Chapter-2

Nazism and the Rise of Hitler

In Second world war: The Allied Powers -The UK, France, the then USSR and USA

Axis Powers- Germany, Italy and Japan.

Genocidal war

1. Killing of a selected racial group by the other. Under the shadow of the Second World War,
Germany had started a genocidal war against Jews.
2. The number of people killed included 6 million Jews, 200,000 Gypsies, 1 million Polish
civilians, 70,000 Germans who were considered mentally and physically
disabled, besides innumerable political opponents.
3. Nazis devised an unique means of killing people, that is, by gassing them in various killing
centers.

What was international Military Tribunal?

1. After the Second World War the allied powers formed an international military court
(Tribunal) at Nuremberg to punish Nazi war criminals.
2. The Nuremberg Tribunal sentenced some leading Nazis to death. Many others were imprisoned
for life.

World War 1

Axis Powers: Germany, Austria

Allied Powers: England, France, Russia, USA (late entry)

Germany in the World War I

1. Germany, a powerful empire fought the First World War (1914-1918) alongwith the
Austrian empire and against the Allies (England, France and Russia.)
2. All joined the war enthusiastically hoping to gain from a quick victory.
3. Germany made initial gains by occupying France and Belgium.
4. But USA’s entry changed the course of the war.
5. Allies won the War by defeating Germany in November 1918.
 Birth of the Weimar Republic and its failure

1. The defeat of Germany in First World War led to the abdication/resignation of the
emperor. This changed Germany’s political structure. A National Assembly met at Weimar and
established a democracy. This assembly was called Weimer Republic. First Parliament,
Reichstag, was created in Germany and the representatives were now elected.
2. Its Failure: The Weimar Republic was unpopular for several reasons. It had some defects.
One defect was proportional representation. There were too many parties and no clear majority,
which led to a rule by coalitions.
3. Another defect was Article 48, which gave the President the powers to impose
emergency, suspend civil rights and rule by decree.
4. Within its short life, the Weimar Republic saw twenty different
cabinets (governments). People lost confidence in the democratic parliamentary system. It was
now when Hitler gave them faith to bring a change.

Versailles treaty- (A Pease treaty signed between Allied powers and Germany)

1. Germany lost its overseas colonies, a tenth of its population and 13 per cent of its territories.
2. 75 per cent of its iron mines and 26 per cent of its coal mines were given to France, Poland,
Denmark and Lithuania.
3. The Allied Powers demilitarized Germany to (not to possess more than one lakh soldiers)
weaken its power.
4. Germany was made responsible for the the damages that allied powers suffered in I World War
so Germany was forced to pay compensation amounting to £6 billion.
5. Rhineland- a resource rich part of Germany was occupied by allies.

November criminals

Weimer Republic was blamed for bringing disgrace to Germany as they signed the peace treaty
with the allies. This treaty dint favour Germany
The German politicians who negotiated and signed the treaty to bring an end to World War
One were called as November Criminals by those people who felt that surrendering was a
betrayal, a crime. Many of the November Criminals were leading members of the early Weimar
Republic,
 The Effects of the World War I in Germany

a. Psychological Effect

1. The First World War left a deep impression on European society. Soldiers were placed above
civilians.
2. Politicians and media laid great stress on the need for men to be aggressive, strong and
masculine.
3. media glorified trench life but the truth was that soldiers lived in these trenches miserably

c. Economic crisis of 1923 (Hyperinflation)

1. Germany had fought the war largely on loans and had to pay war compensations in gold. This
depleted gold reserves.
2. In 1923 Germany refused to pay so the French occupied its leading industrial area, Ruhr.
3. Germany retaliated and to come out of the problem it printed paper currency on a large scale.
With too much printed money in circulation, the value of the German mark fell.
4. With fall in the value of currency, the goods became very exoensive
5. This crisis came to be known as hyperinflation, a situation when prices rise
phenomenally high.

d. Economic Depression and its impact on Germany

1. The years between 1924 and 1928 were a little stable for Germany as USA gave short-term
loans to Germany. This support was withdrawn when the Wall Street Exchange crashed in 1929
in the USA.
2. Great Economic Depression in the USA started in 1929.
4. The German economy was the worst hit by the economic crisis. By 1932, industrial
production was reduced to 40 per cent, Workers lost their jobs, and number of unemployed
increased tremendously
4. Germans hung placards around their necks saying, ‘Willing to do any work.’
5. Unemployed youths started criminal activities.
6. The middle classes, especially salaried employees and pensioners, saw
their savings diminish/reduce when the currency lost its value.

e. Proletarianisation ( Fear of becoming poor)

1. The rich, small business men, middle class and self-employed persons developed a fear that at
any time they would become poor and come to street in poverty.
2. This group began to support Hitler and his ideas.
 Hitler's rise to power

1. Germany’s economic condition was very bad after the Wall Street crash in USA in 1929
2. The adverse conditions led to people’s dissatisfaction. It was at this time that Nazi’s gave
Germans a hope for the better future.
3. By 1932, Nazi Party had become largest party with 37% votes.
4. Hitler’s excellent speaking skills impressed the people. He promised to build a strong
nation and give employment to the people. He took public meetings to instil a sense of
unity among people. Hitler was shown as a messiah- a saviour, who could take people out
of distress. He promised people to weed out all foreign influences from Germany.

Hitler’s Promises

While the people of Germany were suffering because of defeat in war and the Great
Depression, Hitler made many promises to the people.

1. Hitler promised to build Germany in to a strong nation.

2. Hitler promised to undo the injustice of the Versailles Treaty and restore the dignity of the
German people.
3. He promised employment for those looking for work.
4. He promised to secure future of the youth.
5. He promised to weed out all foreign influences and resist all foreign conspiracies against
Germany.

Hitler’s Destruction of Democracy

1. On 30 January 1933, President Hindenburg offered the Chancellorship to Hitler. After

getting power, hitler wanted to dismantle the structures of democratic rule.
2. A mysterious fire broke out in the German Parliament building. This led to chaos among
people.
3. A Fire Decree was passed on 28 February 1933. The
rights like freedom of speech, press and assembly were taken away.
4. On 3 March 1933, the famous Enabling Act was passed. This Act sidelined the powers
of Parliament and established dictatorship in Germany. It gave Hitler
control over the economy, media, army and judiciary.
5. Changes in the Army brought by Hitler: Special surveillance and security forces were
created to control and order society in ways that the Nazis wanted. Apart from the already
existing regular police in green uniform, the Gestapo (secret state police), the SS (the
protection squads), criminal police and the Security Service (SD) were appointed.
 Reconstruction of German Economy by Hitler

Hitler chose war as a way out to take Germany out if crisis. He wanted to accumulate resources
through expansion of territories. He wanted to ensure food supplies and living space for
Germans.

1. He reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936

2. He integrated Austria and Germany in 1938 under the slogan, One people, One empire, and
One leader.
3. He acquired German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

Germany in the World War II

1. In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. This started a war with France and
England.
2. In September 1940, a Tripartite Pact was signed between Germany, Italy and Japan to
provide mutual assistance to each other.
3. Hitler wanted food supplies and living space for Germans because of which he wanted to
acquire Eastern Europe.
4. He attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941. The Soviet Army defeated Germany.
5. Meanwhile, Japan was planning an attack in US naval base in Pacific. US entered the war when
Japan supported Hitler and bombed US naval base at Pearl Harbour.
6. US dropped atom bomb on Hiroshima in Japan. When Japan didn't surrender, USA threw another
bomb on Nagasaki which ended the war with Japan and Germany's defeat.

Hitler's Practice/ ideologies from 1933 to 1945

1. Nazi's theory of Racism

They believed there was no equality between people but only racial hierarchy.

2. They divided people in 2 categories

Desirables- included blond, blue eyed Aryans.

Undesirables- included Jews, gypsies and blacks in Germany ( referred as rats or pests)
 3. Nazi believed that the strongest race should survive and dominate and the weak ones should
perish.

4 The other ideology of Hitler’s was Lebensraum, or living space. He believed that new
territories had to be acquired for settlement. This would enhance the area of the mother country,
and the material resources to be used for Germany.

5.They wanted a pure and healthy society of Aryans. The Germans who were seen as impure
had no right to exist.

6. Under the Euthanasia Programme, Nazi officials killed many Germans who were considered
mentally or physically unfit.

7. They used racial science to justify their theories.

What formed the basis of Nazi's Theory of Racism?

1. Hitler's theory of racism was borrowed from Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer.

2. Charles Darwin explained the creation of plants and animals through the concept of evolution
and natural extinction.

Herbert Spencer gave the theory of survival of the fittest in which he stated that only those
species who could adapt themselves to changing climatic conditions could survive.

3. Hitler used the two theories to explain that the Jews were unfit to survive. However, these
theories were never given in context to human beings.

The Racial Utopia and Treatment to Polish (people of Poland) Civilians

Hitler wanted to create a perfect state with Nazi ideologies

1. Occupied Poland was divided up. North-western Poland was taken by Germany. Poles were
forced to leave their homes and properties behind to be occupied by Germans
2. Poles were taken as cattles to the destination that was for all the undesirables. This destination
was called General Government. This had Ghettos and gas chambers for killing the
undesirables.
2. Members of the Polish intelligentsia were murdered in large numbers.
3. Polish children who looked like Aryans were forcibly snatched from their mothers and
examined by race experts. If they passed the race tests they were raised in German families
and if not, they were deposited in orphanages where most perished.

Treatment given to the racially inferior class

A) From 1933 to 1938

( stage of exclusion)

1. Jews were terrorised, isolated and were forced to leave the country.

2. Jewish business was boycotted.

3. They were expelled from government services.

4. Houses were attacked and they were forced to sell properties.

B) From 1939 to 1945 ( stage of Ghettoization)

1. Jews were concentrated in gas chambers and were killed.

2. They were stamped with an identity mark and were sent to ghettos and concentration camps
where they lived in extreme poverty.

3. Faced hunger, starvation and disease due to poor hygiene.

4. From ghettos and camps they were sent to death factories in Poland where they were put in
gas chambers for mass killings.
 Youth in Nazi Germany

Happenings in schools

1. Schools were cleansed and purified. This means that the teachers who were Jews were
dismissed.

2. Children were segregated. Jews, physically handicapped and gypsies were thrown out of
schools and later taken to gas chambers.

3. Good German children were given Nazi schooling where they were taught Nazi ideologies and
Racial Science. They were taught to hate Jews and worship Hitler.

4. Children were taught Boxing to make them aggressive, strong and iron- hearted.

5. They were taught that women were different from men and should not be given equal rights.

Role of Youth Organisations

1. They educated German Youth.

2. Jugvolk ( a nazi youth group of under 14 children) was to be joined by children at the age
of 10.

3. Youth joined the Nazi Youth organisation and learnt to worship war, violence, to hate Jews
and gypsies.

4. At 18, they had to serve in armed forces of Germany.

Role of women in Nazi Society

1 Girls were told that they had to become good mothers and give birth to Aryan children.
2 Girls had to maintain the purity of the race and distance
themselves from Jews, look after the home, and teach their children Nazi values.
2 In Nazi Germany all mothers were not treated equally. Women who gave
birth racially undesirable children were punished and those who produced racially desirable
children were awarded. They were given favoured treatment in hospitals and concessions in
shops , theatre tickets and railway fares.
3 To encourage women to produce many children, Honour Crosses were awarded. A bronze
cross was given for four children, silver for six and gold for eight or more.
4 All Aryan women who deviated from the prescribed code of conduct were severely
punished. Those who maintained contact with Jews, Poles and Russians were paraded through
the town with shaved heads and blackened faces.

The art of propaganda/misinformation

1. The nazis were careful with the language they used in the media.

2. They never used the words such as 'killing' or 'murder'. Instead they used deceptive terms such
as 'special treatment' and 'final solution'.

3. Some other words that they used were- euthanasia for the disabled, disinfection areas for gas
chambers and evacuation for deportation of the Jews to gas chambers.

4. Media was used to win the support for the regime. In posters, groups identified as the enemies
of Germans were stereotyped, mocked, abused and described as evil

5. Propaganda films were made to create hatred for Jews. ( example- The Eternal Jew)

6. Orthodox Jews were shown with flowing beards wearing kaftans. They were referred to as
vermin, rats and pests. Their movements were compared to those of rodents.

People's reaction to Nazism/ How did the common people react to Nazism?

1. There was a section if people who actually believed that nazism would bring prosperity and
improve the general well-being.
2. They felt hatred and anger surge inside them when they saw someone who looked like a Jew.
They marked the houses of Jews and reported suspicious neighbours
3. But not every German was a Nazi. There were few who resisted nazism. But sadly, the large
majority of Germans were passive onlookers who were scared to protest.
 What did Jews feel in Nazi Germany?

1. In a book Third Reich of Dreams it is described how Jews themselves began believing in the
Nazi stereotypes about them. They dreamt of their hooked noses, black hair and eyes, Jewish
looks and body movements.

3. The stereotypical images publicised in the Nazi press them even in their dreams. Jews
died many deaths even before they reached the gas chamber.

How does the world get to know about the Holocaust?

1. Holocaust is the term given to the atrocities and sufferings the Jews endured during the Nazi
killing operations.

2. Jews wanted the world to remember the atrocities and sufferings they had endured during the Nazi
killing operations. They collected and preserved documents wrote diaries, kept notebooks, and
created archives/records which are called the Holocaust.

3. Even though the Nazi leadership tried their best to destroy all the evidences available in the office,
the memory of the holocaust lives in the diaries, fiction, documentaries, poetry and memorials in
many parts if the world today.