Hitler and Nazi Germany

•Hitler and Nazi Germany

•How did Hitler rise to power in Germany?

1.Weakness of the Weimar Republic: A parliamentary government in place after WWI & blamed for defeat in war & for accepting harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

2.The Great Depression: After Wall Street Crash of 1929, Great Depression spread to Germany. Unemployment rose to 6 million by 1932. Weimar Government could not solve economic problem.

3. Hitler’s Nazi Party: Hitler intended to get power by democratic means & after that establish a dictatorship. Nazi party won many seats in the elections & became largest party in the Reichstag.

4. Hitler’s policies: Hitler made sure his policies appealed to as many people as possible; his opposition to the Treat appealed to everybody; anti-communism policy to businessmen; he promised to revive the economy and end unemployment.

5. Propaganda: Hitler & the Nazis used clever propaganda techniques to get their message across to people; he blamed Germany’s troubles on the Treaty of Versailles, the Jews & communists; he was an outstanding speaker.

6. SA & SS: SA (Brownshirts) & SS (Blackshirts) used violence to attack opposition parties.

SA

SS

7. President Hindenburg appointed Hitler Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933.

•How did Hitler establish a dictatorship?

8. Hitler called an election & the SA & SS attacked opposition parties. Hitler increased the number of seats in parliament.

9. Dutch communist burnt down Reichstag building, Hitler banned communist party.

10. Hitler passed the Enabling Law, which allowed him to rule by decree.

11. Hitler banned trade unions & he used secret police, the Gestapo, to put down the opposition.

12. Hitler used SS to kill the leader of the SA, Ernest Rohm & others who threatened his power in the Night of the Long Knives.

13. When President Hindenburg died, Hitler made himself president as well as chancellor of Germany. He became der Fuhrer (the leader).

•Nazi Propaganda

14. Goebbels became the Minister for Propaganda. He controlled the press, radio, newspapers & cinema. He controlled the news they sent out.

•Hilter was glorified in a cult of personality.

•The Nuremberg Rallies & torchlight parades were held.

•In Schools, students were told to glorify Hitler; boys & girls had to join Hitler Youth & the League of German Maidens.

Goebbels

League of German Maidens

Hitler Youth

•The Nazi Economy

15. Hitler improved the German economy:

•Reduced unemployment from 6 million to no unemployment by 1939.

•Built autobahns (motorways).

•Begun rearmament with more ships, submarines & planes. Began conscription to increase the size of the German army.

•The Nazis and the Jews

16. Hitler hated the Jews (anti-semitism).

•Passed the Nuremberg Laws to deprive Jews of German citizenship, banned them from marrying non-Jews & forced them to wear the Star of David.

•Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht), Jewish shops & synagogues were attacked & 90 Jews killed.

•Many of Germany’s Jews emigrated after this, including the great scientist Albert Einstein.

Night of Broken Glass

Star of David

17. During WW2 Hitler undertook the mass murder of the Jews (Final Solution) by the Nazis. Now called the Holocaust.

•Jews rounded up in ghettoes & concentration camps, e.g. Auschwitz.

•Himmler’s SS organised mass execution beginning with gassing of women, children & older children.

•Others used as slave labour until they died.

•Some buried in mass graves other burnt in ovens.

•About 6 million Jews were killed.

 Himmler

 Auschwitz

•The Drift to war in Europe 1933-39

18. Hitler’s aims in foreign policy were:

•Create a greater Germany of all German-speaking people.

•Acquire Lebensraum (living space) in Eastern Europe for raw materials and food.

•To destroy the Treaty of Versailles.

19. Hitler’s foreign policy in action:

•The Saar, a coal-producing area given to France after WW1, voted to return to Germany.

•Hitler began rearmament with conscription & building submarines, warships & planes.

•Hitler remilitarised the Rhineland by sending in German troops.

•Hitler’s relations with Mussolini improved because of the Italian invasion of Abyssinia and the Spanish Civil War.

•Hitler and Mussolini

1.Hitler & Mussolini agreed the Rome-Berlin Axis; this allowed Hitler to annex (takeover) Austria in the Anchluss.

•Later they agreed the Pact of Steel; where they committed to help each other in war.

2. Policy of Appeasement: Britain & France did not take any action when Hitler broke the Treaty of Versailles, they followed a policy of appeasement in which they believed that if they gave in to Hitler’s demands they would prevent a war.

•Hitler demanded the Sudetenland – a German-speaking area – from Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia refused.

•Munich Conference held with Mussolini, Hitler, Daladier (France) & Chamberlain (Britain); they agreed to force Czechoslovakia to hand over the Sudetenland to prevent war.

•Hitler came to an agreement with Stalin, the leader of communist Russia, with the Nazi-Soviet Pact, which included a 10 year non-aggression pact; also agreed to divide Poland between them.

 Stalin

•Hitler demanded the Polish Corridor, a strip of Polish territory which separated most of Germany from an eastern province, east Prussia. Poland refused.

•Despite their support of Poland, Hitler thought Britain & France would not do anything if he acted, so he ordered the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939.

3. Two days later, Britain & France declared war on Germany. WW2 had begun.

Hitlers Rise to Power

WWII: How did it start?

 

WWII in 7 minutes

Adolf Hitler Profile 

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Review Questions

         1. When did World War One occur and how long did it last?
2. Name some of the main countries involved.
3. What made War World One so different than all previous wars?
4. List the main terms of the Versailles Treaty
5. Name the main world leaders who drew up the Treaty of Versailles
6. Why was the League of Nations created?
7. Why was the League so weak?
8. Explain what Communism means?
9. What was the first Communist country in the world?
10. Why did people in some European countries support Communism?
11. What did all Dictators have in common?
12. What were the main problems in Italy after WWI?
13. What were the main aims of Mussolini’s Fascist Party?
14. Who were the Blackshirts?
15. Why was the March on Rome so important?
16. In what ways did Mussolini destroy democracy?
17. How did Mussolini use propaganda?
18. Why were the Secret Police so important for Mussolini?
19. Why did Mussolini order the attack on Ethiopia?
20. What was the Rome-Berlin Axis?
21. What happened to Italy during WWII?
22. Why did many Italian people turn against Mussolini in 1945?
23. What happened to Germany after WWI?
24. Why were many German people angry about the Treaty of Versailles?
25. What were the major problems facing Germany in the 1920’s?
26. Where was Adolf Hitler born?
27. What is meant by anti-Semitism?
28. Name the political party of Hitler
29. Who were the SA and the SS?
30. Why was Hitler jailed in 1923?
31. What are three  main ideas contained in Mein Kampf?
32. What problems did the Wall Street Crash create for Germany?
33. When and Why did Hitler become Chancellor of Germany?
34. Explain what the Enabling Act was.
35. What happened on the Night of the long Knives?
36. Why was Hitler popular with a majority of German people in the period after 1933
37. Who were the Gestapo?
38. What was Dachau?
39. What were the Nuremburg Laws?
40. What happened on ‘Kristallnacht’?
41. What was meant by the ‘Final Solution’?
42.  What were Hitler’s main foreign policy aims?
43.  List 3 ways that Hitler broke the treaty of Versailles?
44.  What was meant by ‘appeasement’?
45.  What was the Anschluss?
46.  What was the main result of the Munich conference of 1938?
47.  What caused the outbreak of WWII?

Answers

1. It began in 1914 and lasted 4 years.

2. France, Britain and Russia fought against Germany, Turkey and Austria. Italy joined in 1915 and the USA in 1917. Both fought against Germany.

3. It lasted longer than anyone thought possible. Most of the fighting took place in trenches dug by both sides. New and more deadly weapons were used for the first time such as poison gas, tanks, huge shells, planes and machine guns. Over 9 million died in the war.

4. Germany had to accept FULL responsibility for the war and had to pay a huge bill for all the damage caused. Germany was only allowed an army of 100,000 men and was not allowed to have any U-Boats or airforce. Union with Austria was forbidden and the Rhineland was to remain a de-militarised zone.

5. Clemenceau of France, Lloyd George of Britain and President Wilson of the USA.

6. It was set up after WWI and was mainly the idea of President Wilson of the USA. The idea was to get countries to join and to settle disputed by negotiation rather than going to war and creating the misery and carnage of the previous few years.

7. The USA never joined which came as a major surprise. Also, it had no army of it’s own to enforce any decisions made by the Council of the League.

8. This was a political system which wanted to abolish private ownership of property and wanted the State to control all industry and agriculture
9. The USSR after a Revolution led by Lenin in 1917.

10. People were sure that a Communist system would bring better equality for all people. Poor people believed that the State would look after them better.

11. All very nationalistic, believed their race was superior, anti-Communist, wanted total control.

12. Massive unemployment, constant strikes, street riots , anger over the way Italy had been treated in the Versailles treaty.

13. To make Italy a strong, powerful nation.

14. Private army of Mussolini who attacked socialists and communists.

15. Mussolini threatened to take power by force. The Prime Minister wanted the King to declare martial law and defeat the Fascists. However, the King was scared for his own position so he made Mussolini the new Prime Minister in a coalition government.

16. He banned all political parties except the Fascist Party. He was able to rule by decree which means he could rule without Parliament. He also created his own secret police and introduced very strict censorship.

17. He used newspapers and radio to make himself look like a superman.

18. He used them to spy on people to make sure there was no opposition allowed to Fascist rule.

19. Because he wanted a great Italian empire, just like the glory days of the old Roman Empire.

20. This was a military alliance between Hitler and Mussolini which began in the mid 1930’s and became the Pact of Steel in 1939.

21. They joined the war on the side of Germany and fought many battles in north Africa where they were beaten by the Allies.

22. Because the Allies landed in Italy and defeated their army and there was a lot of destruction of property. Mussolini tried to escape to Germany. He was captured by partisans and executed in April 1945.

23. A new State was created called the Weimar Republic which had to accept the treaty of Versailles.

24. They felt it was unfair because they had to take all the blame for causing the Great war of 1914-18 and pay for all the damage caused.

25. Massive unemployment, money became almost worthless and government often collapsed leading to more elections.

26. Austria.

27. A hatred of Jewish people.

28. Nazi party.

29. SA were Hitler’s private army (stormtroopers) and the SS were his elite bodyguards.

30. Because he led a rebellion in the city of Munich which was crushed by the army. This was called the Munich Putsch and his aim had been to overthrow the government of Bavaria, a State in Southern Germany.

31. The Aryan race are superior, that the Versailles treaty should be overturned and that German people deserved more living space (lebensraum). Communism was a great evil.

32. Because American banks collapsed and no more loans were sent to Germany. This closed thousands of factories and  this created massive unemployment of well over 6 million by 1932.

33. January 1933 and  he promised the German people that he would solve the jobs crisis and restore German pride. His anti-Communism won him support from many large business leaders. He was also a very gifted speaker and he was able to convince large numbers of people to vote for his Party.

34. The Enabling Act allowed Hitler to rule by decree and it marked the end of democracy in Germany.

35. Hundreds of SA members whom Hitler did not trust were killed by the SS on Hitler’s orders. The leader of the SA, Ernst Rohm was also killed.

36. His greatest achievement was to significantly reduce unemployment by creating jobs in arms factories, by starting huge public-works programmes and by increasing the size of the army.

37. Hitler’s secret police who operated all over Nazi Germany to put down all opposition.

38. It was the first concentration camp built in Germany, and the first people in it were mainly socialists and communists.

39. Deprived all Jewish Germans of the right to citizenship and marriage between Jews and non-Jews was forbidden.

40. Hundreds of Jewish people were attacked and killed, thousands were arrested and large number of Jewish businesses were destroyed.

41. This was the plan of Hitler to wipe out the whole Jewish population of Europe. Six Death Camps were built in Poland for this.

42. Hitler wanted to smash the treaty of Versailles, get more living space for Germans.

43. He expanded the German army, he created a German airforce, he united Germany with Austria.

44. This was when the leaders of France and Britain gave in to Hitler’s demands in order to prevent war at all costs.

45. This was the union of Germany and Austria.

46. Hitler was allowed to take control of a German speaking part of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland. The British leader Chamberlain was one of those who agreed to this.

47. The invasion of Poland by Germany in September 1939.