History
Cards (89)
- Emperor of Germany who led Germany into the First World War until 1918, when he was forced to abdicate after even the Army refused to support him. Many on the right and far right would continue to support him.
- The leader of the German Revolution, in which various state Governments were overthrown by Communist regimes during the end of the First World War.
- The Chancellor of Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm.
- President of Germany and leader of the SDP who oversaw the signing of the armistice, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and the establishment of the establishment of the new Weimar Republic. He used the Friekorps to crush the Spartacist rebels but struggled to contain their growing power. He oversaw the financial crisis of 1923 which saw booming hyperinflation and soaring unemployment.
- The biggest party in Germany prior to the Nazi Party, a moderate left wing party strongly associated with the Weimar Republic and the Treaty of Versailles and the economic crisis of 1923.
- A centre party strongly aligned with the Weimar Republic. They were Conservative and originally the party of the Catholic Church.
- A far right extremist party mainly supported by landowners, the wealthy and big business. Although they wanted to restore the monarchy and bring back the Kaiser, they reluctantly accepted the Weimar Republic, even if they didn’t support it.
- A far left extremist party supported mainly by workers and the poor. They wanted power to be in the hands of the people and opposed all forms of private ownership, which was very unpopular and scary to people who actually owned property or land as the KPD wanted to take it away. As the Nazi’s popularity soared, so did the KPD as they opposed the Weimar Republic as well.
- An important figure in the Weimar cultural ‘Golden Age’, Dix was a popular painter who often criticised German society in his artwork, usually focusing on the falling moral standards of Germany under the Weimar Government.
- An important figure in the Weimar cultural ‘Golden Age’, Gropius launched the ‘Bauhaus’ movement, which was an art and architecture movement which promoted technology and simplicity.
- An important figure in the Weimar cultural ‘Golden Age’, Lang was a famous film director who directed the 1926 film Metropolis, launching the science fiction genre focused on the wonders of life and technology of the 20th century.
- The German Workers Party, a tiny political party based in Bavaria. After the war, Hitler was ordered by the Army to spy on the group to see if they were against the Government. They were, but Hitler liked their ideas so joined the party.
- The original leader of the DAP, Drexler helped Hitler write the 25-Point Programme. Drexler became concerned about some of Hitler’s more extreme views but was forced to support Hitler when Hitler threatened to leave the party. Drexler knew people were only supporting the party because of Hitler, so stepped down as leader.
- A wealthy academic (someone who researching and writes for a living) who became Hitler’s deputy.
- A war hero and veteran air force pilot who would later become the leader of the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force.
- A wealthy newspaper publisher who founded the Nazi propaganda, Der Sturmer (The Stormer).
- A tough former Army Officer, supported the Nazi Party but often came into conflict with Hitler. Hitler wanted his support to gain the support of the Army, but he was angered by the amount of power that Rohm would build. Rohm led the SA, a large group of ex-soldiers and thugs who terrorised the streets to ensure loyalty to the Nazi Party. German army officers worried that Rohm wanted to replace the German army with his own SA officers.
- The National Socialist German Workers Party (the Nazi Party), the new name given to the DAP by Hitler. He hoped the ‘socialist’ and ‘worker’ parts of the name would attract the working class. The party openly rejected the socialist part in the Bamburg Conference.
- Leader of the Fascist Party in Italy (who had very similar views to Hitler) who had marched on Rome in 1922 and forced the King and Government to give him complete power. This “March on Rome” inspired Hitler to carry out the Munich Putsch.
- Leader of the Bavarian State Government. Kahr was a right wing politician who hated the Weimar Government, but he disliked and distrusted Hitler. He was held hostage by Hitler during the Munich Putsch. When released by Ludendorff, he organised the Bavarian Army and police to defeat the Nazis.
- Originally opposed to Hitler, Goebbles was intially on the socialist side of the Nazi Party. He was a master of propaganda and Hitler needed his support to keep his skills at brain washing and influencing the German people. At the Bamburg Conference, Hitler convinced Goebbles to support him, later becoming the most loyal of Hitler’s followers. He was appointed as Minister of Propaganda under Hitler and produced films, posters, newspapers and radio broadcasts to convince people to support the Nazis and oppose the Jews.
- Chancellor of Germany in 1932, Bruning failed to rescue the economy crippled by the Wall Street Crash. He failed to get any laws through the Reichstag so was reliant on using Presidential decrees to rule, which undermined democracy in the Republic. He attempted to slow the popularity of the Nazi Party by banning the SA and SS but this made him very unpopular as many Germans wanted them to maintain order. His plan to buy the land of rich landowners to give land to poor people was so unpopular that businesses and the wealthy started to support Hitler. He resigned in May 1932.
- Chancellor of Germany between May and December 1932. A wealthy friend of President Hindenburg, Papen promised Hindenburg that he could stop the popularity of the Nazi Party. Papen convinced Hindenburg that if another election was held, the Nazi Party would lose seats, but when Hindenburg granted the election, they became the largest party in the Reichstag! Hindenburg fired Papen but he would later return as Vice Chancellor under Hitler.
- A powerful former Army General, Schleicher was appointed Chancellor in December 1932 after Papen’s failure to deal with the Nazis and Hitler. Although the Nazis lost a few seats in the November 1932 election, the Nazis were still far too popular. Schleicher asked that Hindenburg suspend the constitution and make him the head of a military dictatorship, but Hindenburg refused. Papen convinced Hindenburg that Schleicher was plotting an overthrow, so he was fired.