Weimar and Nazi Germany

How did Gustav Stresemann solve the problem hyperinflation?

He replaced the old currency with a temporary currency called rentenmark

Impact of Gustav Stresemann solving hyperinflaton

Positive: New currency was accepted, and wages became useful

Negative: People didn't get their savings back

What was the Dawes Plan?

In 1924, Germany was given longer to pay and had more US loans

What was the Young Plan?

-1929

-Reduced reparations from £6.6B to £2B

Impacted of the Dawes and Young plan

Positive: Reparations were now more manageable and less of a threat to the German economy.

Negatives: Many Germans believed they should not have had to pay reparations at all. This made Stresemann seem weak

How did Germany improve relations

German government made efforts to restore relations with former enemies

What was the Lorcano Pact?

In 1925, Britain, France, Belgium, and Italy agreed not to invade each other to make Europe more stable

When did Germany join the League of Nations?

September 1926

What was the 1st cause of the Munich Putsch in 1923?

Right-wing groups were unhappy with the Weimar Republic, blaming the November Criminals who apparently stabbed Germany in the back

What was the 2nd cause of the Munich Putsch in 1923?

Germany was in chaos because of Hyperinflation and occupation of the Ruhr

Events of the Munich Putsch

On the night of 8 November 1923, Hitler and 600 storm troopers burst into a meeting that Kahr and Lossow were holding at the local Beer Hall. Hitler fired a shot in the ceiling and declared he was taking over the government and that Ludendorff would become the new leader of the German army

What went wrong at Muncih Putsch?

-The army remained loyal to the weimar government

-Ludendorff releeaseed Von Kahr and Lossow

-Nazis were dismayed to find out the police,army and people sided with the weimar government

-4 police officers were killed along with 14 nazis

-Hitler fled to his friend house but was found and arrested on November 11th

Consequence of Munich Putsch

-it failed and hitler was arrested and put in prison for 5 years but got out in 9 months

How did Hitler become chancellor?

-Hitler became chancellor when many of Hindenburg's advisers saw that he was a passing figure on the political stage, and that they now favoured appointing him as chancellor.

-After many people backed the decision, Hindenburg named Hitler chancellor after intense behind-the-scenes negotiations. -Hindenburg also thought that they would be able to keep Hitler contained and control him

-In 1933

Why was Hitler's power as chancellor not secured?

-Hindenburg could sack him at any time

-His support in in the elections seemed to be declining

Events of Reichstag Fire

-27 February 1933

-The Reichstag that caught fire was blamed on the communist Van De Lugge

-He confessed and was executed

How did Hitler use the Reichstag Fire to his advantage?

-Arrested 4000 communists

-Pressured Hindenburg into supporting emergency and temporary laws to establish control

What were the emergency and temporary laws?

-Decree for the Protection of people and the state

-This gave Hitler the power to imprison opponents and ban communist newspapers

-Control over the police

-Hitler used this to round up opponents but also enforced the police to ignore SA violence

Events of Germany 1933 March elecction?

-Hitler called the election

-This was successful as the won 288 seats and 44% of votes

-Nazis gained the support of other nationalist parties

What was the Enabling Act of 1933?

Hitler wanted to pass laws without having to ask the the President or Reichstag, he got most of the vote for this act

Events of the Night of the Long Knives

- Hitler arranged a meeting with Röhm and 100 other SA leaders. They were arrested by the SS, taken to Munich and shot

-Rohm was pressured into committing suicide, instead he was shot in prison

What were the consequences of Hindenburg's death?

-2nd August 1934

-Hitler combined his power of being chacellor with the presidents power

-He declared himself the leader of germany

-The army swore an oath to support hitler

How did Nazis maintain control?

-Terror and Propaganda

Structure of the police state in germany

-The SS

-Originally, Hitler's bodyguards in black uniforms. They carried out most of the Nazii crimes

-The SD

-Uniform spies who investigated criticss of the nazis

-The Gestapo

-relied on informants in the population to denounce people and prosecuted anyone who criticised the nazi

How did Hitler use fear to maintain control?

-The SS uniforms were intimidating and different from the SA

The SS originally informed Hitler about Rohm

-The Gestapo was a guarded secret, meaning they could be anyone, and you wouldn't know this maximised their fear factor

-In 1939, there were around 160,000 Gestapo arrests

-People taken by the Gestapo would never be heard from again or reappear traumatised by torture

-Concentration camps

-soon after hitler came in powe he seized his opponets and kept them in the concentration camp without trial

-prisoners would be beaten or executed

How did Hitler deal with religious faith?

-In July 1933 a concordat or agreement was agreed with Pope Pius the 11th the Nazis promised religious freedom for Catholics in return for the clergy promising not to interfere in politics and swear, an Oath of Obedience

-Later on Priests were harassed and arrested, and the Catholic

Schools and activities were banned

How did Hitler use propaganda to maintain control?

-Censorship

-this involved banning messages that went against the nazis controlling the information people had access to

-Controlling Art and Culture

-Nazis had narroe views on what was acceptable. To them, Germany should keep traditional art forms and reject any other from different cultures

-They rejected jazz music and german music was highly promoted

Propaganda Methods

-Control over newspapers, mass media, writing, and radio.

-Used the 1936 Olympics held in Germany to promote German culture

Who resisted or opposed the Nazis?

-trade union

-army

-political

-youth

-church

How did the trade union oppose the nazis?

-slow work and sabotage

How did the army oppose the Nazis

late 1938, some army leaders planned to overthrow Hitler but set aside after successful takeover over some of Czechoslovaka

How did the youth oppose the Nazis?

- The swing kids listened to jazz, grew their hair long and wore baggy trousers

- the edelweiss pirates picked fights with the hitler youth and produced leaflets