world war 2

• WW1 began


  1914
• WW1 ended, Germany defeated

  1918
• Weimar Republic


  New democratic government formed in Weimar, Germany after WW1
• Armistice


  Agreement between enemies in war to stop fighting and discuss peace
• Treaty of Versailles signed

  1919
• Reparations


  Amount of money for damages paid by the losing nation to the winners
• War Guilt Clause


  Germany had to admit they were to blame for the war
• Hitler and Nazis tried to overthrow Weimar government in a military coup (putsch)


  1923
• Putsch


  Violent overthrow of government
• Great Depression began in the USA


  1929
• Stock market


  Place where people buy and sell shares in big businesses
• The Wall Street stock market collapsed in 1929, starting the Great Depression
• The Great Depression affected Germany - banks and factories closed, workers lost jobs, inflation rose
• Germany was unable to pay back money lent by the USA, leading to more business collapses and unemployment
• Germany did not have a history of democracy, and the Weimar Republic was not fully supported by judges, military and big businesses
• The Weimar Republic had many political parties and no party could win a complete majority, leading to 15 chancellors in 13 years
• The Weimar government could not cope with the economic crisis caused by the Great Depression
• This led to more public support for Hitler's Nazi Party, who promised law and order and jobs
• The Nazi Party received financial support from the military and wealthy businessmen, and used effective propaganda
• In 1933, the Nazi Party won the election and Hitler became Chancellor, leading to the end of the Weimar Republic
• Reasons for public support for the Nazi Party


  • By 1929, the Nazis were still not popular, but the Great Depression persuaded more people to vote for the Nazis who promised law and order and jobs
  • Many Germans wanted to return to being an important world power. The Nazis Party blamed the Weimar Republic for the severe punishment and humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles. They said that Germany was not defeated but 'stabbed in the back' by the government
  • Hitler's Nazi Party received financial support from some in the military and from wealthy businessmen
  • Hitler was a brilliant public speaker. He could hold attention of thousands of listeners
  • By 1932, the Nazi Party was very well organised. As a result of the Nazi's skillful propaganda (biased information), many people believed that the Nazi Party could save them from their troubles
• In 1933, the Nazi Party won the largest number of votes- Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany
• Enabling Act 1933


  Gave complete power to Hitler and the Nazi Party
• Enabling Act 1933 and dictatorship

  • The Reichstag passed the Enabling Act in 1933
  • The Nazi Party became the only political party allowed to exist in Germany
  • Hindenburg was the President and the Head of State, he signed the Act into law. When he passed away in 1934, Hitler combined the title of Chancellor and President
  • Hitler became a dictator- where he makes all the rules. He shut down the Reichstag and ruled without the rules in the German constitution
  • The Nazi dictatorship was ruthless, cruel, violent and intolerant
• The first concentration camp

  • In 1933 there were mass arrests of political opponents
  • There were soon so many people in jail that Germany's prisons became overcrowded
  • The first concentration camp was set up in the town of Dachau in 1933
  • Prisoners at Dachau included anyone who disagreed with the Nazis
  • Dachau was a large barbed-wire enclosure where prisoners had to do hard labour and military drills and got regular beatings
• Aryan


  Hitler's idea of a 'pure' German race
• Anti-semitism


  The hatred of Jews
• Loss of basic rights of Jewish people

  • Propaganda was used at rallies, on the radio, in posters, films and newspapers to increase anti-Semitism
  • Anti-Semitic propaganda prepared the way for the Holocaust
  • After years of being told that Jews were evil, it became easier for Germans to accept in 1935 what they would have rejected in 1920
  • Holocaust- the mass killing of the Jews in Nazi Germany
• Groups persecuted by the Nazis

  • Political opponents
  • Jehovah's Witnesses
  • German male homosexuals
  • Roma (Gypsies), blacks and slaves
  • People who were physically and mentally disabled
• Jews had to wear a yellow Star of David, a red triangle identified political components, purple triangle for Jehovah's Witnesses, pink triangle homosexuals, brown triangle for Roma and green triangle for criminals
• Fascism state compared with democracy

  • Nazi Germany was a fascist state
  • Fascism is the opposite of democracy
  • In a democracy, the government's duty is to serve the people
  • In a fascist state, the authoritarian political party serves it own needs and is not concerned with its citizen's rights
  • The Nazi government had control over men, women, youth, newspapers, radio, art, books, music, universities, schools, police, army, law courts and religion
  • To control every part of every German's life, the Nazi Party had to persuade people to believe that Hitler had the answers to all their problems
  • The Nazi party used propaganda, exaggeration and lies to tell people how to think
• Features of fascism


  • No opposition is allowed- no freedom of speech or the press
  • Belief in a great leader who holds all the power. People are encouraged to worship the leader
  • Use of violence, brutality and ruthlessness to keep control of the people
  • A secret police force which spies on people
  • Trade unions are banned, and fascist leaders co-operate with the landowners and factory owners
  • Use of propaganda to unite people
  • A big emphasis on military and willingness to go to war
  • A strong sense of pride in the country and belief that one's country is better than others
  • Racism and persecution of the 'other', like Jews and black people
  • Hatred of democracy
• The Nazi's aggressive, expansionist foreign policy


  • The Nazis wanted to enlarge Germany within Europe
  • They looked east to expand Germany into the rest of Europe
  • The Nazis said the Germans needed 'lebensraum' which meant finding additional 'living space'
  • Hitler's aims could not be achieved without armed forces
  • Building a strong defence force would break Germany's agreement to the Treaty of Versailles
  • In a meeting in 1933, the Nazi leaders decided that Germany would re-arm secretly
  • The Nazi army annexed Austria in 1938. In early 1939, part of Czechoslovakia was added to the German Reich
  • Britain and France did nothing. Hitler assured them he would go no further in expanding German borders
  • Britain and France thought that Poland was the next step for Germany
  • They gave a promise to Poland to help if Germany invaded it
• Outbreak of World War II: Axis vs. Allies

  1. On September 1 1939, Hitler's armies invaded Poland

  2. On September 3 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany

  3. Mussolini's fascist Italy joined the war on Germany's side

  4. Russia remained neutral at the beginning of the war, but joined in on the side of the Allies (Britain and France) when Germany attacked in 1941