Nazi Germany Midterm Key terms

Otto Von Bismark

“Iron Chancellor,” unified Germany in 1871 through wars of unification. His authoritarian rule and conflicts with socialists/Catholics shaped German politics and laid foundations that later influenced Nazi authoritarianism

Wilhelm I

First German Emperor (1871–88), crowned after unification. His reign established the Kaiserreich system of monarchy plus parliament.

Wilhelm II

Last Kaiser (1888–1918). His autocratic leadership, militarism, and dismissal of Bismarck weakened stability and contributed to WWI and political crises that paved way for extremist politics

Walter Rathenau

Jewish industrialist and foreign minister assassinated in 1922 by right-wing extremists. His murder symbolized antisemitic violence and fragility of Weimar democracy

Alfred Stoecker

Lutheran pastor, founded Christian Social Party; promoted religious/economic antisemitism, helping fuse Christianity with antisemitic populism.

Richard Wagner

Composer whose operas carried nationalist and antisemitic themes; later revered by Hitler.

Houston Stewart Chamberlain

British-born racial theorist in Germany; promoted Aryan supremacy ideas that fed into Nazi ideology.

Arthur de Gobineau

French racial theorist; argued inequality of races, foundational to Social Darwinism and Nazi racial ideology.

Erich Ludendorff

WWI general; key in 1918 military dictatorship and later supported right-wing coups (e.g. Kapp Putsch, Beer Hall Putsch).

Paul Von Hindenburg

WWI general and Weimar president; appointed Hitler chancellor in 1933, enabling Nazi rise.

Max Von Baden

Chancellor who oversaw Germany’s surrender; his association with defeat fed Nazi “stab-in-the-back” myth. Last imperial chancellor (appointed 3 Oct 1918). Announced the Kaiser’s abdication (9 Nov 1918) and handed power to Friedrich Ebert; ended the monarchy and enabled a mainly peaceful transfer to the Weimar Republic (later used in right-wing grievances).

Friedrich Ebert

SPD leader, first Weimar president; tried to stabilize democracy but relied on conservative army and Free Corps, which weakened leftist support

Philip Schneidemann

SPD politician who proclaimed the German Republic in Nov. 1918, symbolizing democratic hopes.

Rosa Luxemburg & Karl Leibknecht

Marxist revolutionaries, Spartacus leaders; murdered in 1919, deepening left-wing divisions through fears of communism

Leo Baeck

Jewish leader; later framed by Nazis as example of “Jewish influence”

Ernst Rohm

A leader; key in Nazi street violence until purged in the Night of the Long Knives (1934).

Hermann Goring

Early Nazi, SA/SS leader, later head of Luftwaffe. Central in consolidating Nazi dictatorship.

Alfred Rosenberg

Nazi ideologue; spread antisemitic and racial theories within party.

Heinrich Himmler

Head of SS; key architect of police state and Holocaust.

Martin Bormann

Hitler’s private secretary; managed party bureaucracy, powerful behind the scenes.

Wolfgang Kapp

Right-wing politician who led the Kapp Putsch (13 March 1920), a failed attempt to overthrow the Weimar government; collapsed after a nationwide general strike. Revealed army/elite sympathy for anti-republican forces and the fragility of the new state.

SPD (Social Democratic Party)

Largest Marxist party in Europe; central to Weimar democracy but targeted by both Nazis and Communists

Center Party (Zentrum)

Catholic political party, defended Catholic rights during Kulturkampf; vital player in Weimar coalitions.

Christian Social Party

Antisemitic, populist Protestant party in late 19th c.; spread “economic antisemitism."

Pan-german league

Nationalist pressure group promoting expansionism and antisemitism.

MSPD

Majority Social Democratic Party supported parliamentary democracy and cooperation with existing elites during and after WWI. Led the Weimar Republic under Friedrich Ebert. stabilized the new government but alienated the radical left by using the army and Free Corps against revolutionary uprisings.

KPD (German Communist Party)

Formed in January 1919 out of the Spartacus League and other radical socialist groups. Aimed to overthrow capitalism and establish a Soviet-style system. Became the main far-left party in Weimar Germany; its hostility toward the SPD split the working class and helped the Nazis rise.

Free Corps (Freikorps)

Paramilitary right-wing veterans; suppressed left uprisings but destabilized Weimar, precursor to Nazi paramilitaries

Steel Helmets (Stalhelm)

Conservative veterans’ organization; nationalist, anti-republican, rival to Nazi SA.

1848 Revolutions

A series of democratic and nationalist uprisings across Europe from 1848–1849 aiming to overthrow monarchies and establish liberal governments. Sparked by social unrest, economic hardship, and demands for reform, the revolts spread to over 50 countries. Though most were suppressed, they led to lasting changes like the abolition of serfdom and the rise of representative democracy.

german wars of unification

(1864–71) – Wars led by Bismarck against Denmark, Austria, France; created unified Germany, militarist traditions.

Kulturkampf

A political struggle between Chancellor Otto von Bismarck’s Prussian government and the Catholic Church over control of education and church appointments. Driven by anti-Catholic and anti-Polish sentiment, it symbolized tensions between secular and religious authority in the German Empire.

Anti-Socialist Laws

Repressed SPD but failed; SPD grew stronger underground.

Reichstag (pre-1918)

Imperial parliament with limited power under Kaiser; symbol of weak democracy in Kaiserreich.

burgfriedenspolitik (August Days)

SPD’s agreement not to oppose war in 1914, dividing left. a political truce between the German Empire's parliamentary parties during World War I. They agreed not to criticise the government's handling of the war, to keep their disagreements out of public view and to postpone elections until after the end of the war.

1920 party platform

Announced Feb. 1920, mixed racial antisemitism, hyper-nationalism, and anti-capitalism. Called for uniting all Germans, attacking “Jewish finance,” and providing social welfare. Attracted a broad base by fusing radical nationalism with worker appeals

Jewish Census (1916)

WWI measure questioning Jewish war loyalty; fueled antisemitic myths.

Hindenburg Programme

A German World War I plan led by Hindenburg and Ludendorff to boost weapons production through a command economy. It created the War Office and introduced the Auxiliary Services Act, requiring men to serve in war-related roles. Despite its aims, the program failed to meet production goals or alter the war’s outcome.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Harsh German treaty with Russia, later used to show hypocrisy when Germans denounced Versailles.

Stab-in-the-back Myth

Claim that Jews/socialists betrayed Germany in WWI; powerful Nazi propaganda tool.

Armstice (1918)

the agreement that ended fighting on the Western Front of World War I between the Entente Allies and Germany. Signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne, France, halting hostilities after four years of war. The armistice was the first step toward the formal peace treaty that followed, the Treaty of Versailles,

Kiel Sailor’s Mutiny

A revolt by German sailors in Kiel on November 3, 1918, against orders for a final naval battle. The mutiny sparked workers’ and soldiers’ uprisings across Germany, leading to the fall of the German monarchy and the creation of the Weimar Republic.

Treaty of Versailles (Article 231)

Imposed reparations; Nazis exploited resentment.

Stinnes-Legien Agreement

A pact between German trade unions and industrialists granting major labor rights, including the eight-hour workday, union recognition, and workers’ councils. It also ensured returning soldiers could reclaim their jobs, while unions accepted private ownership of industry.

Weimar Constitution

Progressive, democratic, but unstable due to proportional representation. Nazis vowed to destroy it and campaigned against it

Article 48 (Weimar)

Emergency powers decree: part of Weimar constition that let president rule by emergency decree. President suspends rights, use army, and bypass parliament. Reichstag could cancel decrees, but president could dissolve parliament if threatened

Article 151

Social rights clause (work, welfare); reflected progressive aspirations.

Occupation of the Rhine

Allied control of western Germany after World War I to enforce the Treaty of Versailles and ensure reparations. The region was demilitarized and overseen by the Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commission. It provoked strong nationalist outrage in Germany, as many saw it as a humiliating violation of national sovereignty. Tensions, propaganda, and failed separatist movements marked the period, which ended early after the 1929 Young Plan.

Kapp Putsch (1920)

Right-wing coup attempt led by Wolfgang Kapp and Ludendorff. Collapsed after general strike but showed fragility of Weimar democracy

Hyperinflation (1923)

Economic crisis, destroyed savings, discredited Weimar, fueled extremism.

Dawes Plan (1924)

US-led financial plan stabilizing Germany temporarily; tied Germany to foreign credit.

March on Rome (1922)

Mussolini’s fascist seizure of power; inspired Hitler.

Beer Hall Putsch (1923)

Failed coup in Munich led by Hitler, Ludendorff, Röhm. Inspired by Mussolini’s March on Rome; crushed by police

Beer Hall Putsch Trial

Hitler used trial to gain publicity and rebrand strategy toward legal political takeover. Wrote Mein Kampf in prison, emerging stronger

Religious Antisemitism

Traditional Christian hostility towards Jews; Nazi’s transformed it into racial antisemitism, claiming Jews were biologically corrupt

Economic antisemitism

Nazi propaganda about Jews running the economy due to economic successes in banking and department store ownership; Nazis attacked Jewish stores, boycotted, and pushed Aryanization

Socio-cultural antisemitism

Portrayed Jews as outsiders who were seen as “Un-German”, framed as cultural outsiders who threatened national unity

Social Darwinsim

“Survival of the fittest” applied to races; Nazis used it to argue for Aryan superiority and exterminate “weaker” groups

Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution

Rationalism and equality; Nazis rejected it, promoting myth, blood, and race to win mass emotional support

Ostjuden

Eastern jews stereotyped as dirty/foreign; Nazis highlighted them as the “worst” Jews to stir hatred and justify deportations – assimilated Jews also prejudiced agains them as they believed they would be the reason for antisemitism

Front Generation

WWI veterans mythologized; Nazis glorified trench camraderie and violence, modelling their movement as a “new front”. WWI veterans who saw themselves hardened by war, glorified sacrifice; many drawn to Nazis.

Tietz, Israel, Wertheim

Jewish owned department stores; Nazis targeted them as symbols of Jewish economic dominance

Ethno-Nationalist Movement

Romantic German nationalism; glorified “pure” Volk and blood community; ideological base of Nazism.

Anton Drexler

Munich locksmith and founder of the German Workers’ Party (DAP) in 1919, which became the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1920. Early mentor to Hitler and co-author of the 1920 Party Platform. Gave Hitler his political start and helped shape early Nazi nationalist and antisemitic ideology.

Hitler’s February 1933 Radio Address

Hitler’s first speech as chancellor (Feb 1). Promised national unity, Christian/family values, and protection from “communist anarchy.” Framed Nazi rule as a national awakening

Feb 4, 1933 Emergency Decree for the Protection of the German People

Gave government power to ban political meetings and censor the press. Targeted opposition, especially communists and socialists

Reichstag Fire (Feb 27, 1933)

Parliament burned; Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe arrested. Nazis used it as proof of a leftist threat

Reichstag Fire Decree (Feb 28, 1933)

Suspended civil liberties (speech, press, assembly, privacy). Legal foundation for terror against political enemies

March 1933 Reichstag Elections

Nazis got 44% of vote but no majority. Violence and arrests of communists helped secure dominance. Precursor to dictatorship

Day of Potsdam (Mar 21, 1933) 

Ceremony linking Hitler to President Hindenburg and Prussian tradition. Symbolized continuity and reassured conservatives.

Enabling Act (Mar 23, 1933)

Gave Hitler’s cabinet power to pass laws without Reichstag. SPD opposed; Center Party supported. Foundation of Nazi dictatorship

Civil Service Law (Apr 1933)

Purged Jews and political opponents from government jobs. Early legal step in racial and political exclusion.

Day of Labour (May 1, 1933)

Nazi May Day celebration claiming to represent workers. Next day, unions destroyed and replaced with Nazi DAF

Ernst Thälmann

Communist Party (KPD) leader. Arrested March 1933, tortured, and later executed (1944). Symbol of communist resistance

Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (Mar 1933)

Led by Joseph Goebbels. Controlled media, arts, culture, and propaganda to mobilize support

Joseph Goebbels

Reich propaganda minister, master of Nazi messaging and control of culture. Crucial in spreading antisemitism and Nazi ideology

Gleichschaltung (“coordination”)

Process of bringing all institutions (states, clubs, associations, media) under Nazi control. Both forced and voluntary “self-coordination”

Wilhelm Frick

Reich Interior Minister, first Nazi in a cabinet post. Helped draft racial laws, oversaw police until Himmler took control in 1936

Herman Goring

Early Nazi leader; as Prussian Interior Minister created Gestapo and auxiliary police to crush opposition in 1933

Marinus van der Lubbe

Dutch communist executed for Reichstag Fire. Nazis used him as a scapegoat to justify repression

Reichskonkordat (Concordact between the Holy Cee and the German Reich) (July 1933)

Agreement with Vatican securing Catholic Church rights. In exchange, Center Party dissolved. Gave Hitler legitimacy abroad

Law against the Establishment of Parties (July 14, 1933)

Declared NSDAP the only legal party. Germany became a one-party state

April 1933 Boycotts

Nazi-organized boycott of Jewish businesses (Apr 1). First nationwide action against Jews, tested public reaction.

May 1933 Book Burnings

Student-led, regime-backed burning of “un-German” literature (e.g. Jewish, socialist, liberal authors). Cultural propaganda act.

IG Farben

Giant chemical corporation; cooperated with Nazi regime, later involved in producing Zyklon B and forced labor.

TSV Munich 1860 Football Club

Traditional Munich club. Like other sports groups, subjected to Gleichschaltung and Nazi influence.

Bayern (Bavaria) Munich Football Club

Had Jewish president Kurt Landauer (forced out in 1933). Example of how Jewish influence in sports was erased under Nazism.

Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF, German Labour Front)

Created May 1933 to replace banned trade unions; a compulsory, state-run workers’ organization that eliminated collective bargaining, enforced workplace discipline, and provided state-controlled leisure programs (e.g., Kraft durch Freude). Integrated workers into the Nazi Volksgemeinschaft while removing independent worker representation and easing mobilization for rearmament

USPD

Independent Social Democratic Party, Left-wing breakaway from the SPD formed in 1917 over opposition to WWI. Favored immediate peace and socialist revolution. Split the workers’ movement, weakening the left and paving the way for political instability and later Nazi gains.

Spartacus League

Revolutionary Marxist group founded during WWI by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. Opposed the war and sought a socialist revolution modeled on Russia’s Bolsheviks. Led the 1919 Spartacist Uprising, which was brutally crushed, deepening divisions on the German left.