Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany Information booklet. Use ...

GCSE History Revision Information Booklet Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany

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Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany

Information booklet.

Use this booklet to create your mind-maps and flash cards. You will also

receive a separate practise question booklet.

Name - …………………………………………

Class- ………………….

Form - ………………………………………..

Paper 3 – Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1939

Exam skills (more guidance in practise q. booklet)

1. Source inference (4 – 5 mins)

2. Explanation 12 mark (12 – 15 mins)

3a. Source utility (8 – 10 mins)

3b. Difference of interpretations (4 – 5 mins)

3c. Reasons for differing interpretations (4 – 5 mins)

3d. Interpretations essay (20 – 16 plus SPAG – 35 mins)


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KEY TOPIC 1.1 INFO: The Origins of the Weimar Republic, 1918-19

Germany had been dominant for large parts of WW1. Although many German soldiers had died during WW1 (3

million) most of the fighting had been in France. America had joined the war in 1917 and with their help, Germany was

slowly losing land and retreating by October 1918. This was not reported to the German people so they were shocked

when they finally surrendered. The situation was made even worse by the British navy surrounding Germany to

prevent food getting in (a blockade) which led to serious food shortages and hardship for ordinary German people.

The Kaiser had always controlled the government, army and navy but it October 1918 politicians took control of the

government for the first time as the military situation got worse. Led by Prince Max of Baden they wanted to end the

war however the leader of America, President Wilson, refused to discuss surrender until Kaiser Wilhelm (the man

Wilson blamed for starting the war) was removed.

To make matters worse, the Germany navy was asked to make one final attack on the British navy. With an

end to the war being discussed and with no chance of victory the German sailors in a city called Kiel mutinied. This

meant they stopped following their leader’s orders. Other mutinies broke out all across Germany as soldiers and the

German people refused to fight until a surrender was agreed. This was known as the German Revolution, violence

revolt spread across Germany.

Finally on November 9th 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm realised he had no support to remain as King of Germany. With the

pressure from Wilson to resign in order to have peace talks also, he gave up his role and left Germany. A temporary

revolutionary government took Kaiser Wilhelm’s place, and signed the armistice (an agreement to stop fighting) on

11th November. Germany assumed, like everyone else, that they would be part of the peace talks. The German people

had not heard any news of the German army’s defeats and were shocked when they quickly surrendered.

By 1919, it was clear that a more permanent government was needed. On 19th January, in Weimar, a new ‘Weimar

Republic’ came together for the first time. They had been voted for by the people of Germany, and were mostly made

up of democratic parties (who had gained 80% of the vote). This is how Germany’s Weimar Republic was born. See the

diagram below for an overview of its structure:

The Weimar Republic was a very democratic system, giving it several strengths. However, some aspects of this

democracy would make the Weimar Republic difficult to rule. See below for the strengths and weaknesses of the

Weimar Republic:


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Strengths Weaknesses

All Germans had equal rights, including the right to vote…

… but, in 1919 many people did not want the democratic Republic to be in charge of Germany. It was not sensible to allow everyone to vote when some wanted to destroy the Republic.

Proportional representation made voting fair, it meant that every party got a proportion of seats in parliament based on how many votes they received.

This meant there was never one strong party but lots of different smaller parties. This meant Parliament would always be based on coalitions and agreements and lead to having no one strong majority.

Germany was used to have a strong leader in charge like the new role of the President. A strong president was needed to take control of Germany given all the different problems it faced.

This gave the President huge amounts of power. If the President did not support democracy he could make himself a dictator.

Germany was made up of states with their own traditions and ideas, it was right each state had a say in how its area was ruled

The states could turn against the central government.

Article 48 meant the President could quickly make laws to solve problems without having to ask anyone else to agree to it.

This meant that the President could ignore democracy and just make any law he wished.

KEY TOPIC 1.1 TASKS: The Origins of the Weimar Republic, 1918-19

1. Make a mind-map with ‘strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Republic’ in the middle

2. Make flash cards for all of the key facts in topic 1.1 and test yourself

KEY TOPIC 1.2 INFO: The early challenges to the Weimar Republic, 1919-23

The First World War had left Germany with many problems. As they took over just after the war, this would

mean that the Weimar Republic could easily be blamed for the issues facing Germany. Here is a summary of

the problems they faced, and the uprisings that resulted:

Stab in the back myth

Many people were outraged by the serious punishments of the Treaty of Versailles. They blamed their politicians for

accepting the Treaty of Versailles (even if they had no choice). People began to call them November Criminals as they

also blamed them for surrendering in the first place. These are some of the harsh punishments described in the ToV:

T - Territory R - Reparations A - Army W – War Guilt L – League of Nations

• All colonies given to Britain and

France.

• Gave 10% of its land to other

countries (Poland, France, etc)

• Germany not allowed any soldiers in its

land closest to France (Rhineland –

demilitarised)

• Banned from joining with Austria

• Had to pay £6.6 billion to

France, Britain and

America (note – this was

initially set as an

unlimited figure in the

ToV – 6.6 bill was

worked out later)

• Army limited to

100,000

• No tanks

• No planes

• No subs

• 6 warships

• Article 231

• Germany had to

accept full

responsibility for starting

WW1

• Germany was

banned from

joining the

League of

Nations

(the first UN)


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The government and the army

The first Chancellor of the Weimar Republic was from a left wing party called the SPD. The army did not like left wing

parties as they wanted to take power away from powerful business leaders and army generals and give it to soldiers

and workers. The leaders of the army also thought democracy was weak and wanted the Kaiser to return so Germany

had a strong leader. The Weimar Republic needed the support of the army to help put down all the rebellions so the

leader of the Republic, a socialist called Ebert agreed not to change anything about the army and continue to give

them large amounts of government spending in return for the army promising to protect the Weimar Republic. This

meant the Weimar Republic now had the limited support of the army but now had no way to control it or change it.

Spartacist Uprising

This was an uprising led by two communists – Karl Liebknecht and Rosa

Luxembourg. They wanted to make Germany into a communist country,

just like a group called the Bolsheviks had done to Russia in 1917. They

formed the Germany Communist Party (KPD) in 1918 and tried to

overthrow the Weimar Republic on 6th January 1919 by taking over

important government buildings.

The leader of the Weimar Republic Ebert had to use the Germany army

(Reichswehr) and a group of right wing ex-soldiers who had refused to hand over their guns and uniforms at the end of

WW1. They were called the freikorps and were not part of the army or government, they joined together as they

missed the friendships of the trenches and hated communists. The rebellion was quickly defeated and Rosa

Luxembourg was executed by these soldiers without a trial. When there was another communist uprising in March

1919 1,000 communists were killed by the freikorps.

Kapp Putsch

Having a large armed group like the freikorps attacking communists and not

taking orders from the government was a serious problem for the

government. In 1920 the government announced they were going to disband

(get rid) of the freikorps. The freikorps refused and joined up with a right

wing politician called Wolfgang Kapp. They were joined by over 400 officers

from the Reichswehr and their soldiers who sympathised with the freikorps

and were angry at the government for reducing the size of the army. They

seized control of a number of government buildings in Berlin forcing the government to move to another city. The

army refused to stop the rebellion as they said they refused to fire against their own soldiers.

It looked like the Weimar Republic had no one to stop the rebellion spreading. Finally the socialist leaders called on the

German people to go on strike to stop the rebellion. Millions of workers refused to turn up to their jobs for days

bringing Berlin and Germany to a standstill. Eventually Kapp and the freikorps had to end their attempted rebellion.

However the army had shown it was only willing to support the Weimar government against left wing attacks and not

against those from the right.

French invasion of the Ruhr

Germany had to pay back £6.6 billon in reparations through giving the winning countries money, goods and natural

resources. With all the political problems Germany was facing its economy was also struggling. To help pay back these

reparations the government began to print more and more money to give to France, Belgium and Britain. However the

more money it printed the less this money was worth.


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In 1923 when Germany failed to make a reparation payment to the French and Belgian governments they decided to

invade Germany and take these goods for themselves! They invaded an area called the Ruhrland, the main industrial

area of Germany where the majority of its factories were.

German workers refused to work for the French soldiers and even destroyed their own factories to stop the French

being able to use it. Some of the striking workers were shot by the French soldiers leading to outrage spreading across

all of Germany. To show their support for the striker the government promised to pay their wages and printed even

more money to do this. Finally the French soldiers were forced to retreat as no goods were being produced for them

to take as their reparations. Germany had won but all this printing of money had caused a major problem.

Hyperinflation

Our money system works by being able to exchange your paper money for something of real value, for example you

can exchange a £5 note for £5 of gold from our central bank. As the government printed more money it became worth

less so you would have to exchange more of it to get something for the same value. This inflation/growth in how much

money you had to spend to get an item was called hyperinflation as it happened so quickly. Workers moved to having

collect their wages weekly as it was increasing by the day. Many had to collect it using wheelbarrows in order to carry

that amount of cash back home with them.

Year How many marks were equal to £1

Jan 1919 £1 = 35 marks

Jan 1921 £1 = 256 marks

Jan 1922 £1 = 764 marks

July 1923 £1 = 1, 413, 648 marks

September 1923 £1 = 4 million marks

October 1923 £1 =1 billion marks

November 1923 £1 = 1.6 billion marks

- Old people who had saved all their money in their bank accounts saw all their savings become worthless.

- The cost of food became so incredibly hard there were food shortages across all of Germany

- Farmers benefited from increased food prices and people who had borrowed money could pay it back easily, such as

business men

KEY TOPIC 1.2 TASKS: The early challenges to the Weimar Republic, 1919-23

1. Make a mind-map with ‘challenges to the Weimar Republic’ in the middle


KEY TOPIC 1.3 INFO: The recovery of the Republic, 1924-29

Despite all of these challenges, the Weimar

Republic did have some great successes. This was

mainly due to Gustav Stresemann, Chancellor of

Germany and then foreign minister. Firstly, in terms

of their relationships with other countries, they had

the following successes:

Locarno Pact - 1924

Stresemann wanted to change some of the most serious

punishments of the Treaty of Versailles. As Britain and


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France had given Germany this punishment, he would need to win their trust in order to change things. France worried

that Germany might attack again over who controlled what land. Stresemann made a deal to respect the location of

the borders of Belgium and France and signed this deal with France, Belgium, Britain and Italy. This made France feel

safer and more likely to consider changing the punishments of the Treaty of Versailles.

League of Nations - 1926

This was like the United Nations. Germany was banned from joining because of the Treaty of Versailles. However

because of the Locarno Pact they joined in 1926 and were given a permanent seat in the Council along with the other

powerful European countries like Britain and France. This showed Germany was still a powerful country and

Stresemann used the League to organise the Young Plan. Many right wing politicians hated Stresemann as they saw

the League as part of the Treaty of the Versailles and thought he was a traitor for joining.

Kellogg-Briand Pact – 1928

Germany signed a deal with America and 63 other counties to agree to resolve problems by talking about them rather

than starting a war. This showed Germany was no longer an outsider after losing WW1 and helped them gain more

loans with America.

The Weimar Republic also managed to successfully solve some domestic (at home in Germany) problems:

Dawes Plan - 1924

Stresemann made a deal with American Vice-President to reduce the amount of money Germany had to pay in

reparations. Dawes also agreed to have remove French soldiers from the Ruhrland by 1925 and promised American

loans to help the Germany economy grow. US banks gave Germany £800 million in 1925. Over the next six years

America gave Germany $3 billion in loans.

Rentenmark - 1923

Germany suffered from hyperinflation which meant its money had lost its value.

Stresemann allowed people to exchange their worthless normal marks for a new,

temporary currency called the Rentenmark. This brought back money to being of

normal value and meant Germans began to trust in the economy. After a year

people could swap their rentenmarks back for ordinary marks. Stresemann had

solved the hyperinflation problem.

Young Plan - 1929

Stresemann received help from the League of Nations to pay Germany’s reparations.

An American called Young came up with a new reparations figure. Rather than pay

£6.6 billion Germany would now pay £1.85 billion. For many this was a significant

achievement but many right wing politicians like Hitler blamed Stresemann for paying

any reparations at all.

Stretch to think about: How did initial successes, like the Locarno Pact, help

lead to later successes, like Germany’s membership of the League of Nations?

KEY TOPIC 1.3 TASKS: The recovery of the Republic, 1924-29

1. Make a mind-map with ‘how did the Weimar Republic recover?’ in the middle



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KEY TOPIC 1.4 INFO: Changes in society, 1924-29

The Weimar Republic also helped to bring about many positive changes for workers, women, and in other cultural

aspects of German life.

Changes for workers:

Workers’ lives had improved somewhat during the Weimar Republic. In 1926, 2 million people were unemployed, and this had been reduced to 1.3 million by 1928. Their wages rose by 25% from 1925 to 1928, which meant they had more money to buy better goods and have a better standard of living. They also received more support and protection from the government. A new unemployment insurance was introduced by the Weimar Republic (in the Unemployment Insurance Act of 1927). This meant every worker had to pay an extra small tax but would receive benefits from the government if they were sick or lost their jobs. Furthermore, the working week was reduced from an average of 50 hours to 46 hours, meaning that even though wages rose, people were having to work less. There was also a serious problem of housing at the start of the Weimar Republic: in 1923, the German people were short of 1 million homes. The government invested huge amount of money into improving living conditions and over 100,000 new houses were built to improve the lives of workers. Life for war veterans was also improved, through the 1920 Reich Pension Law, which paid out money to support war veterans who were too old to work (as well as the widows and parents of people who had died in the war). Finally, more people were able to access higher education – the number of people in higher education rose by 70,000 between the end of the war and 1928. This doesn’t mean that the Weimar Republic solved all problems – many were still unemployed, and the hyperinflation of 1923 caused much hardship. Changes for women:

In 1919, women were given the right to vote. Many of them took up this opportunity –% of women voted in each

election throughout the Weimar period. They held 10% of seats in the Reichstag by 1932. The Weimar Republic’s

constitution also stated, in article 109, that women had equal rights with men and should be able to do all jobs to the

same level as men.

After WW1, women had begun to take new kinds of jobs that had previously been dominated by men. For instance,

they began to fill more jobs interacting with the public, such as tram conductor and shop worker, as well as (in smaller

numbers) factory worker, lawyer, and doctor (the number of female doctors doubled while the Weimar Republic was

in power). 75% of women were in work by 1918. This did decline after the war – by 1925, only 36% of women were

still working. Furthermore, the constitution article that said women should be treated the same as men was not

upheld in practise. Women were paid 33% less than men on average, and very rarely did high-status jobs: there were

only 36 female judges in Germany by 1933.

The idea of ‘new women’ also developed through the Weimar Republic. Fashions changed: hair was cut shorter and

skirts were shorter too, in line with the ‘flapper’ trend. These ‘new women’ wore more makeup, went out alone,

smoked and drank. They were less committed to marriage and having babies: the birth rate fell from 128 healthy

births in 1913 to 80 in 1925, and the divorce rate doubled.

However, these changes for women did provoke opposition, particularly from older generations and members of the

clergy.

Changes in the Arts:

There were many developments in art, architecture, and film during the time of the Weimar Republic:


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The Weimar government allowed people many more freedoms, through its new constitution’s protection of freedom

of speech. This allowed artists such as Otto Dix to paint expressionist pieces that were critical of life in Germany.

There were also new styles of architecture, influenced by the Bauhaus movement. For example, Erich Mendelsohn

built the Einstein Tower in Potsdam in a very futuristic style.

Cinema became popular in many countries during the 1920s, and it was another way for German artists to utilise their

new freedom of speech. Germany’s first sound film was produced in 1930, and Germany had 3,800 cinemas showing

films with sound by 1932.

Again, not everyone welcomed these changes. The KPD (communist party) said that the Weimar government was

wasting money on unneccessary things by supporting galleries, museums and libraries. Right-wing nationalists,

including the Nazis, said that cultural changes were moving away from traditional German values.

KEY TOPIC 1.4 TASKS: Changes in society, 1924-29

1. Make a mind-map with ‘changes in society in the Weimar Republic’ in the middle



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KEY TOPIC 2.1 INFO: Early development of the Nazi Party, 1920-22

HITLER’S EARLY LIFE AND PARTY MEMBERSHIP:

Hitler was born in Austria in 1889. His father died when in 1903 and his mother, who he was very close to, died in

1907. Adolf had always wanted to be an artist and often argued with his father about his future career. In the same

year his mother died his application to attend Art College was rejected, and rejected again next year. Devastated by

these blows Hitler slept rough in Vienna for five years, here he was exposed to many extreme views including lots of

horrific views on Jewish people. Many people think he blamed Jews who worked at the art college for turning him

down. He moved to Munich in Germany and joined the German army in 1914 at the outbreak of war. He saw the war

as the thing his life was missing, a purpose.

During WW1 Hitler served bravely. He would pass messages between trenches

even when there were huge explosion going around and was awarded medals

for his bravery by his Jewish captain. Hitler never achieved a high rank in the

army and when Germany surrendered in Nov 1918 Hitler was in hospital, having

being temporarily blinded by a gas attack. This made Hitler incredibly angry as

he felt he had been betrayed.

Hitler was outraged by the huge punishments handed to Germany by the Treaty

of Versailles. He was upset that Germany was banned from joining together with Austria. As an Austrian, Hitler

believed that all German speaking people should join together. As a member of the army, he was upset that it was to

be limited to 100,000 men with no tanks, planes, submarines and only 6 warships. He blamed the politicians for

accepting War Guilt as he believed that Germany was provoked into fighting WW1 and shouldn’t have to pay any

reparations.

He continued to work for the army after the war and served as a spy, visiting meetings of extremist groups to report

back on any plans they had to launch an uprising or coup against the government.

The DAP (the original name of the Nazis)

During one of his missions to report on extreme parties, Hitler visited an extreme group called the German Worker’s

Party (DAP in German). During this meeting, Hitler got up to challenge one of the speakers and spoke impressively

about the harsh treatment Germany faced because of the Treaty of Versailles. The leader of the DAP, a man called

Drexler, asked Hitler to join and encouraged by the army to spy more on the party, he did. This party would later

change its name to the Nazis.

What did the DAP believe in?

Hitler joined the DAP because they shared his views about destroying

the Treaty of Versailles, blaming politicians for stabbing Germany in

the back for surrendering during WW1 and blaming Jews and

Communists for trying to ruin Germany.

The DAP also had their own private army called the SA (storm

troopers). These were groups of ex-soldiers who shared the same

extreme views as Hitler. They would attack and beat up other communists and Jews who they met. They used violence

to attack the people they blamed for the problems of Germany.

EARLY NAZI PARTY POLICIES/ACTIONS:

The Twenty-Five Point Programme

Soon after joining the DAP in September 1919, Adolf Hitler became very popular with the party’s leader, Anton

Drexler. Both agreed on several of the issues facing Germany, as well as what should be done about them. Together, in

January 1920, they wrote the Twenty-Five Point Programme. This outlined the policies of the DAP, many of which


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involved actions that protested against the policies of the Weimar government. For example, it included points of

opposition to the Weimar politicians who had accepted the Versailles Treaty (it stated that ‘we demand land and

colonies’ in point 3, going against Versailles’ confiscation of Germany’s colonies). It also opposed democracy,

demanding a ‘strong central state power’ in point 25, and the Jews (point 4). This appealed to many who shared

Hitler’s outrage at the Treaty of Versailles.

Hitler’s speeches

Hitler also quickly became popular for his oratory skills (skills in making speeches). At 46 party gatherings between

November 1919 and November 1920, Hitler made 31 key speeches. He carefully rehearsed his speeches, and began

them quietly and calmly, before building up to a passionate and stirring rant. This was very persuasive to audiences.

Hitler also had photos and paintings made, which presented him to be a popular speaker (showing many people

listening attentively). The attraction of these speeches was partly responsible for the growth in DAP support after

Hitler joined (from 23 members in September 1919, to 1000 in June 1920, and 3000 by the end of 1920).

Party propaganda

Propaganda is when things are said or produced in order to convince people to agree with a certain viewpoint. The

DAP used propaganda more and more successfully after Hitler joined. In 1920, Rudolf Schussler was appointed as an

administrator (organiser) for the party. This meant that he could organise and advertise party meetings, to make more

people attend. The party was also renamed the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers Party or ‘Nazi’) in order to

emphasise that the party was a nationalist (aimed at strengthening a country) and socialist (left-wing, everyone

sharing a country's wealth) one. It was also given the logo of the swastika, and the straight-armed salute, to make it

more distinctive. Finally, in December 1920, it bought up a newspaper (the ‘People’s Observer’) to share its opinions.

The first copy of the Nazis’ newspaper sold 11,000 copies, but by Dec 1921 it was selling 17,000 copies.

The Sturmabteilung

The Sturmabteilung (SA), or Stormtroopers, were the army branch of the party. They were organised just like a

government’s army, but only acted to support the Nazi Party. They were often ex-soldiers or students. They wore a

distinctive brown uniform, hence their nickname, the brownshirts. They paraded the streets to show the strength of

the Nazi Party. Anyone who opposed it would be stopped violently. They also often marched into other parties’

meetings and stopped the meeting. By August 1922, there were 800 members.

Party leadership

In July 1921, Hitler forced a leadership election, in which he defeated the party’s founder (Anton Drexler) and took

power. He then chose his key supporters to have important positions in the party, including Rudolf Hess, Hermann

Goering and Ernst Rohm. Being surrounded by his supporters meant that Hitler could control many of the actions of

the Nazi Party. By January 1922, he convinced the Nazi Party members to give up their right to vote for the party

leader. Hitler would remain in permanent control. He would also not take anyone else’s opinion about what policies

they should support. At the conference where he took complete control, Hitler spoke for 2 and a half hours – leaving

no time for anyone else’s opinion. However, support for the party continued to grow, as Hitler was so popular. By

November 1923, the party had 50,000 members.

KEY TOPIC 2.1 TASKS: Early development of the Nazi Party, 1920-22

1. Make a mind-map with ‘how did the Nazi party develop, 1920-22?’ in the middle



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KEY TOPIC 2.2 INFO: The Munich Putsch and the lean years, 1923-29

The first attempt that the Nazis made to take power was in 1923, with the Munich Putsch. Read the info below to

recap the causes, events and consequences:

Causes of the Munich Putsch:

The events of the Munich Putsch

On 8 November, 1923, there was a meeting of the Bavarian state government in a beer hall in Munich. Bavaria was an

area of strong support for the Nazis as they had been allowed to carry out activities (like the violence of the SA) there.

The meeting was led by Gustav von Kahr (the Bavarian state government leader), and von Seisser and von Lossow also

spoke. Hitler burst in, alongside 600 SA members, and shot a bullet into the ceiling. He declared that he was taking

over Bavaria, and would then move to Berlin and take over the whole of Germany.

Von Kahr, von Seisser and von Lossow pledged to support Hitler. They were arrested and held by General Ludendorff,

on Hitler’s behalf. However, when Hitler was elsewhere, Ludendorff released them, and the next morning, they said

that the pledge was not valid as they had been held at gunpoint when they made it.

Ernst Rohm (leader of the SA) took over the local police and army headquarters, but they did not manage to take over

the army barracks (where the soldiers actually lived). This stayed in the control of army officers who supported the

Bavarian government.


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Nonetheless, Hitler marched towards the centre of Munich, with 1,000

members of the SA and 2,000 other supporters (paid by money robbed

by the SA from 2 Jewish banks). He was also accompanied by Ludendorff,

Goering, Rohm and Streicher. Hitler’s force was met by the army of

Bavaria. One side (it is not known which) opened fire, and 14 Nazis were

shot dead (along with 4 Bavarian policemen). Goering was shot in the

thigh, and Hitler was saved by bodyguards, who dragged him to the

ground. Many of the rebels fled, including Hitler (who hid at a friend’s

house ten miles away) and Goering (who hid abroad). Ludendorff, Rohm

and Streicher were arrested. On 11 November, Hitler was found and put

on trial for treason (acting against the government). The NSDAP was banned.

Immediate consequences of the Munich Putsch

Hitler used his trial as an opportunity to share his opinions with the German people. Although he was sentenced for

five years, this was a chance for Hitler to gain publicity for the party. While Hitler was in jail, he read many books, and

used this reading as inspiration to write ‘Mein Kampf’ (My Fight) – a book of his ideas for how Germany should be

ruled. These ideas would become the basis of the Nazi Party from 1924 onwards. They included:

• A belief that the German race was superior to (better than) other races, and should rule the world. Hitler called

this the ‘Aryan’ race. He claimed that Jews were trying to weaken the Aryan race through intermarriage,

moderate political groups, and power over German business.

• Nationalism – the idea that the German government should rebuild Germany’s strength. Part of this was the

idea of ‘Lebensraum’ (living space), which meant that Germany should conquer other lands in order to make

room for the Aryan people.

• Socialism, totalitarianism (anti-democracy), and traditional values (e.g. Christian beliefs and clear gender roles).

Hitler was released from prison on 20th Dec 1924. He immediately started reorganising the Nazi Party to make it more

effective and more likely to be elected to government.

Think: how does this show that Hitler had realised that he would need to work within Weimar democracy in order to

take power?

Aftermath of the Munich Putsch

Party reorganisation

On 16 Feb 1925, the ban on the Nazi Party was removed. Hitler re-launched the Party on 27 February. He organised

the Party from its headquarters in Munich, giving many people important roles that would make the Party more elect-

able. Philipp Bouhler became party secretary (who would organise meetings etc.) and Franz Schwarz became treasurer

(organiser of finances). There were also departments of the Party for foreign affairs, industry, agriculture, and

education. This meant that the Party was organised similarly to a government. There was also a German Women’s

Order, a National Socialist German Students’ League (for 14-18 year olds) and a School Pupils’ League, so that many

groups of people could feel involved in the Party and its popularity would grow.

Hitler also made leaders for different sections of the country. These were called Gauleiters, as Germany was divided

into political constituencies called ‘Gaues’. They would help to make sure that the Party was run as Hitler wanted

across the country. Gregor Strasser was a Gauleiter in the north, and Joseph Goebbels in the Rhineland. All of these

new offices were paid for by donations and loans from businesses like Krupp and Bosch.


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The Schutzstaffel (SS)

After he was nearly shot during the Munich Putsch, Hitler realised the importance of his bodyguards. He wanted a

close-knit and reliable group of armed men who could protect him. He did not trust the SA: there were now 400,000 of

them, and they had become loyal to their leader (Ernst Rohm), perhaps more than Hitler. He therefore created the

Schutzstaffel (or SS), a small group run firstly by Hitler’s personal bodyguard and then by Heinrich Himmler. By 1930,

this group had grown to 3,000 members, and wore threatening black uniforms. Hitler also got rid of Ernst Rohm as SA

leader, fearing that he had too much power.

The Bamberg Conference (1926)

Different areas of Germany preferred different aspects of Nazi policy. The north, led by Strasser and Goebbels,

emphasised the socialist aspects (workers’ benefits), as northern Germany was an industrial area that had many

workers. The south, which included Hitler, was more rural. Southern Nazis preferred the nationalist part of the party

(strong state, action against Jews). This divide worried Hitler, so he called a meeting to make his views clear. This was

held in 1926 in Bamburg, Bavaria, so it was called the Bamburg Conference (conference means meeting).

At the Bamburg Conference, Hitler spoke for 5 hours. He did allow northern leaders (like Strasser) to speak, but then

shot down their points. He made it clear that the nationalist part of the Nazi Party was in favour. This won Goebbels

over, and he was promoted to Gauleiter of Berlin as a reward. Hitler’s control of the party’s policies was now clearer

than ever.

Nonetheless, the Nazis did not win much support until after 1929. Stresemann’s Dawes and Young plans had helped,

and people were more satisfied with Germany’s respect as part of the League of Nations. Also, Paul von Hindenburg

became Chancellor of Germany in 1925, and as a war hero, he was well-liked. This increased support for Weimar. In

1928, the Nazis only got 1% of the votes in Berlin and the Ruhr. It seemed that when the economy was improving,

there was less interest in the Nazis.

KEY TOPIC 2.2 TASKS: The Munich Putsch and the lean years, 1923-29

1. Make a mind-map with ‘the Munich Putsch: causes, events, consequences’ in the middle


KEY TOPIC 2.3 INFO: The growth in support for the Nazis, 1929-32

MAIN KAMPF:

As a result of the limited support gained for the Nazis, Hitler decided to reform (change and improve) the

party. One way that he did this was by setting their ideas out in a book called ‘Mein Kampf’. He wrote this

while he was in prison after the Munich Putsch. Here are the beliefs outlined in Mein Kampf:

Beliefs about race:

Hitler believed in racial ladder, that some people were more superior to others. He believed that German farmers were the ideal people, traditional German families working on the land to feed their family. He believed in the idea of an Aryan race, that white people from Northern Europe were the best race. Hitler described this image as people who were tall, blonde and had blue eyes but you could be an Aryan as long as your parents had come from Germany and were white. Hitler was an Aryan, even though he was short and had black hair. To join the SS you had to prove your ‘racial purity’ and that all your family had come from Germany. Hitler also passed the Nuremburg Laws in 1935 which made it illegal for Jewish people to marry people who weren’t Jewish as Hitler did not want different groups to mix.

Beliefs about society:

Hitler believed in traditional views. He believed that women’s life should be focused around three things (the three K’s), Church, Kitchen and Children. Hitler believed that it was women’s role to find a good German husband and marry


14

him so she could have children. Hitler wanted to have more German children so they could build up Germany’s army and help to take over more land. Hitler passed the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage which gave couples a loan if they got married and then rewarded them with 250 marks for every baby they had.

Hitler also hated new forms of art, music and film. He believed that art and music should be traditional and did not like new forms such as jazz which had been inspired by Black Americans. Hitler banned new forms of art.

Beliefs about enemies of the State:

Hitler hated communism. He blamed them for all the problems of Germany and thought their ideas would destroy the

strength of Germany. Hitler also believed that Jewish people were behind the threat of communism and treated them

as united, even though they weren’t. He continually spread this message that communists were trying to take over

Germany. Hitler created concentration camps in places like Dachau to imprison communists and used the Decree for

the Protection of the People and the State to arrest 4,000 communists and close down their newspaper.

Beliefs about how to change Germany:

Hitler hated the Treaty of Versailles. He believed that Germany had been betrayed by the November Criminals and

wanted to rip up all the punishments of the Treaty. Hitler stopped paying reparations when he became Chancellor and

started to rebuild the German army.

Hitler also believed that democracy was weak, he thought that Germany required a strong leader who would be able

to save it from the problems of the Great Depression. When Hitler became Chancellor he passed the Enabling Act

which made him a dictator and joined the roles of Chancellor and President together to become Fuhrer. He spoke

about this idea at the Bamberg Conference and made himself the Fuhrer of Germany in August 1934.

ECONOMIC REASONS FOR GROWING SUPPORT FOR THE NAZIS:

While Hitler had been working on Mein Kampf, Germany’s economic situation had again got worse. As we saw before,

when the economy was strong, people tended to have little interest in the Nazis. However, when the economy was

weaker, people were more likely to turn to Hitler for help. Read below to see how economic factors contributed to the

Nazis’ success:

Stresemann dies

Stresemann had saved Weimar from the problems of hyperinflation through the Rentenmark and helped to ease the

problems of the economy. He had signed the Dawes Plan with America in 1924 to reduce reparations payments and

get American loans to help the German economy grow. Stresemann suddenly died in October 1929. This meant

Weimar had lost a popular politician who Germans trusted to solve difficult economic problems.

Wall Street Crash

America suffered a huge economic problem in

October 1929. Its economy collapsed leading to

American businesses and banks asking for their loans

back from Germany. This caused huge problems in

Germany which led to the Great Depression –

German businesses closing, increasing

unemployment and reduced wages. This made

workers angry and they demanded a solution to

these problems, many begun to turn to extremist

parties like the KPD and Nazis who promised to fix

these economic problems and solve the problem of


15

unemployment with extreme solutions. By 1933 6 million Germans were unemployed.

Rise of the KPD

The KPD was the communist party of Germany. They

wanted to take control of all businesses and pout

workers in charge. They promised to help the

unemployed and poorest of Germany and more

people began to vote for them. In 1928 10% of

Germans voted for the KPD but rising unemployment

meant that 15% of people voted for the KPD in 1932.

However the growing support for the KPD actually helped to win support for the Nazis. The Nazis promised to destroy

communism and protect big businesses. Those people who would lose out if the communists took over wealthy,

business owners) began to vote for the Nazis as they believed the Nazis were the only people who could stop the

communists (KPD).

Government response.

The leader of the government at the time was called Bruning. He faced a difficult task. As the economy was shrinking

the government had less money but was having to pay more money in benefits as so many people were unemployed.

Bruning decided to increase taxes to give the government more money. This angered the right wing and more people

began to vote for the Nazis who promised to cut taxes. The government also cut unemployment benefits. This angered

the left wing and the KPD promised to give more money and benefits to the unemployed.

With anger on so many sides no party would work with Bruning. He had to use Article 48 to pass laws without relying

on democracy. This made it more normal for governments to rule this way, without having to ask parliament (the

Reichstag) to vote and just getting the Chancellor and President to pass any law they wanted.

SUMMARY: Why did the Nazis come to power?

Overall, the Nazis took power for multiple reasons. One was the popularity of some of their beliefs, another was their

use of propaganda (which we will look at later), a third was the pressure applied by the SA (which scared people into

doing as the Nazis wanted) and a fourth was the worsening economic environment.

KEY TOPIC 2.3 TASKS: The growth in support for the Nazis, 1929-32

1. Make a mind-map with ‘ideas in Mein Kampf’ in the middle

2. Make a mind-map with ‘why did support for the Nazis grow?’ in the middle


KEY TOPIC 2.4 INFO: How Hitler became Chancellor, 1932-33

Once the Nazi Party had become more popular (with more and more people attending Hitler’s rallies and

speeches), Hitler took his chance to seize power. This is how Hitler worked his way up to becoming

Chancellor:

1. First Presidential election (May 1932)

In 1932 Germany was facing huge problems of unemployment, people blamed the government for falling wages and

increasing taxes and many people feared Germany would become communist.


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Even though he was 84, the President of Weimar was asked to stand for election again. He had been a popular leader

during WW1 and he brought respect and support to the

Weimar Republic by leading it. Hitler stood against

Hindenburg, hoping to become President. His party had 107

seats in the Reichstag and were popular among many. The

leader of the KPD, Thalmann, also stood. During the campaign Hitler received huge publicity and he appeared more

respectable by going for such an important role. The election finished as below.

Hitler had not become President but 1/3 Germans had voted for him. As no-one received 50% of the vote, they

needed to have another election

2. Second Presidential election (April 1932)

Hitler used the new technology of aeroplanes to fly all over Germany and give speeches about the danger of

communism and he would save Germany from the unemployment problems. The SA increased violence against the

KPD to prove this point and many people worried Germany would fall into a civil war between the Nazis and

Communists. Although Hitler lost the next election again, his popularity and image increased and he gained 2 million

more votes. Hindenburg received 53% and was re-elected as President again

3. Von Papen becomes Chancellor

The Chancellor at time, Bruning, was from the centre and was unpopular as he had increased

taxes and reduced wages to cope with the economic problems. He worried about the Nazi

violence and the problem of unemployment so suggested banning the SA and SS and to buy land

from large landowners and use it to house the unemployed. This turned the President against

Bruning as he owned lots of land and didn’t want unemployed people living on it. He was kicked out and replaced by

right wing politician –von Papen. Hindenburg was convinced by his army advisor Schleicher to choose von Papen as

Chancellor. They used Article 48 to rule and were known as the ‘Cabinet of the Barons’.

4. Reichstag elections July 1932

Leading up to the elections there was even more violence on the streets of Germany between the SA and KPD. About

100 people were killed and 7,000 injured. The Nazis increased their seats from 107 to 230, 38% of the vote. The Nazis

were now the biggest party in the Reichstag. Hitler demanded to be made Chancellor. Hindenburg had been a general

in the army, Hitler only a corporal. Hindenburg believed Hitler was a rude and not worthy to be Chancellor so refused

his demand to be made Chancellor

5. Von Papen sacked and Schleicher becomes Chancellor

Germany was still facing huge violence between the Nazis and KPD. Hindenburg’s army

advisor, Schleicher convinced him to sack von Papen and make him Chancellor instead. He

promised to rule Germany using the military and Article 48 and put an end to the violence.

However no-one supported Schleicher, not the Nazis nor the public.

6. Hitler becomes Chancellor

Von Papen convinced Hindenburg that Schleicher was no good and to pick Hitler as

Chancellor. Von Papen promised that he could control Hitler and use his popularity to help

von Papen and Hindenburg rule Germany. They would surround Hitler with less extreme

right wing politicians and manipulate him to help them rule.

KEY TOPIC 2.4 TASKS: How Hitler became Chancellor, 1932-33

1. Make a mind-map with ‘how did Hitler become Chancellor?’ in the middle


Person Hindenburg Hitler Thalmann

Votes 18 million (49.6%)

11 million (30%)

5 million (14%)


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KEY TOPIC 3.1 INFO: The creation of a dictatorship, 1933-34

Once Hitler had become Chancellor, he set about making changes to the German political system, to

increase his own power.

HOW DID HITLER GO FROM GERMANY’S CHANCELLOR TO DICTATOR?

Although Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on 30 Jan 1933, but most people thought his power would be

limited. Since Hindenburg and von Papen wanted to limit Hitler’s power, there were only 2 Nazis in the cabinet

(Wilhelm Frick and Hermann Goering). Hindenburg was also still President, and the Nazis only made up about 1/3 of

the Reichstag. However, the chain of events that followed would give Hitler the opportunity he wanted to seize power.

The Reichstag Fire

On the evening of 27 Feb 1933, the Reichstag building was set on fire. A communist

supporter named Marinus van der Lubbe confessed to the crime, and after a trial, was

executed. Hitler and Goering (now chief of police) declared that van der Lubbe was part of a

communist plot to overthrow the government. 4,000 communists were arrested, and Hitler

convinced President Hindenburg to declare a state of emergency, meaning that it would be

acceptable to govern through Presidential decrees. Hitler hoped to issue decrees to

increase his power, through President Hindenburg. He issued the Decree for the Protection

of the People and the State, allowing the imprisonment of political opponents and the ban

of communist newspapers.

He also persuaded Hindenburg to call an election for the Reichstag for 5th March 1933. The

Nazi campaign was ambitious: wealthy businessmen like Gustav Krupp lent money to support the campaign (including

3 million marks in one meeting). 70 people died in violent fights over what the results should be. In the end, the Nazi

campaign paid off, with the Nazi seats in the Reichstag increasing to 288. If communists were elected, they were

banned from attending the Reichstag because of the state of emergency. Now, the Nazis (with support of other

nationalist groups) had a 2/3 majority in the Reichstag. This would mean that they had enough votes to change

Germany’s constitution.

Think: How did the Reichstag Fire increase the climate of fear surrounding communism in Germany?

The Enabling Act

In March 1933, Hitler proposed a law to the Reichstag that would change Germany’s constitution: the Enabling Act.

This Act stated that the Reich Cabinet could propose new laws (instead of the Reichstag). These laws could override

the constitution, and would be put forward by the Chancellor – Hitler. Hitler knew that many people in the Reichstag

would oppose this law, as it weakened the constitution so much. He therefore intimidated members of the Reichstag

into voting for the law, by getting members of the SS to stand threateningly in the corridors of the Reichstag building.

As a result of this, the Act was passed by 444 votes to 94.

Now that Hitler had the power to propose new laws, he made several changes to get rid of his opponents. He banned

trade unions (groups that aimed to improve the rights of workers – they often used going on strike to do this). This

meant that any communist supporters among them could not encourage strikes and weaken the government. Hitler

also made his stormtroopers attack the offices of the Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party (both left

wing) in May 1933. The SS destroyed their newspapers and confiscated their money. Then, in July 1923, Hitler made all

political parties in Germany illegal, apart from the Nazis. Finally, he got rid of the Lander parliaments (the local

parliaments across Germany), as he feared they might not do as he wanted. He replaced them with governors to rule

the regions across Germany, which Hitler himself would appoint.

Think: How did the Enabling Act increase Hitler’s control?


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The Night of the Long Knives

Having got rid of opposition outside of the Nazi Party, Hitler wanted to make sure he had total control within the

party. He worried that Ernst Rohm had too much power, as leader of the SA (which now had 3 million members). The

SA were very loyal to Rohm – 60% of them were unemployed and looked to him for help. Rohm also challenged some

of Hitler’s policies – he wanted more socialist policies, which would help the working class,

and didn’t like Hitler’s links with wealthy sponsors like Gustav Krupp.

The army also worried about Rohm’s power (at 100,000 members, they were much smaller

than the SA), and so did Heinrich Himmler (as leader of the SS, he didn’t want his power

threatened by the SA). They warned Hitler that Rohm was planning to overthrow him. Hitler

arranged a meeting with Rohm and 100 other SA leaders, at a hotel in Bavaria, on 30 June

1934. When they arrived, they were arrested and shot. Von Sleicher (the ex-Chancellor) and

von Kahr (who had opposed the Munich Putsch) were also killed, as was von Papen’s press

secretary. This is known as the Night of the Long Knives. These murders, ordered by Hitler,

were illegal, but Goering dismissed them by saying that there was evidence of a plot to

overthrow Hitler, so they were carried out in Germany’s interests.

Think: How did the Night of the Long Knives increase Hitler’s control?

Hitler now had full control of almost all aspects of government, both within and outside of

the Nazi Party. The final barrier to his power was President Hindenburg. However,

Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934, aged 87. Hitler declared that he would combine the

offices of Chancellor and President into a new role, called Fuhrer (which means leader or

guide). He held a public vote to confirm this on 19 August, and, with the help of lots of pro-

Nazi propaganda, was approved by 90% of voters. Hitler now had complete power.

Think: How did Hindenburg’s death allow Hitler to become a dictator?

KEY TOPIC 3.1 TASKS: The creation of a dictatorship, 1933-34

1. Make a mind-map with ‘how did Hitler become a dictator?’ in the middle


KEY TOPIC 3.2 INFO: The police state

Once Hitler was Fuhrer, he created something called the ‘police state’. This was where the government used

intimidating and threatening army/police officers, alongside spies, to ensure that no-one could ever say

anything bad against them or go against their rules.

These groups made up Hitler’s police state:

The SS (protection staff) were the most important part of the Police State. They controlled all

the other aspects of police (SD, Gestapo and Concentration Camps). They started off as only a

small group of 240 Nazis who were Hitler’s bodyguards. They gradually grew in importance

under their leader, Himmler. Following the Night of the Long Knives where they helped to

remove the leadership of the SA they grew in numbers up to 240,000 men.

The leader Himmler would only allow ‘pure’ Aryan Germans into the SS. You had to be over

6ft, have no fillings and marry a ‘pure’ German wife. Himmer believed in the race politics of

the Nazis, that some groups of humans were superior to others. The SS had almost unlimited


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power to arrest people, take their property and send people to concentration camps for as long as they wanted.

The SD (Security Force) were controlled by the SS. Led by a man called Heydrich, who also controlled the Gestapo, they

were in charge of identifying and spying on the opponents of the Nazis. They kept a file on anyone they thought of

opposing the Nazis, what they did, where they lived, who they spoke to and who their family was. They used this

information to arrest these opponents and anyone they thought was working with them.

The Gestapo (secret police) did not wear uniforms and worked for the SS and not the normal police service. By 1939

they had arrested over 160,000 people. They worked by spying on people,

reading their mail and tapping their telephone conversations. They often used

torture to get confessions from people who they thought were opponents of

the Nazis.

The Gestapo would arrest people they thought were opponents of the Nazis

and send them to concentration camps without a trial. The families of these

people would often get letters telling them this person had died in an

‘accident’ or ‘trying to escape’. People could not make any complaints about

this. What made the Gestapo powerful was not their number. There was only 1 Gestapo member per 3,000 Germans.

However, people were so scared of them as they could be anywhere, listening to anything you said. Often people

would call the Gestapo and inform on others to protect themselves.

Concentration camps – these were large camps built by the SS in isolated areas

to hold the opponents of the Nazis. The first camp was built near the town of

Dachau in 1933. Over 150,000 were in these camps by 1939. Jews,

communists, homosexuals and opponents of the Nazis were sent here.

Rumours got out amongst ordinary people of the brutal conditions and

beatings here. People were petrified of these camps. The SS men running these

camps could kill these prisoners and suffer no punishment.

Law courts – Hitler made all judges join the National Socialist League for

the Maintenance of the Law if they wished to keep their job. The Nazis

could kick any judge out of this League who didn’t follow their rules –

meaning this judge could no longer work.

Hitler abolished trial by jury and made his judges the final deciders of

guilt or innocence. He created special courts to hear those people who

tried to oppose the Nazi government (treason) called People’s Courts. He

picked his own judges for these cases and often decided the punishment

himself. 534 people were executed by this court.

KEY TOPIC 3.2 TASKS: The police state

1. Make a mind-map with ‘how did Hitler’s police state increase control?’ in the middle


KEY TOPIC 3.3 INFO: Controlling and influencing attitudes

Nazi propaganda

On 19th August 1934, the Weimar Republic had formally ended, with Hitler as a dictator. While Hitler now had total

control of the political system in Germany, and could enforce his wishes using the police state, he knew that his long-

term control would be stronger with the German people fully behind him. He therefore worked with Joseph Goebbels


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to create propaganda, which would change the way that German people thought, and bring them into line with Nazi

ideas. Joseph Goebbels was made the Minister of People’s Enlightenment and Propaganda to do this.

The press:

One aspect that the Nazis’ propaganda covered was the press – newspapers and radio (TV wasn’t widely available at

this time). Journalists were sometimes told what they could and couldn’t publish, for example in a 1935 Ministry of

Propaganda order that stopped papers from publishing ‘photos showing Reich government ministers at dining tables

with rows of bottles’ (alcohol). Any newspapers that went against the Nazis were closed down – 1,600 papers were

closed in 1935. 2,500 textbooks were also burnt in the streets. Radio stations were also censored: all stations were

under Nazi control; radios had to be designed so they could not reach to pick up foreign stations; and the Nazis made

frequent broadcasts. So that the people would hear these broadcasts, radios were sold cheaply and there were

speakers in the streets. 70% of German homes had a radio by 1939 (more than anywhere else in Europe).

Rallies:

Once the Nazis had control of public money, they used it to hold huge rallies (events where Nazis would speak and be

celebrated). They held a famous rally in Nuremberg every year. At the 1934 Nuremberg rally, they had 200,000

supporters attend, with 20,000 Nazi flags. This showed off, and drummed up, support for the Nazis.

Sport:

The Nazis also used sports events as a chance to propagandise. They displayed swastikas all over sports stadiums, to

encourage sports fans to also support the Nazis. They made sports teams do the Nazi straight-armed salute while

singing the national anthem. They also used sports victories as a chance to say that German people were superior

(better than) to other nationalities. The biggest example of this was the Berlin Olympics of 1936. Hitler and his party

used this as a chance to show off Germany’s strength to the rest of the world. They built the largest stadium in the

world (110,000 people), and Germany won the most medals (33). Again, Goebbels and Hitler used this as a chance to

claim that the German race was superior to any other.

Culture/art:

In September 1933, the Reich Chamber of Culture was set up, overseen by the Ministry of Propaganda. Its job was to

make sure that every aspect of art, architecture literature, music, theatre and film fitted in with Nazi ideas. This is

because these arts can sometimes be used to put forward other ideas about how we should live. The Nazi ideas that

were promoted were traditional values (e.g. gender roles) and the ideas of loyalty, struggle, and obedience. This idea,

that everything should fit in with Nazi beliefs, was called ‘Gleichschaltung’, which means ‘syncronisation’ or ‘making

everything similar’. Examples of the way that they changed German culture include: creating a Reich Chamber of

Visual Arts, which removed 12,000 paintings that went against Nazi ideals in 1936 alone; hiring a man called Albert

Speer to create ‘strong’ and ‘historic’ seeming buildings, using similar

techniques to those from Ancient Greece and Rome; banning Jazz

music as it was seen as black people’s music, and Mendelssohn’s

music (a famous composer) as he was part Jewish; and pro-Nazi

students burning 20,000 books in May 1933 because they were

written by Jews, communists and anti-Nazis (including some by

Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein).

KEY TOPIC 3.3 TASKS: Controlling and influencing attitudes

1. Make a mind-map with ‘how did Hitler control people’s

views?’ in the middle



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KEY TOPIC 3.4 INFO: Opposition, resistance and conformity

The KPD Even though most members of the KPD were arrested after the Reichstag Fire by Hitler using the Decree for the Protection of the People and the State, some members of the KPD continued to operate across Germany. They worked secretly to encourage other workers to oppose the Nazis. For example they encouraged them to stay off work sick to slow down Nazi building programmes or to deliberately sabotage (break) machinery in their factory to stop production. Political opposition Some members of the SPD continued to try and oppose the Nazis. They tried to secretly print newspaper to tell the truth about the Nazis, but these people were often caught and sent to concentration camps. Many leaders of the SPD escaped abroad and tried to influence opposition in Germany by writing reports about life in Nazi Germany and trying to smuggle these into Germany to tell people of the crimes of the Nazis Young people Many young people rebelled against Nazi expectations of how they should act or behave. One of these groups were the Edelweiss Pirates who did not like the military discipline of the Nazis and they could be found in most working class areas of large cities and had only about 2,000 members in 1930 compared to the 8 million in the Hitler Youth (the Nazi youth organisation) . They would shout insults at other young people who wore the uniform of the Hitler Youth. They would often go on hikes into the countryside away from the Gestapo and Nazi police where they could joke about the Nazis without getting caught. Young people from wealthier families also resisted, joining the Swing Youth. As they came from richer families they owned machines which could play banned American jazz music (Hitler did not like that this was made by Black Americans). These young people were more interested in acting against Nazi expectations of young people’s behaviour rather than actually the politics of the Nazis or what they were doing. Churches Hitler tried to control religion in Germany. This led to lots of opposition from priests across Germany. Pastor Niemoller established a special group called the Pastor’s Emergency League in 1933. This criticised the way that the Nazis were trying to control religion as well as how they were treating Jewish people. This league also created a new Church called the Confessional Church in 1934. This refused to be controlled by the Nazis and openly criticised the government. It had 6,000 members. About 800 of these were arrested for speaking against the Nazi Party and sent to concentration camps. Some members of the Catholic Church also criticised the Nazi government, over 400 were sent to the Dachau Concentration Camp for this. Army officers Despite swearing an oath to Hitler in August 1934, many German Army officers worried Hitler was going to cause huge problems for Germany. One person was General Beck. He tried to convince his other army officers to arrest Hitler in 1938, however because they had sworn an oath to Hitler and worried about what would happen if their attempt to replace Hitler failed, they never acted on his orders. Assassination attempts There were three attempts to assassinate Hitler whilst he was Fuhrer. One by a small group of Jewish students never happened; a student called Maurice Bavaud attempted to shoot Hitler but stopped as he was worried about hurting other people. A factory worker called George Elser placed a bomb near a stage where Hitler was speaking, the bomb went off, killing 7 people, but Hitler had already left before the bomb exploded. There were no serious attempts apart


22

from George Elser to assassinate Hitler. Elser was tortured and executed and the SS killed 21 Jews at a concentration camp in revenge for the attempt on Hitler. Even though Elser was not Jewish, the Nazis blamed the plot on them.

KEY TOPIC 3.4 TASKS: Opposition, resistance and conformity

1. Make a mind-map with ‘who opposed the Nazis?’ in the middle


KEY TOPIC 4.1 INFO: Nazi policies towards women

Hitler’s beliefs about the superiority of Aryan Germans meant that women had an important role as mothers,

responsible for raising the next generation of German workers and soldiers. Hitler said at the Nuremberg rally of 1934: ‘…

one might say that the world of a woman is a smaller world. For her world is her husband, her family, her children and her house.

But where would the greater world be with no one to care for the small world? Every child that a woman brings into the world is a

battle waged for the existence of her people’. For this reason, the Nazis believed that women should stay at home, rather

than going out to work, so that they could take care of their families. They felt that the aim of a woman should be to

have as many children as possible, to make Germany bigger and stronger. Hitler and his supporters resented the new

freedoms gained by women under the Weimar Republic. Nazis expected women to dress plainly, with long skirts and

tied back or plaited hair (this was all that was required for taking care of your family). They were discouraged from

colouring their hair or wearing makeup. These ideas about women’s appearance were communicated through Nazi

propaganda.

Laws about women and the family:

In 1934, Gertrud Scholtz-Klink was made Reich Women’s Leader. She set up the German Women’s Enterprise (DFW)

and said that all women’s groups in Germany had to merge into it. This group would grow to reach 6 million members

at its peak. It ran courses on things like childcare, sewing and cooking (1.7 million women had attended these courses

by 1939).

Wanting to encourage childbirth (the birth rate had fallen from two million births per year in 1900 to one million in

1933), the Nazis passed the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage in 1933. This law gave couples 1,000 marks

(around eight months’ wages) for getting married. For each child that the couple had, ¼ of the loan would be paid off

(250 marks). They also changed the divorce laws in 1938, so that if a woman wouldn’t or couldn’t have children, or had

an abortion, her husband could divorce her.

The Mother’s Cross was another policy designed to encourage childbirth. When a woman had four or five children, she

would be given a bronze cross, as a badge of honour. For six or seven children, she would receive a silver medal, and

for eight children, she would get the gold. If a woman had a gold medal, the Hitler Youth would salute her when they

saw her. If she had ten children, she had to name Hitler as the tenth child’s godfather, and if it was a boy, name him

Adolf.

In 1935, Himmler created the Lebensborn (Fountain of Life) programme. This initially just provided nurseries and

money to women who had children with SS men but were not married (ordinarily they may have been forced to abort

the pregnancy). However, it began encouraging single women to come to the Lebensborn homes to meet and have

children with SS men, in order to have ‘genetically pure’ babies. Between 1938 and 1941, one single Lebensborn home

helped 540 women to give birth.

Women at work:

The Nazis used propaganda to discourage women from working. They showed pictures of traditional family life, and

gave speeches encouraging women to focus on the three ‘Ks’ (Kinder, Kuche, Kirsche – children, kitchen, church).

However, they also banned women from professional jobs as teachers, doctors and civil servants in 1933. From 1936,

women could not become judges or lawyers, and grammar schools for girls were banned in 1937. Girls could still go to


23

school, but they would learn housework tasks like ironing instead of preparing for university. By the end of 1934,

360,000 women had given up work, and the number of girls going into higher education (like university) fell from

17,000 in 1932 to 6,000 in 1939.

How successful were these policies?

Some German women were persuaded by these policies, as evidenced by the fall in the number of women going to

university and the rise in the birth rate. However, in the late 1930s, Germany’s industry had expanded so far that

women needed to work. In 1937, women with marriage loans were allowed to work, and by 1939, there were seven

million women in work (compared to five million in 1933). Here are some more facts that show the impact of Nazi

policies upon women:

• By end 1934, 360,000 women had given up work.

• 1934 – Gertrud Scholtz-Klink made Reich Women’s Leader. German Women’s Enterprise – had 6 mill

members.

• 1933 – many women were banned from being teachers, doctors, civil servants.

• The Hitler Youth group for girls (The German Maidens League) grew from 9,000 in 1933 to 2 million by 1936

• Girls going into higher education fell from 17,000 in 1932 to 6,000 in 1939.

• Law for the Encouragement of Marriage (1933) – gave 1000 marks loan to new couples and paid off 250

marks for each child.

• As a result of the propaganda and other policies towards women, the birth rate rose from 14 per thousand in

1933 to 20 per thousand in 1939

• In October 1933, the first concentration camp for women opened in Moringen. By 1938 it was over-capacity

and two more camps were constructed

One factor that limited the impact of the Nazis’ policies towards women was the need for workers. Industry in Nazi

Germany grew, so women needed to work. Women with marriage loans were allowed to work from 1937, and seven

million women worked by 1939 compared to five mill in 1933. Such was the labour shortage by 1937 that a law was

passed which declared that women had to do a Duty Year. They were told to help economic growth by working in a

factory or farm.

KEY TOPIC 4.1 TASKS: Nazi policies towards women

1. Make a mind-map with ‘Nazi policies towards women’ in the middle

2. Make a mind-map with ‘How successful were Nazi policies towards women?’ in the middle


KEY TOPIC 4.2 INFO: Nazi policies towards the young

Hitler wanted to control every aspect of young people’s lives. The Nazis took control of the curriculum in schools to push Nazi ideas in classrooms and controlled teachers to help them do this. They also created their own youth groups so they could control young people’s time after school and at the weekend. The Hitler Youth refers to all the youth organisations that the Nazis ran. In 1933 Hitler banned most other youth groups. All sports facilities were taken over by the Nazis in 1936 so you had to be a member of a Hitler Youth group if you wanted to play sports. By 1939

membership of the Nazi youth organisations were compulsory and membership was at 8 million.

Girls Hitler wanted German girls to grow up wanting to have lots of children to help Germany grow. As such their youth groups prepared girls for motherhood by making them physically fit and teaching them how to care for babies and their husbands.

Girls in the Young Maidens being trained to fix holes in socks


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Young girls (10-14) joined the Young Maidens and girls aged 14-21 joined the German Maidens League. They took part

in some of the same activities as boys – swearing oaths to Hitler, holding Nazi rallies and taking part in physical

training. However they were also trained to cook, iron and clean. They had lessons on ‘racial purity’ and were told of

the importance of picking their husband based on how Aryan he was.

Boys

Hitler wanted to prepare all boys to become soldiers in his army. 6-10

year olds joined the Little Fellows, 10-14 year olds joined the German

Young People and 14-18 year olds joined the Hitler Youth. Boys were

educated to be good Nazis, just like girls. They had to swear an oath to

Hitler, take part in rallies and go to extra classes to learn how to become

more like Hitler. They also took part in physical training, were taken on

hikes in the countryside and were told to report on their teachers or

parents if they heard anyone criticising the Nazis. They were also being

trained to join the army and in 1938 1.2 million children in the Hitler Youth were trained to fire guns and were made to

practise marching in drill formation like the army.

Schools

The Nazis took over the control of schools and curriculum in

1933. The Nazis could fire any head teacher who did not follow

their instructions (in Prussia, an area of Germany, 180 head

teachers were sacked for not complying with Nazi orders). They

created the National Socialist League of Teachers which

teachers had to join if they wanted to continue teaching. 97% of

teachers had joined by 1939. Teachers also had to start and end

each lesson by saying ‘Heil Hitler’.

The Nazis also controlled the curriculum and looked to influence

children through this. A new subject called ‘Race Studies’ was

introduced to explain Nazi ideas about racial superiority and to make children fear and hate Jews and non-Germans.

One sixth of all lesson time was PE to make boys fit to fight and girls fit to have babies. Questions were added to

subjects to make pupils think more like Nazis (for example maths questions about how much a Jewish person had

stolen from you and History lessons about the Stab in the Back of Versailles). Girls had different lessons to boys also,

having more time on cooking. The Nazis also created special schools called Napolas to train the best Hitler Youth

members to become officers in the army when they were older.

KEY TOPIC 4.2 TASKS: Nazi policies towards the young

1. Make a mind-map with ‘Nazi policies towards the young’ in the middle

2. Make a mind-map with ‘How successful were Nazi policies towards the young?’ in the middle


KEY TOPIC 4.3 INFO: Employment and living standards

Why did workers vote for Hitler? The Great Depression had a huge impact on workers. 6 million lost their jobs. Those who worked for the government had their wages cut by 23%, those unemployed received cuts in their unemployment insurance and everyone had to pay more taxes. Many of these workers began to vote for Hitler who promised to make Germany strong again and get rid of unemployment. Hitler in power (Step 1 – reducing unemployment) Hitler’s first job on coming to power was sticking to his promise of reducing unemployment in Germany. He did this in two ways;

Members of the German Young People greeting Hitler

A Race Studies lesson, a girl being taught how to recognise ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ races.


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1. Using government money to get the unemployed working. Hitler used public works – using public or government money to pay unemployed people to build things like bridges, hospitals and autobahns (German motorways). During the 1932-33 election campaigns, one of Hitler’s slogans was promising the people ‘Work and Bread’, and creating these new public works gave people jobs as builders. This also helped Hitler as he would need these things for when he planned to go to war. He began rebuilding his army so he needed more soldiers and workers making weapons. Finally he introduced National Labour Service (RAD) for young men. All men aged 18-25 had to spend 6 months learning how to become a soldier

2. To stop counting certain people as unemployed – women, Jews and people involved in the RAD were no longer counted as unemployed as Hitler did not believe they should be working in Germany. Hitler was successful in reducing unemployment. He had almost halved unemployment in his first year and reduced it to 0.3 million by 1939

Hitler in power (Step 2 – controlling workers) Hitler wanted to keep the workers on his side so they would work hard for him and help him to make Germany strong again. He introduced the following things;

DAF – trade unions protected the rights, pay and conditions of workers. Hitler saw them as an obstacle to him controlling Germany. He worried they would demand too much money in wages, refuse to work longer hours and potentially organise strikes against his government. In May 1933 Hitler banned all trade unions and created a Nazi trade union called the DAF (German Labour Front). This meant he could prevent workers striking, control how much their wages increased by and to ensure there were no worker organisations which would criticise or object against Nazi policies.

KdF - He created a new organisation as part of the DAF called Strength through Joy (KdF). They ran lots of different events which workers could do for free or heavily discounted. They organised theatre trips, sports activities, museum tours and even cruises, camping weekends and foreign holidays. This organisation was incredibly successful. In 1934

the KdF organised 2.4 million trips and holidays but this had increased to 10.3 million by 1939. Through the KdF he also launched the Volkswagen (people’s car). Workers aspired to own a car, at the time these were rare and only owned by the rich and middle classes. Workers could save 5 marks of their wage a week (average wage was 100 marks a week). When workers had saved 750 marks they would be presented with a brand new car. This was an incredibly low price and for the first time, ordinary people could dream of owning a car.w

Beauty of Labour – The KdF wanted to improve conditions for workers by improving their canteens, lighting, toilets and sports facilities in factories to make workers happier. However

although the KdF would pay for the material, workers had to carry out this improvement work in their own time. The Nazis’ policies towards workers had a mixed impact. Some of them improved the lives of workers, and some made it harder. See the table below for a summary: Things that improved life for workers: Things that made life harder:

10 million took part in the trips, holidays, theatre visits and sporting activities run by the KdF.

Workers’ hours increased on average from 43 hours per week to 49. An increase of 6 hours.

Wages rose for workers under the Nazis. It increased from 86 marks a week to 109. An increase of 28%.

The Reich Labour Service forced every man aged 19-25 to do 6 months compulsory work. They received little pay and carried out lots of military drills

The Nazis offered every German the possibility of owning a car – the ‘Volkswagen’ by taking 5 marks a week from those people signed up to the scheme

Nazi propaganda spoke about the importance of farmers. They therefore kept food prices high to help farmers. This meant every single item (except fish) became more expensive to buy for workers to help farmers.

The Nazis reduced unemployment from 6 million in 1933 to 0.3 million in 1939. They increased the size of the army, ordered more weapons to be built and paid unemployed Germans to build autobahns and bridges

The majority of the top end KdF holidays, like cruises went only to top Nazi officials and not to ordinary workers.

Beauty of Labour (part of the KdF) helped to improve the toilets, canteens and sports facilities in work places. However this had to be carried out in workers own time.

By 1939 not one person who had paid into the Volkswagen scheme had received a car.


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KEY TOPIC 4.3 TASKS: Employment and living standards

1. Make a mind-map with ‘Nazi policies towards workers’ in the middle

2. Make a mind-map with ‘How helpful were Nazi policies towards workers?’ in the middle


KEY TOPIC 4.4 INFO: The persecution of minorities

Many of Hitler and the Nazis’ policies can be traced to their desire to ‘strengthen’ Germany, and their treatment of

minorities is no different. They believed that by controlling or deporting people with characteristics that the Nazis

deemed ‘undesirable’, they could ensure that Germany would be filled with superior Aryans, who would create a

strong German nation.

The Nazis therefore believed in eugenics and racial hygiene. Hitler’s views on this were outlined in Mein Kampf in

1925. He spoke about the master race of Aryans, the ‘Untermenschen’ or ‘sub-human’ races (like the Slavs of Eastern

Europe) and the ‘Lebensunwertes’ (meaning ‘unworthy of life’) such as

Romany ‘gypsies’.

Policies towards minorities (non-Jewish):

The Slavic people came from Eastern Europe, and many lived in Germany by

the 1930s. Hitler, believing that they were ‘untermenschen’, enforced the

teaching in schools that Slavs were inferior, and this message was also found

in Nazi propaganda. He threatened to invade Slav countries in Eastern

Europe for extra German ‘lebensraum’, or ‘living space’.

The Nazis also persecuted ‘gypsies’, the name that they gave to Romany

travelling communities. From 1933, ‘gypsies’ were often arrested and sent to

concentration camps. From 1936, they were sent to special camps, just for

‘gypsies’. In Berlin, one camp contained 600 people and had only two toilets,

three taps and no electricity. In 1938, ‘gypsies’ were banned from travelling

in groups, a crucial part of their lifestyle. They were tested for certain

German characteristics, and if they failed, would lose German citizenship.

Finally, in 1939, Hitler ordered for all Romany travellers to be deported.

Hitler also believed that homosexuals went against his aim of creating a pure Aryan race, so in 1935, he strengthened

the laws against homosexuality. The number of gay people being arrested went from 766 in 1934, to 8,000 in 1938.

When they were released from prison, they often went to concentration camps. 5,000 homosexuals died in these

camps.

Finally, people with disabilities were deemed a burden on society who threatened to spread their ‘diseased’ genes

and damage the Aryan race. The Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring was therefore passed in

1933, saying that you had to be sterilised if you were mentally ill, alcoholic, deformed, epileptic, deaf or blind. 400,000

people had been sterilised in 1939. In 1939, the T4 programme was established. This ordered that babies with severe

disabilities should be killed. Eventually, this was extended so that children up to the age of 17 would be killed. 5,000

disabled children were killed in total.

Policies towards the Jews:

There had been a long history of anti-semitism in Europe, partially because their religion and culture differed from the

dominant Christian culture. Many Jews were also very successful in finance and business, creating jealousy towards

them – they are often depicted in Nazi propaganda as greedy or money-grabbing. When Germany was defeated in the

A Nazi poster from 1938, saying ’60,000

Reichmarks. This is what this person

suffering from hereditary defects

costs… that is your money too’

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiw-7rnmf3ZAhVHwBQKHWSDBD4QjRx6BAgAEAU&url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/502292164669203785/&psig=AOvVaw3OsotOxN-bGMUa91vrfolg&ust=1521714334005355


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First World War, and then hit by economic depression, the Jews were used as a ‘scapegoat’ (someone to blame). As

well as this, Hitler personally resented the Jews.

Jewish persecution started when Hitler became Chancellor in 1933. Propaganda showed Jews as evil, calling them

‘vermin’ and ‘filth’. From April 1933, Jews were banned from having jobs in government or as teachers. From

September 1933, they were not allowed to inherit land, and from May 1935, they were banned from the army. Local

councils also took steps to limit the freedom of Jews, such as banning them from parks and swimming pools in 1934.

The Jewish shops/business boycott:

On 30 March 1933, it was announced that all Jewish businesses and shops

should be boycotted (avoided) on 1st April. SA men painted Jewish stars and

the word ‘Jude’ (Jew) on the shops, and stood outside them with banners.

Not all German people obeyed this, however, with many choosing to attend

the businesses anyway.

The Nuremberg Laws (1935):

On 15 September 1935, policies towards Jews worsened with a set of laws.

The Reich Law on Citizenship said that only pure Germans could be citizens. Jews would lose their citizenship, right to

vote, and passports, and have to wear yellow stars on their clothes to single them out. The Reich Law for the

Protection of German Blood and Honour forbade Jews from marrying German citizens, and even said that Jews could

not have sex with Germans.

The Berlin Olympics (1936):

The Berlin Olympics of 1936 put Nazi Germany on display to the whole world. Germany had been chosen to host the

Games before Hitler took power, in 1931, and several countries threatened to boycott the Games because of Nazi

policies. 49 countries did end up attending, but this threat made Hitler aware that he would need to tone down the

anti-Semitic behaviour. As a result, anti-Jewish signs were removed, in the Ministry for Propaganda, led by Joseph

Goebbels, instructed newspapers to be less harsh. 9 Jews ended up winning medals at the Games, including one token

German competitor (Helene Mayer, a fencing champion). However, the end of the Olympics was a turning point:

policies against minorities became much worse afterwards.

Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938):

On 7 November 1938, a German government member called Ernst vom Rath was shot, in Paris, by the Polish Jew

Herschel Grynszpan (as a protest against Nazi policies). When Rath died on

9 November, the Nazis designed to use it as a chance to stir up hatred for

the Jews across Germany. Police were told not to prevent any violence

against Jews, and Nazi leaders secretly encouraged attacks on Jewish

property. Many Jews were arrested in violent attacks: one 18-year-old Jew

was thrown from a third floor window. 100 Jews died, and over 1,000

Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed. This became

known as ‘Kristallnacht’ (‘Crystal Night’), or the Night of Broken Glass.

Afterwards, Jews were blamed for starting trouble, and fined 1 billion

marks. 20,000 Jews were in concentration camps by 12 November 1938.

Many of the attackers were members of the SA and Hitler Youth, but were told not to wear uniforms, so it would look

like the attack was by the general public. Many Germans were horrified, however, by the attacks. It is hard for

historians to know how much the German people supported the persecution of minorities. It is certainly the case that

the public knew about the policies and actions, as few were kept secret. However, many Germans were afraid to

protest, in case they too were arrested or killed.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjGwpOrmv3ZAhVHtBQKHS16BfEQjRx6BAgAEAU&url=http://kontinentusa.com/leningradskie-dela/&psig=AOvVaw2PAMEBnrXKlnSVbSM__NPq&ust=1521714475119592

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjqiJ6Wmv3ZAhWGwxQKHfEFDc4QjRx6BAgAEAU&url=http://schvach.blogspot.com/2007/11/homeless-in-november-kristalltag-by.html&psig=AOvVaw2xchkLM2WnjO_J4OcLkrF_&ust=1521714437539983


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KEY TOPIC 4.4 TASKS: The persecution of minorities

1. Make a mind-map with ‘Nazi policies towards minorities (non-Jewish)’ in the middle

2. Make a mind-map with ‘Nazi policies towards the Jews’ in the middle


KEY FACT LIST (facts in bold are essential to learn for fact tests. Facts in italics will help, but are not essential):

Paper 3 Key facts: Weimar and Nazi Germany

Key topic

Question no.

Question Answer

1.1: The Origins of the Weimar Republic, 1918-1919

1.1 1 Why was Germany weak after WW1? 2 reasons

3 million soldiers had died, the British had blockaded Germany to stop food supplies coming in

1.1 4 What was the 'German Revolution'? When German sailors rebelled and refused to fight after having been asked to make a pointless attack, and many others followed them

1.1 8 What role did the Weimar President have?

Led the government, chose the Chancellor (the leader of the Reichstag)

1.1 10 What was the Reichstag? A group of representatives from different German areas

1.1 12 State two strengths of the Weimar constitution

All adults could vote, the President could pass laws quickly in emergencies (Article 48)

1.1 13 State two weaknesses of the Weimar constitution

Representatives were chosen by proportional representation

1.2: The early challenges to the Weimar Republic, 1919-23

1.2 14 Which document described how Germany would be punished after WW1?

The Treaty of Versailles

1.2 15 What was the 'stab in the back' myth? That the Weimar politicians let the German army down/betrayed them by signing the Treaty of Versailles

1.2 16 Give three reasons why people disliked the Treaty of Versailles (hint:TRAWL)

Land reduced to 10% and lost all colonies, reparations of £6.6 billion, army limited to 100,000 soldiers and 6 ships, war guilt (clause 231), not allowed to join the League of Nations

1.2 23 Why did the army make it difficult for the Weimar Republic?

They disliked democracy and wanted a strong leader

1.2 25 What was the Spartacist Uprising? Rebellion against government by KPD (communists) on 6th January 1919. Defeated by army and freikorps

1.2 27 How did the government defeat the Spartacist Uprising?

Used the army and the freikorps (ex-soldiers)

1.2 28 What was the Kapp Putsch? After the Weimar Republic threatened to get rid of the freikorps, the freikorps joined with politician Wolfgang Kapp and tried to take control of government buildings. Defeated by workers’ strike

1.2 30 How was the Kapp Putsch defeated? German people striked, encouraged by socialist leaders of Weimar

1.2 31 When did French troops invade the Ruhr, and why?

1923, as Germany failed to keep up reparations payments

1.2 35 What is hyperinflation? When the government prints too much money, so its value goes down


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1.2 38 When did hyperinflation happen? 1923

1.3: The recovery of the Republic, 1924-29

1.3 39 Who was Gustav Stresemann? Chancellor of Germany and then Foreign Minister. Made many successful policies to improve the Weimar Republic's financial situation e.g. Rentenmark

1.3 41 What did the Locarno Pact do? Made a deal to respect the borders of Belgium and France. Made France feel safer.

1.3 44 What did the Kellogg-Briand Pact do? Agreed to resolve problems by talking about them among 65 countries

1.3 46 What did the Dawes Plan do? America would loan money to Germany and remove French troops from the Ruhr

1.3 48 What was the new German currency called?

Rentenmark

1.3 50 What did the Young Plan do? Reduce the amount of reparations Germany had to pay from £6.6 billion to £1.85 billion

1.4: Changes in society, 1924-29

1.4 53 How did the Weimar Republic improve people's living conditions?

Wages increased by 25%, unemployment insurance, built 100,000 houses, paid pensions to war veterans

1.4 61 How did the Weimar Constitution help women?

Said that they had equal rights to men (Article 109)

1.4 65 State three things that 'new women' in Weimar Germany did

Cut hair shorter, wore shorter skirts, wore makeup, went out alone, smoked, drank alcohol

1.4 66 What happened to the divorce rate in Weimar Germany?

It doubled

1.4 67 Name two developments in art that happened in Weimar Germany

First sound film 1930, the Bauhaus movement, more critical of gov’t e.g. Otto Dix, new buildings e.g. Einstein Tower in Potsdam

1.4 68 How did the Weimar Constitution help artists?

Protected freedom of speech

1.4 71 Who criticised the Weimar government for spending money on art?

The KPD (communists)

1.4 72 Who criticised the Weimar government for going against traditional German values?

Right-wing parties, e.g. the Nazis

2.1: Early development of the Nazi Party, 1920-22

2.1 73 How was Adolf Hitler rejected in his education, and who did he blame this on?

Rejected from art college - blamed on Jews

2.1 75 Where was Hitler when he found out that Germany had surrendered after the war, and why?

Hospital - he was temporarily blinded in the war

2.1 79 What was the SA? Sturmabteilung - storm troopers. Nazis' private army, made up of ex-soldiers

2.1 81 State three things that the 25 Point Programme said

Opposed Treaty of Versailles, demanded land and colonies, opposed democracy, opposed the Jews

2.1 84 How many members did the DAP have by the end of 1920?

3000

2.1 89 When did Hitler become leader of the Nazis, and how?

July 1921, by forcing an election

2.1 90 Name three of Hitler's key supporters in the early Nazi Party

Rudolf Hess, Hermann Goering, Ernst Rohm

2.1 91 How did Hitler make sure that he would Removed party members' right to vote


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stay in control of the party?

2.1 92 How many members did the Nazi Party have by 1923?

50,000

2.2: The Munich Putsch and the lean years, 1923-29

2.2 93 When was the Munich Putsch? 1923 - November

2.2 94 Why did the Nazi Party carry out the Munich Putsch? Three reasons

The government of Bavaria, where Munich was, shared some of the Nazis' views so they thought they might succeed, the Nazi Party had grown to 50,000 members, Mussolini in Italy had been successful in a similar way (the 'March on Rome')

2.2 96 Which three leaders of the Bavarian government were taken prisoner in the Munich Putsch, and forced to promise support to Hitler?

Von Kahr, von Seisser and von Lossow

2.2 100 Which Nazi leaders took part in the Munich Putsch?

Goering, Rohm and Streicher

2.2 103 How was Hitler punished after the Munich Putsch, and how did this end up being useful for him (2 reasons)?

He was put on trial for treason and imprisoned (only for a year, even though it was supposed to be 5 years). He used the trial for publicity, and the time in prison to write 'Mein Kampf'

2.2 104 What happened to the Nazi Party after the Munich Putsch?

They were banned

2.2 106 How did the Munich Putsch change Hitler's organisation of the Nazis?

Made the party more organised, so they were more likely to be elected to government - had different departments

2.2 109 State three groups that Hitler made within the Nazi Party, to make more people feel included

The German Women's Order, the National Socialist German Students' League, and the School Pupils' League

2.2 111 Why weren't the Nazi Party popular between 1923 and 1929?

The Weimar Republic was successful (due to Stresemann's reforms), they were seen as extremist, the economy wasn't suffering as much

2.2 112 What was the Schutzstaffel? The SS - small group of specialist Nazi bodyguards

2.2 114 Who led the SA at first, and how and why was he removed?

Ernst Rohm - removed as Hitler felt he had too much power. Happened in the Night of the Long Knives

2.2 116 Why did Hitler call the Bamburg Conference, and how did he use it?

To unite the party - there was a divide between the more socialist North and more traditional South. Hitler made many speeches to make his views clear.

2.3: The growth in support for the Nazis, 1929-32

2.3 118 What was an Aryan? White person, whose parents were both German

2.3 119 Which three things did Hitler believe that women's lives should focus on?

Three Ks - Kirsche, Kuche, Kinder (Church, Kitchen, Children)

2.3 120 What was the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage?

Gave couples a loan when married, plus 250 marks for every baby they had

2.3 124 How did the Wall Street Crash affect Germany?

In 1929, American loans were called back, meaning Germany lost huge amounts of money. Businesses closed, unemployment increased

2.3 125 How many Germans were unemployed by 1933, and what impact did this have on the Nazis?

6 million - made them more popular as people were desperate to be helped

2.3 127 How do we know that the Wall Street Crash made the Nazis more popular?

It increased the number of seats they had in the Reichstag from 12 to 230


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2.3 128 Why did the Nazis gain support from 1929? 3 reasons

Wall Street Crash, Stresemann died, Hitler's policies became popular, unemployment, Bruning was unpopular

2.3 132 How did Article 48 become more frequently used, and how would this impact Hitler?

Bruning had to use it as he had so little support. Would make it more acceptable for Hitler to use it when he was Chancellor.

2.4: How Hitler became Chancellor, 1932-33

2.4 135 Who was President when Hitler took over? Paul von Hindenburg

2.4 138 When did the Nazis become the biggest party in the Reichstag?

1932 - July

2.4 139 Why was von Papen sacked as Chancellor, and who replaced him?

Schleicher convinced Hindenburg to sack von Papen, and choose him instead

2.4 140 Why was Schleicher sacked as Chancellor, and who replaced him?

Von Papen convinced Hindenburg to sack Schleicher, and choose Hitler to replace him

2.4 141 Why did Hindenburg choose Hitler as Chancellor?

Hindenburg and von Papen believed they could control Hitler and use his popularity to help rule

3.1: The creation of a dictatorship, 1933-34

3.1 142 What was the Reichstag fire and how did it help Hitler?

1933 - 27th February, communist set Reichstag on fire. Helped Hitler as allowed him to pass stricter laws as people were scared (e.g. Enabling Act, banned other parties and trade unions)

3.1 144 How many communists were arrested after the Reichstag fire?

4,000

3.1 146 Why was the Reichstag fire important for the Nazis' seats in the Reichstag?

They got a 2/3 majority (with other nationalist groups) so they could change the constitution

3.1 148 What did the Enabling Act say? The Reich cabinet could pass new laws, instead of just the Reichstag. These laws could override the constitution.

3.1 151 State three things that Hitler did after the Enabling Act

Banned other political parties, banned trade unions, destroyed the Communist party and the Social Democratic Party's newspapers and confisated their money, got rid of the Lander Parliaments (local governments)

3.1 153 Who was killed in the Night of the Long Knives, and why? Name three people

Ernst Rohm, von Sleicher, von Kahr - gave Hitler more power over the Nazi Party and got rid of opponents

3.1 154 Why was Hindenburg's death important? Hindenburg's death (1934 - August) allowed Hitler to become Fuhrer (Chancellor and President put together)

3.1 155 How did Hitler make sure the army obeyed him as Fuhrer?

Made them swear an oath of allegiance

3.1 156 What percentage of voters voted for Hitler becoming Fuhrer?

90%

3.2: The police state

3.2 157 What powers did the SS have? Name 3 Arrest people, take people's belongings, send people to concentration camps

3.2 158 How did Hitler increase control over the Church? 2 things

Set up the Reich Church, which would preach what the Nazis wanted, and agreed the Concordat with the Pope (so he wouldn't get involved in politics as long as the Nazis didn't interfere in Catholicism -


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although the Nazis went against this)

3.2 160 Who led the SD and what did they do? Reinhard Heydrich - spied on people

3.2 161 What was the Gestapo? Secret police

3.2 162 What did the Gestapo do? Spied on people, read post, listened to phone conversations to look out for Nazi opponents

3.2 164 How did concentration camps increase Nazi control?

Nazis could threaten enemies/opponents by sending them to camps. First one built 1933, near Dachau

3.2 167 State two things that Hitler did to take control of the legal system

Created the People's Courts (where people would be sentenced to death for going against the Nazis) and made judges join a Nazi league

3.3: Controlling and influencing attitudes

3.3 169 What title did Joseph Goebbels get in the Nazi government?

Minister of People's Enlightenment and Propaganda

3.3 171 What happened to newspapers that went against the Nazis?

They were closed

3.3 173 How did the Nazis limit the influence of radio stations in other countries?

Banned radios that could pick up other countries' radio stations from being made

3.3 175 What was the most famous Nazi rally? The Nuremberg rally

3.3 176 How was the Berlin Olympics used to help the Nazis?

Berlin Olympics (1936) made the Nazis look good with huge signs and impressive stands. Extremist views were toned down e.g. racist broadcasts were stopped.

3.3 179 What is 'Gleichschaltung'? Means 'syncronisation' - everything fitting in with Nazi views

3.3 181 What music did the Nazis ban? Give at least one example

Jazz - inspired by African Americans; Mendelssohn's - because he was part Jewish

3.4: Opposition, resistance and conformity

3.4 183 How did the KPD (communists) oppose the Nazis?

Encouraged people to stay off work sick

3.4 184 How did the SPD (socialists) oppose the Nazis?

Wrote newspapers and books about them to raise awareness

3.4 185 Name two youth groups who opposed the Nazis

The Edelweiss Pirates and the Swing Youth

3.4 189 Which Church leader opposed the Nazis and how?

Pastor Niemoller - set up an opposing church group called the 'Confessional Church'

3.4 194 Which man committed the most serious assassination attempt against Hitler's life?

George Elser

4.1: Nazi policies towards women

4.1 196 State three things that Hitler expected of women

Raise children, be good wives, dress plainly, tie hair back, not wear makeup

4.1 199 What courses did the Nazi government run for women? Give two examples

Sewing, childcare, cooking

4.1 201 What did the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage do, and how was it limited?

Gave couples a loan when married, plus 250 marks for every baby they had. Women with the loan couldn't work. Limited as the women were later allowed to work (from 1937)

4.1 203 What was the Mother's Cross? An award for having several children (4/5 = bronze, 6/7 = silver, 8 = gold)


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4.1 207 State two jobs that the Nazis banned women from doing

Teachers, doctors, civil servants

4.1 211 What was the youth group for girls under the Nazis?

The German Maidens' League

4.2: Nazi policies towards the young

4.2 215 What is the name for all of the youth groups organised by the Nazis?

Hitler Youth

4.2 215 When did membership of the youth groups for Nazis become compulsory?

1939

4.2 215 What did boys learn in their youth groups? 3 things

Physical training/sport, how to take part in rallies, to swear an oath to Hitler, to spy on people and report anyone against the Nazis

4.2 215 When did the Nazis take control of the school curriculum?

1933

4.2 215 What was the Nazi group for teachers called?

The National Socialist League of Teachers

4.2 215 What lesson were children taught, to learn Hitler's ideas about race?

Race studies'

4.3: Employment and living standards

4.3 217 What was Hitler's slogan in 1932-33 (where he promised to help the unemployed)?

Work and bread (arbeit und brot)

4.3 218 What did Hitler employ the unemployed in Germany to build? 2 things

Motorways (autobahns), bridges, hospitals

4.3 220 Who were not included in counts of the unemployed? 2 groups

Women, Jews, people in the RAD

4.3 221 From 6 million unemployed in 1933, how many were unemployed in 1939?

0.3 million

4.3 222 What was the Nazi trade union called? The German Labour Front (DAF)

4.3 223 What was the group that organised trips for workers, and a scheme for them to own a car?

The Strength through Joy programme (KdF)

4.3 224 What type of car was introduced for workers to own?

Volkswagen

4.3 225 What was the programme that improved workers' buildings, and how was it limited?

The Beauty of Labour programme - limited as workers had to build the buildings themselves

4.3 227 By what percentage did workers' wages increase under the Nazis?

28%

4.3 230 What was the limit of the programme that aimed to improve workers' buildings?

The workers had to build the new buildings themselves

4.4: The persecution of minorities

4.4 231 Name 4 groups who were treated badly by the Nazis, apart from women and Jews

Slavs, gypsies/Roma people/travellers, homosexuals, disabled people

4.4 232 What was the name that the Nazis gave for the 'living space' they wanted to gain?

Lebensraum

4.4 237 How many homosexuals died in concentration camps?

5,000

4.4 238 What does 'sterilised' mean? When you have an operation to stop you from having children

4.4 241 What was the T4 programme? Established in 1939. Said severely disabled children


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would be killed

4.4 244 Which jobs were Jews not allowed to do? Name 2

Teachers, in government, army

4.4 245 What places were Jews banned from in 1934?

Parks, swimming pools

4.4 246 What is a boycott? When you avoid using something to show you disagree with it

4.4 248 What were the Nuremberg laws? Give an example of what they did

Removed Jews' rights, e.g. to vote, to be a citizen, to have a passport, to marry Germans. Also made to wear a yellow star on clothes and forbidden from having sex with Germans.

4.4 249 What year did the Berlin Olympics take place in?

1936

4.4 250 How did the Nazis change their treatment of minorities for the Berlin Olympics?

Made it less harsh - 9 Jews won medals, anti-Jewish signs removed, newspapers less harsh

4.4 251 Who was Minister for Propaganda? Joseph Goebbels

4.4 252 When was Kristallnacht? 9-10 Nov 1938

4.4 253 How many Jews died on Kristallnacht? 100

Notes – please record any good websites or revision clips that your teacher or classmates have

shared with you:

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Suggested websites

Google - BBC bitesize – Edexcel – Germany.

This will take you to a great revision overview page where you can also test your knowledge.

Make sure you take notes in your book and mind map ideas, don’t just read the text

Google – John D Clare Germany

This website has lots of clever ways to remember different causes and events.

Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany Information booklet. Use ...

Documents