Germany Democracy and Dictatorship

History AQA GCSE

The Kaisar’s Powers

Kaisar was the head of the state

* power to appoint/dismiss Chancellor
* could dissolve the Reichstag
* in charge of foreign policy
* Commander-in-Chief of army

Army under the Kasiar

* officers swore oath of loyalty to the Kasiar
* officers were elites, right-wing
* Reichstag funded army evry 5 years

Chancellor under the Kaisar

* chief minister
* power to appoint ministers to help him make new policies
* could ignore Reichstag
* puppet under the Kaisar - if K didn’t like him, he’d be gone
* e.g. Bismarck in 1971
* \

Reichstag under the Kaisar

* 397 deputies
* elected by German public (men over 25)
* power to pass or reject laws from the Chancellor
* began to grow in the 1890s
* political parties began to form
* put pressur eon the government, could shape public opinion

Raising Revenue under the Kasiar

* Germany was a federal state
* power to control income tax

Prussian Military

* Prussian army was very strong
* leading army officers were Prussian

Weltpolitik

* World Policy
* Kaisar’s policy to make Germany more powerful
* had to become more powerful than GB

Navy Laws

* 1898 = 1st Naval Law, 7 battleships
* Admiral von Tirpitz
* funding meant taxes were raised - workers affected
* 490 billion Marks debt - 1913
* 1912 - Germany had 2nd largest navy in Europe

Triple Entente

1907, GB, France and Russia

Industry under the Kaisar

* focused on manufacturing
* increase of importance of the Ruhr - industrial centre
* WW1 - coal production matched UK’s

Consequences of Industrialisation Under the Kaisar

* creation of better transportation - better communication lines and trade-routes
* 1914: Germany were world leaders in industries
* Volkswagen - cars
* population of Berlin doubled between 1875-1910
* urbanisation - 60% of pop. lived in cities by 1910
* immigration - rise of xenophobia

Socialism Definition

belief that everyone in society should share the profits from industry

* mainly supported by workers
* essentially communism

Growth of the SPD

* SPD = Social Democratic Party
* 1912 - had the most seats in the Reichstag

Kaisar and Social Reforms and Recessions

* 1891: Social Law - illegal for children under 13 to work, woman to work more than 11 hours daily, banned Sunday working
* 1901 = creation of industrial courts - disputes between employers and employees
* 1898: Kaisar gave a speech saying workers who went on strike should be executed, said the same to SPD members

WW1 - deaths

* 2 million troops died
* 4 million troops wounded
* 600,000 widows
* 763,000 civilians died of starvation
* 150,000 civilians died of the flu

WW1 - economy

* 1918 - production was 1/3 lower than in 1913
* debt increased by 100 billion marks post-war
* more money printed during the war to aid war effort - inflation
* average wage 40% lower in 1918 than in 1913
* social issues bc workers angry @ big business owners who’d made lots of money

WW1 - social

* food and fuel shortages - British blockade prevented imports
* strikes

WW1 - political change

* Nov 9th, 1918 - Kaisar abdicates to Holland
* Ebert becomes leader of new government (SPD leader)
* surrenderred to the Allied powers
* German citizens v/ angry - felt the govt. had betrayed them - ‘Stab in the Back’ Myth, ‘November Criminals’

Kiel Mutiny

* 28th Oct, 1918
* sailors rebelled - refused to follow orders
* army followed suit
* citizens in Munich also strike

Treaty of Versailles

* 1919, January
* seen as a ‘diktat’ by the citizens
* (forced peace)

Article 231

War Guilt Clause

* Germany had to accept blame for the war
* £6,600 million in reparations
* loss of colonies such as the Polish Corridor
* 10% land lost
* 13% population displaced

Versailles Military Restrictions

* 100,000 soldiers in army
* 15,000 sailors
* 6 ships
* 0 submarines, tanks, no airdorce
* conscription banned
* demilitarisation of Rhineland

Economic Problems Post WW1

Reparations:

* 1922 - Germany was unable to continue paying reparations
* France and Belgium did not believe them - invaded the Ruhr

Hyperinflation:

* value of the Mark plummetted - inflation was so bad, it was hyperinflation
* an egg was worth 8 billion marks
* middle class (ppl with savings) and pensioners suffered the worse
* ppl with debts were happy - easier to pay off
* become worse bc of Occupation of the Ruhr

Occupation of the Ruhr:

* 1923 - 60,000 French and Belgian troops invaded the Ruhr
* Ruhr = industrial centre of Germany
* German govt. told workers. -passive resistance - strikes, flooding mines, no money being produced by the country
* 140 Germans killed
* humiliation of the Germans increased

President of Weimar Republic

* head of republic
* elected every 7 years
* elected the chancellor
* Article 48 - emergency powers
* \

Reichstag

* coalition governments - proportional representation meant parties formed coalitions in order to have power
* these coalitions were weak and the parties usually fell out with each other - meaning the governemnt was constantly being changed
* 14 different givernments between 1919-1923
* Chacnellor was usually from the Zentrum party

Spartacist Uprising

* 1919, January
* Communist group - Rosa + Karl Liebknecht
* revolt in BErlin - aimed to lead a general strike + overthrow WR
* Ebert hired ex-army, right-wing group - Friekorps - to stop them
* failed, changed very little - if anything, increased hatred towards Communists
* Rosa and Karl were executed, party crumbled without its leaders

Kapp Putsch

* march, 1920
* Friekorps - led by Wolfgang Kapp
* siezed BErlin, took control over the Republic for three days
* failed bc WR ordered the Worker Unions to go on strike

Munich Putsch

* 1923, November
* Nazis took control of police and army HQ
* stormed a Bavarian govt. meeting - forced them to say they’d help
* they lied, told WR abt the revolt
* Hitler marched to Munich - declare himself PResident
* state police were there - arrested Hitler
* banned from public speaking for a while
* sent to prison - only served about 7 months?
* wrote Mein Kampf during this time

Stopping Hyperinflation

* Stressemann called of passive resistance
* Nov 1923 - set up a new currecny (Rentenmark)
* negotiated with the French and Belgians - they left the Ruhr

Dawes Plan

* 1924
* loans from US banks
* 800 million RM to Germany

Young Plan

* 1929
* reduced reparations by 2/3
* 6.6 billion to 2 billion

Wall Street Crash

* horrific impacts on Germany
* loans recalled - major economic detriments
* basically country crumbled again

Stressemann

* chancellor and Foreign Minister
* negotiated with foreign counteies - wanted to improve Germany;s foreign policies
* negotiated for better economic treatment
* died october 2nd, 1929 - just before the WSC

Locarno Pact

* 1925
* GB, FRance, Italy and Belgium
* recofnised borders of Germany with France
* recognised demilitarisation of Rhineland

League of Nations

* 1926
* given major power status - could veto other’s decisions
* international peace-keeping body

Kellogg-Briand Pact

* 1928
* 62 other countries
* agreed to not use war to solve disagreements

Internal Threats to the WR

* Germans still felt resentful to the LoN and ToV
* extremist political parties (LW and RW) hate the WR

Weimar Culture

* rise in expressionism in art - Bauhaus Architecture School
* cinema became very popular - Metropolis in 1927
* Marlene Dietrich, Fritz Lang
* jazz became very popular - cabaret + jazz clubs + nightclubs
* church + old-fashioned society very appaled
* called this new culutre ‘degeneracy’
* Berlin seen as the new Paris
* Berlin seen as a sex-obssessed city

Women in the Weimar Republic - YAY!

* woman over 20 years old could vote
* Article 109 - gender equality in the workplace and at home
* part-time working women increased
* encouraged to attend university

Women in the Weimar Republic - NAY!

* 1918: 79% women were working
* 1925: 26% women were working
* stopped after becoming married, gave back jobs to the men
* ppl feared traditional German values were being forgotten

Great Depression and WSC

24th October 1929

Great Depression on Germany

* 4 years later, world trade had fallen by 60%
* loans made under the Dawes Plan were recalled
* 1932: 24% workers were unemployed
* \

WSC and the Nazis

* WSC helped the Nazis to gain power
* Hitler was charismatic and good at public speaking
* population needed strength in a time of crisis - turned to Hitler
* painted himself as ‘one of the people’
* 1928: Nazi’s had 2.6%
* 1932: Nazi’s had 37% of the vote

Nazi Intimidation Tactics

* SA eliminated political opposition
* SA protected the Nazis
* SA handed out Nazi fliers
* had a sense of uniformity and authority
* told GErmans they would protect them from the communists - ppl felt safer

Nazi Propaganda

* Goebbels was in charge of this
* Hitler’s cult of personality
* Volksgemeinschaft - people’s community - restore traditional German values and focus on the Aryan community
* anti-semitism - blamed Jews for the Great Depression

Flexible NAzi Message

* businessmen: NAzis would solve the Great Depression, control Trade Unions, deal with communisits
* workers: emploument and food, bettee wages
* middle class: Germany would return to its traditional routes
* farmers: government would no longer control food production
* women: family and home would be prioritised

Reichstag Fire

* 27th Feb, 1933
* Marinus van der Lubbe - blamed on this Dutch communist
* allowed Hitler to convince Hindenburg to pass Article 48
* banned communism - 1000s of communists arrested

Enabling Act

* 23rd MArch, 1933
* allowed Hitler to make laws without Reichstag apprival
* Germany was no longer a democracy

One Party State

* 14th July, 1933
* all political parties banned
* except for the Nazis

Dissolution of Trade Unions

* May 1933
* trade union leaders arrested and sent to concentration camps
* trade unions banned
* all workers forced to join the German Labour Front (DAF)

Night of the Long Knives

* 30th June, 1934
* SS killed 400 members of the SA
* including the ;eader - Rohm
* Hitler didn’t like him - gay, a potential threat
* SS was more disciplined, led by Himmler

Hitler becomes Fuhrer

* August 2nd, 1934 - Hindenburg dies
* Hitler takes position of President - is now both PResident and Chancellor
* takes a vote on his name change = 90% in agreement - changes name to Fuhrer
* becomes Commander-in-Chief of the military
* military swears an oath of loyalty to him

Nazis and Employment

* NAtional Labour Servoce (RAD)
* compulsory for all men aged 18-25 to be a part of it for at least 6 months
* autobahns built - 7000km of motorways
* Berlin Olympic Stadium (took place in 1936)
* Strength Through Joy and BEauty of Labour Scheme introduced to ‘improve’ working standards
* 1933: unemployment = 5 million
* 1939: unemployment = 0.3 million
* BUT
* JEws and women were not included in this statistic

Rearmament

* 1936: 4 year plan for rearmament
* 2 aims
* rearmament - building up supply of military weapons
* self-sufficiency - country is able to rely on itself
* good for big miliatry manyfacturing companies

Rationing

* began in 1939 before war started
* shortages were quick to happen
* \

Albert Speer

became Minister of Armaments in 1942

Total War

* 1943 - German economy was geared for war
* all businesses were dedicated to the war effort or closed
* all leisure was shut down - except for propaganda

Bombings

* 500,000 civilians were killed
* 750,000 Germans were wounded
* 1 million homes destroyed
* 7 million left homeless

Nazis and Women

* traditional views, ideal woman was an Aryan
* Three K’s - Kinder (children), Kuche (kitchen) Kirche (church)
* marriage loans - 1,000 marks, for every child you had, 250 marks were taken off
* Muter Kraus - the more children you had, you would get a higher award - 8 children = gold mutterkraus, saluted to on the street by the Hitler Youth
* DFW (German Woman’s Enterprise) ran classes on how to run homes
* 1933: banned from professional jobs

Germany and the Youths

* Youth Organisations - 4 different bands depending on sex and age
* 1936: membership was compulsory for children aged 10
* Boys: wore military uniforms, physical exercises, political indoctrination, sang Nazi songs
* Girls: preparation for motherhood and being housewives - uniform, domestic skills, physical exercise
* 1939: 90% of all children were part of the Nazi Youth
* 1935: textbooks had to be approved by Nazis, teachers had to be part of the Nazi Teacher Organisation - eugenics was taught

The Church

* 1933: Reich Church set up by Muller, help create a new Nazi church
* 1934: Confessional Church set up by Niemoller - Protestants, against the NAzis (Niemoller’s speeches halted the euthenasia programme, he was sent to concentration camps)
* 1933: Concordat - signed between Pope and GErmany - Hitler wouldn’t interfere in Church affairs
* lied - Hitler shut down Sunday schools and Church Youth Groups - kids had to go to Hitler Youth instead
* Niemoller, Bishop von Galen - religious oppsoition

Nazis and the Aryan Race

* perfect Aryan - blonde hair, blue eyes, white skin, tall, sporty
* race farms - members of the SS who were the ‘perfect’ Aryan went to race farms - they would have children with Aryan women
* \

Nazis and Other Races

* Nuremburg Race Laws - banned marriage between Aryans and non-Aryans, Jewish people lost their citizenship
* 1933: 500,000 habitual criminals, beggars, alcoholics, tramps rounded up and sent to concentration camps
* 1939: 5200 mentally and physically disabled children were euthanised
* 1941: 71,000 mentally and physically disabled people had been killed by this time
* 15,000 homosexuals were sent to concentration camps
* 25,000 Romani people were murdered

Nazis and Jews

* 1933: boycotts and bans on Jewish businesses
* 1935: Nuremburg race laws - Jews lost citizenship, could not marry Germans
* 1938: increase in anti-semitic laws e.g. Jewish people not allowed to go to the cinema
* 1938, Nov: Kristallnacht: 91 Jews killed, SS smashed up houses and businesses - Jewish violence increased
* 1939: Jews were being placed in the ghettos - had many Polish people too

Final Solution

* Jan 1942, Wannsee Conference
* executions and ghettos were seen as inefficient
* 6 death camps with gas chambers were built - capable of killing 2000 people at once
* 60% all Jews killed after 1942

Propaganda

* Goebbels was in command of this


1. Rallies - huge Nazi rallies used to spread the Nazi message
2. Newspapers - Nazis took over 2/3 of newspapers by 1939, censored information, tailored news printed (negative stuff about the Jews, good stories about Nazis)
3. Radio - 1939, 70% ppl had a radio, loudspeakers were also common - speeches were broadcasted daily
4. Films - cinema had progaganda, e.g. The Jew
5. Books - 1933, 20,000 books burnt, new books were censored by government, spread NAzi message
6. Music - Jazz was banned (had ‘black’ influence and so was bad), encouraged listening to German composers e.g. Mozart
7. Art - Bauhaus School shut down, 1936, 5000 paintings burnt
* was very successful, started to stop working towards the end of the war though

Nazis and the Police State

* led by Himmler


1. Gestapo - secret police, spied on other people - increased paranoia, people were less trusting of each other - only 15,000 officers
2. SS - originally Hitler’s. bodyguards, 1939 = 250,000 members
3. Concentration Camps - led by SS Death Wardens, harsh conditions, brutal punishments - almost certain death - terrified people into submission
4. Law Courts - 1940, trial by jury was abolished, 1943 = 36 offences were death penalty

Nazi Opposition

1. The Army
* July 1944 Bomb Plot
* AKA Operation Valkyrie
* Stauffenburg
* bomb in a briefcase - did not work, moved before it exploded, but Hitler was injured badly
2. Edelweiss Pirates
* mainly young people
* wore un-Nazi-like clothing
* December 1942 - 739 Pirates rounded up and sent to concentration camps
3. Swing Youth
* listened to jazz music, girls wore makeup, boys grew long hair
* bars and clubs they went to were shut down
4. White Rose Group
* Hans and Sophie Scholl
* spread anti-Nazi messages trhough leaflets and posters
* 1943: organised first major public demonstration - leaders arrested and killed