History iGCSE Paper 4: Germany, : Weimar and Nazi Rise

How important was the work of Goebbels in the Nazi takeover in Germany? Explain your answer. IT WAS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE... He realised the power of publicity... - He joined the Nazi Party in 1924 - From early on in his political career as a Nazi, he deliberately provoked street brawls and beer-hall fights at his speeches, aware of the effect of both good and bad publicity - Like Hitler, he was a talented speaker and knew how to capture the attention and support of a crowd - Because of all this, on the 14th of March 1933, shortly after Hitler became Chancellor, he was made Minister for People's Enlightenment and Propaganda His effective use of propaganda silenced the Nazis enemies... - He realised that propaganda was essential in spreading the Nazi's message through the press, radio, film, music, literature, art, rallies, etc. - He also used propoganda to silence political opponents and 'enemies of he state', so that the German people could not access and be influenced by anti-Nazi views - Left-wing/liberal/democratic newspapers were shut down, he created the the 'People's Receiver', which had a short range to ensure so that people couldn't listen to foreign radio, He produced an insidious and invasive stream of propaganda... - This constant exposure hammered his views into the German people's minds, normalising things like the superiority of the Aryan race, anti-Semitism, traditional family values, and the expansion of Germany - Goebbels also created the 'Hitler myth' and a personality cult around him by portraying him as a fatherly, almost godly figure and the strong leader that Germany needed. This helped to subliminally convince the German people that his views were morally right IT WASN'T IMPORTANT, BECAUSE... Other leaders of the Nazi Party were more important in the Nazi takeover of Germany... - Hitler was such an excellent speaker and brought so many new members to the party that he soon replaced Anton Drexler as the party leader in 1921 after joining in 1919 - After the failure of the Munich Putsch, he introduced the 'hold our noses' tactic, in which the Nazis planned to destroy the Reichstag from the inside after seeing that violence didn't work - Himmler was the leader of the SS, which was essential in the rise of the Nazis, as it ran the terror state - For example, the SD, a branch of the SS, collected information on the Nazis' political opponents, which was then handed over to the Gestapo, another branch, who captured, interrogated or tortured them - Röhm was the leader of the SA, which carried out much of the terrorising anti-Nazi newspaper reporters and disrupting political opponents' meetings Resentment of the Treaty of Versailles also played a great role... - Clause 231 of the Treaty was outrageous in the eyes of most Germans as it blamed them solely for the outbreak of World War I, which was simply untrue - The Weimar government, many of whom were Jews due to their overrepresentation in high-profile jobs such as bankers, lawyers and politicians, had signed the Treaty after the delegation before them had refused and resigned from the Paris Peace Conference - This created the 'stab in the back myth' (or 'dolchstosslegende') and meant that the Weimar Republic and Jews would be always associated with the Treaty - This built-up resentment was only furthered by Germany's frustration with having been left out of the League of Nations (which was also heavily associated with the Treaty, as it had been established through it) - The Nazis capitalised on this widespread anger, promising to undo the shameful Treaty and overthrow the betraying, 'anti-German' government as well as preaching against Jews Ultimately, the Nazis would have never have come to power without the Depression... - Before the Depression occurred in 1929, Weimar had been recovering and support for extremists had dropped - The economic distress, however, drove the working and middle classes to the extreme left and right, who promised that they, at least, would bring them a stable job and food ('arbeit und bröt') - This is made evident by the surge of support for both the Nazis and the KPD, who by 1930, were respectively the second and third largest parties in the Reichstag - The increase in support for communism frightened the upper class, who in turn funded the Nazis to avoid a communist revolution How significant was Stresemann in the recovery of Germany after 1923? Explain your answer. HE WAS SIGNIFICANT, BECAUSE... He fixed the economy... - Gustav Stressmann, a skilled economist, became Chancellor in August 1923 and called off the strike in the Ruhr and sent the workers back to work - He then introduced the Rentenmark, later followed by the Reichsmark, as a replacement for the Papiermark, ending hyperinflation - He then initiated discussions with the Allies, leading to the Dawes and later the Young Plan, which halved the amount of reparations Germany was required to pay, allowed her to pay 1 billion every years and got the USA to agree to loan her 800 million marks He improved Germany's foreign relations... - His initiative to start discussion with the Allies led to the relationship between them and Germany improving, opening the door to Germany becoming more involved in foreign affairs - In 1925, she signed the Locarno Treaties, in which the borders of Germany were discussed and Germany agreed to join the League of Nations - In September 1926, she joined the League of Nations as a permanent member of the Security Council - In 1928, she signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, promising not to go to war This laid the base for Germany's recovery... - With a new, functioning economy, German industries could start expanding again, and could afford to re-employ many of those who'd been laid off, leading to Germany reaching her pre-war production - It also allowed Germany to begin trading more, especially as her relationship with other countries had now improved - The signing of the Locarno Treaties led to what is known as the 'Locarno honeymoon': people all over Europe, including Germany, began to feel hopeful and optimistic about the future, feeling that there was a real possibility to change and improve the state of the world - This also led to an increase in support for Weimar, as people's lives improved and they began to feel prepared to give this new system a chance HE WASN'T SIGNIFICANT, BECAUSE... The economic recovery was temporary... - For one thing, unemployment was still fairly high, with the employment rate only reached 72% in its peak (allowing the Nazis to easily surpass it, reaching 80% by 1938) - Although the German economy did recover and begin to prosper after 1923, it was built entirely on the basis of USA loans, much of which was being spent on infrastructure, meaning it could not be recovered or refunded - This made Germany extremely poorly prepared for an economic crisis, as the USA could recall her loans at any moment, as proved by the infamous Depression which sent her spiralling back into poverty and brought about the rise of the Nazis He didn't deal with extremists... - The Weimar Constitution stated that the Reichstag should be elected through proportional representation, which meant that if 30% of people voted for a particular party, it would receive approximately 30% of the seats in the Reichstag - Although this system ensured that the wishes of the German population would be accurately represented, it allowed extremist parties, even with very little support, to enter the Reichstag - Extremist groups therefore posed a serious threat to democracy in Weimar, and even though they were very unpopular from 1923 to 1929, Stresemann should have dealt with them or altered the Weimar Constitution as their popularity could increase drastically in the case of an economic crisis The liberal culture that followed suite to Weimar's recovery shocked many people... - The combination of economic recovery, the many personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the optimistic spirit of the mid to late 1920's allowed Weimar to develop a liberal, progressive and indulgent culture - Urban areas of Germany especially adopted an open attitude towards women and sexuality, becoming centres of the Cabaret movement - However, this excessive culture shocked and disgusted many Conservatives, traditionalists and rural citizens of Germany, who thought it to be unwise so soon after such economic hardship - This drove these groups, further to the right, which, again, would prove to be problematic later How significant was the Enabling Act in the consolidation of Nazi power over Germany between 1933 and 1934? Explain your answer. IT WAS SIGNIFICANT, BECAUSE... It made Hitler a legal dictator... - It allowed the German Cabinet to pass laws without the Reichstag's approval and, although the President's approval was still theoretically required, Hindenburg was sick, aged and spending less and less time in the office - This made Hitler a sort of legal dictator, capable of passing any law he wished, which was a pick step towards his ultimate goal of becoming Führer - Decrees could now pass extremely quickly and be put into action the next day, which would be crucial over the next few months, in which the Nazis would pass laws in rapid succession so as to avoid anybody getting the chance to catch onto what they were doing It allowed him to begin the 'nazification' of the state... - On the 31st of March 1933, Hitler shut down all state parliaments, which could pass state-wide laws, ensuring he alone held the power to pass laws - On the 7th of April, he issued a decree which effectively fired all 'enemies of the state' (including Jews, communists, and anti-Nazis) from civil service jobs. He would also make it increasingly difficult for women to work - He abolished trade unions and replaced them with the DAF, a huge organisation for all workers to join that set-nation wide hours and wages and banned strikes - All these changes were the 'Gleichschaltung', or 'nazification' of the state, in which Germany was gradually transformed into a Nazi state, and were made possible by the Enabling Act It helped the Nazis secure their power in the government... - On the 10th of May 1933, Hitler outlawed the SPD and had its members exiled from Germany. That same month, on the 24th, he outlawed the KPD and had its members executed - One by one, opposing political parties were either banned or absurd into the Nazi Party so that, by July 1933, Germany was a one-party state - On the 14th of July 1933, Hitler passed a law banning the creation of new parties, officially destroying democracy and making Germany a single-party state IT WASN'T SIGNIFICANT, BECAUSE... It didn't entirely rid the Nazis of opposition... - Ernst Röhm, the leader of the SA, wished to focus more on the 'socialist aspect' of Nationalist Socialist and carry out a 'brown revolution' in which the Elites' money would be distributed to the working class CONTINUED.....