a3 development of dictatorship germany 1918-1945

8/10/2019 A3 Development of Dictatorship Germany 1918-1945

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Edexcel iGCSE History

Topic A3: Development of Dictatorship: Germany,1918-1945

Revision Notes produced by Ben Tavener

The Establishment of the Weimar Republic and its early problems. The Recovery of Germany, 1924-29 The Rise of Hit ler and the Nazi Party Life in Nazi Germany

The impact of the second world War on Germany


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Chronological Rev ision (Aka. Timelines)

Chronology is tested directly in the first question in the IGCSE Exam, but in fact, it isvita l for ALL the questions in section A.

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Germany also had to limit their armed forces. This made them feel weak. Germany also lost land. Thisdenied them of resources. This also meant that some Germany speaking people no longer lived inGermany.

The Germans were also forced to admit sole responsibility for starting the war. This seemed unfair tomany Germans.

The politicians that signed the treaty were called the November Criminals.

The army felt that they had been stabbed in the back

Many preferred the authoritarian rule of the Kaiser- they saw democracy as a foreign idea imposedon the Germans.

What were the early political problems faced by the Weimar Republic?

Most of the political parties of the Weimar Republic were opposed to democracy.

The Weimar Republic faced threats from the Left. The left wanted a revolution like the one that hadhappened in Russia and they also wanted more power for the workers.

The new Communist Party (KPD) organised marches and strikes in Berlin during the winter of1918-1919.

They took hold of government buildings in what was called the Spartacist Uprising. Eventually it had to

be put down by the Freikorps who were demobilised soldiers from World War 1. This showed that theWeimar Republic as incapable of dealing with its own problems without calling upon the army.

There were also threats from the Right. They did not want a left wing revolution and wanted a returnto authoritarian (non-democractic) rule.

In March 1920 Dr Wolfgang Kapp marched on Berlin to overthrow the Weimar Government and bringback the Kaiser. This was called the Kapp Putsch.

For a while this seemed as though it might succeed as the government fled and the army did little tostop the takeover of the city.

However, eventually many workers did not co-operate and the putsch was defeated.

Unrest continued until 1923 and there was another failed right-wing uprising led by the Nazis in the

Munich Putsch (see later section on the Munich Putsch).

What were the early economic problems that faced by the Weimar Republic?

In 1922, Germany said that it could not afford to pay its second reparations instalment.

So, in 1923, French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr, Germanys riches industrial area, in order totake food coal, iron ore and steel as payment.

Germany replied with passive resistance (strikes and non-cooperation).

The German economy collapsed, leading to hyperinflation.

The German currency became worthless. Many middle class people lost their savings. There wereshortages of food and other goods. Also, people found it difficult to buy what they needed. You had togo to the market with a wheelbarrow to buy a loaf of bread because the money was so worthless.

A new German government led by Stresemann, ended passive resistance, and the French finally

withdrew.

The Recovery of Germany, 1924-29

What role did Stresemann play in the economic recovery of the Weimar Republic?

Stresemann was appointed chancellor in 1923.

Stresemann negotiated with the French to end the occupation of the Ruhr.

He introduced a new currency called the Retenmark to end inflation.

He set up a new independent national bank to control the currency. This restored confidence.

In 1924, Stresemann negotiated the Dawes Plan with the USA. This reduced the size of thereparations instalments and provided Germany with US loans that were used to modernise factoriesand build new ones.

In 1929, the Young Plan brought new loans, while reparations were reduced and spread over 60 years.


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All these measures helped to boost the German economy and restore confidence. Between 1924 and1929, Germany received over 25 billion gold marks in loans - three times more than reparationpayments.

By 1929, Germany was only second to the USA in advanced industrial production.

How did Stresemann he lp Germany restore relat ions abroad?

In 1924 Stresemann became foreign secretary. He did this job until his death in 1929. In the Lacarno Pact of 1925, Germany accepted its 1919 western frontiers, and agreed that changes

in the east would be by negotiation only.

Germany joined the League of Nations in 1926, which made Germany feel like much more of aNational community.

The Kellogg- Briand Pact of 1928 saw Germany along with 44 other countries, renounced war.

How much Recovery did Stresemann achieve?

He restored economic stability.

He had regained a place for Germany on the international stage.

He kept the support of the moderate parties on the left and the right.

He steered Germany out of the difficult early period.

However, he died in 1929 at a time when the world was plunged into the economic darkness of theGreat Depression.

The Rise of Hit ler and the Nazi Party

How did the Great Depress ion affect Germany?

In 1929 the Wall Street Crash took place. The US economy crashed and so did the economies thatdepended on it. The German economy had depended on US loans so its weaknesses were quickly revealed:

Unemployment rose rapidly from under one million in 1928 to six million by 1932. Those with jobs sawhours cut and reduced wages.

Very soon millions went hungry and homeless.

Many middle class people lost their savings.

The coalition government collapsed in March 1930 because no one could agree on what to do. PresidentHindenburg appointed Bruning of the Centre Party as Chancellor. When he failed to get majoritysupport from the Reichstag he increasingly ruled by decree.

Political confusion and economic crisis increasingly led many Germans to turn to extreme parties.

More and more workers supported the KPD (Communists) and the Nazis.

The growth of the Communists worried rich industrialists who began to fund Nazi propaganda in the1932 elections.

What were the main aims and ideas of the Nazi Party?

In the aftermath of World War 1 a small German Workers Party (DAP) was set up. Having attended ameeting, Hitler decided to join the party and he soon became the leader.

In 1920 they changed their name to the NSDAP (Nazis) and adopted a 25 point programme. The mainideas were:

1. scrapping the Treaty of Versailles

2. removing Jews from German life

3. expanding German borders to give German people more Lebensraum (living space).

In 1921 they adopted the swastika as their emblem. Hitler set up the Stormtroopers (SA). These Brownshirts were mainly unemployed ex-soldiers. They

went around attacking left-wing political meetings.


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They soon had over 50,000 members in southern Germany. They received some donations frombusinesses.

What was the Munich Putsch?

When the German government called off passive resistance to the French occupation of the Ruhr,German nationalists were furious.

Hitler decided that it was time to take power. He wanted to march on Berlin.

In November 1923, the Nazis took over a beer hall where important Bavarian officials were addressinga meeting.

Hitler tried unsuccessfully to get their support for a march on Berlin.

However, Hitler, supported by General Ludendorff went ahead with his plans. But his Beer Hall Putsch

failed when his march was stopped by the army.

In the fighting one policeman was shot and 16 Nazis were killed.

Hitler ran away but was eventually arrested.

Hitler was put on trial for treason. While in court he was allowed to make lengthy speeches andthese were widely reported across Germany.

The putsch gave the Nazis a lot of national attention. Hitler was also given a really light sentence of 5 years by a sympathetic judge. He only served 9

months!

Why was the Stresemann era a bad period for the Nazis?

During the Stresemann period, some of the policies the right wanted were achieved. For example,Germany was now part of the international community.

When Hitler came out of prison the economic situation in Germany had improved. Not many peoplejoined the party.

How did Hitle r reorganise the Party?

In 1925 he relaunched the party. Power was concentrated into his hands.

While in jail he had written a book called Mein Kampf. This outlined his views and helped to spreadthe word of Nazism.

The main ideas were:nationalism, socialism, totalitarianism, racial purity, lebensraum and traditional conservative values.

Special sections (for students, teachers, farmers and Hitler Youth) were set up to attract more peopleto the party.

Party branches were set up around Germany.

In 1926, Goebbels took control of Nazi Party propaganda. By 1928, the Nazis had just over 100, 000members.

Hitler decided that he now needed to win elections to gain power. The experience of the MunichPutsch taught him that he needed the support of the army and wealthy industrialists to win power.

However, Hitler did not reject violence. He set up the black- shirted SS in 1925 as his personal eliteguard. The aim was to use the SS to attack opponents. Himmler became its head in 1929.

Who supported the Nazis?

Many working class people were attracted by the promise of food and work.

They also liked the idea of traditional values and a return to a strong Germany.

Many in the middle class had lost their savings and wanted a strong leader to remedy the problem.They were worried by the rise of the communists.

They also wanted a return to traditional moral values. Many farmers were worried that communists might take away their land.

Big business worried about the communists.


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Young people were attracted by Hitlers exciting speeches, He promised that the family would be bestlooked after by the Nazis. This attracted women.

The Nazis offered something for everybody.

Why were the Nazis able to come to power?

The great depression made people desperate. They turned to extreme parties.

The weakness of the constitution was exposed by the Great Depression.

PR allowed small extremist parties to destroy coalitions. The President was also able to use article 48to suspend democracy.

The political elite underestimated Hitler.

While Bruning, Von Papen and and Schleicher worked against each other, Hitler was able to take power.

Life in Nazi Germany

What were the obstacles to Hit ler becoming a dictator?Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January 1933. However, there were still obstacles to Hitler becominga dictator.

The Weimar constitution still controlled what the Chancellor could do.

Hindenburg still retained all the presidential powers.

Hitlers cabinet of twelve only contained two other Nazis.

How did the Nazis es tablish a dictatorship?

Hitler called a new election for March hoping to get a two-thirds majority. This would allow him tochange the constitution.

In February, just before the election, the Reichstag Fire took place - the Nazis blamed the

communists. Communists were rounded up and imprisoned. In Prussia, the largest German region, the Minister of the Interior Goering arrested lots of

communists and SPD members. Their meetings were broken up and newspapers banned.

The Nazis failed to get the majority they needed in the March elections but they gained the supportof the other Nationalist parties - this gave Hitler control of the Reichstag.

By intimidating or excluding SPD Reichstag members, Hitler got the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Actin March 1933.

Hindenburg agreed to suspend the constitution and gave Hitler the power to rule by decree for thenext 4 years. Hitler moved quickly to smash the Weimar Democracy.

In April, all the state governments were taken over by Nazi gauleiters (regional party officials).

In May, trade unions were banned and in July all opposition parties were banned. Germany became aone-party dictatorship. By then, most KPD or SPD leaders were in SA run concentration camps.

How did Hitle r deal wi th the threat within the Nazis?

Hitler faced some opposition from the more radical SA leader Ernst Rohm.

One of his demands was to join the SA to the army. This was not a popular idea amongst armygenerals. He also wanted more radical policies.

He thought that Hitler was too concerned about big business. Hitler knew that he needed the supportof the army so in June 1934 he ordered the Night of the Long Knives in which the SS murdered Rohmand other SA leaders.

This action reassured the army leaders and when Hindenburg died in August, they supported Hitlerbecoming the Fuhrer of Germany - Hitler was now President, Chancellor and Commander-in-Chief of

the armed forces. It also removed a potential rival to Hitler.


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How did the Nazis deal wi th the Church?

Hitler was able to control the church by co-operating with it.

In 1933 he signed the Concordatwith the Catholic Church. It agreed to keep out of politics if theNazis kept out of religion.

But the agreement did not last. Catholic youth groups were stopped and some priests were sent to

Concentration Camps. Catholic Schools were brought into line or closed. He bullied the Protestant Church. He set up the rival Reich Church and then he sent 800 Protestant

churchmen to labour camps because they would not do as he asked.

How did the Nazis use propaganda?

The Nazis also made skilful use of censorship and propaganda directed by Geobbels, Minister ofPropaganda and Culture.

Newspapers were banned or censored.

The Nazis massive Nuremburg rallieswere filmed for the cinema, which also reflected Nazi ideology.

Works of literature and art that conflicted with Nazi ideas were outlawed and destroyed. Loudspeakerswere placed in all workplaces and public areas to ensure everyone heard Nazi views.

Cheap radioswere produced.

The Nazis tried to use the 1936 Berlin Olympicsto show the superiority of Germany. They won moremedals than anyone else although the Black American athlete Jesse Owens spoiled the day by winningfour gold medals!

How did the Nazis try to reduce unemployment?

Public works funded by the government gave work to the unemployed.

The main projects were building houses, hospitals, schools and roads and barracks.

By 1939, unemployment had fallen to 100,000. Communists, Jews and women were forced out of jobs, and those in camps were not counted as

unemployed.

Rearmament and conscription gave employment to many. The drive for self-sufficiency also createdjobs.

The National Labour Service (RAD) was expanded. All men aged 18-25 had to give six months service.

In 1936 Goring was ordered to prepare for war by preparing a Four-Year Plan.

How did the Nazis control women?

Policies were based on the 3 Ks (Kinder, Kirche, Kuche). This meant children, kitchen and church.

Women were given financial incentives to stay at home and have children. The Motherhood Cross system gave medals to women who had large families.

Laws forced women out of government jobs and encouraged them to give jobs up to men.

Most of the advances made by women under the Weimar Republic were reversed under the Nazis.

What were the Nazi Policies towards young people?

The Nazis wanted to indoctrinate the young so they would support them in the future.

All teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler and join the Nazi Teachers League. A newnational curriculum was drawn up centrally and imposed.

There was a great emphasis on History (to show the greatness of the Nazis); Biology (to show thesuperiority of the Aryan race); PE (to get boys fit for the army). Girls did Domestic Science toprepare them for being housewives and mothers.

Young people were forced to join the Hitler Youth from 1939 onwards.


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Boys aged 6-10 joined the Little Fellows. From 10-14 they joined the Young Folk. From 14 they could befull members of Hitler Youth.

The boys went on camping trips and took part in military games to prepare them for war.

Girls joined the League of German Maidens. They took part in activities such as cooking to preparethem for motherhood.

Were Germans better or worse off under the Nazis?

In some ways life did improve:

Unemployment went down

wage levels went up so people could spend more

Beauty of Labour improved peoples working conditions

Strength Through Joy allowed people to enjoy holidays for the first time

the Nazis brought mass car ownership to people with the relatively cheap Volkswagen

the new autobahns (motorways) meant that people could travel all over the country easily.

However in some ways life got worse:

With trade unions banned workers were powerless to protest against increasing working hours.

Rising prices cancelled out rising wages. Many new jobs were low grade military jobs.

Because standards were so low after the Great Depression, any improvements just returned people topre-Depression levels.

The impact of the Second World War on Germany

Nazi Anti-Semit ism

Anti-Semitism is dislike or hatred of the Jews.

Background Hitler's believes have many links with Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is a belief in the sur vival ofthe fittest. Hitler applied this to race and national politics. Hitler believed that the Germanic or 'Aryan' race were a 'masterrace'. His belief in Social Darwinism led him to conclude that as suchother races were inferior. The Jews were one of the most inferior racesin Hitler's eyes.

Why did Hitler hate the Jews?

A Jewish master at Art College rejected Hitler. This may have sparked his hatred, as he was a verykeen artist.

Jews were prominent within the Communist party of the Soviet Union; this led to a

political reason to turn Jews into scapegoats. Many Germans blamed the Jews for 'stabbing Germany in the back' after the First World War; the

hatred may have been fostered by his involvement in this conflict and a belief in this theory.

Political gains from anti-semiticism

The Jews were accused of exploiting ordinary German workers and for beingcommunists. Both the communists and war profiteers were disliked by theGerman populace, blaming the Jews and promising to rid Germany of theproblem could gain political support from the oppressed masses.

Anti-Semitic policies 1933-1945

Upon gaining power Hitler set about establishing a programme of selective breeding and racialindoctrination. The SS were in charge of a selective breeding policy. This involved


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selecting racially pure women for SS officers to father the children of. Important positions could only be filled by people who were racially pure. Educational programmes were introduced that taught Race studies and Eugenics (study of controlledreproduction). School curriculum was rewritten to teach about racial superiority: example being the OldTestament taught as being a struggle between the Jews and the Aryan race. Government sponsored boycotts of Jewish owned shops and businesses took place as early as April1933.

Persecution of the Jews

Stage 1: Denial of rights 1933 -1938

1933. Jews lose the right to be German citizens. 1933. Refused the right to protection from the police. 1933. Illegal for Jews to inherit land. 1935. Enforced segregation. Jews banned from: parks, swimming baths, restaurants and public buildings. 1935. Nuremberg Laws. Illegal for Jews to marry Germans or to havesexual intercourse with a German. 1933-39. Government propaganda against the Jews. 1933-39. Jewish schoolchildren ridiculed and humiliated in front ofclasses on regular basis (indoctrination process).

During the period 1933 -1938 Jews were also sent to concentration camps. This was not in the largenumbers that were to follow, nor were the camps 'Death Camps' at this stage. Jews sent to concentrationcamps in this period were imprisoned due to their response to the Nazi rule or a perceived threatof aggressive reaction to Nazi rule.

Stage 2: Acceleration of persecution 1938 -1941November 1938: Kristallnacht (Crystal Night: so named because of the

amount of glass smashed). Kristallnacht was a massive pogrom (uprising against the Jews). AcrossGermany Jewish property, homes and synagogues were vandalised, burnt down and defaced. Thousandsof Jews were injured and there were deaths. The SA probably organised and implemented this, althoughno official order has been found: the government said that it was a spontaneous uprising.

By 1941 the Jews had lost all civil liberties including: the right to choose their children's names (officiallist of permissible names); forced to live in a 'ghetto' (sealed area of a town or city) and they had towear a Yellow Star of David on their clothes.

Stage 3:1941 -1945 The Holocaust.

After the conquest of Eastern Europe the Jewish population of 'Germany' had grown to in the region of8 million (an exact figure is impossible to calculate). Many areas of Eastern Europe were highly populatedwith Jews. The Wannsee Conference in 1942 decided how to deal with these Jews. At Wannsee the Nazileadership decided upon the 'Final Solution' of the 'Jewish problem'. Jews were to be exploited as far aspossible (i.e. forced to work to the point of death on starvation diets) and, if incapable of orunsuitable for demeaning (dirty/ undesirable) jobs they were to be terminated.

The 'Final Solution' was therefore a policy designed to rid the third Reich of the Jews. This would beachieved through initially the deployment of Einsatzgruppen (Mobile Death Squads) and later theintroduction of Death Camps such as Auschwitz, which were essentially factories designed for thepurpose of killing as many people as possible and disposing of their remains. Other Jews would die as a

result of sheer hard work.

The Holocaust is estimated to have resulted in the mass murder of an estimated 6 Million Jews.


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The German Home Front

Pre 1942, Life in Germany was unaffected by War. Morale was good and standard of living high.

After 1942, Morale started to fall and standard of living dropped e.g. Rationing and all women had towork.

From May 1942, there were massive bomb attacks on German Cities.

The Growth of Opposit ion to Hitler

opposition to the Nazis began during the 1930s and increased during WWII.

In 1933, Hitler banned all Political parties except for the NSDAP.

During the 1930s, the German public became uneasy about Nazi Policies. e.g. Freedom of speech andprosecution of the Jews.

If they critisized it, they risked being reported to the Gestapo.

Various Spys in opposition to the Nazis passed on information to the US and Soviet governments.(underground resistance to the Nazi Regime).

The Death of Hit ler

Reasons for the failiure of the Nazi Party:

Germany failed to defeat Britain in air and sea war.

Hitler decided to invade the soviet union, which meant that Germany was left wide open.

Hitler refused to withdraw troops from stalingrad.

Hitler spent too much time working on the Wrong types of weaponry.

He allowed the SS and the German army too much control of the economy.

His Death:

7th May 1945

Killed himself by taking Cyanide Capsules and shooting himself in the head.


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Practice iGCSE Paper:

(Spend 35 Minutes on this Quest ion!)

A3: Development of dictatorship: Germany,1918!45

(a) Study these events which occurred in Germany 1919-1938.

Hitler Youth

made

compulsory

The Wannsse

Conference

Hitler writes

Mein KampfThe Enabling

Act

Germany

joins League

of Nations

Write these events in the correct chronological sequence.

(3)

(b) Choose eit her The Wannsee Conference or The Enabling Act

Describe oneeffect on Germany of the event you have chosen.(4)

(c) Why had treatment of the Jews become so harsh by 1938? Explain your answer.

(8)

(d) Study the source and then answer the question that follows.

Use the source, and your own knowledge, to describe how the Nazis controlled German youth

in the years 1933!45.

(10)

(Total for Q uestion A3: 25 mar ks)

Source : from a modern textbook

In schools, pupils were taught the Nazi version of History and Biology. In History pupils

"#$# &'()*& &*'& &*# +#$,'- '$,. "'/ 0/&'11#2 3- &*# 1'456 3- 7879: ;- =). &*#. "#$#taught that the Jews were racially inferior. Physical education was considered very

important. It prepared the boys for war and it prepared the girls for the responsibility of

motherhood.

a3 development of dictatorship germany 1918-1945

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