Nazi experiment 1929-1949

Why did grand coalition collapse

Great depression- division on whether to continue welfare state, SPD wanted to maintain it, Centre party wanted compromise, DVP wanted to end.

Why did Muller step down?

Hindenburg refused to support use of Article 48 for Muller to rescue left leaning coalition following depression.

• However supported Bruning as he supported goals of Kamarilla (rise taxes, cut welfare state, stop reparation payments) and shared Hindeburg’s preference of ruling by presidential authority rather than parliamentary majorities

Impact of 1930 and 32 election

Extremist parties made significant gains, e.g Nazi party 107 deputies and KPD with 77.

• harmed effective working of Reichstag but SPD tolerated Brunning due to fears of another election resulting in further extremist gains.

1932- Hitler gained 37 percent of the vote.

Fall in Reichstag power 1930s

1930- 5 laws passed through Article 48

1932- 66 laws passed through Article 48- only 5 using Reichstag

Why did Bruning step down in 1932?

• Wanted to use emergency decree to seize inefficient, debt ridden agricultural estates typically owned by Junkers.

• Junkers lobbied this plan, labelled it as ‘Agrarian Bolshevism’ which threatened traditional Prussian social structures—> Hindenburg Junker so sympathetic forcing his resignation in May 1932.

• austerity programme unpopular, ‘hunger chancellor, cut wages—>increased support for extremism whilst doing little to improve recession.

formation of Papen’s government

formed ‘cabinet of barons’, doesn’t contain members from Reichstag. Papen hoped to make gov work through Nazi support for stability (held 18% of seats). Unelected, presidential gov- accustomed germans to authoritarian rule, dependence article 48

Papen lifted ban on SA, accelerated political violence

Papen’s fall?

Reichstag voted no confidence by 512 to 42. Hindenburg dissolved Reichstag after one day.

• Papen wanted to form moderate coalition with Nazi’s, they made significant gains in June 1932 after dissolution becoming largest party in Reichstag. Hitler refused subordinate role, failed to gain Nazi cooperation.

• Continued parliamentary deadlock after Nazi’s lost 2 million votes, no. seats w/KPD meant extremist parties still held majority over DNVP.

• Papen proposed to permanently replace Reichstag and use army to suppress opposition, Schleicher disapproved of plan due to fears of civil warand convinced Hindenburg to dismiss Papen.

Schleicher’s attempt to partner with Nazi’s?

Believed he could tame Nazi’s and use popularity to stabilise gov whilst keeping them subordinate to conservative elite and army.

• Schleicher was in regular contact with Rohm (head of SA), wanted SA to develop closer links with army, ensuring they had access to weapons.

• attempts to get support by offering to appoint Strasser as vice chancellor and to bring left wing Nazi’s into coalition. This fails

Why did Schleicher fall from power

Intended to unite trade unions, left of Nazi party and Reichswehr to form cross-front coalition.

• failed as failed to divide Nazi’s, trade unions distrusted due to military background.

• Papen conspired with Hitler to convince Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor with Papen as vice—> Schleicher unable to get working majority in Reichstag.

• failed to split Nazi party.

Nazi party organisation:

established Gaues (regions), giving nazi’s a national structure helping them to promote policies across Germany.

Policy of legality

Bamberg conference 1926- centralised structure, obedience to Hitler.

Nazi propaganda

• Blut und boden appealed to farmers, idealised agrarian life.

• advertisement in theatres

  • Nazi teachers assciation, Hitler youth.

fuhrerprinzip

hitler reorganises party 1926, had supreme power over policy and strategy

Legal revolution Nazi’s 1933

• Reichstag fire January 1933

• Reichstag fire decree 28th feb 1933

• March 1933 election- 44 percent of vote (not enough for 2/3 majority tho).

• Enabling law- dictatorial powers for 4 years.

• Restoration of civil service, legal foundation to purge jews and political opponents from office

• Trade unions destroyed

• NSDAP made only legal party.

What was gleichschaltung

coordination process where all German institutions were to conform to nationalist socialist ideology.

• removal of parliamentary gov (Reichsrat, state parliaments dissolved 1934)>

• bringing army under control

• neutralising church- Reich church with pro-nazi bishop, banned old testament to diminish jewish influence

volkgemeinschaft

idea of community of people who shared a common race who would together as one for the good of each other. Community limited to aryans, gave them a sense of belonging in classless society

• political and social institutions nazified, policies developed which excluded non aryans, showed hostility to jews. E.g non aryans unable to get certain job positions

chancellors post weimar

Muller (grand coalition)

Bruning: 1930-32

Papen: 1932

Schleicher: 1932-33

intenationalist vs structuralist view

intentionalist- Hitler had coherent ideas and clear aims, Hitler was powerful and fostered rivalries within his regime through overlapping bodies of ministries, e.g SS and Gestapo, withheld information to bid for supremacy and Hitler’s favour.

structuralist- Hitler not coherent, more of an opportunist and always fearful of opposition. Fears of alienating elites, therefore implemented overlapping bodies of traditional and nazi.

opposition to nazi’s?

generally little opposition, long knives/gleischaltung/successful econ policies?

• Some read banned literature

• Judges refused to deliver Nazi justice

• working with underground SPD movement e.g Berlin Red patrol

• in total 1.3 million germans sent to concentration camps, 300,000 left Germany.

Nazi key figures

Goebbels- Minister of propaganda

Himmler- Chief of SS, head of police and Gestapo.

Rohm- head of SA

Goring- founder of Gestapo, head of Luftwaffe

Economic changes to Germany under occupation from 1944

• Germany lost 25 percent of its land to USSR after Potsdam, 6.75 million Germans deported.

• USSR took extensive reparations from East Germany e.g seized factories.

• Deutschmark 1948 in Western zones

Chancellor and President of West Germany?

President- Theodore Heuss

Chancellor- Adenauer (CDU)

Why did FRG introduce basic law?

1949 To establish provisional constitution, West Germany still under occupation- allows for first national election.

Parliament East Germany name

volkscongress

What was OEEC?

organisation for european economic recovery, oversaw EU recovery and distributed aid.

Who was most powerful in East Germany

Walter Ulbricht, deputy PM had most power in GDR

held post of deputy of central committee of socialist unity party. Became communist dictator who turned EG into Stalinist, strict dictatorship

what was SMAD

Soviet Military Administration in German

impact of wall street crash

budget deficit 1700 million in 1929

1932- 6 million unemployed, mostly under 25.

nazi economic aims

• expand public works, gov spending w/borrowing rather than tax (mefo bills allowed borrowing without showing on central bank records).

• attainment of autarky (self sufficiency) and lebensraum (living space)

• defence economy (wehrwirtcahft), prepare for war

Battle for work

Battle for work: Reich labour service to reduce unemployment (mandatory 6 month labour duty, indoctrinate young men), gov spending on public works, conscription 1935, construction of Autobahn (motorway)

jewish people, political opposition, women removed from labour force giving distorted unemployment figure.

New plan

New plan (introduced by Schacht)- (stablise economy, develop autarky) trade agreements within south america manufactured goods for raw materials, gov reg of imports. Captive market in south america for german goods resulted in trade surplus.

Fall in living standards as suppressing imports of consumer goods, failed to achieve autarky- dependent on Romania for oil

Four year plan

Speer:

(prepare for war) autarky, production of heavy machinery, rearmament, labour control

Targets not met, imported 1/3 of its raw materials, ‘guns not butter’ decline in consumer goods, lower productivity than allies

Success and failures of Nazi social policy:

• Sept 1933- law for protection of German blood forbidding sexual relations

• Nov 1938- Krystallnacht, 20-30,000 Jews deported conc camp

• fall in unemployment- Autobahn, loyalty w/Hitler youth, Arbeitdienst

• U turn on Kinder, Kuche, Kirche- women pressured into factories under four yr plan

• ‘guns over butter’ rearmament led to food shortages

What happened to asocials

(Don’t align to volksgenossen e.g, gays, beggars, mentally sick), 1933 sterilisation law for ppl w/ hereditary illnesses.

• Nuremburg laws stripped them of civil rights, forced into labour, mass murder.

Denazification

• Fragenboden (questionnaires)- Some of those in West completed questionnaires on all aspects of life under Nazi’s to understand level of indoctrination and re-educate.

• Persil trials- Nazi sympathisers/members could appeal to arbitration court after being dismissed from jobs. Allowed them to continue civic life.

• Institutions- West did little restructuring, Adenauer wanted democraticisation through integration of Nazi’s back into society. East Germany however arrested 150,000 suspected Nazi followers

Why did Adeneaur want Erhard to be appointed President

• Prevent SPD nominee Schmidt from taking office

• promote Erhard to ceremonial position, stop him from becoming chancellor

How did Adenauer form coalition with FDP

Agreed to resign after two years 1961

• unpopular after failing to show solidarity with West Germans during building of Berlin Wall

• Brandt (SPD) very popular, Adenauer came across as detatched and old.

What was Der Spiegel Affair

• Strauss (minister of defence) raided office and arrested journalists after they criticised gov’s defence capabilities.

• Reminiscent of Nazi control.

why was violence importance for nazi’s

• SA thugs routinely raided left-wing political meetings, attacked printing presses- weakened oppositions organisational strength.

• traditional, aging conservative politicians who looked weak and ineffective, the marching SA columns projected power, discipline, and purpose. To disillusioned, unemployed young men during the Great Depression, the SA offered food, uniforms, and a target for their anger.

• The violence gave the party a dynamic, revolutionary aesthetic that made them stand out from mainstream political parties.