Chapter 3 Hitler's Germany

CHAPTER 3 : HITLER’S GERMANY

*)BACKGROUND INFORMATION! - ​ Treaty of Versailles (TOV) was signed in 1919 and TOV was an unfair treaty towards Germany. - German representatives were forced under ultimatum to sign the unfair treaty. *)Terms of The Treaty Of Versailles WAR GUILT CLAUSE Territorial Reduction Demilitarisation Reparations Formation of LON Self-determination Germany to accept Complete War Blame for starting World War I Germany lost all overseas colonies in Africa and Asia Pacific. Germany Lost Alsace-Lorraine And profits from Saar Coal Region to France Germany giving up territory between Germany and East Prussia to form the Polish Corridor to give Poland independent access to sea Germany not allowed to unite with Austria Germany Armed forces restrictes to : -Size of Army : 100,000 men -Size of Navy : 15,000 men Not allowed to have : 1.) Air-force 2.) Tanks 3.) Submarines Pay full compensation For WWI 269 million gold Reichmarks League of Nations Set up to maintain world peace People previously belonged to Austria-Hungary in Central Europe with a common identity were given the right to govern themselves.

1) ​ What problems were caused fragmentation of the Weimar Government? 3 Structural weaknesses of Constitution and Proportional Representation. Proportional Representation Coalition Governments Article 48 of Weimar Constitution -People voted for a party instead of Specific Candidates - Parties gained seats based on number of votes won - Democratic and fair system but resulted in high degree of fragmentation in parliament - All parties came together to form a government - A number of parties had extreme ideas and were not willing to compromise -Coalition keep breaking up leading to frequent changes in governance - Allowed the president to dissolve both houses of parliament and rule by decree for six months in ‘Time of Emergency’ -Civil Liberties could be suspended - What constituted as emergency was not defined

- Too many small parties competing without a party gaining majority - Difficult to pass laws as there were 20 different coalition government from 1919-1933 - Hitler exploited the emergency power legally and to remain in power

2) ​ Why was it difficult for strong government to exist during the era of the Weimar government? 2 Main causes that Caused Weimar to be weak other than Structural weakness mentioned above Hyperinflation! - Post-war Germany struggled with poverty, high unemployment and fragile economy. The reparation payments were therefore an unwelcome burden, highly unpopular with the German People. The government kept up by printing more money. On December 1922, Germany failed to make payment. France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr. Through this, they seized mines, factories and railways, planning to take what was owned to them in kind. The German hence adopted a non-cooperation policy . Workers went on strike so that there would be nothing for the French to take. The government responded by printing more and more money in order to pay striking Ruhr workers and to pay off some of its debt. The more money was printed, the more of its value decreased. Prices spiralled out of control and hyperinflation resulted.

Hyperinflation : A rapid uncontrolled rise in prices that seriously damages a country’s economy In 1919, 6600 Marks were a small Fortune. By 1923, 6600 Marks were NOT even enough for a postage stamp. Pensioners could not even afford a cup of coffee with their monthly pension. The poor were hard-hit, but wealthier Germans and the middle class felt the most bitter. Hyperinflation caused their savings and pensions wiped out virtually overnight. Hyperinflation caused the weimar government to lose support of the middle and lower middle classes. Hyperinflation was then solved by Gustav Stresemann (Chancellor) when he replaced the currency with the new Rentenmark. Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression sparked by the stock market crash of 1929 in the New York Stock Exchange. The Depression affected almost every country in the world, but hit Germany particularly badly because Germany suffered an economic crisis , which in turn caused a social crisis. Factories closed down. Millions lost their jobs. The government also had to make cuts to social services. Poverty, homelessness and even starvation were commonplace. In 1932, Six million people or ⅓ of the working population were unemployed . The situation also resulted in political crisis. The coalition government in power at the time could not decide what course of action to take. From 1930 onwards, no government had enough support in the Reichstag to pass laws. The only way action could be taken was when President Hindenburg, the president used his emergency powers. Paul von Hindenburg , the president, was a right-winged nationalist who did not really care for democracy. People were angry and wanted more decisive action. This caused a decline support for parties with moderate opinions and rise in support for more extreme parties like the Communist party and Nazi Party. 3) ​ “Hitler’s rise to power was due to his leadership abilities”. How far would you agree with this statement? Must Agree + Give 3 Hitler’s leadership Abilities 1.Nazi Ideology Hitler has always against socialist ideas, particularly those that involved in racial or sexuality equality. Socialism was popular in Germany after WWI however, and Hitler rename his party by putting ‘National’ before ‘Socialist’ to express that he was only in favour of equality for those who had ‘German blood’. Jews and other ‘aliens’ would lose their rights to citizenship.

Hitler promises in his Nazi Ideology Hitler gained popular support partly because of the promises and ideology he presented to the Germans. In February 1920 the NSDAP published its first programme , the ‘Twenty-Five Point Programme’ The most important points were : 1.) Abolition of the Treaty of Versailles 2.) Union Of Germany With Austria 3.) Allowing ‘True’ Germans to live in Germany 4.) Nationalisation of Large businesses 5.) Increases in old age pensions 6.) Establishment of a strong central Government Overtime, Nazi party became the only Right-wing Party that could complete with Left-wing parties like Communist Party. Hitler set out his main beliefs in Mein Kampf, which were modelled on Italian fascism. The key difference was the central role of Anti-Semitism played in Nazism. Nazi believed in superiority of white Aryan or Germanic races. Mein kampf (My Struggle) became extremely popular in Germany. 2.Charisma and Oratorical Skills 3 Things to Note for Hitler’s Charisma and Oratorical Skills 1) Excellent Orator - ​ ​ Hitler prepared and practised his speeches - He was a master at gauging the mood of the audience - Had incredible energy, making three to four speeches a day - Appeared sincere to the people 2) Beer Hall speeches - Made many speeches in beer halls where people were easily swayed - Started his speeches calmly and logically - Began to rant and rave when the audience got drunk 3) Addressed people’s concerns - Knew the concerns of the people - Used ‘November criminals’, communists and the Jews as scapegoats for Germany’s ills

3. Exploitation of the Fears of Communism - In the 1928 elections, the communist party of germany won four times the votes of the nazi party. However, despite the support, the communist did not form the majority of the reichstag. In fact, many groups if people feared that the communists would later take over th