PAPER TWO REVISION - HITLER

Political Conditions in Germany After 1918:

• Weimar Republic established after WWI

• Economic instability and hyperinflation

• Treaty of Versailles humiliation

• Rise of extremist parties like Nazis

• Weakening of democratic institutions

• Hindenburg's appointment of Hitler as Chancellor

Contribution to Authoritarian State:

• Weak democratic foundations

• Economic crisis fueled support for strong leadership

• Hitler's consolidation of power through propaganda and fear tactics

• Enabling Act of 1933 granting Hitler dictatorial powers

GER RULED BY AUTHORITARIAN KAISER WILHELM II. REICHSTAG (ELECTED PARLIAMENT) PROVISIONS WERE MADE BUT NEVER ALLOWED TO DEVELOP FULLY → POLITICAL TENSIONS. TO TAKE AWAY ATTENTION FROM THIS, KAISER PURSUED AN AMBITIOUS FP LEADING TO WW1 IN 1914 → DESTROYED IMPERIAL REGIME. KAISER ABDICATED AFTER COUNTRY FELL APART, A REPUBLIC WAS DECLARED

KAISER ABDICATED. A NEW SOCIAL GOVT UNDER FREDERICH EBERT SIGNED AN ARMSTICE IN NOV 1918, IN JAN 1919 A DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUTION WAS DRAWN IN THE TOWN OF WEIMAR (SHOCK TO GERMANS)

TOV → FURTHER ANGER, GERMANY HAD LOST LAND AND HOLDINGS, SEVERELY RESTRICTED MILITARY AND DEMILITARISED RHINELAND + REPARATIONS = COMPLETELY HUMILIATED, AND ANCHLUSS FORBIDDEN

VOTING BASED ON PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION → COALITION GOVTS AND CONSTANT CHANGES WEAKENED THE GOVT. PRESIDENT ALSO HAD LOT OF POWER → APPOINTED THE CHANCELLOR AND COULD RULE BY DECREE IN EMERGENCIES. THE POLITICAL WEAKNESS LED THIS GOVT TO BE ATTACKED OFTEN FROM EXTREMIST GROUPS.

REPARATIONS, OCCUPATION OF THE RUHR → PASSIVE RESISTANCE, ORDERED BY GOVT → HYPERINFLATION IN 1923, FIXED BY NEW CURRENCY IN 1924, BUT STILL SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE, ONLY GOT WORSE AFTER 1929 WALL STREET CRASH IN WHICH THE US RECALLED ITS LOANS

THROUGH HITLER’S EXPERIENCE. LIVED ROUGH IN VIENNA BEFORE WW1, TURNED HIM NATIONALIST AND ANTI SEMITE. BITTERLY DISAPPOINTED ABOUT ARMSTICE IN 1918 AND HUMILIATION OF TOV IN 1919. DEMOCRACY = WEAKNESS, SOCIALISTS WERE COMMUNISTS TAINED BY JEWISH.

NAZIS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE WEIMAR GOVT. NO CANDIDATES WERE PUT FOR ELECTION BEFORE 1924 BUT PARTY STEADILY GREW THROUGH 1920S.

• 1921, SA, CREATED, PARAMILITARY FORCE.

• “People’s observer” newspaper

• Nazis attracted ex-soldiers and Freikorps which matched in values

• Nov 1923 → Beer hall putsch, Hitler became known when he was arrested after conspiring with 3 right-wing leaders to overthrow govt. One called army and police and Hitler thrown in jail, due to right wing judiciary only 5 years, but he really just served 9mo. Here he wrote mein kampf. BHP FAILED BUT PROPAGANDIST SUCCESS

WITHDRAWAL OF US LOANS + COLLAPSE IN EXPORT MARKET, HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT, ONE-THIRD OF GERMANS HAD NO REGULAR WAGE → FUEL FOR EXTREMISTS. WHILE THE CURRENT GOVT GRAND COALITION CRUMBLED IN MAR 1933, NAZIS KEPT UP PRESSURE WITH “ENERGY, DEMAND FOR DISCIPLINE, SACRIFICE AND ACTION” (ALAN BULLOCK).

• SEPT 1930, OBTAINED 107 SEATS IN RE, PREVIOUS 12.

• SECOND ROUND JUL 1932, 230 BUT EXHAUSTED.

• NOV 1932 → SUP DECLINED, KPD WENT UP. CONSERVATIVE ELITE TURN TO HITLER

Hitler called for immediate elections + massive propaganda campaign. Helped by Reichstag Fire 27 Feb 1933, he blamed communists and asked Hindenburg to declare an emergency decree for the protection of people and state. With power to search, he deleted his opps before elections took place

Enabling Act - "Law to Remedy the Distress of the People and the Reich." Allowed Hitler to act on his own without approval from Reichstag and President. → Basis for dictatorship. Destroyed power of Reichstag. Just 4mo later Hitler set up single party authoritarian state. Combined his legal powers and threat of force to remove/nazify groups that may limit his power, Gleichschaltung → lingering democracy destroyed

Mar-Jul 1933 all other political parties disbanded

• KPD BANNED

• EXTREME OPPS SOCIALISTS DELETED

• OTHERS W COALITION DISSOLVED THEMSELVES DNVP

• ONLY NAZIS FOR NOV ELECTIONS → TOOK ALL SEATS

• BY APR 1933, NON ARYANS RESIGNED FROM THEIR POSTIONS

• TRADE UNIONS DISSOLVED 1933

• NEW ACADEMIES ESTABLISHED TO CONTROL EDUCATION + JOIN NSLB(NSTL)

• SIGN DECLARATION IN SUPP OF HITLER

• STATE LEGALLY ESTABLISHED IN 1933 DEC BUT PARALLEL INSTS DEVELOPED, COMPETITION WITHIN STATE AND DIFF BRANCES OF NAZI PARTY

• INTENTIONALISTS EG BRACHER : ON PURPOSE TO MAINTAIN FULL CONTROL

• STRUCTURALISTS EG BROSZAT : UNINTENTIONAL DUE TO LAZINESS AND DISINTEREST

• ALTHOUGH COMPLETE, HITLER NOT SECURE TILL SA DEALT WITH

SA WAS VIOLENT AND UNCONTROLLABLE. THEY WANTED A SECOND REVOLUTION. LEADER ROHM WANTED TO PLACE HIMSELF AS THE HEAD OF A MERGED SA AND ARMY, ROHM OPENLY CONDEMNED HITLER’S COOPERATION WITH THE ELITE. HITLER COULDN’T UPSET ARMY, SO INCREASINGLY TOOK VIEW THAT SA SHOULD BE DISPOSED OF. 85(200) WERE KILLED JUNE 1934 → NOT ONLY SA, VON PAPEN HOURSE ARREST, GREGOR STRASSER SHOT, SCHLEICHER SHOT → CONFIRMED HITLER’S AUTHORITY AND REICHSTAG CONDONED MURDER

GOEBBELS PORTRAYED HITLER AS COUNTRY’S SAVIOR → GREW PERSONALITY CULT + SS ASSUMED DOMINANCE AND HITLER GAINED SUPPORT OF ARMY

ONLY ARMY COULD STOP HITLER, CAREFUL TO LEAVE THEM UNCHANGED TILL 1938, BUT INDOCTRINATED THEM MEANWHILE. HOWEVER FRICTION OVER HITLER RUSHING EVERYTHING, + ROLE OF SS

ARMY FAVOURED TOV REVERSAL AND LIMITED CONQUEST TO RESTORE OLD EMPIRE BUT AGAINST IDEA OF WAR WITH RUSSIA. HE DISMISSED AND RESHUFFLED THOSE WHO DID NOT AGREE WITH HIM, BRINGING THE CONSOLIDATION OF HIS POWER TO A CLOSE.

• REMILITARISATION OF RHINELAND 1936

• ANSCHLUSS 1938

• FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS SUCH AS ROMMEL

• CONFIDENT AND FAITHFUL ORATOR → OPTIMISM FOR A BROKEN COUNTRY

• PASSIONATE COMMITMENT → EMOTIONAL NEED FOR STRONG FIGUREHEAD

• POLICY SUCCESS + PROPAGANDA → MAN WITH A UNIQUE MISSION

• KERSHAW FUHRER MYTH

• ALMOST RELIGIOUS & GODLY

• LAZY, WORKING TOWARDS HITLER

• SET UP MINISTRY OF ENLIGHTENMENT AND PROPAGANDA UNDER GOEBBELS WHICH CONTROLLED MEDIA

• VÖLKSEMPFÄNGER

• QUOTES AND SLOGANS EVERYWHERE

• CINEMA, RADIO, IMAGERY

• DIFFICULT TO EVALUATE DUE TO REPRESSION, BUT ABUNDANCE OF PROPAGANDA DEF REINFORCED THAN COUNTERING EXISTING ATTITUDES (DAVID WELCH)

VERY LITTLE BUT THERE WAS SOME

• PRIVATE: BANNED LITERATURE, FOREIGN NEWS BROADCASTS, PROTECT JEWS EG. SOME YOUNG ONES LISTENED TO AMERICAN JAZZ MUSIC OR JOIN EDELWEISS PIRATES/ ANTI NAZI JOKES eg kershaw

• LEAFLETS, SLOGANS, EXILE

• WHITE ROSE

• CHANGE THE WAY PPL THINK AND BEHAVE → VOLKSGEMEINESCHAFT = NATIONAL COMMUNITY, EVERYONE IN SOCIETY WORKED TO SUPPORT OTHERS + CONTRIBUTE TO GREATER GOOD OF NATION OR VOLK (TOTALITARIAN CONTROL, ACT AS ONE)

• DO NOT DESTROY CLASS DIVISIONS, BUT CONFORM THEM TO BACKWARD TRADITIONAL NAZI THINKING

• NO CLEAR PLAN IN 1933

• hitler wanted industrialisation and rearmament

• but instead in 1930, raise employment through public work projects due to schact

• schact wanted to slow down rearmament and tend to needs to civillians but this got him replaced by goering

• → more aligned w hitler + autarky (self sufficient economy) → 4 year plan

LABOR POLICIES

• every worker a soldier of society

• labor front controlled workforce

• provisions for insurings and educations of children

• speer increased ecconomy but couldnt handle by 1944

• relied on prisoners and foreigners during war

• goebbels 1933

• unite nation under hitler

• radio film posters

• hitler + swastika always in a positive light

• fuhrer principal

• elimination of non aryan influence

• political rallies 24/7

• press was control and censored, daily conferences

• radios in every home

• censorship in art

• indoctrination, nazi ideals

• youth groups → gender roles

• pro nazi vision through biology, history and german, even math

• jews teachers and students prohibited

eg

• hitler youth, bdm absolute loyalty to hitler, physical activity, training for war

• bdm: becoming mothers

• by 1939, compulsory

• encouraged to procreate, purely ideally domestic

• reward motherhood

• leave workplace given loans generously

• abortion illegal

• financial benefits for children

• many kids = awards + honour

• war needs pushed women back into workforce by 1942

• non aryans - 1933, forced sterillisations for defects etc

• 1939 - eugenics, kill defectives (outrage)

jews main target, only 1%

• escalated over time

• 1933, open harrasment against jews

• no civil service jobs

• 1935 nuremberg race laws, took away rights from jews

• no jew non jew marriage

• loss of citizenship

• 1938: no doctors, business, no students, curfews for jews, polish jews expelled, forced removal plans began

• nov 1938 kristallnacht, pogrom, killed german diplomat in paris by jew → synagogues, shops, many jews killed and sent to camps

• 1939, war begans, deportation and murders of jews by SS till 1942

• 1942: more systematic killing → final solution: kill them all, deportation till death or immediate killing

• 1942-1945 holocaust → death camps

• overturn tov

• get territory with germans

• get lebensraum in eastern europe

• tov: withdraw from lon, begin rearmament 1933

• non agression pact 1934 poland, germany

• saar plebiscite: vote which nation they wanna be a part of → germany due to propaganda

• german rearmament since 1933, 500k peacetime army

• remilitarise rhineland, successful, 1936

• rome berlin axis 1936 oppose communism

• scw 1936-1939, try out air force + support right wing

• political union anschluss austria 1938

• sudetenland → allowed to take, but leave rest, but he just took it all