Nazi Germany

• Treaty of Versailles


  1919
• Reparations


  6.6 billion
• German Army


  Must not exceed 100,000 (there was 14 million during WW1)
• Spartacist Rebellion


  1919
• Spartacist Rebellion


  • Led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg
  • Tried to overthrow the government
  • Stopped by the Freikorps (Ex-Soldiers)
  • 100,000 workers went on strike
• Kapp Putsch


  1920
• Kapp Putsch


  • Goal was to overthrow the Weimar Republic and establish a rightist Dictatorship
  • Led by Wolfgang Kapp
  • Chancellor Ebert called on the people of Berlin not to support this and to go on strike
  • 14th March 12 Million workers went on strike
  • Launched by Kreikorps
• Invasion and Occupation of the Ruhr


  1923
• Invasion and Occupation of the Ruhr

  • In January 1923, The French and Belgian armies sent 60,000 Soldiers into the Ruhr region of Germany
  • The French aimed to extract the unpaid reparations and took control of key industries and natural resources
  • The Weimar Government instructed the Ruhr workers to go on strike, instead of helping the French
• Munich Putsch


  1923
• Munich Putsch


  • In November 1923,Hitler tried to take advantage of the hyper inflation crisis by instigating a revolution
  • On the night of 8th November 1923,Hitler and 600 SA members burst into a meeting that Kahr and Lossow were holding at the local Beer Hall. Waving a gun at them, Hitler forced them to agree to rebel
  • 9th November 1923, Hitler and the SA went into Munich on what they thought would be a triumphal march to take power.However Kahr had called in police and army reinforcements
  • Police killed 16 members of the SA
  • Hitler fled but was arrested two days later
  • Sentenced to five years for high treason (betraying his country) but only had to do around 9 months
• Dawes Plan


  1924
• Dawes Plan


  • In 1924 Gustav Stresemann agreed to an economic plan created by an American banker Charles G. Dawes
  • Reparations were temporarily reduced
  • US banks agreed to give loans to German Industries by giving them 25 billion between 1924 and 1930
• Young Plan


  1929
• Young Plan


  • Reduced the total reparations debt from 6.6 billion to 2 billion
  • Germany given a further 59 years to pay reparations
  • A Referendum (Public vote) in 1929 showed that 85% of Germans were in favour of the plan
• Wall Street Crash


  1929
• Wall Street Crash


  • Worried about losing money,people rushed to sell all their shares before they fell further
  • This led to 13 million shares being sold in one day, shares worth 20,000 in the morning were worth 1,000 by the end of the day
  • People were scared they wouldn't have money in their accounts so they rushed to withdraw all their money
  • America took their loans back that they gave to Germany
• Reichstag Fire


  1933
• Reichstag Fire


  • 27th February 1933,the Reichstag was set alight and burnt
  • The supposed arsonist was a Dutchman Marinus Van Der Lubbe (A Communist supporter)
  • There was evidence of a tunnel leading from the official residence of Hermann Goring into the Reichstag
  • Hitler Accused the Communist party of conspiracy and arrested 4,000 communists
  • Hindenburg declared a state of emergency using Article 48 and Hitler was issued the Decree for the Protection of the state(Imprison political opponents and ban opposition newspapers
  • Hitler called for a election in March 1933
  • Enabling act was passed 444 votes to 94
  • Hitler is Chancellor
• The Concordat


  1933
• The Concordat


  • In July 1933, Hitler agreed with the pope in a concordat that catholics were free to worship and run their own schools in return for staying out of politics
  • Hitler broke his promise and priests opposing the nazis were harassed and/or sent to concentration camps
  • Catholic schools had to remove christian symbols and were later closed
  • Catholic youth organisations were banned
• The Night of Long Knives


  1934
• The Night of Long Knives


  • 30th June 1934
  • Hitler decided to rid himself of the threat to Rohm and the SA.He did this by inviting Rohm and 100 SA leaders to a meeting
  • It was a ruse (trick) when the leaders arrived they were arrested by the SS, taken to Munich and shot
  • After the arrests,Von Papen's staff were arrested and his home surrounded
  • Further killings occurred, including that of von schleicher
• Hitler becomes Fuhrer


  1934
• Hitler becomes Fuhrer


  • 19th August 1934
  • President Hindenburg was the only person senior to Hitler.(he died August 1934)
  • Within hours, a law concerning the head of state merged the offices of chancellor and president to create a new office of Fuhrer
  • The day Hindenburg died,Hitler announced the army should swear and oath of allegiance to him, not Germany
• Methods of Censorship


  • Public burning of books by Jewish writers or others who disagreed with nazi views
  • Radio producers,playwrights, filmmakers and newspapers were told what to say
  • Newspapers opposing the Nazis were closed
  • Only radios that couldn't receive foreign stations were made
• Methods of Propaganda


  • Joseph Goebbels Reich minister of propaganda 1933-1945
  • Posters showing Nazi beliefs were displayed everywhere
  • Hitler made radio speeches which were played though loudspeakers in various areas which contained nazi ideas and beliefs
  • Huge rallies and military parades were held, projecting a power and strength
  • Cinema showed propaganda films with subtle Nazi messages
  • The Olympic games held in Berlin 1936 was the ideal to promoted Nazi ideologies such as Aryan superiority
• Youth Opposition


  • The Edelweiss Pirates
  • The Swing Youth
• The Edelweiss Pirates


  • Made up of mainly boys who copied an american style of clothing, they were formed in the late 1930s, possibly as a consequence of Nazi policies enforcing the Hitler Youth membership
  • They listened to banned music
  • Taunted Hitler youth
• The Swing Youth


  • They gathered to drink alcohol, smoke and dance and they organised illegal dances attended by thousands
  • The Swing youth was made up of children from wealthy families whereas The Edelweiss pirates were made up of kids from the working class
• Nazi ideals of a Women

  • To have a natural appearance with long hair tied back and no makeup
  • To wear traditional clothes
  • To be fair haired and blue eyed (Aryan)
  • To be sturdily built (for child bearing)
  • To be a non-drinker/ smoker
  • To marry and have children
  • To believe in the Nazi ideas of Kinder,Kuche,Kirche (Children, kitchen,church)
  • To stay at home and not go to work or university
  • Women should have at least 4 children (couples were let off one-quarter of their marriage loan repayments for each child they had
• Nazi aims of education Policy

  • Girls;
  • To prepare girls to be good wives and mothers
  • To create loyal Nazis
  • To glorify germany and the nazi party
  • Boys:
  • To turn boys into strong soldiers who would fight for germany
  • To teach nazi beliefs about race
  • To put across key nazi ideals
• Policies to reduce unemployment

  • National Labour Service (RAD)
  • Job creation schemes
  • Rearmament
• National Labour Service (RAD)


  • From july 193, it was compulsory for all men aged 18-25
  • To serve six month on the scheme
  • They worked on job creation schemes and other public works such as draining marshes
  • Many hated the RAD: the pay was low,the hours long and the work boring
• Invisible Unemployment


  • Official government figures showed unemployment was falling but they did not include:
  • Jews being forced out of there jobs
  • Women being dismissed or leaving their jobs
  • Unmarried men under 25 doing national labour service
  • Opponents of the regime who were sent to concentration camps
  • Unemployment figures dropped from 4.8 million in 1933 to 0.3 million in 1939
• Nuremberg laws


  1935
• Nuremberg laws


  • The Reich law on citizenship:
  • Only those of German blood can be citizens
  • Jews must become subjects not citizens
  • Jews cannot vote o work for the government
  • Jews must wear a yellow star-shaped patch sewn on clothes for ease of identification
  • The Reich law for the protection of german blood and honour:
  • No jew can marry a German citizen
  • No jew is allowed to have sexual relations with a german citizen
• Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass)


  1938
• Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass)

  • 7th of November,a 17 year-old Polish Jew entered the German embassy in Paris and shot a German
  • 8th of November, Goebbels used the event to stir up resentment against jews by attacking homes and synagogues in Hanover
  • 9th of November, Goebbels and Hitler decided to increase the violence to a nationwide attack
  • Kristallnacht: 9-10th November,groups of uniformed and non-uniformed gangs ran amok amongst Jewish communities
  • About 100 Jews were killed
  • 814 shops were destroyed
  • 171 homes were destroyed
  • 191 synagogues were destroyed
  • Consequences of Kristallnacht, Goebbels blames the Jews for starting the trouble of Kristallnacht and ordered them to pay damages, Jews were fined 1 billion marks