Germany part 2

• how did the Weimar Republic recover after 1923? (6)

  - Kellogg-Briand Pact

  - support for extremist parties decreased

  - 1929 Stresemann won the Nobel Peace Prize

  - Stresemann introduced the Rentenmark in 1923

  - Germany allowed to join the LofN in 1926

  - Dawes and Young Plan - government could reduce taxes and invest in German infrastructure
• how did the Weimar Republic not recover after 1923? (5)

  - Hitler came to power in 1933

  - unemployment rose to 6 million by 1932

  - hyperinflation damaged savings - could never be recovered

  - depression in farming

  - Germany dependent on America after the Wall Street Crash
• when was Hitler imprisoned?

  1923
• what were the Nazi Party beliefs?

  - national socialism

  - racism

  - armed force

  - Lebensraum

  - the Fuhrer
• what did the Nazi Party believe about race? (2)

  - Aryans (white Europeans) were the master race

  - all other races were inferior, especially Jews
• what did the Nazi Party believe about the armed force?

  Hitler believed that war and struggle were essential to the development of a healthy Aryan race
• what were the successes of the Nazi Party in the 1920s? (5)

  - organisation of the party improved

  - Goebbels appointed to take charge of Nazi propaganda

  - gaining support from various groups such as farmers and skilled craftsmen

  - strong leadership from Hitler - rebuilt the Nazi Party with youth organisations and recruitment drives

  - Stresemann era - German people more contented between 1924 and 1929
• how did membership of the Nazi Party change?

  rose from 27,000 in 1925 to over 100,000 by 1928
• what were the failures of the Nazi Party in the 1920s? (4)

  - Nazis continued to perform badly in elections to the Reichstag

  - most voters supported moderate parties (Centre Party, SPD, People's Party) - majority of workers supported SPD

  - Germans uninterested in extreme politics due to the prosperity of the Stresemann era

  - 1928 Nazis still a fringe minority party, less than 3% of population supported, smallest party
• what did Hitler do to rectify the declining number of Nazi seats? (3)

  - saw that he would need to build a network of support - e.g. Goebbels appointed as Minister of Propaganda

  - saw that he could indoctrinate young people so that they would, in time, vote for the Nazis

  - developed the SA (Nazi Party army) to send a clear message about the party's strength
• what were the aims of the Nazi Party? (4)

  - destroy communism

  - drive out Jews

  - make Germany powerful again - strong government, give every German work, strengthen army

  - help the peasants
• what were the views of the SPD? (4)

  - working class party, close links to trade unions

  - believe in parliament and democracy

  - want to help working men but not use force

  - want to fulfil the TofV but negotiate reductions in reparations
• what were the views of the communists? (3)

  - workers' movement

  - want to nationalise industry and land, share wealth more equally among German people

  - some extreme communists want violent revolution
• what were the views of the Centre Party? (4)

  - middle class party

  - supports the Roman Catholic Church

  - will not spend money on public works or unemployment relief

  - want to fulfil the TofV but negotiate reductions in payments
• who was most likely to vote for the Nazis in 1928 and why?

  ex-soldiers, army officers, farmers - liked the way the Nazis ruled with discipline and order
• why did some people not see the need to vote for the Nazi Party? (3)

  - wealthy people were succeeding, didn't see a need for a change in lifestyle

  - Germany was economically thriving

  - people were enjoying the development in Weimar culture - didn't want this to change
• why were some people put off voting for the Nazis? (2)

  - some people disliked anti-Semitic ideas

  - disliked the anti-communist stance and violence
• what was the Wall Street Crash? (5)

  - many Americans hadn't made as much money as hoped from their shares and decided to sell them very quickly

  - share prices dropped as more people tried to sell

  - millions of Americans couldn't sell their shares for as much as they had paid for them

  - some couldn't pay banks back, debt collectors took their cars and homes

  - firms went out of business, millions lost their jobs
• before the Wall Street Crash, what was Germany like in the 1920s?

  fun, energetic, lively, vibrant, carefree
• how did Hitler react to these cultural changes?

  found them shameful/sinful, people were living immoral lives
• why was the Wall Street Crash beneficial for Hitler and the Nazis?

  could use it to win support and persuade Germans away from the Weimar Republic
• what happened to German production by 1923?

  it halved
• what proportion of the population were supported by the dole?

  1/3 (17 million)
• what was the dole?

  small payments by the government to unemployed
• how many new members did the Communist Party attract in working class areas?

  6 million
• what was the impact of the Depression on Germany? (4)

  - goods made in German factories were not selling, e.g. cars, electrical goods and clothing, so factories had to close and millions became jobless

  - American banks demanded back all the money they had lent to Germany after WWI (Dawes Plan)

  - German banks demanded money from German businesses - they could not pay so went bankrupt

  - people were living on the streets, jobless, hungry, full of resentment
• what were the economic consequences of the Depression?

  - businesses closed down

  - farmers struggled

  - unemployment rose

  - wages decreased

  - welfare system could not cope

  - homelessness increased
• how many German firms closed?

  50,000 between 1929 and 1932
• how many farmers went bankrupt?

  18,000 by 1932
• what did unemployment rise to?

  6 million by January 1932
• how many German workers were unemployed?

  1/3
• what did the value of German workers' wages fall by?

  1/3
• what was the effect of the Depression on the German welfare system? (2)

  - had been set up to help around 800,000 people, not over 6 million

  - government had very little money
• how much were unemployment benefits cut by?

  60%
• what were the social consequences of the Depression?

  - many of the unemployed/homeless were under the age of 25

  - crime increased, many young people joined street gangs
• what were the political consequences of the Depression?

  chaos in the street between supporters of different political parties
• what factors led to increased support for the Nazis? (5)

  - the Depression

  - the failures of the Weimar Republic

  - the appeal of Adolf Hitler

  - the fear of communism

  - Nazi Party structure and methods
• how did the Weimar Republic respond to the Depression? (4)

  - argued about how to deal with the situation

  - Bruning tried to pass laws to give rich people's land to poor people

  - Hindenburg withdrew his support --> Bruning resigned

  - many started turning to more extreme parties
• how did the Nazi Party respond to the Depression? (5)

  - continued to repeat their main beliefs

  - the Treaty of Versailles was a crime to Germany

  - Jews should be persecuted for the country's economic problems

  - Germany should be reborn as a powerful country

  - many desperate people started to listen to Nazi ideas
• how did the Depression lead to increased support for the Nazis? (2)

  - businesses collapsed, unemployment rose, banks closed

  - Nazis beliefs were the same (TofV was a crime, Jews should be blamed, Germany should be reborn) but now desperate Germans wanted to follow them