weimar germany

Weimar Constitution strengths

germany is democratic

proportional representation

article 48 (chancellor pass lawss)

Weimar Constitution weaknesses

proportional representation means small parties win seats so no majority clear

why was the weimar constitution unpopular?

politicians that set it up are the same that surrendered in ww1

1918 armistice

an agreement to stop fighting as Germany have little alternative as torn apart by political unrest and money running out

was the treaty of versailles popular?

idea was popular with the german people but the terms were not which created opposition to weimar government for signing

Diktat

terms of treaty of versailles were imposed not agreed

Treaty of Versailles 1919 terms

reparations of 136,000 billion marks

limited army of 100,000 men

Alsace and Lorraine lost to France

Stab in the Back Theory

belief that politicians stabbed germans in back when signing treaty

Spartacist Revolt

1919 left wing uprising

led by Rosa Luxembourg and Liebknecht

workers strike and saw opportunity to gain respect and take over Berlin

Freikorps

as weimar was losing control over spartacists, Ebert got anti communist ex-soldiers to turn on rioters

Kapp Putsch

1920 right wing uprising

freikorps due to be disbanded so, in fear of unemployment, marches into berlin led by Wolfgang Kapp.

Kapp putsch consequence

members of weimar fled and essential services stopped

French occupy the Ruhr

1923

Germany was bankrupt so could no longer pay reparations and failed to send coal to france

impact of french occupying ruhr

Ruhr included all industrial supplies and reserves

hyperinflation

1923

shortages from Ruhr meant that government printed more money to pay reparations so prices rose

Impacts of hyperinflation

normal living became impossible

marks became useless

savings were hit

RENTENMARK CREATED by Stresemann

1924-1929

Stresemann Era or Golden era

Dawes plan

1924

american banker resolves reparations by

reducing them to 50 million annually

USA give loans

consequence of Dawes plan

reassured allies and french leave Ruhr

BUT...

germans now rely on USA loans for economic recovery

young plan

1929

progress with reparations as

fell from 6.6bil to 2bil

consequences of young plan

increased confidence in weimar

most germans saw as success

lower tax meant more jobs

Locarno treaty

1925

treaty between Germany, Uk, Italy, France and Belgium

said that:

Rhineland demilitarised

Germany accept french borders

KEY: was agreed not forced like TOV

consequences of Locarno Treaty

germany now treated as equal

increased confidence in germans

Kellogg-Briand Pact

1928

promise to not use war to achieve foreign policies

consequences of kellog-brian's pact

Germany now involved not dictated to

weimar seen as respectable

increased confusion again

1929

streseman dies

new leader: Hindenburg

DAP

german workers party founded by anton drexler in 1919. attracted Hitler by there ideas and he joined.

1921

hitler renames party NSDAP

national socialist german workers party

creates logo of swastika

Rudolph Hess

Hitlers deputy

Herman goering

ww1 fighter pilot

juilius streicher

publisher

ernst röhm

ex army officer

The SA

ex soldiers used to keep control called the 'brownshirts'. controlled by röhm

Munich Putsch

1923 launches by Hitler as a revolt to overthrow weimar government

short term causes of the Munich putsch

hyperinflation

workers strike

causes germans to get frustrated and look somewhere else

long term causes of the Munich putsch

deep resentment for weimar creates support for parties like NSDAP

Consequences of the Munich Putsch

Hitler put on trial and prisoned in Lands-berg

NSDAP banned

SA become loyal to röhm

Was the Munich Putsch successful?

in short term it was a defeat and humiliation for hitler but in long term it wasn't too bad as:

-writes Mein Kampf

-NSDAP ban lifted

-trial gets publicity

-creates a democratic strategy n reorganisation

Mein Kampf

aryan race are best and jew weaken that

lebensraum (expand into russia)

totalitarian regime

tradition german values

Heinrich Himmler

leader of the SS

Hitler uses him as he needs to regain control

1926

Bamberg Conference called as there was a split in party between socialists and nationalists

consequences of the bamburg conference

Hitler persuades Goebbels that nationalism should be emphasised and stressed calls him a 'scheming dwarf'

made Hitlers control clear

1929 Wall Street Crash

share prices begin to fall on wall street stock exchange

economic effects of 1929

banking crisis:

german banks suffer huge losses and some run out of cash

economic crash:

US begin to demand the return of loans they lent out causing some to shut down

unemployment 1929

From companies forced to shut however benefits are unable to be payed so homelessness rose

Impact of Wall Street Crash

as life becomes harder, more people look away from moderate parties and look toward the extreme parties like NSDAP

Hitlers appeal to big businesses

persuades then that NSDAP are there best hope of protection against communism

as a result money was poured into propaganda

Hitlers appeal to working class

promised 'arbeit und brot'

the name NSDAP also was a obvious sign to seem like their party

however, most preferred communism

Hitlers appeal to middle class

the great depression and the fear of communism caused people like teachers and lawyers to look to NSDAP

Hitlers appeal to young people

It was exciting and the rallies were colourful and atmospheric

Hitlers appeal to women

not much support as told of women being wives and mothers but propaganda claimed it was best for their families so more began to be attracted to the NSDAP

1932-1933

becoming chancellor

april 1932

hindenburg wins election with 19million but hitler follows with 13mill

is a huge blow for KPD

Von Schleichers idea

suggest Von Papen to be chancellor which Hitler agrees to support if ban on SA is lifted

May 1932

Von Papen becomes chancellor

November 1932

Von Papen sacked as he takes a gamble that the nazis will fall with a election and they do but remain the biggest still

December 1932

Von Schleicher becomes chancellor due to desperation

January 1933

Hitler becomes chancellor as Von Papen thinks they can use him as a figure head and control him like a puppet on a string

The roles of Hindenburg, von papen and von schleicher

all underestimated Hitler and believed they could bring him into power and control him

they were wrong

1933

Reichstag sets on fire supposedly by a communist called Marinus Van Der Lube

Hitler claims it is part of communist conspiracy and uses as a chance to attack communism

Consequences of the Reichstag fire

4000 communists arrested

Hindenburg declares state of emergency

and is persuaded to call a election in march

March 1933 Election

Hitler gets 2/3 majority which is enough to change constitution

The enabling act

1933

designed to destroy Reichstags power

uses SS to intimate as he expects opposition

what the enabling act says

the reich cabinet can pass laws

could overrule constitution

laws would be proposed by chancellor (him)

Consequence of the enabling act

marks the end of a democratic rule

Night of the Long Knives

1934

SS warned Hitler that Röhm was planning to seize power

Hitler arranges meeting with SA leaders and Röhm and they were imprisoned and shot.

Von Papens house was surrounded to show they didn't have Hitler on strings

1934

the death of Hindenburg

Hitler becomes Führer and his third reich had begun

Gestapo

secret police led by Heydrich working alongside the SS

aimed to identify anyone who opposed the nazi government by tapping phones and spying

Concentration camps

to cope with the number of arrested people by the gestapo, new prisons were set up

Inmates at concentration camps

'Undesirables' such as prostitutes and gays

minorities such as jews

political prisoners

Hitlers concordat with the pope

freedom of worship for catholics

wasn't stuck to by Hitler as many were send to concentration camps and catholic youth league was banned

How far did Hitler succeed with religion?

Germany was gradually becoming a. totalitarian state

Nazi Use of the Media - the press

journalists were told what they can't publish (censorship)

any newspapers that opposed nazi views were shut down

Nazi Use of the Media - radio

Goebbels censored radio stations and used them to broadcast nazi propaganda

cheap mass produced radios were put in cafes, schools and factories and even on the street

Nazi use of rallies

a mass rally was held at Nuremberg every year to create a sense of German unity

Nazi use of sport

Goebbels 'nazifyed' sport by:

-covering stadiums in nazi symbols

-all sportsman do the nazi salute during the national anthem

The Berlin Olympics

1936

used sport as propaganda to show nazi Germany in a good light

how was the Berlin olympics used for propaganda?

-all events well organised to demonstrate efficiency

-Germany won most medals

-filmed games to use for propaganda

Nazi use of arts

set up the

chamber of culture

chamber of visual arts

both censored to make sure idea were consistent with nazi ideology

Gleichschaltung

the idea of consistency alongside the nazis

Music in Nazi Germany

Jazz music is banned as it is the works of black people

any jewish artists were banned

traditional german folk was favoured

Support for the nazi regime

nazi success e.g. reducing unemployment

only positive messages about the nazi party because of censorship

Opposition from the church

the confessing church set up in opposition, most CC pastors were sent to concentration camps

Pastor Martin Niemoller

was somewhat supportive of the strong leader Hitler was but when he began to interfere with church, Niemoller criticised them

his phone got bugged by the gestapo and he was arrested

Niemollers veiws

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."

Opposition from the young - edelweiss pirates

wore a white edelweiss flower and resents military discipline of nazi youth groups.

boys wore hair longer and wore american fashion. They hung around streets and taunted Hitler youth

Opposition from the young - the swing youth

teenagers from wealthy middle class families and admired american clothes, films and music

They drank and smoked and organised illegal dances

Nazi views on women

tradition role of mother and housewife

Hitler described there time as equal but different to those of mens

3 k's

Kirche, kuche und kinder

church, food, and children

The law for encouragement of marriage 1933

loans were provided to young couples to marry and encourages wives to stay at home and bring up children as they were only proved if she gave up work

For each child born, a quarter was paid off so by four children it was written off

divorce laws

if the wive could or would not have children it was seen as grounds for divorce

the mothers cross

Bronze (4-5), Silver (6-7) and Gold (8+)

mothers of 10 were expected to nam Hitler as godfather and call him Adolf

Hitler youth would salute wearers of gold medals

Lebensborn

encouraged women to breed with SS men to create genetically pure children

How effective were nazi policies toward women?

mixed success

birth rate increased and fewer went to university

However some believed it degraded women such as scholtz-klink

The Hitler youth

regular camping expeditions and sport competitions

practice map reading and small arm shooting

taught comradeship and loyalty

League of German Maidens (BDM)

had political and physical activity like boys

also:

trained to cook, iron and sew

taught racial hygiene (marry aryan race)

Did nazi youth groups achieve their aims?

some were enthusiastic and committed but most didn't enjoy being forced to do activities they didn't enjoy

The Labour Front (DAF)

protects rights of workers however most were worse off as:

length of working weeks went up by 6 hours

could punish workers that disrupted production

Strength through Joy (KdF)

Hitler realised the loss of trade unions could cause unrest so they set up another organisation:

purpose was to make work more enjoyable by providing leisure activities for workers

The Volkswagen (people's car)

Hitler asked Porsche to design a car that the average german could afford for 4 people. The KDF encourage workers to give 5 marks a week to save up

the factories were set up but production was stopped to make armaments