FASCISM – GERMANYTO TRACE THE ORIGINS AND GROWTH OF THE NAZI PARTY

IN GERMANY

WEIMAR REPUBLIC• After the First World

War, Germany was ruled by the Weimar Republic. It was a democracy and it faced many political, social and economic problems. The republic was succeeded by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

WHO WAS ADOLF HITLER?• READ P.20 AND ANSWER THE

FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ON ADOLF HITLER:1. Where and when was Adolf Hitler

born?2. Why did Hitler leave school without

qualifications?3. What political and social ideas did

Hitler learn from Ostara?4. What was Hitler’s role in World War

I?5. What did Hitler do following World

War I?

HOW DID HITLER RISE TO POWER?

HITLER

THE GREAT DEPRESSION

WEAKNESSES OF THE WEIMAR

GOVERNMENT

HITLER’S LEADERSHIP

HITLER’S POLICIESPROPAGANDA

SUPPORT GREW

QUICKLY

HELP FROM RIGHT WING

CONSERVATIVES

THE GREAT DEPRESSION• In 1929 the value of shares in the

New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street collapsed. This began the Great Depression.

• Americans called in loans they had given to Germany and so German companies went bankrupt. Unemployment in Germany rose from 1.5 million in 1929 to 6 million in 1932. This resulted in middle and working class families joining the Nazi Party.

WEAKNESSES OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC

• The Weimar government was unpopular because it was associated with the defeat in the First World War and the harsh Treaty of Versailles. They were known as the November Criminals.

• The ruling classes of the old German Empire undermined the Weimar Republic.

• They made economic problems worse by cutting back on government spending.

• The government used President Hindenburg’s power to rule by decree.

HITLER’S LEADERSHIP• Hitler rose to power because of

his tactics and policies. He wanted to use democracy to destroy democracy.

• The Nazi Party had branches all over Germany. They also had the SA (Brownshirts – storm troopers) and SS (Blackshirts) to attack opponents.

HITLER’S POLICIES• Hitler’s policies appealed to many

different groups – nationalists, industrialists, farmers and the lower middle class. He outlined his ideas in Mein Kampf (My Struggle), his autobiography.– He attacked the Treaty of Versailles.– He promised to unite all German-

speaking people.– He was strongly anti-Communist.– He promised to solve the economic

problems.

PROPAGANDA• Hitler and the Nazis

used propaganda to get their message across:– He was an outstanding

public speaker.– He used newspapers,

aircraft, films and loudspeakers from trucks.

– The Nazis used uniforms, salutes and mass rallies so as to appear strong.

PROPAGANDA1. Look at the film of Hitler speaking.

In what way is Hitler and his message appealing to Germans?

2. Choose one propaganda poster. In what way is this appealing to Germans?

SUPPORT• Support for the Nazi

Party grew quickly, gaining them seats in the Reichstag.– 1928 → 12 seats– 1930 → over 100

seats– 1932 → 230 seats

• Hitler was supported by right-wing (conservative) Germans. Their support persuaded President Hindenburg to appoint him as chancellor in January 1933.

KEY CONCEPTS

Herrenvolk

• The Nazi idea of Germans as a master race, superior to all other races.

Totalitarianism

• Totalitarian governments control all aspects of life, from the people’s actions to their thoughts.

Propaganda

• Spreading information to convince people of your point of view in order to achieve or retain power.

Cult of Personality

• Worship of a leader. Propaganda is used to create an image of the leader as all-wise and all-powerful.

DOCUMENT QUESTION1. What are the French taking

from the Ruhr Valley?2. Who are being represented as

‘Coal Kings’ in the cartoon?3. What is the reaction of the

‘Coal Kings’ to the French occupation of the Ruhr?

4. Why did the French consider it necessary to occupy the Ruhr in January 1923?

5. What effect did the occupation in the Ruhr have on the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party? Daily Mail – January 1923

HOW DID HITLER ESTABLISH A DICTATORSHIP?

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GENERAL ELECTION• Hitler called a general

election. The Nazis used terror and propaganda against opponents; 400,000 SA were enlisted in the police. During the election campaign a Dutch communist set fire to the Reichstag. Hitler used this to create the idea of communist threat and increased the number of Nazi seats.ESTABLISHING A DICTATORSHIP

POLICIES• After the election Hitler

passed the ENABLING ACT which gave him power to rule by decree. The Weimar democracy was at an end.

• He used a policy of coordination to destroy all opposition:– The Communist and

Social Democratic Parties were outlawed.

– The Nazis were the only political party allowed.

– Trade unions were replaced with the German Labour Force.

ESTABLISHING A DICTATORSHIP

NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES• Hitler used the SS to kill

leaders of the SA who threatened his leadership, particularly Ernst Röhm who planned a people’s army to replace the German Army.

ESTABLISHING A DICTATORSHIP

DEATH OF HINDENBURG• When President

Hindenburg died, Hitler combined the offices of president and chancellor.

• He became der Fűhrer (the Leader). The German army had to swear an oath to him.ESTABLISHING A DICTATORSHIP

JOSEPH GOEBBELS• Hitler appointed Joseph Goebbels as Minister

of Propaganda. He used all the media – press, radio and cinema – to control public opinion.o Goebbels organised a public burning of anti-Nazi

books.o Editors of newspapers followed the Nazi line.o Goebbels thought the radio was very important

for influencing people. Families bought the People’s radio to listen to Nazi broadcasts. Loudspeakers were used to broadcast in the streets.

o The Nazi’s organised huge gatherings to influence people, such as the Nuremberg rallies, torchlight parades and marches.

ESTABLISHING A DICTATORSHIP

NUREMBERG – CASE STUDY

PAGES 34 - 41

NUREMBERG• The Nuremberg Rallies took place from 1923,

initially attracting 20,000 people but rising to half a million people during the years 1933 – 38.

• They were important propaganda tools in raising support for the Nazi party and recruiting to the SA and SS.

• The Nazi Women’s Organisation and the Labour Front took a prominent role in the rallies.

1. In Source A, according to Hitler, what were the benefits of holding mass meetings?

NUREMBERG –SPEECHES & THEMES• Each rally had a theme. The development of the Nazi Party policy can be

traced through the speeches at these rallies.• In 1933 Hitler used the occasion to celebrate the German Army – SOURCE B• In 1934 the rally lasted a week and celebrated the rise of Hitler to power. He

spoke from a 1,300 x 80 ft stone structure that looked like an altar. A giant eagle with a 100 foot wing span and a swastika at its feet. This was seen in Leni Riefenstahl’s film Triumph des Willens – SOURCE C

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHs2coAzLJ8 • In 1934 there was a speech called ‘Race and National Health’, which

attempted to justify euthanasia (the killing of the old and those who can’t care for themselves).

• In 1935 Hitler’s speech on cultural development turned into an attack on the Jews. ‘The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour’ (Nuremberg Laws) deprived Jews of German citizenship and forbade marriage between Jews and Aryans.

NUREMBERG –SPEECHES & THEMES

• SOURCE B• On this day we should particularly

remember the part played by our Army, for we all know well that if, in the days of our revolution, the Army had not stood on our side, then we should not be standing here today. We can assure the Army that we shall never forget this, the we see in them the beavers of the tradition of our glorious old Army, and that with all our heart and all our powers we will support the spirit of this army.

• Describe how Hitler attempted to reassure the German Army of his support in his speech to the Nuremberg Rally in 1933.

NUREMBERG –SPEECHES & THEMES

• SOURCE C• The German form of life

is definitely determined for the next thousand years…There will be no other revolution in Germany for the next one thousand years.Provincial Governor Adolf

Wagner of Bavaria

• According to Provincial Governor Adolf Wagner (SOURCE C), how long would the Nazi regime last?

NUREMBERG –SPEECHES & THEMES

• SOURCE D• The Jews are a people of robbers.

Everything that the Jew has is stolen. Foreign workmen build his temples, it is foreigners who create and work for him, and shed their blood for him. He has no art of his own: he has stolen it from others or he watched them at work and then made his copy. He cannot maintain any state for long. This is one difference between him and the Aryan.

Adolf Hitler

• How does Hitler demonstrate his hatred for the Jews in SOURCE D?

NUREMBERG –SPEECHES & THEMES

• SOURCE E• If in the West or Central Europe

a single people were to become victims of Bolshevism (Communism), this poison would continue its ravages (damage), it would devastate the oldest, the fairest civilisation in the world today. Germany, by taking upon itself this conflict does not fulfil, as so often before in her history, a truly European mission.

Adolf Hitler

• According to Hitler, what effect would the spread of communism have on Western Europe?

NUREMBERG –SPEECHES & THEMES

• SOURCE F• A pretty segment of

Europe is harassing the human race. This miserable pygmy race (the Czechs) is oppressing a cultured people, and behind it is Moscow and the eternal mask of the Jew devil.

Herman Goering

• How does Herman Goering view the state of Czechoslovakia? (SOURCE F)

NUREMBERG TRIALS• Following WWII an international military

tribunal sat in Nuremberg from November 1945 to September 1946 to try major Nazi figures for war crimes. It was chosen because it had been the venue for the great Nazi Party rallies. The Allies hoped that the Nuremberg Trials would bring to close one of the most bloodthirsty and destructive periods of German history.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN BRITAIN

AND GERMANY DURING THE INTER-WAR YEARS,

1919 – 39

GERMANY• After the First World War, the German economy was in a depressed

state.• The Weimar government printed money to pay for debts and

reparations.– This caused inflation (an increase in the prices of products).

• When Germany failed to pay reparations, the French and Belgians invaded the Ruhr industrial region of Germany. This caused a huge fall in the value of the German mark and Weimar Germany experienced rapid inflation.– The mark became worthless.– The middle classes suffered; their savings and pensions were ruined.– Workers became poorer.– Unemployment rose.– Industrialists and landowners gained because they owned property.

GERMANY• The German government created a new currency. It also

obtained loans under the Dawes Plan (1924). This plan, by an American banker, cut reparations payments and gave American loans to Germany. This helped the German economy improve.

• In 1929 the Wall Street Crash happened on the New York stock market. This led to the Great Depression. America withdrew its loans from Germany and the German economy was in trouble again. German unemployment rose from 1.5 million in 1929 to 6 million in 1932.

• The Weimar government made the situation worse by cutting spending on wages, pensions and unemployment benefit.

GERMANY• The economy under the Nazis: When Hitler took power in

January 1933 he promised to reduce unemployment and to create self-sufficiency (autarky).

• To reduce unemployment, Hitler:– Spent money on public works, such as building autobahns (motorways)– Introduced conscription– Rearmed, which led to the growth of heavy industry– Developed a Four-year Plan, which led to huge increases in coal, iron

and steel production.• German economic recovery depended heavily on government

investment. As a result, German unemployment was reduced to 200,000 by 1939.

GERMANY• Hitler’s plan for self sufficiency was not so successful:

– Grain and potato production declined– Some foodstuffs had to be imported– Some synthetic products were developed for raw materials

• So Hitler had to wait for WWII when he conquered Eastern European countries to provide self-sufficiency.

• Wages increased but working hours became longer.• The Nazis set up:

– ‘Beauty Through Joy’ to improve working conditions.– ‘Strength Through Joy’ to improve leisure time. They organised cheap

holidays, coach tours and sports competitions.– Hitler also encouraged the production of the Volkswagen, the ‘people’s

car’.

GERMANY• TASK:• Write a paragraph on:• Hyperinflation in Germany, 1923.

BRITAIN• J.M. Keynes was a

major influence on the post-war European economy.

• Review his biography and write a paragraph on him.

BRITAIN• The British economy was in depression during the inter-war

years.• The economic depression was caused by:– The decline of older industries (coal, iron and steel, ships)– American competition– British wage costs– The decline of British trade

• British shipbuilding declined because:– The surplus of ships after the First World War– The United States and Japan producing their own ships

• British coal was more expensive to mine than American, German or Polish coal.

BRITAIN – DEPRESSED AREAS• Much of Britain was depressed after the first

world war. There was high unemployment, fewer women working and high infant mortality.

• London and the Midlands prospered because they had newer industries such as electrical goods and motor cars.

• Government policy did not help – they wouldn’t borrow money to help depressed industry and the value of the pound sterling made British exports too expensive.

• Unemployed workers were given benefits but this was too low to feed a family and it was given for only 15 weeks a year. After that they had additional benefits – called the dole – for which they had to queue.

BRITAIN – GENERAL STRIKE 1926• Clashes between mine owners and coal miners led to the General Strike of

1926. Mine owners wanted wage cuts but the coal miners’ leader said, ‘Not a penny off the pay! Not a minute off the day!’

• The government advised wage cuts and longer working hours. When negotiations between the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the mine owners broke down, there was a general strike.

• About 2 million other workers in transport, building and electricity went on strike in sympathy with the coal miners.

• The government had plans to distribute food and transport people to work. The other workers went back to work when the government said it would not give in.

• The miners gave up after six months and returned with lower pay and longer working hours.

• The strike was a failure and the government banned further general strikes.• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Oro_m-IlK4

GREAT DEPRESSION• Britain was hit by the Great Depression after the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

– Unemployment rose from 1.5 million in 1929 to 3.5 million by 1932.– Older industries were the worst hit.

• The government:– Took Britain off the gold standard.– Cut unemployment benefits and introduced a means test.– Cut the wages of civil servants and teachers.– Introduced protectionism (taxes on imports) to safeguard British industry.

• The newer industries around London and the Midlands were not hit so badly.

• Britain recovered quickly from the Depression, but older industries still suffered.

• Unemployment cause poverty, leading to death and diseases amongst the poorer classes.

• Hunger marches were organised to protest against unemployment.

USE THE INFORMATION ON THE JARROW MARCH, OCTOBER 1936, TO WRITE

A PARAGRAPH.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31dchjUVaV8