History

• Wilson's Point of View:

  • Had high hopes for peace
  • Ideas included not being too harsh on Germany, establishing the League of Nations, and giving self-determination to small countries
  • Proposed his 14 Points
  • Disagreed with Clemenceau and George
• Lloyd George's Point of View:

  • Publicly praised Wilson but was less positive in private
  • Agreed with Wilson on punishing Germany but not too harshly to avoid revenge
  • Kept British Empire's interests in mind
• Clemenceau's Point of View:

  • Agreed with Wilson on wanting a fair lasting peace
  • Found Wilson difficult to work with
  • Wanted Germany to pay harshly to prevent future attacks on France
• Terms of The Treaty of Versailles:

  • War guilt clause blamed Germany for starting the war
  • Reparations required Germany to pay £6.600 million
  • German territories and colonies were reduced
  • German armed forces were limited
  • League of Nations established as an international 'police force'
• Reasons why the victors did not get everything they wanted:

  • Wilson was not fully satisfied due to his 14 Points
  • Clemenceau lost Alsace-Lorraine to Germany and lacked British support
  • Lloyd George thought the treaty was too harsh and feared German revenge
• German's Reactions:

  • Horrified by the treaty terms
  • Initially refused to sign but eventually accepted on June 28, 1919
• Ruhr 1921:

  • Germany unable to repay all debts
  • Ebert urged Germans not to fight back against France, leading to a strike for peace
  • Resulted in hyperinflation due to excessive money production
• League of Nations:

  • Established to solve international problems without war
  • Disagreements on its structure and purpose among Wilson, British leaders, and France
  • Major nations would join and disarm, promising to protect each other
  • Hopes were high for the league's peacemaking abilities
• Organization of the League:

  • Assembly acted as the league's parliament
  • Council made decisions and had veto power
  • Secretariat served league bodies
  • Permanent Court of International Justice settled disputes
• Case Studies:

  • Aland Islands: Dispute resolved with Finland maintaining control
  • Corfu Incident: League failed to resolve dispute between Italy and Greece
  • Bulgaria: League successfully intervened in a Greek invasion of Bulgaria
  • Vilnius: League helped establish a provisional border between Lithuania and Poland
• League's Failures in 1930:

  • Manchurian crisis of 1931-33 led to Japanese control of Manchuria
  • Disarmament Conference of 1932-34 failed due to lack of interest in disarmament
  • Abyssinia crisis of 1935-36 saw Italy ignoring league decisions
• Abyssinia crisis 1935-36:

  • Italy and Mussolini ignored the League of Nations and fully annexed Abyssinia on May 9th, 1936
  • The League of Nations was shown to be ineffective, not standing up against one of its strongest members and failing to fulfill the promise of collective security
• Factors of international relations in Europe:

  • Financial instability
  • Fear of communism
  • The rise of fascist leaders
  • Diminishing role of the League of Nations
  • Fear of war
  • Admiration for German recovery and stability
  • Increasing dislike of the Treaty of Versailles
• Hitler's foreign policy:

  • Grossdeutschland: creating a larger, more powerful all-German Reich lasting 1,000 years
  • Anschluss: uniting Germany and Austria into one greater German Reich
  • Lebensraum: creating 'living space' in the east, displacing inferior races for Germanic repopulation
  • Destruction of the Treaty of Versailles: focusing on war guilt clause, restrictions on armed forces, loss of territories and colonies
• Rearmament:

  • Hitler resolved unemployment by reinstating the conscription law
  • Conscription law: all unemployed individuals or those above 18 years old were obligated to join the army
  • Hitler secretly rearmed, almost quadrupling the navy and army, with Britain's naval agreement allowing Germany to increase its navy by up to 35%
• Remilitarisation of the Rhineland:

  • Hitler sent troops to the Rhineland despite the risk
  • France and the USSR signed a treaty to protect against German attacks
  • Hitler hoped Britain wouldn't intervene as he stationed troops in the Rhineland
  • Hitler was nervous as troops moved in, with the League focused on the Abyssinian crisis
• Anschluss with Austria 1938:

  • Hitler believed in uniting Germany and Austria for a greater and more powerful nation
  • Hitler attempted to take over Austria in 1934 but was stopped by Mussolini
  • Hitler successfully annexed Austria in 1938, gaining soldiers, weapons, and resources
• The Sudetenland 1938:

  • Hitler aimed to expand his territory for living space
  • Czechoslovakia sought help from France and Britain against Hitler's expansion
  • Munich Agreement gave Hitler Sudetenland, betraying Czechoslovakia
  • Hitler later demanded the whole Sudetenland, leading to the Munich Agreement giving it all to him
• Nazi-Soviet Pact:

  • Stalin feared the German threat and signed a treaty with France for protection
  • Stalin's concerns grew after the Munich Agreement, leading to negotiations with Britain and France
  • Hitler and Stalin signed the pact in 1939, agreeing not to attack each other and secretly dividing Poland between them
• Germany 1919-1939 (Depth study):

  • During WWI, Germany was led by Kaiser Wilhelm I
  • Effects of WWI on Germany included political, physical, financial, and psychological impacts
  • Weimar Republic's constitution established a new government structure with the president, government, Supreme Court, Reichstag, and rights for the people
  • Voting system in the Weimar Republic included proportional representation, ensuring fair representation for parties
• Proportional Representation (PR) system in Weimar Republic:

  • Parties' seats in the government were directly proportional to the % of votes they received
  • If a party got 12% of the votes, they would get 12 seats
  • Led to many small parties getting seats
  • No party received over 50% of all votes, and no government had a majority
  • Governments had to be coalitions
• Strengths of the Weimar Constitution:

  • All Germans over the age of 20 had the right to vote
  • Proportional Representation voting system was fair in theory
  • Article 48 gave the president extreme powers to protect the republic in a crisis
• Weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution:

  • PR system made any government or party in power weak
  • Governments always had to compromise, leading to long decision-making processes
  • Article 48 was later abused by Hitler to make himself a dictator legally
  • Constitution was too fair, allowing enemies like the Nazis to gain power
• Treaty of Versailles (TOV):

  • Germany lost WWI and had to sign the TOV
  • Germany expected a fair treaty due to the war's impact
  • TOV led to Germany losing land, industries, and agriculture
  • Germany had to pay massive reparations, leading to economic crisis
  • TOV blamed Germany for starting WWI, causing anger and humiliation
• Gustav Stresemann:

  • Chancellor of Germany in 1923
  • Implemented policies to stabilize Germany
  • Faced problems like economic collapse and rise of extremist groups
  • Solutions included sending Ruhr workers back to work, stopping hyperinflation, and taking loans to boost the economy
• The Rise of Hitler and the Nazis:

  • Hitler born in Austria in 1889
  • Joined the German Workers Party (DAP) in 1920
  • Munich Putsch in 1923 was a failed uprising by the Nazis
  • Hitler arrested for treason after the Putsch
• Successes of the Munich Putsch:

  • Hitler's trial allowed him to win over the courtroom with his speeches
  • Reporters from across Germany covered the trial, giving huge publicity to the Nazis
• Achievements of the Weimar Republic:

  • Survived political extremists and uprisings
  • Introduced modern ideas like free press and free speech
  • Recovered from economic collapse in 1923
  • Weimar culture thrived, improving relations with other countries
  • Entered a "Golden Age" with increased production and stability
• Hitler's trial in 1924:

  • Reporters from across Germany were present, leading to huge publicity for the Nazis
  • Hitler was seen as a leader of the Right-wing and a natural leader by many right-wing supporters
  • Hitler received a light sentence of 5 years but served only 9 months in a cushy prison at Landburg castle
  • During his time in prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, outlining his ideas for the Nazi party
• Nazi tactics 1924-1929:

  • Hitler realized violent methods were no longer effective due to Stresemann's economic policies stabilizing Germany
  • Hitler focused on winning elections and reorganized the party to spread across Germany
  • Mein Kampf was published in 1925, becoming a bestseller
  • The party targeted the working class for propaganda and increased membership to over 150,000 by 1929
  • The Nazis gained support from the middle class and big business, becoming one of the best-funded parties in Germany
• Nazi rise to power:

  • The Wall Street Crash in 1929 led to mass unemployment and economic instability in Germany
  • People turned to extreme parties like the Nazis for solutions
  • In the 1929 elections, the Nazis gained 107 seats in the Reichstag, increasing to 230 seats in 1932
  • Despite their popularity, the Nazis still needed to be invited to power as Hitler lost the 1930 presidential election to Hindenburg
  • Weak opposition, fear of communism, and political deals helped Hitler become Chancellor in January 1933
• Nazi control methods:

  • The Nazis used fear and propaganda to control ordinary Germans
  • Propaganda minister Josef Goebbels utilized radio, posters, and films to spread the Nazi message and brainwash people
  • The "carrot and stick" approach involved giving reasons to follow the party (carrot) and using fear to force compliance (stick)
• Opposition to the Nazi regime:

  • Former political opponents aimed for a return to democracy and defied the Nazis through leaflets and secret meetings
  • The Church resisted Nazi control by carrying out baptisms and marriages against Nazi law
  • Army officers sought to remove Hitler from power and attempted to assassinate him
  • Young people rebelled against Nazi control through defiance, anti-Nazi activities, and forming groups like the Edelweiss Pirates and the White Rose
• Nazi propaganda techniques:

  • Posters:
  • Goebbels was a master at creating posters
  • Thousands of different issues covered, e.g. anti-Jewish, encourage farming
  • Used simple, stark words and images that even uneducated people could understand
  • Newspapers:
  • Nazis took over most papers
  • Anti-Nazi papers were banned
  • Propaganda ministry issued daily orders to papers
  • People were encouraged to buy Nazi papers and could be threatened if they canceled a subscription
  • Films:
  • Over 1000 films were made by Nazis
  • Mostly love stories, comedies, adventures, or political films
• • Some films were anti-Jewish, anti-communist, or anti-British
  • Goebbels wanted people to be entertained as a way for propaganda to work best
  • Culture and Festivals:
  • Only Nazi-approved music was allowed, usually German Classical
  • Theatre had to be either German history or pro-Nazi political drama
  • Many books were banned and burned
  • Nazi events were marked with festivals, marches, and holidays, e.g., the anniversary of the Munich Putsch
• Expectations of women in Nazi Germany:

  • The "Three K's" sum up what was expected of women: Kinder (Children), Kirche (Church), Kuchen (Kitchen)
  • Methods used to encourage women to fit into Nazi ideals:
  • Loans: Women were given marriage loans of 1000 reichsmarks, with less money given for more children
  • Medals: Women were awarded the Iron Cross for having children, with different levels based on the number of children
  • Dress: High heels and fashionable dress were frowned upon, propaganda showed it was wrong
  • Employment: Women were sacked from all jobs under government control
• • Family planning: Women were encouraged to abort or euthanize handicapped babies, and women with hereditary handicaps were forced to be sterilized
• Impact of WWII on Women:

  • Back to work:
  • With men going to war, women were needed in the workspace
  • Women manned the arms factories and did heavy, physical work
  • Lebensborn:
  • Women were asked to "donate a baby" to Hitler by having children with ARYAN SS officers
  • Government provided benefits to these Lebensborn babies
  • Challenges meeting Nazi ideals:
  • Working meant women couldn't stay home with their children or teach them Nazi values
  • Stress of war led women to start smoking and drinking
  • Absence of men meant no children
• Nazi economy:

  • Background:
  • Wall Street Crash destroyed the German economy, leading to massive unemployment
  • Germany relied on imported goods it couldn't afford
  • Strategies:
  • Reduce unemployment, achieve self-sufficiency (autarky), rearm Germany, remove Jews from the workplace
  • Economic performance:
  • Government's income and spending increased steadily in the 1930s
  • Expenditure was higher than income, especially due to rearmament in 1937
  • Investment and production:
  • Investment was low in 1932 but increased significantly by 1938
• • Industrial production focused on rearmament, leading to increased unemployment
  • Imports and exports:
  • Germany managed to export more goods than import by 1935, but this didn't last
  • Exports never reached pre-Wall Street Crash levels