Unit 1: The rise of Nazi Germany

•The end of World War I

•Treaty of Versailles 1919 and brief
summary of German punishments
• The Weimar Republic
Keyword Definition
Abdicate Give up the throne.
Armistice An agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting.
Assassinated When a person is deliberately killed, usually for political reasons.
Constitution A set of written principles according to which a state is governed.
Communists People who believed that there should be no classes in
society; they believe that the State should own all properties
in a country and everyone must “work according to their ability
and be paid according to their need.
Conservatives People who want to do things the way they were done in
the past.
Demilitarise An area where no troops or military bases are allowed.
d Zone

Reparations Money paid by the losing side to those that suffered during a war.
Republic A form of government where power is held by the people
and there is an elected president rather than a monarch
(king)
Revenge To make someone pay for the harm they have caused to others.

Keyword Definition

Coup An attempted overthrow of the government, usually

involving military power.

Extremist Holding extreme political views, especially favouring

violent action.
Hyperinflation Where inflation happens at a very high rate and is out of control.

Inflationary Relating to inflation, where there is a general increase in

prices and a fall in the value of money.

Propaganda The use of media to persuade people to believe in a

particular point of view.

Putsch The German word for a coup.

Stability The state of being stable, firmly established and not likely
to change.
Undesirables People who are disliked and unwanted by another group
of people.
Shackles Chains; refers to something that restricts a society.

The end of World War I

When Who Why
November 1918 The German generals •Realised they could not
win the war.
•Began to look at the idea
of making peace.
•Did not want to be seen as
responsible for losing the
war; handed over control of
the government to German
parliament called the
Reichstag.
The Social the largest party in the
Democratic Party Reichstag and they
took control.
 The Allied powers:
Britain, France ,USA)
Refused to negotiate with
the Germans unless they
also got rid of the Kaiser.
They blamed for starting the
war.

When Who Why/ What

9 November 1918 The Kaiser Forced to abdicate
and he fled to the
Netherlands.
11 November 1918 The Social Democrats Signed the armistice

Treaty of Versailles 1919 and brief summary of

German punishment
•January 1919, representatives of 32 countries met at Palace of Versailles in
Paris, to draw up peace settlement.

•Germany not invited.

•Europeans, especially France, were bitter and angry, they blamed Germany for
the war and thought they should be punished.

•Negotiations went on for six months.

•“Big Three” taking charge: Lloyd George – Britain,

Clemenceau – France, Woodrow Wilson – America.

•Most countries did not want to be harsh on Germany, Clemenceau had his way.
He said Germany should be brought to their knees, so that they can never start a
war again.

•Carrying out of this statement lead to World War II 20 years later, 1939.
•The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919, exact day Archduke
Ferdinand had been assassinated 5 years earlier.

•Germany was treated harshly.

•The German people felt bitter about the peace treaty.

•Their bitterness grew stronger and eventually helped Adolf Hitler to come into
power in 1933.
•He promised to ‘break the shackles of Versailles’. The Treaty of Versailles is
seen as one of the major factors that led to the outbreak of World War II.
Summary of Germany’s punishments
•Germany was forced to sign a ‘war guilt’ clause which meant that it had to
accept responsibility for causing World War I.

•Germany had to pay reparations of £6.6 million to the Allied

powers. •Military restrictions were placed on Germany. These

included: –The German army was limited to 100 000 men.

–Germany was not allowed to have an air force.

–The German navy was limited to six battleships and no submarines. •Germany

lost 13% of its land, which meant the loss of nearly six million people.

•Germany lost all its colonies.

The Weimar Republic

•During the war, Germany also faced other serious problems. There were
severe labour and food shortages and the German people were facing
starvation.

• There were uprisings and the Social Democrats were worried that there
would be a revolution.

•In December 1918, elections were held for a National Assembly tasked with
creating a new parliamentary constitution.

•On February 6, 1919, the National Assembly met in the town of Weimar and
formed the Weimar Coalition.

•They also elected SDP leader Friedrich Ebert as President of the Weimar
Republic.

•It was named this way because the leaders met in the city of Weimar to draw
up a new constitution.

•Germany then became a democracy with the most liberal constitution in

Europe.