The Great War
After 5 years of conflict of the Great War, the world was devastated. Germany lay in defeat after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1921, the Allied Reparations Commission, mostly controlled by the French government, demanded that reparations were to be paid on the part of Germany of amounts surpassing £7,000,000,000. In 1922, there was a massive wave of inflation that swept the German economy, and as a result, many people were left penniless and unable to buy the necessities of life. At the end of 1922 the German Mark was worth absolutely nothing. The people were hopeless and frantic to survive. "It was such a desperate time that the people would follow anyone who would provide them with work, bread, and a bright new future"1. Political and economic unrest in Germany uprooted many of the old parties in parliament and made way for now more extreme groups. The NSDAP (later to be known as the Nazi party) was one of these new radical groups struggling for power in the sea of turmoil that was now called Germany. They were lead by Adolf Hitler, a shrewd and cunning man with excellent skills in public speaking. In 1929, the world markets crashed and a global depression began. The Germans were one of the hardest hit due to their already "knife edged"2 economy. Most of Germany's foreign investment came from the United States, and as soon as the markets crashed
Hitler's Rise to Power
History GCSE Coursework Assignment Germany 1918 - 1945 Historians have debated the main course for Hitler's rise to power. Some believe it was the Economic Depression, whilst some the weakness of the Weimar Constitution. I believe that the most important reason for Hitlers' coming to power was the Depression. A 'Gustav Stresemann' was a member of government from 1923-29. He built Germany up and out of depression. Exports and industry increased greatly, artist, poets and actors all flourished under his government. German Cinema, song and nightlife came to a Golden Age. Stresemann's overseas skills were also successful He signed the 'Locarno Teaties', which guaranteed he would not try to change German/French borders. This gained Germany a place in the League of Nations. Then very quietly he attempted to reverse some of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. He also negotiated the Young Plan, which lightened the reparations burden on Germany. Yet after all his successes he still could not tackle Germany's most dark problem. Unemployment was rising, and the government was spending huge amounts on welfare and health care. Stresemann promoted views which the extremist parties disliked (Communist + Nazi). The Nazi party, Hitler especially thought Streseman was a traitor. Drexler the leader of the Nazi's realised Hitler was a good public leader, and he saw this come into
The Rise of Hitler and 20th Century anti-Semitism For the holocaust to work not only was anti-Semitism essential but the Nazis also needed to change and reinforce the cognitive aspect of German culture, because
The Rise of Hitler and 20th Century anti-Semitism For the holocaust to work not only was anti-Semitism essential but the Nazis also needed to change and reinforce the cognitive aspect of German culture, because although it was already slightly anti-Semitic it was still not strong enough to allow for a Holocaust. To do this Hitler employed Josef Goebbels as minister of "Propaganda and Enlightenment", he was soon to become synonymous with the Nazi party. Adolf Hitler himself was born in Austria to a civil servant, he was a slow learner and did poorly in school, and due to this his very strict farther would often beat his son. When he was old enough he went to Vienna and tried to get into to art school but was rejected, whilst Jewish painters got in (this was one of the starting blocks for his hatred). Hitler then joined the army in the First World War and was injured during a gas attack, earning him the Iron Cross. He was then commissioned to carry out spy projects to gain information on political parties who may have been a threat to the German government. One of these parties was a German Workers Party, he found himself joining this group, drawn in by the appeal of the secrecy and anti-Semitism. Hitler became the speaker for the party in 1919 and renamed the party the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP/NAZI). One year later he declared himself the Fuhrer
Munich Putsch 1923 - Sources Questions
The Munich Putsch 1923 Question 1 The one of many jobs Adolf Hitler had was to spy on political parties to discover their ideas, thoughts and tactics. This inspired him and he became very interested in one certain group called the German Workers Party (the DAP). Hitler liked the DAP's ideas and decided to join them. He was member number seven and although the DAP had only had funds of 7.5 marks (which is about 40p) he was about to make them one of the most powerful political parties in the world. Hitler used a lot of propaganda to make the DAP more stronger and this worked. The DAP grew stronger and larger very quickly from this propaganda which included posters and advertisements in papers. Hitler also had a flag designed for him (which he took credit for) called the Swastika and represented the DAP's main beliefs. Hitler also made speeches to crowds, which were noticed because of his very, very loud speaking voice! He also changed the DAP's name into the 'National Socialist German Workers Party' which was soon nick named the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party started to attract more and more members and from 1918 when there were only 7 members. That increased to 3000 members in 1922. In 1921 Hitler was titled Der Fuhrer, which means 'The Leader'. His ideas included the 25 point plan which was mainly Nationalist and Anti-Semitist and included points like 'We demand the end to
Identify the different groups who voted Nazi during the years 1930-33. Why did these different groups vote for Hitler?
Identify the different groups who voted Nazi during the years 1930-33. Why did these different groups vote for Hitler? Between the years 1930 - 1933, the National Socialist German Worker's Party (or the Nazi's, for short) became the largest single party in Germany. Previous to 1930, in 1928, they were political no-hopers, with only 2.8 per cent of the vote, who seemingly had no chance in so much as denting Germany's politics let alone affecting on the Weimar Constitution and democracy as they did in 1933. By July 1932, however, the Nazi's gained a massive 37.3 per cent of the vote, a 13-fold increase in only four years. This remarkable increase is now understood to have taken place for various reasons, ultimately, however, it is understood the Nazi's gained the vast bulk of electors from deserters of other parties. One group that showed some difference in political stance in regards to the Nazi party is that of the male and female contingent. The gender factor is more noticeable, however, with the female voters. The Nazis, at least in the early 1930s, were far more attractive to women voters than the German Left (the KPD in particular). It is believed women were still motivated by much the same confessional, class and regional factors as men although were much less likely to vote for left-wing parties. It is also been claimed that although women voted less frequently than
Explain why the Nazis persecuted the Jews, and considering the minority, explain how the Nazis persecuted the Jews.
Explain why the Nazis persecuted the Jews, and considering the minority, explain how the Nazis persecuted the Jews The persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany is concerned with the holocaust, a word that today has a certain aura about it. And rightly so, in that period, where Hitler was at the height of his control, 5 - 6 million Jews were killed while in captivity, subjected to torture and starvation, in German death camps. The word Holocaust comes from the Greek: holo meaning "whole" and caustos meaning "burned", in a way this word is quite fitting to the whole situation, Hitler's singular desire to literally burn the whole of the Jewish race off the face of the planet. In this essay I shall now discuss firstly why the Germans persecuted the Jews and then how this developed. Persecution of the Jewish race and anti-Semitism was not a new concept. Many people still harboured ill feelings towards the race believing that they were solely to blame for the death of Jesus Christ. Although at the time I cannot see this been the first thing on the mind. However there was an historic racism towards the Jews and many already felt that they were not German but foreigner coming to steal there had earned wealth off them. For this many felt that Jews should be got rid of, not necessarily killed but pushed out of the country. There was also a certain amount of jealousy among the
The Final Solution : Racial Cleansing (Nazi Germany) Sources Question.
The Final Solution : Racial Cleansing Sources Question Q1. To what extent do the views in Source D support the information on the Final Solution in Source A? Source A suggests that the mass murders carried out by the Einsatzgruppen took place to the east of Greater Germany. This is supported in source B: "In the course of the Final Solution, the Jews should be brought to the East." Source B goes on to say: "Doubtless a large part will fall away through natural reduction. The remainder will have to be dealt with appropriately." It should be noted the vague language is used to cloud responsibility for the extermination of the Jews. There is no suggestion in Source A as to how the Jews were to be "separated by sex" or how those capable of work will join labour camps; although it does suggest that Europe will be combed from west to east as mentioned in source B. Q2. Are similar sentiments of ruthlessness towards the Jews implied in sources C and D? Yes, but in different ways. The person in Source C seems to enjoy his work: "We are ruthlessly making a clean sweep, with a clear conscience." The source suggests that he passionately dislikes Jews, as he gives them a lot of abuse, bringing into question their sexual morality and their physical and mental ability. Source D expresses similar sentiments, but it seems to be much more sinister and ruthless, for Himmler was the
The most important reason why there was little opposition in Germany towards the Nazi regimes was its use of Propaganda
a) 'The most important reason why there was little opposition in Germany towards the Nazi regimes was its use of Propaganda' Explain how far you agree with this statement. Propaganda has always been one of the most powerful weapons during war time. Hitler mastered this art by surrounding himself with individuals who were very skilful at the development and production of propaganda; people such as Goebbels. The Nazi's quickly realized the values of the media. From the early days of the party they used aggressive advertising to promote the Nazi Ideology. Hitler realized that the psychological shock of the economic depression on the German people created emotions such as fear, resentment, despair, the longing for reassurance; these were the most important issues for Hitler to consider. He managed to reassure the nation through the use of propaganda. Posters were used predominantly to persuade the German population to join the armed forces however they were also used to urge the German citizens to conserve materials for war efforts. Moreover they were used to demonstrate the importance of labour. Hitler was also aware of foreign spies and therefore produced, through Goebbels, a whole collection of poster depicting the power of spies, and making the German citizens think that spies were everywhere and anywhere. There were two main reasons why the Nazis used posters. The
When Did Hitler Authorise The Undertaking of The Final Solution.
When Did Hitler Authorise The Undertaking of The Final Solution Given that documentation is scarce the question when did Hitler authorise the final solution will be a tough one to answer. The vast majority believe that Hitler initiated the holocaust, nothing so radical could have been passes without his knowledge. However, the questions to address are when did the final solution being and when did Hitler authorise it. To answer the second we must put a date to the first question. This essay will take the stance that the final solution started with operation Barbarossa, the 1st step on the way to the systematic killing of the Jews. This essay will attempt to date at what point Hitler gave his authorisation to start tackling the Jewish problem on a mass scale. Hitler was driven by lust for living space (Lebensraum) and natural resources in the East, and by his determination to smash Jewish Communism once and for all. Thus On June 22,1941, German troops invaded the USSR. The Einstazgruppen were the effective method within Russia for killing the Jews. They entered Jewish towns and rounded up and shot the communist leaders and Jews. However at this time very few Jewish women or children were killed it did seem only to be those to have links with the very much hated communism. This suggests that there were no orders of genocide as yet. Also the Einstazgruppen only amounted to
Outline the role of the Reichswehr during the early Weimar Republic, 1919-1924.
Outline the role of the Reichswehr during the early Weimar Republic, 1919-1924. The Reichswehr played a major role during the early years of the Weimar republic. It had the power to support and be there in times of help when needed by the government. The Reichswehr are highlighted during the time of the birth of the Weimar republic, Kapp Putsch, the Weimar constitution, Munich Putsch. The revolution and the birth of the Weimar republic was addressed when Philip Scheidemann, a well-known majority Socialist, overheard a Spartacist Leader was about to call for Russian style Soviet republic. Stepping up to the Reichstag balcony, Scheidemann declared a new republic, with Ebert as Chancellor, stating that the army had settled to abide by their agreement. The position of the army was crucial. On the evening of 9th November, Ebert received a call from General Groener (source 4) at Army headquarters. In return for Ebert's support for the office corps, the army offered its armed forces to oppose left-wing radicalism. Ebert approved pledging the republics support for the continuation of the Prussian militaristic tradition and placing its future in the hands of the army. In 1920 a right-wing representative Gustav Kapp, attempted to seize power in an incident that showed the lack of authority in the Weimar republic. Kapp approached different army leaders to acquire their support, though
