Germany Depth Study (unit 1&2)
Hitlers consloditaion
Weimar Republic
Hindenburg
Van Papern
Von Schleicher
In office from 1933 to 1945
Heinrich Bruing
Rudolf Hess
Joseph Goebbels
Herman Göring
Ernst Rohm
Adolf Hitler
Van der Lubbe
president of Germany from 1925 to 1934
Chancellor of Germany in 1932. Vice chancellor of Hitler
Chancellor of Germany from November 1932 to December of 1932
Chancellor of Germany before van Papen, from 1930 to 1932
Deputy führer to Hitler, in office from 1933 to 1941
Minister of propaganda of the Nazi government
Nazi military leader, commander of the Lutwaffe, president of the reischtag (parliment)
leader of the SA (storm troopers) executed during the night of the long knives
Dutch communist convicted of starting the Reichstag fire.
Events
General election
Enabling Act
Reichstag Fire
Legal dictatorship
27th of February 1933
the parliament building was set on fire. A communist was blamed because he was red-handed and Hitler wanted to get rid of his opponents.
March 5th 1933
Hitler discovers he needs support of the nationalists because he got less than 50% of the vote
Mar 23, 1933 – May 9, 1945
Ability to pass any law Hitler wanted without the Reichstag's aproval
Now had a legal dictatorship, in theory
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trade unions
political parties
civil service
18 state goverments
civil service purged of all jews and "enemies" of the "state" in order to make it loyal and reliable
My 1933 - trade unions abolished strikes became illegal
By July 1933 - all political parties (except the Nazi party) had been banned in Germany --> one party state
April 1933 - Nazi governors appointed with power to make state laws early 1934 - state parliaments abolished
Revolts
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In August 1923 a new government under Gustav Stresemann took over.
He called in the worthless marks (money) and burned them, replacing them with a new currency called the Rentenmark.
He called off passive resistance in the Ruhr
He negotiated to receive American loans under the Dawes Plan
renegotiated the reparations payments
Affect of the TOV on the weimar
Danger of the Weimar republic 1919-1924
Proportional representation - if a party gained 20% of the votes they gained 20% of the seats
Article 48 - In a crisis the President
could rule through an emergency decree,
meaning he did not have to consult the Reichstag
This made it virtually impossible to establish a majority in the Reichstag, and led to frequent changes in the government.
During 1919-33, there were twenty separate coalition governments and the longest government lasted only two years.
This political chaos caused many to lose faith in the new democratic system.
The President was granted sole power in ‘times of emergency’ - this could allow a dictatorship and could lead to abuse of power.
Threat from the left
Sparticists
Soviets
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
wanted a Germany run by workers’ councils or soviets
Supported by Rebel soldiers and sailors
Set up Soviets in many towns in early 1919
Freikorps - anti-communist ex-soldiers formed themselves into vigilante groups.
Freikorps won.
Luxemburg and Liebknecht were murdered
this lead to encouraging a communist uprising in Bavaria and the Ruhr
Kurt Eisner
Declared a Soviet Republic in Bavaria
Supported by communists in Bavaria
Freikorps murdered there the leader in Feb. 1919 by pol. Opponents they declared a Soviet republic
Freikorps crushed the revolt in May 1919.
600 communists killed
Communists remained a powerful anti-government force during 1920s
Threat from the right
Kapp Putsch
The Nazi party - Munich Putsch
Dr Wolfgang Kapp
Aims
A return to the strong dictatorial style of government under the Kaiser
Strong army
Powerful German Empire
Abolition of the TOV
supported by the the Freikorps
In march 1920 Kapp led 5000 Freikorps in a march on Berlin. The army refused to fire on them
General strike by industrial workers of Berlin. Kapp realised he could not succeed and left the country
Consequences: Kapp was hunted down while awaiting trial.
Rebels went unpunished by the courts showing that those with powerful allies could get away with rebellions against the state.
Adolf Hitler
Nazi's wanted to seize power, overthrow WR and undo the TOV
supported by Ludendorff (the war hero)
Nov. 1923 - Hitler hijacked a local govt. Meeting and announced he was taking over the Bavarian govt. Nazi stormtroopers took over official buildings
Police rounded up storm troopers - killing 16 Nazis.
Hitler had miscalculated the mood of the people
consequences:
Hitler and other leading Nazis arrested and charged with treason.
Huge publicity for Hitler at the trial.
Ludendorff no sentence
Hitler 5 years in Landsberg prison
joined the LON in 1926
Germany and France sign Locrano treaty in 1925 agreeing to Western borders with France and Belgium + try not too fight
Young Plan - giving Germany longer to pay reperations 20% less reperations