Development of dictatorship:

1. Development of dictatorship: Germany 1918 - 1945

2. The establishment of the Weimar Republic and its early problems

3. The German Revolution of 1918 • Shocked defeat, expected victory • The British blockade meant no food getting through to the German public • Starvation, poverty and illness gripped Germany; Influenza was rife • Many wanted a democratic government • 29 oct, sailors at Wilhelm went on strike and refused orders, Nov 4, Dockers joined • Formed ‘workers and soldiers council’ • Revolts all over Germany, soldiers refused to suppress • Many royals fled, including the Kaiser • Kaiser’s assistants opened talks with allies Nov 1918

4. The new Constitution • Weimar Republic constitution • Germany split into 18 different regions run by local governments • These local governments were run by a central government • Central Government • Reichstag • Members elected every 4 years • Men/Women over 20 allowed to vote • Proportional Representation • 20% of votes got you 20% of seats in Reichstag • Reichsrat • MP’s from each region, number to size of region • Reichsrat delay new laws, or overruled if majority 2/3rds of votes of Reichstag • Chancellor • Head of government • Choose ministers • Create laws, needed majority of Reichstag to pass law • President • Took no part in every day government • Dismiss Reichstag, call elections, control army and rule by decree in state of emergency

5. Weaknesses of new Constitution • Proportional representation meant that no party got the majority vote • A total of 28 different parties • This lead to short and unstable coalitions • If one party disagreed, would pull out • New elections would have to be held • Most of the time, president ruled by decree • Extreme left and right wing parties didn’t support the Weimar republic • Moderate Germans thought Gov was weak

6. Reactions to the Treaty of Versailles • Treaty of Versailles • Germany had to pay reparations to the allies • Accept all blame for the war • Lost all colonies in Africa • Army allowed 100,000 men, no navy/air force • Lost Alsace and Lorraine to France, West Prussia and upper Silesia to Poland, northern Schleswig to Denmark and Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium • This shamed and humiliated German pride • The German people blamed the Weimar Republic • Many thought that the German army was able to still fight • The Kaiser had censored the press to a point where people did not know of the retreat • Opposition parties published newspapers blaming Government incompetence and cowardice ‘Dolchstoss’

7. The Spartacist revolt • Spartacists were Communists • Named themselves after the Spartans • They portrayed themselves as slayers of Evil (Weimar Republic) • Wanted to overthrow the Weimar republic and install a communist Government instead (like the one in Russia) • They represented the workers, (trade unions) • 1919, 100,000 Spartacists marched on Berlin • The army was equal in size but loyal to Kaiser not Republic • Spartacists seized all vital buildings in Berlin • The Friekorps (demobilised soldiers with weapons) • 250,000 alongside the army attacked the Spartans • Several thousand Spartans killed/arrested • Rosa Luxemburg (leader) was shot and dumped in a canal • Her assistant was shot (Leibknecht) and buried with other Spartans in mass burial

8. Kapp Putsch • 1920, 5000 marched on Berlin • Supporters of Dr Wolfgang Kapp • Marched on Berlin to overthrow Weimar Republic and reinstate the Kaiser • Government fled to Dresden • Encouraged Workers to strike • Essential services, gas, water, transport stopped, Kapp Fled • Kapp arrested and later died in prison

9. French occupation of the Ruhr • In 1923 Germany missed its reparation of that year • France declared it to be deliberate • French and Belgium forces occupied the Ruhr (750,000 men in total) • German government encourage workers to strike and even sabotage (flood mines and damage equipment • French retaliated by arresting German workers and bringing their own • This ruined the already fragile German economy • Hyper-inflation occurred as the government printed more money to pay the reparation • Industries profited but small businesses went into depression, unemployment rose to 4 million • Germany went into her first Depression

10. Causes and effects of hyperinflation • War bankrupt Germany • Versailles exacerbated this: hefty reparations and loss of wealth earning land • Occupation of the Ruhr • 3000 printing stations in Germany • Farmers and small businesses profited, big industries collapsed • Many banks crashed, people withdrew all their money from banks, leaving no money in them • Every day item prices soared • In 1920, the price of a loaf of bread was 1 mark, in 1923, it was 4 billion marks • Middle-class savings were wiped out • Many were made homeless • The government set up aid shelters

11. The recovery of Germany: 1924-29

12. The work of Stresemann • Stresemann reintroduced the retenmark (4 billion marks = 1 retenmark) • This helped stabilise the economy • The Dawes plan 1925 • Germany would loan 800 million retenmark from the US to pay the reparations • German loan  pay reparations to allies  allies pay off loans to US • Locarno pact • Germany agreed to keep its boarder with Briton, France, Belgium , Italy and Poland, allies remove troops from Rhineland • League of nations formed 1919 • Germany included into the League of Nations 1926 • Kellogg-Briand pact • 65 countries promise not use war to achieve foreign aims • The Young Plan 1929 • Reparations cut 6.6 billion to 2 billion • Germany still pay 50 million a year • Death of Stresemann • He died of a heart attack on October 1929 • Wall Street crash, World wide depression, Germany mainly effected

13. Impact of Stresemann • Stresemman achieved German Recognition • National pride: league of nations in 1926 • He had cut the debt by 4.6 billion which helped Germany massively • He had stabilised the economy which was failing, this lead to a boom • Weimar Republic weakened by (pre Stresemann) political unrest • Used strikes and Friekorps to counter right/left revolts • Extremist parties grew, had private armies

14. Recovery of the German economy • Retenmark • Stresemann created a new currency • 4 billion marks = 1 Retenmark • This helped to stabilise the economy • Kellog Briand pact • Germany accepted her new boarders • The allies would remove their troops from the Rhineland • The Dawes Plan • 800 million Rentenmarks loaned from US • This paid off reparations to allies

15. Successes abroad • Germany was accepted into the league of nations in 1926 • The league of nations was created in 1919 to maintain world peace • Germany was excluded from 1919 – 1926 • when accepted, place on league council • Locarno pact • Treated as equal (unlike Versailles) • Allow to discuss German entry League Of Nations • New boarders agreed in Versailles • Allied troops removed from the Rhineland • Kellogg-Briand Pact • 65 countries agree not use war to achieve foreign policy aims • Effect • Germany treated as equal • Viewed as respectable member of international committee • Which helped to ease pain felt by Germany at Treaty of Versailles

16. The rise of Hitler and the Nazis

17. Hitler and the German Workers’ Party • Hitler Corporal during and after WW1, awarded Iron Cross • Sent to investigate German workers Party, Axton Drexler • Party blames the Jews and Wiemar Republic for Germany’s weakness • Hitler agrees with views and joins the DAP • 25 point program • Scrapping the treaty of Versailles • Expanding Germany’s boarders, more room to live • Stripping Jews of German citizenship • Prepared to use violence to achieve • Supporters • Army men, small business owners and police • Membership 1100 in June 192

18. Changes to the party: 1920-22 • Party name changed to NSDAP • Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party (NAZI) August 1920 adopted swastika and raised arm salute • Membership 3000 during second half of 1920 • Mid 1921, Hitler becomes leader, Drexler pushed aside • Hitler's henchmen Goering, Rohm, Hess, Streicher • Made friends with Ludendorff • 1921 created SA Brownshirts (Sturmabteilung) • Rohm was placed in charge of SA • 1923 Hitler creates SS Shocktroop (body guard) Stosstrupp • Nazi Party (Hitler) unlikely future ruling party of Germany, used violence and thuggery to become ruling Party

19. Causes, events and results of Munich Putsch 1923 • Hitler stormed the Munich Government building with 600 SA, declared himself leader • He was forceful in the way he persuaded them to join his cause as many were scared of the SA, would say anything to appease • The next day Kahr, Seisser and Lossow change sides • 3000 fascist supporters entered main square, Army and policemen blocked their way • At the end of the day 16 fascist were killed, Hitler fled and contemplated suicide as he knew that he face a death sentence, this was to prove a fateful decision • During the trial Hitler promoted and publicised Nazism to Germany, the judge was lenient and sentenced him to 5 years, this meant that he was able to reorganise the Nazi's. • Publicity helped NSDAP gain first seats in Reichstag (32) • The experience caused Hitler to look to elections instead of a coup to secure power • He wrote Mein Kampf during his brief 9 month stint in prison

20. Reorganisation of the Party: 1924-28 • After Hitler's release from prison, he set about reorganizing the NAZI party • He persuaded the government to lift the ban • Befriended Germany’s most wealthy to secure significant funding for party (Thyssen, Krupp and Bosch) • With extra funding, Hitler improved the SS and SA, new uniforms, weapons • This gave the Nazi party an appearance of strength and unity, SA members increased to 400,000 • The SA had more allegiance to Rohm than to Hitler, the SS leaders warned Hitler of threat • Julius Schrek was put in charge of the SS, later replaced by Heinrich Himmler • Nazi propaganda • Joseph Goebbels put in charge of propaganda • He promoted the Fascist cause, blaming the depression on the weakness of government, as Germany was in a depression, he capitalised on this. • He blamed the Jews for failure in the war and how they were all plotting for world domination, the Nazi's hated the Jews and needed a scapegoat • He used radio, leaflets dropped from planes and newspapers to repeat Hitler’s speeches in writing, Hitler was a motivational speaker that inspired all, Gobbel’s also capitalised on this • Members • By 1928 the party had over 100,000 members • The Stresemann era was beginning and fascist support was staring to wane • They won 12 seats in the 1928 election

21. Impact of Wall Street Crash • The wall street crash of 1929 hit Germany the hardest • The Stresemann era was over: he had died of a heart attack October the 16 1928 • Fascist support increased massively as people again turned to extremist parties such as the communists and socialists • It was as though Hitler had been thrown a lifeline • He again blamed the Government and Jews in his speeches with renewed vigour • Unemployment rose from half a million to 6 million from September 1929 to January 1933 • Middle-class savings were wiped out

22. Nazi methods to win support • Speeches • Hitler was very good at speeches as he could motivate a crowd with ease • He travelled by plane and made 5-6 speeches all over Germany in one day • He gave the impression Fascism represented unity, debt free and a stronger tougher Germany • Propaganda • Goebbels used all branches of propaganda to promote Fascism and anti-government reports • Parades and Marches • The SA would march in the streets and people would join the march • This showed strength to the people in the time of weakness • Elections • The SA would also intimidate other party members/supporters and boycott elections, they Physically beat anyone voting for another party • Supporters • The fascists promised to abolish trade unions which appeased the big industries and farm owners (who were angry at workers rights) • The middle-class supported them as they feared the communists who wanted to share the land and evenly distribute the wealth • The Hitler youth looked exiting and fun to the youth who wanted a change from poetry and Arts & crafts after school clubs

23. Events of 1932 to January 1933 • Hitler lost the 1932 Presidential elections • Hindenburg won 18 million, Hitler 11 million and Thallmann 5 million • When the election was repeated Hindenburg won 50% of the votes with 19, Hitler 13 and Thallmann 4 million, Hitler was now a dominant figure on the political stage • Sacking of Bruning 1932 April • Bruning placed a ban on SS and SA in attempt to control the Nazi Party • This angered the right wing parties, Kurt von Schleicher gained support from many influential people and persuaded the president to lift the ban • Bruning was sacked and the ban lifted • Von Papen is elected chancellor may 1932 • He then offered the NSDAP a place in the coalition • Thought that they were merely children who needed a guiding hand in politics • NSDAP won 230 seats largest party, Hitler demanded he be made chancellor, Hindenburg refused and made von Schleicher chancellor instead • This coalition didn’t last long as von Papen’s and Schleicher resigned • Hitler made chancellor 1933 30th January • Hitler made chancellor with von Papen as vice chancellor

24. Life in Nazi Germany

25. Setting up a dictatorship • The Reichstag fire in 1933 gave Hitler the opportunity to gain overall power in Germany • He declared a sate of emergency and ruled by decree • Hitler said that it was a communist plot to overthrow government • He banned the formation of the communist party • Hitler asked Hindenburg to call an election • The Nazi party gained majority vote • He raised millions marks for businesses • Used decrees to imprison political opponents • Used SA to attack political rival parties • The enabling act • Gave Hitler the right to pass laws without government • Passed 444 – 92 votes • This now meant that there wasn’t a reason for parliment, but they were still powerful • The laws he now passed would make Germany into a totalitarian state • He banned trade unions to please the big businesses which helped gain more support, he also banned all political parties except Nazi party • He then replaced the local governments with chosen fascists

26. Setting up a dictatorship (con) • Night of The Long knives • The SA were now 3 million strong • They were a threat to Hitler’s power • SA felt that Hitler owed them for their service to him • The SS heads created an SA plot to overthrow Hitler, • This gave Hitler and SS the excuse they needed to kill Rohm and dissolve the SA • The SS killed Rohm and disbanded the SA into the army and SS • Hitler was now in complete control of the Nazi Party and unrivalled • On 2nd august 1934 President Hindenburg died • Hitler absorbed the presidential powers into his own title • He now declared himself ‘Dein Fuhrer’

27. Police State • The SS • Created in 1925 to be Hitler’s personal bodyguard • It later took control of all security branches • They would be the Organisation that would enforce the persecution of Jews and deaths • The Gestapo • They were Hitler’s secret police • Were allowed to arrest without reason anyone suspected of being anti-Fascist • The suspected were either sent to labour camps of concentration camps • Concentration camps • First opened and Dachau in 1933 • These camps were used for making weapons, ammunition and clothing for the soldiers on the front • They were later used to kill minorities • The law courts • NSLML created to control the courts • All judges had to swear alliegience to Hitler • If any sentence was to Hitler’s dislike he could change it without notifying the Victim

28. Nazis policies towards women • Women were allowed to have jobs and ware make up and trousers before 1933 • After 1934 • women were not allowed these privileges • They forcefully discouraged from doing work • Encouraged to have over 6 babies • 4 bronze, 6 silver, 8-10 gold • Women who had no babies and weren’t married were taxed heavily • They were also forcibly made to be fertilised by SS • Nazi’s believed that women should stay at home and be good house wives

29. Nazis and the young • The Nazi’s mainly focused on the youth as they were the future • The Hitler youth was created • They taught them • Military strategy (tactics) • Military training (fitness) • Weapons skills (shooting) • Fascist ideology (films about Hitler) • The aim of the Hitler Youth was to control the youth and propaganda them into believing: • Fascism was the only way • Democracy is weak • Jews were to blame for the defeat ww1 and two depressions

30. Persecution of the Jews 1933-39 • Nuremberg laws, Jews not allowed/required: • Had to have a yellow star on their forehead so that they be identified as a Jew • To marry Germans • To have Jobs • To go into any German owned building • To own property of any type • To inherit property • Seperate Laws against • Boycott of Jewish businesses • Jews were stripped of German citizenship • Had to have the name Israel or Sara before their own • Kristallnacht • A Polish Jew, Hershel Grynszpan, assassinated a German diplomat in the French capital on November 7th 1938 • This angered the Nazi Party and Hitler, they published in their newspaper ‘Der Sturmer’ that the fascist police would do nothing if Jews were killed in revenge • SA and SS, including members of the public used this opportunity to physically attack Jewish shops and homes • 100 Jews were killed, 814 shops, 171 homes and 191 synagogues were destroyed • This was called ‘The Night Of The Broken Glass’

31. Nazis and the church • Hitler made various pacts with the pope to counter Christian church power • Christen church: tolerance, peace and respect for all people • Nazi’s: strength, violence and racial superiority • Catholic Church: 1/3rd Christians were Catholics, allegiance to Pope, had own schools • July 1933, concordat with Pope • Hitler agreed to confirm freedom of worship for Catholics, have own schools and worship • Priests not to interfere with politics • Bishops to swear loyalty to the Nazi regime • During 1930’s Hitler broke Concordat • Catholic priests harassed/arrested/camps • Catholic schools had to copy fascist curriculum or face closure • Catholic youth league were banned • 1937 pope angry at concordat failure, issued statement • ‘Mit Brennender Sorge’ With Burning Anxiety • Podestant church • Made Nazi deal, formed Nazi church, hung Nazi flags • Pastor Martin Niemoller (1933) set up Pastors Emergency League (anti-Nazi), sent concentration camp in 1937 the PEL banned

32. Totalitarian state: 1937 • By 1937 Hitler controlled the Reichstag, the NSDAP, the army, the police and the legal system and treated the church with contempt. Truly totalitarian state the central government controlled every aspect of the country.

33. Policies to reduce unemployment • Labour works schemes were introduced to build ‘autobahns’ • By doing this Hitler was reducing unemployment • Improving the motorways which meant that troops could be moved with ease across Germany • The army recruited to increase its size from 100,000 to 500,000 in 1935 • This further reduced unemployment • Increased the size of the army • By recruiting he was abolishing the treaty of Versailles, German army limited 100,000 men • 3.5 billion marks spent on rearmament 1933, by 1939 it was 26 billion • The bigger German army now needed weapons and ammunition • This created jobs in armament industry • High-tech engineers were hired to invent new weapons (Tanks)

34. Impact of WW2 on Germany

35. Nazi policy towards the Jews • The Nazi’s believed that the Jews were to blame for defeat in ww1 • They come up with the final solution • This lead to the persecution of Jews and minorities • Death camps were set up to kill the Jews • Auschwitz is the most famous of these • It had two gas chambers that could kill 2000 Jews in one go • The SS were killing the Jews in open fields on top of the mass gassing • 1.1 million Jews were killed in Auschwitz 1 and 2 • Ghetto’s were set up to keep Jews in a square section of land where they would be starved to death to save ammunition • These Ghetto’s were also used to make clothing for the front line • They feared that if they made ammunition, they would sabotage them with slight imperfections to make them unusable

36. Final solution January 1942 • Berlin, Wannsee house (meeting), Final Solution • The problem was that by keeping the Jews alive, the Germans were using vital manpower that could be used on the front lines • The Final solution was to kill all Jews under Nazi control, which was 11 million Jews • Captured Russian Jews would be transported to eastern Europe to be exterminated in newly built (by Jews in forced labour) gas and death camps • Roughly 6 million Jews were killed • Death camps • These were used to work the Jews to death • In one month at Auschwitz, 400,000 Jews were killed • Outcome • The SS were half way through the Final Solution when Germany surrendered to the allies • The killing of Jew went on right up until the end of the war, using valuable fuel to transport the Jews by train

37. The German Home Front • Quick victories in Europe • The public back at home were pleased with the conquest of eastern Europe • France and Poland had been captured with minimal casualties • When Germany declared war on Russia, some worried that it would fail • Most were confident of a quick victory as in Eastern Europe • In WW1- WW2 • The German public had suffered from food shortages • Hitler countered this by taking food from occupied countries • After 1942 the tide started to turn for Germany as the Russian offensive was a stalemate • Public opinon of Fascism decreased as many started to realise that they might lose the war • Some women started to join the work force in producing arms for the frontline (this went against Fascist ideology so only a few) • The ammunitions factories workers were made to work longer hours for the same amount of pay • When the 1000 bomber raids by the allies came over, the factories went underground • The continuous bombing lowered public morale • In Hamburg, 40,000 people died in one week, compared to the 60,000 killed in Britain in the entire blitz

38. Growth of opposition to Hitler • As the fall of Germany was imminent, previous parties that were banned started to regroup and reorganise • Parties that were originally banned started to gain support from the public • Newspapers started to pint anti-fascist stories • People who originally reported Jews and People suspected of speaking anti-Fascist • Now tended to turn a blind eye • Opposition groups like the ‘Red Orchestra’ were hung and executed • The Red Orchestra was a teacher and a group of students who passed on secret plans of Germany to allies • They were executed in 1942, august 1943 a further 32 members were killed • Organisations such as these undermined the power of the Nazi Party • Generals and commanding officers planned an assassination of Hitler, (Valkery film) otherwise known as the July Bomb plot 1944

39. Defeat and Hitler’s death • With Russian forces swarming all over Germany, Hitler married his Fiancée • 8 hours later they would commit suicide • The SS tried to cremate the bodies to be later transported to a secret hidden bunker • Hitler and Eva were half cremated when the Russians found the bodies, which they reburnt and fully cremated them • they were taken to Magdeburg where they were buried for 40 years • Fears of them being dug up and becoming a Nazi shrine • Meant that they were thoroughly cremated and dumped into a nearby river