history elect notes 2261 ch 1-11

HISTORY ELECTIVE NOTES Chapter One The treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919. The Germans had to accept the terms inside the treaty. Terms of the treaty 1. Warguiltclause 2. Reparations 3. Territory change 4. Armed forces 5. League of Nations War guilt clause -Under Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany had to accept total blame for starting the war. This was often known as the War Guilt Clause. Reparations -Germany had to pay 6.6 billion pounds as reparations to the *Allies for war damage. -This figure was debated for some time and only set in 1921. *Britain, United States, Soviet Union Territory change -Germany had to give up territories to various neighbouring countries. As a result, it 1. lost10%of its land 2. lost 12.5% of its population 3. was forbidden to make alliances with Austria to form an Anschluss(Union) 4. had to give up its overseas empire 5. Former German colonies became mandates controlled by the League of Nations, which meant they effectively came under French or British control • Territories that belonged to Germany and Austria-Hungary were redistributed to the Allies E.g. Germany lost all her colonies, Alsace-Loraine and Saar coal region were lost to France, a ‘Polish Corridor’ was created from German territory to give Poland independent access to the sea. Germany was also forbidden to unite with Austria. Armed forces -German forces had to be reduced to well below pre-war levels 1. Thearmywaslimitedto100,000men 2. Conscription was banned; soldiers had to be volunteers

3. No armoured vehicles, submarines or aircraft were allowed 4. The navy could have only six battleships 5. The border area between Germany and France, the Rhineland, was demilitarised so no German forces or fortifications were allowed there League of Nations The League of Nations was set up as an international body to help countries resolve disputes and, if necessary, enforce decisions, Germany was not allowed to join German’s reaction to the terms of the treaty The Germans were angry that their government had not been represented at the Paris Peace Conference and was forced to sign the Treaty. They resented the harsh terms of the Treaty and many began to call it a ‘diktat’—a harsh settlement that is forced on a nation that is defeated a war. War Guilt Clause -The Germans felt that they themselves did not start the war -They also did not actually lose the war -They felt humiliated that they had to accept the War Guilt Clause Reparations -Germany already had huge debts from the war effort -Many Germans feared reparations would ruin the economy German territories -Losing so much territory was a major blow to Germany’s pride and economy -Reduced Germany’s standing amongst world powers -Prevented further German expansion with other German speaking territories Disarmament -An army of 100,000 was very small for a country like Germany -The army was a symbol of German pride -None of the allies were disarmed to the same extent, they were the most vulnerable if a war were to break out League of Nations -Being left out of the international body felt like a further insult to Germany Chapter two: Nazi Germany Kaiser and the Weimar Government(not very important) Kaiser: Before WW1 • largely ignored the Reichstag, a parliament • had powerful and influential German armed forces Impact of WW1 • By 1918, the proud German army was facing a defeat • began to involve the Reichstag inside decision makings

• knew defeat was coming and tried to shift the blame onto the elected politicians • By November 1918, Germany had been defeated. The Kaiser was forced to give up his position on 9 November 1918. • Friedrich Elbert, the leader of the Social Democratic Party became the new leader External events(!!) Weakening of the Weimar Government Treaty of Versailles Political challenges • was announced in May 1919 • Majority actually thought that the Germans had ended the war undefeated ->expected a negotiated treaty, in which they were treated with respect as equals • when they saw the terms inside the treaty such as the war guilt clause, they were shocked and angered • called the treaty a diktat • this poisoned the attitudes of the Germans and many felt that the Weimar government was forever to be blamed for this • the Weimar Government lost support Economical challenges After the TOV, Germany’s economy had a downfall... • The TOV forced Germany to pay reparations of 6.6billion pounds • Even though the Germans protested that this was unaffordable, but their pleas were ignored • When Germany failed to make a payment in January 1923, French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr Valley, Germany’s most important and valuable industrial region • They began to take what was owed to them in the form of raw materials and goods • This was considered legal under the terms of the TOV • In response, the German government ordered the workers to go on a strike and not to cooperate with the French • The sudden halt in industrial production caused the German currency to collapse • The government continued to print more money, which caused the value of currency to decrease • the flood of money led to hyperinflation, with prices of daily needs rising rapidly • Hyperinflation caused great hardship for the Germans • The middle-class Germans lost the most • The German economy was destabilise to the extent that personal savings were wiped out and unemployment was widespread

• Resulted in the Weimar government losing support from the middle-class Germans, who felt that the Weimar Republic favoured workers, industrialists and politicians instead of them The Great Depression (1929) • US economy crashed, caused a severe economic depression • US bankers and businessmen asked German banks to repay the loans and removed their investments in Germany • Resulted in an economic collapse in Germany The impact of unemployment • By 1932,unemployment was at 6 million • Most sections of German society were affected (farmers etc) • Many small business and shops went bankrupt • The income of the average German fell by 40% between 1929 and 1932 - >This led to hunger, and often illness • Many Germans were evicted from their homes because they could no longer pay rent • Makeshift shelters and slums began to appear in most cities The failure of democracy • When the crisis struck, Germany was under a coalition government led by SPD (Social Democratic Party Germany) • SPD wanted to increase welfare for the unemployed but the coalition partners refused • The coalition collapsed in 1930 • The President had to appoint a new chancellor using article 48 • was not very successful, many in the Reichstag did not agree with the harsh measures • had to use emergency powers again • From this point onwards, the Weimar Republic failed • The parties was so divided and that it proved impossible to form a coalition with a majority of the seats The rise in communism • Many workers began to feel that the Weimar Republic was not managing the economic crisis well and had let them down • Many turned to the German Communist party • The rise of the communists frightened many Germans • Business leaders feared the communists because of their plans to introduce state control of business • All these concerns about communism created a climate of fear • Many Germans had little trust in the Weimar Republic’s ability to deal with the threat that communism seemed to pose Thus, many decided to turn to the Nazi Party, a party that seemed to be willing to take control of the situation and face the communist

Hitler’s abilities(!!) Reorganisation of the party • Hitler was focused on rebuilding the Nazi Party and planned to take power through democratic means • Hitler was convinced that legal means and not force alone would help him gain power, which was what