WWI Aftermath and Nazi Germany Lecture Notes

Comprehensive vocabulary regarding the Weimar Republic and the rise and rule of the Nazi Party in Germany.

Kaiser Abdication

The event occurring on $9\text{th Nov } 1918$ resulting from mutinies, strikes, and an ultimatum from the Social Democrats.

November Criminals

The name given to the government leaders who signed the Armistice on $11\text{th November } 1918$.

Spartacist Uprising

A communist revolt in Berlin during $January\,1919$ led by Luxemburg and Liebnecht that attempted to take over the country.

Treaty of Versailles (Land Loss)

The treaty signed in $June\,1919$ that forced Germany to give up $13\%$ of its land and $10\%$ of its population.

Reparations

The financial penalty of $\text{£}6.6\text{ billion}$ imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles for causing WWI.

Dolchstoss

Also known as the 'Stab in the back' theory, it was the belief that the government had betrayed the army by signing the peace treaty.

Article 48

A provision in the Weimar Constitution that granted the President 'Emergency Powers'.

Proportional Representation

The Weimar voting system where small parties gained seats, making it difficult to pass laws without a majority over $$50\%.

Kapp Putsch

A $March\,1920$ uprising in Berlin led by the Freikorps and Wolfgang Kapp after the government tried to disband them.

Red Rising

A communist revolt in the Ruhr industrial area in $March\,1920$ that was suppressed by the army.

Passive Resistance

The German government's policy of supporting striking workers in the Ruhr in $January\,1923$ following the French and Belgian invasion.

Hyperinflation

The economic crisis in $1923$ where the government printed money to pay workers, causing prices to cycle upward and currency to become worthless.

Rentenmark

A temporary currency introduced by Stresemann in $November\,1923$ to stabilize the economy and restore confidence.

Dawes Plan

A $1924$ agreement that reorganized reparations and provided $\$800\text{ billion}$ in US loans to improve Germany's state.

Young Plan

A $1929$ plan that reduced reparations from $\text{£}6.6\text{ billion}$ to $\text{£}1.85\text{ billion}$ with payments scheduled until $1988$.

Locarno Pact

A $1925$ agreement between Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Belgium to respect current borders.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

A $1928$ pact where Germany and $61$ other nations agreed to solve future disputes by 'peaceful means'.

New Objectivism

An art movement during the Golden Age that focused on showing reality.

Bauhaus Architecture

An architecture movement established during the Weimar era that emphasized beauty in technology, simple lines, and craftsmanship.

NSDAP

The renamed DAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party) which adopted the swastika, salute, and the Twenty Five Point Programme in $1920$.

SA (Brownshirts)

The Nazi paramilitary wing set up in $1921$ to act as the party's army.

Munich Putsch

A failed Nazi attempt to take power in Munich in $November\,1923$ that resulted in Hitler's imprisonment.

Mein Kampf

The book written by Hitler while in prison that outlined his aims for nationalism, socialism, and totalitarianism.

Bamberg Conference

A $1926$ conference where Hitler established that the party would follow nationalist policies and labeled socialists as traitors.

Wall Street Crash

The $October\,1929$ collapse of the American stock market that triggered the Great Depression in Germany.

Protection Law

A law passed on $28\text{ February } 1933$ following the Reichstag fire that allowed Hitler to imprison opponents without trial.

Enabling Law

A $March\,1933$ law that gave Hitler the power to pass laws without the Reichstag for four years.

Night of the Long Knives

The $June\,1934$ purge where Hitler imprisoned and shot Rohm and other SA members to remove threats to his power.

Gestapo

The Nazi secret police led by Heydrich, which had $30,000$ members used to monitor the population.

Strength through Joy (KDF)

A Nazi scheme that provided rewards for hard work, such as tickets, holidays, and the chance to buy a Volkswagen.

RAD (Reich Labour Service)

A program requiring unemployed men to complete $6$ months of manual labor.

3Ks

The Nazi propaganda slogan for women: Kinder, Kirche, Kuche (Children, Church, Cooking).

Lebensborn

The 'Spring of Life' programme where Aryan women were impregnated by SS men to create a pure race.

Nuremberg Laws

$1935$ laws that stripped Jews of citizenship and prohibited marriage between Jews and non-Jews.

Kristallnacht

The 'Night of Broken Glass' in $November\,1938$ where Nazis attacked Jewish shops and synagogues, killing over $100$ Jews.

Edelweiss Pirates

A working-class youth opposition group that wore American clothes, listened to banned music, and beat up Hitler Youth members.

Confessional Church

A rival Protestant church set up by Niemoller to oppose Nazi interference in religion.