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Rise of Authoritarian Regimes: Hitler

Unit 1: Rise of Authoritarian Regimes

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MASTERY

CHAPTER
ANALYSIS EXAM

WEIGHTAGE

2
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TIMELINE OF HITLER’S GERMANY: 1920– 1940s

HITLER’S RISE TO POWER

POLICIES INSTITUTED BY HITLER
CONSEQUENCES OF HITLER’S POLICIES
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Key Questions

1. Why did Hitler rise to power?

2. What policies did Hitler institute in the Soviet Union?

Answer in terms of economic, social and political policies

3. What were the economic, social and political consequences

of Hitler’s policies?
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Key Reasons for Hitler’s Rise to Power

Political weakness and ineffectiveness of the Weimar Government

During the Great Depression, the Weimar government proved to

be extremely ineffective. Due to problems arising from a deeply
fragmented parliament, the Weimar parliament was unable to
come to consensus on critical issues, resulting in massive
stagflation and a loss in public confidence. This pushed the public
to support more right-wing extremist parties such as the Nazi
Party.

Impact of the Great Depression

The Great Depression resulted in massive economic problems in

Germany, which triggered the outcry of public sentiment towards
the Weimar Government.
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Key Reasons for Hitler’s Rise to Power

Hitler’s own political aptitude

Hitler was a master politician and a good strategist with a keen

eye. He knew how to wait for the right moments to gain power
gradually. Due to this, he was able to gain power within the Nazi
Party and become its leader, through striking a deal with
conservatives within the party to stay in the competition as
frontrunner in the early 1930s.

Hitler was also an excellent orator and was extremely charismatic.

This earned him the charm of the German public who sincerely
believed in his sincerity. The people of Germany thus rallied
around him.
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Key Reasons for Hitler’s Rise to Power

Unfair terms of the Treaty of Versailles

The TOV imposed unfairly harsh restrictions on the German

people, demanding reparations which they could not afford. This
compounded onto the economic problems of the Great
Depression, indirectly pushing the people to vote for Hitler, who
was able to sway public adoration by denouncing the TOV.
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Hitler’s Policies in Germany

Economic

Hitler undertook a massive economic revitalization campaign,

where he pursued autarky (economic self-sufficiency) and
kickstarted massive public projects, such as the construction of
German automobiles and public infrastructure.

However, to fund these policies, Hitler exerted significant control

over the economy through limiting the freedom of workers in trade
unions. One example of this was the wage freeze imposed by the
Nazi Party in 1935. This ensured that labor was cheap and
conducive to the massive projects that the Nazi Party undertook in
Germany.
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Hitler’s Policies in Germany

Social

Hitler controlled people’s thinking through propaganda. The Nazi

Party engineered an elaborate propaganda project to stir up anti-
Semitic sentiments amongst the populace. One example of this is
the control of all forms of media to shape the national narrative to
fit the pro-Nazi image and to stir-up anti-Semitic feelings.

Hitler also began a campaign of persecuting minorities in Germany.

For example, in 1935, the Nuremberg laws were passed to enable
the systemic discrimination of Jews in Germany.

Hitler also created the Gestapo and SS to control the populace,

which used violence and informants to control the populace and
inhibit dissenting thoughts.
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Hitler’s Policies in Germany

Political

Hitler consolidated his power by getting rid of political opponents.

Hitler used the Reichstag fire incident to rid Germany of over 4000
communists, who were his strongest political opponents

Hitler expanded his political powers by using the law to set up a

totalitarian dictatorship. Hitler used the Enabling Act to grant himself
the powers of a legal dictator within Germany. He managed to turn
Germany into a one-party state, banning all other political parties.
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Economic Impact of Hitler’s Policies

Postive

By undertaking massive efforts to revitalize the German industries,

Hitler was able to counter stagflation and create many jobs for
Germans, creating an overall positive economic effect.

Negative

However, this benefit is limited in scope. This is because the exertion

of greater control over trade unions left workers more vulnerable to
exploitation from the rich. This resulted in the working class
suffering from a lack of economic freedom.
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Social Impact of Hitler’s Policies

Negative

Hitler’s rule created a police state and a climate of fear and

suspicion. Under his rule, the average person’s freedoms declined
significantly.

Hitler also persecuted many minorities, resulted in them suffering

significantly from his rule.
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Political Impact of Hitler’s Policies

Negative

Under Hitler, there was a significant loss in political freedoms.

Opposing politicians were removed with force, allowing for only the
Nazi Party to remain as the sole legal political party in Nazi Germany.

Dissenting politicians were met with swift and brutal violence. Nazi
Germany essentially left the people with not much political freedom.
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