IB HL History Paper 2: Authoritarian States Hitler’s Germany – Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key people, parties, institutions, crises, and treaties related to Hitler’s Germany.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of the NSDAP; Chancellor (Jan 1933) and Führer (Aug 1934); central figure in the Nazi dictatorship.

Paul von Hindenburg

WWI field marshal and Weimar President who used emergency decrees and appointed chancellors; authority through Article 48.

Gustav Stresemann

Chancellor/Foreign Minister who stabilized Germany (1934–29) with the Dawes Plan and diplomacy (Locarno, League of Nations formation).

Heinrich Brüning

Chancellor (1930–32) known as the 'Hunger Chancellor'; governed by decree and pursued deflationary policy.

Franz von Papen

Conservative Chancellor (1932) who facilitated Hitler’s appointment, believing he could control him.

Kurt von Schleicher

Last pre-Hitler Chancellor (late 1932–Jan 1933); cabinet infighting and elite maneuvering weakened Weimar democracy.

Friedrich Ebert

First President of the Weimar Republic; SPD leader who crushed the Spartacist uprising (1919).

Ernst Röhm

Head of the SA; purged in June 1934 as part of consolidating power and subordinating rivals.

Heinrich Himmler

Head of the SS; instrumental in building a police state through coercive institutions.

Alfred Hugenberg

DNVP leader and media magnate who allied with the Nazis to boost propaganda and legitimacy.

NSDAP (Nazi Party)

Ultra-nationalist, anti-democratic party aiming for a single-party state.

SPD (Social Democrats)

Pro-Weimar party; rival of the KPD on the Left; its weakness undermined democracy.

KPD (Communists)

Revolutionary party hostile to the SPD; contributed to polarization and street conflict.

DNVP

Right-wing nationalists tied to big business and landowners; cooperated with Nazis.

Centre/Zentrum & BVP

Catholic parties that moved from coalition partners to pragmatic collaborators with extremists.

SA (Sturmabteilung)

Nazi paramilitary used for intimidation and protection; early coercive force.

SS (Schutzstaffel)

Elite organization under Himmler; key instrument of repression and internal power.

Reichsbanner

Pro-democracy paramilitary linked to the SPD; reflected politicization of defense forces.

Stahlhelm

Veterans’ paramilitary aligned with the nationalist right; provided street presence.

Weimar Constitution

Progressive democratic framework; vulnerable to emergency powers exploited to erode democracy.

Article 48

Provisions allowing the President to rule by emergency decree; legal pathway to authoritarianism.

Reichstag

Parliament whose authority waned after 1930, signaling democratic decline.

Presidential Cabinets

Chancellors governing via presidential authority (1930–33); concentrated executive power.

Führerprinzip

Leadership principle granting absolute authority to the leader and hierarchical decision-making.

Gauleiter

Regional Nazi party leaders who reported directly to Hitler; integrated party and state control.

Volksgemeinschaft

'People’s community' defined by blood, not class; used to mobilize broad support.

Vernunftrepublikaner

’Republicans of necessity’; insiders viewed Weimar democracy as expedient but fragile.

Spartacist Uprising (Jan 1919)

Communist revolt suppressed by the SPD government; deep left-right divisions.

Ruhr Occupation & Hyperinflation (1923)

French/Belgian occupation and currency collapse; radicalized politics and distrust in Weimar.

Beer Hall/Munich Putsch (Nov 1923)

Failed Nazi coup; Hitler’s trial raised profile and contributed to Mein Kampf.

Dawes Plan & Golden Era (1924–29)

US-backed stabilization, currency reform, and diplomacy; temporary relative stability.

Wall Street Crash & Great Depression (1929)

Finance collapse leading to mass unemployment; undermined parliamentary solutions.

Rule by Decree (from Mar 1930)

Hindenburg’s emergency decrees replacing accountable government; normalizing authoritarian rule.

Harzburg Meeting/Front (Oct 1931)

Right-wing coalition of Nazis, industry, and conservative elites boosting Nazi credibility.

Hitler Appointed Chancellor (30 Jan 1933)

Papen and Hindenburg believed Hitler could be controlled; constitutional transfer enabled dismantling democracy.

Führer State (Aug 1934)

Hitler combined the offices of Chancellor and President into a single leader state.

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

War guilt, reparations, and territorial losses; fed nationalist resentment exploited by Nazis.

Dawes Plan (1924)

Rescheduled reparations; US loans; stabilized currency and economy.

Young Plan (1929)

Further eased reparations; criticized by nationalists as weakness.

Locarno Pact (1925)

Germany accepted western borders and renounced force; Britain/Italy guarantors.

League of Nations (1926)

Germany admitted as Council member; signaled reintegration into international system.

Kellogg–Briand Pact (1928)

States renounced war; part of diplomatic rehabilitation under Stresemann.