Nazis 1933-1949

Question 1

What led to the Nazis coming to power?

Answer 1

1929 Wall Street Crash
Elites and middle classes losing faith in democracy after coalition governments
“Stabbed In The Back Myth”

Question 2

Stats on the 1929 Wall Street Crash

Answer 2

By 1932:
6 million unemployed
The economy was 58% the size it was in 1928

Question 3

How did the 1929 impact Germany

Answer 3

The German economy was built on US loans.
The crash caused the USA to demand their money back from the Dawes Plan
US investors also pulled out of Germany

Question 4

What led to increased extremism towards the end of Weimar?

Answer 4

Bruning ruling through Article 48, showing that democracy had failed

Question 5

Details of Bruning’s stint as chancellor

Answer 5

Began in 1930
Ruled a minority government without SPD support
Used Article 48 to force through finance bill despite Reichstag rejecting it
Called for the Reichstag to be dissolved and elections to be called
Dismissed in 1932 after losing Hindenburg’s support

Question 6

Election results 1930

Answer 6

Nazis 18%
KPD 13%

Question 7

How many times did Bruning use Article 48?

Answer 7

109

Question 8

How did Bruning attempt to control the rise in extremism?

Answer 8

1932 ended reparation payments
Banned the Nazis’ SA

Question 9

How did Schleicher use the Nazis?

Answer 9

As Hitler stood for president in 1932, Schleicher thought he could use the Nazis to get the old elites back into power.
Von Papen appointed as chancellor in 1932

Question 10

How did Hitler become chancellor?

Answer 10

Schleicher and Strasser tried to take Hitler’s position so that a compromise with the Nazis could be met
Hitler found out and expelled Strasser
Von Papen negotiated a compromise that Hitler would be chancellor and he would be vice

Question 11

Evidence for how Hitler got into power

Answer 11

Economics:
- 1923 Hyperinflation
- 1929 Wall Street Crash
Opposition
- Stabbed In The Back Myth
Governance
- Coalition governments being vastly ineffective
- Von Papen misjudging and appointing him as chancellor

Question 12

How did Hitler turn Germany into an authoritarian state?

Answer 12

Reichstag Fire 1933
- Decree for the Protection of the People and State
Enabling Act 1933
- Extended these powers for 4 years
1933
- Trade Unions banned
- Political Parties banned

Question 13

What did the “Decree for the Protection of the People and State” set out?

Answer 13

Political opponents could be arrested and detained without trial
KPD was banned
SA and SS could do whatever they wanted in suppressing opposition forces

Question 14

How did the Nazis pass the Enabling Act despite only winning 43% of the vote?

Answer 14

Collaboration with Zentrum and DNVP

Question 15

When and what was the “Night of the Long Knives”

Answer 15

1934
Hitler ordered the SS to kill key SA leaders and political opponents
85 people died

Question 16

What was Volksgemeinschaft?

Answer 16

Hitler’s plan for society which saw a race based system, not class divisions

Question 17

Evidence for Hitler’s racialist society

Answer 17

Blood and Soil
Key Nazi concepts of racial hygiene, eugenics and survival of the fittest
Girls were taught racial theory

Question 18

Evidence for worsening position of women under the Nazis

Answer 18

Not counted in the employment figures
Married women banned from civil service jobs
Child rearing loans, marriage loans and Cross of Honour of The German Mother all disincentivised women from working
HOWEVER
Many supported returning to traditional roles
Amidst the second world war, women cam back into employment

Question 19

Evidence for worsened position of the working class under the Nazis

Answer 19

DAF replaced unions and kept wages low
Banning of political parties inhibited their representation
Only skilled workers saw pay rises
Whilst some goods were cheaper, they weren’t at the level of the UK or USA

Question 20

Evidence for improved position of the working class under the Nazis

Answer 20

Holiday schemes to Norway and Italy for racial workers
Better facilities in factories for workers
More mobility for racial workers under Volksgemeinschaft
Most goods fell in price
Wages were rising faster than costs, making people feel richer

Question 21

How did the Nazis influence the youth?

Answer 21

Hitler Youth and BDM made compulsory in 1936
School curriculum focused on German history, sports and racial studies
Boys taught military skills
Girls taught homemaking and racial studies

Question 22

How did the Nazis enforce the terror state?

Answer 22

Himmler was head of SS, police and Gestapo
The SS ran concentration and death camps and had military units
The Gestapo acted as a secret police and created a culture of silence and fear and acted beyond the law to those opposing the Nazis
Political opponents were sent to camps

Question 23

Evidence for opposition the the Nazis

Answer 23

Uprising in Sobibor Concentration Camps
Edelweiss Pirates - helped Jews to hide or escape Conc. Camps
Some hid Jews and shared food with them
Some church leaders opposed the Nazis such as Neimoller’s confession church

Question 24

When and what were the Nuremburg Laws?

Answer 24

1935
Prevented mixed marriages between Jews and non Jews

Question 25

When and what was the Kristallnacht?

Answer 25

1938 A night of violence that saw the destruction of Jewish property and synagogues as well as Jews being sent to camps

Question 26

Evidence for the persecution of Jews

Answer 26

Had to wear yellow stars, moved into ghettos, transported to concentration camps Jewish shops boycotted Kristallnacht 50% of the Jewish population of Europe was murdered

Question 27

How did Hitler govern Germany?

Answer 27

Hitler found the day to day governing of Germany boring and left many decisions to his subordinates The system was polycratic Hitler stayed above politics to separate himself from any failures to retain the support of the German people

Question 28

Key Nazis and their roles:

Answer 28

Goering - Military Himmler - Security Goebbels - Propaganda Bormann - Hitler's personal secretary

Question 29

How did Hitler hope to change the economy?

Answer 29

Autarky Lebensraum for additional resources

Question 30

Stats for economy 1932-1933

Answer 30

1933 Unemployment was at 8.5 million Hitler alleviated peasant debts and established the Reich Food Estate which introduced tariffs, driving up prices By 1932,Germany's economy was only 70% the size it was in 1913

Question 31

How did the Nazis seek to reduce unemployment?

Answer 31

Jews and women not considered in employment figures 1933 - Government spending on autobahn, private subsidies for construction firms and tax reliefs on big businesses 1935 - RAD, Conscription (over 1 million men)

Question 32

How was the economy geared towards war?

Answer 32

Autarky Mefo bills to re arm Germany Goering's 4 year plan from 1936 (focus on Ersatz products, worsen condition of workers)

Question 33

What happened to peoples' living standards under the Nazis?

Answer 33

They were limited in growth due to the rearmament yet propaganda led people to believe that they were better off

Question 34

How did the Nazis use art as propaganda?

Answer 34

it depicted strong and healthy Aryan men and women

Question 35

What did the Nazis do regarding the media?

Answer 35

Censorship of radio and film Films propagated stereotypes e.g. "The Eternal Jew" Books were burnt and censored Jazz was banned for being African-American

Question 36

What was the state of the economy by 1939?

Answer 36

Struggling This led Hitler to increasingly aggressive foreign policy

Question 37

When was the Munich Conference and what happened at it?

Answer 37

1938 Invasion into Poland was marked as a red line

Question 38

Second World War economy info

Answer 38

Speer was in charge Set up a central planning board Encouraged the employment of women as discouraged skilled workers being conscripted He standardised units of measurement to increase efficiency, increasing the productivity of each worker by 60% The economy faced issues regarding a lack of raw materials and poor resource management

Question 39

What was the short term legacy of the Second World War

Answer 39

Red Army had committed mass rape 6.5 million dead 20 million homeless 7 million more women than men 25% of buildings in Germany had been destroyed 12-14 million Germans were expellees Food shortages

Question 40

How did the zones work separately?

Answer 40

Each zone decided reparations separately The East gave Poland territory which would then, in turn, go to the USSR The East began sovietisation with the SED leader being Ulbricht Bizonia 1947 Trizonia 1948

Question 41

How did Bizonia and Trizonia lead to increased collaboration?

Answer 41

Bizonia - US and UK zones collaborated through the use of Marshall Aid Trizonia - Currency reform to Deutschmark - Central bank established - Plan for a West German government and increased Marshall Aid

Question 42

How did the USSR respond to Bizonia/Trizonia?

Answer 42

They claimed it violated Potsdam and blockaded Berlin The Western Powers airlifted supplies to Berlin

Question 43

When and what was the Basic Law?

Answer 43

1949 Established the new West German constitution In May 1949, the FRG was created

Question 44

What were the results of the 1949 Elections?

Answer 44

CDU/CSU winning 31% SPD won 29% Adenauer became chancellor by 1 vote

Question 45

What happened to each German economy?

Answer 45

The West experienced free market capitalism The East was sovietised

Question 46

How was denazification achieved?

Answer 46

Nuremburg trials saw 21 major Nazi leaders trialled for war crimes Many saw the trials as revengeful