Unit 4 & 5: The Nazi Dictatorship and The Radical State (1933-1941) Flashcards
they mostly cover the same date range so i have combined them together to save myself a lot of effort (37 cards)
1
Q
June 1929 - Young Plan
A
- Drafted at Hague in 1929
- Reduced reparations from 132 billion gold marks to 112 billion paid over 59 years
- Led the establishment of the Geneva Protocol.
2
Q
October 1929 - Wall Street crash
A
- High unemployment in October 1929.
- The rising cost of unemployment benefit strains state finances.
- Falling tax revenues cause serious budget deficit by 1929 end.
3
Q
March 1930 - Collapse of muller coalition
A
- Represented five political parties: the left wing in the SPD and the moderate right wing in the DVP.
- This balance was part of its strengths and weaknesses.
4
Q
hindenburg
April 1932 – Election
A
- Hindenburg won a second seven-year term against Hitler with 53% of the national vote.
- Hindenburg becomes President of the Weimar Republic.
5
Q
May 1932 - Brüning resigns
A
Brüning resigned in response to the refusal to his land distribution policy which offended Hindenburg.
6
Q
July 1932 – Election
A
The Nazis become the major party in the Reichstag with 230 seats (37%)
7
Q
30th January 1933 - Hitler becomes chancellor
A
- Appointed by Hindenburg.
- Leads to the collapse of democracy in Germany.
8
Q
27th February 1933 - Reichstag fire
A
- Destroyed German Parliament.
- Believed to be a contrived attack by Nazi government to control public opinion.
- Dutch communist, Van der Lubbe, found in the building, blamed for the fire.
9
Q
March 1933 - Election
A
The Nazis continue being the major party in the Reichstag with 288 seats (43%)
10
Q
March 1933 - Enabling Act
A
Allowed Hitler to pass laws without the involvement of the Reichstag or President.
11
Q
April 1933 - Anti-Semitic Laws Passed
A
- Boycott of Jewish Shops - failure because nobody knows what constitutes a Jewish person
- Law Against the Overcrowding of German Schools - no jewish teachers or students
- Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service
- No Jews to practice as doctors or lawers despite making up a 1/10th of each industry
12
Q
May 1933 - Trade unions banned
A
- Trade unions in Germany abolished with leaders arrested.
- Hitler used this to control German workers.
- Christian and liberal trade unions voluntarily submitted to Nazi control.
- German Labour Front (DAF) replaced unions, seized unions’ money and property.
13
Q
July 1933 - All non-Nazi political parties banned
A
Furthers the loss of democracy because of lack of political freedoms.
14
Q
June 1934 - Night of the long knives (Operation Hummingbird)
A
- This was caused by SA under Ernst Rohm pressing for a ‘second revolution’; felt this was causing concern among army elites who felt threatened by the SA’s power.
- 400 died, including Kurt von Schleider.
- Franz von Papen was placed under house arrest.
- Power of the SS was reduced.
15
Q
August 1934 - Death of Hindenburg
A
- Hitler could get away with more extreme orders as the only thing stopping him was Hindenburg.
- The Army owed Hindenburg their loyalty, not Hitler.
- Hitler was able to merge the roles of Chancellor and President to create the Fuher (no election for this).
- Plebiscite follows Hindenburg’s death.
16
Q
March 1935 - Hitler announce start of rearmament
A
- Rearmament financed by Mifo Bills.
- Direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles; no country intervened.
17
Q
September 1935 - Nuremberg laws
A
- Aimed to increase Nazi persecution of Jews.
- The Reich Citizenship Law - no Jew as a German citizen, removing their voting and passport rights.
- Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour - illegal for Jews to marry or have sexual relations with non-Jews.
18
Q
1936 – The Reich Church founded
A
- The Reich Church was founded in 1936 and aligned with Protestant beliefs
- Used a Nazified version of the Lord’s prayer.
- Hung swastika flags in the churches.
- The Aryan Paragraph forbid Jews who converted to Christianity from joining the Reich Church.
19
Q
1936 – Four Year plan
A
- Helped Germany prepare for war (began in 1936 but war starred in 1939, putting Germany a year behind schedule).
- Production targets were set for private companies.
- New state-owned plants were established to increase production.
- increased focus on production of coal, iron and steel.
- Research inti substitute products such as oil from coal.
20
Q
March 1936 - German troops enter Rhineland
A
- Contravened Treaties of Versailles and Locarno.
- France and Britain lacked preparedness for military response.
21
Q
July 1936 - Hitler youth made education movement
A
- Boys aged 14-18 had to attend the Hitler Youth, which became compulsory (taught how to be soldiers)
- Girls aged 14-18 had to attend the German League of Young Girls (taught how to be mothers and housewives)
22
Q
August 1936 - Olympic Games in Berlin
A
- Nazi Germany used the Olympics to portray a strong, united Germany, hiding its persecution of Jews and Roma.
- The US and Europe called for a boycott of the Olympics due to human rights abuses, setting a precedent for future boycott campaigns.
- The boycott narrowly failed, but Germany’s propaganda coup legitimized the regime in the eyes of the 49 nations sending teams.
23
Q
1937 - Encyclical letter from the pope criticizing repression of Catholic Church
A
Only direct foreign opposition to the Nazis by this point.
24
Q
1938 – Jewish Discrimination
A
- 1938 - Decree for the Registration of Jewish property
- September 1938 - Banned from public spaces
- October 1938 - Jewish passports stamped with J
25
# LEBENSRAUM
March 1938 - Annexes Austria in Anschluss
* The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.
* The formal union of Austria with Germany.
* Adolf Hitler's dream of a 'Greater Germany' encompassing all German speakers.
26
September 1938 - Munich Agreement
* Signed between Germany, Italy, Great Britain and France.
* Czechoslovakia surrenders Sudeten region to Nazi Germany.
* German troops occupy Sudeten regions from October 1-10, 1938.
27
9-10 November 1938 – Reichkristallnacht
* A pogrom against Jews by Nazi Party's SA and SS, with participation from Hitler Youth and German civilians.
* Began with the assassination of German diplomat Ernst von Rath by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old Polish Jew living in Paris.
* The attacks resulted in the looting of about 7,500 Jewish businesses, at least 91 deaths, and vandalism of Jewish facilities.
* Around 30,000 Jewish males were arrested.
28
# September 1939-June 1941 - Phase 1:
1939 - Hitler youth compulsory
* Boys aged 14-18 had to attend the Hitler Youth (taught how to be soldiers)
* Girls aged 14-18 had to attend the German League of Young Girls (taught how to be mothers and housewives)
29
# September 1939-June 1941 - Phase 1:
March 1939 – Occupy Czechoslovakia
* Adolf Hitler annexed the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia after Austria's Anschluss and Munich Agreement.
* Left Czechoslovakia with an indefensible northwestern border.
* Poland occupied Trans-Olza, a Polish-majority borderland region.
* Hungary received the southern territories of Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia.
30
# September 1939-June 1941 - Phase 1:
August 1939 – Nazi-Soviet Pact
* Non-aggression agreement that outlined respective spheres of influence in Eastern Europe.
* Paved way for invasion and occupation of Poland.
* Significantly impacted early stages of World War II.
* Bound to end in betrayal because of Hitler’s distain for communism.
31
# September 1939-June 1941 - Phase 1:
September 1939 - Invade Poland
* Initiated on September 1, 1939, marking the start of World War II.
* Led to a joint assault by Germany and the Soviet Union, following the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
* Involved over 66,000 Polish soldiers and civilians.
* Had profound implications for Poland and the war course.
32
# September 1939-June 1941 - Phase 1:
October 1939 - Euthanasia approved
Allowed the euthanasia of the mentally and physically disabled.
33
# September 1939-June 1941 - Phase 1:
1940 - Madagascar Plan
* Proposed by Franz Rademacher in June 1940.
* Adopted in early 1940; abandoned in late 1940.
* Plan involved resettling one million Jews annually over four years to Madagascar, a police state run by the SS.
34
# September 1939-June 1941 - Phase 1:
1940 - Ghettos set up
* Set up after WWII invasion of Poland.
* Segregated Jews and Romani people into small towns/cities.
* Enhanced exploitation of these groups.
35
# September 1939-June 1941 - Phase 1:
1941 – Einsatzgruppen
* Deployment groups of Nazi Germany.
* Responsible for mass murder during WWII.
* Primarily shot Untermenschen dead before more effective methods were devised.
* Operated in German-occupied Europe.
36
# June-December 1941 - Phase 2:
June 1941 - Invade USSR
* Operation Barbarossa.
* German invasion of Russia.
* Height of the German population's support for the Nazis.
37
# June-December 1941 - Phase 2:
December 1941 - Germany declare war on USA
* Four days after the Pearl Harbor attack.
* Three days after US declaration of war against Imperial Japan.
* Responds to US's "series of provocations" during neutrality.
