Weimar Germany

• The legacy of the First World War - Near the war's end German people were suffering severe hardship- The allies set up naval blockades preventing imports of food and essential goods and by 1918 many people faced starvation
• The abdication of the Kaiser the armistice and revolution 1918-19 - Public opinion turned against Kaiser Wilhelm II so many Germans wanted a democracy and an end to the war- In November 1918 some members of German Navy refused to board their ships- In Hanover German troops refused to control rioters- Jewish Communist encouraged a general uprising- By November 1918 the situation in Germany verged on a civil war so Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated and Germany was declared a republic- On 11th November 1918 a ceasefire to end of WW1 was agreed. - The allies signed an armistice with Germany
• The setting up of the Weimar Republic - The Council of People's Representatives organised elections in January 1919 to create a new parliament Germany was now a democracy- Friedrich Ebert became 1st president with Philip Scheidemann as chancellor- February 1919 the members of the new Reichstag met at Weimar to create new constitution for Germany
• The strengths andweaknesses of the new Constitution Strengths:- Designed to be as fair as possible even very small political parties were given seats - Constitution allowed women to vote for the first time and lowered the voting age to 20Weaknesses:- Proportional Representation meant that it was very difficult to make decisions because there were so many parties that all had different points of view- When decision couldn't be reached the President could suspend the constitution and pass laws without Reichstag's consent- Power given to President to be used in emergencies meant that it undermined the new democracy
• Reasons for the early unpopularity of the Republic - Some Germans believed the armistice was a mistake and that Germany could've won the war. They felt 'stabbed in the back' by Weimar politicians who brought the Treaty of Versailles upon Germany unnecessarilyTerms of the Versailles Treaty:- Article 231 said Germany had to take the blame for the war- the War-Guilt clause- Germany's armed forces were reduced to 100 000 men- Germany was forced to pay £6600 million reparations- Germany lost its empire - German military was banned from Rhineland
• Spartacists - Extreme left wanted a revolution- January 1919 communists lead by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg tried to take over Berlin.- They took control of important buildings and 50 000 workers went on strike in support of the left-wing revolution became known as a spartacist revolt- Ebert asked for help from the right-wing Freikorps to stop rebellion. Over 100 workers were killed.
• Freikorps and the Kapp Putsch - In March 1920 some of the Freikorps themselves took part in the Kapp Putsch- led by Wolfgang Kapp. Wanted to create a new right-wing government- The Freikorp marched into Berlin to overthrow the Weimar regime but German worker opposed the putsch and staged a general strike. - Berlin was paralysed and Kapp was forced to give up- Even after the putsch failed some former Freikorps members assassinated Walter Rathenau- former Foreign Minister and was Jewish
• The challenges of 1923 - 1923 Germany could no longer meet the reparation payments - France decided to take Germany's resources instead so they occupied the Ruhr which gave them access to Germany's iron and coal reserves- Lead to fury in Germany and caused a huge strike in Ruhr - German industry was devastated again. Germany tried to solve problem by printing more money but this plunged the economy into hyperinflation- Germany's currency became worthless and nobody wanted to trade with Germany so shortages of foods and good got worse- Bank savings became worthless hardest hit were middle class
• Reasons for economic recovery - Stresemann and Rentenmark - In November 1923 Stresemann introduced a new currency called Rentenmark to stabilise Germany's currency- Stresemann ended the strike in Ruhr which reduced tensions and meant government could stop the comprehension payments to strikers- Stresemann created the 'great coalition' a group of parties who agreed to work together.
• Reasons for economic recovery- the Dawes and Young plans and American loans and investment - The Dawes plan signed in 1924 Stresemann secured France's withdrawal from Ruhr and agreed on more realistic payment dates. The USA lent Germany £40 million to help pay off its other debts - The Young plan agreed in 1929 allies agreed to reduce reparations to a quarter of original amount and giver 59 years to pay them
• The impact on domestic policies of Stresemann's achievementsabroad - The Locarno Pact signed in October 1925 Germany France and Belgium agreed to respect their joint borders - The League of Nations allowed Germany to join 1926 Germany re-established as an international power- The Kellogg-Briand Pact signed by Germany in 1928 alongside 65 other countries they promised not to use violence to settle disputes
• Changes in the standard of living - Living standards improved for the working classes- The unemployed were protected in 1927 the government introduced the unemployment insurance where workers would pay into the scheme and receive work benefits if they became unemployed- Wages the working classes became more prosperous - Housing the government launched mass housing projects which provided extra employment and more than 2 million more homes were built.
• Changes in the position of women - Women were given more freedom- Politically women were given more representation they were awarded to vote and could enter politics more easily- between 1919 and 1932 112 women elected into the Reichstag- Number of young women working increased- The traditional role of women began to change. New female sports clubs and societies were formed - Divorce became easier
• Cultural changes - Period of creativity and innovation in Germany. Freedom of expression generated new ideas- Artists began to question traditional forms and styles - Advances in arts- some developments bold and new like the drama of Bertholt Brecht - Changes in music literature and cinema as German films were successful- Weimar Republic encouraged new ways of critical thinking at places like Frankfurt University
• Hitler's early career - Hitler joined the German Workers' Party in January 1919.- He became known for his talent as a passionate and skilled speaker - German Workers' Party made him chief of propaganda - In 1920 the party was re-branded as the Nazi Party- In July 1921 Hitler became its leader
• The early growth and features of the Party - Nationalist party- thought the interests of Germany should be the centre of government policy- Anti-Semitic and was opposed to the Weimar Republic- Wanted to restore Germany's greatness
• The Twenty-Five PointProgramme - Feb 1920 Nazi Party promoted its policies in the 'Twenty-Five PointProgramme' - Programme stressed the superiority of the German people and promoted anti-Semitism- Party wanted to raise pensions and improve heath and educations- but only for Germans- Rejecting the Treaty of Versailles and promoting German greatness gave the party nationalist appeal
• The role of the SA - In 1921 Hitler founded his own party militia called the SA- The SA were political thugs- they carried out violent anti-Semitic attacks and intimidated rival political groups- Many people were scared of them but some Germans admired them- Gave a military feel which made it seem organised and disciplined - Gave many ex-soldiers a job and a purpose
• Munich Putsch - In 1923 things were going badly for the Weimar Republic - Hyperinflation was at its peak and there were food riots - Many Germans were angry at the French and Belgian invasion of the Ruhr In November 1923 the Nazis marched the Munich - Hitler's soldiers occupied a beer hall in the Bavarian city of Munich and announced the revolution has begun- Next day Hitler marched into Munich supported by the SA but news of the revolt was leaked to the police who were waiting for Hitler the police fired on the rebels and the revolt quickly collapsed.- Hitler was imprisoned but his trail gave him valuable publicity
• Reasons for limited support for the Nazi Party 1924-28 - The Nazi Party was banned after the Munich Putsch- But in Feb 1925 the ban was lifted and Hitler re-established the Nazi Party with himself as supreme leader- He wrote a book in prison called the 'Mein Kampf' describing his beliefs and ambitions this was vital in spreading Nazi ideology - millions read it- Hitler changed tactics and started restructuring the Nazi Party so it could compete more successfully in national elections- In 1926 Hitler held a conference with Nazi leadership at Bamberg worried the party had become divided he made it clear that the party would only follow his agenda
• The growth of unemployment - After the Wall Street Crash Germany's economy collapsed without American aid and Industrial production went into decline which cause mass unemployment - Feb 1932 over 6 million unemployed
• The failure of successive Weimar governments to deal with unemployment from1929 to January 1933 - Brunings policies decreased support for Weimar- Bruning increased the cost of imported food to help German agriculture but this raised food prices- Government salaries and pensions were reduced and taxes increased- Social services were cut-back and unemployment benefits were reduced- Everyday life in Germany was made worse by Bruning's policies- Caused standards of living to fall- Government became less democratic
• Reasons for the growth in support for the Nazi Party - Hitler appealed to many different groups in society- Promised a more prosperous and less humiliating future- After the Depression the Nazi Party's popularity soared Hitler's promise to make Germany great again appealed to the growing ranks of unemployment and young people who wanted a brighter future- Some people also supported Nazis' anti-communist and anti-Jewish views gave them someone to blame - The SA held demonstrations distributed propaganda and appeared more disciplined - Nazi Party became more respectable - Propaganda focused on regional issues and targeted specific groups
• Political developments in 1932 - Hitler stood against Hindenburg in 1932 but lost- In May 1932 Chancellor Bruning was dismissed and replaced by Franz von Papen- Hitler demanded to be made chancellor after becoming the most popular party but Hindenburg refused as he didn't trust him- December 1932 Hindenburg replaced Papen with Kurt von Schleicher
• The part played by Hindenburg and von Papen in Hitler becomingChancellor in 1933. - Papen resent Schleicher and wanted to get back into government so he made a deal with Hitler- If Papen could persuade Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor then Hitler would make Papen Vice-Chancellor- In Jan 1933 Papen persuaded Hindenburg to replace Schleicher with Hitler - Papen argued they could control Hitler and use him as a puppet
• The Reichstag Fire - In February 1933 just 6 days before elections a fire broke out in the Reichstag. Hitler blamed the Communist Party and used the event to whip up anti-communist feelings- Used the fire to claim that communists were a threat to the country- President Hindenburg issued a decree giving Hitler emergency powers to deal with the supposed threat- Used powers to intimidate communist voters
• The Enabling Act and the banning of other parties and trade unions - In the March 1933 elections the Nazi Party didn't have an overall majority so Hitler made Communist Party illegal- This gave him enough support to bring in the Enabling Act passed with threats and bargaining- This allowed him to govern for 4 years without parliment- Hitler could now pass laws and amend the constitution without the Reichstag's consent- Important step in Hitler's consolidation of power- In May 1933 Hitler abolished Trade Unions and arrested union officials- In July 1933 all political parties except Nazi Party banned.
• The threat from Röhm and the SA the Night of the Long Knives andthe death of von Hindenburg SA threat to Hitler:- because its members were loyal to Ernst Rohm the SA's leaderThe Night of the Long Knives:- On the 29-30th June 1934 Hitler sent men to arrest/kill Rohm and others. Altogether several hundred people were killed/imprisoned- Hitler claimed those who had been killed were plotting to overthrow the government- This night stamped out all potential opposition within the Nazi Party and sent a powerful message about Hitler's ruthlessness and brutality - Hitler was now free to act above the law- In August 1934 Hindenburg died
• Hitler becomes Führer the army and oath of allegiance - Hitler used Hindenburg's death to combine the post of Chancellor and the President and also made himself the Commander-in-Chief of the army- He called himself Der Fuhrer- The Army had to swear and oath of allegiance to Hitler instead of pledging to protect Germany.- Some German workers were forced to take the Oath of Obedience promising loyalty to Hitler- Those who refused would lose their job
• The role of the Gestapo the SS the SD and concentration camps - The SS began as a bodyguard for Hitler but it expanded massively under the leadership of Himmer during the 1930s- Himmer was also in charge of the secret police- the Gestapo their job was 'to protect safety and order' but their methods included harsh interrogations and imprisonment without trail- After 1933 concentration camps were created across Germany and its territories to hold political prisoners and anybody else considered dangerous to Nazis. Some of these later turned to death camps.- SD was the Nazi intelligence service aimed to bring every German under continual supervision
• Nazi control of the legal system judges and law courts - Hitlers Enabling Act allowed the government to read people's mail listen in on their phone calls and search their homes without notice- Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich gave Nazis total power over local governments- Judges didn't have to be 'fair' and unbiased. They were expected to make rulings based on Nazi Party Policy- 1933 Nazis set up special courts where basic rights those accused were suspended - 1934 Hitler established the People's Court in Berlin which held trials for important political crimes
• Nazi policies towards the Catholic and Protestant Churches - In July 1933 an agreement called the Concordat was signed between the Pope and Nazi government- Hitler promised to stay out of Catholic Church if they didn't interfere with German politics- Hitler broke deal by restricting Church's role in education removing crucifixes from schools arresting priests and Catholic newspapers suppressed- Reich Church (Protestant Church) replaced the symbol of cross with the Nazi Swastika and the Bible with 'Mein Kampf'. Only Nazis could give sermons and the Church suspended non-Aryan ministers
• Goebbels and the Ministry of Propaganda - The Nazis wanted to surround people with their propaganda so they used censorship to prevent Germans from seeing or hearing anything that gave a different message- They sold cheap radios and controlled broadcasts - 1944 82% of newspapers were controlled by Nazis- Nazis produced hundreds of films - Posters showing power of Hitler- Nazis used public rallies to spread their propaganda like the annual Nuremberg Rallies- 1936 Berlin Olympics were used to show off German wealth and power.
• Nazi control of culture and the arts - Modern art was banned in favour of realistic paintings that fit with Nazi ideology- Nazis celebrated the works of 'German' composers but much modern classical music works by Jewish composers and jazz were all attakced- School textbooks rewritten to make Germans look successful
• The extent of support for the Nazi regime - Most Germans were prepared to go along with the new regime- Some people accepted the new rules out fear- Others went along with them because they believed in their aims even if they didn't approve of the Nazis' brutal methods
• Opposition from the Churches - Martin Niemoller was a Protestant pastor who objected to Nazi interference in the Church and was one of the founders of the Confessing Church ( protested against Hitler's attempt to unite different Protestant Churches into one Reich Church) - He used a sermon in 1937 to protest against the persecution of Church members and as a result spent years in concentration camps
• Opposition from the young - Edelweiss Pirates was a name given to rebellious youths who rejected Nazi values and opposed the Hitler Youth organisation- They helped army deserters forced labourers and escaped concentration camp prisoners- At first Nazis ignored them but cracked down after they started distributing anti-Nazi leaflets many members were arrested and several publicly hanged- Swing Youth were a group of young people who rebelled against the tight control the Nazis had over culture acting in way considered 'degenerate' by the Nazi regime. Some members arrested and even sent to concentration camps.
• Nazi views on women and the family. - Nazis didn't want women to have too much freedom- Role of women was to provide children and support their families at home- Women were expected to raise large families
• Nazi policies towards women - Women were banned from being lawyers in 1936 and the Nazis did their best to stop them following other professions- The League of German Maidens spread the idea that it was an honour to raise large families for Germany - Nazis gave awards to women for doing this and encouraged more women to marry by offering financial aid to married couples- Women were expected to dress plainly and were discouraged from wearing make-up and smoking.
• Nazi aims and policies towards the young Hitler Youth:- Founded in 1926 for boys 14 and over became compulsory in 1936 and lasted until 1945- Boys wore military-style uniforms and took part in PE preparing for war- High-achieving boys sent to Hitler Schools to be trained as loyal Nazi leaders- Went on camping trips and held sports competitionsLeague of German Maidens:- Female branch of the Hitler Youth aimed at girls aged between 14-18- Trained in domestic skills like sewing and cooking- Sometimes they took part in physical activities like camping and hiking