The Key issues which you need to revise for the Germany depth study are as follows:
1) Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start?
2) Why was Hitler able to dominate Germany by 1933?
3) A) How effectively did the Nazis control Germany 1933-1945
B) The Nazi Regime: What was it like to live in Nazi Germany?
Question 4:
You must complete all sections of this question.
You should look to spend 30-35 minutes on this section.
Question four will involve 3 sources, followed by 3 questions (one about each source).
Remember that you must include your own knowledge to get good marks in these ques-
tions. Don‟t forget to include things that aren‟t in the source if the question asks you “how
useful”, “to what extent” or “are you surprised”.
Question 5/6
Choose one of these two questions and complete all sections of it.
You should look to spend 30-35 minutes on this section.
The question will follow a pattern:
A) Describe (give at least four points)
B) Explain (explain at least two reasons, three if possible—remember that you must add
your own contextual knowledge to get the explanation marks)
C) Analyse (explain both sides of the argument and then compare them at the end, consider
using long and short term causes/factors for example. Make sure that you support your
points with contextual knowledge!)
Early Problems:
Transition from dictatorship to democratic government.
The country was basically bankrupt and there was a lot of
unemployment.
The terms of the Treaty of Versailles, eg. Reparations
earned them the nickname „The November Criminals‟
Violence on the streets of Berlin caused the new govern-
ment to be based in Weimar.
Spartacist Uprising: Jan 1919
Left wing, communist
group (notice that it‟s on
the LEFT of the page! :)
Led by Rosa Luxem-
bourg and Karl Lieb-
knecht
The government could-
n‟t do anything to stop
them.
They were forced to call
in the Freikorps (Right
wing ex soldiers).
The Freikorps brutally
put down the uprising.
Fighting went on for 4
days.
Thousands of Com-
munists were killed,
including Rosa Luxem-
bourg who was shot and
her body was thrown
into a canal.
The Kapp Putsch: 1920
This was a right wing uprising (on the RIGHT hand side of
the page…….magic!)
Led by Wolfgang Kapp (a journalist!) and supported by both
the Freikorps (5,000 of them) and a famous army general—
General Ludendorff
Berlin was seized and Kapp announced as the new Chancel-
lor.
Ebert fled to Dresden and called a four day general strike
(the army would not move against the Putsch).
Electricity and other basic supplies were cut from Berlin as
the strike took effect.
Kapp had to flee due to lack of support and the Weimar Gov-
ernment survived.
1923: A Year of Crisis for the Weimar Republic
1. In 1922 the Weimar Republic could not afford to pay Reparations so they stopped. This caused the
French and Belgian troops to enter the Ruhr (industrial heartland of Germany) to take goods to the
value of the money which they were owed. The Weimar Government ordered the workers to go on strike
(passive resistance), but this meant that nothing was being produced (and no money being made). How
ever, the workers still needed paying, so the government began to print more money.
2. As more money was printed it‟s value decreased. In 1918 a loaf of bread would have cost 0.63 Marks. In
January 1923 it cost 250 marks, by November 1923 a loaf of bread cost 201,000,000,000 marks. It was
only when a new government under Gustav Stresseman took over and introduced the Rentenmark
(temporary currency) with 1 Rentenmark being worth 3 billion old marks (he burnt the old currency) that
hyperinflation was solved.
3. Hitler saw this as his opportunity and launched a bid for power—the Munich Putsch in November 1923.
He was supported by the old war hero Ludendorff, hijacking a local government meeting on 8th Novem
ber. The SA began to take over key buildings over the 8th-9th November, but Weimar troops hit back
and 100 police confronted the Nazi marchers. 16 Nazis were killed and Hitler was arrested. However he
turned his trial into a political speech (the media were there), impressing the judges and being sentenced
to only 5 years (9 months before parole). Hitler had emerged as the main leader of the right wing, and
was able to use the comfort of Landsberg Prison to write Mein Kampf which distributed his ideas across
Germany.
The Trial of Hitler (1924) : Success or failure for the Nazis?
Success:
Hitler was established as the undisputed leader
of the right because of the way in which he pre-
sented his case in front of all of the media.
He was only sentenced to 5 years and only
served 9 months (he impressed the judges).
Many of his colleagues got off.
Ludendorff had supported him—this showed
that he was in the „big time‟.
Hitler was able to publish Mein Kampf which
spread his views further.
Failure:
Hitler was jailed.
16 Nazis were killed.
The putsch itself failed
The Nazi Party was banned
(although this was revoked in 1925)
Hitler was banned from public
speaking for a time.
Election Date Seats won by
the Nazi Party
1928 12
1930 107
1932 (July) 230
1932 (Nov) 196
What could have
possibly have hap-
pened between 1928
and 1929 that would
cause all of these
people to vote for the
Nazis?
Date (all Sept) Unemployment
Numbers
1928 650,000
1930 3,000,000
1931 4,350,000
1932 5,102,000
Hindenburg and Von Papen.
Remember that Von Papen persuaded Hindenburg (the President) to appoint Hitler Chancellor in Jan 1933 because
Von Papen thought that he could control Hitler if he (Von Papen) was Vice Chancellor. The Nazi vote was also on
the decline (see table) and they thought that the Nazis were a spent force. However, we must not forget that Von
Papen was also motivated by revenge as he felt betrayed by Von Schleicher who had become Chancellor after him.
Von Papen saw Hitler as a way of getting back at Von Schleicher, however he had underestimate Hitler rather dras-
tically…..
Don‟t underestimate the role
of the Nazis in all of this
though. Remember Joseph
Goebbels propaganda and
their proactivity eg. Hitler
flying to several speeches a
day enabling to spread his
message more widely.
Sig
ns
the
Lo
carn
o T
reat
y i
n 1
92
5 t
o
agre
e G
erm
an
y‟s
wes
tern
bo
ard
ers.
Ger
man
y j
oin
s th
e L
eag
ue
of
Na-
tio
ns
in 1
92
6,
it i
s b
eing a
ccep
ted
into
the
mai
nst
ream
again
.
The
arm
y a
re a
llo
wed
to
rem
ove
left
win
g
go
ver
nm
ents
fro
m p
ow
er i
n b
oth
Sax
on
y a
nd
Thuri
ng
ia—
this
mad
e th
em
mo
re l
ikel
y t
o
sup
po
rt t
he
arm
y a
gai
nst
oth
er t
hre
ats
eg.
Mu
-
nic
h P
uts
ch
The
Naz
i‟s
gain
ed l
ess
than 3
% o
f th
e
vo
te i
n 1
92
8.
All
of
the
extr
em
e p
arti
es
wer
e st
rug
gli
ng.
A „
Gra
nd
Co
alit
ion
‟ w
as f
orm
ed w
hic
h
incl
ud
ed t
he
SD
P,
Cat
ho
lic
Centr
e P
ar-
ty,
DD
P a
nd
DV
P.
This
mad
e th
e go
v-
ern
ments
str
on
ger
(b
igger
maj
ori
ty).
The
Ren
ten
mar
k w
as i
ntr
od
uced
(1
Ren
ten
mar
k =
3 b
illi
on m
ark
s) t
o s
top
hyp
erin
flati
on,
and
then
a n
ew
curr
en-
cy w
as i
ntr
od
uce
d.
The
Daw
es P
lan (
19
24
) sa
w A
mer
ica
loan
Ger
man
y 2
5 b
illi
on w
ort
h o
f m
arks.
This
was
plo
ug
hed
into
ind
ust
ry w
hic
h
enab
led
Ger
man
y t
o b
eco
me
mo
re p
rof-
itab
le.
The
Yo
ung P
lan e
xte
nd
ed R
epar
atio
n
pay
ments
, w
hic
h m
eant
that
th
e yea
rly
cost
went
do
wn.
Unem
plo
ym
ent
was
stil
l o
n t
he
way u
p—
6%
of
Ger
man w
ork
ers
wer
e unem
plo
yed
by 1
92
8.
Des
pit
e th
e G
rand
Co
alit
ion a
round
30
% o
f th
e vo
te
regula
rly w
ent
to p
arti
es w
ho
op
po
sed
the
Rep
ub
lic.
Bet
wee
n 1
91
9 a
nd
19
33
ther
e w
ere
20
sep
arat
e co
ali-
tio
n g
over
nm
ents
.
Ever
yth
ing r
evo
lved
aro
und
th
e A
mer
ican
lo
ads,
and
in
19
29
the
Wal
l S
tree
t C
rash
occ
urr
ed. T
his
cau
sed
Am
eric
a to
sto
p l
end
ing G
erm
any a
nd
cal
l in
thei
r
loan
s.
19
24—
19
29:
Th
e
Go
lden
Yea
rs
The Reichstag Fire: February 1933
Hitler had scheduled another election for March 1932 in or-
der to get an overall majority.
However, on the 27th February the Reichstag fire occurred.
Hitler blamed the Communists and demanded special powers
to deal with them.
A Communist called Marius van der Lubbe was caught red
handed in the Reichstag and admitted starting the fire (but he
claimed that he acted alone).
Don‟t forget that there was a tunnel between Goering‟s of-
fice and the Reichstag itself.
The Enabling Act was passed on 24th March 1933.
The Enabling Act:
This gave Hitler the
power to pass laws with-
out going to the Reichs-
tag,.
Made him a dictator for
4 years.
Allowed him to ban the
Communist Party.
Allowed phone-tapping
etc.
Allowed the Gestapo to
hold people without
trial.
The Night of the Long Knives 29th-30th June 1934
Hitler was unable to persuade the army to support him
(yet) and they were the only group in Germany with the
power to present a real threat. There were also elements of
the Nazi Party who were proving problematic, not least the
SA who were at odds with the army (the army didn‟t want
the SA leadership made Generals).
Hitler chose to deal with both of these problems at the
same time.
On the 29th-30th June squads of SS men broke into the
homes of Rohm and the other leading members of the SA
and arrested them.
Hitler accused Rohm and the others of plotting to over-
throw him.
Rohm and as many as 400 other opponents (100 Nazis)
were executed, including the former chancellor Von
Schleicher (remember him?).
Hindenburg praised Hitler‟s „determined action which has
nipped treason in the bud.‟
Hitler was left in a much stronger position both within his
party and on the outside too.
What Next?
Shortly after the Night of the Long Knives President Hindenburg died.
Hitler took over as Supreme Leader (Fuhrer) of Germany, combining the posts of Chancel-
lor and President.
The army swore an Oath of Loyalty to Hitler in August 1934.
Hitler brought back conscription and planned to make Germany a great power again.
Remember:
Make sure that you are clear
on:
The SS
The Gestapo
The Police and Courts
Concentration Camps
Propaganda
Economic Policies.
Watch
out Ernst!
Why was there little opposition?
1) It‟s for the good of Germany—Economically Germany was
recovering, traditional values pleased many Germans as did
the clampdown on Communists, Nazi foreign policy was
also making Germany feel great again eg. Anschluss, Sude-
tenland etc.
2) I don‟t want to lose my job—no one could afford to lose
their job after the depression, and no business could afford to
lose out on Nazi generated income. With an active SS and
it‟s special security service (the SD) listening to everything,
your job could depend on silence.
3) Have you heard the good news—Propaganda, headed by
Joseph Goebbels and the Ministry of Propaganda and En-
lightenment, this was a particularly important aspect of Nazi
control (see box on this page).
Propaganda
1) The Nuremberg Rallies—
These took place in the
summer of each year,
they brought a sense of
„belonging‟. They em-
phasised the triumph of
order (the Nazis) over
chaos (pre Nazis).
2) The 1936 Olympics—
Goebbels saw this as an
opportunity to promote
Germany internationally.
The USA threatened to
boycott in response to
anti Semitic measures on
Germany, so the Nazis
included a token Jew on
their team! A new stadi-
um was built to hold
100,000 people. Compet-
itors from 49 countries
took part. Germany
topped the medal table,
and to the German peo-
ple, already used to the
propaganda machine, this
served to reinforce be-
liefs about Aryan superi-
ority. This is despite Jes-
sie Owens, a black ath-
lete, winning 4 gold med-
als and breaking 11 world
records.
3) Control of the media—
censorship of all foreign
films, all films carried a
pro Nazi message. Book
burning held in 1933.
Radio broadcasting cen-
sored, the BBC was
banned! Cheap shortwave
radios that just picked up
Nazi stations were made
available. The SS and
Gestapo helped to en-
force this.
Controlling Young People
1) The Hitler Youth (HJ)—Set up in 1924, made compulsory
in 1936 for boys aged 14-18. You were indoctrinated and
trained up to join the army. The League for Germany
Maiden (BDM) was set up to teach girls Nazi ideas, do-
mestic skills and preparation for motherhood eg. eugenics
( choosing the correct partner). 1933 membership = 3 mil-
lion, 1939 membership = over 7 million. Activities includ-
ed, camping, hiking and sports.
2) Education—Lessons were changed eg. 15% of boys curric-
ulum time became PE, especially boxing. History became
focused on the betrayal of Germany in the Treaty of Ver-
sailles (by Jews and Communists), Geography focused on
lost land at the end of WW1 etc. Girls were taught domes-
tic skills and eugenics. Religious studies was abandoned.
All textbooks and children's books were re-written to fit the
Nazi view of racial purity eg. Cinderella became the story
of an Aryan princess trapped by evil Jewish step sisters and
rescued by an Aryan prince.
Women
Women were crucial in Hitler‟s overall plan of an Aryan race. They
were encouraged to have as many children as possible. The mother‟s
cross was created: 4 children=bronze, 6=silver, 8=gold. The birth rate
increased from 15 per thousand in 1933 to 20 per thousand in 1939.
Although women were originally forced out of work, the Nazis had to
change their mind after 1942 when they tried to encourage women
back into the war effort. There was always a mixed message about
this however, and as a result results were mixed.
The Swing Kids
This was made up of mainly middle class teenagers who wanted to embrace American culture. They went to
parties and listened to English and American music. They danced American dances, eg. The Jitterbug, and
listened to banned Jazz music. They accepted Jews at their clubs and talked about and enjoyed sex—this went
against all that the Nazis stood for. They did not, however, present a particularly active threat to the Nazis.
The Eidleweiss Pirates
These were mainly working class teenagers who were not a defined movement—groups from different cities
took different names eg. The Roving Dudes (Essen) and Kettelback Pirates (Dusseldorf) - they were classed
as a single group by the Nazis (they had many similarities). They were mainly aged between 14 and 17 and
went camping like the hitler Youth. They sang sarcastic songs that degenerated Hitler and mixed with the
opposite sex. They helped allied airmen escape, and distributed allied propaganda, they even attacked and
murdered a high ranking Gestapo officer (as well as attacking members of the Hitler Youth). In 1942 the Ge-
stapo broke up 28 groups of Pirates containing 739 youths. In 1944 in Cologne the Nazi‟s hung 12 ringlead-
ers publically for attacking a Gestapo chief.
Groups Persecuted
by the Nazis:
Jews
Gypsies
Homosexuals
Mentally hand-
icapped
Physically
handicapped
Methods of Persecution:
1) Sterilisation Programme—Between 1924 and 1945 over 300,000 people
were compulsorily sterilised.
2) Euthanasia Programme—Begun in 1939, 5,000 babies and children
(severely handicapped) were killed. Between 1939 and 1942, 72,000 were
gassed before a public outcry ended the programme.
3) Extermination Programme—Public concern did not extend to the gypsies
however, and 5 out of 6 gypsies living in Germany in 1939 were killed.
4) The ghettos—created in 1939. Able bodied Jews were used for slave labour,
the old and sick were left to die.
5) Concentration/Work Camps—used for political prisoners to „re-educate‟
them. Jews and other „undesirables‟ were also sent here to be worked to
death.
6) Einsatzgruppen—Specialist death squads that followed the army around
carrying out mass shootings of Jews and Communists.
7) Death Camps (the Final Solution)— decided upon at the Wannsee Confer-
ence in 1942. Slave Labour Camps were turned into death camps eg.
Auschwitz, Treblinka and Chelmo. Some inmates were used in horrific
medical experiments by Dr Mengele and his colleagues. Some 6 million
Jews and 500,000 European gypsies and countless political prisoners met
their end here.
Key Events:
Boycott of
Jewish Shops
1933.
Nuremburg
Laws 1935.
Kristallnacht
1938.
How did the war effect Germany:
1) Food rationing was begun in September 1939, clothes rationing followed in November. 1939-1941 was
not difficult however, because the war went so well for Germany.
2) The Invasion of the USSR (1941) - civilians had to cut back on heating, work longer hours, recycle their
rubbish, censorship was redoubled. However, when appeals were made 1.5 million fur coats were donat-
ed for the army.
3) Albert Speer takes over war production in 1942—all effort becomes focused on the armaments industry.
Postal services were suspended and letter boxes closed. All places of entertainment were closed, except
the cinemas (used for propaganda). Women were drafted into the labour force.
4) The bombing of Dresden, 1945—this was the culmination of the allied bombing effort. Between 35,000
and 150,000 people were killed in two days. The war was over within 3 months.
Revision Questions:
1) Describe the situation in Germany in 1919.
2) What were the 2 uprising‟s against the Weimar
Republic?
3) What were the three crisis's of 1923?
4) Explain how the Munich Putsch was both a posi-
tive and a negative thing for the Nazi Party.
5) How did the government solve them?
6) Give two strengths of the Weimar Government
between 1924 and 1929.
7) Give two weaknesses they faced between 1924
and 1924 and 1929
8) What was the Dawes Plan?
9) What was the Wall Street Crash?
10) How many people were unemployed in 1932?
11) How many Nazis were elected into the Reichstag
in 1928?
12) How many were elected in 1931?
13) How many were elected in July and Nov 1932?
14) When was Hitler made Chancellor?
15) Explain Von Papen‟s role in Hitler becoming
Chancellor.
16) What was the Reichstag Fire? Explain both possi-
ble causes.
17) What powers did the Enabling Act give Hitler?
18) What was the Oath of Loyalty?
19) What was the Night of the Long Knives?
20) When was the Jewish Shop Boycott?
21) Give three successful example of Nazi Propagan-
da.
22) When and what was Kristallnacht?
23) Who were the Gestapo?
Revision Questions:
24) Who ran the Nazi propaganda ma-
chine?
25) Give three example of how the Nazis
controlled people post 1933.
26) Give three example of Nazi persecu-
tion, including the number of people who
suffered.
27) Explain how the war effected Germa-
ny.
28) Give three positive/successful fea-
tures of the Nazi economic policy.
29) Give three negative/unsuccessful fea-
tures of the Nazi economic policy.
30) Who was Hindenburg?
31) Who was Ernst Rohm?
32) When was the Hitler Youth set up?
33) Why did young people join the Hitler
Youth?
34) Give three examples of how educa-
tion in Nazi Germany changed.
35) Did Nazi policy towards women
work?
36) Explain what the Mother‟s Cross was.
37) How many members did the Hitler
Youth have in 1933 and 1939?
38) Give two youth opposition groups
and explain what they did.
39) What were the BDM?
40) What was Hitler‟s book called?