IB History Test-Nazi Germany

Economic Crisis (1929–1932)

1929 Wall Street Crash caused German unemployment to skyrocket to 6M by 1932. Voters lost faith in Weimar democracy, shifting to extremes (Nazis / KPD).

"November Criminals"

Weimar politicians who signed the November 1918 armistice, accused by right-wing nationalists of stabbing Germany in the back.

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

Imposed harsh terms on Germany: Clause 231 (War Guilt), heavy economic reparations, territorial loss, and severe military limits (100,000 men).

Weimar Proportional Representation

Electoral system that awarded seats matching vote percentages, producing weak, unstable coalition governments that constantly collapsed.

Article 48

Provision in the Weimar Constitution allowing the President to rule by decree in an emergency, undermining democratic norms before 1933.

Palingenesis

The ideological concept of national rebirth—restoring a fallen nation to past glory.

Volksgemeinschaft

"People's Community"—a racially pure, unified, classless Nazi society working for the national interest.

Lebensraum

"Living space"—Nazi foreign policy aim to expand Eastward into Eastern Europe/Russia to secure land and resources for the Aryan race.

Legality Strategy

Hitler's strategy post-1923 Munich Putsch failure to gain power legally through democratic elections and parliamentary processes rather than armed force.

Role of the SA ("Brownshirts")

Paramilitary wing led by Ernst Röhm that used street violence, intimidation of opponents, and chaotic displays to present Nazis as the only force capable of order.

Reichstag Fire (Feb 1933)

Arson attack blamed on a Dutch communist; exploited by Hitler to issue the Reichstag Fire Decree, suspending civil liberties and arresting opponents.

Enabling Act (March 1933)

Law passed through intimidation that gave Hitler's cabinet power to enact laws without Reichstag consent for 4 years, ending democratic rule.

Night of the Long Knives (June 1934)

SS purge executing Ernst Röhm, SA leadership, and political rivals to eliminate internal threat and secure the loyalty of the regular German army.

Gleichschaltung

"Coordination/Nazification"—the process of forcing all state, social, cultural, and political institutions to align with Nazi ideology.

Joseph Goebbels & RMVP

Head of the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, directing all state media, news, arts, and radio broadcasts.

Volksempfänger (People's Receiver)

Cheap mass-produced radio with limited shortwave range so Germans could only access Nazi broadcasts (over 70% household ownership by 1939).

Cult of Personality ("Hitler Myth")

Propaganda depicting Hitler as a selfless, infallible savior dedicated to Germany, separating his public image from local party corruption.

Internal Youth Opposition Groups

White Rose (distributed anti-Nazi leaflets; Hans & Sophie Scholl), Edelweiss Pirates (working-class anti-conformists), and Swing Kids (listened to jazz/American music).

Reich Labor Service (RAD)

Mandatory 6-month civic service for young men aged 18–25 working on public projects (e.g., Autobahn), removing them from official unemployment stats.

German Labor Front (DAF) & KdF

DAF replaced trade unions, controlling wages and rights. Its division, Strength Through Joy (KdF), provided subsidized leisure/vacations to workers.

Four-Year Plan (1936)

Directed by Hermann Göring to make Germany war-ready and autarkic within 4 years by creating synthetic substitutes (Ersatz) for key materials.

Invisible Unemployment

Drop in official unemployment (6M to <500k) achieved partly by excluding Jews, women forced out of jobs, conscripted soldiers, and RAD workers.

Editors Law (1933)

Required all journalists and editors to be racially pure and state-registered, turning the press into an official Nazi mouthpiece.

Nuremberg Laws (1935)

Reich Citizenship Law stripped Jews of citizenship; Law for the Protection of German Blood prohibited marriage/sex between Jews and German citizens.

Nazi Policy Toward Women

Promoted "Kinder, Küche, Kirche" (Children, Kitchen, Church) and offered Cross of Honor medals for large families, though war needs forced women back into factories by 1937.