Germany 1918-45 History Edexcel paper 1
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30 Terms
1. explain two effects of defeat in the first world war on Germany
End of constitutional monarchy in germany
- Kaiser abdicated 9th nov
- New temporary gov set up 10th nov
- Ebert elected president after SDP gains 40%
- Weimar Republic – democracy established
Resentment towards new government
- Unstable after war
- Riots were often occurring in many cities
- Signing of TOV- goes against the nationalistic views of German people
- Politicians who signed seen as NOV CRIMINALS- some assassinated
Germans determined to undermine new gov – felt betrayed by the TOV – article 321 humiliating
2. Explain two effects of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany. [8]
Resentment towards new government
- Unstable after war
- Riots were often occurring in many cities
- Signing of TOV- goes against the nationalistic views of German people.
- Politicians who signed seen as NOV CRIMINALS- some assassinated
- Germans determined to undermine new gov – felt betrayed by the TOV – article 321 humiliating
Loss of German power
- Lost 48% of iron production/industry
- 15% of coal
- AL taken- industry
- Army limited to 100k
- No aircraft, tanks
Lost all 11 colonies in Africa
3. Explain two effects of the Weimar Constitution on Germany. [8
First democratic system in Germany
- All men and women over age of 21 given voting rights
- Proportional representation- allows all parties to get a say/ representation in RS
- Laws made in agreement with other parties
Long term political weakness
- PR allowed many small parties / extremist parties to get a say/ represented in RS
- Led to no party with majority power
- No decisions could be made/ agreed on
- Coalitions needed to be formed- broke down often
Cant address Germany’s problems
Explain two effects of the challenges from the Right on the Weimar Republic. [8]
Highlighted temporary popularity for the Weimar
- To oppose the Kapp putsch ebert called a general strike
- People agreed/ supported
- Supplies- water, gas, electricity cut
- Lasted 4 days and kapp fled to Sweden
- Showed people supported weimar over kapp
Highlighted systemic weakness in weimar
- Only 100k soldiers in army
- Cant control people and even own capital- Berlin
- Freikorps paramilitary cant be controlled
Weimar is susceptible to attacks and cant fight back properly
5. Explain two effects of the Kapp Putsch on Germany. [8]
Highlighted temporary popularity for the Weimar
- To oppose the Kapp putsch ebert called a general strike
- People agreed/ supported
- Supplies- water, gas, electricity cut
- Lasted 4 days and kapp fled to Sweden
- Showed people supported weimar over kapp
Highlighted systemic weakness in weimar
- Only 100k soldiers in army
- Cant control people and even own capital- Berlin
- Freikorps paramilitary cant be controlled
Weimar is susceptible to attacks and cant fight back properly
Explain two effects of the French occupation of the Ruhr on Germany. [8]
Temporary unity of Germany
- Ebert suggested passive resistance
- Workers agreed+ went of payed strike
- Used arson to sabotage equipment so French wouldn’t benefit from invasion
- Workers and people and weimar all opposing French
- Unity temporarily of German nation against France and Belgium
Hyperinflation
- Germany still not producing enough goods to sell + regain money
- Largely in debt to France, belgium, Britain due to TOV- reparations,
- As France invaded germanys few source of income, production slowed even more
- To pay workers they now had to print money and had 300 paper mills and 200 printing houses
- Continued printing to also pay reparations
- By nov 1923, one dollar was worth 4.2 billion marks
Two effects of hyperinflation on germany
Caused many Germans to go into poverty
- Money was essentially worthless due to hyperinflation
- One dollar= 4.2 billion marks in nov
- To buy a loaf of bread was 201 billion marks in November
- Loans and debts were now easily payed off however:
- Pensions, salaries, saving were all worthless
- No one can afford anything and middle class people also sent into poverty
Resentment towards government
- Many blamed weimar for the situation and were very angry
- The living conditions were extremely bad
- Weimar essentially lost control of the country
Hatred for weimar grew due to conditions of living and the people were angry
Gustav Stresemann’ s work on germany 1923-29
Improvement in foreign relations
- Stresemanns work included the Locarno pact 1925
- The pact decreased the tensions between the powers
- And German and eastern borders settled disputes peacefully
- AL went to France and they wouldn’t invade the Ruhr again
Kellog briand pact 1928 prevent future wars 62 countries no military force to be used
- He also entered germany into the League of Nations
- Reinstated germany a place in an international community – look less hostile
- Built trust and confidence in the people for the weimar
Rebuilt germanys economy
- The Dawes 1924 plan, agreed that America would loan G 800-million marks, boosting the German economy, and making G able to pay off some more reparations
- French withdrew from ruhr
- And the young plan lowered the reparations to 2 billion over 59 years
Rentenmark
Temporarily stabilise German economy
- Ruhr invasion led to hyperinflation ,
- Nov 1923- 1 dollar = 4.2 billion marks
- Renten art introduced as a new temporary currency to replace marks
- The amt of money printed was controlled
- Introduced the reichsbank , to help and maintain the economy
- New currency introduced- reichmark
Better standard of living for German people
- Stalled hyperinflation,
- Money now worth, business recovered
- More production and sales = more jobs, higher salaries
Young plan
Reparations lowered 1929
- Reduced to 2 billion pounds + over 59 years
- Only needed to pay 50 million pound a year,
- And 1/3 of that if they couldn’t afford
- Reduce need for high taxes
- Reduce taxes
- Funds for industry
- Boost industry, more jobs
Resentment for gov
- Nationalists angry at negotiations
- Still want the TOV terms to be erased
- Angry about negotiating TOV terms
angry in debt until 1988
Still feel betrayed by the Weimar
Locarno treaties
Improved foreign relations
- Agreed to avoid military use/ apart from self defence
- Agreed that AL belongs to France and Ruhr to germany
- Confidence in relation between G/F due to shared border
- Decreased hostility
- Germany treated as more of an equal
-
Resentment for gov from people
- Many German people// nationalist still angry that the gov is negotiating and accepting TOV terms
- Wanted to settle border relations in a different – less peaceful way
This is the way of the proud German nation that many German nationalists want
Kellog Briand pact
Improved foreign relations
- 1928- involving 62 countries including the main powers
- Preventing future wars, agreements not to use military forces
- Built peace and redemption/ trust with other countries
- Germany seen as equal internationally
Increased confidence in weimar
- People seeing the problems + relations improve
- Made germany a reputable nation and more stable
- Trust in government increased
- People becoming more confident , germany isolated from international affairs until now
Centre/ moderate parties gained trust from public as they r providing solutions
Munich putsch on Nazi party
Reorganisation of nazi party
- After the putsch and Hitler’s release
- Ban on nazi party lifted in feb 1925
- Hitler convinces members to re-adopt 25 point plan
- Splits germany into 34 districts – appointing one nazi member leader for each to grow support for nazis
- Rallies 1926 attended by 4K members
- Made party more attractive to German people
- Est. New priv body guard: S.S
Hitler and Nazis prominence in Germany grew
- His trial d the news on the putsch brought more awareness to hitler and his party
- Used his trial to display speeches about the problems with germany and blaming it on the weimar
- This was supported by many Germans
- SEEN AS A NATIONALIST STANDING UP FOR HIS PEOPLE
- 1925- Mein Kampf published + bestseller
- Book highlighted Hitler’s beliefs about lebensraum, aryan race, measures against Jews – supported by many people
Party reorganisation NSDAP 1924-28
Increased nazi influence
- Split into 34 districts, one nazi leader per district
- Aim to Control and spread nazi support/popularity
- Goebbels propaganda role also spread the anti-Jew message
- Also depicted Hitler as the saviour to germany + strong and powerful
- Takeover of 8 news papers
Gaining power through legal means/ appearing more legitimate
- Rallies held were a display of nazi power
- Held public meetings
- Shows how the party is fit to lead germany
- Not just thugs like the SA reputation
S.S introduced
Great Depression
Rise in nazi popularity
- The weimar want solving the huge economic issues in germany
- Bruning – chancellor increased taxes 10%, cut salaries, benefits, pensions
- German people angry at situation and it didn’t help
- GDP-15%
- The Germans lost faith in current gov and turned to extremist Parties and their promises save germany
- Hitler gave Germans a scapegoat- weimar
- People blamed weimar
Destroy German people’s standard of living
- 50% of young people from ages 16-30 1933 were unemployed
- 40% of factory workers couldn’t get a job
- Decreased Germany’s productivity
Unemployment from 1930-32 was 21%-44%
Sturmabtailung (SA) on nazi success
Perceived at strong and powerful
- Members of SA were around 400k,
- Stronger ‘army’ than communists
- Use of flashy weapons and displays of lights to show the nazi power and strength and potential to lead germany
Increased electoral support
- In 1930 + 32 election the SA disrupted oppositions meetings
- Threatened voters outside of polling stations – made them vote for nazis
- Votes in 1930- 107
Votes in 1932 July- 237, nov- 196 aka #1 largest
Nazi police state on German people
People became fearful of speaking freely
- Gestapo were everywhere
- Sent those ‘of interest’ and suspicion of anti nazi views to courts
- People’s court had no jury + unfair= immediate and all conviction
- Sometimes death sentence or sent to concentration camps
- Gestapo +S.S worked together
- Employed block wardens to watch and spy on people
Restricted all choice
- Burned books that went against/ weren’t aligned with nazi beleifs,
- Restricted to one ideology
Abstract/black-influenced art banned
Nazi rule on women
Limited women’s freedom and rights
- Banned contraception and abortions
- 1933 Law for the reduction of unemployment incentivised women financially to leave jobs
- Fired from RS positions ,by 1933; 10% RS= women
- Cant vote
- Only 11% uni places—women
Changed expectations and role of women
- Conservative clothing
- Smoking/ drinking = unlady like
- Rewarded with honour cross for having many children (gold=8,silver=6,bronze=5)
- Expected to get married
- Incentivised to get married : law for the encouragement of marriage
- —200,000 marriages, leave jobs + married= 1000RM, -250RM for each child
Kinder kirche, kuche = kids, church, kitchen
Nazi rule on young people
Exposure to Nazi racial science
- Racial studies/ eugenics introduced
- Taught girls how to find aryan parters
- Taught about biological inferiority of jews
- Increased PE lessons 2x, encourage aryan fitness
Limited freedom of beliefs
- Mein Kampf studied in school
- Made history and geography focused on teaching only nazi aims/ history+ lebensraum
- 1933 banned all non nazi youth groups
1936 passed Hitler youth law passed- all eligible young people to be part of a nazi youth group
Nazi rule on church 1933-45
Nazification of the Church
- Idea of German Christians movement
- Nazi swastica replaced crucifix
- Nazi uniform/ salute
- Regional landeskirche (28 evangelical Protestant church) incorporated into reich church – Ludwig muller
Emergence of resistance
- Pope pias XI criticising nazi violations of konkordat, concerns about human rights
- Encyclical “with burning anxiety” 1935 Nuremberg laws
- Illegal to become member of catholic youth group
- Gestapo + SS spy on church
- Priests arrested— conc camps
- Protestant:
- Creation of Patsors emergency league 1933
- Confessional church in 1934 to challenge reich church
Nuremberg laws (1935) on jews
Impact on Jewish personal lives
- RLftPoGBaH: jews cant marry aryans
- Has to divorce if already married
- RLoC: jews cant carry German passports/ vote in elections, only German blood can be citizens
Increased Jewish emigration
- Jews fled to avoid persecution for violation of laws
- 1939: Reich office for German emigration to speed up emigration of jews
- By 1941, 2/3 German jews left germany
160,000 jews left in germany
Kristallnacht on germany
Jewish realised the severity of the racial views in Germany
- Fear of future attacks
- Reich office 1939 speed up
- Anti-Semitic measures awareness/ seriousness
- Severity brought fear+ encouraged fleeing
- 91 killed, 30,000 arrested
- 191 synagogues vandalised/burned
- Jews blamed + fined 1mil RM
German people mislead
- Nazis justified as a genuine reaction from citizens
- Actually was a nazi initiated attack/ pogrom
Media also supported
Nazi economic policies on germany
Reduction in unemployment
- X2 Public construction works increased construction jobs; building autobahns (motorways) and Olympic stadium
- Weapon/ammo production
- Factory works- iron, coal, steel, mining
- Army 900,000 1938
- 1933 unemployment= 6 mill, 1939= 500k
- Arms spending increased 2mil 1933, 17mil 1937
Rationing?
- Herman goering 4 year plan + propaganda campaign to encourage only buying and consuming German products/food, but still had to import 1/3 of raw mats in 1939, and not enough food production so frequent food shortages,
- Rationing needed to be introduced due to shortages began august 1939
Social policies on workers
- Improving lives
- benefits/rewards from beauty of labour and strength through joy, but in BOL had to build own new facilities to improve working conditions, and received awards in KDF for hardest workers like tickets to cruises, sports, holidays, more commonly museums
More motivated / morale increase
- rewards for working harder, so more motivated, better conditions,
Ghettos on jews
Emergence of disease and starvation
- The jews were packed into a small, underdeveloped area with poor housing and living facilities and few resources
- Typhus spread due to the poor housing and packed people
- There was extremely limited food and (Ari ghetto notes…)
- Many ghettos soon had to rely on rationing?
- Between 1941-42, 4,000 jews died per month due to starvation and disease
Mistrust amongst the Jewish community
- To manage the ghettos without using nazi army resources, the nazi employed Jewish police, who would watch and control those in the ghettos
- The jews may have felt betrayed as their own people were working for the nazis
And they now couldn’t rely on/trust each other as they were indirectly being monitored by the nazis
Police state on germany 1933-39
Aided the nazis in removing opposition
- Opposing politicians and people suspected/ evident of opposing the nazis sent to People’s court
- No jury, judge was biased towards nazis and all were immediately convicted and without a fair trial
- Sent to labour/concentration camps
- Therefore all threats/ oppositions to nazis were removed
Mistrust amongst German people
- SS, Gestapo worked together, employing block leiters/ block wardens to watch people and to spy on those in suspicion of anti-nazi views or activities, and report back to them
- Informer culture developed and more popular
- Neighbours spying on each other, cant trust each other any more
Didn’t want to be arrested
2nd world war on german home front
Evacuation
- Germans made plans to evacuate the children from major areas such as Berlin
- Allied bobbing attacks became more common after 1942, mass evacuation began, sending children to rural areas such as Bavaria
- 2.5 million german children evacuated: KINDERLANDVERSCHICKUNG (KLV) programme, sent into camps (total 9,000)supervised by hitler youth teachers/leaders
Rationing
- Alr problem, made worse by 3 mil Germans fleeing inwards —west from soviets,
- First began in august 1939; food, soap, by nov also clothes
- Toilet paper rare, tobacco rare could used for currency, coal and shoe shortages in winter 1939-41
- Bread restricted to ½ loaf per day/person when gov cut again 1942
Starvation in some areas towards end of war
WW2 on women in germany
Return to working
- After German declaration to people of total war in 1943 by Goebbels, need to put all resources and people towards fighting for victory
- Shortage of labour as sent off to war in army
- From jan 1943, all women 17-45 register to work due to severe labour shortage (still hitler oppositions to women working so dropped from 39-41, as well as making exceptions for married women who he didn’t approve of working)
Fear/psychological impact
- Many women fearful of advancing soviet army on eastern side, propaganda about the soviet’s barbarity and husbands/sons conscripted off to war, constant fear for them
- Struggled to raise families alone, German cities suffering heavy bombing —Dresden and Hamburg 1943 and constant food shortages
-
WW2 on nazi opposition
‘ Emergence of youth opposition groups
- Groups: swing youth, edelweiss pirates 1937: opposed hitler youth, attacked its members, objected to conscription, strongly anti-establishment and criticised nazi culture.
- As war progressed; sheltered deserters and escape conc camp prisoners, derailed and stole from supply/freight trains,
- white rose group: anti nazi and disapproved treatment of jews and slavics
Increased army opposition
- July bomb plot 1944, army leaders began to strongly oppose Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies, and brutal methods,
- Germany began to lose war, leaders decided to act , Ludwig beck, general von stauffenberg and anti-nazi Polititan: dr goerdeler.
Ultimately failed to kill hitler or take control of Berlin with him still alive, but demonstrated the change in focus, and aim —total 11 attempts on Hitler’s life
Dawes plan on Germany
3. Explain two effects of the Dawes Plan on Germany. [8]
Stabilising the German economy
- 1924- 30 received 25 billion marks in loans
- Industry recovered as a result
- Germany reparations reduced to 1 billion a year for first 5 years
- Agreed to review the rate of payments based on germanys ability to pay
- Stability caused other countries to have confidence in germany and begin investing- particularly in factories and t=its industry
Industry improvement
- Dawes planned called for the removal of French troops in july 1925
- Now G can begin to produce and sell more
- Industrial output doubles from 1923-29
- Wages rising
- More jobs available
Better standard of living
Note 
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