Jan. 1923: Invasion of the Ruhr
One of Germany’s most valuable industrial and mining area
- End 1922: Germany fail to pay reparations to France as part of TOV
- French occupy the Ruhr
- Campaign of ‘passive resistance’ was Germany’s response and resulted in a decline in industrial productivity
- ‘Passive resistance’ affected Germany economy
- Weimar government still dedicated to maintain commitment to TOV
- Reparation bill: US $32 billion
- Instead of raising taxes, gov borrowed heavily and printed new money
- Sparked greatest inflation in history
1919: US$ => 8.9 marks
1923: US$ => 25 billion marks
- German money was valueless causing enormous hardship
- Real wages declined, life-time savings wiped, people on fixed incomes (pensioners) were poverty stricken
Aug. 1923: Streseman became chancellor
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called for passive resistance and began negotiating with the Western Powers (Dawes Plan)
- Secured powers from Reichstag
- Enabling him to stop inflation
- Tax changes, reduction of government expenditure
From its founding to the putsch of 1923:
- Founded during the chaotic period immediately after WWI. Bavaria was then under the control of a right wing Gov. which sheltered extremists (including the Nazis)
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Formed Jan. 9th 1919 under the name German Workers Party (DAP), Hitler joined as propaganda chief in Sept.
- Aug. 1921: Hitler became leader and introduced: the notion of the leader / a more centralized system w/ all branches subject to the authority of the original branch in Munich.
- June 1922: the now renamed National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) is banned in all states except Bavaria.
- Hitler saw Stresseman’s chancellorship as the beginning of a communist takeover…he decided to lead a putsch.
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Hitler convincd leading members of the Bavarian Gov. to help him on his ‘March on Berlin’ he seized them, they gave their consent but once released withdrew their aid.
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On Nov. 9th 1923 the Nazis marched on Gov. buildings and were dispersed by gunfire and had their leaders arrested.
- Hitler went for 5 years in prison, but now he was a nationally known figure.
Hitler secures Power
Hindenburg as president
- National hero
- Elected into presidency in 1925
- Re-elected in 1932 with support of Bruening
- It was a two stage election held in March and April
- Biggest opponents: Adolf Hitler and Ernst Thalmann (communist)
- Hitler was runner-up (shows the support the Nazis were enjoying)
- HITLER: 13.4 million votes
- HINDENBURG: 19.3 million votes
Heinrich Bruening as chancellor 1930-32
- Attempted to govern using president emergency powers
- No support of Reichstag (because of its deflationary economic policy and its rule by decree)
- Bruening dissolved the Reichstag - weakened Bruening’s position
- New elections 14 September 1930
- Moderate parties lost votes and extreme left and right gained
- After the Communists, National Socialist Party (Nazis) became second largest party (totally unforseen)
- Implemented economic programme using Presidential emergency powers
- March 1930: 2 258 000
- March 1932: 6 031 000
- Sought to win political support by trying to terminate reparation payments
- There was a lot of political thuggery by Nazis’ S.A. (Sturm Abteilungen)
- 14 April 1932 decreed the suppression of S.A.
- thought would end Nazi menace
- Didn’t have the support of army (argued Bruening to be replaced)
- Bruening was forced to resign end of May, 1932
Baron Franz von Papen 1932
- Did not possess party support in Reichstag
- To consolidate his power, he attempted to break the Socialist power
- Dissmissed government of Prussia (main stronghold)
- Successfully negotiated an end of reparation payments with western powers
- Elections late July 1932
- Nazi gained 230 seats (more than doubled their support!)
- Papen’s support in the Reichstag was weakened
- Papen dissolved the Reichstag to avoid a vote of no-confidence
- New elections November 1932
- 90% vote going towards anti-government parties
- Decline in Nazi vote (only 196 Nazis representatives)
- NO POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR PAPEN
- Took drastic measures to maintain control
- Suggested for the constitution to be suspended
- He rules by decree and has army backing
- General Schleicher told Hindenburg that the army could not garuntee control and support if Papen he ruled by decree.
- Papen resigned
General von Schleicher as Chancellor
- Appointed on 2 December 1932
- Had great support from the army
- Thought Nazis could be used to achieve a workable government
- Attempted to split Nazi ranks and control Hitler
- Tried to force Hitler into a coalition as junior partner
- Didn’t work
- Tried to win support over Socialists, didn’t work
- Like Papen, tried to suspend the constitution and rule by decree to gain support and control
- Hindenburg withdrew support for Schleicher (because the army couldn’t garuntee support if he ruled by decree)
Adolf Hitler as Chancellor
- only two options: Papen or Hitler
- Position of army critical
- Hitler appointed chancellor: 30 January 1933
- Papen appointed vice-chancellor
- Only two other Nazi leaders in the new Cabinet
- Non-Nazi leaders gambled that they could control Hitler in office and could turn him out of office at will
The Seizure of Power 1933-34
Situation in 1933:
- Only three cabinet posts held by Nazis
- no Nazi Reichstag majority
- Hitler could be dismissed by Hindenburg
- Hitler represented only hope of the Right for mass support
- The Right could not simply govern through pressure groups (army, business, etc.)
The Election of March 1933:
- Nazis received generous donations from industrialists (who feared a left wing revival)
- Goring (then Prussian Minister of the Interior) allowed Nazi violence in the campaign to go on uncontrolled.
The Reichstag Fire: Feb. 27th 1933 The man considered responsible was a communist → The Nazis claimed it was a beg. of a communist takeover / Hindenburg passed the ‘Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State’ → Hitler could: ignore restrictions on police power / take over the power of the German states → using this, the Nazis arrested communists and other political opponents.
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Results: Communists were banned, and Nazis in coalition w/ the Nationalists obtained a majority.
The Enabling Law
- To obtain 2/3 majority needed to change the constitution the Nazis carried a campaign of intimidation: they depicted opposition as unpatriotic / Nazis in the S.A. seized control of state Gov. / opponents in the SPD and trade unions were arrested / the building where the Reichstag was surrounded by S.A. and SS troops. This law granted Hitler the right to:
- make laws w/out Reichstag approval
- make treaties w/ foreign states w/out Reichstag approval
- Hitler now no longer needed the support of political parties.
Creation of a one-party state:
- June 1933: SPD banned
- July 1933: Law makes all political formations (except Nazis) illegal
Conflict between Hitler and the S.A.:
- The S.A. demanded that Hitler follow socialist measures as laid down in the 1920 Nazi Programme
- The S.A. wanted a greater say in party affairs
- They wished to replace the army with a national militia
- Hitler feared that they would lose him the support of the non-Nazi right, and the army. The army was then the only group w/ the power to remove him.
The Night of the Long Knives:
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June 30th/July 1st
- arrest of the main S.A. leaders by the S.S.
- leaders are shot
- Hitler congratulated by Reichstag, Hindenburg, & the army.
Death of Hindenburg:
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Aug. 2nd 1934: Hindenburg dies
- Hitler combined the office of chancellor and president powers to instate himself as Fuhrer, Reich Chancellor and Commander-in-chief or the army
Nazis gather popular support
- Germans hated the democratic government
- Great Depression caused collapse of German economy and mass unemployment
- Looked for radical alternatives
- Nazis create immediate jobs
- ensured popular support from businessmen and industrialists
Hjalmar Schacht Minister for Economics 1934-36
- Hitler knew nothing about economics
- Schacht was gifted
- Aimed at reducing unemployment and strengthening economy
- Used general upturn in world economy
- Tight foreign exchange policies
- Public works programs
- Hitler’s re-armorment program
- 6 million January 1933 (Hitler became chancellor) to > 2 million 1937
- 1932-1937 German GDP grew 102%
- Replaced by General Thomas
- Introduced 4-yr plan to prepare the German economy for war
Nazis Policing and Censorship
- Dr Joseph Goebbels Minister of Propaganda and People’s Enlightenment
- Controlled all radio
- Exercised tight political censorship of newspapers, books and films
- Those that were in any way anti-Nazi shut down
- Jewish or any unapproved books were burnt in public ceremonies
- Two terror organizations established headed by Heinrich Himmler
- Created in 1925
- The ‘new S.A.’ after it was purged in 1934
- 1939: 240 000 troops
- manned concentration camps
- More dreaded
- Secret police
- Tracked down, tortured, murdered or imprisoned ‘enemies of the State’
Racial Theory
Aryan race were pure and racially superior
- Northern European people (Nordic)
- Prossicuted Slavs, Latins, Negros, Asians, the disabled and retarded
Hated the Jews
- April 1933 boycott of all Jewish shops in Germany
- Jews were fired from public jobs
- By 1938 Jews forbidden to work as doctors, lawyers, public servants, teacgers, academics, stockbrokers or farmers
- Refused service in German shops
Nuremberg Laws September 1935
‘for the protection of the racial purity of the state’
- Marriage between Jews and Germans forbidden and will not be considered void unless annulled by a Public Prosecutor
- Intercourse between Jews and Germans forbidden
- Jews will not be able to employ <45 female German workers as domestic workers
- Jews are forbidden to display the national flag or colours (but they are allowed to display the Jewish colours)
Crystal Night
- 10 November 1938
- S.S. and S.A. looted and smashed Jewish throughout Germany
- 7000 Jewish shops looted
- 191 synagogues burnt
- 20 000 Jews arrested
By 1939 half Jewish population fled abroad
