Put title: What happened to Germany after the First World War?

to

Key terms:
• War guilt
• Reparations Starter: Do you know anything about
• Hyperinflation todays key words?
• Ruhr
• George Clemenceau
To identify and explain the economic and
political difficulties of the Weimar Republic.

To classify the reasons why Hitler came to power in

1933

To evaluate the most important reasons why Hitler

became Chancellor in 1933.
Kaiser Wilhelm II Forced to Abdicate
Read this slide

Kaiser Wilhelm II was forced to give up

his throne because of Germany’s
defeat in the First World War and flee
to Holland.
The Weimar Republic was set up
(named after the German town it was
set up in). This introduced democracy
to Germany where all men and women
over the age of 20 were allowed to
vote.
However, the Weimar republic would face a series of early
problems.

TASK 1: Watch the documentary and answer the questions

on the sheet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43yc2xITl4s

TASK 2: Then read slides 4 -7 to check your answers

 Problems in the Weimar Republic

Spartacist Uprising 1919 Kapp Putsch 1920 – took

– took place in January
when German Communists
attempted a revolution in
Berlin. It failed because the
army supported the new
government.
place in March when
Wolfgang Kapp and ex-
soldiers tried to seize
power. The army would not
support the government
but the workers did!
Treaty of Versailles
The treaty was seen as very
harsh by the Germans
because they:
• lost 13% of their land
• had their army reduced to
100,000 men
• were forced to say they
had started the war
• told to pay £6.6 billion in
reparations.
Here Clemenceau of France
is shown as a vampire sucking
the blood of Germany!
French invasion of the Ruhr and the Hyperinflation Crisis
Germany was supposed to pay
the reparations in annual
instalments of £50 million.
However, they only paid the
first instalment and so France
and Belgium invaded the Ruhr
in January 1923. The
government told the German
workers there to go on strike,
whilst paying them. This meant
the government had to keep
printing money which saw the
value of the German mark
drop.
 Hyperinflation Crisis

Money became so worthless that bank savings which

would have bought you a house in 1921 would only buy
you a cup of coffee in 1923! People had to collect their
wages with suitcases and wheel barrows! In 1914 1$ =
20 marks. By November 1923 1$ = 1 quadrillion (15
zeros) marks. People lost their bank savings and people
on fixed incomes like pensioners were penniless!
 Put sub title: Why did Hitler rise to power?

3. What major event

1. What is happening happened in 1929
here? and why did this
increase support for
the Nazis?

TASK 3: In your books: What does this graph

2. What changed suggest about Hitler’s rise to power?
here? *How were votes for the Nazis linked to
unemployment?*
TASK 4:

• Print the sheet entitled ‘Hitler’s rise card sort.’

• On this sheet add a title - Reasons why Hitler was able to become Chancellor of
Germany in 1933.
• Add a key

The key:
• Political
• Economic To
• Social
• Other
TASK 5:
Write a paragraph explaining the most important reason why you think Hitler
was able to come to power. You might select one reason or a group of reasons.

To
Optional Additional activity:
Design a German poster which attacks the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
You could use this to help you
Resentment towards the Treaty of Versailles - Why the Nazis achieved power - H
igher History Revision - BBC Bitesize

To