German History and Nazi Regime: Key Terms and Concepts

Treaty of Versailles

The goal was to end World War I by imposing severe penalties on Germany.

Dolchstoßlegende

The idea that Germany was 'stabbed in the back' by its own citizens, especially the Jewish community and communists.

Novemberverbrecher

Term used by the Nazi Party to label political rivals who signed the armistice as traitors.

Freikorps

Right-wing paramilitary groups used to suppress the communist Spartacist Uprising.

Spartacist Uprising

An attempt to create a Soviet-style republic in Germany led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.

Kapp Putsch

A failed coup attempt in 1920 by right-wing groups in reaction to the Treaty of Versailles.

Weimar government

A social democratic government in Germany characterized by a weak central authority and political instability.

Beer Hall Putsch

Hitler's unsuccessful coup attempt in Munich in 1923 that led to his imprisonment.

Hyperinflation

An economic crisis in the 1920s characterized by unreasonably high prices and a decline in the value of the mark.

Reparations

Germany was required to pay 134 billion Deutsche marks as reparations, severely damaging its economy.

Ruhr Valley

An industrial area significant for steel and coal production, vital to Germany's economy.

Dawes Plan

A reorganization of Germany's reparations payments aimed at stabilizing the German mark.

Young Plan

A 1929 agreement to reduce Germany's reparations and establish a long-term payment schedule.

Great Depression

The 1929 economic crisis that led to high unemployment and increased support for radical organizations in Germany.

Autarky

The goal of reducing Germany's dependency on imports and achieving economic self-sufficiency.

Pan-Germanism

The idea of uniting all German-speaking peoples under a single entity, supporting Nazi ideology.

Völkisch Movement

A super-nationalist movement highlighting German folklore and purity, seen as a precursor to Nazism.

Ethnic and Cultural Community Movement

Glorified the idea of an exclusive community, often antisemitic, viewed as a precursor to Nazism.

Fascism

A far-right, authoritarian political ideology characterized by dictatorial leadership, social and economic control, and violent repression of opposition.

Italian Fascism vs. Nazism

Both were anti-communist and anti-democratic, but Nazism focused on race while Italian fascism prioritized state and national renewal.

1st Reich

The Holy Roman Empire from 800 AD to 1806, used by NSDAP as a historical precedent for the 'Third Reich.'

2nd Reich

The German Empire from 1871 to 1918, which NSDAP aimed to recreate in an authoritarian, ethnically pure society.

3rd Reich

The official name for Germany from 1933 to 1945 under Nazi rule, aimed at expanding territory and enforcing a totalitarian regime.

Totalitarianism

A governance system where the state controls all aspects of life, using repression, propaganda, and a single ideology.

Raymond Aron's 5 Features of Totalitarian Governments

1. State-sponsored ideology 2. Information monopoly 3. State-run economy 4. Political activity monopoly 5. Government terrorization.

Ian Kershaw's Main Argument

The concept of 'working towards the Führer,' where individuals and organizations sought to fulfill Hitler's ideology.

Robert Gellately's Argument

Argued against the notion that the Gestapo alone enforced Nazi oppression, highlighting the active involvement of ordinary citizens.

Hannah Arendt

Political scientist known for 'The Origins of Totalitarianism,' emphasizing the role of statelessness in the rise of totalitarian regimes.

Bolshevism

Marxist-Leninist philosophy linked to Soviet Communists, used by Nazis to justify anti-communism and anti-Semitism.

Nazi Political Support in the 1920s

Support fluctuated due to public crises, increasing during economic hardship and decreasing during periods of stability.

Hitler's Role in Early Nazi Party

Joined the German Workers' Party in 1919, transformed it into the NSDAP, and became its unchallenged leader.

Nazi Economic Plan during Great Depression

Combined state control, rearmament, and public works to reduce unemployment and create an appearance of economic recovery.

Reasons for business community support of Hitler

In the early 1930s, Hitler received financial and political support from numerous businesses and entrepreneurs who saw the Nazis as a defense against labor unions and communism.

Paul von Hindenburg

He was a WWI combat hero and the president of Germany from 1925 to 1934, who appointed Hitler Chancellor in January 1933.

Franz von Papen

Before Hitler (1932), he served as Chancellor; under Hitler, he was Vice-Chancellor and thought he could 'control' Hitler in a coalition government.

Hermann Göring

Hitler's closest ally, a prominent Nazi official, and the commander of the Luftwaffe, crucial to the creation of the Gestapo.

Fritz Thyssen

German businessman and industrialist who provided Hitler with early financial support, demonstrating how big business contributed to the Nazis.

Ernst Rohm

Head of the Nazi paramilitary group SA, executed on the Night of the Long Knives in 1934.

KPD

The German Communist Party, the main left-wing foe of the Nazis.

RFB

Paramilitary wing of KPD that fought with Nazi SA, causing street violence that undermined the Weimar Republic.

Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold

A paramilitary group affiliated with the SPD that promoted democracy and the Weimar Republic.

Der Stahlhelmbund

A right-wing WWI veterans' association that helped to militarize German politics.

SA

Nazi paramilitary 'Brownshirts' purged on the Night of the Long Knives.

NSDAP

Full name of the Nazi Party, which facilitated Hitler's ascent to power and dictatorship.

Hitler's assumption of the Chancellorship

President Hindenburg selected Hitler Chancellor on January 30, 1933, marking the official start of Nazi authority.

Reichstag Fire Decree

An emergency proclamation enacted on February 28, 1933, suspending civil liberties and permitting the imprisonment of political opponents.

Enabling Act

Passed on March 23, 1933, allowing Hitler's cabinet to make laws without Reichstag approval.

Gleichschaltung

The Nazi takeover of all facets of German society, consolidating authority and imposing ideological uniformity.

Gestapo

The Secret State Police established in 1933 as a terror and surveillance tool.

Editors' Law

A law mandating that editors and journalists be state-loyal and of 'Aryan' race.

Law for the Re-establishment of the Civil Service

Legislation removing political rivals and 'non-Aryans' from public office.

Concordat

An agreement between Nazi Germany and the Vatican in July 1933.

Law for the Reconstruction of the State

Legislation that eliminated Germany's federal structure and centralized authority.

Night of the Long Knives

A purge from June 30 to July 2, 1934, where Hitler killed SA commanders and other political opponents.

Examples and significance of Hitler's foreign policy successes in the 1930's

Hitler formed the 'Rome-Berlin Axis' in 1936, establishing political and military cooperation.

Hitler Retaking the Saar in 1935

More than 90% of voters supported the return of the Saar area to Germany.

Germany annexing Austria in 1938

Germany seized Austria under the guise of reestablishing order, violating treaties.

Hitler forcing the British to appease him in Munich Agreement in 1938

Nazi Germany acquired the Sudetenland according to the Munich Agreement.

Volksgemeinschaft

Nazism's main ideological tenet aimed at establishing a unified, racially pure German society.

German Labor Front (DAF)

The Nazi Party's national labor organization established in 1933 to regulate labor and uphold Nazi programs.

State Labor Service (RAD)

A significant Nazi governmental agency established to lower unemployment, serving as a tool for military training and Nazi ideology indoctrination.

RAD/m

The branch of the State Labor Service for men who must serve.

RAD/w

The branch of the State Labor Service for women who supported the military and helped with agriculture.

Strength Through Joy program

A state-run organization in Nazi Germany aimed at providing discounted vacations and recreational opportunities to 'racially acceptable' Germans.

National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Activity

The umbrella organization for physical education and sports in Nazi Germany, used to promote Aryan racial ideology and prepare youth for military duty.

National Socialist Women's League

The sole organization for women in Nazi Germany, aimed at coordinating and indoctrinating women into National Socialist ideology.

Hitler Youth

The Nazi Party's youth organization designed to instill National Socialist ideology in young Germans and prepare them for military service.

Band of German Maidens

The female counterpart of the Hitler Youth, aimed at indoctrinating girls into Nazi philosophy and preparing them for roles as mothers and brides.

Anti-semitic press

Media such as Der Sturmer that promoted hatred against Jews and supported Nazi ideology.

Julius Streicher

The publisher of Der Sturmer, known for instigating violence against Jews and later tried at the Nuremberg Trials.

Law Against Overcrowding in Schools and Universities

Legislation intended to bar Jewish pupils from public schools, increasing Jewish persecution.

Nuremberg Laws

Racist and antisemitic laws that initiated the systematic persecution of Jews and transformed Germany from a democracy to a dictatorship.

Jewish Name Law

Law requiring Jewish individuals to adopt specific names, isolating them socially and economically.

Decree on the Expulsion of Jews from Economic Life

Directive allowing the seizure of Jewish-owned businesses and prohibiting Jews from most professions.

Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring

Law permitting sterilization of those deemed genetically 'unfit', leading to severe persecution.

Holocaust

The systematic, state-sponsored murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945.

Four Year Plan

A 1936 economic initiative aimed at rearming Germany and achieving economic self-sufficiency in anticipation of war.

Mefo Bills

Promissory notes used by Nazi Germany to covertly fund its rearmament program and conceal government spending.

Ilse Koch

Wife of Karl-Otto Koch, who oversaw the Buchenwald concentration camp from 1937 to 1941.

Witch of Buchenwald

Notorious for allegedly abusing inmates and taking part in the camp's horrors, symbolizing Nazi cruelty and sadism.

Lebensborn Program

Goal was to increase the Aryan population by kidnapping children and using controlled breeding.

Kinder, Kuche, Kirche

Catchphrase that describes and upholds women's conventional, constrained social role in Nazi ideology.

Gertrud Scholz-Klink

Reich Women's Leader and the most senior female official in Nazi Germany, responsible for propaganda and promoting the Nazi ideal of women.

Magda Goebbels

Wife of Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, a representation of the perfect 'Aryan' mother and supporter of Hitler.

Ehrenkreuz der Deutschen Mutter

State honor to promote large families and motherhood among 'racially pure' German women.

Roles of German Women during WWII

Women were expected to raise children, propagate Nazi doctrine, and some worked in military and administrative roles.

White Rose

Intellectual, nonviolent German resistance organization founded in Munich in 1942, representing civil disobedience.

Confessing Church

Protestant resistance movement opposing Nazi attempts to subjugate churches, established with the Barmen Declaration.

Kreisau Circle

German resistance organization focused on preparing for a post-Nazi Germany founded on moral and democratic values.

Mao Zedong

Chinese Communist revolutionary who founded the People's Republic of China in 1949 and implemented social transformations.

Sun Yatsen

Leader of young revolutionaries who founded the Republic of China in 1912, known as the 'Father of Modern China.'

Chiang Kai-Shek

Chinese military and political leader who ruled China from 1928-1949 and led the Nationalist Party.

Lin Biao

Prominent Chinese Communist military leader and designated successor to Mao Zedong, known for his tragic end.

Liu Shaoqi

Chinese Communist Party leader and Head of State, known for pragmatic economic policies and later purged during the Cultural Revolution.

Zhou Enlai

China's first Premier and a foundational leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), serving as a revolutionary, master diplomat, and key administrator for 27 years after the PRC's founding.

Deng Xiaoping

China's Paramount leader from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, known as the 'Architect of Modern China' for launching 'Reform and Opening Up.'

CCP (origin, goals)

Founded in 1921, inspired by Marxism-Leninism and the Russian Revolution, with early goals of overthrowing the capitalist class and achieving national independence.

KMT (origin, goals)

The KMT, known as the Chinese Nationalist Party, was founded by Sun Yat-sen in 1912 with the goals of establishing a modern, democratic Republic of China.

Warlords

Regional military commanders who exercised independent military, political, and economic control over vast territories due to the collapse of the central Qing dynasty.

Anhui Clique

Dominated the Beiyang government in Beijing for a time and was supported by Japan.