Chapter 2 - Case Study of Nazi Germany

Learning Checklist

Focus 1: Circumstances leading to the rise and establishment of authoritarian rule in Germany.

Weaknesses of the Weimar government:

problems of the Weimar constitution 🡪 coalition government
unpopularity of the Weimar government
signing of the Treaty of Versailles 1919
faced many oppositions from both left and right wing:

left wing – Spartacists Uprising 1919 (communists)
right wing – Kapp Putsch 1920 & Munich Putsch 1923 (more dictatorial)

Economic challenges:

Ruhr Crisis 1923 – Hyperinflation & unemployment
Showed signs of recovery and was invited back to LON in 1926
Great Depression 1929 – Inflation, unemployment, shortage of goods and fear of communism 🡪 failure of democracy

Appeal of Hitler and the Nazi Party:

Role of Hitler – Took over the Nazi Party in 1921 as De Fuhrer
Nazi Ideology – 25-Point Programme
Rebuilding the Nazi Party into a government structure. Included:

Ministry of Propaganda – blamed Great Depression on Weimar Govt
SA & SS as the party’s army

Methods of Nazi Party: Use of propaganda and force
Munich Putsch 1923. Failed. Imprisoned but term was shortened.
Set up SA as private army 🡪 used force on people & oppositions.
Wrote Mein Kampf while in prison – propaganda book setting out Nazi beliefs.
Methods of Nazi Party: participating in elections
Hitler’s charisma and strong oratorical skills
Exploitation of the fear of communism
Hitler’s skilfulness at making deals with the politicians (manipulating Hindenburg)

Focus 2: Consolidation of Nazi rule in Germany.

Establishment of Hitler’s dictatorship and one-party rule

Reichstag Fire – blamed communists
Enabling Act – allowed Chancellor to make decision without Reichstag
One Party Rule (Gleichschaltung)
Night of the Long Knives – got rid of SA oppositions
Creation of the Fuhrer position - dictatorship

Economic policies - Re-employment and improvement of working conditions

Rise of big industrialists
Control of the trade unions
Organising workers’ leisure time
Militarisation of Germany 🡪 Move towards war economy

Social policies

German nationalism and persecution of ethnic and minority groups
Rise of secret police

Schutzstaffel (SS)
Gestapo

Persecution of the ‘undesirables’

Jews (Nuremberg Laws, Night of the Broken Glass & Holocaust)
Gypsies, homosexuals, handicapped or disabled

Control of and responses by German society

Role of women
Hitler’s Youth

Germany under Hitler & his Nazi Party

The Nazi Party gained popularity and ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945 under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. The German Workers’ Party, renamed to be The Nationalist Socialist German Workers' Party in 1921, was founded in 1919. It promoted German pride and anti-Semitism, and expressed dissatisfaction with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler joined the party in 1919 and became its leader in 1921. In 1933, he became chancellor of Germany and his Nazi government soon assumed dictatorial powers. After Germany’s defeat in World War II, the Nazi Party was outlawed and many of its officials were convicted of war crimes related to the Holocaust.

Who was Hitler? How did he rise to power?

Adolf Hitler, was born April 20, 1889 in Austria and died April 30, 1945 in Germany. He was the leader of the Nazi Party and chancellor and Führer of Germany (1933–45). He was chancellor from January 30, 1933, and, after President Paul von Hindenburg’s death, assumed the twin titles of Führer and chancellor (August 2, 1934).

He served in the German Army in World War I, concretising his nationalistic ideas. In 1919, he joined the German Workers' Party (DAP), the precursor of the Nazi Party, and was appointed leader of the Nazi Party in 1921. In 1923, he attempted to topple the Weimar Government through the Munich Coup but it failed. He was imprisoned with a sentence of five years where he wrote his autobiography and political manifesto Mein Kampf ("My Struggle"). He rose to power because he promoted nationalistic ideas of a Greater Germany by denouncing capitalisim and communism. He created Jews as a common enemy through his anti-Semitic ideas. The Nazi Party rose to power after several elections.

Adapted from wikipedia.

The Weimar Goverment 1919 - 1933

The Munich Putsch 1923

www.history.com/embed/768801859822

💡Food for thought:

Did Hitler rise to power because of the weaknesses of the Weimar Government or because of his own strengths?
If you were a German living in Germany during the 1920s, who would be your ideal leader? Weimar Government or Hitler?

💡Food for thought:

3. Who were the key people in Germany from 1920s - 1930s? How did they impact the rise of Hitler?

Hitler's Rule of Germany

Gaining Absolute Political Control✊🏽

Hitler was determined to gain total control of the country. He was never in favour of being in a coalition government and believed that he could bring Germany to its past glory without other parties and particularty hated the communists. Hence Hitler refused to any position lesser than that of a chancellor. He was appointed Chancellor in Jan 1933 when von Papen agreed to be the Vice-Chancellor. However Hitler's ambition did not end there. He did not want any opposition and took steps to get rid of them before attaining the position of The Fuhrer in 1934. Read the events below. Use the questions to guide you.

💡Food for thought:

How did Hitler gain absolute political control through the events below?
Which enemy did he plan to get rid of with each event?

Click on each of the events below to find out more.

The Reichstag Fire - 27 Feb 1933

The Enabling Act - 23 Mar 1933

Night of the Long Knives - 30 Jun 1934

Becoming the Fuehrer - 19 Aug 1934

Establishing Social Control👮🏽

Hitler was a dictator who did not like opposition. He was determined to be the revered leader of the Germans and had his own beliefs on how pure Germans were Aryans. Any other race were considered impure and should be purged from the German society. This particularly applied to the Jews whom he believed to be cause of the downfall of the Germany in WWI. He deemed them as disloyal and mercenary. He proceeded to implement policies like the Nuremburg to get rid of them. This created division, fear and suspicion in the society, allowing Hitler to gain control of the people more easily. Hitler also started to brainwash the young of their roles in upholding the prestige of the Germany through education. He set up Hitler's Youth to recruit boys for the army and train the girls for their future roles as housewives and mothers.

💡Food for thought:

How did Hitler gain control the German people?
What measures did he use with each group of people that he wanted to control?

Click on each of the links below to find out more.

Educating the Youths

Persecuting Jews - Night of the Broken Glass

Torturing People and Creating Fear

Propaganda - Promising a Greater Germany

Introducing Economic Policies💰

Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, four years after the The Great Depression. He had the urgent need to provide jobs and also to make Germany ready for war in four years. The Nazis tried to make Germany self-sufficient - that is to produce all the goods it needed without having to rely on imported supplies. They called this policy ‘Autarky’. The Nazis implemented a major programme of public works, such as building and repairing roads, railways and houses. This significantly helped reduce unemployment, as did large-scale military rearmament. With Germany building up its armed forces, thousands of jobs in the iron, steel, aviation and shipbuilding industries were created.