9A

How did Germany emerge from defeat at the end of the First World War?

Germany was in a state of complete devastation after the Great War. The Treaty of Versailles
placed sole blame for the war on Germany, significantly reduced its military and territories. It ap-
pointed Germany a democracy, which was hated by most of the population, as they were incapable
of handling all the issues caused by the war, leading to violent uprisings from the left and right wing
and even fights between the two. Food shortages led to severe starvation and the flu epidemic was
sweeping the country as a whole, together killing thousands. This contributed to death rates, which
was already high, due to the soldiers that died at the frontlines, which left many women widowed
and their children fatherless. The economy took quite a big hit, as much of its industry land was
taken away by the Treaty, leading to a 33% reduction in industrial production and national income
by 66%. The war had further increased the gaps between the poor and the rich; the living standards
were very different to each other.

What was the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Republic?

Since the Weimar Republic’s own politicians had signed the Treaty, the whole of the german popu-
lation felt betrayed by the government and actively disliked them. They believed the Republic had
‘stabbed Germany, its soldiers and its people in the back’, which led to political unrest, leading to a
wave of political unrest. Because of the massive reparations price tag that Germany had to pay
(6,600 million pounds), Germany fell into a pit of debt, and the Republic had to find ways to cope
and manage the impossible situation.

To what extent did the Republic recover after 1923?

The Weimar Republic showed some successful development after 1923, the start of the Stresemann
Era. Stresemann, after the severe hyperinflation germany suffered, introduced a new currency, the
Reichmark, to replace the devalued Rentenmark. Additionally, Stresemann’s Weimar set up the
Dawes Plan with the USA, where they took in American loans in order to rebuild Germany and pay
off the debts. This was a huge success by the Weimar, as the economy significantly improved. After
1923, Germany took on a new form of culture that thrived in cities. However, this was often looked
down upon by villagers and people with ‘traditional values’. Because of this, many longed for the
days before Weimar. This shows there were still opposers to the Republic. However, the situation
soon plummeted after 1929, when the Depression hit, and the American loans were called back. Un-
employment rose to a stubbornly high point and the nazis were able to gain a foothold in the Parlia-
ment.

What were the achievements of the Weimar period?

In the political aspects of Weimar’s achievements, Stresemann signing the Locarno Treaties
proved to improve Germany’s reputation and put Germany on the same pedestal as other
countries and was later allowed to join the League of Nations. Further recognition of Ger-
many’s new-found internationalist responsibility came with the Young Plan, which reduced
germany’s reparations bill from 6.6 billion pounds to 2 billion pounds. The Weimar govern-
ment introduced a new sort of freedom to the people, which powered a cultural revival.
With the lifting of censorship, a wave of politics showed itself in art forms. Entertainment,
such as films, music or even dance became a vital part of cities. A surge of creativity took
over the youth and these cities.

9B
What did the Nazi Party stand for in the 1920s?

The Nazi Party was strongly nationalist, which was evident in their objectives and what they
stood for. In 1920, the party announced the Twenty-Five-Point-Programme, in which they
outlined their intentions with Germany. Some of them included the abolition of the dreaded
Treaty of versailles, Anschluss (union of Germany and Austria), the exclusion of ‘non-pure
Germans’, nationalisation of large industries and businesses, generous pensions and a strong
central government. After the events of the Munich Putsch, Hitler wrote his book, Mein
Kampf, in prison. In this book, he set out the most prominent Nazi beliefs, dictatorship,
Aryans, national socialism and his military beliefs, in which germany should go against the
terms of the ToV.

Why did the Nazis have little success before 1930?

In the early 1920s, the Nazis didn't have much support; they were a minority in the parlia-
ment. With the publicity that Hitler gained in 1924, the Nazis managed to get only 6.5 % of
the votes. The lack of electoral success can be traced back to how the Weimar government
was improving and flourishing. At the time, germany under Stresemann was very happy
with the government. The Stresemann era steered the economy away from a severe crisis,
and presented a new culture in Germany. Hitler’s aggressive policies to militarise didn’t res-
onate much with the people, who wanted to avoid war and only keep peace.

Why was Hitler able to become Chancellor by 1933?

Due to the Depression in 1929, and the Weimar’s incapability of managing the situation as
the american loans were called back, Hitler was able to exploit the hatred towards the Re-
public and gain support. The Nazi Party set up soup kitchens for the poor and starving,
which showed Hitler made connections with the people, making them feel ‘seen and heard’.
With the extreme propaganda measures Goebbels and Hitler were taking, the strong Nazi
messages were hard to run away from. By using technology, they were able to impress peo-
ple.

How did Hitler consolidate his power in 1933–34?

In the REichstag Fire, Hitler blamed an innocent dutch communist for a supposed ‘commu-
nist overthrow’. Through this, he was able to become closer to Hindenburg and whip up
public fear against communism. Hitler was later able to fain two-thirds
of the votes in an election, after which he published the enabling act, which essentially, es-
tablished a dictatorship. To completely consolidate his power, he planned the Night of the
Long Knives. He was worried about the independence of Ernst Röhm, the SA leader. They
were shot and arrested.