Germany Democracy and Dictatorship

Glossary

Autocracy: A system of government where one individual holds absolute power, as exemplified by Kaiser Wilhelm II before 1918.

Reichstag: The elected parliament of Germany.

Weltpolitik: Kaiser Wilhelm II's aggressive foreign policy aiming to expand Germany's international power and build a world empire.

Navy Laws: Acts passed under Kaiser Wilhelm II to rapidly expand the German navy to compete with Great Britain.

Hyperinflation: Extreme economic instability in 1923 where hyper-printing made German currency practically worthless.

Reparations: Financial compensation required from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles to cover Allied war costs.

Diktat: German term meaning "dictated peace," referring to the forced acceptance of the Treaty of Versailles without negotiation.

Spartacist Uprising: A violent Communist attempt to overthrow the German government in January 1919, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.

Freikorps: Ex-World War I soldiers organised into paramilitary units used by the Weimar government to crush communist revolts.

Kapp Putsch: A right-wing rebellion in March 1920 led by Wolfgang Kapp attempting to overthrow the Weimar government.

Rentenmark: A temporary currency introduced by Gustav Stresemann in 1923 to stabilize German inflation.

Dawes Plan (1924): An agreement restructuring Germany's reparation payments and granting American loans to rebuild the economy.

Young Plan (1929): A settlement that reduced Germany’s total reparations bill and extended payment deadlines.

Great Depression: Global economic crash triggered by the Wall Street Crash of 1929, causing massive unemployment in Germany.

SA (Sturmabteilung): The Nazi Party's paramilitary wing ("Brownshirts") used to protect Nazi rallies and intimidate political opponents.

Reichstag Fire: The burning of the German parliament building in February 1933, exploited by Hitler to suspend civil rights.

Enabling Act (1933): A law allowing Hitler to pass legislation without Reichstag approval, establishing dictatorship.

Night of the Long Knives (1934): The violent purge of SA leaders (including Ernst Röhm) and political adversaries by Hitler and the SS.

SS (Schutzstaffel): Elite Nazi paramilitary organisation led by Heinrich Himmler, responsible for state security, terror, and concentration camps.

Gestapo: The Nazi secret police force responsible for identifying, arresting, and torturing political opposition.

Rearmament: Secretly and later publicly rebuilding Germany's military forces in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

Autarky: The Nazi policy aimed at achieving complete economic self-sufficiency without relying on foreign imports.

Total War: Complete mobilization of civilian and economic resources solely for the war effort, declared by Goebbels in 1943.

Final Solution: The Nazi regime's systematic plan for the state-sponsored mass extermination of European Jews.

Edelweiss Pirates: Working-class youth resistance groups who opposed Nazi culture and authority during World War II.