Nazi Germany Flashcards
(20 cards)
1
Q
How was Germany at the end of The Great War?
A
- Increasing casualties
- German allies surrendered
- German sailors mutinied
- Food shortages were prominent and people faced starvation
- The kaiser abdicated
- The new temporary government signed an armistice
2
Q
What were good things about the Weimar Republic?
A
- Everyone over 20 could vote
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of press
- Freedom of beliefs
- Arrests had to be reasonable
- Right to a fair trial
3
Q
What were the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles?
A
- Limited German forces (15000 sailors, 100000 soldiers, no air force and no submarines)
- Germany was blamed
- £6.6 billion in reparations
- Lost all overseas empire
- Saar coal fields given to France for 15 years
- Germany humiliated
- Weimar Republic was hated (the public thought that the government stabbed them in the back)
4
Q
Who were the Spartacists and how did they revolt against the Weimar Republic?
A
- Communists
- Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebnecht led them
- 100000 people protested, which turned violent
- Took over the government’s newspaper HQ
- They were disorganised and lost many protesters
- Freikorps killed many protesters
- The leaders were killed
5
Q
What happened at the Munich Putsch?
A
- Hitler and the SA interrupted a meeting in a beer hall in Munich
- Hitler took Von Kahr to a separate room at gunpoint and told him to support the Nazis
- General Lundendorff announced his support for the Nazis
- Kahr left the hall and reported to the police
- Hitler and 2000 SA members started to march through Munich
- Violence broke out between SA and police (16 dead and many injured)
- Hitler was arrested and trialled for treason (He wrote “Mein Kampf” in prison)
6
Q
What was hyperinflation in Germany in 1923?
A
- France invaded the Ruhr (Germany failed to pay reparations to France)
- Ruhr workers went on strike
- The Weimar Republic printed money to pay the workers
- Pensions didn’t rise so elderly suffered
- Workers’ wages changed very often
- Loans were easier to pay back
- Food was hard to get (prices increased greatly due to the hyperinflation since the money wasn’t worth much)
7
Q
What were problems with the Weimar?
A
- Proportional representation
- Article 48
- The government was blamed for the Treaty of Versailles
- The government was blamed for hyperinflation
- The government was blamed for the problems caused by the Great Depression
8
Q
How did the Great Depression impact Germany and how did it help the Nazis gain popularity?
A
- America demanded that Germany pay the loans that they took from America (Germany didn’t have enough money to pay back, so the German economy collapsed)
- People starved
- Homelessness increased
- Unemployment increased
- Hitler claimed he would solve the problems caused
- The German people were desperate and turned to the Nazis
9
Q
What was the appeal of the Nazis?
A
- Wide range of policies
- Radios to spread propaganda
- Rallies showed their power
- Hitler was charismatic
- SA seemed strong
10
Q
What was the Reichstag fire and what followed it?
A
- The Reichstag was burned down by a Dutch communist
- Communists were blamed
- Communists were banned from parliament
- Many communists were imprisoned
- The Enabling Act allowed Hitler to use Article 48
- Nazis’ votes increased
11
Q
How did the Nazis consolidate power?
A
- Hitler got rid of political opponents outside the party
- Hitler got rid of political opponents within the party
- After Hindenburg died, Hitler made himself Führer
12
Q
What happened on the Night of the Long Knives?
A
- Many SA members were eliminated (Hitler thought that they were a threat to him as they had different views)
- SA leaders and important members were at a hotel
- SS raided the hotel and arrested Röhm
- SS killed around 100 SA members and leaders
- SS took control of the army
13
Q
What were characteristics of the Nazi government?
A
- Dictatorship
- Nazi party was the only party in Germany
- Many jobs were opened up
- Economic and social policies were introduced
- Gestapo and SS were prominent
- They used propaganda
14
Q
How did the Nazis intimidate the German Public?
A
- SS were prominent throughout the country
- Concentration camps were used
- People that were ‘undesirable’ were sent to concentration camps
- People would disappear which made people scared
- People told stories of their treatment when they reappeared
- Gestapo ensured that people didn’t talk ill about Hitler and the Nazis
15
Q
How was the treatment of minority groups in Nazi Germany?
A
- 85% of German gypsies killed
- Blacks and disabled were sterilised
- Jewish people were fired from public office and professions
- Jewish were seen as ‘subhuman’
- April boycott
- Nuremberg laws (1935)
- Kristallnacht (1938) (Jewish homes, shops, synagogues were attacked)
- Jews had to wear the Star of David
16
Q
How did people oppose the Nazis and what groups opposed them?
A
- All parties were banned when Nazis came into power (1933)
- People were scared to resist because of the Gestapo
- Protestants made their own churches to oppose Hitler’s church
- Swing Kids (Wore fashionable clothes and listened to swing music)
- The White Rose (made anti-Nazi leaflets)
- The Edelweiss Pirates (Painted anti-Nazi slogans and beat up Nazi officials)
17
Q
What were the Nuremberg Rallies?
A
- Thousands attended
- They aimed to show that the Nazis were powerful and organised
- Showed off thousands of soldiers, tanks and air force
- Hitler spoke at the rallies
- Swastikas were plastered everywhere
- Speeches were broadcasted on the radio
18
Q
What were economic policies in Nazi Germany?
A
- Couldn’t be fired (German Labour Front)
- The workers received an extra day holiday (German Labour Front)
- Strikes weren’t allowed
- Activities and trips were organised for workers (holidays, theatre visits and sports events) (Strength through Joy)
- An affordable car was promised (workers paid a bit of money every week, and when they hit the price for the car, they would receive it) (Strength through Joy)
- Work was militarised (wore military-like uniforms) (German Labour Service)
- Men were made to work for the government for 6 months (German Labour Service)
19
Q
What was Hitler youth and what was education like?
A
- Teachers had to be pro-Nazi
- Jewish teachers were sacked
- Subjects were biased towards Nazism (biology taught that Jews were inferior and pure Germans were superior)
- Physical exercise was important
- Textbooks had a military theme
- Girls were taught to be good mothers and wives
- Boys’ groups emphasised militarism
- Girls’ groups taught them how to be good mothers and wives
20
Q
What was the role of women in Nazi Germany?
A
- Were expected to stay at home
- Female doctors, teachers and civil servants were sacked
- Hitler wanted to grow the population
- Wed couples were given a loan of 1000 marks, and didn’t have to pay 250 marks for every child they had (The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage)
- Mothers with 8 or more kids were given gold medals
- Aryan women would have kids with SS members in Lebensborn centres
