Weimar and Nazi Germany - Edxcel GCSE history

What was the economic impact of WW1 on Germany?

• Agricultural production fell - there wasn’t enough food to feed Germany’s population

• Profits of industry resented by ordinary Germans

• Food and fuel shortages - people are weaker

What was the human cost of WW1?

• 2 million people killed

• Low population - if a country has a lower population, it will have less workers to rebuild the economy

• (Because of this) There is resentment towards the government - this could lead to civil unrest

What were general impacts of war on Germany?

• It damaged traditional values - women worked in factories

• National income was 1/3 of 1913 income

• Huge gap in class living standards

• War left 600,000 widows and 2 million fatherless kids

• Industrial production was 1/3 of 1913 production

• ‘Stab in the back’ myth - people hated new democratic leaders

• Stresses of war led to October and November 1919 revolution

• German workers bitter at income restrictions while factory owners made lots of money

What was the Treaty of Versailles?

It was a peace treaty, signed on the 28th June 1919 by Germany and other countries involved in WW1, which marked the absolute end of WW1. Germany was forced to sign the treaty last, which meant that the consequences of the treaty were harshly felt by Germany.

What were the key terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

• War guilt clause (article 231) - Stated that Germany accepted total responsibility for WW1 and the loss and damage caused by it

• Military restrictions on Germany:

  • Army limited to 100,000 men

  • No conscription

  • No air force, submarines or tanks

  • Navy limited to 15,000 men

• Reparations of £6.6 billion to be paid to the Allied in annual instalments from 1924-84

• Loss of all colonies (and some German land) to Allies, such as German East Africa, New Guinea and Upper Silesia

What did the terms of the TOV mean for Germany?

• Germans felt angry at being blamed entirely for WW1, as they felt that the clause undermined and humiliated Germany

• Military restrictions: also damaged German militaristic pride, but more importantly, left Germany vulnerable to invasion from other countries

• Reparations crippled the economy of Germany, and meant that it couldn’t properly rebuild the country/economy after the war. It had to be paid over the course of 66 years which meant that the country/economy would be debilitated for a very long period of time. Left Germany stuck behind while other nations progressed

• Germany lost money from profits of colonies, further disabling them from rebuilding their country. Also damaged German imperialism

When did Kaiser Wilhelm abdicate?

9 November 1918

What was the Armistice?

On the 11th November 1918, Chancellor Friedrich Ebert signed the Armistice, which ended the war. The Allies had threatened to invade if Germany didn’t sign the Armistice. It was a Diktat (forced peace).

What was the ‘stab in the back’/Dolchstoß theory?

It was the idea that the new German government had betrayed its people by signing the Armistice and ending the war. The new government was nicknamed the ‘November criminals’. The people of German needed a scapegoat for the shame felt by the loss of WW1.

1919 January elections

• On the 19th January 1919, elections for the new democratic constituent assembly took place

• February 191 - Ebert (Social Democratic Party) became President and a coalition government was formed

Strengths of the Weimar government

• It was democratic and voted for by the people - no more dictators

• The Reichstag was representative of the people

• Both men and women over the age of 20 could vote

• Chancellor had to have Reichstag support

Weaknesses of the Weimar government

• Proportional representation meant that there were too many ideas and no one agreed

• Article 48, which stated that the President could make new laws and suspend the constitution in an emergency, meant that there could easily be a dictatorship

• Built on shaky foundations, extremist parties tried to topple it

• Born out of Germany’s defeat. Not everyone supported it or even wanted it. Many people wanted the Kaiser back.

Why was proportional representation a bad thing?

It meant that it was very hard to reach an overall majority in an election because of the number of political parties. This caused multiple coalition governments which meant it was very hard to reach political stability.

Left wing/communist views in Germany

• Wanted a revolution like to one in Russia in 1917

• Thought that the Weimar Republic gave too little power to the workers

• Wanted government run by councils of workers or soldiers

• Wanted to abolish the power in Germany of the land-owning classes and the army

Right wing/fascist views in Germany

• Resented that the Weimar Republic’s social democrat politicians had abandoned the army with the Armistice in 1918

• Even more, they hated the Communists who had undermined the Kaiser with riots and mutinies in 1918

• They feared the damage the Communists would do to their property and German traditions

• They thought that the TOV was punitive and vindictive

• They wanted to reverse Versailles, re-instate the Kaiser, boost the army, and return Germany to her former strength

Political unrest 1919-1922

• Between 1919-1922 there were 376 political murders

• 10 left wing assassins were convicted and executed

• Not a single conviction of right wind murder - people were scared of the right

• Many political groups had private armies of ex-soldiers

Who were the Freikorps?

A private army of ex-soldiers who held strong right wing views. They hated communists.

The Spartacist uprising

Leaders: Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht

Party Name: Spartacus League

Membership: approx 5000

When: January 1919

It was a communist left wing uprising

What were the aims of the Spartacist uprising?

• Social revolution like the one in Russia

• Overthrow Weimar government

• Communist run government

• More/better workers rights

What were the methods used by the Spartacist Uprising?

• Street demonstrations

• Rallies

• Strikes

• Sabotage

• Assassination

How was the Spartacist Uprising ended?

They were defeated by the Freikorps, who took over their headquarters on 10 January and killed their leaders on 15 January

How much of a risk to the government did the Spartacist uprising pose?

It was a fairly low risk uprising as it was an unorganised riot which only had the support of its leaders after it started. It only captured 2 newspaper buildings. They had no support from other left wing groups and the riot lasted only 10 days

The Kapp Putsch

Leader: Wolfgang Kapp

Party name: Fatherland Party

Membership: approx 5000

When: 1920

It was a right wing uprising

What were the aims of the Kapp Putsch?

• Overthrow the current Weimar government

• Establish a right wing militaristic government

What were the methods used in the Kapp Putsch?

• Freikorps rebels took control of the city

• Parades

• Attacks

• March and occupation of city centre

How was the Kapp Putsch ended?

Initially, Kapp succeeded in taking over Berlin. However, they were defeated by a mass strike from the working class. Realising he could not deal with the situation, Kapp fled and Ebert was reinstated.

Political assassinations: Matthias Erzberger

Killed on: 26 August 1921

Killed by: Heinrich Tillessen and Heinrich Schulz

• Signed the Armistice - very disliked among German people

• Assassinated by 2 members of the right wing terrorise group Organisation Consul

• Was killed at a spa in the Black Forest

• Many on the political right regarded Erzberger as a traitor because he signed the Armistice

Political assassinations: Walter Rathenau

Killed on: 24th June 1922

Killed by: Erwin Kern and Hermann Fischer

• Was also killed by right wing terrorist group Organisation Consul

• His insistence that Germany should uphold TOV terms led right wing nationalist groups to brand him as part of a Jewish-communist conspiracy

• Was killed almost instantly in his car

• Was viewed as a democratic martyr during Weimar era

How did Germany become bankrupt?

• Germany’s gold reserves had been sold off to pay for WW1

• Industrialised Saar Basin became occupied and controlled by Britain and France

• Coalfields went to France

• Upper Silesian industrial area went to Poland

• There was a decreased workforce from deaths

• By 1925, the state spent 1/3 of its money on pensions

What led to inflation in Germany?

• Shortages led to increased prices of goods and inflation

• Germany printed out lots more new money to try to help pay the reparations

• Prices massively rose and money became worthless

When did Germany default?

Germany defaulted (failed to pay a debt) on a reparations payment in 1922

How did France respond?

In 1923, France retaliated by sending their troops to occupy the Ruhr industrial region. However, Germany’s troops of 100,000 were no match for France’s 750,000 soldiers

How did German workers respond to the occupation of the Ruhr?

• Workers went on strike with passive resistance

• Workers then became violent and committed industrial sabotage

• As a result, the French arrested this who obstructed them

What were the consequences of the occupation of the Ruhr?

• Germany was (economically) crippled - 80% of her coal ad iron were based there

• After the occupation, the German government baked the workers and printed even more money to pay their wages

• The strike meant that even fewer goods were being produced

• The extra strike money in addition to the collapse in production turned inflation into hyperinflation

What were the causes of hyperinflation?

• Occupation of the Ruhr

• Occupation of other highly industrialised areas under TOV terms e.g same basin

• Reparations

• In order to pay reparations, government printed off lots more money

• Reduced work and industrial output from strikes so prices rose

Who were the hyperinflation winners?

• Borrowers (e.g. businessmen, landowners) found they were able to pay back their loans easily with worthless money

• Farmers coped well since their products were still in demand and they received more money for them as prices spiralled

• People on wages were relatively safe as their wages were renegotiated every day, however their wages still couldn’t keep up with prices

Who were the hyperinflation losers?

• People (mainly middle class) with savings in the bank suddenly found that their savings became worthless

• People on fixed incomes, like students, pensioners or the sick, found their incomes did not keep up with prices

Why was hyperinflation inevitable?

• Germany was already facing acute inflationary problems before the occupation of the Ruhr

• The war had been financed through borrowing money and printing more money

• When Germany lost the war and the Reparations Committee met, confidence in the German mark declined

What did Hitler do in WW1?

• He served on the Western Front during WW1 and was awarded the Iron Cross First Class in 1918

• Whilst iIn hospital at the end of the war, Hitler was angered by Germany’s surrender and accepted the Dolchstoss theory - this fed into his already nationalist and imperialist views

• This also made him resent the new government, meaning he later caused much civil unrest

Hitler and the (NS)DAP

• He was recruited by the DAP in 1919 and found that he had a skill for public speaking so he was put in charge of public speaking and propaganda

• Hitler and Anton Drexler (founder of the DAP) wrote the 25 point programme in February 1920, which was a political manifesto of Hitler’s ideas

• The NSDAP membership grew rapidly thanks to Hitler’s speeches - this allowed it to publish its own newspaper (the Völkischer Beobachter)

• Hitler’s influence made him Führer (leader) of the party in July 1921. His title, for him, meant absolute power and authority

The Sturmabteilung (SA)

• The SA was Hitler’s private army, formed in 1921 and pledging total loyalty and obedience. They were originally meant to protect public speakers of the NSDAP, as political meetings at the time generated a lot of violent unrest

• Between 1921-23, the SA was used to disrupt meetings of the NSDAP’s rival parties (the communist and social Democratic Parties)

• They were violent and their job was to intimidate other political parties into submission

• They were able to project an image of order and strength during the chaos of the Weimar era because they all wore uniform and marched in organised straight lines. They were also all strong, white Aryan men.

What were the causes of the Munich Putsch?

• Local support - there were not many supporters of the Weimar Republic in Bavaria, Hitler thought that he could be helped by local nationalist politicians

• Growth of Nazis - by 1923, they were especially popular in Bavaria, with 5000 members overall

• Situation in Germany - German people and the Weimar Republic seemed on the edge of collapse, when the economic and political crises of 1923 hit Germany, Hitler decided that the Nazi party could overthrow the government

• International inspiration - Mussolini seized power in Italy in 1922 using his private army, Hitler was inspired by this and wanted to try to replicate it. However, Mussolini had the support of the regular army, whereas Hitler didn’t

What happened during the Munich Putsch?

• On the 8th November 1923, Hitler and 600 other Nazis stormed the Bürgerbräukeller in Germany

• He won a promise of support in rebelling against the Weimar government from Kahr, Lossow and Seisser (important and influential figures) by holding them at gunpoint

• They were then released, and called the police against Hitler and the Nazis

• The next morning, the Nazis lead a victory parade through the streets of Munich. They were attacked by the well-armed police (Nazis only had 2000 rifles) and 16 SA members were killed

• Hitler fled but was arrested two days later

What were the successful consequences of the Munich Putsch?

• Hitler gained recognition not only for the Putsch but for the trial that took place later

• In prison, Hitler had time to write ‘Mein Kampf’, outlining his beliefs, which was read by millions of Germans

• The ban placed on the Nazi party (until 1927) was weakly enforces and overall gained the Nazis an enormous amount of publicity

• In Hitler’s trial, and other trials for members of the NSDAP, Nazi bias was shown, proving that the elites in German society were against the Weimar Republic

• Hitler’s trial reached the front page on a daily basis. He twisted to trial so that even though he still went to prison, he drummed up a lot of sympathy

Perhaps most importantly, Hitler decided that he would never come to power through revolution, he realised that he would have to use constitutional means

Overall, Hitler and the Nazis gained an enormous amount of publicity and support from the failure of the Munich Putsch

What were the failure consequences of the Munich Putsch?

• The Munich Putsch failed in its attempt to take power

• Hitler was unable to take over and was arrested for treason

• Hitler went to prison for 5 years (BUT with the chance of parole after just 5 months)

• The Nazi party was banned and Hitler was prevented from speaking in public until 1927

Who was Gustav Stresemann?

• Appointed Chancellor in 1923 by Ebert

• Became Foreign Minister until 1929

• Supported by both left and right

• Credited with restoring Germany after WW1

What was the League of Nations?

• The League of Nations was an international organisation set up in 1919 as a way of maintaining peace in Europe

• It was set up to keep Europe stable and maintain peace

• The TOV stated that Germany was banned from joining the League of Nations

• This would mean that Germany could not make alliances, join good trade or fix their international reputation. It was also humiliating

What were Stresemann’s Economic policies?

• The Rentenmark - 1923

• The Dawes Plan - 1924

• The Young Plan - 1929

• USA loans

What was the Rentenmark (1923)?

• Stresemann introduced a new temporary currency called the Rentenmark to fix hyperinflation

• A year later it was converted into the Reichmark, backed by Gold resources

• It was issued in limited amounts based off of property values

Strength - fixed hyperinflation

What was the Dawes Plan (1924)?

• Stresemann persuaded Britain, France and USA to change teh payment terms of the TOV to start at 1 billion marks and changed to 2.5 billion marks over 4 years

• The Ruhr was evacuated by Allied troops

Strength - Easier for Germany to pay off reparations, economy less crippled, economy can be rebuilt

What was the Young Plan (1929)

• Reparations were decreased to by 20%

• Length of time to pay off was extended to 59 years

Strength - helped Germany pay off reparations, took pressure off Germany

Weakness - plan was disliked by the right wing, longer time spent paying reparations

What were the USA loans?

• USA gave loans of £800 million marks to Germany as part of the Dawe plan

• USA would keep giving loans to Germany as part of the Young plan

Strength - helped Germany rebuild economy and pay reparations

Weakness - Germany became dependent on these loans, which it eventually had to pay back

What were signs of (economic) recovery in Germany?

• By 1928 industrial production levels were higher than those of 1913 (before WW1)

• Between 1925 and 1929, exports rose by 40%

• Hourly wages rose every year from 1924 to 1929 and by 10% in 1928 alone

• IG Farben, a German chemical manufacturing company, became the largest industrial company in Europe

• Generous pension, health and unemployment insurance schemes were introduced from 1927

What were signs of continued (economic) weakness in Germany?

• Agricultural production did not recover to its pre-war levels

• Germany spent more on imports than in earned from exports, so it was losing money every year

• Unemployment did not fall below 1.3 million and in 1929 increased to 1.9 million

• German industry became dependent upon loans from the USA

• The government ended up spending more than it received in taxed and so continued to run deficits from 1925 onwards

What were Stresemann’s foreign policies?

• The Locarno Pact - 1925

• The League of Nations - 1926

• The Kellog-Briand Pact - 1928

What was the Locarno Pact (1925)?

• European countries agreed to keep existing borders between Germany, Belgium and France

• Pact between Britain, France, Belgium, Italy and Germany

Strength - this marked Germany’s return to the European international scene and began a period of co-operation between Germany, France and Britain (improved relations)

What happened with the League of Nations (1926)?

• Germany gained a permanent set on the council of the League of Nations

Strength - this confirmed Germany’s return to Great Power and allowed Stresemann to bring about the Young Plan

Weakness - many Germans hated and distrusted the League of Nations as it guarded the TOV

What was the Kellog-Briand pact (1928)

• Many by Germany and 64 other nations

• Everyone agreed to keep their armies for self-defence and would solve all international disputed by ‘peaceful means’

Strength - the pact fully confirmed Germany was once again a leading nation and further improved relations between the USA and the leading European nations

Strength - meant that the Allies were open to renegotiating reparations. They lowered the payment and set a longer timescale for paying it back, making it less of a burden economically

What were some general culture changes during 1924-1929?

• More liberal society

• Known as the ‘golden years’

• Removal of censorship and increase of tolerance

What were changes in the standard of living 1924-1929?

• Hourly wages rose in real terms (above inflation) every year form 1924 to 1930

• Compulsory unemployment insurance was introduced in 1927, which covered 17 million workers

• Government subsidies were provided for teh building of local parks, school and sport facilities, and there was a massive programme of council house construction

• Pensions and sickness benefits schemes were introduced

HOWEVER, a large increase in the working age population led to increasing unemployment, and farmers in particular suffered from declining incomes

What were changes (and things that remained the same) in the position of woman 1924-1929?

• Women experienced pressure to return to their ‘traditional’ role as wives and mothers.

• However, attitudes towards women and work changed according to how well the economy did.

• During times of economic crisis, such as the hyperinflation of 1923 and during the Great Depression, women returning home were seen as a solution to the problem of unemployment.

• However, during the recovery of the mid-1920s women were welcomed into the workforce. The number of women in work was 1.7 million higher in 1925 than it had been in 1907.

• Women were increasingly taking on white collar jobs, though these were mainly done by single women under 25.

• Overall, the percentage of women in work only rose by less than 1 per cent between 1907 and 1925

Women and politics

German women achieved the vote on an equal basis with men when the new German constitution was announced in August 1919, along with the right to be elected to the Reichstag and all other governmental bodies

What things stayed the same with women and leisure 1924-1929?

• Most women continued to enjoy reading as their main leisure activity

• Both working and middle class women enjoyed attending tea dances, where they could meet young men

• Women enjoyed needlework in the home

• Gymnastics was a popular sport amongst women

What things changed with women and leisure 1924-1929?

• There was a huge increase in the number of newspapers and magazines following the abolition of censorship, and many of these new publications were aimed specifically at women

• In urban areas, young middle class women began to go out to dance alone

• Women were estimated to have made up around 75 percent of cinema audiences during the 1920s

• Women began to take part in a greater range of sports, in particular athletics

What were changes in architecture and art?

• Bauhaus movement formed by Walter Gropius in 1919

• More modern and different approach from the elaborate and decorative style of pre-war

• New painters such as Otto Dix and George Grosz showed the uglier side of humanity

• Since censorship was removed, paintings now criticised political figures. This went away when Hitler came back into power

Right-wing imperialist Germans such as Hitler hated the cultural change as it was a move away from the traditional imperialist views pre-WW1 which they so strongly held

What were changes in Weimar cinema 1924-1929?

• An expressionist style became common in film

• Genres such as action and horror became popular - Christian (imperialist) Germans hated this as they were against demonic depictions in religion

• Actresses such as Marlene Dietrich became famous for their sex appeal in films - women were becoming more strong and glamorous

What was the Nazi ideology (social)?

• Traditional German values such as:

• Christian morality, strong family values with clear male and female roles and old-style German culture with traditional art music and theatre

• He believed that life was a constant struggle, and that this constant struggle made people and countries healthier and fitter

• He also wanted to revive the power of Germany and purify the German ‘race’

What was the Nazi ideology (economic)?

• Like the communists, Hitler wanted to control big businesses. To him, socialism meant running the economy in the national interest so that:

• Both agriculture and industry would flourish, big businesses wouldn’t make unfair profits, Jews could not control businesses

• Economic nationalism included: breaking the restrictions on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles & making Germany self-sufficient and not dependent on imports from abroad

What was the Nazi ideology (racial)?

Hitler said people were divided into superior and inferior races:

• According to Hitler, the Aryans were the superior wave. These were the Germanic people of Northern Europe, who, he said, had produced all that was good in human culture

• He believed that other races, from places like Eastern Europe, and from Asia and Africa were inferior races

• The lowest form of life, he said, were the Jews, who he described as parasites

• He wanted to purify the German ‘race’

• He believed that Germany should struggle inside her borders, against non-German people, so that they could strengthen the true German race

What was the Nazi ideology (political)?

• Hitler despised democracy and said it was weak

• He believed in the Führerprinzip (leadership principle): total loyalty to the leader. This way, he said, the leader could organise every aspect of society for the benefit of the German people

• He believed that Germany should struggle outside here borders, against other countries, for land - to get lebensraum (living space), so that all German people could live together united

Rebuilding the Nazi party (the lean years)

• Hitler was released prison in December 1924

• Over the next five years Hitler re-asserted the party’s beliefs and re-organised its structure

• He also moved away from armed revolution as a way of seizing power following the Munich Putsch

What changes did Hitler make to the Party 1924-29?

• Hitler divided the party into regions and appointed regional Gauleiters, answerable only to him - spreads the idea of the leader principle, more people in all areas of Germany know about and support him

• Hitler appointed Josef Goebbels as propaganda chief - more people received better propaganda which had been directly monitored by Hitler as the two were very close

• Hitler founded Hitler Youth, a young group for out of school activities - Hitler begun indoctrinating the youth, weaponising children as the future of the Nazis (building a foundation)

• Hitler began to use modern technology such as media and aeroplanes - Nazis appear modern and moving ahead with the times, not stuck behind like Weimar

• Hitler founded the SS in 1925 - more support, protection and intimidation for Nazis

• Nazi propaganda began to target farmers and middle classes, rather than just urban workers - more support from more of the population

Mein Kampf

While in jail, Hitler wrote a book called Mein Kampf, which outlines his political and personal beliefs and ambitions. Ideas included:

• The belief that the Jews were an inferior race to the German Aryans, and also represented a threat to the German state.

• The need to destroy the parliamentary system of government and replace it with that of a single, strong dictator.

• Germany’s requirement for Lebensraum, or living space, to house its growing population. This required Germany to expand to the East into Poland and Russia

What was the Bamberg Conference (1926)?

Hitler called a special Nazi Party conference on 14 February 1926 at Bamberg in southern Germany in response to tension between the northern and southern sections of the party. During his time in jail disagreements had grown between the two sections:

• the northern section, led by a man named Gregor Strasser, was keen to emphasise the socialist elements of the 25-Point Programme to attract support from the workers

• the southern section more interested in the nationalist and racist policies in order to attract support from the middle classes and farmers

What were results of the Bamberg conference?

• Hitler insisted that policies which could be painted as communist, such as taking land from rich noblemen, would not be pursued.

• However, the conference did reaffirm the 25-Point Programme, with its socialist ideas, as the party’s policy platform.

• In addition, Hitler established the Fuhrerprinzip, or ‘Leader Principle’, the idea that the party’s leader was in absolute control and all members must follow his directions. No dissent from this was expected or tolerated

Why were there reasons for limited support for the Nazi Party?

• Hitler insisted that policies which could be painted as communist, such as taking land from rich noblemen, would not be pursued.

• However, the conference did reaffirm the 25-Point Programme, with its socialist ideas, as the party’s policy platform.

• In addition, Hitler established the Fuhrerprinzip, or ‘Leader Principle’, the idea that the party’s leader was in absolute control and all members must follow his directions. No dissent from this was expected or tolerated

What was the Wall Street crash?

• In 1929 the USA faced a major economic crash when the stock market in Wall Street crashed and American businesses and the government went into crisis

• America asked for its 800 million. Dollar loan back from Germany immediately

• The Wall Street crash caused the Great Depression

What was the most important reason for rise in Nazi support during the Great Depression?

During times of crisis, such as the Great Depression, people often turn to the strong and extreme measures and/or political parties such as the Nazis

Unemployment and the Great Depression

• Over the winter of 1929-30, the number of unemployed rose from 1.4 million to over 2 million

• By the time Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, 6.1 million Germans were unemployed

• The rise in unemployment significantly raised government expenditure on unemployment insurance and other benefits

• Germans began to lose faith in democracy and looked to extremes parties on both the left and the right for quick and simple solutions

What were some political reasons for the unstable situation in Germany which lead to Hitler becoming chancellor?

• Article 48 - Government is no longer fully democratic. It struggling, which is a bad sign

• Power vacuum - no one party/leader is strong enough and the government is open to anyone

• Bruning resigns after a year - weak as there is no clear leader, socially the public loses hope

• Mass unemployment - government funds with benefits. Hatred of government caused. Crimes, riots and suicide rates climb. Government can’t afford benefits as there is no circulation of money

What was the state of Germany under Muller?

• The GDP led to mass unemployment and as a result unemployment benefit cost skyrocketed and no one knew how to raise funds

• Chancellor Muller (appointed 1928) wanted to make a deal with Bruning but was overruled

• President Hindenburg refused him emergency powers so he resigned in 1930

Who was Bruning (1930)?