Germany 1919- 1945

Question	Answer
German economy and society: Rebuilding the German economy;	-Treatment of workers ~Trade unions and workers' organisations were all abolished. All workers had to join the German Labour Front, (DAF), run by the Nazis. The Labour Front organised some improvements to workers' lives. They negotiated better conditions at work, better lunches, new toilets, etc. Through an organisation called 'Strength Through Joy', they also arranged leisure activities for workers and their families. These included holidays, film shows, concerts, hiking, keep-fit clubs and sporting fixtures. Millions of workers and their families took part.
German economy and society: Rebuilding the German economy; (continued)	-Reduction of unemployment ~By removing many women and Jews from the unemployment register. ~By putting young men to work. All male 18-25 year olds did 6 months in the National Labour Service (RAD), doing things like planting trees, digging ditches. They were given food and lodgings but paid only pocket money. ~By increasing the armed forces from 100,000 to 1,400,000. All males aged 18-25 had to do two years military service. Also by re-arming Germany. New tanks, aeroplanes, guns and battleships were ordered. Industries of all kinds, especially steel, boomed and millions of jobs were created. ~By a huge building programme. New motorways, schools, hospitals and houses were built and paid for by the government.
German economy and society: Nazis attitudes towards religion;	~Hitler hated Christianity. He hated its teaching of forgiveness and mercy, however he did not attack them as they had such a large following. He saw them as a threat but at first there was cooperation between them. in 1933 the Catholic churches and Hitler agreed to stay out of each other's way. He tried to start their own religion. closed down religious youth groups and church schools.
German economy and society: Hitler's Germany;	-A Germany with the Nazi party in control: It was not the job of the German people to vote, or criticise; they simply had to obey and be grateful. -A racially pure Germany: Only Aryans- the blonde, blue-eyed and pale skinned would be welcome.
German economy and society: Hitler's Germany; (continued)	-A Germany with traditional roles for men and women: women, wearing simple clothes and no make-up, would stay at home, cook simple meals and have babies. Men, would work and if necessary fight. Boys and girls would be prepared for their different roles through the education system. Propaganda was big in women being simply dressed, and to follow the 'three c's' children, church, cooking. Medals were awarded for having children, gold for eight, silver for six and bronze for four. However not everyone was allowed kids. It was compulsory for women with inherited diseases to be sterilised. Loans were offered to couples to encourage them to get married. They received 1000 marks, about half a years pay. The more children they had the less they had to pay back. If they had four children they paid back nothing. But there was one condition; the women had to leave her job. All women employed by the state- doctors, civil servants and many teachers were sacked. In appointing new staff, men were preferred to women.
Control and opposition: Opposition groups;	-Former political opponents: All opposition parties and trade unions were banned by July 1933. Their offices raided, ransacked and closed. Thousands of Socialists, including forming memebr of government as well as trade unionists were arrested and put in camps. Many were beaten up; sone tortured; a few killed. Most were soon released as the aim was to scare people into joining the Nazis or into keeping quiet. In the years after 1933, working class opposition to Nazism continued. from 1933 to 35 there were 400 strikes. The Gestapo made arrests for example of two thirds of the communist party. Many died in camps. Many more went into exile abroad. -The Churches: only when Hitler interfered with activities of church did religious leader object for example shutting down youth groups. Overall church opposition did not go very far. they did not object to persecution of the Jewish. only 50 pastors out of 17,000 and one bishop were actually arrested.
Control and opposition: Opposition groups; (continued)	-Young people: the White Rose Group, a small group of students at Munich University led by Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl and Christopher Probst. They were disgusted by the lack of opposition to the Nazis and their persecution of Jews. Hans and Sophie were arrested and tortured before being executed.
Control and opposition: Opposition groups; (continued)	-Army officers: many upper class Germans were scornful of Hitler with his lower class origins. Hitler's racial policies also horrified many of the officer class. They were horrified by the brutal actions of the SS in eastern Europe, which were against the strict code of honour in war. They also resented Hitler meddling in military strategy. There were said to be dozens of plots to assassinate Hitler. The one that came the nearest to success was organised by Stauffenberg, who planted a bomb in Hitler's military headquarters in July 1944. He was against his Anti-Semitism and by 1943 thought that Hitler was leading Germany to a catastrophic defeat. It only failed as the meeting was not held underground, the briefcase holding the bomb was moved slightly further away from Hitler by someone. Four people were killed and Hitler was injured. Hitler used the attempt as an excuse to round up and kill all of his known opponents. as a result 5000 people were arrested and executed.
Control and opposition: Control between 1933 and 1945;	-Himmler ~The SS: was originally Hitler's personal guard. Himmler built it up, by 1939 it had 240,000 members. Recruits had to be recognisably Aryan- blonde, blue-eyed, fit. Himmler trained them to be ruthless and loyal to Hitler. They could arrest people without trial and search houses. ~Concentration camps: As soon as the Nazis came to power the SS arrested Nazi opponents and put them in camps. The special concentration camps were constructed, usually in remote rural areas. At first inmates were held for short time, questioned, tortured, hard labour, and forced instruction in Nazi ideas. By the late 1930s concentration camps were being run by a section of the SS called Death's Head units, as forced labour camps. Some prisoners were used to work for Nazi-owned businesses. Himmler controlled over 150 companies who used slave labour. The camps held Jews, Communists, Socialists, trade unionists, church leaders- anyone who criticised the Nazis.
Control and opposition: Control between 1933 and 1945; (continued)	~The Gestapo: thus was the state secret police. They could tap phones, open mail, and collect information from a huge network of informers. Informers reported in local people who they believed were 'Anti-Nazi'. The Gestapo arrested people without trial, tortured them and imprisoned them in camps. ~Informers: The Nazi party had a strong local structure. Every town was divided into small units called blocks. The Block Warden, a local Nazi, visited every home on the block each week, collecting donations to the Nazi party and checking up on everyone. The Block warden wrote a report on everyone in their block. This report could affect whether or not you got a job. The Warden noted any signs of independent thinking.
Control and opposition: Control between 1933 and 1945; (continued)	The police and courts: The ordinary police continued with their regular work, but their bosses were all Nazis. This meant that the police became part of the network of informers, collecting information on everyone, whilst ignoring crimes committed by Nazis. The courts were under Nazi control. Nazis were appointed as judges so a fair trial was impossible. The number of offences carrying the death penalty went up in 1933 from 3 to 46 by 1943, These included listening to foreign radio, telling an anti-Nazi joke, having a sexual relationship with a Jew, being a habitual criminal.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became dictator In August 1934;	-27th February 1933- The Reichstag fire. The Reichstag was destroyed. A Dutch communist was found at scene. He appeared to have been acting alone but Nazis claimed it was the start of a plot for communists to take over. That night 4000 communist leaders were arrested by police. Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to grant him emergency powers next day. This gave police power to arrest people and hold them for as long as they wanted. without trial. thousands of Nazis opponents were arrested. Nazis banned meetings held by political oppositions and closed down their newspapers. -March 1933- new elections. The Nazis used the police and SA to put pressure on political opponents. Nazis used radio to broadcast their anti-communist message. they achieved their best election vote ever 44%.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became dictator In August 1934; (continued)	-March 1933, The enabling law. Hitler wanted the enabling law. it gave him the power to pass laws without going through government or president. The communist party were banned from voting. Centre party were persuaded to vote because Hitler promised to protect the Catholic Church. Only social democrats against. Law was passed 444 votes to 94. Germany was made dictatorship by this. -May 1933- trade unions taken over, leaders arrested, all trade unions merged into one organisation, the new German Labour front (DAF). it was controlled by the Nazis. Ending workers rights.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became dictator In August 1934; (continued)	-July 1933- all political parties banned. law passed banned people from forming new parties. Other political parties had broken up or been banned. Now only one party in Germany. 1934 June- Night of the Long Knives. Hitler became concerned by the increasing power of the SA, it had over 3 million members and wanted control of army. The leader Rohm was a close friend of Hitler hut Hitler thought of him as a potential rival. Hitler also needed to reassure the army. The army was smaller than the SA but it was well-trained and disciplined. It had the power to overthrow Hitler. The army was supported by powerful business men also. On the night of the long knives, SA leaders were dragged from their beds and taken to Nazis headquarters and shot. Rohm was arrested, refused to commit suicide and was so shot. The night was a warning to the rest of Germany on how ruthless Hitler was.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became dictator In August 1934; (continued)	-August 1934- Army oath. The army took an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler. He was now supreme commander of the armed forces. -August 1934- death of Hindenburg. Hitler made himself president and Chancellor. He was now undisputed head of government and took the title Fuhrer. supreme leader.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became Chancellor in 1933;	-In 1928 few Germans would have predicted that Hitler would become leader of Germany. The Nazi party did not appear to be going anywhere. Yet by July 1933 Hitler became Chancellor. ~Weak opposition: Opposition was weak and divided, the Nazis two main opponents were the Communists and the Social democrat party who were bitter enemies. They were not prepared to work together to stop the Nazis.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became Chancellor in 1933; (continued)	~Fear of communism: 1930- 1932 support for the communists increased, the German communist party was the largest in Europe. The communists had a lot of support from the worker. Many people in Germany began to fear the communists would take over the country, the Nazis seemed to be the only party that could stop them so they gained votes.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became Chancellor in 1933; (continued)	~Political deal: In July 1932 the Nazis won 37% of the vote, they were the largest party in the Reichstag however they did not have majority. Hitler demanded to be made Chancellor. However Paul Von Hindenburg refused. Instead he appointed Papen, the leader of the central party who soon faced many problems. General Schleicher persuaded Hindenburg to remove Papen. In December he became chancellor but failed to gain support. Papen wanted revenge. The Nazis were still the largest party so Papen thought he could use them to get power. He made a deal with Hitler to form a new government with Hitler as Chancellor and Papen as vice-chancellor. Wealthy businessmen supported as they believed Papen, not Hitler, would control the government. Papen persuaded Hindenburg to agree, in January 1933 Hitler became Chancellor. Hindenburg and Papen thought they could control Hitler. They made sure only 3 of the 12 that made up the new government were Nazis.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became Chancellor in 1933; (continued)	~The Wall Street Crash The great depression 6 million unemployed Made government look weak, money was not spent on poor to avoid hyper-inflation, government became unpopular. This led to increased support in extremist political parties. 1929, US stock market crashed, US businesses and banks lost large sums of money, as a result 1 in 4 people became unemployed. This created serious problems in Germany as it was dependent on US loans which were recalled. World trade reduces. German firms went bankrupt, unemployment rises, Germans forced to live in poverty so have less money to spend, demand for German goods drops.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became Chancellor in 1933; (continued)	-The Nazis actions: Effective leadership, clever promises, good organisation, brilliant propaganda. ~Organisation: They were good at raising money for election campaigns, Nazi party members worked hard in their local regions to spread the Nazi message, they organised soup kitchens and shelters for the unemployed, the SA also played an important role as with their uniforms and marches the SA looked capable of bringing law and order to Germany.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became Chancellor in 1933; (continued)	~Hitler's leadership skills: played a crucial role. His speeches and personality gained the Nazis a great deal of support. He came across as a strong leader who could solve Germany's problems.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became Chancellor in 1933; (continued)	~Propaganda: Nazi propaganda was organised by Goebbels. The Nazis used loudspeakers, radio, slide shows, and films to spread their message, The Nazis used mass rallies and marches to give the impression of discipline and order. They used radio and posters with powerful propaganda with simple slogans.
Part 1: the rise to power: Hitler became Chancellor in 1933; (continued)	~Nazis promises: promised to: solve Germany's economic problems, provide strong leadership, ignore the treaty, build up the army, make Germany great again. If they found a policy was unpopular they would drop it.
Part 1: the rise to power: What were the strengths and weaknesses of Weimar Germany?;	What were the strengths and weaknesses of Weimar Germany?; -Streseman In August 1923 Streseman became chancellor of Germany. The problems faced were so great most Germans did not think that he would be able to solve them. For the next 5 years (first as chancellor then as foreign minister) Stresemann tried to find answers to the problems facing Wiemar.
Part 1: the rise to power: What were the strengths and weaknesses of Weimar Germany?; (continued)	Solutions Policy 1: introduce a new currency Stresemann acted quickly to deal with hyper-inflation. The old money was replaced with a new currency called the Rentenmark. 1 Rentenmark replaced 1 billion marks. Old notes were recalled and burned. As a result the new currency was quickly accepted and inflation was brought under control. However the German people never forgot hyper-inflation and people who had lost their savings were not compensated. They felt cheated and blamed the Weimar Republic.
Part 1: the rise to power: What were the strengths and weaknesses of Weimar Germany?; (continued)	Policy 2: Persuade the French to leave the Ruhr Stresemann called off the passive resistance, because it had not led the French to withdraw from the Ruhr and had cause serious economic problems. He promised the French to keep up payment of reparations to France. The French left the Ruhr but this was a very unpopular policy in Germany. There was a lot of opposition especially from the right-wing extremists. They claimed it was sign of weak government. Stresemann had 'given in' to the French.
Part 1: the rise to power: What were the strengths and weaknesses of Weimar Germany?; (continued)	Policy 3: improve Germany's relationship with other countries. Stresemann decided to cooperate with other countries in Europe. He accepted that Germany could not reclaim the land that it had lost in the Treaty of Versailles. He hoped that by doing so the Allies would change the terms of the treaty. In 1925 Stresemann signed the Lorcarno pact. This was a series of treaties with Britain, France, Belgium and Italy in which they promised not to invade one another. In 1926 Germany joined the league of nations. It was given a great power status which meant it could have a say in major decisions that had to be made. Stresemann was awarded the nobel peace prize in 1926. However some Germans thought Streseman was weak. By saying that Germany would not try to regain the land it had lost he had once again 'given in' of France. Some army generals believed that Stresemann should have built up the army instead and tried to regain land lost by force.

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