Germany 1918-1945

What was the Treaty of Versailles?

A peace treaty in which Germany was forced to sign after WW1

What was the War Guilt Clause?

Germany had to take ALL the blame for the war

What is an armistice?

Ceasefire

Who was the German leader during WW1?

Kaiser Wilhem II

Who was the British leader during WW1?

David Lloyd George

Who was the French leader during WW1?

Georges Clemenceau

Who was the American leader during WW1?

Woodrow Wilson

What were the 3 main terms to the treaty?

Territorial, Military, Financial

Which French territories did Germany return to France?

Alsace and Lorraine

How many colonies did Germany lose to the treaty?

11 colonies

What were mandates?

Territories that were ‘looked after' by other countries until they were able to gain their independence.

How much, in terms of marks, did Germany have to pay for war reparations?

136 billion marks

How many soldiers was the army limited to?

100,000 troops only to be used internally (within Germany)

What else was the German military limited to?

No tanks, No submarines, No air force, only 6 battleships and cruisers, and 12 destroyers and torpedo boats.

What was Article 231?

The War Guilt Clause

What were the politicians that signed the treaty labeled by the German people?

The November Criminals

What was the ‘Stab-in-the-back theory’?

The Germans thought that the politicians/government that signed the treaty were stabbing Germany in the back as they believed they were winning the war (World War 1)

When did WW1 start and when did it end?

1914-18

What does the term abdicate mean?

To resign from power and pass it on.

What major issue did Germany face in 1923?

A great hyperinflation

Who was the first president of the Weimar Republic?

Fredrich Ebert

When did Germany’s first national elections take place? State month AND year.

January 1919

What is the term meant by Proportional representation?

A voting system where seats in a legislature are given based on the percentage of votes each party gets.

What was the period between 1923-29 called?

The Stresemann Era

Who was the era named after?

German politician Gustav Stresemann

How long was Stresemann chancellor for?

4 months

What did Stresemann become after abdicating chancellor?

A foreign secretary for Germany

When did Stresemann introduce a new currency to Germany and what was it called?

Rentenmark - November 1923

What was the value of the Rentenmark based on?

Germany’s industrial and agricultural worth

When was the new independent national bank established and what was it called?

Reichsbank - 1924

What was the name of the currency that replaced the Rentenmark?

Reichsmark

Who did the USA send to Germany to help resolve its economic problems?

Charles Dawes

When was the Dawes plan agreed?

1924

How much did the USA loan to Germany?

800 million marks

How much were the reparations lowered to (for the first 5 years)

1 billion marks

How much would reparations be increased to after this time?

2.5 billion marks

Over the next 6 years, how many marks in loans did Germany get?

25 billion marks

When was the ‘Wall street crash’?

1929

How much was the total reparations bill reduced to?

8 billion US dollars or 32 billion marks

Over how many years was the reparations bill to be payed off?

59 years

At what rate did Germany pay annually?

437 million US dollars or 1.748 billion marks

What was the Dawes plan, when was it formed, and who was it named after?

Financial plan established in 1924 to help Germany manage its reparations payments, named after American banker Charles G. Dawes.

What were the terms of the Dawes plan?

Reduced annual reparations payments, restructuring the payment schedule, and providing Germany with loans to stabilize its economy.

What was the Young plan, when was it formed, and who was it named after?

The Young Plan was an agreement to reduce Germany's reparations payments, established in 1929 and named after American banker Owen D. Young.

What were the terms of the Young plan?

Aimed to reduce Germany's total reparations from 226 billion marks to 121 billion marks.

Who founded the German Workers Party (DAP)

Anton Drexler

When does Hitler become chairman of the party and what does its name change to?

1921 - National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP)

Who were the November criminals?

Given to the German politicians who negotiated and signed the armistice which ended WW1.

Who were the Sturmabteilung (SA)?

Ex soldiers and Freikorps supporters that formed an unofficial bodyguard for Hitler.

When did the SA formally get their name?

Autumn of 1921

When did the SA begin to follow a military-style command structure and how?

1922 - wore uniform of brown shirts, jackboots, swastika armbands.

Who was appointed to lead the SA and when?

Goering in 1923

What was the Munich Putsch’s main goal?

A revolution to overthrow the German government

What inspired Hitler’s idea of the Putsch?

A movement led by Benito Mussolini which led to the March on Rome.

How long did Hitler get sent to Landsberg prison for?

5 years

Why did Hitler being sent to jail have positive outcomes?

The judge allowed Hitler to make long speeches that were reported in the national press, which allowed Hitler to gain more traction.

Conditions were lenient and Hitler spent his time writing the autobiography Mein Kampf.

Hitler only had to serve 9 months of the service

When was Hitler trialed for jail?

November 1923

When did Stresemann die?

October 1929

What triggered a downturn in the US economy and when?

Wall Street Crash in October 1929

How did the Wall Street Crash affect Germany?

USA recalled the loans it made to Germany which caused financial crisis as the government didn’t have the money to repay all loans.

What did the Wall Street Crash cause?

The Great Depression

How did the economic crisis affect Germany?

German business were forced to shut down

Many people lost jobs

Unemployment increased rapidly which meant the government needed more money to pay unemployment

Taxes rose massively

How did the great depression help Hitler in becoming chancellor?

Hitler was made to be seen as Germany’s last hope and promised a better future which appealed to all of the struggling Germans.

What pledges did Hitler make to make himself sound more appealing?

Make Germany strong and Smash the chains of Versailles

What was the role of the SA during 1930s?

Had a presence of 400k members to help Nazis appear strong

Used violence to threaten opposition to intimidate voters

What did Hitler use to win people over to Nazi beliefs?

Indoctrination, censorship and propaganda

What was a decree how could it be used?

An official order by an individual or group which has the force of law - Article 48 of Weimar Constitution allowed decrees to be used in dire situations

Who were the SS (Schutzstaffel)?

Powerful parliamentary organisation responsible for enforcing Nazi policies, operating concentration camps and committing war crimes.

When was Hitler appointed Chancellor?

30 Jan 1933

When was the Reichstag fire?

27 Feb 1933

How did the Reichstag fire help Hitler?

Hitler used a mentally unstable communist called Marinus van der Lubbe as a scapegoat and declared he caused the fire.

When were elections held and what percent of the votes did the Nazis win?

5 March 1933 - won 44% of votes

What was the Enabling Act?

Allowed Hitler to pass laws without needing permission from parliament.W

When was the Enabling Act passed?

24 March 1933

When was the Night of Long Knives?

30 June 1933W

What was the Night of Long Knives?

Hitler saw the SA’s loyalty to Ernst Rohm as a threat so he ordered the SS to execute him and many other SA leaders - killed 400 people

When was the Night of Broken Glass?

What was the Night of Broken Glass?