Source A - Weeblymrpronan.weebly.com/.../germany_post_ww1_and_the_o…  · Web viewThe Communist KPD hated the new ... The word `inflation' describes a situation in which prices

Germany post WW1 and the origins of Nazism (Source: http://www.johndclare.net/Weimar2.htm [accessed Monday 12th of January]

1: (a) Weimar Republic

At the end of October 1918, the German navy mutinied. Rebellion spread throughout the country. In November Germany was forced to cease military actions and this brought WW1 to an end. Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated and fled the country.

Source A

This British cartoon from 1919 shows the Kaiser booted out of Germany.

QuestionFind out what country Kaiser Wilhelm II fled to in 1919.

(b) New Republic declaredA new Republic was declared. In January 1919, elections were held for a new Reichstag and in February 1919, in the town of Weimar, a new government was agreed. Freidrich Ebert was elected President of the new Republic. Germany did not just get a new government. The Allies made sure that Germany got a different kind of government. Before1914, the government of Germany was almost a military autocracy; after 1919, it was a parliamentary democracy.

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QuestionUse an internet search engine to find the definitions/meanings of the following words:

Republic Reichstag Parliamentary Democracy Constitution Proportional voting

(c) Changes in the Constitution

Germany’s Constitution in 1914

Kaiser Wilhelm II(hereditary monarch)

appoints calls/dismisses controls

GovernmentChancellorMinisters

Reichstag(elected)which can stop laws proposed by the government, but cannot make laws.

The Army

ElectorsMen over 25 can vote

Source BThere is only one master in this country.  That am I.  Who opposes me I shall crush to pieces.Kaiser Wilhelm II, speaking before 1914

Source CThe old Reichstag was a useless parliament. It could speak but it had no power.A German politician speaking in 1926.

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Germany’s Constitution in 1919Bill of Rightspromises all Germans equality before the law and political and religious freedom.

ElectorsAll men and women over the age of 20 can vote.

        safeguards elect

Freidrich Ebert(elected president)

Reichstag(elected)

controls from which is selected

The Army GovernmentChancellorMinistersmust have a majority in the Reichstag, and do as the Reichstag says.

Source DThe German Commonwealth is a Republic.  Political authority is derived from the People.The Weimar Constitution, 6 February 1919

Source EThe Constitution was a brave attempt to set up a democratic government…  All Germans had equal rights, including the vote.  Political parties were given seats in proportion to the number of votes they got.  This was fair.A modern textbook.

QuestionDiscuss how the Weimar settlement changed Germany's constitution in the following areas:a. The head of Stateb. The governmentc. The Reichstagd. The electoratee. Civil Liberties.

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2: Problems faced by the Weimar Republic 1919-23

Problems of the Weimar Republic

(a). Ineffective ConstitutionThe Weimar Constitution did not create a strong government:

Article 48 of the constitution gave the President sole power in ‘times of emergency’ – something he took often.

The system of proportional voting led to 28 parties. This made it virtually impossible to establish a majority in the Reichstag, and led to frequent changes in the government. During 1919-33, there were twenty separate coalition governments and the longest government lasted only two years. This political chaos caused many to lose faith in the new democratic system.

The German states had too much power and often ignored the government.

The Army, led by the right-wing General Hans von Seeckt, was not fully under the government’s control.  It failed to support government during the Kapp Putsch or the crisis of 1923.

Many government officials – especially judges – were right-wing and wanted to destroy the government.  After the Kapp Putsch, 700 rebels were tried for treason; only 1 went to prison.  After the Munich Putsch, Hitler went to prison for only 9 months.

Source A: The condition of Germany in September 1919

In addition to other hardships, the German public is threatened this winter with an almost complete lack of lighting of every description: electric, gas, oil and candles.   Cleanliness is almost impossible due to the lack of soap and washing powder.   Medicines are difficult to obtain.   In the industrial district of Westphalia many of the women are poorly clothed.

from a report sent by a British secret agent to the British Foreign Office (September 1918)

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(b) Left-wing RebellionsThe Communist KPD hated the new government:

In Jan 1919, 50,000 Spartacists  rebelled in Berlin, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Leibknecht.

In 1919, Communist Workers’ Councils seized power all over Germany, and a Communist ‘People’s Government’ took power inBavaria.

In 1920, after the failure of the Kapp Putsch, a paramilitary group called the Red Army rebelled in the Ruhr.

(c) Right-wing terrorismMany right-wing groups hated the new government for signing the Versailles Treaty (June 1919):

The Kapp Putsch: in March 1920, a Freikorps brigade rebelled against the Treaty, led by Dr Wolfgang Kapp.  It took over Berlin and tried to bring back the Kaiser.

Nationalist terrorist groups murdered 356 politicians.  In August 1921 Matthias Erzberger, the man who signed the armistice (and therefore a 'November criminal'), was shot.  In 1922, they assassinated Walter Rathenau, the SPD foreign minister, because he made a treaty with Russia.

Questions(a) Use an internet search to determine what constitutes Left-wing and Right-wing ideology(b) Compare and contrast the actions of Left-wing and Right-wing groups in the early years of the Weimar Republic (d) Invasion-Inflation: the crisis of 1923

Source B: From a Spartacist poster in November 1918

MEN AND WOMEN OF LABOUR! COMRADESThe Communist Revolution has come to Germany. The soldiers, who for 4 years were driven to the slaughterhouse of the trenches to fill rich men's pockets, have revolted. The workers, who for 4 years were exploited and starved, have revolted. The Kaiser has fled. Workers' and Soldiers' Councils have been formed everywhere. We call to you, 'Arise for action!'

from the Spartacist Manifesto (November 1918)

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The cause of the trouble was Reparations – the government paid them by printing more money, causing inflation.  In January 1923, Germany failed to make a payment, and France invaded the Ruhr.  This humiliated the government, which ordered a general strike, and paid the strikers by printing more money, causing hyperinflation

Effects of Hyper inflation

Source AThe word `inflation' describes a situation in which prices are rising and the value of money is falling. It is commonly said that too much money chasing too few goods causes inflation. Inflation occurs, in other words, when the supply of goods fails to keep up with demand. Inflation is not easy to stop once it has got started. An inflationary spiral tends to set in. Rising prices produce a demand for higher wages: higher wages mean that goods cost more to produce: prices have to go up again to pay for the wage increases.

        Germany began to suffer serious inflation during the war. The German government did not pay for the war by taxing people more heavily. Instead it paid its bills by printing banknotes. Soon there was too much money chasing too few goods. An inflationary spiral had started.

       Things got worse at the end of the war. A huge amount in reparations was demanded from Germany. The sum to be paid was fixed at £6,600,000 in 1921. Many foreigners thought that Germany would be unable to pay. They began to lose confidence in Germany's currency. Foreign banks and businesses expected increasingly large amounts of German money in exchange for their own currency. It became very expensive for Germany to buy food and raw materials from other countries. This led to a further increase in prices in Germany.

       Late in 1922 Germany failed to pay an installment of reparations on time. France replied in January 1923: French troops occupied Germany's main industrial region, the Ruhr. The French were determined to make Germany pay every penny she owed. They wanted to keep Germany weak. A weak Germany meant that France was safe from the threat of attack.

        The German government ordered a policy of passive resistance in the Ruhr. Workers were told to do nothing, which helped the invaders in any way. What this meant in practice was a general strike. The cost of the government's policy was frightening. All the workers on strike had to be given financial support. The government paid its way by printing more and more banknotes. Germany was soon awash with paper money. The result was hyperinflation.

Alan White and Eric Hadley, Germany 1918-1949 (1990)

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Table 1: This table shows what happened to the price of bread in Berlin (prices in marks):  

December 1918

0.5

December 1921

4

December 1922

163

January 1923 250March 1923 463June 1923 1,465July 1923 3,465August 1923 69,000September 1923

1,512,000

October 1923 1,743,000,000November 1923

201,000,000,000

QuestionIf Germany experienced a 2% annualised level of inflation during the period December 1918 to December 1923 (5 years) what should the price of a loaf of bread have been at the end of 1923?

Table 2a: Price of basic goods (in marks) in Germany 1913 – 1923

Item November 1913

Summer 1923 November 1923

1 egg 0.08 5000 80,000,000,000

1 kg of butter 2.70 26000 6,000,000,000,000

1 kg of beef 1.75 18800 5,600,000,000,000

Pair of shoes 12.00 1,000,000 32,000,000,000,000

Table 2b

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Item November 1913 November 1923

1 egg 0.08

1 kg of butter 2.70

1 kg of beef 1.75

Pair of shoes 12.00

Question If Germany experienced a 2% annualised level of inflation during the period November1913 to November 1923 (10 years) what should the price of these basic goods have been in November 1923?

(b) How did Hyperinflation affect the the coinage and banknotes in Weimar Germany?

Visit the following site: http://www.joelscoins.com/exhibger2.htm

(c) View the Youtube clip on Horror Stories of Hyperinflation: Germany in the 1920s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmZ36uABULY .

QuestionIn your opinion, what were the five most important effects of Hyperinflation on German society during that period?

Amusing story of Hyperinflation in Germany

Other occurrences during this period

Source B

Two women were carrying a laundry basket filled to the brim with banknotes. Seeing a crowd standing round a shop window, they put down the basket, for a moment to see if there was anything they could buy. When they turned round a few moments later, they found the money there untouched. But the basket was gone.

The memories of a German writer 

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In Berlin on 1 October 1923, soldiers calling themselves Black Reichswehr rebelled, led by Bruno Buchrucker.

The Rhineland declared independence (21–22 October). In Saxony and Thuringia the Communists took power.

5. Munich PutschOn 8–9 November 1923, Hitler’s Nazis tried to take control of Bavaria (the Munich Putsch).

3: Origins of the Nazi Party

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The Formation of the Nazi Party and its Beliefs and Organisation

(a)  Early beginnings The German Workers’ Party, led by Anton Drexler, was formed in 1919.  Hitler joined and soon became leader.   His speeches gave people scapegoats to blame for Germany’s problems:•      The Allies.•      The Versailles Treaty and the ‘November Criminals’ (the

politicians who signed it).•      The Communists, and:•      The Jews.

Nazi Flag

Source A‘The swastika has an extensive history. It was used at least 5,000 years before Adolf Hitler designed the Nazi flag. The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit svastika, which means “good fortune” or “well-being." The motif (a hooked cross) appears to have first been used in Neolithic Eurasia, perhaps representing the movement of the sun through the sky. To this day it is a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Odinism. It is a common sight on temples or houses in India or Indonesia. Swastikas also have an ancient history in Europe, appearing on artifacts from pre-Christian European cultures.’

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Source: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007453 [accessed Monday 12th of January]

(b)  Twenty-five Point ProgrammeIn 1920, the party renamed itself the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazis), and announced its Twenty-Five Point Programme.  

Source BWe demand:1. The unity of all German-speaking peoples.

2. The abolition of the Treaty of Versailles.

3. Land and colonies to feed Germany’s population.

4. Only Germans can be citizens.   No Jew can be a German citizen.

5. People in Germany who are not citizens must obey special laws for foreigners.

6. Only German citizens can vote, be employed or hold public office.

7. Citizens are entitled to a job and a decent standard of living.   If this cannot be achieved, foreigners (with no rights as citizens) should be expelled.

8. No further immigration of non-German must be allowed.   All foreigners who have come to Germany since 1914 must be expelled.

9. All citizens have equal rights and duties.

10. The first duty of a citizen is to work.

11. All payments to unemployed people should end

12. All profits made by profiteers during the war must be shared

13. Nationalisation of public industries*

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Questions

1. Study the Twenty-Five Point Programme. Find Nazi beliefs which would have appealed to:

a. a nationalist (who thought the German race was better than others)

b. a socialist (who wanted to help the poor people),

c. someone who was angry about losing the war,

d. someone who wanted to return to the autocratic government of the past,

14 Large companies must share their profits.

15. Pensions must be improved.16. Help for small shops and businesses; large department

stores** must be closed down.17. Property reform to give small farmers their land.18. An all-out battle against criminals, profiteers, etc., who

must be punished by death.19. Reform of the law to make it more German.20. Improve education so that all Germans can get a job.21. Improve people’s health by making a law for people to

do sport.22. Abolition of the Army, and a new People’s Army in its

place.23. German newspapers must be free of foreign influence.24. Freedom of religion.25. Strong central government with unrestricted

authority.

The Nazi Party Programme (24 February 1924)

* such as electricity and water.              ** most department stores were owned by Jews.

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e. someone who hated Jews.

Tick the relevant box in the table below:

25 Point Programme

Nationalist Socialist Angry at losing war

Autocratic Anti-semitic

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

2. Suggest reasons why not many students, doctors or lawyers joined the Nazi Party.

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(c).  Mein KampfAfter the failure of the Munich Putsch in 1923, Hitler was sent to Landsberg jail.   

There he wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) advocating:•      National Socialism – loyalty to Germany, racial purity, equality

and state control of the economy.•      Racism – the triumph of the Aryan race by armed force,

because all races, especially the Jews, were inferior to the Aryan (pure German) ‘Master Race’.

•      Lebensraum – to expand into Poland and Russia to get ‘Living Space’.

•      Strong Government – complete obedience to the Führer.

(d).  OrganisationAt first, there were a number of people involved in running the party, but Hitler soon became the sole boss, and he built up the organisation so that he was unquestioned leader.  Source D

Nazi Membership in the 1920s

by social group(%)

In Germany

Skilled workers (e.g. plumbers) 33 27Businessmen (e.g. factory owners) 19 7Lower employees (e.g. shop assistants) 18 18Unskilled workers (e.g. farm labourers) 12 37Farmers 11 8Students 4 0.5Professionals (e.g. doctors, lawyers) 3 2.5Aristocrats (lords) 0 0

Source CIn the future we may be faced with problems which can be solved only by a superior race of human beings, a race destined to become master of all the other peoples and which will have at its disposal the resources of the whole world.Hitler, Mein Kampf (1924)

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Task: Construct two pie-charts and analyse the differences in the membership make-up

(a) Nazi membership in the 1920s by social group in Austria & Germany

(b) Nazi membership in the 1920s by social group in Germany only

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4: Some successes of the Weimar Republic and the decline of the Nazi Party 1924-29

Successes of the Weimar Republic up to 1929

Stresemann's Achievements  (DIFFERS)a.  Dawes Plan, 1924

Stresemann called off the 1923 Ruhr strike and started to pay reparations again – but the American Dawes Plan gave Germany longer to make the payments (and the Young Plan of 1929 reduced the payments).

b.  Inflation controlled, November 1923Stresemann called in all the old, worthless marks and burned them.  He replaced them with a new Rentenmark (worth 3,000 million old marks).

c.  French leave the Ruhr, April 1924Stresemann persuaded the French to leave.

d.  Foreign AffairsIn 1925, Stresemann signed the Locarno Treaty, agreeing to the loss of Alsace-Lorraine.  In 1926, Germany was allowed to join the League of Nations.  Germany had become a world power again.

e.  Economic GrowthGermany borrowed 25,000 million gold marks, mainly from America.  This was used to build roads, railways and

Source AStresemann was no genius.  He was not the difference between pre- and post-1924 Germany.  What made the difference was the Dawes Plan, and the economic prosperity that U.S. money created.Written by a modern historian.

Source BStresemann ... worked hard to rebuild his shattered country and for peace and co-operation abroad.  Because of his leadership Germany is now prospering and has an important place in the affairs of Europe.from The Times, 4 October 1929.

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factories.  The economy boomed and led to prosperity.  Cultural life also boomed (the Roaring Twenties).

f.  ReformsStresemann introduced reforms to make life better for the working classes - Labour Exchanges (1927) and unemployment pay.  Also, 3 million new houses were built.

g.  Strength at the CentreStresemann arranged a 'Great Coalition' of the moderate pro-democracy parties (based around the SDP, the Centre party and Stresemann's own 'German people's Party', the DVP).  United together, they were able to resist the criticism from smaller extremist parties, and in this way, he overcame the effects of proportional representation - the government had enough members of the Reichstag supporting it to pass the laws it needed.

Decline of the Nazi Party 1924-29

(a)  Elections and declineAfter the failure of the Munich Putsch, Hitler decided that he would have to get power by being elected, rather than by rebellion.  However, he was banned from speaking until 1928.    The prosperity of the Stresemann years, also, meant that the Nazi’s message became less appealing and the party lost support.   

Source C

This Nazi poster from the 1928 election reads ‘Break the Dawes chains’.     

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Nazi Party performance in German Elections May 1924 – May 1928

Date of ElectionJan

1919Jun

1920May

1924Dec

1924May

1928

SPD Social Democrats 165 102 100 131 153

Communists KPD/USPD 22 88 62 45 54

Centre Party (Catholics) 91 64 65 69 62

DDP (Democrats) 75 39 28 32 25

Right-wing parties (BVP/ DVP/DNVP) 63 157 156 174 134

NSDAP (Nazis) 32 14 12

Others 7 9 29 29 51

Total Deputies 423 459 472 493 491

NSDAP as a % ot Total Deputies

Questions (a) Complete the row ‘NSDAP as a % of Total Deputies’ in the

above table (b) Construct a line graph of the performance of German

political parties during the period January 1919 to May 1928

(c) During the period from May 1924 to May 1928, the SPD Social Democrats’ electoral performance improved while the Right-wing parties saw a decline in deputies elected. What factors could account for this?

Source DSupport for the Nazi Party had grown due to the country's problems of hyperinflation and the French invasion of the Ruhr.   By 1928 Nazism appeared to be a dying cause.   Now that Germany's outlook was suddenly bright, the Nazi Party was rapidly withering away.   One scarcely heard of Hitler or the Nazis except as a joke.

William Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1959)William Shirer was an American journalist who lived in Germany from 1926 to 1941.

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(b) Re-organising the Party In this period, however, Hitler set about reorganising the Party.   He put in place many of the things which helped it take power after 1928:  •      He reduced the number of Stormtroopers (SA) and set up the

SS, a personal bodyguard fanatically loyal to himself.•      He set up a network of local parties.   He merged with other

right-wing parties, then took them over.•      He set up the Hitler Youth, which attracted young people to the

party.•      He put Josef Goebbels in charge of propaganda.   Goebbels and

Hitler believed that the best way to get the support of the masses was by appealing to their feelings rather than by argument.   They waged a propaganda campaign using posters, leaflets, radio and film, and organised rallies.

•      He cultivated the support of wealthy businessmen promising them that, if he came to power, he would destroy Communism and the Trade Unions.   This gave him the finance to run his campaigns.

Source E

This Nazi poster c.1927 reads ‘Despite the Ban, not dead’.   This poster was drawn by "Mjölnir," (real name was Hans Schweitzer) who set new standards for Nazi publicity.

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5. How was Hitler able to become German Chancellor in 1933?

The story of why Hitler came to power is about the reasons why the German people lost their senses and allowed a vicious madman to come to power.   What could have brought this about?   All the following were present from the 1920s:

1.       L ong-term bitterness Deep anger about the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles created an underlying bitterness to which Hitler’s viciousness and expansionism appealed, so they gave him support.

2.       I neffective Constitution Weaknesses in the Constitution crippled the government.   In fact, there were many people in Germany who wanted a return to dictatorship.   When the crisis came in 1929–1933 – there was no one who was prepared or able to fight to stop Hitler.  

3.       MoneyThe financial support of wealthy businessmen gave Hitler the money to run his propaganda and election campaigns.

4.       P ropaganda Nazi propaganda persuaded the German masses to believe that the Jews were to blame and that Hitler was their last hope.

5.       P rogramme Hitler promised everybody something, so they supported him.

6.       Attacks on other partiesThe Stormtroopers attacked Jews and people who opposed Hitler.   Many opponents kept quiet simply because they were scared of being murdered – and, if they were, the judges simply let the Stormtroopers go free (see point 2).

7.       Personal QualitiesHitler was a brilliant speaker, and his eyes had a peculiar power over people.   He was a good organiser and politician.   He was a driven, unstable man, who believed that he had been called by God to become dictator of Germany and rule the world.   This kept him going when other people might have given up.   His self-belief persuaded people to believe in him.

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  Source A

This poster of 1932 says: ‘Hitler – our last hope’

Source B

[Hitler's policies] were half-baked, racist clap-trap... but among the jumble of hysterical ideas Hitler showed a sure sense of how to appeal to the lowest instincts of frightened masses.Tony Howarth, a modern historian

Source C

He was holding the masses, and me with them, under an hypnotic spell by the sheer force of his beliefs.   His words were like a whip.   When he spoke of the disgrace of Germany, I felt ready to attack any enemy.Karl Ludecke, an early follower of Hitler (1924)

Source D

Of course, I was ripe for this experience.   I was a man of 32, weary with disgust and disillusionment, a wanderer seeking a cause, patriot seeking an outlet for his patriotism.Karl Ludecke (1924).

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QuestionAnalyzing sources A to F, identify five factors that contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany at this time.

Source EThere were simply not enough Germans who believed in democracy and individual freedom to save the Weimar republic.Written by the modern historian S Williams.

Source GHitler’s financiersMany industrials bankrolled the Nazis, including allegedly:· Hjalmar Schacht, Head of the Reichsbank, organised fund-raising parties for Hitler.· Fritz von Thyssen, the German steel businessman· Alfred Krupp, the owner of Krupp steel firm· Emil Kirdorf, the coal businessman· IG Faben, the German chemicals firm, gave half the funds for the 1933 elections· The German car firm Opel (a subsidiary of General Motors)· Schroeder Bank – on Jan. 3, 1933, Reinhard Schroeder met Hitler and asked him to form a government. And many foreign firms including:· Henry Ford of Ford Motors. Hitler borrowed passages from Ford's book The International Jew to use in Mein Kampf and had a picture of Ford on the wall of his office.· Union Banking Corporation, New York (George Bush’s great-grandfather was president of the Corporation)· WA Harriman and Co., the American shipping and railway company (George Bush’s grandfather was vice-president)· Irenee du Pont, head of the American firm General Motors; he advocated the creation of a super-race by spinal injections to enhance children of ‘pure’ blood.

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After 1929, however, two short-term factors brought Hitler to power:

8.       Economic DepressionAfter the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the US called in its loans to Germany, and the German economy collapsed.   The Number of unemployed grew; people starved on the streets.   In the crisis, people wanted someone to blame, and looked to extreme solutions – Hitler offered them both, and Nazi success in the elections grew.        Germans turned to Nazism because they were desperate.  The number of Nazi seats in the Reichstag rose from 12 in 1928 to 230 in July 1932.

9.       Recruited by HindenburgIn November 1932 elections the Nazis again failed to get a majority of seats in the Reichstag.   Their share of the vote fell – from 230 seats to only 196.   Hitler contemplated suicide.   But then he was rescued by Hindenburg.        Franz von Papen (a friend of Hindenburg) was Chancellor, but he could not get enough support in the Reichstag.   Hindenburg and von Papen were having to govern by emergency decree under Article 48 of the Constitution.   They offered Hitler the post of vice-Chancellor if he promised to support them.        Hitler refused – he demanded to be made Chancellor.   So Von Papen and Hindenburg took a risk.   On 30 January 1933 Hindenburg made Hitler Chancellor.   He thought he could control Hitler – how wrong he was.         In the end, Hitler did not TAKE power at all – he was given it.

Task: Watch the following Youtube clip about Hitler’s rise to power

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CFWH4Fhkak [accessed Monday 12th of January]

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Source H Number of Unemployed in Germany 1928-1933

Year Number Unemployed in Germany

1928 2,000,0001929 2,500,0001930 3,000,0001931 5,000,0001932 6,000,000

Source I Electoral Performance of German Political Parties 1930 - 1933

Political Party Sep 1930 Jul 1932 Nov 1932 Mar 1933SPD Social Democrats

143 133 121 120

Communists KPD/USPD

77 89 101 81

Centre Party (Catholics)

68 75 70 74

DDP (Democrats)20 4 2 5

Right-wing parties (BVP/ DVP/DNVP)

90 66 83 72

NSDAP (Nazis)

107 230 196 288Others

72 11 12 7

Total Deputies577 608 584 647

Question (a) Draw two line graphs illustrating the number of

unemployed in Germany 1928-1933, and the performance of the Nazi party in elections 1930 – 1933

(b) Comment on the trend in the figures (c) Determine the causality between the two trends

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