Political Instability Dissatisfaction with the Weimar Government Fear of Communism

Dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles Economic Instability

Reparations French invasion of the Rhur The Great Depression

German government prints money to help pay citizens wages = serious inflation (hyper-inflation) 1914

£1 = 20 marks, 1923

£1 = 1,680,800,000,000,000 marks Prices would double or even quadruple in

one day

Charisma of Hitler Finding scapegoats to blame their problems on

Munich Putsch Mein Kampf

Changes tactics and gets elected SA/SS (“Storm Troopers” and secret police) Reichstag Fire – Enabling Act (like Canada’s

War Measures Act) Ends political competition (turn towards

dictatorial power)

Propaganda Economic Reconstruction (rebuilding

military, civic works projects) Lebensraum (hegemony of Europe) Anschluss (union with Austria) Rome-Berlin Axis Nazi-Soviet Pact

Appeasement Britain did not see Germany as a serious threat

and there was a strong anti-war sentiment France was more concerned with defense and

re-building their economy U.S. remained isolationist

Munich Pact – Sudetenland Great powers agree with the argument of self-

determination for German-speaking people; sacrifice Czech sovereignty for peace

Hitler then takes all of Czecholslovakia and then turns

his sights on Poland