,000 sent to concentration
camps.
Hitler blamed the Jews themselves for provoking the attacks and made them
pay 1billion Reichsmarks in ‘compensation’
Reich Office for Emigration set up by Heydrich(SS) discussion of scheme to
‘resettle’ Jews in Madagascar
Ghettos are sectioned off in Cities and Jews forced to leave their homes to
live in these.
Jews forced to hand over radio sets so that they cannot listen to the Foreign
news
What Caused the Final Solution?
The role of Hitler
In Hitler’s speeches and in Mein Kampf, Hitler’s view that the Jews were not and should not be Germans was clear.
This language was proto-genocidal and his anti-Semitism was a core part of his world view. Hitler’s ideas were the
inspiration behind the ever-escalating anti-Semitism of his regime and it is clear that he agreed to the policy of the
Final Solution. Himmler’s diary entry indicates that at a meeting to discuss the ‘final solution to the Jewish
question’ in December 1941, Hitler authorised or ordered that Jews should be ‘exterminated as partisans’
However Hitler did not have a clear plan for the ‘Final Solution’ that predated the war
Cumulative radicalisation and the chaotic state
Chaotic decision making in Germany meant that there was not a clear plan on how to deal with the ‘Jewish
problem’. The chaos encouraged local initiatives and escalating action. At the start of the war German Jews were
subject to restrictions and repression, then Polish Jews were ordered into overcrowded ghettos ran by the SS, then
following the invasion of the Soviet Union, Einsatzgruppen, who followed the army, had wide ranging instructions
to eliminate opponents, and massacres of Jews followed.
Impact of WWII
The Final Solution developed in the context of war
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The German invasion of Poland created what the Nazis regarded as a problem: the Jewish
population was large. Around 3 million were forced into ghettos which were insanitary. The
problem intensified when Jews were deported from other parts of Europe
June 1941: The invasion of the Soviet Union further increased the number of Jews. Furthermore
the invasion of the Soviet Union was justified as a racial war because of the need for living space;
these attitudes seemed to justify the anti-Semitic methodologies. As Nazi troops swept across the
Soviet Union, SS Einsatzgruppen were authorised to exterminate Jews; 700,000 were murdered in
eight months.
The invasion of the Soviet Union put strains on the German war economy and the cost of feeding
people in the Ghettos was considered too great
The Madagascar Plan failed. This plan was really one of annihilation as Madagascar could not
sustain the Jewish population of Europe. The weakness of the plan was that it relied on gaining
control of the seas. In contrast small-scale experiments with murder by gas were more successful.
As a result in the summer of 1941 the decision was taken by senior Nazi leaders to find a
‘permanent’ ‘solution’ to the ‘Jewish Question’ which was to exterminate them in death camps
using gas (Zyklon B). Goering signed the order but it was largely Himmler’s idea.
Leading Nazis meet to plan out the details of how the ‘Final Solution’ would operate at the
Wannsee Conference in January 1942. Death camps were built in Poland, far away from
Germany where Jews were to be worked to death. Work was carried out building crematoriums
and gas chambers at Auschwitz, Treblinka, Sobibor and Belzec. The first camp began operating
on 17th March 1942 at Belzec. By the summer of 1943 Jews from all over Europe were being
transported to these camps.
What was the impact of WW2 on the Homefront?
When Germany first invaded Poland the German people did
not support it. Many still had bad memories of WW1
September 1939 rationing was introduced. Ration cards
were distributed. Extra rations were given for workers in
heavy industries, expectant mothers, sick people,
vegetarians, blood donors. Everyday items like coffee were
replaced with Ersatz (substitute) goods. Clothes were
rationed from 1939. Hot water was rationed to two days per
week and soap was rationed But despite rationing because
the war was going well up to 1941 and there was a
flourishing black market for luxury goods like dresses,
stockings, furs and perfumes were imported. Support for
Hitler stayed generally strong..
Between 1942-43 Goebbels launched mass propaganda
campaigns to keep up morale and to encourage people to
support the war effort. As shortages of food and fuel began
to hit people propaganda played on the intense fear of
Bolshevism . Others instructed them to save fuel and
essential commodities. Money was poured into propaganda
films such as Kolberg which used one hundred trucks filled
with salt as fake snow and 6000 horses and 10,000 uniforms.
This propaganda had a powerful effect on maintaining
dedicated support for Hitler. The German people
donated 1.5 million coats
Total War programme: severe labour shortages forced the
Nazis to backtrack on their policies towards women. But their
attempts to recruit them were not that successful. In 1943
they tried to mobilise 3 million women aged 17-45 but only 1
million took up jobs because of previous Nazi incentives
By July 1944 with defeat on the horizon Goebbels planned
one more effort on the Home Front to win the war. He
ordered compulsory labour for all workers to go into
armaments factories, railway and postal services were
reduced to save fuel and all letter boxes closed, all theatres,
opera houses except cinemas were closed, the Home Guard
was formed and they marched through Berlin with borrowed
weapons. He also promised hope of a secret weapon which
would save Germany.
The success of Blitzkrieg created a wave of optimism and
expectancy across the nation. Morale was boosted
massively. The successful conquests meant many foodstuffs
and luxury goods were brought back from
occupied countries. Nazi Propaganda films celebrated
victories over the French.
By the end of 1942 the invasion of the Soviet Union was
not going to plan. Defeats began to see morale turn. New
hospital trains were bringing back thousands of wounded
soldiers from the war and many got used to seeing women
in mourning. The population was told to get ready for total
war; hardship and sacrifice was expected.
By the start of 1943 it was clear the war was no longer
going in Germany’s favour.
Policy of ‘Total War’ which meant gearing up all sections
of the economy and society for the war effort. Workers were
forced to work longer hours under compulsory labour laws,
and any business which did not contribute to the war effort
was closed. Rations were cut, and conditions for civilians
worsened.
Heavy Allied bombing campaigns on Germany which
intensified from 1943 onwards began to damage German
morale. Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and Dresden were all
badly bombed by the policy of ‘round the clock’ carpet
bombing. There was a big shortage of doctors to help
civilians injured in the bombing attacks.
In early 1945 some of the most extreme air raids on
Germany began. In two nights of bombing 150,000 people
(women and children too) were killed in the city of Dresden.
The Nazis could not cope with destruction on this scale.
They tried to provide victims with temporary accommodation
but this did not help. Plans were in chaos by early 1945.
Ration cards were not followed and people relied on
scavenging or the Black market. Amid the ruins in may 1945
Hitler, Goebbels and other Nazis committed suicide.
By the end of the War 3 million civilians had been killed.
Many Germans were happy to see the end of the war. Food
shortages were also rife.
38
Describe Adenauer’s ‘Economic Miracle’
Aims:



Repair physical and economic damage. The economy was badly damaged,
money was worthless and there was a thriving black market
Transform Germany from post-war occupied zone into a respected nation
Instill a moral rebirth after the brutality of Nazism
How successful?
1. Erhard – Federal Economics Minister
2. Free market economy - High demand for luxury goods such as Leica cameras and
Mercedes-Benz cars - VW Beetle rolled off assembly lines
3. Social responsibility for the unemployed, sick, young and old
4. Marshall Aid modernised old industries – became the second largest producer of steel –
600% increase in industrial production
5. Heavy taxes for firms but rebates for those that ploughed money into research and
development
6. 50% tax for wealthier Germans. This was used to build 2 million homes
7. Unemployment down from 9% to 0.4% - Guest workers brought in
8. Moral re-birth – a reparations agreement was set up in 1953 for Jewish families
affected
39
Describe life in Germany during the Cold War
West Germany
After 1945 West Berlin became
the ‘shop window’ of the West.
Wealthy, prosperous and
booming.
Adenaur’s economic miracle had
created jobs, reconstruction and
prosperity (see above)
East Germany
At first people could move easily between East and West
but with the end of the Berlin Blockade, 3.5 million East
Germans left for a new life in the West
Life remained difficult in East Germany: poor pay and
increased work quotas led to an uprising in Berlin in June
1953 (see Unit 1)
Berlin Wall erected in 1961 made it more difficukt to
escape to the West. Border was heavily fortified.
Berliners found themselves cut off from work, friends and
family
Borders were guarded by soldiers with dogs and machine
guns. 1961-89 86 people shot trying to get over the wall
Peter Fechter: 1962. Tried to cross to join his sister. Shot
by border guards as he climbed barbed wire on eastern
side and fell back into narrow strip between East and
West.
He slowly bled to death. He was only 300 metres from the
West Berlin border post. The Americans were begged to
rescue him but commanders issues orders not to. One
hour later East German guards collected his body
40
Unit 2: 10 Mark Answer Preparation Grid
Change:
The Weimar
Republic
The Nazi Years
Impact of Change:
Pace of change:
Working class:
Became poorer during hyperinflation. Living standards improved in
the Stresemann years. Unemployment rose by 6 million as a result
of the depression. People could not pay their mortgages and set
up shanty towns. Dependence on soup kitchens
Middle class:
Lost savings during hyperinflation. More luxury goods during the
Stresemann years. Car ownership rose by 400% by 1927. Savings
lost again in the depression as banks collapsed.
Businessmen:
Many benefitted from hyperinflation. Businesses closed following
depression as exports could not be sold
Farmers:
Survived during hyperinflation as inflation pushed up prices
Working class:
Full employment due to the National Labour Service, rearmament
and conscription. However not an increase in wages. Working
hours rose dramatically. Little consumer goods. Price of food rose
and greater taxation from 1936. Demise of trade unions. Beauty of
Labour/Strength through Joy
Women:
Loans for marriage and written off when had children. Dismissed
from jobs. Dictation of appearance
Children:
Teachers forced to join the German Teachers League. Nazi bias to
subjects. Military training and preparation for motherhood. Hitler
youth
Church:
Initial Catholic support but opposition grew following the
breaking of the Concordat. National Reich Church/German
Faith movement
Jews:
Exclusion/Nuremberg
Laws/Kristallnacht/Ghettos/Deportation/Death camps
WWII
East and West
Germany
Jews:
WWII created the conditions for the Holocaust
Working class:
Initial celebration. Total War. Bombing campaigns
Women:
Drafted in to keep up production
West Germans:
Transformation into a prosperous state. New currency. Free
market. Reduction in unemployment. Modernisation of industries.
2 million new homes. Unemployment rise in 1970s
East Germans:
Many left for a better life in West Germany. Berlin wall made it
harder to leave. Reunification of Germany removed Berlin Wall
41