FOCUS SA Was the Weimar Republic

The democratic Weimar

Government was set up in 1919. doomed from the start?
but it collapsed in 1933 and was
replaced by a Nazi dictatorship.
Was this inevitable? Many have The impact of the First World War
argued it was because of: · ······· ···························· ························ ········· ··············
■ a weak CoNsrnur,oN In 1914 the Germans were a proud people. Their KAISER - virtually a DICTATOR
■ huge post-war problems - was celebrated for his achievements. Their army was probably the finest
■ being forced to sign the TREATY OF in the world. Ajourney through the streets of Berlin in 1914 would have
VERSAIUES.
revealed prospering businesses and a well-educated and well-fed workforce.
Germany emerged from t he First World War in a state of chaos. The However, others would disagre e There was great optimism about the power and strength of Germany.
new WEIMAR Government struggled from crisis to crisis. Out of this 1918 The end of the
First World War because there were significant
confusion Adolf Hitler and the Nazis emerged as the most powerful political economic and cultural Four years later a similar journey would have revealed a ve ry different
group in Ge rmany and led the nation into a period of DICTATORSHIP achievements. especially from picture. Although little fighting had taken place in Germany itself. the wa r
1920-+- 1924-29. had still destroyed much of the old Germany. The proud German army was
ending in an international war and the deaths of tens of millions I-
(.J defeated. The German people were surviving on turnips and bread, and
of people. ....m There is plenty of evidence on both even the flour for the bread was mixed with sawdust to make it go further.
How could this happen in a modern, democratic Eu ropean state? ::, Stresemann becomes
- 1923 Chancellor sides of the debate. As you study
a. of Germany these events you can reach your A flu epidemic was sweeping the country, killing thousands of people
In SA you will investigate how the Weimar Republic was created out
w
0:: - own conclusions on these issues already weakened by lack of food.
of post-war chaos and how its leaders tried to solve the problems left 0:: - and arrive at your own judgement
over from the war. ; -- about wh ether the Weimar
The end of the old Germany
w Republic was doomed to fail.
In 8B you will focus on the same period but view it through a different 3:
w -• 1929 Thefollowed
Wall Street Crash is Focus Points
········ ···························· ························ ······ ··· ··············
By the autumn of 1918 Germany had clearly lost the wa r. Germany was
lens and examine the reasons for the birth and growth of the Nazi
Party. You will see how its early failures turned into a runaway success - 1930- .
,_
depression
bya wortdwide
■ How did Germany emerge from in a state of chaos, as you can see from the diagram on page XXX. The
after the ECONOMIC DEPRESSION hit Germany in the early 1930s. defeat at the end of the Fi rst Allies offered Germany peace, but under strict conditions. One condition
- World War? was that Germany should become more democratic and that the Kaiser
The Nazis had a very specific vision of what Germany should be like - should abdicate. When the Kaiser refused, sailors in northern Germany
■ What was the impact of the
and they did not tolerate opposition. In SC you will exami ne how they • 1933 Hitler becomes Treaty of Versailles on the mutinied and took over the town of Kiel. This triggered other revolts. The
imposed their will on the German people through a combination of
terror and PROPAGANDA. -- Chancellor of Germany
■
Republic?
To what extent did the Republic
Kaiser's old enemies, the Socialists, led uprisings of workers and soldiers
in other German po rts. Soon, other German cities followed. In Bavaria
In 8D you will see how specific groups of people were affected by (.J
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. ■
recover after 1923?
What were the achievements of
an in dependent Socialist Republic was declared. On 9 November 1918 the
Kaiser abdicated his throne and left Germany for the Netherlands. This is
Nazi rule - young people, women, workers and farmers - and how 0::
. the Weimar period? often referred to as the German Revolution of 1918.
the lives of Germans began to change again as a result of the Second 0
World War. - 1939 The Second World War
begins On 10 November, the Socialist leader Friedrich Ebert became the new
1940- - FOCUS TASK 8.1 Chancellor of Germany. With the cooperation of the German army EBERT
Timeline • 1941 The USA joins the war signed an ARMISTICE with the Allies on 11 November. He and his government
How did Germany emerge from
This timeline shows the period you will be covering in th is chapter.
Some of the key dates are filled in already. To help you get a complete
-- defeat at the end of the First were often referred to by right-wing opponents as the 'November Criminals'
World War? for signing the ceasefire.
picture of the period make your own much larger version and add other
details to it as you work t hrough the chapter.
- 1 Use the information on these
two pages to make a list of all
The war was over and Ebert announced a new government would be set up
- 1945 Germanyis defeated in Germany - a REPUBUC. Ebert introduced many reforms including the 8-hour
-. HbyitlerthekillsAllies.himself the challenges facing Ebert
when he took over in Germany working day and im proved benefits fo r the sick, elderly and unemployed.
in 1918. You could organise the A new Constitution was drawn up and the first elections for the new

e This Nazi poster from the 1930s encouraged people to

turn to Nazi-led community groups for help and advice.
list into sections:
■ Political challenges
■ Social challenges
parliament took place in January 1919. In February 1919 Ebert was elected
the first President of the new German Republic. However, the Republic
faced many problems, as you can see in the diagram on the next page.
1 Using this source, describe the Nazis' ideal family. ■ Economic challenges.

2 What are the Nazis offering this ideal family and how is
2 Imagine you are advising Ebert.
Explain what you th ink are the Revision Tip
it represented in the poster? three most serious challenges
3 Does this poster give the impression that people were Make sure you can:
that need tackling urgently. ■ describe one social. one economic and one political impact of the war on
afraid of the Nazis? 3 Take a class vote and see if you Germany.
4 What message is the poster trying to convey to can all agree on which are the ■ explain how at least two of these factors made it difficult for the new
Germans? most serious challenges. German Government.
Natio,1a1 ... Vl
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income rsc:01111 There were acute shortages of food. By C)
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...................................................................................
was about
one-third
of what it
1918 Germany was producing only 50 per
cent of the milk and 60 per cent of the
butter and meat it had produced before
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In January 1919 free elections took place for the first time in Germany's
had been
in 1913. the war. Fuel was short and people were
cold. Nearly 300,000 people died from
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history. Ebert's party won the largest share of the vote and he became t he
president of the Weimar Republic. It was called this because, to start with,
starvation and hypothermia in 1918. .,_
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the new Government met in the small town of Weimar rather than in the
0,
z German capital, Berlin. Even in February 1919, Berlin was thought to be too
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0 violen t and unstable.
The success of the new Government would depend on two key factors:
Ill
UI ■ Factor 1: The Constitution: Would the new Constitution provide a
practical, workable solution to the challenge of ruling Germany? It was
War left 600,000 widows and 2 million
children without fathers - by 1925 the designed to be as democratic as possible and to represen t the many
state was spending about
Industrial
different groups which made up Germa n society. The Factfile on the
one-third of its next page explains how the Constitution worked.
BUDGET in production
was about ■ Factor 2: The German people: Would the German people accept an
ECONOMIC IMPACT two-thirds
Germany was virtually almost instant change from the traditional, autocratic German system of
of what it
bankrupt had been government to this new democratic system?
in 19 13.
The prospects for this did not look good. The reaction of politicians and
many ordinary German s was unenth usiastic. Ebert faced opposition from
both right and left .
■ On t he right wing, nearly all the Kaiser's former advisers remai ned in their
positions in the army, judiciary, civil service and industry. They restricted
POLITICAL IMPACT what the new Government could do. Many still hoped for a return to rule
Germany had a revolution and became by the Kaiser. A powerful myth developed that men such as Ebert had
an unstable democratic republic. Groups 'stabbed Germany in the back' and caused the defeat in the war.
SOCIAL IMPACT with extremist political views tried to ■ On t he left wing there were many communists who believed that at this
The war had deepened divisions in
Impact of the war on gain power.
German society Germany by 1918 stage what Germany actually needed was a communist revolution, just
like Russia's in 1917.
Stresses of war led to a revolution in The government ministers assembled in the town of Weimar after the first
October- November I 918. There was elections in January 1919 to draw up a new constitution.
fig)lting betweenRIGHT-WING
groups and LEn•WINGgroups.
There were huge gaps between the living
The Constitution
standards of the rich and the poor. ■ Ebert signed the Weimar Constitution into law in August 1919. It was a
FEDERAL Republic with a President as head of state instead of the Kaiser.
One and a
half million
It divided Germa ny into states which had their own governments.
demobilised ■ There was UNIVERSALSUFFRAGE - all adults over the age of 20 could vote and
soldiers all German citizens had equal rights (freedom of re ligion, the right to
returned to own private property, for example).
society, many ■ The RacusTAG (Parliament) was elected every four years by proportional
disillusioned.
representation - if a party won 20 per cent of the votes they gained 20
Many ex-soldiers and civilians per cent of the seats.
despised the new democratic leaders ■ The President was the head of state and was elected every seve n years.
and came to believe that the heroic
Many German workers were bitter at
Many Germans were leader Field Marshal Hindenburg had Day-to-day government was the responsibility of the CHANCELLOR who was
the restrictions placed on their
earnings during the war while the angry about losing the been betrayed by weak politicians - both appointed by, and could be dismissed by, the President.
war. There was a wave this was known as the 'stab in the ■ In a crisis, the Constitution gave the President emergency powers
factory owners made vast fortunes back' myth.
from the war. of unrest. especially in (Article 48) to pass decrees which did not need the approval of the
cities like Berlin. Law Reichstag. Ebert used Article 48 136 times while in office. Article 48
and order was breaking
down in a country where
sometimes saved the new Weimar Republic from uprisings as it allowed
people were used to the President to act swiftly and mobilise the army. Some criticised it for
order and discipline. making the President too powerful during crises.
■ The Chancellor needed the support of half of the Reichstag to pass new
laws.
■ In the January 1919 elections there we re eighteen different parties
that won seats in the Reichstag. Ebert's Social Democratic Pa rty won
 38 per cent of the seats and was the largest party, but as you can ...
C)
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see, it did not win a majority. This led to COALITIONS being formed with Ill Cl
smaller parties which often led to slow decision-making and ineffective
government. There was a total of seven different coalitions with ..3
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different Chancellors between 1919 and 1923!
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FOCUS TASK 8.2 .,_
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0,
What were the strengths and z
weaknesses of the Weimar
Constitution?
The Weimar Constitution -.u..
0 Communist
Party of
Social
Democratic
German German
Democratic People's
Centre Party German
National
National
Social ist German
President Ill Germany Party of Party (DDP) Party IDVPI Peopl e's Workers' Party
1 Make a lis t of wha t you think UI
I KPDI Germany Party (DNVP) (NSDAPI or Nazi
seem to be the strengths of the
Weimar Constitution . (SPDJ Party
Apl)Ointed judges Apl)Ointed Conuolled
2 Here are some concer ns Politi cal Far-left Left-wing Centre-left Centre-right Right-wing Far-right Far-right
expressed at the time about the ! l l position revolutionary; moderate; l iberal; pro- libera l; pro- conservative conservative- extreme
weaknesses of the Constitution. _ ur_ts_ __,I 1
.__ _eo ...___ c_ha_n~
ce_110
_,_ _ __.I I...___Ar_m_e_d _lo_rc_e_s _ __, Marxist ; anti- socialist; Weimar Weimar and pro- nationalist ; nationa list; anti-
For each one explain how the Weimar pro-Weimar Weimar anti-Weimar Weimar
Constitution might allow such Main Workers
. Democratic liberal Libera l Conservative Nationa list Racist and anti-
things to happen. Apl)Ointed policies revolution socialist policies policies policies - policies Semitic policies;
■ The Constitution is too to set up policies to to protect to protect pro-business to restore oppose Weimar
democratic - even small and Soviet-style improve equality of rights but and pro- monarchy Republic and
Government Ministers I 7 local governments !Lander)
extreme parties could get lor Bavaria, Prussia and all communist wel fare r ights and more pro- Catholic and oppose abolish Tr eaty
seats in the Reichstag. Germany's other regions. system in system for improve business the Weimar of Versailles;
■ If the Chancellor cannot get The Constitution limited their Germany workers and welfare Repub lic and reclaim lost
ernment sent laws power as much as Possible
the support of the Reichstag Reichstag for approv unemployed system the Treaty of German
he will be unable to pass any Versa illes territory
laws or other measures, or it Support Workers ; Industrial Middle Wealthy. Catholics; Industrialists; Mainly lower
will take an enormous amount Reichstag IPartiamenti base some ex- workers classes educated some wealthy ex-soldiers. middle class
of time to get measures
through. t soldiers and
sai lo r s
middle class ; middle class
industrialists
especially
officer class ;
and peasant
farmers;
■ If the various parties in the
Elected Elected Elected
landowners members
Reichstag refuse to work I _ _____.__I_ _----'------, included
together there could be a
stalemate.
LJ Gem1an people workers.
unemployed , ex-
■ The president might abuse sold ier s
his powers under Article 48. Significance The The Social Declined in Led by Gustav Third largest The main A fringe party
The main political parties in Germany, 1919-33 Commun ist Democratic popularity Stresemann party for nationalist for most of
Left-wing parties generally wanted greater equality in society. Socialists Party saw an Party was in the early who wou ld much of party before the 1920s
. .
or social democrats wanted to achieve this by distributing the wealth more increase in the sing le 1920s and serve as the Weimar 1930 when but rapid ly
fairly by increasing taxes on the rich and business or by nationalising support during most seen as Chancellor period and it lost votes increased its
industries and banks. Liberals wanted to create greater equality by economic popular increasingly 11923) and formed part to the Nazis; popularity after
prob lems party in the out of touch foreign of many supported the 1929 Wall
introducing reforms and protecting people's rights and democratic
after the early 1920s. w ith the minister coalitions; Hindenburg's Street Crash
freedoms. Centre-left parties like the socialists and liberals supported the
crises of 1923; though problems 11923-29); some in election as and Depression
Weimar democracy. distrusted it never of ordinary popular in the party President in of the 1930s;
Far-left parties like the communists wanted a workers' revolution like the Social received a Germans the early and supported 1925; made largest party in
in Russia in 1917. They wanted to seize control of the government by Democratic majority of mid-1920s monarchy, a temporary the Reichstag
revolution, confiscate property and land from the ruling classes and Party of Ebert the votes. but this others the alliance with by 1932 and
after he made forcing decreased in Republic; the Nazis in Hitler appointed
create a state-controlled economy. Communists opposed the Weimar
a deal with the Ebert to the late 1920s increasingly 1931 - the Chancellor in
democracy. Freikorps and agree to right-wing by Harzburg 1933
Right-wing parties generally wanted to conserve the traditional class army to crush coalit ions; the late 1920s Front - which
system and allow private enterprise to flourish (capitalism). Conservative the Spartacist anti- supported
parties wanted to achieve this through support for the German army, the Uprising in communist Hitler
established churches and by protecting the privileges of the ruling elites 1919
such as landlords and industrialists.
Far-right parties were anti-Weimar nationalists. They wanted a strong
government and a powerful army and were very anti-communist. Some
nationalists, like the Nazis, also had racist and anti-Semitic policies.

~•·jlr:l
German federal election results
January 1919
Poli tical party
Social Democratic Par ty
Centre Par ty
German De moc ratic Party
German National People's Party
Independent Social Democratic Party
Other
June 1920
Poli tical party
Social Democratic Party
Independent Social Democratic Party
German National People's Party
German People's Pa rty
Centre Par ty
German Democratic Party
German Com mun ist Party
Other
May1924
Political party
Social Democratic Party
German National People's Party
Centre Par ty
German Com mun ist Party
German People's Party
Nazi Party
German Democratic Pa rty
Other
December 1924
Political party
Social Democratic Party
German National People's Par ty
Centre Par ty
German People's Party
German Com mun ist Party
German Democratic Pa rty
Nazi Party
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The Republic in danger, 1919-24
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From the start, Ebert's Government faced violent opposition fro m both left-
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Percenta ge of votes won .,_
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0,
38% z
20% -...u
0 One left-wing group was known as the SPARTACJSts. They were
communists led by Karl liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.
At the same time, Ebert's Government faced violent
opposition from t he Right. His right-wing opponents were
19% Ill Their party was much like Lenin's Bolsheviks, which had largely people who had grown up in the successfu l days
UI
just taken power in Russia. They wanted a Germany ruled by of t he Kaiser's Germany. They resented the new Germany
10% workers' councils or soviets. and above all they deeply resented the humiliating Treaty
8% of Versailles, which t hey blamed Ebert for agreeing to
In January 1919 the Spartacists launched their bid for
5% power. Joined by rebel soldiers and sailors, they set up (see page 229).
soviets in many towns. Not all soldiers were on the side of In March 1920 Or Wolfgang Kapp led 5000 Freikorps into
the Spartacists, however. Some anticommunist ex-soldiers Berlin in a rebellion known as t he KAPP Pursa< ('PlnsCH' means
had formed themselves into vigilante groups called fREJKORPS. rebellion). The army refused to fire on the Freikorps and it
Perce ntage of votes won Ebert made an agreement with the commanders of the army looked as if Ebert's Government was doomed . However, it
22% and the Freikorps to put down the rebellion. Bitter street was saved by the German people, especially the industrial
18% fighting and heavy casualties followed. Eventually the workers of Berlin. They declared a GENERAL STRIKE which
Freikorps won and liebknecht and Luxemburg were murdered. brought the capital to a halt with no transport, power or
15%
The Spartacist rising was soon followed by another water. After a few days Kapp realised he could not succeed
14% and fled the country. He was hunted down and died while
rebellion in Bavaria in the south of Germany. Ebert used the
14% same tactics as he had used against the Spartacists. The await ing trial. It seemed that Weimar had support and
8% Freikorps moved in to crush t he revolt in May 1919. Around power after all.
2% 600 communists were killed. Even so, the rest of t he rebe ls went unpunished by the
7% In 1920 there was more communist agitation in the RuHR courts and judges. Ebert's Government struggled to
industrial area. Again police, army and Freikorps clashed deal with the political violence in Germany. Political
with communists. There were 2000 casualties. assassinations were frequent. In the summer of 1922
Ebert's J ewish foreign minister Walther Rathenau was
Ebert's ruthless measures against the communists created
Perce ntage of votes won lasting bitterness between them and his Socialist Party. murdered by extremists. Then in November 1923 Ado lf
However, it gained approval from many in Germany. Ebert was Hitler led an attempted rebellion in Munich, known as
21% t he MuNICH PurscH (see page 236 ). Both Hitler and the
terrified that Germany might go the same way as Russia (at
19% murderers of Rathenau received short prison sentences.
that time rocked by bloody civil war). Many Germans shared
13% his fears. Even so, despite these defeats, the communists It seemed t hat Weimar's right-wing opponents had
13% remained a powerful antigovernment force in Germany friends in high places.
9% throughout the 1920s.
7%
6%
Revision Tip Think!
12% 1 Draw up a table like the one below to compare the various threats from
Make sure you can describe:
■ at least one strength and left and Right described on this page.
one weakness of the Weimar
Constitution. and why it was a left wing Right win g
Percentage of votes won strength or weakness Name of group
26% ■ at least one example of left-wing Leaders hip
and one example of right-wing
20% Deman ds/ aims
revolts and how each was
14% defeated . Supported by
10% Methods
9% How defeated
6% Consequences
4%
2 What differences can you see between how [bert·s Government treated
left-wing and right-wing extremists? How can you explain th is?
SOURCE 1 The Treaty of Versailles
Versailles was a scandal and a disgrace
and ... the dictate signified an act of
highway robbery against our people.
Extract from Hitler's biography
Mein Kampf, 1925.
FOCUS TASK 8.3
What was the impact of the Treaty
of Versailles on the Republic?
1 Research: Using all the
information and sources on
pages 229-31 and pages
11.- 17 in Chapter 1. find out the
impact of the Treaty on:
al German territory
bl the armed for ces
cl German attitudes and
national pride
di the economy
el political s tability.
2 Reach a judgement: Which
of these do you think was
most damaging to the Weimar
Republic in:
■ the shor t term (in 19201
■ the long term (by 19231?
Support your answer with evidence
from you r resear ch.
SOURCE 2
~~tlcmflfU.1ri
Nazi cartoon commenting on the military terms of the Versailles treaty.
...
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The biggest crisis for the new republic came in May 1919 when the terms
of the Treaty of Versailles were announced. You can read more about this ..3
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There was widespread hunger, squalor
and poverty and - what really affected
The Treaty of Versailles destabilised Germany politically, but Germans also
blamed it for another problem - economic chaos. See if you agree that the
in Chapter 1. Most people in Germany were appalled, but the right-wing
opponents of Ebert's Government were particularly angry. They blamed --
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us - there =s humiliation. The French
ruled with an iron hand. /( d1ey disliked
Treaty of Versailles was responsib le for economic problems in Germany.
Ebert's Government for betraying Germany. .,_
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you =lking on the pavement, (or Reparations
0,
z instance, they'd come along with dieir The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to pay reparations to the Allies. The
Germany lost:
■ 10 per cent of its land -.u..
0
riding crops and you'd have to walk in
tile road.
reparations bill was announced in April 1921. It was set at £6600 million, to
be paid in annual instalments of 2 per cent of Germany's annual output. The
■ all of its overseas colonies Ill
■ 12.5 per cent of its population
UI The memories of Jutt a Rudiger, a German Germans protested that this was an intolerable strain on the economy, which
woman livi ng in the Ruhr during the they were struggling to rebuild after the war, but their protests were ignored.
■ 16 per cent of its coal and 48 per cent of its iron industry.
French occupation .
In addition: The occupation of the Ruhr
■ Its army was reduced to 100,000; it was not allowed to have an air
The first instalment of £50 million was paid in 1921, but in 1922 nothing was
force; its navy was reduced. Source Analysis paid. Ebert did his best to play for time and to negotiate concessions from
■ Germany had to accept blame for starting the war and was forced to pay Work in pairs. One study Source
the Allies, but the French in particular ran out of patience. They too had
REPARATIONS. /4 and the other Source 5. Explain
war debts to pay to the USA. So in January 1923 French and Belgian troops
the message of your source to your
Most Germans were appalled. Supporters of the Weimar Government felt entered the Ruhr (quite legally under the Treaty of Versailles} and began to
partner.
betrayed by the Allies. The Kaiser was gone - why should they be punished for take what was owed to them in the form of raw materials and goods.
■ Remember to make a valid
his war and aggression? Opponents of the regime turned their fury on Ebert. inference (for example. the The results of the occupation of the Ruhr were disastrous for Germany. The
Ebert himself was very reluctant to sign the Treaty, but he had no choice. cartoonist is saying...l. Government ordered the workers to go on strike. That way, there would be
■ Then remember to support the
Germany could not go back to war. However, in the minds of many Germans, nothing for the French to take away. The French reacted harshly, killing
inference with a deta il from the
Ebert and his Wei mar Republic were forever to blame for the Treaty. The injustice source [for example this is shown
over 100 workers and expelling over 100,000 protesters from the region.
of the Treaty became a rallying point for all Ebert's opponents. They believed More importantly, the halt in industrial production in Germany's most
in the cartoon by...).
that the German army had been 'stabbed in the back' by the Socialist and Liberal important region caused the collapse of the German currency.
politicians who agreed an armistice in November 1918. They believed that
SOURCE 4
Germany had not been beaten on the battlefield, but that it had been betrayed SOURCE 5
by its civilian politicians who didn't dare continue the war. The Treaty was still a
source of bitterness in Germany when Hitler came to power in 1933.
Revision Tip
Make sure you can descr ibe at least two ways [one political, one economicl the
Treaty affected Ger many.
The text reads: 'The Mammou, Military -
---
superiority of our neighbours'.
The chains= military treaties;
F= peacetime strength;
-
fea~6~fd)at
btloffd)tn
\l)Qnn
R = rese,ve soldiers.
p,i.,... l!o,.rf<lual
The German Reich (centre) is surrounded b
j )Otttt...uial IOl~I
France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia and Poland
(horn lell 10 rrghl).
◄ Source Analysis
Study Source 2 carefully.
1 What point is the cartoonist
making about the relationship
between France and Germany? ~ .. ....,. a.&a.r! t i - at 1'11.,,,... •• N& ut&.aiu.t • A 1923 German poster discouragi ng people from buying
2 What point is the cartoonist :-,.=,---, ... .,....,.u,., n. French and Belgian goods, as long as Germany is under
making about the relationship occupation. The poster reads, 'Hands off French and Belgian
IU
between France and the other A British cartoon from 1921. The two goods as long as Germany is raped!' Bochun and Essen
countries? watchers are the leaders of France and Britain. are two industrial towns in the Ruhr.
SOURCE 6 Hyperinflation ... Vl
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Because it had no goods to trade and because it needed to pay the
C)
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striking workers in the Ruhr, the Government simply printed money. For
the Government this seemed an attractive solution. It paid off its debts
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120

100
1923-29
.......... ............. .................... ............. .................... .......
in worthless marks, including war loans of over £2200 million. The great
industrialists were able to pay off all their debts as well.
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Although Chancellor for only a few months, Gustav Stresemann was a
leading member of every government from 1923 to 1929. He was a more
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This set off a chain reaction. With so much money in circulation, but not enough 0, skilful politician than Ebert, and, as a right-winger, he had wider support.
z 60
goods to buy with it, prices and wages rocketed, but people soon realised that
this money was worthless. Workers needed wheelbarrows to carry home their
-.u..
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40
He was also helped by the fact that through the 1920s the rest of Europe
was gradually coming out of its post-war depression.
Ill
wages. Wages began to be paid daily instead of weekly. The price of goods could UI Key
rise between joining the back of a queue in a shop and reaching the front! 20 -+- Industrial production Achievement 1: The economy
..... Spending poW1!r of workers Slowly but surely, Stresemann rebuilt Germany's prosperity. Under the
Poor people suffered, but in some ways those who lost most were middle-class Dawes Plan (see pages 38 and 39), reparations payments were spread over
Germans. A prosperous middle-class family would find that their savings, which 1913 1923 1928 a longer period, and 800 million marks in loans from the USA poured into
might have bought a house in 1921, by 1923 would not even buy a loaf of
Comparison of aspects of the German German industry. Some of the money went into German businesses to help
bread. Pensioners found that their monthly pension would not even buy one
economy i n 1913, 1923 and 1928. them replace old equipment with the latest technology. Some went into
cup of coffee. The Government had lost the support of the middle classes.
public works like swimming pools, sports stadia and apartment blocks. As
It was clear to all, both inside and outside Germany, that the situation well as providing facilities, these projects created jobs.
needed urgent action. In August 1923 a new government under Gustav By 1927 German industry seemed to have recovered very well. In 1928
A photograph taken in 1923 showing a
Stresemann took over.
woman using worthless banknotes to Germany finally achieved the same levels of production as before the war
■ He called off the passive resistance in the Ruhr.
start her fire. and regained its place as the world's second greatest industrial power
■ He called in the worthless marks and burned them, replacing them with
(behind the USA). Wages for industrial workers rose and for many Germans
a new currency called the Rentenmark.
there was a higher standard of living.
SOURCE 7 ■ He negotiated to receive American loans under the DAWES PLAN.
■ He even renegotiated the reparations payments. Think! Reparations were being paid and exports were on the increase. The Government
1918 0.63 marks was even able to increase welfare benefits and wages for state employees.
The economic crisis was solved very quickly. Some historians suggest 1 List the fac tors that helped
1922 163 marks Germany's economy to
that this is evidence that Germany's problems were not as severe as its Achievement 2: Politics
January 1923 250 marks recover, for example reduced
politicians at the time had made out.
July 1923 3465 marks reparations. Even politics became more stable. There were no more attempted
September 1923 1,512,000 marks It was also increasingly clear, however, that the hyperinflation had 2 In what ways did economic revolutions after 1923. One politician who had been a leading opponent of
done great political damage to the Weimar Government. Their right-wing recovery affect the lives of
November 1923 201,000,000,000 Ebert in 1923 said that 'the Republic is beginning to settle and the German
opponents had yet another problem to blame them for, and many linked it ordinary Ger mans?
marks people are becoming reconciled to the way things are'. Figure 10 shows
The rising cost of a loaf of to the hated Treaty of Versailles which the Government had signed. They that the parties that supported Weimar 0010CRACY did well in these years. By
bread in Berlin. blamed reparations and the Weimar politicians who had agreed to pay 1928 the moderate parties had
them. Many Germans never forgave them. FIGURE 10 136 more seats in the Reichstag
Revision Tip 400 - than the RADICAL parties. Hitler's
SOURCE 8
Hyper inflation Nazis gained less than 3 per cent
One afternoon I rang Aunt Louise's bell. The door was opened merely a crack. From of the vote in the 1928 election.
Make sure you can describe:
■ two causes and two effects of
d>e dork came a broken voice: 'I've used 60 billion marks' worth o(gas. My milk bill is 300 . Just as importantly, some of the
hyperinflation I million. But all I have left is 2000 marks. I don't understand any more.' parties who had co-operated in
■ two actions Stresemann took to E. Oobert's memoir, Convert to Freedom, published in 1941. the 'revolution' of 1918 began to
tackle the crisis Dobert was a working -class German who converted to Nazism. co-operate again.
200 -
■ one reason why Germans
blamed the Treaty of Versailles
for hyperinflation. FOCUS TASK 8.4 Challenges to Weimar Republic, 19 19- 23
What was the most serious challenge for 100 -
Weima r Republic 1919- 23
the Weimar Republic in the period 1919-23? Revision Tip
You also need to be able to: I' ■ Make sure you can describe how
■ describe at least two other The diagram on the right shows the
the Dawes Plan worked.
challenges facing the Weimar challenges which faced the Weimar 0
Republic,1919-23. At the moment they 1919 ' May 1924 ' 1928 ' ■ Describe one way in wh ich
Republic 19 19-23 Key German politics was more
Challenge
■ explain why each one was a are shown as equally serious. Redraw the Ruhr
from the □ left wing opposed to the Republic settled in this period.
diagram so that the most serious challenge is crisis
challenge Rig'1t 0 left wing supporting the Republic ■ Practise explaining to someone
■ take a view on wh ich of your largest. the next most serious is next largest, Treaty of
and so on. Add notes to each sector explaining Versailles
0 Right wing opposed to the Republic else why the Nazis were
two challenges was most unsuccessful in this period.
threaten ing . why it was a serious challenge. Support fo r the main political parties in Germany, 1919- 28.
SOURCE 11
.... .,I'
A photograph of a design college in Oessau. The Bauhaus architects and designers rejected
Berlin nightclub i n 1920. traditional styles to create new and exciting buildings and objects. They
FOCUS TASK 8.5
Weimar culture
Uhe Weimar period saw many
cultural developments, especially
in Berlin.
Carry out some r esearch online
to find at least three sources from
the Weimar peri od and copy and
paste them into a document. Then
write a short description of each
of the sources. You should include
one source from each of the
following categories:
■ Cinema
■ Architecture
■ Art
SOURCE 12
What we /Jave today is a coalition of
ministers, not a coalition of/>arties.
There are no government parties,
only opposition parties. This state
of things is a greater danger to the
democratic system than ministers and
parliamentarians realise.
Gustav Stolper, a Reichstag member for
the OOP in 1929.
Achievement 3: Culture ...
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Problem 2: Politics
There was also a cultural revival in Germany. In the Kaiser's time there had Ill 0 Despite the relative stability of Weimar politics in this period, both the Nazis
been strict CEHSORSIIIP, but the Weimar Constitution allowed free expression
of ideas. Writers and poets flourished, especially in Berlin. Artists in Weimar
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To what extent did the Weimar
Republic recover after 1923?
and Communists were building up their party organisations. Even during these
stable years there were four different Chancellors and it was only the influence
Germany turned their back on old styles of painting and tried to represent
the reality of everyday life, even when that reality was sometimes harsh and
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Draw a diagram like this then
complete it to summarise the
of party leaders which held the party coalitions together (see Source 12).
More worrying for the Republic was that around 30 per cent of the vote regularly
shocking. Artists like George Grosz produced powerful paintings such as Pillars .,_
I
strengths I+) and weaknesses(-) of
0, N
the Weima r Republic in 1929. went to parties opposed to the Republic. Most serious of all, the right-wing
of Society, which criticised politicians and business, Church and army leaders z organisations which posed the greatest threat to the Republic were quiet rather
of the Weimar period. It showed them as callous and mindless. Other paintings
highlighted how soldiers had been traumatised by their experiences in the war.
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+ + than destroyed. The right-wing Nationalist Party (DNVP) and the Nazis began
Ill to collaborate closely and make themselves appear more respectable. Another
UI
The famous BAUHAUS style of design and architecture developed. Artists such Politics The economy event which would turn out to be very significant was that the German people
as Walter Gropius, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky taught at the Bauhaus elected a new president in 1925 who was opposed to democracy. Hindenburg
even wrote to the (exiled) Kaiser for approval before he took up the post!
HOW far
produced designs for anything from chairs and desk lamps to art galleries has the Problem 3: Culture
and factories. The first Bauhaus exhibition attracted 15,000 visitors. WeifflGr Republk Weimar culture was colourful and exciting to many. However, for others
recovered?
The 1920s were a golden age for German cinema, producing one of its greatest living in Germany's villages and country towns, the culture of the cities
ever international stars, Marlene Dietrich, and one of its most celebrated represented moral decline, made worse by American immigrants and Jewish
directors, Fritz Lang. Berlin was famous for its daring and liberated nightlife. artists and musicians. As you have read, the Bauhaus design college was
Foreign policy Culture in Dessau. What you were not told is that it was in Dessau because it was
Going to dubs was a major pastime. In 1927 there were 900 dance bands in
forced out of Weimar by hostile town officials.
Berlin alone. Cabaret artists performed songs criticising political leaders that
+ +
would have been banned in the Kaiser's days. These included songs about sex Organisations such as the Wandervogel movement were a reaction to Weimar
that would have shocked an earlier generation of Germans. culture. The Wandervogel called for a return to simple country values. It
You could give each sec tor a mark
wanted to see more help for the countryside and less decadence in the towns.
Achievement 4: Foreign policy out of ten.
It was a powerful feeling, which the Nazis successfully used in later years.
Stresemann's greatest triumphs were in foreign policy. In 1925 he signed Finally. you need lo decide on an
the Locarno Treaties, guaranteeing not to t ry to change Germany's western overall judgement: in your opinion. Problem 4: Foreign policy
how far had the Weimar Republic
borders with France and Belgium. As a result, in 1926 Germany was accepted There was also the question of international relations. Nationalists
into the League of Nations. Here Stresemann began to work, quietly recovered? In your answer, do attacked Stresemann for joining the League of Nations and for signing the
remember that, in the view of
but steadily, on reversing some of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Locarno Pact because it meant Germany accepted the Treaty of Versailles.
many historians, it was probably a Communists also attacked Locarno, seeing it as part of a plot against the
particularly those concerning reparations and Germany's eastern frontiers . By
major achievement lor the Weimar
the time he died in 1929, Stresemann had negotiated the YouNG PLAN, which communist government in the USSR.
Republic just to have survived.
further lightened the reparations burden on Germany and led to the final
removal of British, French and Belgian t roops from the RIUNELAND. Key Question Summary
Problem 1: The economy Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start?
The economic BOOM in Weimar Germany was precarious. The US loans could 1 Germany emerged from the Fi rst Wor ld War in a poor state, short of
be called in at short notice, which would cause ruin in Germany. food and goods and in debt. It was an angry, bitter and divided society -
politically (between left- and right-wing views) and socially !rich and poor).
The boom also increased inequality. The main economic winners in Germany 2 The Weimar Republic was created in this turbulent time. Its Constitution
were big businesses (such as the steel and chemicals industries) which was very democratic but it had weaknesses. In particular, its system of
controlled about half of Germany's industrial production. Other winners were proportional r epresentation meant that it was difficult for any political
big landowners, particularly if they owned land in towns - the value of land party to get a clear maj ority and provide strong government.
in Berlin rose by 700 per cent in this period. The workers in the big industries 3 Its leaders signed the armistice to end the war (the ·stab in the back·] and
gained as well. Most Weimar governments were sympathetic towards the the hated Trea ty of Versailles. This gave some Germans a poor view of
democratic government and the Weimar Republic fr om the beginn ing.
unions, which led to improved pay and conditions. However, even here there
were concerns as unemployment began to rise - it was 6 per cent of the Revision Tip 4 Challenges from the Left ISpartacists, 19191 and Right (Kapp Putsch. 1920
and Munich Putsch, 19231 created political instability.
working population by 1928. Make sure you can describe:
5 The Treaty of Versailles harmed Germany economica lly !reparations, loss
■ one example of cultural
The main losers were the peasant farmers and sections of the middle classes. of territory and industryl and psychologically lwAR ou1Lr, national pr idel.
achievement and one example 6 One consequence of the Treaty, the occupation of the Ruh r, led to the
The peasant farmers had increased production during the war. In peacetime, of economic achievement in this
they were producing too much. They had loans to pay back but not enough hyperinflation of 1923.
period 7 The economy r ecover ed after 1921. as Germany was put on a sounder
demand for the food they produced. Many small business owners became ■ one group who were winners in
financial footing. However, prosperity depended on American loans, and
disillusioned during this period. Small shopkeepers saw their businesses the Weimar period and explain unemployment remained a problem.
threatened by large department stores (many of which were owned by Jewish why they were winners 8 Germany became more stable politically after 192/4 and extremists
people). A university lecturer in 1913 earned ten times as much as a coal ■ one group who were losers in parties, like the Nazis, did not do well in elections through the 1920s.
miner. In the 1920s he only earned twice as much. These people began to the Weimar period and explain 9 Given the problems that the Weimar Republic started with it was an achievement
feel that the Weimar Government offered them little. why they were losers. j ust to have sur vived to 1929. This proved it was not ·doomed from the start'.

Adolf Hitler - the early
years, 1889-1919
■ Born in Austria in 1889.
■ He got on badly wi th his father
bul was fond of his mother.
■ At sixteeen he lefl school and
went to Vienna to become a
painter. He did not succeed and
betwee n 1909 and 1914 he was
'down and out' living on the
streets or Vienna.
■ During this period he developed
his hatred of foreigners and
Jewish people.
■ In 1914 Hitler joined the German
army and served with distinction,
winning the Iron Cross.
■ Hitler found it very hard to accept
the armistice and was completely
unable to accept the Treaty of
Versailles.
■ He despised Weimar democracy
and like many Germans looked
back to lhe 'glorious days' of the
Kaiser.
■ After the war, Hitler stayed
working for the army spying on
extremist groups. Th is is how
he came across lhe Ger man
Workers' Par ty. He liked their
ideas and joined in 1919.
Factfile
Twenty-Five Point
Programme
The most important points were :
■ lhe abolition of the Tr eat y of
Versailles
■ union of Germany and Austria
■ only 'tr ue· Germans to be allowed
to live in Germa ny. Jewish people
in pa r ticular were to be excluded
■ large industries and businesses
lo be nationalised
■ generous old•age pension
■ a str ong central government.
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SOURCE 2 The Munich Putsch, 1923
dominate Germany by 1934?
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Hitler knew /low 10 whip u/> those
..........................................................•........................
By 1923 the Nazis were still very much a minority party, but Hitler had given
FOCUS --- --
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crowds jammed closely in a dense cloud
o( cigarette smoke - not by argument,
but l:ry his manner: the roaring and
es/>ecially the po•.ver o( his repetitions
them a high profile. In November 1923 Hitler believed that the moment
had come for him to topple the Weimar Government. The Government
was preoccupied with the economic crisis. Stresemann had j ust called off
Germany's passive resistance in the Ruhr (see page 16}. On 8 November, Hitler
Stresemann·s Government succeeded in stabilising Germany. However, as z
you have alr eady seen. the extr emist opponents of the Weimar Gover nment
had not disappeared. Through the 1920s they were organising and
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... He would draw up a list o( exisring
hijacked a local government meeting and announced he was taking over the
government of Bavaria. He was joined by the old war hero Ludendorff.
regrouping, waiting for their chance to win power.
Ill evils and imaginary abuses and after
UI Nazi Stormtroopers, many of them under the command of Ernst Rohm (see
One of these extremist groups was the Nazi Par ty. You ar e now going to look
lisfing them, in higher and higher
crescendo, he screamed: 'And whose Profile on page 238), began taking over official buildings. The next day,
back at wha t il had been doing since 1919 and examine its changing fortun es
fault is it? It's all .. . the fault .. . o(
however, the Weima r Government forces hit back. Police rounded up the
thr ough the 1920s and early 1930s.
Stormtroopers and in a brief exchange of shots sixteen Nazis were killed by
Your key question examines how the Nazis tur ned themselves from an the Jews/'
the police. The rebellion broke up in chaos. Hitler escaped in a car, while
obscure fringe party in the 1920s to the most popula r party in Germany by A person who went to Nazi meetings
1933. You will see that there ar e a range of fac tor s including Hitler's sk ills as
Ludendorff and others stayed to face the armed police. Hitler had gambled
describes the impact of Hitler's speeches.
a leader and the economic Depression that hit Germany in the 1930s . and miscalculated and his revolution had failed. But this was not quite the
From A Part of Myself: Portrait of an
You will als o examine the ruthless way that once elected as Chancellor Hitler Epoch, by C. Zuckmayer, 1966.
end of the sto ry.
CONSOLIDATED his power by removing all possible opposition .
Focus Points SOURCE 3
■ What did the Nazi Party stand for in the 1920s?
■ Why did the Nazis have lit tle success before 1930?
■ Why w as Hitler able to become Chancellor by 1933?
■ How did Hitler consolidate his power in 1933- 34?
Hitler and the Nazis
• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The Nazis began as the German Workers' Party, led by Anton Drexler. In 1919
Adolf Hitler joined the party. Drexler soon realised that Hitler had great
talent and within months he had put him in charge of propaganda and the
political ideas of the party. In 1920 the party announced its Twenty-Five
Point Programme (see Factfile}, and renamed itself the National Socialist
German Workers' Party, or Nazis for short .
In 1921 Hitler removed Drexler as leader. Hitler's energy, commitment and
above all his powe r as a speaker were soon attracting attention, as you can
see from Source 1.
Hitler had a clea r and simple appeal. He stirred nationalist passions in his
audiences. He gave them scapegoats to blame for Germany's problems:
the Allies, the Versailles Treaty, the 'November Criminals' (the Socialist
politicians who signed the Treaty}, the Communists and the Jewish people. Revision Tip
■ Make sure you can describe two
His meetings were so successful that his opponents tried to disrupt aims of the Nazis before 1923.
them. To counter this, he set up the SA, also known as Stormtroopers or ■ [ xplain one way in which the
Brownshirts, in 1921. These hi red thugs protected Hitler's meetings but Munich Putsch was a disaster
also disrupted those of other parties. for the Nazis and one way it was A painting of the Munich Putsch made by Arthur Wirth, one of the Nazis who took part
a success. in it. Hitler is in the centre and Ludendorff is in the black hat to Hitler's right.
SOURCE 1
The most active polirical force in BaWJria at the present time is the National Socialist Pony Source Analysis
.. . It /las recently acquired a poliricol influence quite disproportionate ta its actual numerical
1 What impression does Source 3 give of the Putsch and llitler's role in it?
strengtll ... Ado/( Hitler from the ll€tY first has been the dominaring force in the movement 2 Why would you have concerns about it as a source for find ing out what
ard rhe personality o( tllis man has undoubtedly been one o( the most important factors happened?
contribufing ta its success .. . His abifity to inµuence a popular assembly is uncanny.
American intelligence report on political activities in Germany, 1922.
SOURCE 4
When I resume active work, it will
be necessary to pursue a new />olicy.
Instead o(working to achieve power
by armed conspiracy we shall hove to
toke hold o( our noses and enter the
Reichswg against the Catholic and
Marxist deputies. I( out-voting them
takes longer than out-shooting d>em,
at least the results will be guaranteed
by their own constitution. Any lawful
process is slow. Sooner or later we shall
hove a mo1ority and ofter that we shall
hove Germany.
Hitler, writing while in prison in 1923.
Factfile
' was down, but not out.
Hitler 's views
In Mein Kampf and his later wri tings.
Hiller set out the main Nazi beliefs:
■ Nat ional Socialism: This stood
for loyalty to Germany, raci al
puri ty, equality and state cont rol
of the economy.
■ Raci sm: The Aryans !whi te
Europeans! were the Master
Race. All other races and
especially Jewish people were
inferior.
■ Armed force: Hitter believed
that war and strugg le were an
essential part of the development
of a healthy Aryan race.
■ Living space !'Lebensraum'):
Germany needed lo expand as
its people were hemmed in. This
expansion would be mainly at the
expense of Russia and Poland.
■ The Fuhrer: Debate and
democratic discussion produced
weakness . Strength lay in total
loyalty to the leader Ithe Fiihrerl.
Source Analysis
1 Read Source 5. Li st t he demands
made by Goebbels.
2 Would you say this source
appeals more to the hear ts of
German people than to their
minds? Support your answer
w ith evidence from the source.
The aftermath of the Munich Putsch
In the short term, the Munich Putsch was a disaster for Hitler. He had
miscalculated the mood of the German people and the Nazis had been
humiliated. People did not rise up to support him. He and other leading
Nazis were arrested and charged with treason.
However, from a longer-term point of view, the Putsch turned out to be less
of a disaster. At his trial Hitler gained enormous publicity for himself and
his ideas, as his every word was reported in the newspapers.
In fact, Hitler so impressed the judges that he and his accomplices got
off very lightly. Ludendorff was freed altogether and Hitler was given
only five years in prison, even though the legal guidelines said that
high treason should carry a life sentence. In the end, Hitler only served
nine months of the sentence and did so in great comfort in Landsberg
Castle. This last point was very significant. It was clear that Hitler
had some sympathy and support from important figures in the legal
system. Because of his links with Ludendorff, Hitler probably gained the
attention of important figures in the army. Time would show that Hitler
The Nazis in the wilderness, 1924-29
Hitler used his time in prison to write a book, Mein Kampf (My Struggle},
which clarified and presented his ideas about Germany's future (see Factfile
and Sources 1- 3 on pages 235 and 236).
It was also while in prison that he came to the conclusion that the Nazis
would not be able to seize power by force . They would have to work within
the democratic system to achieve power but, once in power, they could
destroy that system (see Source 4).
As soon as he was released from prison, Hitler set about rebuilding the
Nazi Party so that it could take power through democratic means. He saw
the Communists building up their strength through youth organisations and
recruitment drives. Soon the Nazis were doing the same.
Their candidates stood in the Reichstag elections for the first time in
May 1924 and won 32 seats. Encouraged by this, Hitler created a network of
local Nazi parties which in turn set up the H1nER Youm, the Nazi Students'
League and similar organisations.
SOURCE 5 Importance
Three million people Jack work and sustenance ... The illusion o(freedom, peace and
prosperity diat we were promised ... is vanishing ...
Thus we demand the right o(vvork and a decent living for every v.orking German.
While the soldier was fighting in the trenches ro defend his Fatherland, some Jewish
profiteer robbed him o(hearth and home. The Jew lives in palaces ... Therefore we
demand homes (or German soldiers and workers. /( diere is not enough money to
build them, drive the foreigners out so that Germans can five on German soil.
These days anyone has the right to speak in Germany - the Jew, the Frenchman, the
Englishman, the league of Nations. Everyone but d>e German worker. He has w shut
up and work. Every (our years he elects a new set of torturers, and everything stays
the same. Therefore we demand die annihilation o( diis system of exploitation!
Extracts from a pamphlet called 'We demand', written in 1927 by Nazi propaganda
expert Joseph Goebbels.
Hitler's henchmen
Hitler had many loyal followers who helped organise the Nazis to increase
their support and membership. Below are some of the most important of
Hitler's henchmen in this period, many of whom were also instrumental
later in the period in Hitler's rise to power.
Ernst Ri:ihm
(Chi ef of Staff of the SA)
Background
Ro hm served as a captain in the German army in the First World War and received
the Iron Cross for bravery. In 1919 he joined the Na2i Party and took part in the
failed Munich Putsch !see page 2361 leading 2,000 men 10 march on the War
Ministry. He left the Nazi Party in 1925 for a role in Bolivia but returned after Hitler
asked him 10 lead the SA during the Depression .
Importance
Rohm was a violent man who despised Jews and communists. He organised the SA
into a powerful paramilitary force and won the loyally of its members. By 1931 the
SA numbered over one m illion. SA members marched. sang songs and held parades.
and also attacked communists and Jews on the streets. After the Wall Street Crash.
Rohm stirred up trouble to make the government look weak and 10 make many
Germans fear a communist revolution was imminent.
Profile
Joseph Goebbels
(Ga uleiter IDistrict l eader ) of Berlin
and Hea d of Nazi Propaga nda in 19281
Background
Goebbels jo ined the Nazi Party in 1924 after taking an interes t in Hitler during his
tria l for the Munich Putsch. He supported Hitler when ii looked like the Na2i Pa r ty
might break up into factions in 1926. As Gauleiter in Berli n. he drew large crowds
10 his speeches and like Hitler, was a charismatic public speaker. He was elected
10 the Reich stag in 1928 and by 1930 the Na2i Par ty in Berli n was second in si2e
only 10 the Party in Mun ich.
Goebbels was in charge of Na2i propaganda during the Depression and targeted
different groups in Germany 10 win their votes by propagating the idea of the
FUHRERMYTH. He used posters. rallies and the Na2i newspaper. the Vo/kischer
Beobachter (People's Observer). to promise jobs for the unemployed workers. to
crush communism to appeal to the m iddle class and industrialists and 10 protect
the racial purity of the peasant farmers.
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Heinrich Himmler Background ..3
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As you can see from Source 5 (on page 237), by 1927 the Nazis were still
(Reichsfiihrer -SS) Himmler had not I ought in the war and failed to make a successlul career in the
military as a young man. In 1923. he joined the Nazi Party and took part in th e
Munich Putsch as part of Rohm·s SA men. In 19 25 he joined the newly formed
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trying to appeal to German workers. However, most workers supported either
the Socialists or the Communists. In the 1928 elections the Nazis gained only
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twelve Reichstag seats (a quarter of the Com munist vote). Although their
SS (then a part of the SAi. which was used as the persona l bodyguard lor Nazi 0, antisemitic policies gained them some support, they had failed to win over the
leaders. He persuaded Hiller to separate th e SS lrom the SA in 1927 and in 1929 z
was made head ol the SS (Reichsluhrer-SS). He quickly expanded the SS and by
1933 ii had over 50,000 members.
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industrial workers felt that they were doing rather well in Weimar Germany in
Ill the years up to 1929.
UI
Importance
Himml er's SS were liercely loyal to Hiller who sometimes doubted the loyalty and Target th e farmers
discipline ol the SA. They were well-trained and were meant 10 represent the Nazi Other groups in society were doing less well, however. The Nazis found
Party elite - members even had to prove their Aryan heritage as lar back as 1800' The that they gained more support from groups such as the peasant farmers in
intelligence service ol the SS (the SDI was used to root out opponents and threats to northern Germany and middle-class shopkeepers and small business people
Hiller in the Nazi Party and was led by Himmler's deputy. Reinhard Heydrich.
in country towns.
Unlike Britain, Germany still had a large rural population that lived and worked
on the land - probably about 35 per cent of the entire population. They were
not sharing in Weimar Germany's economic prosperity. The Nazis highlighted
Hermann Goering the importance of the peasants in their plans for Germany, promising to
help agriculture if they came to power. They praised the peasants as racially
(Early SA leader and President
(Speaker) of the Rei chstag from 19321 Background pure Germans (see the image in Source 7 for example). Nazi propaganda also
Goer ing was a First World War lighter pilot ace who received the 'Blue Max' medal contrasted the supposedly clean and simple life of the peasants with that of
for his 22 victories in the air. He joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and led the SA during the allegedly corrupt, immoral, crime-ridden cities (for which they blamed
t he Munich Putsch where he was shot in the groin. He became addicted 10 morphi ne Jewish people). The fact that the Nazis despised Weimar culture also gained
for the rest of his lile to cope with the pain. He was a leading party member who was them support among some conservative people in the towns, who saw Weimar's
elected 10 the Reichstag in 1928. In 1932, when the Nazis were the largest party, he
was appointed as President of the Reichstag (not to be conlused with the President
flourishing art, literature and film achievements as immoral.
ol the Republic).
SOURCE 7
Importance
Goering was an early supporter ol Hiller and was born into an aristocratic family with
ties to many wealthy and inlluential German lamilies. especially in the military. His
background served the Nazi Party well when i t needed funds 10 win the elections. Like
many Nazis. he promoted the 'stab in the back myth·. His aviation background would
serve Hiller well when the Nazis 901into power and he needed 10 build a new air force.

Rudolf Hess
SOURCE 6
(H itler's private secreta ry; Chair man At one of tile early congresses I = s sitting
of the Nazi Party and Deputy Fuhr er in 1933) surrounded by thousands of SA men.
Background As Hitler spoke I 1M:JS most interested
Aller serving in the war, Hess joined the Nazi Party in 1920 and allegedly introduced at the shouts and more often tile
the idea of Lebensraum 10 Hiller. He joined the SA in 1921 and took part in the Munich muttered exdamations of the men around
Putsch. He was im prisoned with Hiller and other Nazis al Landsberg Prison and me, wllo were mainly workmen or lo•,-,er-
assisted Hiller in writing Mein Kampl. He helped increase the size ol the SA and
middle-class types. 'He speaks for me ...
followed Hitler on his election campaigns around Germany as a close lriend.
Ach, Gott, he knows hc,,v I feel' . . . One
Importance man in particular struck me as Ile leant
Hess was trusted by Hiller and as his priva te secretary had unbridled access 10 him forward wir.h his head in hishands, and
al all times. All ollicial orders passed through his ollice before reaching Hiller and with a sort of convu/srve sob said: 'Gott sei
he oversaw the Nazi Party organisation as a whole. He often gave the opening speech Dank [God be thanked), he underswnds.'
al the Nuremberg Rallies before introducing Hitler. Hess was loyal to Hiller and was
rewarded with the honour of Deputy Fuhrer when Hiller was appointed Chancellor ol E. Amy Buller, Darkness over Gem10ny,
Germany in 1933. published i n 1943. Buller was an anti - A Nazi elect ion poster from 1928, showing a farmer. The caption says 'Work, freedom
Nazi German t eacher. and bread! Vote for t he National Socialists.'
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How did Hitler become Chancellor?
.Hitler consolidates his position
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July 1932
.....•.• .. •.•.....••• ..•.•. •..•••....••.. ..•.•.•..•.•. ...••.. ..•••.•..•.• .. •••..•..
After the Reichstag elections of July 1932 the Nazis were the largest single ..3
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Reichstag Fire Decree
A Dutch communist called Marinus
It is easy to forget, but when Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933 he was
party (with 230 seats) but did not have an overall majority. Hitler demanded the
post of Chancellor. However, Hindenburg was suspicious of Hitler and refused. --
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van der Lubbe was found at the scene
of the Reichstag Fire. He was later
in a very precarious position (see Source 14). Few people thought he would
hold on to power for long. Even fewer thought that by the summer of 1934 he
He allowed the current Chancellor Franz von Papen to carry on. He then used .,_
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charged with treason and executed. would be the supreme dictator of Germany. He achieved this through a clever
his emergency powers to pass the measures that von Papen hoped would solve 0, Hitter blamed the attack on the combination of methods - some legal, others dubious. He also managed to
z
the unemployment problem. However, von Papen was soon in trouble. He had
virtually no support in the Reichstag and so called yet another election. -.u..
0 Communists and claimed a revolution
was imminent. He demanded
defeat or reach ag reements with those who could have stopped him.

INovember 1932 >

Hind enburg used Article 48 to grant
In the November 1932 elections the Nazis again came out as the largest
Ill
UI the government emergency powers.
Step 1: The Reichstag Fire
party, although their share of the vote fell. Hitler regarded the election as With these powers Hitter was able to: Once he was Chancellor, Hitler took steps to complete a Nazi take-over of
a disaster. He had lost more than 2 million votes along with 38 seats in the ■ suspend civil liberties. such Germany. He called another election for March 1933 to try to get an overall
as the freedom of expression Nazi majority in the Reichstag. He used the sa me tactics as in previous
Reichstag. The signs were that the Hitler tide had finally turned. The Nazis and freedom of the press and
started to run out of funds. Hitler is said to have threatened suicide. elections, but now he had the resources of state media and control of the

IDecember 1932 >

the freedom to organise and
Hindenburg again refused to appoint Hitler as Chancellor. In December 1932 assemble
streets. Even so, success was in the balance. Then on 27 February there
he chose Kurt von Schleicher, one of his own advisers and a bitter rival of von ■ increase police powers and use
was a dramatic development: the Reichstag building burnt down. Hitler
Papen. But within a month, however, von Schleicher too was forced to resign. the SA as an auxiliary police blamed the Communists and declared that the fire was the beginning of a
force communist uprising. He demanded special emergency powers to deal with
By this time it was clear that the Weimar system of government was not ■ use the police and the SA to the situation and was given them by Preside nt Hindenburg. The Nazis used
working. The system of balances and proportional representation meant arrest over 4000 communist these powers to arrest Communists, break up meetings and frighten voters.
that no political group was able to provide strong rule. This had left the leader s and shut down the anti -
84-year- old President Hindenburg to more or less run the country using his Nazi press. There have been many theories about what caused the fire, including that it
emergency powers, supported by army leaders and rich industrialists. In one This effectively removed the
was an accident, the work of a madman, or a Communist plot. Many Germans
sense, Hindenburg had already overthrown the principles of democracy by communist threat, helped prevent at the ti me thought that the Nazis might have started the fire themselves.
running Germany with emergency powers. If he was to rescue the democratic opposition from trade unions and
system, he needed a Chancellor who actually had support in the Reichstag. helped the Nazis to incr ease their SOURCE 14
share of the vote in the March
Hindenburg appointed Hitler. Through January 1933 Hindenburg and von elections.
Papen met secretly with industrialists, army leaders and politicians. On 30
.J_a_nu_a_r_y_1_9_33_ ~ >
I _

January, to everyone's surprise, they offered Hitler the post of Chancellor.

With only a few Nazis in the Cabinet and von Papen as Vice Chancellor, they Source Analysis
were confident that they could limit Hitler's influence and resist his extremist Th is source can be interpreted in ►
demands. The idea was that the policies would be made by the Cabinet, which different ways.
was filled with conservatives like von Papen. Hitler would be there to get ■ Does it show Hitler pressing
Revision Tip support in the Reichstag for those policies and to control the Communists. down and controlling von Papen
Describe three events tin da te and Hindenburg or
So Hitler ended up as Chancellor th rough a behind-the-scenes deal by some ■ Is it saying that without these
orderl that brought Hitler lo power
German aristocrats. Both Hin denburg and von Papen were sure that they men holding llitler up he would
in 1933.
could control Hitler. They were very wrong. be nowhere?
Come to your own decision as to
FOCUS TASK 8.10 which is the best interpretation and
W hy was Hitler able to become Chancellor by 1933? ■ The impact of the Depression explain your answer.
Here is a list of fac tors that helped Hitler come to power. ■ The Treaty of Versailles
Hitler's strengths ■ Memories of the problems of 1923
■ Hitler's speaking skills 1 For each fac tor, write down one example of how it
■ Propaganda campaigns helped Hiller.
■ Th eir criticisms of the Weimar system of government 2 Give each factor a mark out of 10 for its importance in
■ Nazi policies bringing Hitler to power.
■ Support from big business 3 Choose what you think ar e the live most important
■ Violent treatment of their opponents factors and write a shor t paragraph on each.
Opponents' weaknesses explaining why you have chosen it.
■ Failur e to deal with the Depr ession 4 II you took away any of those factor s, would Hitler sti ll
■ Failure to co-operate with one another have become Chancellor?
■ Attitudes of Germans to the democratic parties 5 Were any of those five factors also present in the 1920s?
Other factors 6 If so, explain why the Nazis were not successful in the A British cart oon from early 1933. Hitler,
1920s. 1 trt: 11;\ll'()Jl \11\ TIIL\1'\Gl, I..
■ Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic as Chancellor, is being supported by , _ tuhu lftM .a)• , .. ........ .....
Na U¥ W A .IOU.\ 0009 rD.IAJIIII'
■ Scheming of Hindenburg and von Papen Hindenburg and Von Papen . fl' · · ~ A ,OU.'t' CiOOD ffl.Ul 'II"
Think! SOURCE 15 ...
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1 Some peop le suggest that the
Nazis burnt down the Reichstag
themselves . [ xplain why the
The defeat in 1918 did not depress me as greatly as tile present state of affairs. It
is shocking how day after day naked acts of violence, breaches of tile law, barbaric ..
3
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Within a year any oppone nts (or pote ntial opponen ts) of the Nazis had
either left Germany or been taken to CONCENTRATION CAMPS ru n by t he 55. Other

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opinions appear quite undisguised as official decree. The Soda/ist papers are I- political parties were ban ned.
Nazis might have wanted to do Q_

this.
permanently banned. Tile 'Uberals' tremble. The Berliner Tageblatt was recently '<>
w Hi tler was still not entirely secure, however. The leadin g officers in
Cb Cl
2 [ xplain why the [ nabling Act banned for two days; that can't happen to tile Dresdener Neueste Nachricllten, it .,_
I
N the army were not imp ressed by him an d were particularly suspicious
0,
was so important to Hitler. is completely devoted to tile government ... I can no longer get rid of tile feeling of z of Hit ler's SA an d its leader Ernst Riih m. The SA was a badly discipli ned
3 In the Night of the Long Knives,
why might llitler have executed
disgust and shame. And no one stirs; everyone trembles, keeps out of sight.
An extract for 17 March 1933 from the diary of Vict or Klemperer, a Jewish man who
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force (in comparison wit h the army that is). What's more, Riih m talked of
making t he SA into a second German army to begin a 'seco nd revolution'.
Ill
people such as von Schleicher lived in Dresden and recorded his ex periences from 1933 to 1941. UI This would achieve some of the Nazi Party's more socialist aims from
who were nothing to do with the
their 25-Point Program me. Riihm's nearly fo ur millio n stro ng SA was also
SA?
4 Why do you think Hitler chose Step 2: The Enabling Act increasi ngly causing chaos on t he streets with the com munists gone.
the support of the army over the In the election, the Nazis won their largest-ever share of the votes and, with Hi nden burg even t hreatened t o enforce
support of the SA? the support of the smaller Nationalist Party, Hitler had an overall majority.
SOURCE 16 martial law if nothin g was done. This
Using the SA and SS, he then intimidated the Reichstag into passi ng the would have seen the German army ta ke
ENABUHGAcr which allowed him to make laws without consulting the Reichstag. control of law and order in Germany a nd
Revision Tip Only the SPD voted against him. Following the election, the Communists had with it, Na zi ru le. Hit ler himself wa s also
■ Make sure you can describe been banned. The Catholic Centre Party decided to co-operate with the Nazis suspicious of Riihm and feared that Riih m's
how the Nazis reacted to the rather than be treated like the Com munists. In return, they retained control control over the SA men made him a
Reichstag Fire.
of Catholic schools. The Enabling Act made Hitler a virtual dictator. For the potentially dan gero us rival.
■ Can you explain how the
enabling Act helped Hitler
next four years if he wanted a new law he could just pass it. There was nothing Hitler had to choose betwee n the
secure his power?
President Hindenburg or anyone else could do. army a nd t he SA. He made his choice,
Even now, Hitler was not secure. He had seen how the Civil Service, the after leadi ng Nazis such as Him mler
judiciary, the army an d other important groups had un dermined the Weimar and Goering persuaded hi m of Riih m's
Republic. He was not yet strong enough to remove his opponents, so he set intentions, and acted ru th lessly. On th e
about a clever policy that mixed force, concessions and com promise (see weeke nd of 29- 30 June squads of SS men
Factfile below). broke into t he ho mes of Riih m and other
leadi ng figures in th e SA and a rrested
them. Hitler accused Riih m of plotti ng
Factfile to overth row a nd murder him. Over th e
weeke nd Rii hm and possi bly as many as
Nazi consolidation of power
400 others were executed. These included
■ 30 Ja nuary 1933 Hi tler appointed Chancellor; Goer ing ■ 7 April Civil Service adm inistr ation. court, and education the former Chan cellor von Schleicher, a
minist er of interior. pur ged of 'alien elements·. i.e. Jewish people and other
17 Febr ua r y Goering ordered local police forces to co- opponents of the Nazis. fierce critic of Hitler, and others who
■
oper ate with the SA and SS. ■ 1 May Workers granted May Day holiday.
ac tually had no co nnection with Riih m.
■ 27 February Reichstag fir e. Arrest of 4000 Communists ■ 2 May Trade unions banned: all worker s to belong to new This purge came to be know n as the Night
and other Nazi opponent s on the same night. German Labour Front (DAFI. of the lon g Knives.
■ 28 February Emergency Decr ee issued by Hindenburg: ■ 9 June Employment law: major programme of public
- police to arrest suspects and hold them without tr ial, works (e.g. road building I to create jobs. Hin denburg th an ked Hitler for his
search houses, ban m eetings, close newspapers and ■ 14 Jul y law aga inst the Formation of New Parti es:
1 'determined action which has nipped
radio stations Ger many became a ONE-PARlYSTATE. treaso n in the bud'. The army said it was
- Hiller took over regional gover nm ents. ■ 20 July CONCORDAT (ag reem entl with the Roman Ca tholic well satisfied with the events of t he
■ 5 March Reichstag elections: government used control of Church: gover nment protected r elig iou s freedom: Church

■
radio and police to intimidate opponent s. Nazi election slogan
was ·The battle against Marxism·. Won 43.9 per cent of vote.
13 March Goebbels appointed head of Ministr y for
Pr opaganda. Took control of all media.
24 March The Enabling Act allowed Hitler lo pass decrees
■ head of the SA and Heines was his deputy. The caption for the cartoon is:
without the Presidenfs involvement. This made Hitler a legal
dictator.
banned fr om political activi ty.
■ January 1934 All state governments taken over.
■ 30 June NIGHTOF THE LONG KNIVES,
- weekend.
The SA was not disbanded. It remained as
a Nazi paramilitary organisation, but was
■ August On dealh of Hindenbur g, Hitler becam e Fuhrer. A Swiss cart oon commenting on the Night of the long Kni ves. Rohm was the
Ger m an armed forces swore oath of loyalt y t o him.
very much subordinate to the 55. Many of
its members were absorbed by the army and
'And the Fuhrer said: Only deat h can drive us apart.'
the 55.

Revision Tip
■ Choose three events from the Fact file and make sure you can describe
them accurately.
■ Give the [ nabling Act and the Night of The Long Knives marks out of ten for
their importance. Now prepare two points that justify your marks.
 Step 4: The army oath ... Vl
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President Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934, at the age of 86. Hitler
used the Enablin g Act to pass a law that abo lished the position of
President and combined its powers with that of the Chancellor. This
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meant Hitler was now Germany's head of state and head of government. '<> Q.
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His new title was 'Fuhrer und Reichska nzler' ('Leader and Chancellor of Cb

the Reich'). Hindenburg's death had removed the last obstacle to Hitler's
absolute control over Germany.
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FOCUS l
On the day that Hindenbu rg died, the entire army swore an oath of personal
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There was supposed to be no room for opposition of any kind in Nazi
Germany. The aim was to create a 101Au1AR1•• s tate . In a totalitarian state there
Ill
loyalty to Adolf Hitler as Fuh rer of Germany. UI can be no rival parties, no political debate. Ordina ry citizens must divert their
whole energy into serving the s tate and doing what its leaders want.
The army agreed to stay out of politics and to serve Hitler. In return, Hitler
spent vast su ms on REARMAMENT, brought back CONSCRIPTION and made plans to In th is section you will examine how the Nazis combined the s trategies of
make Germany a great military power again . terror and propaganda to control Germany.

Focus Points
FOCUS TASK 8.11 ■ How much opposition was there to the Nazi regime?
How did Hitler consolidate his power in 1933-34? ■ How effectively did the Nazis deal with their political opponents?
1 Work in groups of three or four. Draw your own copy of 2Use the Factfile on page 247 and choose at least eight ■ How did the Nazis use cultu re and the mass media to control the people?
the following graph: of the 16 key events. You must includ e the following ■ Why did the Nazis persecute many groups in German society?
four events: ■ Was Nazi Germany a totalitarian state?
■ Reichstag Fire and Emergency Decree
10 Hel~d the Nazis
■ Enabling Act
consolKlate power
■ Concordat
9
■ Night of the Long Knives.
The Nazi seizure of power
• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • •
8 Decide where you would place each one, as well as
four more, on your timeline based on how far they
7
helped the Nazis consolidate power.
Nazi aims
6 3 Add a brief explanation for each event on your timeli ne Achieving political power was on ly the begin ning of Nazi ambition. Hitler
5. justifying your dec ision. wanted power in order to reshape Germany. The Nazis wanted to build:
■ A strong Germany. Hitler blamed Germany's problems on weak
4•
leadership. He wanted strong leadership as in the days of the Kaiser.
3. He wanted strong German s, ready for war who were able to restore
2.
Germany's military pride.
■ A racially pure Germany. Hitler believed in Aryan supremacy and
I. blamed Jewish people for many of Germany's problems. He wanted
0 to remove Jewish people and other non-Aryans from any positions of
' 1933
30 January ' I 934
2 August leadership.
■ A People's Community (or Volk) . The Nazis wanted people to give
thei r hearts and minds to Hitler. In the VOLK people wou ld see their
'
Key Question Summary contribution to Germany as more im portant than their own fulfilment.

Why was Hitler able to dominate Germany by 1934?
1 Th e Nazi Party wa s formed in 1919 and Hitler soon
became its leader.
2 It s 25-point programme appealed to ex-soldiers and
those on the Right but it did not enjoy wider support.
3 While in prison after the Mun ich Putsch of 1923, Hiller
wrote Mein Kampf. setting out his ideas.
4 Th e Nazi Party reorganised itself in th e 1920s but was
s till a fringe party in the 1928 elections.
5 The Great Depression led to unemployment and
economic hardship, circumstances in which the Nazis
could flourish.
6 Nazi critici sms of the Weimar Government and the
Treaty of Versailles were popular along with their
ideas on rebuilding Germany.
7 They used innovative techniques - rallies, slogans, films,
radio, posters and pamphlets - to put across their ideas.
8 Hitler was a great asset as a highly effective spea ker
who appeared to understand the people's problems
and express their hopes.
9 Disillusionment with the We imar Republic pushed
Germans towards extremist parties, both the Nazis
and the Communists.
10 There was violence and lawlessness and groups like
businessmen and farmers. who fea red communism.
liked the Nazis' anticom munist message.
11 The Nazis became the biggest single par ty in the 1932
elections.
12 The leaders of the Weimar Republic thought th ey
could use Hitler to their advantage by making him
Chancellor. But he used emergency powers and the
Enabling Ac t to establish himself as dictator.
They intended to eli minate anything that stood in the way of achieving
these aim s. They started im mediately Hitler took power in January 1933.
The speed and ruthlessness of this take-over took many Germans by
surprise. Politica l opposition was decapitated - its leaders im prisoned or
intimidated into silence.
Case study: The Nazi seizure of power in
Northeim
The historian W.S. Allen wrote a groundbreaking book in the 1960s. He
interviewed hundreds of people in the small town of Northeim in northern
Germany about their experience of living under Nazi rule . He compiled an
incredibly thorough account of how the Nazis took control in this one town.
This process is su mmarised in the diagram on the opposite page.
The steps that took place in Northeim were replicated in thousands of other
small towns and communities around Germany.