German History - 20th Century World History

German Punishments from Treaty of Versailles

• Reparations (32bn)

• Limited Army (100k)

• Rhineland Demilitarised

• Polish Corridor taken

Weimar Republic

• 1919-1933

• Replaced absolute monarchy with a constitutional democracy

Challenges Germany faced after WW1

• Food

• Proportional Seat Representative (too many small parties)

• Constitution

Spartacists

• Karl Liebnecht

• Rosa Luxembour

• Started COMMIE rebellion

• Former soldiers shut them down → hunted down and murdered

Major German Political Parties (weimar)

• Political Centre (socialist + catholic democrats)

• Communist (Violent marxist overthrowers)

• Nationalist (party of the rich)
  
  Mainly KPD v.s. NSDAP

KPD formed by Spartacists

Kapp Putsch

• Frei Korps (former soldiers) attempt to seize power

• 1920

• German army refuses to shoot, causing a General Strike

• Frei Korps barely punished

Weimar Period Issues

• 1919-1933

• reparations → inflation → fell behind on payments → French took coal → HYPER-INFLATION (51 TRILLION %)

Hitler 5 Facts

• 1889 4/20

• Middle Class

• Dropped out of school

• Wanted to be a priest → then artist

• Average Guy

• Looked up to Mayor Karl Lueger (anti-semite)

Hitler War Experience

• Volunteered for Bolivarian Regiment

• Corporal (iron cross)

• Wanted to avenge Germany

• Anti-Semite (blamed jews)

Hitler and the GWP

• Injured, becomes military intelligence for the GWP (DAP)

• Turns out they’re actually anti-semites, anti-commies

• Similar to Hitler

• Hitler appointed propaganda manager, influenced policies

• Eventually becomes National Socialist Workers Party leader

Swastika Origin

• Indian Symbol resembling cross from his childhood

• “Perpetual Motion”

• Red → Socialism

• White → Nationalism

S.A.

Sturmabteilung

• BROWNSHIRTS

• Palamilitaries disrupting meetings of political opponents

• ERNEST ROEHM

Nazi Party Full Name

National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP)

Munich Putsch

8-9 November 1923

• Hitler and Ludendorff

• Arattempted a coup in Munich, leading to their arrest and the eventual trial that gained Hitler national attention.

• Ludendorff Acquitted

• Hitler served 9 months out of 5 years in prison

Mein Kampf

• MY STRUGGLE

• Political Ideology → ew commies + jews (aryans at the top)

• Destroy Democracy

• Lebensraum → Invade the East (Czechoslovakia, Poland, Russia)

Dawes

1924

• Loan from the USA to help Germany’s Reparations

Young Plans

1929

• reforms of Germany's reparations payments, reducing total debt and extending payment period.

Golden Years of the Weimar Republic

The period from 1924 to 1929 marked by economic recovery, cultural flourishing, and relative political stability in Germany following World War I.

Locarno Treaties

A series of agreements negotiated in 1925 aimed at settling territorial disputes and normalizing relations between Germany and its neighbors.

• League of Nations

• Treaty of Rapallo (Russia Cooperation → They trained German Soldiers)

Great Depression

Crash in the USA

• USA calls back loans

• leading to a global economic downturn that severely impacted Germany's economy and political stability.

• Wokers Party only had 2.6% of the vote

• UNEMPLOYMENT → 6m

Nazi V.S. Communist vote in May 1928 Elections

1928

Communists (KPD) → 10.6%

Nazi (NSDAP) → 2.6%

Nazi V.S. Communist vote in September 1930Elections

1930

Communists (KPD) → 13.1%

Nazis (NSDAP) → 18.3%

Nazi Deputies Trend (1930–1933)

1930

107

July 1932

230 🔥

Nov 1932

196 (slight drop)

March 1933

288 🛑 (after Hitler was already chancellor)

How & When did Hitler become Chancellor of Germany

1933 Jan 3rd

• Hindenburg appointed him (thought it would allow control over Hitler)

• Weimar Republic over 6 months later

• Reichstag burnt down

• Commies outlawed

Article 48 & Enabling Bill

48 → Allowed the President to rule by emergency decree without the Reichstag (parliament) during a "national emergency."

The Enabling Act of 1933 → gave the Chancellor power to enact laws without parliamentary consent, effectively allowing Hitler to establish a legal dictatorship. (REICHSTAG FIRE USED)

Top Nazi Officials

Joseph Goebbels → Leader of Propaganda

Hermann Goring → Leader of Luftwaffe

Heinrich Himmler → Leader of the SS & Holocaust

Ernst Rohm → Leader of the SA & Paramilitaries

Steps towards Totalitarianism

• Gauletier Districts

• Nazis held all top positions

• Secret State Police (Gestapo)

• Opponents Proescuted

• Political Parties Banned

S.A. V.S. S.S.

The S.A. (Sturmabteilung → Ernst) was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, known for its street violence, while the S.S. (Schutzstaffel → Himmler) started as Hitler's bodyguard and evolved into a powerful organization responsible for many of the regime's atrocities, including the Holocaust.

Germans in State Custody 1939

Custody → 162,734

Camps → 21k

Death Sentences → 1534

Gestapo V.S. S.S.

The Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei) was the secret police of Nazi Germany, known for its brutal tactics and role in political repression, while the S.S. (Schutzstaffel) was a paramilitary organization that became instrumental in the implementation of the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity.

Hitler Youth

A Nazi youth organization aimed at indoctrinating children and adolescents with Nazi ideology and preparing them for future military service.

Compulsory by 1925

Nazi Education

Core Syllabus determined by Nazi’s

League of German Maidens

A female counterpart to the Hitler Youth, this organization aimed to educate and prepare girls in Nazi ideology, emphasizing traditional gender roles and preparing them for motherhood.

Protestant/Roman Cathlic V.S. Nazis

June 1933

• agreement of understanding.

German Appeasement

1930s

• Treaty of Versailles Dismantled

• German Territory back

• All German Speakers united

• Hitler promised not to attack

Anuschluss and Sudetenland

The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, followed by the occupation of the Sudetenland, a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia, which were pivotal events in the lead-up to World War II. Argued German Speakers were being mistreated.

Munich Conference of 1938

A meeting between Germany, Britain, France, and Italy where the fate of Czechoslovakia was discussed, leading to the agreement to allow Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland.

• Also wanted Danezig & Polish Corridor

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

A treaty signed in 1939 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, agreeing to not attack each other and secretly dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, which allowed Hitler to invade Poland without fear of Soviet intervention.

What started the Second World War?

The invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany on September 1, 1939, marking the official beginning of World War II.