authoritarian states

factors that led to emergence of Hitler’s authoritarian states

WW1, Social Division, Weakness of Weimar Republic, Economic factors

stab in the back myth

the belief that the German military was winning the war and that the German people had been betrayed by the German gov’t (signed by the Weimar Republic which was the Treaty of Versailles)

Treaty of Versailles

• Reparations – Germany pays for war damages.

• War Guilt Clause – Germany takes blame for WWI.

• Military Limits – 100k soldiers, no subs or air force.

• Territorial Losses – No colonies, self-determination ignored.

  • Alsace-Lorraine – Split 50/50.

  • Sudetenland – Violates self-determination.

  • Polish Corridor – Poland gains sea access, despite German majority.

When & what was the social division in Germany?

1917-1918

Spartacist Uprising - Far Left - want to establish communism (before knowing the horrors) → Is appealing to Germans about gov’t providing citizens with jobs

why was Weimar Republic weak?

They were using democracy which wasn’t working.

→ no jobs

→ hyperinflation (due to reparations)

→ problems with structure of gov’t

• Using proportional representation = made it easier for extreme political parties to win seats in the Reichstag (their parliament)

Why did Article 48 cause a problem?

allowed the German president to take emergency measures without the Reichstag consent

When an economy declines =

more extreme ideologies rise and become popular

methods to establish authoritarian states - 1918 - 1932

use of force, role of leaders, nazi ideology, persuasion and coercion and propaganda

use of force

Brown shirts targeting communists and socialists

Beer Hall Putsch - 1923 - failed attempt by Hitler and his Nazis to overthrow the Weimar Republic.

He will no longer achieve power through force but through democracy

the role of leaders

Speeches – Gained popularity by resonating with the Volksgeist (people’s mood and voice).

Nazi Ideology

• Third Reich – Vision of a new German empire.

• Lebensraum – Expansion for living space.

• Autarky – Self-sufficiency; reliance on imports weakened Germany.

• Hatred – Treaty of Versailles & Weimar Republic.

• Racial Superiority – Aryan dominance.

• Traditional Values – Gender, family roles.

• Strong Leader – Fuehrer principle.

Persuasion, Coercion & Propagand

• Joseph Goebbels – Led Nazi propaganda before Hitler's rise to power.

Legal ways to consolidate his power

Reichstag Fire Decree, Use of Force, Ministry of Propaganda

Reichstag Fire Decree

1. emergency act in times of emergency and gave police power to arrests anyone

   → Target communist

   → Called a snap election - believing that communist leaders in jail will win him more seats. He won the election but still didn’t have the majority

Enabling act

issue laws without consent of Germany’s parliament (Reichstag)

• Newspaper are shut down

• All political parties are not permitted

Gleichschaltung

range of measures to consolidate Nazi’s control over Germany

Reichskonkordat

agreement with the catholic church (like Mussolini) guaranteed Catholic Church rights in Germany in exchange for Catholic Church non-intereference in Nazi policies

Use of Force

• Night of the Long Knives (June 1934): Hitler eliminated SA leaders to gain the army’s support, prioritizing military loyalty over former allies. The German army later swore an oath to him.

• Concentration Camps: Established for political opponents and later used for mass persecution.

• Gestapo: Secret police enforcing Nazi rule through terror.

• Kristallnacht: After a German diplomat's assassination, Hitler incited violence against Jews.

Ministry of Propaganda - 1933

• Goebbels: Led Nazi propaganda.

• Hitler: Seen as Germany’s savior from the Depression.

• Outsiders: Jews, communists, etc., targeted; censorship & book burnings.