“LIFE IN GERMANY 1918-1945”

• Weimar Republic I – 1918-1923• The Republic was set up in late 1918 after WW1• + POSITIVES: Democratic, everyone could vote at

age 20. Proportional Representation.• _ NEGATIVES: Unemployment, food shortages

until 1919, political unrest (Spartacist revolt/Kapp putsch), rising inflation.

• Article 48 President Ebert:

THE VERSAILLES TREATYJune 1919

• How Germany was affected:• Blame- Germany blamed for the war• Reparations– damages to be paid by Germany• Armed forces of Germany hugely reduced• Territory- 15% of Germany’s land was given to

other nations particularly in the east.• Almost all germans hate and resent

this treaty

HYPERINFLATION

• Germany’s reparation payments fixed in 1921 at £6600 million.

• Late 1922 – Germans get behind with payments. French invade Ruhr industrial area in Jan 1923. German workers go on strike and the government continues to pay them.

• The lack of production pushes the economy into HYPERINFLATION

THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC 1923-24

• The inflation crisis causes the government to resign in late summer 1923 and a new government comes in led by GUSTAV STRESEMANN.

• Stresemann calls off the strike and promises the French to resume reparation payments.

• He launches the new RENTENMARK• He arranges a huge US loan – “Dawes Plan”

THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC 1924-29

• Thanks to the Dawes/Young plans Germany can afford to pay its reparations

• From 1924 the German economy picks up as Dawes plan money is invested in new factories and infrastructure.

• There is a flowering of artistic/cultural life especially in art, architecture, drama and film.

THE NAZIS 1920-29• The German Worker’s Party is set up in 1919• Adolf Hitler joins and takes over by 1920. He

renames it the National Socialist German Worker’s Party (NSDAP) and introduces the swastika logo.

• In Nov 1923 the Nazis attempt a putsch (takeover) in Munich – it fails.

• In prison Hitler writes his “Mein Kampf” book and re-thinks the party’s future as an ELECTABLE political party. 1928 – Nazis gain 2% of the votes.

THE WALL ST. ECONOMIC CRASH

• Before his death in 1929, Stresemann had warned that the German economy was “dancing on a volcano” as it was dependant on the US economy.

• When the US economic crash came in October 1929 the German economy was especially hard-hit.

• Within months, unemployment rose dramatically as companies failed or cut back production

HOW THE NAZIS GAINED VOTES • The Nazis in 1928 only got 2% of the votes yet by 1932 they

were the biggest party in the Reichstag (parliament). How?• The Nazis were well organised and well funded by big

business fearful of communism.• Propaganda chief Goebbels produced effective posters and

used radio to get across his message.• Hitler was a persuasive and expert orator.• The “Hitler over Germany” campaign saw Hitler speak to

more voters than his opponents.• The SA were a visible and inspiring “walking advertisement”

for the Nazis

OTHER POLITICAL PARTIES’ MISTAKES

• The Nazis growing popularity was helped by other party’s mistakes:

• They consistently under-estimated the appeal of Nazi ideas to voters

• They did not use modern technology such as radio or aircraft as the Nazis did

• They had no public speakers as effective as Hitler• The government feared inflation more than

unemployment so made policies (cutting dole money, raising taxes) that were very unpopular

HITLER COMES TO POWER

• The Nazis gained 230 seats in parliament in the July 1932 election but slipped back to 196 seats by November that year.

• In spite of this the Nazis were the biggest party and other politicians sought to use the Nazis popularity to take power (Von Schleicher/Von Papen)

• Eventually President Hindenburg was reluctantly persuaded to make Hitler Chancellor in a cabinet dominated by non-Nazis. Von Papen thought that the Nazis could be used and “tamed”.

REICHSTAG FIRE

• Although Hitler ruled as part of a coalition government he had no intention of remaining like this for long.

• He asked for new elections in March 1933• On 27 February ,just before the election, the Reichstag

building was torched by a young Dutch communist. This allowed Hitler to ask Hindenburg for a decree banning the Communist party and arresting its members.

• This helped the Nazis win 288 seats in the election – their best-ever result.

ENABLING ACT

• Although boosted by the election result, Hitler still wished to be ruling alone. To fulfil his election promises he knew he had to have absolute power and to get this he needed an Enabling Act.

• Hitler got the 66% vote of the Reichstag by a combination of deals with the centre parties and intimidation by Nazi MPs.

• Hitler promised to return power to the Reichstag after 4 years – a promise he never intended to keep.

NAZI CONTROL - 1933

• Once the Enabling Act was passed, Hitler moved quickly to establish control.

• During 1933: Boycott of Jewish shops• State Governments brought under Nazi control• Trades Unions abolished -replaced by Labour Front• All other political parties banned and disbanded• All remaining newspapers brought under Nazi

control• Anti-Hitler books publically burned

NAZI CONTROL – “STICK AND CARROT”

• “Stick” – TERROR• Gestapo (secret police ) set up. They and the

SS had absolute powers of life or death• Concentration camps (eg Dachau)• Informers• Indoctrination of children/young people• Law courts dominated by Nazi judges• SS chief Himmler:

NAZI CONTROL – “STICK AND CARROT”

• “Carrot” – PROPAGANDA• Media – newspapers, films, books, magazines,

radio - controlled by Nazis• Rallies – spectacular demonstrations of power and

“mass-consciousness”• Hitler kept his election promises on employment,

Versailles treaty, etc.• Artwork glorifying Nazi ideals• Propaganda chief Goebbels:

NAZI CONTROL – EDUCATION

• From 1933 the Nazis took over education and new textbooks with subtle Nazi propaganda were produced. New subjects such as Race-Study and Eugenics were introduced and Religious teaching was removed. Girls and Boys curricula were changed with the girls studying subjects to fit them for motherhood and the boys subjects linked to military training and additional PE

NAZI CONTROL – YOUTH

• To control young people and their thinking outside of school the Hitler Youth was set up.

• Young Germans between the ages of 8 and 18 were expected to join this uniformed organisation which controlled their evenings/weekends with camps, hikes, marches, sports, etc. Much of this was militaristic.

• The Girls organisation – the League of German Maidens(BDM) emphasised more motherhood- related activities

NAZI CONTROL - WOMEN

• Once the Nazis were in power, the rights that German women had enjoyed in the 1920s were removed:

• Women were encouraged to marry and have children. Marriage grants were available.

• Work for women was discouraged• Plain hairstyles/no makeup/flat shoes were

encouraged.• Higher education for women was cut back• Home-making skills were emphasised for women

OPPOSITION TO THE NAZIS

• Christian churches: churchmen such as Bonhoeffer, Niemoller and Archbishop Galen spoke out against Nazi ideas and practices. Many were imprisoned or murdered.

• Youth Groups: Some youth gangs such as the “Edelweiss Pirates” or student groups like the “White Rose” worked against the Nazis but their effect was limited.

• The Army came closest to removing Hitler in the July 1944 “Bomb plot” but the plot failed.

THE ECONOMY 1933-39 • Policies: Schacht’s New Plan was designed to reduce

unemployment and to also reduce Germany’s foreign imports and make the country self-sufficient (Autarky) Schacht was dismissed in 1937. Unemployment was reduced thanks to job-creation schemes, removing women and Jews from their jobs and an upturn in the world economy. Imports were reduced by trade agreements.

• Goering’s 4-year plan was designed to prepare Germany for war in 4 years. It too, tried to produce Autarky and developed synthetic alternatives for rubber, textiles and petrol. However these were not very successful and Germany still needed to import key raw materials like iron-ore and oil.

STEPS TO WAR 1935-39

• In his election speeches Hitler had promised to not only reduce unemployment but also to destroy the Versailles treaty and make Germany “strong” again. It was these promises that eventually led to war:

• 1935 conscription introduced• 1936 Rhineland reoccupied• 1938 Austria taken over (Anschluss)• 1938 Czech borderland (Sudetenland)taken over• 1939 Poland invaded – WW2 starts.

PERSECUTION TO HOLOCAUST I

• From the first beginnings of the Nazi movement hatred of Jews had been a key element and powered much Nazi activity up to 1945:

• 1933 shop boycott• 1935 Nuremberg Laws• By 1939 Jews were forbidden to own pets or

radios or work for the government or vote. They had to attend separate schools and their passports were stamped with a large red “J”

PERSECUTION TO HOLOCAUST II

• By 1939 half of Germany’s Jews has emigrated as the Nazis had hoped they would.

• WW2 changed everything:• 1939-42 Jews were sent to GHETTOES• 1941-42 Jews in Russia shot by

EINSATZGRUPPEN• 1942-45 Death camps murder millions of Jews

and others - HOLOCAUST