Edexcel iGCSE History

Topic A3: Development of Dictatorship: Germany,

1918-1945
Revision Notes produced by Ben Tavener

The Establishment of the Weimar Republic and its early problems.

The Recovery of Germany, 1924-29
The Rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party
Life in Nazi Germany
The impact of the second world War on Germany

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The
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Germans hated the new government for signing the Treaty of Versailles.
The Treaty of Versailles was very unpopular because Germany had to pay reparations to the Allies.
This meant that Germany could not rebuild its own economy after the war.
!

 Germany also had to limit their armed forces. This made them feel weak. Germany also lost land. This
denied them of resources. This also meant that some Germany speaking people no longer lived in
Germany.
The Germans were also forced to admit sole responsibility for starting the war. This seemed unfair to
many Germans.
The politicians that signed the treaty were called the November Criminals.
The army felt that they had been stabbed in the back
Many preferred the authoritarian rule of the Kaiser- they saw democracy as a foreign idea imposed
on the Germans.

What were the early political problems faced by the Weimar Republic?
Most of the political parties of the Weimar Republic were opposed to democracy.
The Weimar Republic faced threats from the Left. The left wanted a revolution like the one that had
happened in Russia and they also wanted more power for the workers.
The new Communist Party (KPD) organised marches and strikes in Berlin during the winter of
1918-1919.
They took hold of government buildings in what was called the Spartacist Uprising. Eventually it had to
be put down by the Freikorps who were demobilised soldiers from World War 1. This showed that the
Weimar Republic as incapable of dealing with its own problems without calling upon the army.
There were also threats from the Right. They did not want a left wing revolution and wanted a return
to authoritarian (non-democractic) rule.
In March 1920 Dr Wolfgang Kapp marched on Berlin to overthrow the Weimar Government and bring
back the Kaiser. This was called the Kapp Putsch.
For a while this seemed as though it might succeed as the government fled and the army did little to
stop the takeover of the city.
However, eventually many workers did not co-operate and the putsch was defeated.
Unrest continued until 1923 and there was another failed right-wing uprising led by the Nazis in the
Munich Putsch (see later section on the Munich Putsch).

What were the early economic problems that faced by the Weimar Republic?
In 1922, Germany said that it could not afford to pay its second reparations instalment.
So, in 1923, French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr, Germanys riches industrial area, in order to
take food coal, iron ore and steel as payment.
Germany replied with passive resistance (strikes and non-cooperation).
The German economy collapsed, leading to hyperinflation.
The German currency became worthless. Many middle class people lost their savings. There were
shortages of food and other goods. Also, people found it difficult to buy what they needed. You had to
go to the market with a wheelbarrow to buy a loaf of bread because the money was so worthless.
A new German government led by Stresemann, ended passive resistance, and the French finally
withdrew.

The Recovery of Germany, 1924-29

What role did Stresemann play in the economic recovery of the Weimar Republic?
Stresemann was appointed chancellor in 1923.
Stresemann negotiated with the French to end the occupation of the Ruhr.
He introduced a new currency called the Retenmark to end inflation.
He set up a new independent national bank to control the currency. This restored confidence.
In 1924, Stresemann negotiated the Dawes Plan with the USA. This reduced the size of the
reparations instalments and provided Germany with US loans that were used to modernise factories
and build new ones.
In 1929, the Young Plan brought new loans, while reparations were reduced and spread over 60 years.

 All these measures helped to boost the German economy and restore confidence. Between 1924 and
1929, Germany received over 25 billion gold marks in loans - three times more than reparation
payments.
By 1929, Germany was only second to the USA in advanced industrial production.

How did Stresemann help Germany restore relations abroad?

In 1924 Stresemann became foreign secretary. He did this job until his death in 1929.
In the Lacarno Pact of 1925, Germany accepted its 1919 western frontiers, and agreed that changes
in the east would be by negotiation only.
Germany joined the League of Nations in 1926, which made Germany feel like much more of a
National community.
The Kellogg- Briand Pact of 1928 saw Germany along with 44 other countries, renounced war.

How much Recovery did Stresemann achieve?

He restored economic stability.

He had regained a place for Germany on the international stage.
He kept the support of the moderate parties on the left and the right.
He steered Germany out of the difficult early period.
However, he died in 1929 at a time when the world was plunged into the economic darkness of the
Great Depression.

The Rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party

How did the Great Depression affect Germany?
In 1929 the Wall Street Crash took place. The US economy crashed and so did the economies that
depended on it. The German economy had depended on US loans so its weaknesses were quickly revealed:
Unemployment rose rapidly from under one million in 1928 to six million by 1932. Those with jobs saw
hours cut and reduced wages.
Very soon millions went hungry and homeless.
Many middle class people lost their savings.
The coalition government collapsed in March 1930 because no one could agree on what to do. President
Hindenburg appointed Bruning of the Centre Party as Chancellor. When he failed to get majority
support from the Reichstag he increasingly ruled by decree.
Political confusion and economic crisis increasingly led many Germans to turn to extreme parties.
More and more workers supported the KPD (Communists) and the Nazis.
The growth of the Communists worried rich industrialists who began to fund Nazi propaganda in the
1932 elections.

What were the main aims and ideas of the Nazi Party?
In the aftermath of World War 1 a small German Workers Party (DAP) was set up. Having attended a
meeting, Hitler decided to join the party and he soon became the leader.
In 1920 they changed their name to the NSDAP (Nazis) and adopted a 25 point programme. The main
ideas were:
1. scrapping the Treaty of Versailles
2. removing Jews from German life
3. expanding German borders to give German people more Lebensraum (living space).
In 1921 they adopted the swastika as their emblem.
Hitler set up the Stormtroopers (SA). These Brownshirts were mainly unemployed ex-soldiers. They
went around attacking left-wing political meetings.

 They soon had over 50,000 members in southern Germany. They received some donations from
businesses.

What was the Munich Putsch?

When the German government called off passive resistance to the French occupation of the Ruhr,
German nationalists were furious.
Hitler decided that it was time to take power. He wanted to march on Berlin.
In November 1923, the Nazis took over a beer hall where important Bavarian officials were addressing
a meeting.
Hitler tried unsuccessfully to get their support for a march on Berlin.
However, Hitler, supported by General Ludendorff went ahead with his plans. But his Beer Hall Putsch
failed when his march was stopped by the army.
In the fighting one policeman was shot and 16 Nazis were killed.
Hitler ran away but was eventually arrested.
Hitler was put on trial for treason. While in court he was allowed to make lengthy speeches and
these were widely reported across Germany.
The putsch gave the Nazis a lot of national attention.
Hitler was also given a really light sentence of 5 years by a sympathetic judge. He only served 9
months!

Why was the Stresemann era a bad period for the Nazis?
During the Stresemann period, some of the policies the right wanted were achieved. For example,
Germany was now part of the international community.
When Hitler came out of prison the economic situation in Germany had improved. Not many people
joined the party.

How did Hitler reorganise the Party?

In 1925 he relaunched the party. Power was concentrated into his hands.
While in jail he had written a book called Mein Kampf. This outlined his views and helped to spread
the word of Nazism.
The main ideas were:
nationalism, socialism, totalitarianism, racial purity, lebensraum and traditional conservative values.
Special sections (for students, teachers, farmers and Hitler Youth) were set up to attract more people
to the party.
Party branches were set up around Germany.
In 1926, Goebbels took control of Nazi Party propaganda. By 1928, the Nazis had just over 100, 000
members.
Hitler decided that he now needed to win elections to gain power. The experience of the Munich
Putsch taught him that he needed the support of the army and wealthy industrialists to win power.
However, Hitler did not reject violence. He set up the black- shirted SS in 1925 as his personal elite
guard. The aim was to use the SS to attack opponents. Himmler became its head in 1929.

Who supported the Nazis?

Many working class people were attracted by the promise of food and work.
They also liked the idea of traditional values and a return to a strong Germany.
Many in the middle class had lost their savings and wanted a strong leader to remedy the problem.
They were worried by the rise of the communists.
They also wanted a return to traditional moral values.
Many farmers were worried that communists might take away their land.
Big business worried about the communists.

 Young people were attracted by Hitlers exciting speeches, He promised that the family would be best
looked after by the Nazis. This attracted women.
The Nazis offered something for everybody.

Why were the Nazis able to come to power?

The great depression made people desperate. They turned to extreme parties.
The weakness of the constitution was exposed by the Great Depression.
PR allowed small extremist parties to destroy coalitions. The President was also able to use article 48
to suspend democracy.
The political elite underestimated Hitler.
While Bruning, Von Papen and and Schleicher worked against each other, Hitler was able to take power.

Life in Nazi Germany

What were the obstacles to Hitler becoming a dictator?
Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January 1933. However, there were still obstacles to Hitler becoming
a dictator.
The Weimar constitution still controlled what the Chancellor could do.
Hindenburg still retained all the presidential powers.
Hitlers cabinet of twelve only contained two other Nazis.

How did the Nazis establish a dictatorship?

Hitler called a new election for March hoping to get a two-thirds majority. This would allow him to
change the constitution.
In February, just before the election, the Reichstag Fire took place - the Nazis blamed the
communists. Communists were rounded up and imprisoned.
In Prussia, the largest German region, the Minister of the Interior Goering arrested lots of
communists and SPD members. Their meetings were broken up and newspapers banned.
The Nazis failed to get the majority they needed in the March elections but they gained the support
of the other Nationalist parties - this gave Hitler control of the Reichstag.
By intimidating or excluding SPD Reichstag members, Hitler got the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Act
in March 1933.
Hindenburg agreed to suspend the constitution and gave Hitler the power to rule by decree for the
next 4 years. Hitler moved quickly to smash the Weimar Democracy.
In April, all the state governments were taken over by Nazi gauleiters (regional party officials).
In May, trade unions were banned and in July all opposition parties were banned. Germany became a
one-party dictatorship. By then, most KPD or SPD leaders were in SA run concentration camps.

How did Hitler deal with the threat within the Nazis?
Hitler faced some opposition from the more radical SA leader Ernst Rohm.
One of his demands was to join the SA to the army. This was not a popular idea amongst army
generals. He also wanted more radical policies.
He thought that Hitler was too concerned about big business. Hitler knew that he needed the support
of the army so in June 1934 he ordered the Night of the Long Knives in which the SS murdered Rohm
and other SA leaders.
This action reassured the army leaders and when Hindenburg died in August, they supported Hitler
becoming the Fuhrer of Germany - Hitler was now President, Chancellor and Commander-in-Chief of
the armed forces. It also removed a potential rival to Hitler.

How did the Nazis deal with the Church?

Hitler was able to control the church by co-operating with it.
In 1933 he signed the Concordat with the Catholic Church. It agreed to keep out of politics if the
Nazis kept out of religion.
But the agreement did not last. Catholic youth groups were stopped and some priests were sent to
Concentration Camps. Catholic Schools were brought into line or closed.
He bullied the Protestant Church. He set up the rival Reich Church and then he sent 800 Protestant
churchmen to labour camps because they would not do as he asked.

How did the Nazis use propaganda?

The Nazis also made skilful use of censorship and propaganda directed by Geobbels, Minister of
Propaganda and Culture.
Newspapers were banned or censored.
The Nazis massive Nuremburg rallies were filmed for the cinema, which also reflected Nazi ideology.
Works of literature and art that conflicted with Nazi ideas were outlawed and destroyed.
Loudspeakers were placed in all workplaces and public areas to ensure everyone heard Nazi views.
Cheap radios were produced.
The Nazis tried to use the 1936 Berlin Olympics to show the superiority of Germany. They won more
medals than anyone else although the Black American athlete Jesse Owens spoiled the day by winning
four gold medals!

How did the Nazis try to reduce unemployment?

Public works funded by the government gave work to the unemployed.
The main projects were building houses, hospitals, schools and roads and barracks.
By 1939, unemployment had fallen to 100,000.
Communists, Jews and women were forced out of jobs, and those in camps were not counted as
unemployed.
Rearmament and conscription gave employment to many. The drive for self-sufficiency also created
jobs.
The National Labour Service (RAD) was expanded. All men aged 18-25 had to give six months service.
In 1936 Goring was ordered to prepare for war by preparing a Four-Year Plan.

How did the Nazis control women?

Policies were based on the 3 Ks (Kinder, Kirche, Kuche). This meant children, kitchen and church.
Women were given financial incentives to stay at home and have children.
The Motherhood Cross system gave medals to women who had large families.
Laws forced women out of government jobs and encouraged them to give jobs up to men.
Most of the advances made by women under the Weimar Republic were reversed under the Nazis.

What were the Nazi Policies towards young people?

The Nazis wanted to indoctrinate the young so they would support them in the future.
All teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler and join the Nazi Teachers League. A new
national curriculum was drawn up centrally and imposed.
There was a great emphasis on History (to show the greatness of the Nazis); Biology (to show the
superiority of the Aryan race); PE (to get boys fit for the army). Girls did Domestic Science to
prepare them for being housewives and mothers.
Young people were forced to join the Hitler Youth from 1939 onwards.

 Boys aged 6-10 joined the Little Fellows. From 10-14 they joined the Young Folk. From 14 they could be
full members of Hitler Youth.
The boys went on camping trips and took part in military games to prepare them for war.
Girls joined the League of German Maidens. They took part in activities such as cooking to prepare
them for motherhood.

Were Germans better or worse off under the Nazis?

In some ways life did improve:
Unemployment went down
wage levels went up so people could spend more
Beauty of Labour improved peoples working conditions
Strength Through Joy allowed people to enjoy holidays for the first time
the Nazis brought mass car ownership to people with the relatively cheap Volkswagen
the new autobahns (motorways) meant that people could travel all over the country easily.
However in some ways life got worse:
With trade unions banned workers were powerless to protest against increasing working hours.
Rising prices cancelled out rising wages.
Many new jobs were low grade military jobs.
Because standards were so low after the Great Depression, any improvements just returned people to
pre-Depression levels.

The impact of the Second World War on Germany

Nazi Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism is dislike or hatred of the Jews.
Background
Hitler's believes have many links with Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is a belief in the survival of
the fittest. Hitler applied this to race and national politics.
Hitler believed that the Germanic or 'Aryan' race were a 'master
race'. His belief in Social Darwinism led him to conclude that as such
other races were inferior. The Jews were one of the most inferior races
in Hitler's eyes.
Why did Hitler hate the Jews?
A Jewish master at Art College rejected Hitler. This may have sparked his hatred, as he was a very
keen artist.
Jews were prominent within the Communist party of the Soviet Union; this led to a
political reason to turn Jews into scapegoats.
Many Germans blamed the Jews for 'stabbing Germany in the back' after the First World War; the
hatred may have been fostered by his involvement in this conflict and a belief in this theory.
Political gains from anti-semiticism
The Jews were accused of exploiting ordinary German workers and for being
communists. Both the communists and war profiteers were disliked by the
German populace, blaming the Jews and promising to rid Germany of the
problem could gain political support from the oppressed masses.
Anti-Semitic policies 1933-1945
Upon gaining power Hitler set about establishing a programme of selective breeding and racial
indoctrination.
The SS were in charge of a selective breeding policy. This involved

selecting racially pure women for SS officers to father the children of.
Important positions could only be filled by people who were racially pure.
Educational programmes were introduced that taught Race studies and Eugenics (study of controlled
reproduction). School curriculum was rewritten to teach about racial superiority: example being the Old
Testament taught as being a struggle between the Jews and the Aryan race.
Government sponsored boycotts of Jewish owned shops and businesses took place as early as April
1933.
Persecution of the Jews
Stage 1: Denial of rights 1933 -1938
1933. Jews lose the right to be German citizens.
1933. Refused the right to protection from the police.
1933. Illegal for Jews to inherit land.
1935. Enforced segregation. Jews banned from: parks, swimming baths, restaurants and public buildings.
1935. Nuremberg Laws. Illegal for Jews to marry Germans or to have
sexual intercourse with a German.
1933-39. Government propaganda against the Jews.
1933-39. Jewish schoolchildren ridiculed and humiliated in front of
classes on regular basis (indoctrination process).
During the period 1933 -1938 Jews were also sent to concentration camps. This was not in the large
numbers that were to follow, nor were the camps 'Death Camps' at this stage. Jews sent to concentration
camps in this period were imprisoned due to their response to the Nazi rule or a perceived threat
of aggressive reaction to Nazi rule.
Stage 2: Acceleration of persecution 1938 -1941
November 1938: Kristallnacht (Crystal Night: so named because of the
amount of glass smashed). Kristallnacht was a massive pogrom (uprising against the Jews). Across
Germany Jewish property, homes and synagogues were vandalised, burnt down and defaced. Thousands
of Jews were injured and there were deaths. The SA probably organised and implemented this, although
no official order has been found: the government said that it was a spontaneous uprising.
By 1941 the Jews had lost all civil liberties including: the right to choose their children's names (official
list of permissible names); forced to live in a 'ghetto' (sealed area of a town or city) and they had to
wear a Yellow Star of David on their clothes.
Stage 3:1941 -1945 The Holocaust.
After the conquest of Eastern Europe the Jewish population of 'Germany' had grown to in the region of
8 million (an exact figure is impossible to calculate). Many areas of Eastern Europe were highly populated
with Jews. The Wannsee Conference in 1942 decided how to deal with these Jews. At Wannsee the Nazi
leadership decided upon the 'Final Solution' of the 'Jewish problem'. Jews were to be exploited as far as
possible (i.e. forced to work to the point of death on starvation diets) and, if incapable of or
unsuitable for demeaning (dirty/ undesirable) jobs they were to be terminated.
The 'Final Solution' was therefore a policy designed to rid the third Reich of the Jews. This would be
achieved through initially the deployment of Einsatzgruppen (Mobile Death Squads) and later the
introduction of Death Camps such as Auschwitz, which were essentially factories designed for the
purpose of killing as many people as possible and disposing of their remains. Other Jews would die as a
result of sheer hard work.
The Holocaust is estimated to have resulted in the mass murder of an estimated 6 Million Jews.

The German Home Front

Pre 1942, Life in Germany was unaffected by War. Morale was good and standard of living high.
After 1942, Morale started to fall and standard of living dropped e.g. Rationing and all women had to
work.
From May 1942, there were massive bomb attacks on German Cities.

The Growth of Opposition to Hitler

opposition to the Nazis began during the 1930s and increased during WWII.
In 1933, Hitler banned all Political parties except for the NSDAP.
During the 1930s, the German public became uneasy about Nazi Policies. e.g. Freedom of speech and
prosecution of the Jews.
If they critisized it, they risked being reported to the Gestapo.
Various Spys in opposition to the Nazis passed on information to the US and Soviet governments.
(underground resistance to the Nazi Regime).

The Death of Hitler

Reasons for the failiure of the Nazi Party:

Germany failed to defeat Britain in air and sea war.

Hitler decided to invade the soviet union, which meant that Germany was left wide open.
Hitler refused to withdraw troops from stalingrad.
Hitler spent too much time working on the Wrong types of weaponry.
He allowed the SS and the German army too much control of the economy.

His Death:
7th May 1945
Killed himself by taking Cyanide Capsules and shooting himself in the head.

Practice iGCSE Paper:

P a g e | 19

(Spend 35 Minutes on this Question!)

A3 SA M P L E Q U EST I O N 4

A3: Development of dictatorship: G ermany, 1918!45

(a) Study these events which occurred in Germany 1919-1938.
Hitler Youth
made
compulsory

The Wannsse
Conference

Hitler writes
Mein Kampf

The Enabling
Act

Germany
joins League
of Nations

Write these events in the correct chronological sequence.

(3)
(b) Choose either

The Wannsee Conference

or

The Enabling Act

Describe one effect on Germany of the event you have chosen.

(4)

(c) Why had treatment of the Jews become so harsh by 1938? Explain your answer.
(8)
(d) Study the source and then answer the question that follows.
Source: from a modern textbook
In schools, pupils were taught the Nazi version of History and Biology. In History pupils
"#$#%&'()*&%&*'&%&*#%+#$,'-%'$,.%"'/%0/&'11#2%3-%&*#%1'456%3-%7879:%;-%<3=>=).%&*#.%"#$#%
taught that the Jews were racially inferior. Physical education was considered very
important. It prepared the boys for war and it prepared the girls for the responsibility of
motherhood.
Use the source, and your own knowledge, to describe how the Nazis controlled German youth
in the years 1933!45.
(10)
(Total for Q uestion A3: 25 mar ks)