Study Guide: Germany Development of Dictatorship 1918-45

Endorsed for Pearson Edexcel Qualifications\

PEARSON EDEXCEL INTERNATIONAL GCSE (9-1) - HISTORY\
GERMANY: DEVELOPMENT OF DICTATORSHIP, 1918-45\
Contents

  • ABOUT THIS BOOK\

  • TIMELINE\

  • 1. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC AND ITS EARLY PROBLEMS\

  • 2. THE RECOVERY OF GERMANY, 1924-29\

  • 3. THE RISE OF HITLER AND THE NAZIS TO JANUARY 1933\

  • 4. NAZI GERMANY 1933-39\

  • 5. GERMANY AND THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR\

  • GLOSSARY\

  • INDEX

ABOUT THIS BOOK

  • Written for students following the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9-1) History specification, covering one unit of the course: Germany: Development of Dictatorship, 1918-45, which is part of the Depth Studies.\

  • Structured so that teaching and learning can occur both in the classroom and during independent study.\

  • Contains five chapters corresponding to the areas of the specification: 1) Establishment of the Weimar Republic and early problems 2) Recovery of Germany (1924-29) 3) Rise of Hitler and Nazis to January 1933 4) Nazi Germany (1933-39) 5) Germany and occupied territories during WWII.\

TIMELINE - GERMANY, 1918-45

  • 1918: Kaiser went into exile, Armistice signed.\

  • 1919: Treaty of Versailles signed.\

  • 1921: Hitler became leader of the Nazi Party.\

  • 1923: Invasion of the Ruhr by French and Belgian troops, Hyperinflation, Munich Putsch, Rentenmark introduced.\

  • 1924: Dawes Plan.\

  • 1928: Germany joined League of Nations.\

  • 1929: Young Plan approved and Wall Street Crash.\

  • 1933: Hitler became chancellor, Reichstag Fire, Enabling Act passed.\

  • 1934: Night of the Long Knives; Hindenburg died; Hitler became head of state.\

  • 1939: Outbreak of the Second World War.\

  • 1945: Germany surrendered; Hitler committed suicide.

1. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC AND ITS EARLY PROBLEMS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand the situation in Germany at the end of the First World War and the impact of the Treaty of Versailles.\

  • Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the new German Republic and the challenges it faced.\

  • Understand Germany's economic problems from 1918-23.\

THE GERMAN REVOLUTION

  • November 1918: Germany surrendered; Kaiser abdicated.\

  • The Kaiser had promised a quick victory, but the reality post-war was chaos with strikes over food shortages due to a naval blockade.\

  • The Weimar Republic was formed, a parliamentary democracy, facing early opposition due to dissatisfaction with its legitimacy and the Treaty of Versailles.\

1.1 ABDICATION OF THE KAISER AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand the key features and causes of the German Revolution in 1918.\

  • Understand the importance of the abdication of Wilhelm II.\

  • Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution.\

  • 9 November 1918: Kaiser abdicated; new Chancellor Friedrich Ebert introduced the Council of People's Representatives.\

  • 11 November 1918: Armistice was signed; the constitution was approved in 1919 and guaranteed freedoms but faced opposition from various political factions.\

  • The system of proportional representation created instability as no party could achieve a majority, leading to many short-lived coalitions.\

Key Terms: Abdicate, Armistice, Proportional Representation, Parliamentary Democracy.\

1.2 THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand the attitudes of the peacemakers at the Versailles Conference.\

  • Understand the treaty's terms and evaluate its impact on Germans.\

  • Germany experienced a severe punitive peace with territorial losses (e.g., Alsace-Lorraine to France).\

  • Germany's military was restricted; huge reparations left the economy damaged.\

  • The War Guilt Clause (Article 231) humiliated Germans, impacting their attitudes towards the Weimar Republic.

1.3 CHALLENGES TO THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC FROM LEFT AND RIGHT

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand the unrest in post-WWI Germany.\

  • Analyze the events of the Spartacist Uprising and Kapp Putsch and their consequences.\

  • Political extremism emerged both from left and right, challenging the Weimar government.\

  • Ebert's government faced multiple uprisings; oppositional factions were often suppressed violently, including the Freikorps.\

2. THE RECOVERY OF GERMANY, 1924-29

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand economic policies used to stabilize currency.\

  • Assess measures taken to reduce reparations through the Dawes and Young Plans.\

  • Evaluate Stresemann's foreign policy achievements.

  • Gustav Stresemann played a crucial role in addressing hyperinflation by introducing the Rentenmark.\

  • Dawes Plan (1924): Reduced reparations; increased US loans aided industrial recovery.\

  • Young Plan (1929): Further reduced reparations; increased foreign investment.

3. THE RISE OF HITLER AND THE NAZIS TO JANUARY 1933

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand the origins and growth of the Nazi Party.\

  • Analyze the Great Depression's impact on Nazi support.\

  • Understand events of 1932 leading to Hitler's chancellorship.

  • The Munich Putsch in 1923 highlighted weaknesses in Weimar governance.\

  • The Great Depression severely impacted Germany, resulting in skyrocketing unemployment, which increased Nazi support.\

  • Hitler was appointed as chancellor in January 1933 due to political maneuverings by conservative leaders who underestimated his ambitions.

4. NAZI GERMANY 1933-39

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand methods used by Hitler to create a dictatorship.\

  • Evaluate different methods of Nazi control and their effectiveness.\

  • Analyze the impact of Nazi policies on German society.

  • Hitler employed propaganda, censorship, and terror to eliminate opposition.\

  • The state became a police state with organizations like the SS and Gestapo instilling fear among citizens.\

  • Nazi ideology radically influenced all aspects of German life, leading to increased oppression of Jews and women, and indoctrination of youth.

5. GERMANY AND THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand the impact of Nazi policies towards Jews during WWII.\

  • Evaluate the impact of WWII on German civilians.\

  • Assess growing opposition to Hitler and the Nazis.

  • The Final Solution, involving systematic extermination of Jews, marked a drastic escalation of Nazi policies.\

  • The war had a devastating impact on German civilians, including widespread shortages and bombings. Opposition grew as conditions worsened.

GLOSSARY

  • Abdication: When a monarch gives up the throne.\

  • Anti-Semitism: Hatred against Jews.\

  • Aryans: The people Hitler considered the master race.\

  • Final Solution: The Nazi plan for the extermination of Jews.\

  • Nuremberg Laws: Racial laws that discriminated against Jews.

INDEX

  • Hitler: 41, 47-8, 60-68.\

  • Nazi Party: 39-57.\

  • Weimar Republic: 4-8, 10-12.\

  • Holocaust: 93-96.\

  • Second World War: 93-106.

EXAM GUIDANCE

  • Examine sources critically; understand context and implications.

  • Prepare structured and detailed responses, supporting with evidence from the text. Analyze different perspectives and interpretations within historical context.

END\

This study guide captures detailed information, learning objectives, key terms, events, and analysis implications relating to the topic of the development of dictatorship in Germany from 1918 to 1945. It is structured for easy comprehension and reference during study and revision.