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

click to edit

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

click to edit

click to edit

click to edit

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