power and authority key vocab

Armistice

an agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time

Treaty

a formal agreement between the governments of two or more countries

Reparations

Payment for war damages

League of Nations

an international organization formed in 1920 to promote cooperation and peace among nations

Demilitarization

A reduction in a country's ability to wage war, achieved by disbanding its armed forces and prohibiting it from acquiring weapons.

Republic

A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws.

Weimar Republic

German republic founded after the WWI and the downfall of the German Empire's monarchy.

left-wing

the liberal, socialist, or radical section of a political party or system

Democracy

A form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation, or to choose governing officials to do so.

Dictator

a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained control by force

Hyperinflation

rapid and unrestrained price increases in an economy

Great Depression

a severe worldwide economic depression between 1929 and 1939 that began after a major fall in stock prices in the United States.

Right Wing

the conservative or reactionary section of a political party or system

Totalitarianism

political system where the leader and government has total control and authority over the people's public and private life.

charismatic

authority derives from the enthusiasm or charm of the leader

Propaganda

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

communist

a system of social organisation in which all property is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and needs.

Cult of Personality

the image of an authoritarian leader not merely as a leader but as someone who embodies the spirit of the nation and possesses wisdom and strength far beyond those of the average individual.

Fascism

A political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and militarism and no tolerance of opposition

nationalist

A person who is devoted to the interests of his or her country.

militarism

the belief that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.

censorship

suppression of speech, public communication, or other information on the basis that such material is considered harmful, sensitive conducted by governments and other controlling bodies.

Social Democratic Party

a revolutionary Marxist group that was a mass political party and wanted to win power through being elected into the Reichstag.
Wanted to intact legislature to make their living conditions better.
Continued to grow although Bismarck tried to stop it.

Spartacists

Marsixt revolutionaries in post-World War I Germany, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Leibknecht, who were dedicated to bringing a socialist revolution to Germany.

Coup

a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government

Chancellor

the highest official of a monarch, prime minister

Freikorps

German paramilitary organizations were formed by returning defeated German soldiers. The Freikorps served as the key paramilitary groups of the Weimar Republic.

Putsch

a violent attempt to overthrow a government

Reichstag

German Parliament

Coalition

a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose

Article 48

this allowed the president of Germany to rule by decree in an emergency

Reichswehr

The German army during the time of the Weimar Republic.

Fuhrer

Adolf Hitler's title as chancellor and head of state in Germany.

Gleichschaltung

Hitler's technique of using Nazi-controlled associations, clubs, and organisations to coordinate his revolutionary activities.

German Labour Front (DAF)

Organisation set up by the Nazis to control German workers

Gauleiter

A high ranking Nazi official governing a district (Gau) under Nazi rule.

Concordat

The signed agreement between the Catholic Church and the Nazis on July 20 1933, where the Church could not engage in any political activity or try to influence its members against the Nazi Party, in exchange for controlling its own affairs.

Anti-Semitic

Prejudice and discrimination against Jewish people

Socialism

A system in which society, usually in the form of the government, owns and controls the means of production.

Marxism

A social, political, and economic theory that focuses on the struggle between capitalists and the working class

German Workers' Party (DAP)

A political party started by Anton Drexler that developed into the NSDAP

National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP)

The Nazi Party

Twenty-Five Point Programme

The Nazi Party's programme of its core ideas

Sturmabteilung (SA)

The stormtroopers of the Nazi Party who grew into the Nazis' private army

Hitler Youth

An organisation set up under Hitler to train an educate German young people in Nazi beliefs

Schutzstaffel (SS)

The special police force in Nazi Germany founded as the personal bodyguards for Adolf Hitler in 1925

Fuhrerprinzip

Nazi leadership principle; entitled a single-minded party under one leader.

Authoritarianism

The enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.

Lebensraum

Hitler's expansionist theory based on a drive to acquire "living space" for the German people

Aryans

A term used by the Nazis to describe a supposed master race, characterised by racial purity and superiority over other groups.

Autarky

Economic independence or self-sufficiency

Ideology

A system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

Volksgemeinschaft

A concept promoted by the Nazis that emphasised a unified national community based on racial purity and loyalty to the state.

Gestapo

Secret police in Nazi Germany

Luftwaffe

German Air Force

Nuremberg Trials

Trials of the Nazi leaders, showed that people are responsible for their actions, even in wartime

Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (RMVP)

Controlled the content of the press, literature, visual arts, film, theater, music and radio in Nazi Germany

Kristallnacht

"Night of Broken Glass," when Nazis attacked Jews throughout Germany

Einsatzgruppen

Nazi strike forces that killed innocent Jews with their infamous "death squads" and are responsible for mass murder

Sicherheitsdienst (SD)

The intelligence body of the Nazi Party

Wannsee Conference

A meeting in which the "Final solution" and use of concentration camps were decided in 1942

Nuremberg Laws

Anti-Semitic laws enacted in 1935 that stripped Jews of their citizenship and rights

Mischling

A term used in Nazi Germany to describe individuals of mixed Aryan and Jewish ancestry

Reich

The German word for "empire"

Swastika

A symbol used by the Nazi Party, representing their ideology and beliefs, often associated with fascism and anti-Semitism

Repression

The act of suppressing or restraining a group, often through force or authoritarian measures, to maintain control and authority