EDEXCEL SHCOOLS HISTORY PROJECT B

Nazi Germany
1918- 1945
By Alex Jackson

A short summary in revision of Nazi Germany 1918 to 1945

1918- End of WWI The end of the war signalled economic devastation for Germany. Its economy was crippled by the war effort and their image was cracked. The Kaiser abdicated and ran away on November 9th at which point Germany became a republic. Later, on November 11th the armistice that was to end the war was called. The armistice became permanent and in 1919 the Treaty of Versailles the most famous peace treaty ever was signed in the Palace of Versailles in France. The allies made the terms and Germany was forced to sign. There is an easy way to remember the terms of the Treaty:  R- reparations 6.6 Billion  A- arms limited- 6 ships- no air force  W- war guilt acceptance- article 231  D- de-militarized Rhineland  E- end of Austrian union with Germany  A- army limited 100,000 men  L- land taken away All of these terms humiliated Germany but it wasn t only Germany s external image that was damaged. The German people felt that they d been stabbed in the back by the Weimar Government because they didn t realise that Ebert (The then President) had been threatened with invasion and a restart of the war if he didn t sign the Treaty. This put him in a very difficult position because he was signing away Germany s wealth for the foreseeable future and he knew it. If Germany hadn t stopped paying the reparations when the Nazis were in power they would have had to continue paying them until 1984. As it stands the money Germany borrowed from the USA, Germany completed paying back in 2010. In 1919 Hitler joined the German Worker s Party lead by Anton Drexler. It was a very small political party. So small that Hitler was its 55th member. In 1920 its name was changed to the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis for short in German). Hitler began to speak at beer halls. The party realised how charismatic his speeches were and soon appointed him head of the party. The party set up its own armed group called the SA (Sturmabteilung). They were storm troopers who wore brown shirts; they protected Nazi leaders and harassed other parties. 1923- A Year of Crisis There were three crises in 1923: y The Invasion of the Ruhr- French and Belgian troops marched into the Ruhr to take control of most of Germany s industrial power because Germany wasn t paying back the reparations set by the Treaty of Versailles. However Germany was saved by its own people. The workers of the Ruhr strike leaving the French and Belgians no choice but to leave. However this damaged Germany s economy because Germany had to pay the workers because they were doing the country a favour while getting no goods to sell at the end of it. This resulted in the second crisis; hyperinflation. y Hyperinflation is when the value of money decreases by such an amount that the currency becomes worthless. Hyperinflation carries benefits and defects for many in Germany: Disadvantages Benefits y People s savings became worthless y People s debts could be paid quickly y The prices of essentials went y Starvation through the roof y Unemployment None of this helped Germany to pay off the reparations set by the Treaty either. Something had to happen in Germany to solve this crisis. y The Munich Putch- Hitler and his SA marched into a beer hall meeting in Munich to rally support for his uprising. He threatened members of other political parties and held them captive. However Ludendorff let them go to phone their wives and children which was a fatal mistake as the officials called the police on Hitler and his surprise was ruined. However not realising this had happened, Hitler marched on Munich and tried to seize power. He failed miserably and was shot in the arm. He ran away but was caught just days later by the police and put on trial. Although he thought he d managed to manipulate the Judge, Hitler was put in prison where he wrote his autobiography Mein Kampf (My Struggle). In this book he stated his key beliefs for

the future; that the Aryans were a master race, that Germans had a right to Lebensraum (more living space), that all other races were inferior, that he would reverse the Treaty of Versailles and that he would create a greater Germany. After the Munich Putch, Hitler changed tactics. He decided that at this point in time, violence wasn t the answer and would hinder the party s rise to power more than it would help it. His SA weren t happy about this as violence had been their main role until now. Hitler said that they would have to take a back seat for a while. Hitler decided he would have to take Germany just like any other political party, through the democratic system. 1924-1929 The Stresseman Era and the Recovery In 1923 Gustav Stresseman became Chancellor of Germany and he led the country to recovery. He was only Chancellor for a few months; he was then made Foreign Minister. This was because he believed that Germany could recover if it worked with other countries. Later in 1923 he told workers of the Ruhr to go back to work and accepted the Dawes plan in 1924. The Dawes plan is when Germany borrowed money from the USA to help them pay back their reparations set by the Treaty of Versailles. He then introduced a new currency the Rentenmark to stabilise the economy and get rid of hyperinflation. In 1925 French and Belgian troops left the Ruhr and Stresseman signed the Locarno Treaty which put in place the Western boarders of Germany. He won the Nobel peace prize for doing so. In 1926 he got Germany to join the League of Nations. This was a major step forward for Germany. Stresseman helped them to be re accepted into the international community and especially as a major power in Europe. He also signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact which stated that countries would not use violence the settle disagreements. Then In 1929 the Young Plan replaces the Dawes Plan which meant that reparations were reduced by to of the original amount. Germany was given 59 years to repay them. Stresseman died in October 1929. 1929 The Wall Street Crash The Wall Street Crash (Named after America s famous Banking district in New York) triggered a global economic crisis. Stresemann s plans became useless as the USA was hardest hit by the stock market crash and could no longer afford to be lending money to Germany. Most of Stresemann s work was ruined and Germany was left back where it started with no one to help them. This is where the Nazis seize the moment and run with it. Trouble was that they were not the only extremist group wanting to take power. Of the coming years the Nazis continued to miss the majority in elections and would therefore walk out of parliament making the meeting invalid and causing another election. This kept happening until 1933 when Hindenburg grudgingly appointed Hitler Chancellor and the Nazis became one step closer to achieving totalitarianism. February 1933 The Reichstag Fire The Reichstag fire played a major role in Hitler s rise to power. Van de Lube a Dutch communist, set fire to the Reichstag (The German equivalent to the Houses of Parliament). He was then apprehended by the Nazis. This gave the Nazis perfect opportunity to pass the Enabling act. The Enabling Act Article One- The Reich Cabinet is authorised to enact laws Article Two- The laws enacted by the Reich Cabinet may deviate from the constitution Article Three- The laws enacted by the Reich Cabinet shall be prepared by the Chancellor Article Five- The laws enacted shall come into effect on the day of its publication and cease to be valid on April 1st 1937

The Enabling act was passed with the SA surrounding the Reichstag building in order to make sure that a majority was passed. It was passed with 444 votes to 91. At this moment Germany ceases to be a democracy and is on the long hard road to Dictatorship. There are several things that Hitler does with his new powers through the enabling act. Hitler re organised the 18 state parliaments so that the Nazi s had a majority in each state. Hitler also appointed new Nazi state governors who had the power to appoint and dismiss state officials and make state laws. In January 1934, Hitler abolished all state parliaments and made them subordinate to the central Reichstag. He also abolished all trade unions taking away the workers only power to up rise against any laws which may affect them. He also did this because many leaders of the trade unions had communist or socialist links. On May 22nd 1933, Nazis broke into trade union offices and arrested many officials. The unions were then managed into the German Labour Front. The most important thing that Hitler did with the enabling act is to ban all other political parties. On May 10th 1933, the Nazis occupied the offices of the social democrats and destroyed their newspapers and confiscated their funds. Two weeks later the Communist party suffered the same fate. In July 1933 Hitler declared that the Nazi party was the only political party allowed in Germany. So the major effects of the Enabling Act were:  Workers could no longer be a part of trade unions  Opposition to the Nazis could be captured and imprisoned  The SA could search and ransack the homes of suspected opposition  Opposition of the Nazis could be executed without opposition or questions asked  Many opponents were driven to exile  The Nazis intimidated voters by standing over them as they crossed their ballot papers. The Reichstag Fire represents a certain degree of mystery surrounding to Nazi s rise to power. Something that hasnt been solved to this day; did the Nazis employ Van de Lube to burn the Reichstag so that they could blame the communists and become the only powerful extremist party in Germany or did it just happen by chance and become a happy coincidence for Hitler? Some people say that it is too convenient for Hitler to have the enabling act up his sleeve soon after the fire, they say it would have been in planning for months but others say that it may have been being planned for months but for another unveiling. Night of the Long Knives Hitler still had opposition, even within his own party and he knew that to become Fuhrer and achieve totalitarianism he would have to get rid of this opposition. His biggest threat was leader of the SA Ernst Rohm. He controlled 400,000 militant men and on June 29th- 30th Hitler sent his own body guards the SS to arrest and kill Rohm and several others. There are rumours about a homosexual relationship between Hitler and Rohm as we know that Rohm was gay and if something were to get out Hitler s plans would be ruined and the only way Hitler could guarantee this was for Rohm to be killed. Some say this is his motive for killing Rohm and his comrades but Rohm was starting to be more openly opposed to Hitler. In all several hundred people (mostly SA men) were killed and Hitler achieved his goal of having the entire party behind him. A month later President Hindenburg died and Hitler combined the posts of Chancellor and President and named himself Der Fuhrer (The Leader). He declared himself commander in chief of the army and was one step closer to achieving totalitarianism. Once in his dictatorial position, Hitler split Germany into a number of Provinces each called a Gau (plural Gaue). In charge of each was a Gauleiter (Nazi, of course) who reported to Reichsleiters who advised Hitler for instance Goebbels who was in charge of propaganda and Himmler who was in charge of the SS, Gestapo

and later the Final Solution. At this point Hitler achieves totalitarianism. He controls every aspect of everyone s life and has more than enough power to enforce his regime. Nazi Opposition There were many people who were opposed to the Nazis. Some spoke out and some passively resisted the Nazis efforts to achieve totalitarianism and some were just too scared to voice their opinion. Communists y Hitler was scared of the communist revolution that happened in Russia, happening in Germany y All social gatherings were banned y The Nazis crushed the communists Atmosphere of Fear y Threats were regular and often public y Opposition were either murdered or sent to concentration camps y People turned in their neighbours and sometimes even friends y People were too scared to speak out about their feelings for the Nazis Myth y y

There was a lot of mystery surrounding what the Nazis were doing and what their eventual plan was. Some people in Germany just didn t know what was going on.

Nazi Strategy y Crush opposition y Cover what they d done up y Destroy any remaining evidence Hitler s Henchmen Hitler couldn t achieve his dictatorial goal alone. He needed force behind him and enough so that he could make suitable threats to persistent opposition. The SA The SA first allied with Hitler during the Munich Putch and they had served Hitler up to this point when their leader Ernst Rohm was showing signs of rebellion. Hitler knew that he couldn t have someone inside his own movement against him so the SA was destroyed in the Night of the Long Knives. They were replaced by the SS. The SS The SS started out as Hitler s personal bodyguards. They were Aryan and put together by Heinrich Himmler. They helped Hitler crush the SA in the Night of the Long Knives and then took over their role in the New Germany that Hitler was creating. At this point they changed their uniforms from brown to black and they easily rivalled the power of the entire German army. They had the power to confiscate things and search houses with no warrant. They could also arrest people without a reason. The Gestapo The Gestapo were Hitler s secret police. They listened to everything and anything that went on it Germany and had spies earlier. They made the necessary arrests and killings if a threat came up to the Nazi government. They were one of the most feared organisations in Germany and played a key role in Hitler s dictatorship. Their Leader was Hermann Goering and they tapped telephones and intercepted mail. They had informants in every block of housing in Germany.

Nazi Propaganda The Nazis had to brainwash most of the German population to reduce opposition and have the support of the public. Hitler put Dr Joseph Goebbels in charge of this. Women Women (especially Aryan women) were targeted and sacked from jobs so that they could have more children. They were encouraged to marry an Aryan man and have many children with him. Married couples were given a loan based on the number of children they had. They also sterilized women whom they felt were unfit to have children. Youth The Nazis indoctrinated the youth of Germany with their ideals and propaganda. The Nazi youth movement was vast. For boys it was the Hitler youth and for girls the League of German Maidens. In the Hitler youth boys of all ages were taught disciplined army survival techniques. They also did a lot of physical exercise. They were taught key skills such as building and maintenance. They were encouraged to go into the army when they came of age. In the League of German Maidens, girls were taught housekeeping skills and cooking. They were also taught how to look after and bring up children well and that a man in their life was important. Schools 97% of all teachers were part of the Nazi teachers union. This way, Hitler has complete control over schools they have no freedom of thought. This allows him to re write school textbooks. Any Jewish books were banned and Hitler left out of the curriculum any of Germany s failings. It also made the youth of Germany think about Jews in a negative way. Hitler used other subjects such as maths in subtle ways to portray Jews in a negative fashion. The children listened and believed every word their teacher said. Some children even turned in their neighbours or friends as this is what their teachers told them to do if they suspected someone of being a Jew. Race Studies lessons were introduced in all schools. This was so that Hitler could indoctrinate the children s minds against minorities. Why was controlling the youth so important to Hitler? y Children are vulnerable and they are the future of Germany y They are easily influenced y They needed control over the children before the parents had a chance to control them y They needed complete control for a proper dictatorship to work. The Church The Nazis knew that the church could be big opposition for what they had planned but because it is aworldwide organisation they couldn t just get rid or ban it like they did political opposition. They had three options; 1. Destroy the church and ban it outright 2. Destroy and phase out the church subtly 3. Mould the church so that it helps them to indoctrinate They chose the last one as Hitler knew that it was possible if only for a short amount of time. At the time about two thirds of the German population were protestant and the other third were Roman Catholic. In 1936, Christmas Carols and Nativity plays were banned from schools and in 1938, priests were stopped teaching religious classes in schools. Roman Catholic In 1933, Hitler signed a document called a concordant which stated that Hitler and the Nazis promised not to interfere with the Roman Catholics running things in Germany however the Roman Catholics also had to promise not to interfere with politics. However within a year, the Nazis started to break their promise and it became clear that

the concordant was only signed to buy the Nazis some time. Hitler banned Christian symbols such as the cross from all schools and later schools were taken from Roman Catholic control. Also, the Catholic youth was made illegal. Pope Pius XI wanted to avoid conflict with the Nazis as he knew they were a dangerous organisation but by 1937 he had lost his patience. He showed his opposition to the Nazis via a famous public statement known as With Burning Anxiety . Hitler s efforts to destroy the Catholic Church started to back fire on him. Priests who were sent to concentration camps were seen as martyrs and church leaders were often applauded when seen in public. Catholic churches were packed with worshippers every day. Protestant Protestants became divided by their views on the Nazis. In 1933, the Protestants who supported the Nazis were united to form the Reich church. Their leader Ludwig Muller became the first Reich Bishop in 1933. The most dedicated members called themselves German Christians and wore Nazi uniforms and gave the Nazi salute. Their motto was The Swastika on our chests and the Cross in our hearts . As you can imagine, other protestant priests were very opposed to Nazi ideas. They were led by Pastor Martin Niemoller who set up the confessional church. More than 6000 Pastors supported this church leaving only 2000 in the Reich church. The leaders of the confessional church including Niemoller were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Niemoller survived through to the allied liberation in 1945. Once again, Nazi repression didn t destroy church beliefs it just created protestant martyrs. Nazi Ideals Hitler believed in several things that a loyal proper German should be: For Men For Women For Both  Strong  Child bearing  Blonde Hair  Good workers  Wide hips  Blue eyes  Soldiers  House keeping  German  Politicians  Long Hair  Selfless  Broad, child bearing  Healthy hips  Of pure blood  No Makeup  Followers of the Nazis  Discouraged from smoking and drinking  Long Skirts This meant that minority groups were less than ideal in Hitler s Germany in fact Hitler hated them.

Treatment of Minorities The Final Solution began in 1942 but widespread hatred of minorities started far before then. Prosecution of minorities was executed in many different ways. Jewish shops and other property was vandalised and Jews were forced to live in separate areas of the city called Ghettos. Nazis banned marriage and sexual relationships between minorities and Germans. However the biggest part of the prosecution was public humiliation. The Jews were forced to wear yellow badges in the shape of St David s star n all their clothes. This type of humiliation was the worst because it was public. Minorities and Nazi opposition were sent away to what started as work camps but were later made into extermination camps to support the Final Solution. Heinrich Himmler was in charge of these camps and The Final Solution. However Hitler was the one who really pulled the strings. The Nazis staged managed the image of these camps so that Germany and the rest of the world believed that they remained work camps until near the end of the war. However there is some speculation as to how much people really knew about the Holocaust and whether more

could have been done to help. At the end of the war in 1945, the extermination camps were liberated by the allies and lots of lives were saved but some say it was too little too late. The Jewish people were prosecuted in Germany as follows 1. 1933- Nazi s boycotted shops, small scale violence (not widespread- 36 deaths), anti Jew propaganda. Pro Aryan propaganda. Most Jews are banned from working within civil services. The law for compulsory sterilisation of the mentally ill. Jews were banned from owning farming. 2. 1934- Relatively calm but a government department suggested that the Jews should be forced to emigrate from Germany. 3. 1935- Nuremburg rallies/ laws. There are more unofficial attacks on Jews. Nazis hold rallies which announce laws such as the Law for the protection of the genetic health of the German people- no sex between Germans and non Germans. The Reich citizenship law- Jews can t be German citizens. The Law for the protection of the health of the German people- you have to have a certificate before you are married to prove that you are German. 4. 1936- Berlin Olympics- Jesse Owens (A black man) won lots of medals which Hitler hated. Reports of Jesse Owens were banned across Germany. Also relatively quiet because Germany was on show to the rest of the world. Himmler is put in charge of Jewish emigration. Pre 1938- Nazis aim to brainwash against the Jews and not to outright kill them. 5. Nazis Germany is re-united with Austria. Also, Jews have to register anything worth over 5000 reichmarks. Jewish health workers aren t allowed to treat German patients. Also their identity cards are stamped with a J and you had to add Israel or Sarah to your name. 1938- Kristallnact (Night of the Broken Glass) In Paris November 1938 a Jew murdered a German diplomat. This caused rioting throughout Germany instigated by the Nazis. Mainly through propaganda German citizens believed that Jews were responsible for unemployment of German citizens. At first many of the people in positions of power agreed with the Nazis (bribery? threatening?) although the theory is that they didn t really understand what happened in the camps they let the Nazis heard the minorities off to. However some would say that they German public knew what was going on but were either too scared or didn t care enough to do anything about it. 91 Jews were murdered during Kristallnact. 20,000 were sent to camps. Jews had to pay 1 Billion reichmarks to pay for the damage to German property but not Jewish property. In November Jews were banned from schools, cinemas, universities, shops, trades, sports facilities. 6. 1939- The Reich Central Office for Jewish Emigration was set up. Curfew was introduced. Hitler now publicly hates the Jews and talks about their absolute removal. A special task force of the Gestapo are Ein Satz Gruppen. They are told to shoot hostile minorities especially communists and Jews. They also start the euthanasia programme for the disabled, mentally ill, work shy and undesirables. Jewish undesirables were called the Untermenschen which translates literally as under man. 7. 1940- A plan was drawn up to export Jews to Madagascar. 8. Between 1940 and 1941 70,000 mentally ill people were gassed as part of the euthanasia programme. From now on Hitler executes a shift from non violence to mass murder and The Final Solution is put in place. Shooting, working to death and from late June gassing is brought in. From September 1941 Jews have to wear the Star of David on their clothes. In October 1941 Emigration is banned. Jews cannot leave Germany unless they are taken by the German state. 9. January 1942- The systematic rounding up of minorities begins, gas is used almost always now. The Final Solution is planned and begins. 10. 1943- The Final Solution is being carried out. 11. 1944- Big camps such as Auschwitz were partly destroyed by the Germans. At this point the Germans realised that they were losing the war and started trying to destroy the evidence. 12. 1944 onwards- The allies marched on the camps and liberated them.

Why Did Hitler and the Nazis Hate the Jews? y Loss of WWI y Economic Crisis (Hyperinflation) y Long Term hatred (Hundreds of years) y Jews were generally rich and had a good lifestyle. y Jealousy y Suspicion