KNOWLEDGE QUIZ The Great Depression 1929-1933

1. Describe one effect of the Wall Street Crash on Germany. 2. How many men were unemployed in Germany by 1932? 3. What did the Weimar Republic do to (a) taxes and (b)

unemployment benefits during the Great Depression – reduce or decrease them?

4. What’s the difference between the Great Depression and hyperinflation?

5. What percentage of the national vote did the Nazis get in the 1932 election? – (a) 44% (b) 27% (c) 33% or (d) 53%

• The Nazi Party was banned immediately after the Putsch.

• However, while Hitler was in prison, the Nazis entered Reichstag

elections for the first time, in 1924, under a different name. In the

afterglow of the trial, they won 32 seats (7%).

• However, just seven months later, there was another election. The

Nazis did disastrously, their seats reduced to just 14.

• Clearly, getting power through votes was going to take a different kind

of party. After his release from prison in Dec 1924, Hitler began to

reorganise the Party to make it more successful in elections…..

The Nazi Party post-Munich Putsch…..background:

What did Hitler do to re-organise the Nazi Party during the 1920s, after the Munich Putsch?

37%

33% 18%

3% After their initial electoral success in 1924, the Nazis didn’t do so well, dropping to a low of 12 seats (3%) in 1928. Can you explain why the Nazis didn’t do well during the period 1924-29?

What was the impact of the Wall Street Crash on Germany?

Businessmen

- Smaller businesses went

bust because people stopped

buying goods

- The government raised taxes

Farmers

- Prices for agricultural goods had been falling

since 1925

- During the Depression farmers slipped further into

debt

Workers

- By 1932 there were 6 million men

unemployed in Germany (or 1 in 3)

- The government cut unemployment

benefits to save money

How were ordinary Germans affected by the Great Depression?

Parties like the Communists and

Nazis offered solutions to

unemployment. The Communists said that

the Depression showed capitalism

was flawed, and communism was the

only answer. The Nazis pointed the finger at the TOV, Communists and

Jews, and promised to get rid of the ‘enemy

within’ who were destroying Germany.

Both parties increased their

number of votes.

Increased support for extremism

The Chancellor at the time (Bruning)

didn’t have a majority in the

Reichstag. He had to fall back on

asking the President to pass laws using Article

48. Not very democratic! In

1932, 66 presidential

decrees were issued, compared

with just 5 in 1930.

Collapse of democracy

Taxes were raised and unemployment

benefit was cut. This meant that

German people had even less money to spend on essentials like food. To be fair, other countries did

the same.

Unpopular economic policies

How did the Great Depression weaken the Weimar Republic between 1929 and 1933?

Well, this all smells a bit like hyperinflation,

doesn’t it?

NO! The Great Depression (1929-1933) was NOT the same as hyperinflation (1923).

The main effect of hyperinflation was rising prices and loss of savings, caused by there being too much money. The main effect of the Depression was falling prices and loss of jobs, caused by there being not enough money. Lots of students get the two mixed up. Don’t be one of them!

What were the 3 key promises which Hitler made to German voters in 1932?

You should make sure that you know HOW Hitler got across these promises to voters – eg. through the use of propaganda (know specific examples of propaganda) and the sending the SA

to beat up opponents/interrupt the election meetings of rival parties like the Communists.

The Reichstag Fire (February 1933)

REVISION: Put these events in order, earliest to latest.

A 4000 Communists are locked up, without charge/trial B Hitler calls for a new election, scheduled for March 1933 C Hitler announces a Communist plot to take over the government has been uncovered D The Enabling Act is passed by the Reichstag E Hitler and the Nazis secure 44% of the vote/Reichstag seats F The Law for the Protection of the People and the State is passed – civil liberties are suspended and Communist Party election meetings are banned G Hitler becomes Chancellor H The Reichstag building is set on fire I Hitler and the Nazis secure 33% of the vote/Reichstag seats

Exam question Marks Technique

Describe the key features of the Reichstag Fire (1933).

6 • Identify 2 key features • Develop each key feature with factual

knowledge

Explain the effects of the Reichstag Fire in 1933.

8 • Identify 2 effects (focus on impact) • Develop each effect with factual

knowledge • For a B grade or above, try to explain the

longer term significance of the effects

Explain how Hitler used the Reichstag Fire to weaken opposition to the Nazis.

8 • Identify 2 ways (focus on how H used the fire to weaken opposition, not the story of the fire)

• Develop each way with factual knowledge

• For a B grade or above try to give an overview/the big picture at the end of each paragraph

Exam questions about the Reichstag Fire

Describe the key features of the Reichstag Fire. (6 marks)

One key feature of the Reichstag Fire was…..…..

A second key feature of the Reichstag Fire was……..

that it was blamed on the communists. A Dutch Communist, Van Der Lubbe, was found in the burning building. He was put on trial for arson, and executed. Hitler said that the fire was part of a communist plot to overthrow the Weimar Republic and set up a communist dictatorship.

that Hitler and the Nazis were able to exploit it to weaken their opposition. After the fire, Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to pass a law suspending civil liberties. This allowed Hitler to imprison 4000 political rivals before the March 1933 election, boosting the Nazis’ chances of gaining a majority.

Explain the effects of the Reichstag Fire in 1933. (8 marks)

Writing frame: Explain the effects of……(RESULTS/IMPACT)

One effect of the Reichstag Fire was…(point). For example…. (evidence/knowledge – be detailed!) This led to…..(explain the longer term impact of the Reichstag Fire)

Another effect was……(repeat the above) ← (if you have time!)

Conclusion – (for A* only) explain how your 2 points link

Led to weakening of Hitler’s communist rivals

Fire presented as attempted communist takeover

Civil liberties suspended by Hindenburg - allows Hitler to imprison

4000 communists

Measures passed against communists – newspaper banned, election

meetings banned

Hitler has more chance of securing a majority in the March election

Led to Enabling Act, bringing an end to democracy

Hitler portrayed as saviour; communists as traitors

Allows Hitler to persuade Hindenburg to suspend civil liberties/communist

reputation damaged

BUT Hitler still doesn’t get a majority in March (only 44%), so bans

communists from attending Reichstag

The Enabling Act is passed because the communists can’t oppose it

EFFECT 1 EFFECT 2

Common mistakes: The Communist Party was

banned from taking part in the March 1933 elections.

The Enabling Act was passed by Hindenburg and it suspended civil liberties.

THINK! • Can you rewrite these statements so they are correct and

accurate? • Why don’t the two bullet points make sense? Why would

they not happen?

One effect of the Reichstag Fire in 1933 was that it enabled Hitler to cast a very bad light on the Communists by saying they did it in an attempt to overthrow the government. As this sounded like a believable accusation, the government allowed Hitler to imprison 4000 Communists which he would have taken with open arms as there was an upcoming Reichstag election the next month so would have given him a better chance of winning the election as it meant the 4000 communists were not able to vote.

Another effect this would have had was that since it would have been in the local and national newspapers, it would have made the general public believe that Communists were an untrustworthy or dangerous party, thus putting people off from voting for them in the future elections.

The most important effect of the Reichstag fire was that Hitler was allowed to imprison 4000 communists, because it helped with the election the month after. 6/8 marks (B)

The 8 mark ‘explain the effects of’ question Explain the effects of the Reichstag Fire in 1933.

EXAMINER SAYS…. • At the end of the

first para, the answer focuses on the significance of the effects – imprisoning communists would help the Nazis in the March election, so B grade achieved

• The second para doesn’t give a second effect – it just builds on the first

• No marks for a conclusion focusing on importance! Instead, explain the link between effects!

Writing frame: Explain how ……(METHOD/IMPACT)

One way in which Hitler used the fire to weaken his opposition was……(point). For example….(evidence/knowledge – be detailed!) This weakened opposition because (explain & try to get across the long term impact of the fire on Hitler’s opposition)…..

Another way in which ……(repeat the above) ← (if you can!)

Conclusion – (for A* only) explain how your 2 points link

Explain how Hitler used the Reichstag Fire to weaken opposition to the Nazis. (8 marks)

Used fire to ruin other parties’ chances in election

Fire presented as attempted communist takeover

Civil liberties suspended by Hindenburg - allows Hitler to imprison 4000

communists/other political opponents

Measures passed against communists and socialists – newspaper banned,

election meetings banned

Hitler has more chance of securing a majority in the March election

Used fire to silence other political parties with the Enabling Act

Hitler portrayed as saviour; communists as traitors

Allows Hitler to persuade Hindenburg to suspend civil liberties/communist

reputation damaged

BUT Hitler still doesn’t get a majority in March (only 44%), so bans communists

from attending Reichstag

The Enabling Act is passed because the communists can’t oppose it

WAY 1 WAY 2

One way in which Hitler used the Reichstag Fire to weaken his opposition was by blaming the fire on the communists. After the Dutch communist Van Der Lubbe was found inside the building, Hitler claimed that the fire was part of a much wider communist plot to overthrow the government. This made many Germans, especially the middle classes, afraid, and by creating this climate of fear Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to use Article 48 to pass the Law for the Protection of the People and the State. This law suspended civil liberties, allowing Hitler to lock up 4000 communists and other opponents without trial, and ban communist party meetings. In the short term, this weakened opposition because it damaged the communists’ chances in the March 1933 elections, increasing Hitler’s chances of gaining a majority. In the long term, the law remained in place for the next 12 years, allowing Hitler to deal with his opponents effectively. In this way, Hitler exploited the fear created by the fire to establish his dictatorship. Another way in which Hitler used the fire was to weaken the Reichstag and the role of other political parties in governing Germany. The emergency law passed by Hindenburg banned the communists from attending the Reichstag. This weakened opposition because it meant that they were unable to vote against the Enabling Act in March 1933, which gave Hitler powers to make laws without the Reichstag or president. Therefore, Hitler was able to use to fire to bring an end to democracy in Germany and silence rival parties. 8/8 marks (A*)

The 8 mark ‘explain how/change’ question Explain how Hitler used the Reichstag Fire to weaken opposition to the Nazis.

THE EXAMINER SAYS….. • 2 ways in which Hitler

dealt with the fire have been explained. The student has focused on the issue of change – how the fire was used to weaken opposition (the communists/ Reichstag)

• The answer looks at the bigger picture or longer term impact of what Hitler did – so it scores at least 6 marks.

• Full marks are achieved because 2 points are explained and they are linked.