Important People

Question 1

Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925)

Answer 1

1. Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and first President of the Weimar Republic (1919–1925).
2. Allowed the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which led to economic hardship and political instability.
3. Faced opposition from both communists (Spartacist Uprising) and right-wing extremists (Kapp Putsch, Freikorps).
4. Helped stabilize Germany’s post-war economy with reforms but died in 1925 before long-term recovery.

Question 2

Hermann Müller (1876–1931)

Answer 2

1. Chancellor of Germany (1920 & 1928–1930) and leader of the SPD.
2. Signed the Treaty of Versailles (1919) as Foreign Minister.
3. Signed the Young Plan (1929) to reduce reparations, though it faced opposition from right-wing nationalists.
4. His government collapsed in 1930 due to the Great Depression and disagreements over unemployment benefits.

Question 3

Gustav Stresemann (1878–1929)

Answer 3

1. Chancellor (1923) and Foreign Minister (1923–1929)
2. Introduced the Rentenmark (1923) to stabilize hyperinflation.
3. Negotiated the Dawes Plan (1924), securing U.S. loans to rebuild Germany’s economy.
4. Signed the Locarno Pact (1925), improving relations with Britain and France.
5. Won the Nobel Peace Prize (1926)
6. Led Germany into the League of Nations (1926), boosting diplomatic status.

Question 4

Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934)

Answer 4

1. President of Germany (1925–1934) and former WWI general.
2. Reluctantly appointed Hitler as Chancellor (1933), believing he could control him.
3. Oversaw Germany’s recovery but later played a key role in Hitler’s rise (1933).
4. His death in 1934 allowed Hitler to merge the presidency and chancellorship, becoming Führer.

Question 5

Heinrich Brüning (1885–1970)

Answer 5

1. Chancellor of Germany (1930–1932) during the Great Depression.
2. Implemented austerity policies (spending cuts and higher taxes) that worsened unemployment.
3. Ruled by Presidential Decree (with Hindenburg’s support) after the Reichstag became dysfunctional.
4. Tried to ban the Nazi SA and SS (1932) but was forced to resign.
5. His economic failures helped Hitler gain popularity.

Question 6

Hjalmar Schacht (1877–1970)

Answer 6

1. Economist, President of the Reichsbank (1923–1930, 1933–1939), and Minister of Economics (1934–1937).
2. Helped stabilize Germany after hyperinflation (1923)
3. Designed the New Plan (1934) to boost the economy through military spending.
4. Disagreed with Hitler’s war-focused economy and was dismissed in 1939.

Question 7

Adolf Hitler (1889–1945)

Answer 7

1.Chancellor (1933), Führer (1934–1945); built a totalitarian dictatorship.
2. Expanded Germany’s military, occupied the Rhineland (1936), Austria (1938), and Czechoslovakia (1939).
3. Led Germany into World War II (1939–1945) and was responsible for the Holocaust.

Question 8

Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945)

Answer 8

1. Minister of Propaganda (1933–1945), controlled media and Nazi messaging.
2. Created anti-Jewish propaganda and organized Kristallnacht (1938).
3. His propaganda machine created widespread Nazi support, even during wartime defeats.
4. Helped justify genocide, turning anti-Semitism into state policy.

Question 9

Hermann Göring (1893–1946)

Answer 9

1. Commander of the Luftwaffe, Hitler’s right hand man (designated successor until 1941)
2. Founded the Gestapo (1933) before it was taken over by Himmler.
3. Created the Four-Year Plan (1936), aiming to make Germany economically self-sufficient and ready for war.
4. Led the Luftwaffe, which was successful in early WWII (Blitzkrieg in Poland, France) but failed in the Battle of Britain (1940).
5. Ordered the Final Solution (1941), giving the official directive for the Holocaust.
6. Lost influence after repeated military failures.
7. Helped militarize Germany for war but contributed to Germany’s defeat due to Luftwaffe failures.
   8 Directly involved in Nazi economic policies and the Holocaust.

Question 10

Heinrich Himmler (1900–1945)

Answer 10

1. Leader of the SS (1929–1945), head of the Gestapo, and organizer of Nazi concentration camps.
2. Transformed the SS from Hitler’s personal bodyguard into a powerful military and police force.
3. Took control of the Gestapo (1934)
4. Led the Night of the Long Knives (1934), eliminating Hitler’s political rivals (especially the SA).
5. Organized the Holocaust, overseeing extermination camps (Auschwitz, Treblinka).
6. Tried to negotiate peace with the Allies in 1945, betraying Hitler.
7. Chief architect of the Holocaust, responsible for millions of deaths.

Question 11

Reinhard Heydrich (1904–1942)

Answer 11

1. Head of the Gestapo & SD (Security Service), key planner of the Final Solution.
2. Head of the SD (intelligence agency of the SS), spying on enemies of the state (1931-1942)
3. Controlled the Gestapo, crushing resistance and Jewish communities.
4. Led the Einsatzgruppen, SS death squads that massacred Jews in Eastern Europe.
5. Assassinated by Czech resistance fighters (Operation Anthropoid, 1942)

Question 12

Ernst Röhm (1887–1934)

Answer 12

1. Leader of the SA (Stormtroopers) and key early Nazi supporter.
2. Played a key role in Hitler’s rise to power, helping the Nazis gain street control in the 1920s.
3. Became a threat to Hitler because the SA was too powerful (over 3 million members)
4. Assassinated during the Night of the Long Knives (1934)
5. His death secured Hitler’s control over the Nazi Party.
6. The SS (led by Himmler) replaced the SA as Hitler’s primary enforcer.
7. The army pledged loyalty to Hitler after Röhm’s execution

Question 13

Franz von Papen (1879–1969)

Answer 13

1. Chancellor of Germany (1932), Vice-Chancellor under Hitler (1933–1934).
2. Became Chancellor in 1932 but had no real support in the Reichstag.
3. Lifted the ban on the SA and SS, giving Nazis more power.
4. Forced out by Kurt von Schleicher (December 1932)
5. Persuaded President Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor (Jan 30, 1933), thinking he could “control” Hitler.
6. His misjudgment allowed Hitler to take power.

Question 14

Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934)

Answer 14

1. Chancellor of Germany (December 1932 – January 1933), last before Hitler.
2. Helped remove Papen as Chancellor in December 1932, thinking he could prevent Nazi dominance.
3. Papen betrayed him, convincing Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor.
4. After Hitler took power, Schleicher was murdered in the Night of the Long Knives (June 1934)