Impact of war: WW1

  • 1914-1918

  • Hitler served in German Army

  • End in Armistice or truce ( both sides agree to end fighting)

-“stab in the back”

  • Hitler blacked left wing (November criminals- communists, jews, liberals)

  • Freikorps (paramilitary) also know as the right wing.

-“The November Revolution” (1918-1919)

  • Socialist Democratic Party (SPD) led uprising to overthrow monarchy and establish a republic

  • upset bout WW1

-Effects

  • Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated throne

  • SPD created Republic, fear of communist take over

  • Establish Weimar Republic

  • Ongoing issue between political groups

-Treaty of Versailles

  • War Guilt Clause - Germany take blame for WW1

  • Pay reparations of 33 billion US

  • Reduce military (100,000 troops), led to paramilitary. or freikorps

  • Lost of territory and German citizens

Political Instability

-Weimar Republic

  • (1919-1929)

  • Constitutional Republic, 1st time in history

-Negative

  • Proportional Representation- vote for a party not a candidate

  • Over 30 political parties

  • No majority, coalitions

  • Lack of action

  • Article 48- emergency allows president to take control- Authoritarian state

-Spartacist Revolt (1919)

  • Weimar led by Social Democrats Party (SDP)

  • 100,000 workers strike led by Spartacists or Communists

  • Weimar employed freikorps to end strike, over 100 killed

-Results

  • Communist grow hatred of SDP

  • When Hitler and Nazi rise the two groups cannot set aside differences

-Beer Hall or Munich Putch (1923)

-The Nazi Party

  • Formed post WW1

  • National Socialist German Workers Party

  • 1921, Adolf Hitler leader

-Revolt

  • Overthrown Bavarian Government then Weimar Revolt Stopped

  • Revolt stopped

-Impact

  • Hitler 5 years in prison, released in 9 months

  • Trial speech, propaganda

  • Landsberg Prison, Mein Kampf

  • Sentencing demonstrates opposition to Weimar

  • Hitler realzied democratic methods to get into power

Economic problems

  • dept from war

  • Pay reparations 33 billion US

-Ruhr Crisis (1923)

  • Industrial strength

  • Coal, Iron, Steel

  • German controlled

-Cause

  • German owes reparations

  • 1922 Weimar unable to pay

  • French believed they could pay

-Invasion

  • French send troops and take Ruhr

  • Weimar tells workers to strike

-Impact

  • Worsened economic crisis

  • Weimar Print Money

  • Hyperinflation (dramatic increase in prices with devalue of money)

  • Unemployment spikes

  • Political instability and rise of extremist parties

  • Social unrest and discontent among the population

-Result

  • 1924 Dawes Plan

  • Loans from US

  • Ended Crisis

  • Weimar Repercussions

  • Rely on US

  • Wall st. Crash 1929

  • Weimar cannot fix issue

-Great Depression (1930)

  • 500,000 business bankrupt

  • International trade down 62%

  • 6 million unemplyed

  • Industry decreased 40%

  • Prime for new leadership

Social Divisions

  • Upper class - Nobility and large business owners

  • Middle class - Small business owners and professionals (struggled because the economy)

  • Lower class - Industrial workers

-Hitler’s exploits class division

  • Nazi utilized economics and ethnicity to enhance division

  • Nazi supported by middle class and upper class, not the lower class

  • Exploits fear of communism

  • economic issues most damaging to middle class

  • Concerned about communimk not supporting private industry, the middle and upper classes rallied behind the Nazi regime, believing it would restore order and stability to an economy ravaged by the aftermath of World War I.