Authorian states (germany)

Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic

Weak government with frequent changes, economic struggles, and lack of public support.

Article 48

Allowed the president to rule by emergency decree without parliament.

Reichstag Fire

1933 fire used by Hitler to crack down on communists and gain emergency powers.

Enabling Act (1933)

Gave Hitler authority to pass laws without parliamentary consent, establishing a dictatorship.

Night of the Long Knives

1934 purge where Hitler eliminated rivals, including SA leaders, consolidating his power.

Spartacus Rising

A failed 1919 communist revolt to overthrow the Weimar government.

Kapp Putsch

A failed 1920 right-wing coup attempt against the Weimar Republic.

Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch

Hitler’s failed 1923 coup attempt to seize power in Munich.

Election of March 5, 1933

Gave the Nazis dominance in parliament.

Mein Kampf

Hitler’s book outlining Nazi ideology and his plans for Germany.

Great Depression

Global economic crisis worsened unemployment and poverty in Germany, helping the Nazis gain support.

Dawes Plan

U.S. plan to stabilize Germany’s economy by restructuring reparations payments.

Autarky

The Nazi goal of self-sufficiency in Germany’s economy.

Four-Year Plan

Nazi economic plan to prepare Germany for war and achieve autarky.

Reparations (Treaty of Versailles)

Payments imposed on Germany after WWI, causing economic hardship.

Diktat

Term used by Germans to describe the Treaty of Versailles, meaning 'dictated peace'.

Volksgemeinschaft

Nazi idea of a 'people’s community' based on race and loyalty to the state.

Propaganda

Tools used by Nazis to control public opinion and promote their ideology.

Joseph Goebbels

Nazi Minister of Propaganda, responsible for media and messaging.

Gestapo

Nazi secret police that suppressed dissent.

Hitler Youth (HJ)

Organization for indoctrinating German boys with Nazi beliefs.

Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM)

Nazi youth group for girls to promote Nazi ideals of womanhood.

Kristallnacht

A 1938 attack on Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Germany.

Eugenics

Nazi policies to promote 'racial purity' and prevent reproduction by 'undesirable' groups.

Mother’s Cross

Nazi award for women who bore many children to promote population growth.

Treatment of minority groups

Harsh discrimination and persecution, especially against Jews, disabled people, and Roma.

Rearmament

Nazi policy of rebuilding Germany’s military, violating the Treaty of Versailles.

Freikorps

Paramilitary groups of ex-soldiers who opposed communists and supported right-wing causes.

Munich Agreement

1938 deal allowing Germany to annex Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia to avoid war.

Non-Aggression Pact (1939)

Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to not attack each other and divide Poland.

Blitzkrieg

'Lightning war' strategy used by Germany for fast and overwhelming attacks.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of the Nazi Party and dictator of Germany.

Heinrich Himmler

Head of the SS and architect of the Holocaust.

Hermann Göring

Nazi leader in charge of the Luftwaffe (air force) and economic policies.