Assignment Flashcards
How significant was the economic crisis of the Great Depression to the rise of the Nazi party by 1933? (27 cards)
Intro
As a result of their defeat in World War One, Germany was catapulted into chaos as Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated the throne and a new democratic republic known as the ‘Weimar Republic’ was elected. Wolfgang Kapp and groups such as the Sparticists attempted coups to try and seize power, and although many attempts were made to stabilise Germany by Weimar governments between 1918 and 1933, it was at this time Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power. After the Nazis won a considerable number of seats in the Reichstag, Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January 1933 and the Nazis became the most popular political party. Many factors contributed to the Nazis achieving power by 1933, such as the resentment towards the Treaty of Versailles, economic difficulties, the appeal of Hitler, and the mistakes made by opposing parties. Despite these all being impactful to the rise of the Nazi Party, it was the economic crisis of the Great Depression which held the most significance to their achievement of power, as argued in this essay.
Factor 1 (economic crisis) knowledge
- The Great Depression, triggered by the Wall Street crash on the U.S. stock exchange in October 1929, left Germany dilapidated as the Dawes Plan loans were recalled. The consequences were felt worldwide, with countries that traded with the USA suffering financial losses and business collapses.
-However, Germany was affected more severely than any other nation since it owed the USA money under the Dawes Plan, which the USA demanded to be returned immediately following the crash. - As a result, unemployment in Germany skyrocketed to 6 million by 1932 (9% of the population), and as Germany reached its breaking point, it could no longer afford to pay its reparations to Britain and France.
Factor 1 (economic crisis) argument
This arguably led to the rise of the Nazis because the conditions in Germany were extreme, and people voted for them as they were promised strong leadership in times of desperation. As historian A.J.P. Taylor is seen to argue in the textbook ‘Germany 1918-39’ by John Kerr, “It was the Great Depression that put the wind in Hitler’s sails”.
Factor 1 (economic crisis) counter knowledge
However, the Great Depression also affected other countries, such as Britain, with over 3 million unemployed (7% of the population).
Factor 1 (economic crisis) counter analysis
This makes economic difficulties less of an important contribution to the Nazis’ rise to power because although alternative nations suffered from economic decline comparable to Germany, not once did they fall victim to far-right, radical political parties’ rule.
Factor 1 (economic crisis) evaluation
In evaluation, despite other countries not losing control to extremist parties, the Great Depression was still vital to the rise of the Nazis because Hitler offered security and prosperity to the German population, gaining their votes in times of hopelessness and despair due to the economic difficulties they were made to endure. Wincing at the memory of prices dramatically increasing in 1923 brought on by reparations and the government’s printing of money, many Germans were also petrified of the possible return of hyperinflation if they failed to vote for the Nazi Party. Ultimately, the economic crisis of the Great Depression was crucial to the Nazis’ rise to power by 1933.
Factor 2 (Treaty of Versailles) knowledge
- A less important reason behind the rise of the Nazi Party by 1933 was the Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919 as a way of punishing Germany for the devastation it caused during the First World War.
- The agreement brought resentment from many Germans due to its harsh terms, with one of the worst being Germany’s loss of 13% of its territory to countries such as Poland and Denmark. Other treaty terms included Germany having to pay $6.6 billion in reparations to Britain and France as part of Article 231, and the disarmament of their army and navy. Their army was reduced to only 100,000 men, and their navy was restricted to only six battleships and no submarines.
- This enraged the German population as they were convinced that Germany deserved a fair peace document to ensure future peace and the rebuilding of Europe, especially following the abdication of the Kaiser. They believed the settlement was unjust and had been forced upon them, referring to it as the ‘diktat’.
Factor 2 (Treaty of Versailles) argument
It could be argued that this led to the Nazis’ rise to power as Hitler assured the German people that he would destroy the treaty, gaining their trust and ultimately their votes.
Factor 2 (Treaty of Versailles) counter knowledge
However, the Weimar government survived for over a decade after the treaty was signed until January 1933, when Hitler was appointed Chancellor.
Factor 2 (Treaty of Versailles) counter argument
Arguably, this makes the resentment towards the Treaty of Versailles less significant to the rise of the Nazi Party because otherwise, groups like the Nazi Party who promised to reverse the treaty would have risen to power sooner. This is further emphasised by Richard Geary, who argues that “If Versailles was so important, why did the new republic not collapse earlier when defeat and the treaty were at their most immediate?” in his book ‘Weimar and the Rise of Nazism’.
Factor 2 (Treaty of Versailles) evaluation
In evaluation, although the resentment towards the Treaty of Versailles was a significant reason why the Nazis came into power because many looked up to Hitler’s promises to destroy the treaty and felt a sense of hatred towards the politicians who signed it, renaming them ‘the November criminals’, it remained for many years before Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933. This makes the resentment towards the Treaty of Versailles less important than the economic crisis because they happened at a similar time, with economic difficulties starting only four years prior in 1929. This ultimately suggests a weaker link between the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 and the rise of the Nazis to 1933.
Factor 3 (appeal of Hitler and the Nazis) knowledge points 1
- Hitler’s speeches were carefully rehearsed, featuring a variety of effective hand gestures, theatrical lighting, and his voice raising in pitch.
- Many people found his speeches personal, highlighting the issues that meant the most to the German people and as if he was speaking directly to them.
- This is proven through his flight over Germany, where he held rallies in 20 cities over only six days with the slogan ‘The Fuhrer over Germany.’
Factor 3 (appeal of Hitler and the Nazis) knowledge points 1 argument
Arguably, this helped the Nazi Party rise to power because the people of Germany began to view Hitler as their saviour, whose speeches inspired them to vote for the Nazis as they believed they would make Germany great again. William Shirer strengthens this in his book ‘The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich’, arguing that “Without Hitler… there would have been no Third Reich.”
Factor 3 (appeal of Hitler and the Nazis) knowledge points 2
- Additionally, Josef Goebbels, a leading member of the Nazi Party and their chief propagandist, created thousands of propaganda posters that made great use of the colour red and simple slogans, such as ‘work and bread’.
- These straightforward yet effective tactics helped attract many Germans to the Nazi message.
Factor 3 (appeal of Hitler and the Nazis) knowledge points 2 argument
This also led to the rise of the Nazis because their propaganda was hard to avoid, and appealed to a wide range of people throughout Germany who believed that the Nazi Party would improve their lives dramatically.
Factor 3 (appeal of Hitler and the Nazis) counter knowledge
However, before Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933, the largest share of the vote the Nazis ever won in Reichstag elections was only 37.3%.
Factor 3 (appeal of Hitler and the Nazis) counter argument
This arguably makes the appeal of Hitler and the Nazi Party less significant to their rise as it suggests that the majority of Germans did not support them, demonstrating their limited appeal.
Factor 3 (appeal of Hitler and the Nazis) evaluation - STILL NEED TO ADD NEW INFO
In evaluation, economic difficulties still prove to hold more significance to their rise than the appeal of Hitler and the Nazis because, despite Hitler’s charisma and Goebbels’ extensive propagandist tactics, much of the German population would have been content with their lives and would not have been interested in what Hitler had to say without the economic crisis caused by the Great Depression.
Factor 4 (weaknesses and mistakes of opponents) knowledge
- The SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany) and KPD (Communist Party of Germany) held similar ideas, however, the KPD refused to cooperate with the SPD as a result of the way they dealt with the Spartacist Revolt in 1919.
- Their deployment of the Freikorps (ex-army soldiers who despised the Communists) to put down the rise of the Spartacists and the brutal murders of Sparticist leaders Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg angered both the Communists and many working-class citizens of Germany.
Factor 4 (weaknesses and mistakes of opponents) argument
This contributed to the Nazis’ rise as the mistrust between these two opposing political parties resulted in them refusing to work together to oppose the Nazi Party. Jim McGonigle makes a similar point in his book ‘Germany 1815-1939’, where he argues that the crushing of the Spartacist Revolt “destroyed any hope of cooperation between the different wings of the socialist groups…”.
Factor 4 (weaknesses and mistakes of opponents) counter knowledge
However, even if the SPD and KPD were to have cooperated, they still would not have achieved over 50% of seats in the Reichstag. To make matters worse, President Hindenburg was anti-Communist, meaning a coalition government could never be formed.
Factor 4 (weaknesses and mistakes of opponents) counter argument
This arguably makes the mistakes of alternative parties less significant to the rise of the Nazis because it would have been almost impossible for the two parties to form a government and prevent the rise of the Nazi Party.
Factor 4 (weaknesses and mistakes of opponents) evaluation
In evaluation, economic difficulties still hold more significance to the Nazis’ rise than the weaknesses and mistakes of opposing political parties because even if the two parties had formed a coalition government, they would not have been prepared to violate the Treaty of Versailles through rearmament and demilitarisation, as they were cautious of the repercussions. However, Hitler and the Nazi Party had promised the German people that they were willing to destroy the treaty and do everything in their power to make Germany great again, which had the support of the German population.
Conclusion point 1 (Treaty of Versailles)
On the one hand, the resentment towards the Treaty of Versailles was important because Hitler promised to eliminate the treaty and its harsh terms, gaining much of the German population’s votes as they began to view him as their liberator. However, the economic crisis in Germany was still far more significant than the Treaty of Versailles as the German people had been suffering from the impacts of the Wall Street Crash not long before the Nazis rose to power, whereas the Weimar Government continued to survive for over a decade after the treaty was signed and before Hitler was appointed Chancellor.
