GCSE GERMANY BOOKLET

Transcription

1 GCSE GERMANY BOOKLET

2 GERMANY Key individuals within Germany Unit Friedrich Ebert First man in charge of Weimar Republic Gustav Stresemann Weimar leader who began to sort out German problems

3 Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg leaders of the Communists group The Spartacists who failed to seize power Dr Wolfgang Kapp led the Freikorps in a failed attempt to seize power in the Kapp Putsch Paul Von Hindenburg President of Germany. Appoints various chancellors including Hitler Franz Von Papen and Kurt Von Schleicher the two chancellors directly before Hitler who failed to deal with the Nazi threat and get Germany out of economic problems Ernst Rohm Leader of Hitler s SA. Murdered in the Night of the Long Knives Heinrich Himmler In charge of the SS and a main person behind the Final Solution to mass murder the Jews in extermination camps by gas Joseph Goebbels In charge of Propaganda for the Nazis Hermann Goring In charge of Hitler s 4 year plan to get Germany ready for war. In charge of Luftwaffe (German Air Force) too. Reinhard Heydrich In charge of the Gestapo and another main person behind the Final Solution. Assassinated in 1942 by a Czech man. Robert Ley In charge of DAF (German Labour front) strictly controlled the workers in Nazi Germany. E.g no Trade Unions, wages frozen. ADOLF HITLER Leader of the Nazi Party. Chancellor of Germany. Fuhrer of Germany

4 THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC Birth of the Weimar Republic Previous leader Kaiser Wilhelm II flees and gives up throne as Germany are losing WW1

5 Democratic government The Weimar Republic take over and sign armistice to end war Many felt Germany was not losing the war and feel Weimar has stabbed the country in the back to get into power. In reality Germany had lost but many just wanted someone to blame. They are dubbed the November Criminals for signing the Armistice in November 1918 Friedrich Ebert first leader of Weimar Republic Weimar system worked by having a President at the top who only steps in and makes laws in emergencies (that is known as Article 48). Chancellor runs the country and sets main laws but must consult the Reichstag (German Parliament) when setting these new laws. If majority of Reichstag agree law gets passed. Early threats to the Weimar Republic Threat 1: The Spartacist Uprising Who: Communists group called the Spartacists Leaders: Liebknecht and Luxemburg Event: Spartacists tried to set up Communists towns and cities but the Freikorps (ex WW1 soldiers) who hate Communists crush them and execute the leaders Threat 2: The Kapp Putsch Who: Dr Wolfgang Kapp and the Freikorps Event: Although Freikorps had saved Weimar previously they also disliked them. Kapp and Freikorps try to seize power in Berlin. Army refuses to help government as won t fire on ex WW1 soldiers. Weimar saved when workers in Berlin go on strike as they do not support Kapp A very bad year for the Weimar Republic

6 In 1921 the London Ultimatum happens. This is where the reparations bill is set at 6.6 billion. Germany pay the first instalment in 1922 but fail to pay the next instalment in 1923 claiming they cannot afford to do it. This sets off a chain of events. Occupation of the Ruhr France and Belgium are angered not getting their reparations money. They march into the Ruhr which is an industrial area where much of German raw materials are, as they plan to seize their payments in raw goods Workers there go on strike (Passive Resistance) and refuse to make and hand over goods Results are catastrophic as German economy grinds to a halt. No goods to make and sell means no money made. Hyperinflation With no money being made, Germany just prints more money. This money becomes worthless as it is not based against anything. This leads to Hyperinflation where billions of worthless money is printed, savings are wiped out and prices sky rocket. The Munich Putsch In this period of unrest with no money and other countries such as France and Belgium occupying the Ruhr Hitler thinks it is the ideal time to try and seize power in Munich. Hitler and Nazis take over a government building with the plan to seize control of Germany Putsch/uprising fails when the government is tipped off and the people do not rise up and support Hitler as he thought they would. Hitler arrested and later sent to prison. He gets a very small prison sentence as the judge is impressed with him. Showing important people in Germany are beginning to listen to more radical men. Stresemann and his impact on the Weimar Republic

7 Economy Positives: Ends strike in the Ruhr that restarts Germany s economy Recalls worthless money and starts new currency the Rentenmark Secures loans from USA called the Dawes Plan to pay reparations Invests loans into big businesses who prosper Economy Negatives: American loans could be recalled at any moment which would send them back into chaos Small businesses do not benefit from the loans Farmers do not benefit as they are now over producing food from the bigger need that was happening in the war. Culture Positives: Freedom of expression is now allowed New architecture, risqué clothing, music, films Culture Negatives: Many attacked this freedom of expression as leading to a moral decline Politics Positive: With the economy improving many begin to vote for the Weimar Republic Nazis and Communists are not doing well whilst the Weimar is succeeding Politics Negative Nazis and Communists never truly go away and still stir up trouble Foreign Policy Positives: Germany joins the League of Nations, accepts the new borders of Europe Foreign Policy Negatives: By joining the League of Nations the Weimar is accused of just lying down and accepting the Treaty of Versailles THE WALL STREET CRASH IN 1929 AND THE RESULTING ECONOMIC DEPRESSION LEAD TO THE EVENTUAL DOWNFALL OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC. USA RECALLS THEIR LOANS AND GERMANY BECOMES DESPERATE ONCE MORE. PEOPLE THINK DEMOCRACY DOES NOT WORK AND IN DESPERATE TIMES PEOPLE DO DESPERATE THINGS. NAMELY VOTING IN ADOLF HITLER AND THE NAZIS

8 NAZI GERMANY

9 The Nazis not doing well Hitler in Prison until 1924 Nazi Party banned whilst Hitler in Prison Nazis do not get many votes whilst Stresemann and Weimar are doing well Hitler reorganises the party into one that will win votes rather than seize power Starts up youth groups with the idea of making children loyal to Hitler Creates a Nazi newspaper and puts Joseph Goebbels in charge of propaganda How Hitler comes to Power Wall Street Crash of 1929 hits Germany hard and now people more likely to listen to radical parties such as the Nazis Hitler is a powerful and persuasive speaker Some people fear the Communists and would rather have the Nazis Negative Cohesion. People share the same hates (e.g Jews) as Hitler so vote for him Feel democracy does not work with so much unemployment Powerful use of propaganda under direction of Goebbels SA and SS intimidate voters The Nazis go on to gather the most votes and become the biggest party within the Reichstag. Hindenburg initially refuses to appoint Hitler Chancellor as he does not like him. He appoints two other Chancellors Von Papen and Von Schleicher. Both fail to control the Nazis or sort out Germany s problems. Eventually Hindenburg appoints Hitler as the Chancellor of Germany. He mistakenly believes they can control him. Hitler becomes Chancellor in 1933

10 Hitler consolidates his power (gains complete control) BACKGROUND: Nazis are the biggest party in the Reichstag but do not have an overall majority. (This means if you add up all the other seats of the other parties in the Reichstag they number more than the Nazis). Hitler wants an overall majority as he can then pass any law knowing the Reichstag will always vote to agree Step 1: REICHSTAG FIRE: The Reichstag (parliament) building burns down. Hitler blames the Communists. He is given special powers by Hindenburg to deal with this. Hitler has the Communist party banned and bullies others parties into joining him. He now has an overall majority. Step 2: Hitler passes the ENABLING ACT. The Reichstag, now mainly made up of Nazis agree to this. It means Hitler can pass whatever law he wants without having to get the Reichstag s permission. Step 3: THE NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES: Ernst Rohm leads the SA who fight for the Nazis. Rohm wants the SA to be the new German army with him in charge. The army do not like Rohm and don t want this to happen. The army could remove Hitler. So Hitler has Rohm and the leaders of the SA killed. He also takes the opportunity to kill anyone else who he deemed a threat. Army is now happy as Hitler has removed Rohm. Hitler tells the rest of the SA that Rohm was plotting to kill him. They believe him. SA absorbed into army under control of normal army leaders Step 4: Hindenburg dies. Hitler now combines the role of Chancellor and President. Now the supreme leader. The Fuhrer. NAZI CONTROL OF GERMANY THE SS Fanatically loyal to Hitler Under control of Heinrich Himmler 2 Divisions. One that removes undesirables in Germany One that goes along side the army and carries out racial policies and murder The Gestapo Concentration German secret police Camps Reinhard Heydrich in Set up to charge take Worked by fear. No undesirables one knew who they e.g Jews, were Communists, Could arrest and homosexuals, imprison with no gypsies and PROPAGANDA IN NAZI GERMANY proof criminals Police and Courts Judges swear oath of loyalty to Hitler. Nazis unlikely to get convicted in court Police work for the Nazis and arrest on their behalf

11 MEDIA Goebbels in charge of media Nazis ban other newspapers other than their own Nazis control radios and make sure they are cheap so all can have one and hear the Nazi message directly in their homes Illegal to listen to other countries radio messages Films had pro-nazi message and news reels on how great the Nazis were, were played before films Nazi s burned books that did not agree with their opinions NUREMBERG RALLIES Set in the city of Nuremburg Huge event with military on show, lots of colour and great organisation. Gave the people the sense they belonged to something. Gave them pride. Made other countries fearful as they saw the power of the German armed forces 1936 BERLIN OLYMPIC GAMES Chance to showcase German Aryan Race, show off organisation and new technology such as biggest stop clock ever seen. New stadium built Germany win most gold medals Jesse Owens, Black USA athlete wins most individual golds. Propaganda backfired here as showed Hitler s so called Aryan Race was not better than all others Women in Nazi Germany - Women generally do not benefit as they are removed from certain jobs and banned from doing others - Hitler saw women as just as important as men. But their job was to stay at home and raise children. This job just as important as men working. - Women given medals and financial rewards for having lots of children. Hitler wants big population to expand into Eastern Europe (Lebensraum) - Couples who struggle to have children encourages to split up as a result - Some women do well. Leni Riefenstahl directs Nazi Propaganda films

12 CHILDREN IN NAZI GERMANY Education - The point of Nazi Education was INDOCTRINATION (brainwashing). The Nazis wanted children to be brainwashed into loving the Nazis - Lesson taught Germany did not lose WW1, Jews were evil, and it got the boys physically fit ready for war. Girls did things like needlework ready for home life. Books that went against Nazi teachings were removed PRO NAZI YOUTH GROUPS THE HITLER YOUTH - Gave Children something to do - Boys handled guns, read maps all ready for war. - Taught discipline - Made compulsory by 1939 as the war started - Many boys stop enjoying the Hitler Youth as becomes too strict THE LEAGUE OF GERMAN MAIDENS - Gave the girls something to do - Physical exercise important as healthy women will have more children - Taught here too that women s role is at home ANTI NAZI YOUTH GROUPS THE SWING MOVEMENT - Middle class teenagers - Listened to American music - Dressed in British clothing - Accepted Jews - Talked openly about taboo subjects such as sex THE JEWS The Jews did not support the Nazis as they were persecuted against THE EDELWEISS PIRATES - Working class teenagers - Sometimes attacked Hitler Youth - Went camping and sang anti-nazi songs - Listened to American music - Talked openly about taboo subjects such as sex - Some murdered by Nazis in Cologne after Gestapo chief attacked

13 THE ECONOMY AND THE WORKERS POSITIVES - Lowers unemployment - Goering comes up with a 4 year plan to get Germany ready for war by building up the armed forces and introducing conscription into the army. This creates jobs and lowers unemployment - Public Works Projects such as building Autobahns creates jobs. - Big businesses do well as Hitler heavily invests in them - STRENGTH THROUGH JOY Hitler gives people affordable things such as cheap radios, cinema tickets to keep them happy - BEAUTY OF LABOUR Improves working conditions e.g gives them a canteen - REICH ENTAILED FARM LAW banks cannot seize land from farmers if they fail to repay loans/mortgages. - REICH FOOD ESTATE ACT shop keepers have to buy food from farmers giving them a guaranteed market - BLOOD AND SOIL Hitler promises that the farmers are the true Aryans and tries to treat them well NEGATIVES - Women removed from jobs - Jews removed from jobs - DAF (German Labour Front) set up and this strictly controls workers E.G Trade Unions (which look after the workers) are banned Wages remain low It is not easy to leave one job for another - Small businesses do not benefit from the Nazi - REICH ENTAILED FARM ACT has a draw back as banks now refuse to loan to Farmers as no guarantee they will get their loans back - Hitler wanted more people living in the countryside but many people leave the countryside as not happy with the law that only the eldest son inherits the farm. They feel there is nothing to stay for. - Hitler wanted to achieve Autarky where you are self sufficient and do not need to trade to bring in goods. The Nazis failed at this as still relied on other countries

14 PERSECUTION (mistreatment) OF MINORITIES The groups persecuted against were: * Jews * homosexuals * mentally and physically handicapped * Gypsies * Criminals and beggars * different skin colours THE JEWS ARE THE MAIN ONE THE FOCUS IS ON The Holocaust Background Hitler dislikes the Jews because Blames them for him not getting into Arts academy in Vienna Blames them for loss of WW1 as says they did not help out financially or fight Boycott of Jewish shops SA and SS stop people buying from Jewish shops Nuremberg Laws Nazis pass laws stating a Jew cannot marry a German and the Jews citizenship is taking away so they can no longer be called German Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) a Nazi is killed by a Jew in Paris. The Nazis react by destroying Jewish synagogues (like a church), shops and homes Ghettos As the Nazis begin to remove the Jews from Germany and other countries they invade they place Jews in Ghettos. These are walled off tiny sections of a city where it is cramped and diseased. Warsaw Ghetto is the most famous Mass Murder: Groups of SS men known as the Einsatzgruppen round up and kill Jews by shooting them and burying them in huge pits The Final Solution At the Wannsee conference near Berlin in 1942 it is agreed to mass murder the Jews in gas chambers. This is decided because as the Nazis invade more countries they come across more and more Jews and the ghettos cannot take them all and the Einsatzgruppen cannot kill them quickly enough by mass shootings Results- Death camps such as Auschwitz are used where gassing, experimentation and brutal working to death regimes occur Resistance Some Jews fight back as seen in The Warsaw Ghetto uprising but this is crushed eventually. Oskar Schindler save Jews by convincing the Nazis he needs them in his factories. Ordinary men and women smuggle Jews out of Germany and occupied countries

15 EXAM TECHNIQUE Message of the cartoon questions must start with the phrase the message of the cartoon is. Then refer/make inference as to what in the source makes you think this and put into context by using you knowledge and explaining what was happening at the time What is the purpose/reason this was produced questions. Exactly the same as the message of the cartoon question. Just change the start to say the purpose of this source was to. Then use the source and knowledge in exactly the same was as with the message of the cartoon Any question that starts with EXPLAIN must have two points minimum explained in detail How far do you agree/are you surprised/who benefited more type questions. If it looks like it wants a balanced view then do that! Give both sides and an overall judgement. E.g person A benefited because. Person B benefited because. My overall judgement is Person B benefited most because. LAST GENERAL TIP Look at how many marks a question is worth. If it is worth a lot of marks like 10 then spend enough time making the answer detailed. If it is only worth 4 marks then only a few minutes should be spent on it.