Hitler Rise #1

How was Article 48 abused by Weimar chancellors and what effect did this have? Read p137 & 137 and explain: 

-Who Brunning was? 

-What strategies did he use to govern Germany? 

-The reasons why he was unpopular?  

FEBRUARY 9th 

• Rule by decree: Ruling by establishing that you are ruling

• Brunning was chancellor from 1930 to 1932. 

• In July, when the Reichstag rejected some of his austerity measures, Brtining began using Article 48 of the constitution to govern by presidential decree. He dissolved the Reichstag and held new elections.

• In the September elections, both the Communists and the Nazis increased their representation, making it far harder for Brunning to gain the cooperation of the Reichstag.

• Brunning was prepared to worsen the effects of the Depression to be able to stop paying reparations. He said in 1931 that “only deflation would convince the world that Germany could not afford to pay reparations”.

• Brunning rejected inflationary policies financed by large-scale borrowing. Instead, he opted for deflationary policies, which included government expenditure cuts. 

• Brunning's decision to call unscheduled elections in 1930 allowed the Nazis to break into the political mainstream, and his deflationary policies from 1930 to 1932 drove millions to vote Nazi.

• Late in 1932, after reparations had been suspended, he embarked on a program of public works and the economy began to improve.

Weimar Germany 1919-29 revision for GCSE and IGCSE History

Crises in germany after ww1:

1. Abdication of the kaiser, 

   1. no authority

2. Blockade 

   1. by british navy

3. Communists 

   1. plotted revolution similar to russian

4. Defeat

   1.  left germans demoralized

5. Ebert 

   1. was elected first president, 

   2. didn't have much experience, 

   3. had no support because he signed treaty of versailles

      1. Opposition to treaty immediately

      2. Treaty Blamed for all problems in germany, even when things get better

Weimar republic was very unpopular from 1919-1923, then had period of success from 1924 \onwards

Two ranges

• 1919-23:

  • Series of attempted revolution

    • Communists to establish a communist government, taking advantage of unstable politics

      • Key attempted revolution in january 1919, names spartacist revolt

        • Established by people found guilty of treason after protesting war

        • Established communist party from their communist party

        • On the 5th of january 1919

          • People began occupying government and press offices

          • Around half a million people began general strikes

          • Two leaders were executed and tortured after they were caught

    • Right-wing nationalists revolutions

      • Blames political problems on class

      • Believed in the stab in the back myth and that the politicians and civilians at home were at fault for the situation in germany

      • Same units who crushed spartacist revolt made a new revolution

        • Occupied berlin

        • Opposed weimar government

        • Not popular with general population

        • Went to berlin and met no opposition to coup

        • Officials excepted the coup

        • Weimar Government fled to dresden

        • General strike defeated the pitch-as they were leftists

          • 12 million strikers

          • Strike ensured those who supported kapp could not move around

  • Number of extremist political party began to appear

    • Eg hitlers party, the german working party in munich

    • Weimar government was not effective in dealing with uprisings and rising unrest

  • French and belgium forces came into Germany on the 11th of january 1923

    • Both had grown increasingly frustrated with germany defaulting on reparations

    • Established interallied mission for control of factories and mines to ensure goods payments were made

      • German workers strike as passive resistance

      • In response french and belgium workers com in

    • German government prints more money

      • To pay debts and strikers

      • Causes inflation

        • Prices rose every hour

        • People bought anything available

        • People began exchanging goods instead of money

    • 
      

• 1923 onwards

  • New chancellor, streisman brought hyper inflation under control

    • Ended strikes

    • Restarted reparations payments

    • Showed he respected the global situation

    • Met with opposition from left+right extremists

    • State of emergency was declared

    • All old bank notes were burned

    • New currency backed by land not gold

    • Dawes Plan:

• Signed locarno treaty which promised to respect western borders

• Germany was accepted to league of nations

• Not all success, problems

  • Many traditional germans did not like the new art/cultural movements

  • Politics: Weimar republic was still unstable

    • No major uprisings like before 1924

    • Communists and nazi parties were able to grow their support even when chancelor was winning middle ground 

    • Peasant farmers and some middle class saw earning dwindle

      • Were bitter against wealth

    • Extremists began to appeal more to wider array of people

    • Hindenburg elected president; strongly opposed to democracy

  • Dawes plan :New german prosperity was built entirely on loans

    • US stock market crashes loans are taken away

      • Great depression

      • America demands all money back from germany

        • 6 million germans no jobs ⅓ of workforce

        • More than any other country at the time

    • Four years after crash, adolf hitler comes to power

Why were coalition governments so hard to form

Coalition governments were difficult to form because of the large differences in political and idelogical beliefs within each political part. Parties were unlikelt ro work together because they would be in disagreement about key issues,

What part did coalition government play in this

Because of the coalition government and the need for collaboration to make the states basic functions work, the state couldn’t function effectively in a way that would meet the needs of its people. This led to more political unrest and 

RISE