ib world history hl: weimar germany and the rise of hitler

wolfgang kapp

head of the friekorps units involved in the kapp putsch.

kapp putsch

in early 1920, the weimar government decided that they no longer needed the assistance of the friekorps units for defense, so they were ordered to disband. to retaliate, the friekorps marched on berlin, causing the weimar government to flee the city. however, the friekorps failed to get support, and workers revolted. friekorp control only lasted 4 days, and the weimar representatives soon returned.

white terror

a period in the spring of 1920 during which 376 political assassinations had been conducted. 2 of those killed had signed the treaty of versailles. all were executed by german nationalists.

-the weimar government was still weak.

-germany was in an intensive financial crisis.

-paying reparations was crippling the german economy.

describe the state of the weimar republic in 1923.

ruhr

a western german region and the main center of germany's coal, iron, and steel production.

ruhr crisis

by 1923, germany had lost so much money that they could no longer afford to pay the reparations given to them by the allies on time. so, the french and the belgians decided to invade the region of the ____ and take "the payment in kind" by seizing german coal, iron, and steel. workers in this area staged resistance by refusing to go to work. the british did not help either side, and just watched the crisis from afar. the french reaped few benefits from this occupation, though it didn't end until aug. 1925. however, the german economy was hurt brutally by the lack of production taking place in the ____'s factories. the government attempted to solve the issue by printing more money to pay workers.

hyperinflation!! both the crisis and the government's decision to print more money caused an extreme hyperinflation crisis for a few months in germany.

what did the german government's solution to the economic problems brought on by the ruhr crisis result in?

-the prices of things in germany started to rise quickly while the value of these items fell rapidly.

-things quickly escaped the control of the government, which resulted in a drop in confidence about the government

-bread went from costing 163 marks in 1922 to 1.5 million by sept. 1923, to 200 billion marks by nov. 1923.

describe the hyperinflation crisis of 1923.

gustav stresemann

germany's new chancellor as of august 1923. he was a competent leader who knew how to handle the country's crises and formed a coalition government. he sent the ruhr strikers back to work and began paying the reparations again. he created a new, more valuable currency, and struck a deal with us banks to restructure reparation payments.

beer hall putsch

On November 8-9, 1923, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party led a coalition group in an attempted coup d'état which came to be known as the Beer Hall Putsch. They began at the Bürgerbräu Keller in the Bavarian city of Munich, aiming to seize control of the state government, march on Berlin, and overthrow the German federal government. In its place, they sought to establish a new government to oversee the creation of a unified Greater German Reich where citizenship would be based on race. it completely failed, leading to hitler's eventual trial and imprisonment.

sa (sturmabteilung)

aka "brownshirts", this was a nazi paramilitary force made up of many ex-friekorps members. they provided protection at nazi rallies, disrupted the meetings of left-wing parties, and fought with left wing paramilitary forces.

he wanted to seize control of the local government of munich, then stage a larger "march on berlin" from there.

what had been hitler's plan for the beer hall putsch?

ernst rohm

Leader of the SA (another paramilitary organization, a part of the old Nazi party, predecessor to SS) German officer and early Nazi leader, was executed by Hitler as a potential rival.

it achieved nothing, but everything!!!

what phrase describes the success of the beer hall putsch?

hitler realized that the only way the nazis would get power is if they did so through legal means, which meant getting elected and destroying germany's democracy from within. his trial gave the party national publicity, and he used his time in prison to fine-tune the ideology through the writing of mein kampf.

how did hitler plan to reorganize the party after his prison sentence?

landsberg prison

prison where Hitler was imprisoned after beer hall putsch. Only there for 9 months out of the 5 years due to being a German. Wrote Mein Kampf here.

VERY well. he had his own private quarters and a secretary.

how was hitler treated while at landsberg?

general erich ludendorff

a former wwi general that supported the nazi party in the 1920s up to the early 1930s. he helped hitler and was present at the beer hall putsch. however, he and hitler eventually had a falling-out, after which he started working against hitler. he wrote to pres. hindenberg that making hitler chancellor would be a grave mistake.

this term refers to the stable period of weimar history with stresemann as chancellor.

-the economy was greatly improving.

-germany began building a reputation of respect.

-life in germany was going back to normal.

describe germany's golden age.

mein kampf

hitler's autobiographical manifesto. written in 1924, it outlined his life up until that point, his political ideology, and his future plans for germany. it was not popular until he became chancellor. it assisted in building his cult of personality.

in hitler's absence, ludendorff and joseph goebbels became the leaders of the nazi party. they didn't really get along so the party was splintering. hitler was released on parole in 1924, after which he retreated to the countryside to take a rest from politics, and figure out how he was going to rebuild the party.

describe the nazi party during the golden age.

joseph goebbels

prominent nazi whom hitler appointed head of propaganda. he authored speeches, organized rallies, created posters, and used the radio to promote the nazi image.

-limit the thuggish activities of the sa to make the party look more lawful.

-introduce concept of fuhrerprincep

-spread propaganda,

-enlist business support.

-engage with local branches of government.

-set up youth groups.

what were hitler's plans for the party upon returning from the countryside?

fuhrerprinzip

in Nazi Germany, a leadership principle based on the belief in a single-minded party (the Nazis) under one leader (Hitler)

ss (schutzstaffel)

a paramilitary organization established in 1925 as hitler's bodyguards. they would become one of the most powerful nazi organizations, limiting the power of the sa. its members were chosen from only the most fanatical nazi supporters.

no! they only won 32 out of 472 seats.

did the nazi party fare particularly well in the 1924 election, their first one?

they lacked working support. most workers voted for social democrats, and those that wanted radical change voted for the communist party.

why didn't anyone support the nazis during the golden age?

heinrich himmler

appointed chief of the ss and would remain so until 1945.

-stresemann's death

-the stock market crash.

-the great depression hits.

what three events, all taking place in 1929, ended the golden age?

-public services were cut to save money

-businesses failed.

-trade declined.

-factory production fell.

-unemployment skyrocketed.

-us banks called back their loans.

-in 1931, the banks collapsed.

how did the great depression affect germany?

dawes plan

A plan to revive the German economy, the United States loans Germany money which then can pay reparations to England and France, who can then pay back their loans from the U.S. This circular flow of money was a success.

grand coalition

a coalition lasting from 1928 to 1930 which controlled over 60% of the reichstag's seats. it consisted of more moderate parties who had banded together to fight extremism. however, they found themselves unable to solve the depression's problems, so it fell apart, eurpting the government into chaos.

-the nazis blamed it on: the republic, TOV, communists, and jews.

-the commies blamed it on: the republic, TOV, bankers and big businesses.

both claimed they were able to solve the problems.

what did the nazis blame the great depression on? what did the communists blame it on?

-strong leadership.

-lower the unemployment rate by hiring people to perform public works.

-use force to persecute and eventually ban jews and commies.

-promises to "rip up" TOV

-most importantly, he promised action.

what were hitler's promises to the people about the great depression?

they won 108 seats out of 577. not great, but an improvement from what they had before.

describe the nazi performance in the 1930 reichstag election.

paul von hindenberg

German President 1925-1934, allowed Hitler to become Chancellor (but still opposed his ambition) and then was overthrown after the Parliament Building (Reichstag) fire incident

hitler challenged president paul von hindenberg by running against him for president. hindenberg won, but hitler forced a second election, going off of the fact that neither had won a majority in the first round. he still lost. but, the election allowed them to gain national support and their message was carried to the masses.

describe the election of 1932.

no! he received the position of vice chancellor, which angered him, as he thought he deserved better.

did hitler initially receive the job as chancellor?

they won 230 seats out of 600. they were the largest party represented in the reichstag (still not majority). this meant that the nazis now had parliamentary power and could begin making demands?

how did the nazis do in the reichstag election of july 1932? what are the implications of this?

they staged a walkout. this caused a collapse in the reichstag.

what did the nazis do in retaliation about hitler being refused the position of chancellor?

the nazis received 196 seats, they were still the most represented party but with fewer seats. left-wing parties had more seats now, especially the communists, who received 100. fearing a leftist takeover, hindenberg began to reconsider hitler for chancellor in order to unite the right wing parties. hitler would eventually become chancellor in 1933.

what were the results of the nov. 1932 reichstag election? what were the implications of this?

Volkischer Beobachter

early NAZI party propaganda newspaper (The People's Observer)

german workers' party (deutsche abeiterpartei)

founded in 1919, this was one of many right-wing groups in munich. it had no platform, no funding, and was completely unorganized, but their basic beliefs were anti-TOV, anti-commie, and anti-weimar. their meetings were attended by a young corporal hitler, who loved their ideas.

anton drexler

First leader and founder of the NSDAP

he loved the party's ideas and became involved, becoming a speaker. he condemned jews and commies in his speeches, often bringing up his own ideas as much as the party ideas. in 1920, he was placed in charge of promoting the workers' party. the year after, hitler pushed drexler out of the party and assumed the position of party chairman. from here, he began to give his party its own unique brand.

describe how hitler took over the german workers' party.

der furher

Hitler's title upon assumption of the chairman of the party.

swastika

a hindu symbol that was adopted by the nazis to use as an official party symbol.

25 point platform

The main principles that the Nazi party stands for in its early days. Include ideas on citizenship, religious toleration (except Judaism), need for Lebensraum, and desire to abolish the Treaty of Versailles.

-the party gained a unique image by adopting the swastika as its symbol.

-the 25 point platform clearly illustrated the party's beliefs.

-the name was changed to the national socialist german workers' party. (national sozialistische deutsche arbeiterpartei)

how did the nazi party change under hitler?

hitler added the word national to demonstrate the party's extreme nationalist platform.

he added socialist to appeal to leftist causes and draw workers to the party, all in an effort to make left-wing parties lose support. a blatant example of nazi false advertising.

why did hitler change the name of the german workers' party to the national socialist german workers' party?

they refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the weimar republic.

what set the nazis apart in the early 1920s?

-ex-soliders and friekorps

-conservative middle class workers

-lower-rank civil servants

-radical students

-some conservative elites.

who did the nazis attract in the early 1920s?

-they had a paramilitary unit for protection.

-base of operations.

-party newspaper.

how were the nazis similar to the average german political party of the time?

not very good.-supplies was dwindling due to the british blockade.

-everyone was question whether to stay in the war or not

.-the economic system continuously worsened, causing riots, strikes, and protests to grow

what was the state of Germany as of summer 1918

kiel mutiny

on nov. 3rd, 1918, thousands of german sailors mutinied in the port of kiel. the word of their mutiny spread quickly, erupting into a mass movement of workers and soldiers against the Kaiser.

german revolution

a civil conflict in the German Empire at the end of the First World War that resulted in the replacement of the German federal constitutional monarchy with a democratic parliamentary republic that later became known as the Weimar Republic, beginning with the kiel mutiny.

A new National Assembly met in the city of Weimar to form a new, permanent democratic government with a constitution. It tried to restore order.

What happened after the German revolution, in jan. 1919?

weimar republic

The new German republic the in 1921 owed 33 billion annually to the allied reparations commission. In order to recover from its severe economic issues the annual fees were reduced each year depending on the level of German economic prosperity and Germany received large loans each year from the United States.

No! They faced multiple left and right wing insurrections, especially in their early years.

Did the Weimar Republic have secure power?

—1919-1923: absolute chaos, filled to the brim with various uprisings as well as a hefty economic crisis.

-1923-1929: a period of relative prosperity for the republic, dubbed the "golden age"

-1929-1933: absolute chaos yet again, the republic would lose its power to the nazis.

Briefly describe the three periods of the Weimar Republic

It was a parliamentary democracy. This was appealing because it meant that many ideas could be represented.

What style of government was the Weimar Republic? Why?

-the president was elected every seven years.-the president controlled the armed forces and appointed ministers and judges.-they stayed out of the country's day-to-day running.

Describe the position of president under the Weimar constitution.

article 48

Allowed the President, under certain circumstances, to take emergency measures without the prior consent of the Reichstag.

-responsible for the country's day-to-day running.-chosen by the reichstag and appointed by the president.

-the chancellor often needed support from a majority of the reichstag, so they would often work to build a coalition.

Describe the position of chancellor under the Weimar constitution.

Like Germany's parliament-voted on new laws

—members were elected every four years.

-there was proportional representation for all the provinces of Germany.

-it had an electoral system where parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast.-smaller parties had a voice.

Describe the role of the reichstag under the Weimar constitution

-they elected the president and reichstag members

-all men and women under 20 could vote.

-adults had equal rights and a right to free speech

What was the role of the german people under in the Weimar Republic?

1. Proportional representation: thought it was modern and fair, their could be a chance that no majority could be reached. During this period, there was between 11 and 29 political parties in Germany.

2. The parties needed to form coalitions: compromise needed to occur. Fiffiering ideas meant that it was difficult to respond to emergencies.

3. The president could rule by decree: article 48 legalized this. Though it was meant to protect Germany in a crisis, it didn't define what a crisis was and didn't address what the government could do if this power was abused. Plus, it was undemocratoc.

4. Democracy was new to Germany, so they had no real legacy or tradition to fall back on.

5. The people didn't choose this government. In fact, many people liked the single leader tradition and wanted the Kaiser back.

6. The Weimar Republic was linked to the treaty of Versailles and the "November criminals"

What were some problems with the Weimar government?

friedrich ebert

head of German Social Democratic Party; announced the creation of a democratic republic for Germany

Spartacist league

The name of the extreme left-wing group that sought to overthrow the German government and establish a Soviet or communist regime in January 1919. This was because they did not trust the Weimar government, boeveing it to be too moderate.

Spartacist uprising

In 1919, the spartacist leavgie, weary of the Weimar Republic, attempted to spark a communist revolution by assuming control of a Berlin workers' protest. They occupied some government buildings successfully. The army and right-wing militia (friekorps) were called in, and they defeated the spartacists in 2 weeks.

friekorps

Meaning "free corps" in german, this was a paramilitary force made up of former wwi soldiers whom the government enlisted to help take out the spartacists. They were nationalist, anti-treaty, and anti-communist.

a group of communists assumed control of a town in Bavaria and established soviet style rule. However it did not get support from other leftists and it's leaders were killed.

What happened in Bavaria in the spring of 1919?