Germany in Inter-War Years Flashcards
(36 cards)
What was the ‘Dolchstoss’?
The stab in the back. The German people felt they were winning WW1 so they felt betrayed by the Weimar Republics surrender.
What was the Treaty of Versailles’ asks of Germany?
- Taken away all land and colonies
- Armed forces reduced and given limits
- War guilt clause
- £6.6 billion reparations
When Germany was unable to pay reparations due to Hyperinflation what did French and Belgian troops do?
Take over the Ruhr Industrial Region, which held coal and iron.
This ignited nationalism
Who was known as the ‘Hunger Chancellor’ and why?
Heinrich Brüning.
Serving from 1930 he was uncharge during the Great Depression and cut wages and government spending while increasing tax. Unemployment soared, people relied on soup kitchens. People joined extreme political groups like Communist groups or SA.
What were the main ideas in ‘Mein Kampf’?
- Superiority of the Aryan Race
- Importance of Propaganda
- Importance of Lebensraum (living space)
- The danger of Communism and Socialism
When Hitler was appointed Chancellor what events took place before the 1933 General election and what percentage of the votes did the nazi party win?
- Nazi’s carry out intense Propaganda and Intimidation campaign
- Reichstag building burned down, blamed on Communist Van Der Lubbe. Nazi’s blame Communist plot
- They won 43.8 percent of the vote
When did Hitler introduce the Enabling Act and what did it do?
What details about the voting is important?
23rd March, 1933
Allowed him to rule by decree
- Passed 441 votes to 94
- SS stopped Communists voting
- Other parties were banned after it passed and newspapers shut down
Who did Hitler have killed on ‘The Night of Long Knives’?
Ernst Röhm ( spoke out against replacing German army with SS)
Senior Army Generals against this policy
Members of the KPD (Communist Party) and SPD (Social Democrats)
When did Hitler became known as ‘the Führer’?
When President Hindenberg died and 88 percent of the electorate voted to combine the offices of President and Chancellor.
What was Goebbels belief about Propaganda and what was the basis of Nazi Propaganda?
“rank and file are usually much more primitive then we imagine. Propaganda must therefore always be essentially simple and repetitive”
- Germans were Herrenvolk (Master Race)
- Threat posed by sub-humans (Jews, Gypsies and Homosexuals, Slavs and Roma)
- Importance of Lebensraum
What was Goebbel’s title?
Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda?
What were the various forms through which Propaganda was exercised?
- Newspapers and Books
- Art
- Radio
- Cinema
- Cult of Personality
- The Youth
- Nuremberg Rallies
Explain Propaganda in Newspapers and Books?
- Publication controlled by Party
- May 1933, first mass burning of books (jewish authors or showing Jews in good light
- One official news outlet, others shut down
Explain Propaganda in Art and Radio?
- Modern Art labelled as degenerate
- Exhibitions held to ridicule it (Otto Dix one artist)
- Production of German radios with only German channels, Volksempfänger(peoples receivers)
- 1939 highest Radio Ownership in the world
Explain Propaganda in Cinema and the Cult of Personality?
- Newsreels of Germany’s successes
- Leni Riefenstahl, Propaganda film maker, 1934 Nuremberg Rally, Olympia, Berlin Olympics, anti-Semitic content
- Posters and Imagery of Hitler
- Fascism strong leader, “Absolute trust in a wise and able leader”-Hitler
- ‘Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Führer’, One Empire, One People, One Leader
Explain the Propaganda of the Youth and the Youth Resistance?
- “He alone who owns the Youth gains the Future”-Hitler
- By 1937, all teachers had to belong to Nazi Party
- Taught racial science, Anti-Semitic history, obedience to State and Physical fitness
- Boys joined Hitler Youth, Girls joined League of German Maidens
- ‘Swingers’ Teens partaking in British and American Culture
- disrupted Hitler Youth Patrols, badly punished if caught
- Some hung publicly during war
What was Hitler’s architect called and what was their theory about the architecture they built?
Name two of his works?
Albert Speer, That what they built should have ‘Ruin Value’
Giant Wooden framed eagle behind podium in 1933
Cathedral of Light, 152 anti-aircraft guns at 12m intervals in 1934
How many people attended the Nuremberg Rallies and what were their purpose?
At least 500,000 each year
They started as ways to showcase the strength of the Nazi Party but became a way to glorify Hitler and Nazism. Members of the SS, SA and Party Officials were there. The Blutfahne and Nazi flag(now German flag were shown). It emphasised the Cult of Personality of Hitler with his orchestrated speeches (Wagner and Triumph of the Will, “The Party is HItler! Hitler is Germany”
At which Nuremberg rally were the Nuremberg Race Laws presented and what did they entail?
1935, The Rally for Freedom
- defined what it was to be Jewish
- made marriages and sex between Jews and Gentiles illegal
- Removed German citizenship from anyone with one jewish grandparent
Who was the Head of the SS and what did they do?
Heinrich Himmler
Carry out racial policies and police opposition
When and which was the first concentration camp opened and what was it’s original purpose?
1933, Dachau
House political and ordinary prisoners, forced labour for limited sentences
When and who established the Gestapo?
What did they do?
1933, Herman Göring
Investigated political opponents, maintained state security and counter-intelligence
Hitler quote about Christianity?
“One can either be a German or a Christian. You can’t be both.” (not said publicly)
Who and when was the Concordat with the Catholic Church signed by and what did it entail?
Von Papen, July 1933
- Church can stay in Germany providing education
- Bishops must take oath of loyalty to president of the Reich
- Clergy forbidden from engaging in Political activity
