Germany,

1918 - 45
Revision Notes

This unit is in Paper 1. This is the knowledge-based paper so you must learn as much as you
can from every topic.

This pack contains the most important information, but you will also need to use the notes
from your folder and the booklets you have been given.
Germany: development of dictatorship, 1918–45
1 The establishment of the Weimar Republic and its early problems
The Abdication of the Kaiser and the German Revolution of 1918–19. The strengths and weaknesses of the new
Republic and its Constitution. Reactions to the Treaty of Versailles. Challenges from Right and Left, including the
Kapp Putsch and the Spartacist uprising. French occupation of the Ruhr. Causes and effects of hyperinflation.

2 The recovery of Germany, 1924–29

The work of Stresemann. Rentenmark, Dawes and Young Plans, US loans and the recovery of the German economy.
Successes abroad – League of Nations, Locarno Treaties and Kellogg-Briand Pact.

3 The rise of Hitler and the Nazis to January 1933

Hitler and the German Workers’ Party. Changes to the party (1920–22). Causes, events and results of Munich Putsch,
(1923). Reorganisation of the Party (1924–28). Impact of the Great Depression. Nazi methods to win support. The role
of the SA. Events of 1932 to January 1933, including the role of von Papen, von Schleicher and von Hindenburg.

4 Nazi Germany 1933–39

Setting up the Nazi dictatorship through the Reichstag Fire, Enabling Act, Night of the Long Knives and Hitler as
Führer. The methods of Nazi control and the extent to which they were successful, including the police state,
censorship and propaganda. Nazi policies towards education, women, the young, the Churches and their impact. Nazi
racial policies and increasing persecution of Jews. Policies to reduce unemployment and their impact. The Labour
Service, the Labour Front and Strength Through Joy.

5 Germany and the occupied territories during the Second World War
Nazi policies towards the Jews, including ghettos, death squads and the Final Solution. The Home Front, including
changing role of women, ‘total war’, rationing and the effects of allied bombing. The growth of opposition to Hitler,
including the Edelweiss Pirates, the White Rose Group and the July Bomb Plot (1944). Hitler’s death and the end of
the Third Reich.
Topic 1: Early
Weimar
Republic and
it’s problems
 Weaknesses of the
Weimar Republic
Why was the Weimar Republic created in 1918?
 By late 1918 the war was going badly and it was clear that Germany was going to be defeated.
 The British blockade had resulted in severe food shortages and people at home were calling for
an end to the war, as were soldiers on the front line. In November 1918 sailors at Kiel even
mutinied over the continuation of the war.
 However, the Allies refused to make peace as long as the Kaiser remained in power.
 Therefore, on 9 November 1918 the Kaiser abdicated. Germany was declared a Republic and
two days later an armistice was signed bringing the war to an end. This earned them the
nickname the ‘November Criminals’, as many German people blamed them for surrendering
too quickly. This got the new republic off to a very bad start.

The Weimar Constitution

 In August 1919 a new constitution was drawn up to set out the way in which the new republic
would be governed
 Power would be spread out more than under the Kaiser. There would be a central government in
Berlin (Reichstag) but also local governments in each region (lander). Power would be shared
between the President, who was elected every 7 years, and the Chancellor, who would be
appointed from the Reichstag (usually the head of the largest party)
 It was designed to be as democratic as possible. All men and women over 20 had the right to
vote
 However, there were flaws with the new system. The most important was the use of
proportional representation voting system, which tended to result in coalition governments
which were often weak and found it difficult to make decisions
 The President was also given emergency powers (Article 48) which allowed him to suspend the
constitution and rule by decree. During the 1920s Presidents were forced to resort to this quite
frequently, which created the impression that the new system wasn’t working.
‘The Weimar Republic was built on shaky foundations. Extremist parties didn’t support it; moderate
Germans feared it was too weak.’

The Treaty of Versailles

 On 28 June 1919 the Weimar Government signed the Treaty of Versailles. This was known as
a diktat as they did not have any say in its terms
 Germany was forced to accept complete blame for the war
 Reparations were fixed at £6.6 billion
 Germany’s army was reduced to 100,000 men. The navy was limited to 6 battleships and the
air force was to be disbanded. Troops were banned from entering the Rhineland near the border
with France.
 Germany lost all of its overseas colonies. It also lost Alsace-Lorraine to France and Posen and
West Prussia to Poland (this created the hated ‘Polish Corridor’ which divided Germany into
two). Altogether Germany list 13% of its land
 The treaty was hated by the German people, as were the government who had signed it, creating
yet more opposition to the new Weimar Republic

Political violence
 Following the abdication of the Kaiser, groups on the left and right wing wanted to take control
in Germany
 In January 1919 a communist group called the Spartacists staged a coup on Berlin. Led by Karl
Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, 100,000 people marched on the city and occupied
government buildings. The uprising was eventually crushed by the Freikorps and
Liebknecht/Luxemburg were killed. However, it demonstrated the weakness of the government
and their reliance on the army to keep control
 In March 1920 the right wing tried to exploit this weakness in a second uprising, this time led
by Wolfgang Kapp. 5,000 people marched on Berlin with the aim of overthrowing the
government and restoring the Kaiser to power. This was more successful and for a while, the
rebels controlled the city. The government fled and called on workers to go out on strike,
which eventually forced Kapp to back down. Unlike the communists, he was not executed
 In 1923 a third major uprising took place when the Nazis tried to seize power in Berlin.

Economic Problems
 The German economy was in a desperate state due to the cost of fighting the war and the terms
of the Treaty of Versailles
 In 1923 they announced that they could no longer afford the reparations. France responded by
invading the Ruhr, the industrial heartland of Germany, and taking what was owed in materials
and goods.
 The German government again called on workers to go on strike, but had to continue to pay
their wages. With money running out, they made the catastrophic decision to print more,
resulting in hyperinflation
 In 1918 £1 was worth 20 marks, but by November 1923 it was 20 billion marks
 The middle classes and people on fixed incomes were hardest hit, but almost everyone suffered
in some way as a result.
 Topic 2:
Stresemann
and Recovery
 Stresemann and the ‘Golden
Twenties’
Who was Stresemann?

 Gustav Stresemann was Chancellor (1923) and Foreign Secretary (1923 -9) of the Weimar Republic
 His time in office is often described as the ‘Golden Age’ of the Weimar Republic due to the recovery he
brought about
 However, there were serious limitations to the measures he put in place

How did Stresemann help the economy to recover?

 Stresemann’s first priority was to bring hyperinflation under control. He did this by replacing the
devalued Reichsmark with a new currency – the Rentenmark.
 In 1924 Stresemann agreed the Dawes Plan with the USA. Under this plan, Germany were given
longer to pay reparations. The USA also invested 800 million marks in German industry, which
helped to increase production and employment. This seemed to have performed an economic
miracle, but left Germany dangerously dependent on US loans. Stresemann himself recognised this,
stating that the German economy was ‘dancing on a volcano’
 In 1929 the Young Plan reduced the amount of reparations from £6.6 billion to £2 billion and
extended the time Germany had to pay this even further (until 1988)

How did Stresemann repair international relations?

 In October 1925 Stresemann signed the Locarno Pact. This was a pact with Britain, France, Italy and
Belgium in which each agreed to respect the borders in 1919
 This thaw in relations enabled Stresemann to negotiate Germany’s entry into the League of Nations in
1926. Germany were even given a seat on the Council, which showed that they were being accepted
on equal terms
 In 1928 Germany also signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact with 65 other countries. This was a non-
aggression pact in which countries agreed not to use force in foreign policy.

What impact did Stresemann have on German politics?

 Stresemann’s reforms certainly restored the confidence of many Germans in the Weimar Republic
 More people voted for moderate parties, and fewer for extremist groups. In the 1928 elections the
Nazis won just 12 seats.
 However, Stresemann died of a heart attack in October 1929 and in the weeks that followed the
weaknesses of his economic strategy became clearly apparent.
 The Impact of the Great
Depression on Weimar
Government
How did the Depression affect Germany after 1929?

 When Wall Street crashed in October 1929, the American government recalled the loans given to
Germany as part of the Dawes Plan
 This had a devastating effect on Germany industry, as businesses went bankrupt and were forced to
close
 Unemployment soared to 6 million in 1932 (40% of the working population)

Why did the Weimar government lose support?

 The coalition government was unable to deal with the crisis, and left the Chancellor, Bruning, to rule
by decree
 Bruning responded to the economic crisis by raising taxes and reducing unemployment benefit
 This earned him the nickname the ‘Hunger Chancellor’ and the hatred of the German people
 More and more people started to turn to extremist parties who seemed to offer more radical solutions
to the growing crisis.
 Topic 3:
Hitler’s rise to
power
 The Early Years of the
NSDAP
What was the DAP?
 The DAP (German Worker’s Party) was a small right-wing organisation created by Anton
Drexler in 1919
 It was based in Munich and had a small following – Hitler was to become its 50 th member
 It stood for hatred of democracy, the Weimar Republic, communists and Jews
 When Hitler was sent to spy on them following his return from the war, he found a party
very much in line with his own ideas and decided to join them

How did Hitler take control?

 By 1920 Hitler had become very influential within the party. In February he and Drexler
drew up the 25 Point Programme of the DAP. Its key ideas were scrapping the Treaty of
Versailles, expanding Germany’s borders to create more ‘lebensraum’ and removing the
Jewish population
 Hitler quickly gained a reputation as a powerful speaker and attracted large crowds to
meetings. By Jun 1920 membership had risen to 1100
 In 1921 Hitler finally side-lined Drexler and assumed the leadership of the party
 He introduced a number of changes to the party:
o It was renamed the NSDAP (Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party)
o The swastika became its emblem
o Members adopted the raised arm salute
o The SA (Sturmabteilung) was created. These provided ‘security’ for the party and
were used to break up opposition party meetings
 In some ways these helped to strengthen the party. By 1923 membership had reached
55,000. However, even at this stage the NSDAP remained a local party, unheard of outside
of Bavaria, with no seats in the Reichstag

The Munich Putsch

 In November 1923 Hitler decided that the time was right to try and seize power of
Germany:
o Membership of the party had grown rapidly
o The Weimar Republic was at its most unpopular due to hyperinflation
o He had just seen Mussolini take power by marching on Rome and believed he
could follow suit
o He believed he had the support of the army and the right-wing government of
Bavaria
 On 8 November 1923 Hitler and 600 members of the SA disrupted a political meeting at
a beerhall in Munich and announced that they were taking over the government of
Bavaria before marching on Berlin
 Political leaders, including the regional heads of the government (von Kahr) the police
(von Seisser) and the army (von Lossow) were taken hostage and forced to agree to
support him
 However, the next morning the hostages alerted the authorities. When the Nazis
marched into Munich they were met by the police and army. Hitler gave the orders to
continue and the soldiers opened fire
 14 Nazis and 4 police officers were killed. Hitler fled the scene and was later arrested

The Effects of the Putsch

 Although the Munich Putsch initially looked like a failure, in the long term it proved
very successful for the Nazi Party
 Hitler’s trial lasted for a month and earned him a lot of publicity
 Hitler was sentenced to 5 years in Landsberg Prison but served just 9 months. During
this time he wrote ‘Mein Kampf’ and realised that a new approach would be needed to
take power: ‘We shall have to hold our noses and enter the Reichstag’
 Upon his release in 1924 Hitler set about reorganising the party to make it more
appealing to voters:
o He won the support of wealthy businessmen e.g. Krupp, Bosch
o The SS was created to limit the power of the SA and create a more ‘respectable’
image
o Goebbels was appointed head of propaganda
o Local party branches were set up (gaue) to help the party spread its influence
nationwide
o The Hitler Youth was established in 1926
 These reforms resulted in a further increase in membership (100,000 by 1929).
However the Nazis performed poorly in the 1928 elections, winning just 12 seats –
largely because the success of Stresemann’s reforms was undermining support for
extremist groups at this stage

Key changes to the Nazi Party 1924-28

◦ Reorganisation – Smaller regional branches set up and placed under the control of a Party
official. Party conference to win power fully. More young men were encouraged to join the
movement and Party. Membership fees were introduced but also supported by many
people, financially, who believed they were the best hope against communism.
◦ SA- had to follow a policy of legality an attempt to calm the SA. Guidelines introduced on
the movement’s role. More people encouraged to join.
◦ Loyal bodyguard- creation of the SS
◦ Goebbels and Propaganda – Goebbels and Hitler worked together to improve Nazi
propaganda. Simple message but many ways to get it across.
◦ Created scapegoat to blame for Germanys problems: Jews, Communists, leaders of
Weimar Republic (SPD).
◦ Promoted Hitler as voice of party: by 1930s his speeches were reported in 120
daily/weekly Nazi newspapers – read by hundreds of thousands across Germany.
◦ Used radio, film and gramophone records to keep Hitler in public eye.
◦ Hitler used aeroplanes to fly venue to venue – could speak in up to five cities in a
day.
◦ Created a clear image of strength for the party, set by Hitler's passion, the spectacle
of mass Nazi rallies and impressive power of SA and SS.
 Hitler becomes Chancellor
Why did support grow, 1929 - 32?
 When the Wall Street Crash hit Germany in 1929 the Nazis were well placed to take
advantage of the situation
 Goebbels designed propaganda that promised a way out of the current crisis. He ensure
that each group in society were offered something:
o The unemployed were promised ‘Work and Bread’.
o The middle classes were promised protection from the communists
o In order to attract farmers the Nazis revised their policy of confiscating land,
saying that only Jewish land would be taken
o Posters specifically targeted women and young people to make them feel
important
 Hitler also created an image of himself as a strong leader who was capable of leading
Germany towards recovery. He stood for President in the 1932 elections and although
he was eventually defeated by Hindenburg, this raised his profile further
 The SA were used to undermine the threat posed by the Nazis greatest rival – the
Communists. By 1930 the SA had 400,000 members and these were used to disrupt
opposition meetings, as well as hold rallies that made the party seem organised and
disciplined
 The result of these was huge success for the Nazi Party. By July 1932 they were the
biggest party in the Reichstag, with 230 seats

How did Hitler finally take power?

 Although Hitler was now the leader of the largest party in the Reichstag Hindenburg
refused to appoint him Chancellor
 In May 1932 von Papen became Chancellor. However without the support of the Nazis
he was powerless to pass legislation and was forced to resign
 In December 1932 Hindenburg appointed von Schleicher as Chancellor. Like von
Papen, he struggled to exercise power over the Reichstag and asked Hindenburg to
suspend the constitution and allow him to rule as a dictator. Hindenburg reused and
forced him to resign
 At this stage, von Papen reached a secret deal with Hitler: Hitler would be Chancellor
and he would be his vice-chancellor. Von Papen assured Hindenburg that he had Hitler
‘in his pocket’ and could control him.
 Reluctantly, Hindenburg invited Hitler to become Chancellor on 30 January 1933
Topic 4: Life
in Nazi
Germany
 Removal of Opposition and
Consolidation of Power
The Reichstag Fire

 On 27 February 1933 the Reichstag building was destroyed by a massive fire

 Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe was allegedly found inside the building
with matches and firelighters. Although there is still some debate as to how far he
was responsible for the fire, van der Lubbe confessed and was executed.
 The Nazis were able to present the fire as part of a wider communist plot and seized
on the opportunity
 Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to pass the Decree for the Protection of People and State
which enabled them to round up and imprison communists and ban their newspapers.
This was particularly useful as an election was scheduled to take place on 5 March
 As a result, the Nazis increased their seats in the Reichstag to 288. By banning the
communists from taking their seats and forming alliances with the Catholic Party,
Hitler managed to form a 2/3 majority in the Reichstag
 Hitler used this majority to pass the Enabling Act in March 1933. This changed the
constitution of Germany, and gave Hitler the power to introduce laws without the
consent of the Reichstag for four years.

Gleichschaltung
 Hitler immediately used the powers granted to him by the Enabling Act to start removing
opposition to his regime
 In May 1933 trade unions were banned
 In July 1933 he passed the Law against the Establishment of Parties which made Germany
a one-party state
 In January 1934 he abolished the Lander (local parliaments) and replaced these with
officials appointed by him
 This process of removing any independent sources of power was known as gleichschaltung
(‘coordination’)

The Night of the Long Knives

 By 1934 two potential threats to Hitler remained :
o Ernst Rohm: Rohm was head of the SA, which now had 1 million members. He
had publicly opposed some of Hitler’s policies and called for more socialist
policies, which had won him a great deal of popularity.
o The Army: the Army resented the power of the SA and this had prevented them
from fully supporting Hitler up to now. Hitler knew that he needed their support if
he were to carry out his promises of tearing up the Treaty of Versailles and creating
lebensraum
 On the night of 30 June – 1 July 1934 Hitler ordered the SS to carry out a purge of the SA.
Rohm and other leading officers were shot, along with people Hitler bore a grudge against
such as von Kahr and von Schleicher. 400 people were killed that night
 Hitler justified this violence by claiming that Rohm was plotting a coup against him
 Although the SA continued after 1934, it was no longer the powerful organization it had
once been. The army were reassured by this and became more willing to support Hitler
 Hitler becomes Fuhrer
 Hitler’s power was further increased when Hindenburg died in August 1934
 Hitler combined the positions of Chancellor and President to become Fuhrer
 A referendum was held to confirm this decision. 90% of the German population voted in
favour of this. Hitler was now undisputed dictator of Germany.

The Police State

The SS
 In 1929 the SS came under the control of Heinrich Himmler and expanded to 50,000 men
 As well as providing ‘protection’ for Hitler the SS was responsible for running
concentration camps and implementing Hitler’s policy of racial purification

The Gestapo
 The Gestapo were the Nazis’ secret police force
 They were initially led by Goering but came under the control of the SS in 1936
 The Gestapo spied on the population, by intercepting letters and tapping phone
conversations.
 However, they also relied heavily on the information provided by informers. In order to
keep a close eye on the population, neighbourhoods were organized into blocks and a
‘warden’ for each one was appointed to report back on suspicious behaviour
 The Gestapo were responsible for carrying out the arrests of ‘suspects’ which usually took
place in the middle of the night

Concentration Camps
 The first concentration camp was set up at Dachau in March 1933 and a network of similar
camps quickly followed
 There were different ‘categories’ of prisoners in camps: political opponents, religious
groups, homosexuals, the ‘work-shy’ and persecuted minorities
 Conditions were deliberately extremely tough, with prisoners subjected to forced labour
and near-starvation rations
 Prisoners were often released after 6 months to spread the word about conditions in the
camps to act as a deterrent to potential opposition

The Legal System

 The Nazis took control of the legal system from 1933 onwards
 All judges were required to be members of the Nationalist Socialist League for the
Maintenance of Law
 This enabled the Nazis to exert pressure on them to change verdicts and sentences that they
did not like
 Hitler also created the People’s Court to try those accused of treason. He appointed judges
himself, but was again free to change the verdict if he disagreed with this
 Propaganda and
Censorship
Why was Goebbels’ propaganda so effective?

 In 1933 Goebbels was appointed Minister of People’s Enlightenment and Propaganda and
proved very effective at his job
 Goebbels knew that the most effective propaganda had a simple message and was frequently
repeated. By the mid-1930s Germans were constantly surrounded by the Nazi message
 He also made very good use of the latest technology to make it appealing to the people. In
many cases people did not know that they were looking at a piece of propaganda as it was so
subtle.

Newspapers
 All non- Nazi newspapers were closed down
 Editors were given very strict instructions on what to print

Radio
 All radio stations were brought under Nazi control
 Hitler and other leading Nazis made regular broadcasts
 Cheap radios called the People’s Receiver were mass produced to make them easier for
families to buy. Radios were also placed in public squares, restaurants etc so that people
could hear Nazi broadcasts. By 1939, 70% of households had a radio.

Cinema
 Arguably Goebbels’ most successful form of propaganda was film, as this was so popular
with the people
 A 45 minute newsreel was shown before every film to show the achievements of the Nazi
government
 The Nazis had to approve the plot of every film
 Many films had subliminal political messages e.g. The Eternal Jew or Hitlerjung Quex in
which a member of the Hitler Youth was killed by a communist
 Films were also created to glorify the Nazis and their events e.g. Leni Riefenstahl’s
Triumph of the Will

The 1936 Berlin Olympics

 Goebbels also wanted to use sport to show the Nazis in a good light
 When the Olympics came to Berlin in 1936 he made sure that they created a good
impression: a huge new stadium was built, all of the events were faultlessly organized and
 new technology was used e.g. electronic stopwatch
 However, it wasn’t a complete success for the Nazis. Although they topped the medal
table, the biggest star of the Olympics was a black American sprinter named Jesse Owens.
His success undermined Hitler’s ideas on Aryan superiority.

The Churches
What was Hitler’s attitude towards religion?

 Hitler strongly disliked Christianity. Not only did it present a rival for people’s loyalty,
but it stood for everything he despised – love, forgiveness, tolerance and respect for all
people
 However, Hitler was careful not to reveal this in public. He was aware of the huge power
of the churches, and tried to gradually erode this rather than attacking them openly

How did the Nazis deal with the Protestant Church?

 Some Protestants were willing to work with the Nazis. In September 1933 these formed
the German Christian Movement. They displayed Nazi flags in their churches and Hitler
allowed them to continue as normal
 However, others who spoke out against him were treated severely.
 In 1933 Martin Niemoller set up the Pastors’ Emergency League to protest against the
Nazis. He was sent to a concentration camp.

How did the Nazis deal with the Catholic Church?

 Hitler perceived the Catholic Church to be a greater threat and acted accordingly.
 In July 1933 he signed a Concordat with the Pope in which they both agreed not to
interfere with the other
 However, Hitler quickly broke this and began to arrest Catholic priests
 He also shut down Catholic schools and banned Catholic youth groups
 In 1937 the Pope responded by issuing a stinging criticism in a statement called ‘With
Burning Anxiety’ but Hitler simply ignored this

How successful were the Nazis in repressing the Churches?

 This was one area where Hitler did not manage to exercise complete control
 He tried to convert people to his own religion – the German Faith Movement – but this
proved unpopular
 At the end of the Nazi regime the majority of Germans still identified themselves as
Christians
 Women
How did Hitler view the role of women?
 Hitler strongly disapproved of the changes that had taken place in the role of women under
the Weimar Republic.
 He believed that women belonged in the private sphere and that their most important role
was to be a good mother
 His vision of a woman’s role was summed up in the Nazi slogan Kinde, Kirche, Kuche
(children, kitchen and church). They were discouraged from showing an interest in work
or politics

How did the Nazis encourage women to have children?

 In 1933 the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage was introduced. Couples were given
loans, and were allowed to keep ¼ of this amount for each child they had
 The Motherhood Cross was used to reward women who had lots of children. 4 children
earned a bronze medal, 6 silver and 8 gold
 Unmarried women were encouraged to have children with SS officers through the
Lebensborn programme.
 The German Women’s Enterprise was founded to give classes on domestic skills and
motherhood. Young girls were also trained for motherhood in schools

Women and Work

 At first the Nazis tried to dissuade women from work. They were forced to reign from
professions such as doctors, lawyers and teachers
 However, by the late 1930s the Nazis found that they needed women to fill the jobs left by
conscription
 In 1937 Hitler called on them to perform a ‘duty year’ in which they worked for free in
exchange for board and lodging. However, relatively few took up this call
 Young People
How did the Nazis change education?
 Young people went to school until the age of 14. Boys and girls attended different
schools so that they could be educated for different roles
 All teachers had to belong to the Nazi Teachers’ League to ensure that they educated
children in the right values
 Significant amounts of time were devoted to sport in all schools
 In addition, girls were taught cookery and needlework skills, as well as racial theory
and the ‘science of breeding’
 Boys spent more time on military drill and political education
 The Nazis had all of the school textbooks rewritten so that they were in line with their
own ideas

The Hitler Youth

 The Hitler Youth had been created in 1926 but became compulsory in the 1936 Youth Law
 Boys joined the Hitler Youth where activities focused heavily on military training
 Girls joined the League of German Maidens, where the emphasis was again on domestic
skills
 Both joined together for regular hikes, camping expeditions etc which were popular
 However, many teenagers came to dislike the strict control of the Hitler Youth and started
to rebel. The most famous of these groups were the Edelweiss Pirates
 Workers
How did Hitler reduce unemployment?

 Between 1933 and 1939 unemployment in Germany fell from 6 million to approx.
300,000
 The National Labour Service (RAD) was established to provide jobs for young
men. All men aged 18 – 35 had to work in the RAD for 6 months. This was
organised along military lines; workers lived in camps and were expected to carry
out drills as well as manual labour e.g. building autobahns
 The Nazis also used ‘invisible unemployment’ to reduce the figures. They did not
count women or Jews in their unemployment statistics, and counted all part-time
workers as fully employed
 The biggest reduction in unemployment was due to rearmament. From 1935
onwards Hitler began to increase spending on armaments (from 3.5 billion to 26
billion 1933-9). This stimulated industries and helped to create more jobs
 Hitler also introduced conscription in 1936. By 1939 almost 1 million men were
employed as soldiers in the German army

Nazi organisations

 Having banned all trade unions, the Nazis set up the German Labour Front to
‘protect’ the rights of workers. However, they always acted in the interests of the
government
 The Nazis also set up Strength through Joy (KDF) which provided workers with
access to cheap leisure, such as sporting events, concerts and even holidays
 Beauty of Labour was created to help workers improve their conditions e.g. by
creating canteens, swimming pools etc. However, workers were expected to carry
out these improvements in their own time and at their own expense

Were the workers better off under the Nazis?

 Unemployment certainly went down, although not at the rate the statistics initially
suggest
 However, workers lost their freedom and came under much stricter control
 On average, working hours increased by 6 hours per week
 Real wages also fell, meaning that workers could afford to buy less over time
 Many of the opportunities offered by KDF etc. were not as good as they looked e.g.
the Volkswagen car swindle
 Persecution of
Minorities
Anti-Semitism in Germany
 There was a long tradition of anti-Semitism in Germany before Hitler came to power. They were
regarded as ‘Christ-killers’ and their distinct culture and customs made them an easily identifiable
target
 anti-Semitism increased after WWI when Jews were used as scapegoats for the problems
Germany was facing
 Hitler believed in a hierarchy of races, with the ‘Aryans’ at the top and the Jews, or
‘Untermenshcen’ (sub-humans) at the bottom. When he came to power in 1933 he set about
putting these beliefs into action

Restrictions against the Jews

 As soon as the Nazis came to power they used propaganda to create a perception of Jews as
different and dangerous
 In 1933 the SA organized a boycott of Jewish shops and businesses
 This was followed by other economic restrictions: Jews were banned from inheriting land, sacked
from government posts etc
 In 1935 they were banned from public facilities such as restaurants, parks and cinemas
 In 1935 the Nuremberg Laws were passed. These denied Jews German citizenship and banned
them from marrying ‘German’ citizens
 In 1938 restrictions increased further: doctors, dentists and lawyers were banned from practicing,
Jews had to carry identity cards stamped with a ‘J’ and change their name to Israel/Sarah.

Why was Kristallnacht a turning point?

 In November 1938 a young Jewish man shot the German ambassador in Paris. The Nazis used this
as an excuse to take revenge on the Jewish community in a night of violence known as
‘Kristallnacht’ (Night of the Broken Glass)
 On night of 9-10 November gangs attacked Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues. Official
estimates say that 814 shops, 171 homes and 1919 synagogues were destroyed by the real figures
were higher
 Over 100 Jews were killed and 20,000 were rounded up and taken to concentration camps
 Afterwards, Goebbels blamed the Jews for the violence and fined them 1 billion marks
 The events of Kristallnacht showed the Nazis that the German people would accept increased
persecution of the Jews, and this quickly gathered pace
 In 1939 they began plans to force all Jews to emigrate but this proved too slow
 In April 1939 all Jews were evicted from their homes and forced to live in ghettos
 Topic 5:
Germany and
the occupied
territories
during WW2
 1: World War Two
How did the war go for Germany?
 Between 1939 and 1941 the war went well for Germany as they successfully invaded
country after country: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland,
Belgium, France, Yugoslavia and Greece
 However, Hitler made a fatal error by invading the USSR in 1941. He had
underestimated the Russian winter and the commitment of the people and the Germans
became embroiled in lengthy sieges in Leningrad and Stalingrad
 Later that year the USA joined the war and the Allies won important victories in North
Africa
 In 1943 the Germans were defeated at Stalingrad. At the same time the Allies invaded
Italy and began to advance through Europe. France was liberated following the D Day
landings of 1944
 By April 1945 Soviet troops were on the outskirts of Berlin and defeat was imminent

World War II and the Final Solution

 The outbreak of WWII not only increased the number of Jews under Nazi control, but
distracted the world’s attention from their treatment. This enabled the Nazis to increase
their persecution even further after 1939
 From 1939 many Jews were removed from the ghettos and sent to concentration camps
which grew in number and size. Conditions were appalling and many prisoners died of
malnutrition, overwork and mistreatment
 1939 also saw the first use of Einsatzgruppen (SS killing squads). These followed the
German army into Poland and murdered any ‘undesirables’ they found. By 1945 the
Einsatzgruppen had killed 1.5 million Jews, gypsies and communists
 In January 1942 leading Nazis met at Wannsee to devise what they called the ‘final
solution’ to the ‘Jewish problem’. The first death camp was set up at Belzec shortly
afterwards
 Approximately 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.
 How did the war affect the Home Front?
 At the beginning of the war, morale at home was high. Life on the home front largely
continued as normal; Hitler protected their working conditions and took food from
occupied countries to prevent severe rationing
 However, conditions deteriorated in 1942. There were severe food shortages; the average
ration was half a loaf of bread and 300g of meat per week. Other items such as clothes,
soap and toilet paper were also rationed
 The German people also suffered regular bombing raids. In July 1943 50,000 people
were killed in a week in the city of Hamburg
 In February 1943 Goebbels called on the population to launch ‘total war’. He demanded:
o Longer working hours
o Women to go out to work
o Closure of ‘luxury’ shops, restaurants, pubs etc.
o More rationing
 As conditions at home deteriorated criticisms of the Nazi regime grew and opposition
started to appear
 Opposition
The White Rose Group
 This was set up at the University of Munich in 1941 and led by Hans and Sophie Scholl
and their professor
 They opposed the war and especially the atrocities that German soldiers were committing
 They sent out leaflets and painted messages on walls calling for democracy.
 In February 1943 they were caught and reported to the Gestapo. Hans, Sophie and 80
others were arrested and many executed

The Edelweiss Pirates

 These were young people who rebelled against Nazi control of young people. They
listened to swing music, grew their hair long and mixed with Jewish friends
 Some also painted anti-Nazi graffiti on walls and attacked members of the Hitler Youth
 In 1942 they became more daring and started to destroy munitions factories
 Himmler ordered a crackdown in 1944. 13 Edelweiss Pirates were executed in Cologne
and many more were arrested

The July Bomb Plot

 The most serious form of opposition developed within the German army, especially
amongst officers who believed Hitler was leading them to defeat
 In July 1944 Claus von Stauffenberg led an attempt to assassinate Hitler by planting a
bomb in a meeting with him
 The bomb exploded but Hitler suffered only minor injuries
 Over 5,000 people were arrested for their involvement in the plot. Stauffenberg was
executed, along with 45 others

How did the Nazi regime come to an end?

 In April 1945 Soviet troops had Berlin surrounded

 Hitler refused to leave the city and instead moved into an underground bunker
 On 28 April he married Eva Braun. Two days later, both committed suicide and the Nazi
regime was brought to an end