Canadian History

CANADIAN HISTORY Lesson 1: Rise of the Nazi Party

KEY WORDS AND TERMS Treaty of Versailles Hyperinflation Fascists Nazis Fuhrer Civil Liberties

THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES When WWI ended, it was called the

“war to end all wars” The treaty of Versailles officially ended

the war and was meant to punish Germany and to make sure Germany was not a threat anymore

TERMS OF THE TREATY There were many parts to the treaty,

but the following terms were the most controversial: Germany had to reduce its military to 100

000 men Germany was not allowed to have a navy Ger. was not allowed submarines, aircraft,

or heavy artillery. Germany had to pay 5 billion in reparations War Guilt Clause Germany agreed to take

all the blame for the war (losses and damages)

All the powers met at Versailles Palace in France to sign the famous treaty in 1919

This is why the treaty is called the Treaty of Versailles

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE WAR? Every country in Europe was in bad

shape Germany was in ruins because of the

burdens imposed by the Treaty Worst of all was the debt Germany had

to pay The newly elected German parliament

could not agree on a way to help Germany survive

The governments that came in the 20s in Germany tried to pay back the debts.

But they did not have enough money so they did two things:

1.Borrowed money from the USA and promised to pay this back (Dawes Plan)

2. They printed more German marks and used the marks to buy US dollars to pay off the loans and reparations

Stacks of German Marks, which were practically worthless due to hyperinflation

Woman feeding her tiled stove with banknotes

HYPERINFLATION More German marks (like dollars) went into

circulation which made them worthless Businesses demanded more marks for their

products Workers wanted more for labour People would take bags or wheelbarrows full of

money to buy products The German mark became worthless on the

world market and it was difficult to purchase foreign goods.

This woman is using paper money to light her stove in 1923

What does this tell you about the value of the Germany money at this time?

PRICE OF A LOAF OF BREADYear Price Year Price

1919 0.26 1923 (jan) 700.00

1920 1.20 1923 (may) 1200.00

1921 1.35 1923 (Sept) 2 000 000.00

1922 3.50 1923 (Nov) 80, 000, 000, 000.00

Which year had the most rapid rise in prices?

RISE OF THE NAZIS The German people were destroyed,

humiliated and in desperate need of change

Extreme parties began to become popular because they offered a clear message

Among these parties were the Nazis They promised to help the economy

but they were also racist

ADOLF HITLER

Desperate, the people of Germany clung to the promises made by the Nazis and their leader, Adolf Hitler

The word ‘Nazi’ is a shortened version of the first word in the party’s German name—Nazionalistische Which means ‘national’

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HITLER? Use the KWL chart to record any

information you already know. Write things you would like to know about him in the second column. As we go through the lesson and our readings, look for answers to your questions.

ADOLF HITLER DER FURHER

During World War I; Hitler, who was born in Austria, served in the German army as a dispatch runner.

After the war, he was a member of a special army instructional unit created to combat socialist and democratic propaganda.

By 1920, Hitler was the leader of a small political party called the National Socialist German Worker’s Party.

HITLER’S PROMISES Hitler used people’s struggles and

bitterness He told the people he had a plan to

make Germany a great nation again He promised to do the following:

Stop paying the reparations to other nations

Invest in German industries to create growth

End unemployment Build Germany’s military

NAZI RALLY - 1935

Hitler was a very talented and effective speaker, who appealed to people’s emotions more than their intellect.

NAZIS RISE TO POWER The Nazis became a very popular group

in Germany In 1933, they won a plurality—they had

more seats than any other party in in the election

Other parties were not organized to form an alliance against the Nazis

Adolf Hitler became Chancellor

HITLER THE DICTATOR When he became Chancellor, Hitler

asked parliament for special powers to help deal with the enemies of Germany.

once they granted him these powers, Hitler abolished parliament and became the dictator (the Fuhrer) and his word was law

Hitler successfully took control of all of Germany

OPPOSITION? Anyone who opposed Hitler would be

imprisoned, tortured or murdered He began to reduce people’s civil

liberties Trade unions were banned Newspapers had to support Nazi

policies Teachers had to tell their classes about

how great Hitler was All books had to conform to Nazi views

BOOK BURNINGS