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Chapter-2
Nazism and the Rise of Hitler
In Second world war: The Allied Powers -The UK, France, the then
USSR and USA
Axis Powers- Germany, Italy and Japan.
Genocidal war
1.
Killing of a selected racial group by the other. Under the shadow of
the Second World War, Germany had started a genocidal war against
Jews.
2. The number of people killed included 6 million Jews, 200,000
Gypsies, 1 million Polish civilians,
70,000 Germans who were considered mentally and physically
disabled, besides innumerable political opponents.
3. Nazis devised an unique means of killing people, that is, by gassing
them in various killing centers.
What was international Military Tribunal?
1.
After the Second World War the allied powers formed an
international military court (Tribunal) at Nuremberg to punish Nazi war
criminals.
2. The Nuremberg Tribunal sentenced some leading Nazis to
death. Many others were imprisoned for life.
World War 1
Axis Powers: Germany, Austria
Allied Powers: England, France, Russia, USA (late entry)
Germany in the World War I
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Germany, a powerful empire fought the First World War (19141918) alongwith the Austrian empire and against the Allies (England,
France and Russia.)
All joined the war enthusiastically hoping to gain from a quick
victory.
Germany made initial gains by occupying France and Belgium.
But USA’s entry changed the course of the war.
Allies won the War by defeating Germany in November 1918.
Birth of the Weimar Republic and its failure
1.
The defeat of Germany in First World War led to
the abdication/resignation of the emperor. This changed Germany’s
political structure. A National Assembly met at Weimar and established
a democracy. This assembly was called Weimer Republic. First
Parliament, Reichstag, was created in Germany and the representatives
were now elected.
2. Its Failure: The Weimar Republic was unpopular for several reasons.
It had some defects.
One defect was proportional representation. There were too many
parties and no clear majority, which led to a rule by coalitions.
3. Another defect
was Article 48, which gave the President the powers to impose
emergency, suspend civil rights and rule by decree.
4.
Within its short life, the Weimar Republic saw twenty different
cabinets (governments). People lost confidence in the
democratic parliamentary system. It was now when Hitler gave them
faith to bring a change.
Versailles treaty- (A Pease treaty signed between Allied powers and
Germany)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Germany lost its overseas colonies, a tenth of its population and 13
per cent of its territories.
75 per cent of its iron mines and 26 per cent of its coal mines were
given to France, Poland, Denmark and Lithuania.
The Allied Powers demilitarized Germany to (not to possess more
than one lakh soldiers) weaken its power.
Germany was made responsible for the the damages that allied
powers suffered in I World War so Germany was forced to pay
compensation amounting to £6 billion.
Rhineland- a resource rich part of Germany was occupied by allies.
November criminals
Weimer Republic was blamed for bringing disgrace to Germany as they
signed the peace treaty with the allies. This treaty dint favour Germany
The German politicians who negotiated and signed the treaty to bring an
end to World War One were called as November Criminals by those
people who felt that surrendering was a betrayal, a crime. Many of the
November Criminals were leading members of the early Weimar
Republic,
The Effects of the World War I in Germany
a.
Psychological Effect
1.
The First World War left a deep impression on European society.
Soldiers were placed above civilians.
2. Politicians and media laid great stress on the need for men to be
aggressive, strong and masculine.
3. media glorified trench life but the truth was that soldiers lived in these
trenches miserably
c.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Economic crisis of 1923 (Hyperinflation)
Germany had fought the war largely on loans and had to pay war
compensations in gold. This depleted gold reserves.
In 1923 Germany refused to pay so the French occupied its leading
industrial area, Ruhr.
Germany retaliated and to come out of the problem it printed paper
currency on a large scale. With too much printed money in circulation,
the value of the German mark fell.
With fall in the value of currency, the goods became very exoensive
This crisis came
to be known as hyperinflation, a situation when prices rise
phenomenally high.
Economic Depression of 1929 and its impact on Germany
1.
The years between 1924 and 1928 were a little stable for Germany as
USA gave short-term loans to Germany. This support was withdrawn
when the Wall Street Exchange crashed in 1929 in the USA.
2. Great Economic Depression in the USA started in 1929.
Impact of great depression:
1. The German economy was the worst hit by the economic crisis. By
1932, industrial production was reduced to 40 per cent, Workers lost
their jobs, and number of unemployed increased tremendously
2
Germans hung placards around their necks saying,
‘Willing to do any work.’
3. Unemployed youths started criminal activities.
4 Proletarianisation ( Fear of becoming poor)
a.
The rich, small business men, middle class and self-employed persons
developed a fear that at any time they would become poor and come to
street in poverty.
b. This group began to support Hitler and his ideas.
Hitler's rise to power
1. Germany’s economic condition was very bad after the Wall Street
crash in USA in 1929
2. The adverse conditions led to people’s dissatisfaction. It was at this
time that Nazi’s gave Germans a hope for the better future.
3. By 1932, Nazi Party had become largest party with 37% votes.
4. Hitler’s excellent speaking skills impressed the people. He
promised to build a strong nation and give employment to the
people. He took public meetings to instil a sense of unity among
people. Hitler was shown as a messiah- a saviour, who could take
people out of distress. He promised people to weed out all foreign
influences from Germany.
Hitler’s Promises
While the people of Germany were suffering because of defeat in
war and the Great Depression, Hitler made many promises to the
people.
1.
2.
Hitler promised to build Germany in to a strong nation.
Hitler promised to undo the injustice of the Versailles Treaty and
restore the dignity of the German people.
3. He promised employment for those looking for work.
4.
He promised to secure future of the youth.
5. He promised to weed out all foreign influences and resist all foreign
conspiracies against Germany.
Hitler’s Destruction of Democracy
1. On 30 January 1933, President Hindenburg offered the
Chancellorship to Hitler. After getting power, hitler wanted to dismantle
the structures of democratic rule.
2. A mysterious fire broke out in the German Parliament building.
This led to chaos among people.
3. A Fire Decree was passed on 28 February 1933. The
rights like freedom of speech, press and assembly were taken away.
4. On 3 March 1933, the famous Enabling Act was passed. This
Act sidelined the powers of Parliament and established
dictatorship in Germany. It gave Hitler
control over the economy, media, army and judiciary.
5. Changes in the Army brought by Hitler: Special surveillance and
security forces were created to control and order society in ways that
the Nazis wanted. Apart from the already
existing regular police in green uniform, the Gestapo (secret state
police), the SS (the protection squads), criminal police and the
Security Service (SD) were appointed.
Reconstruction of German Economy by Hitler
Hitler chose war as a way out to take Germany out if crisis. He wanted
to accumulate resources through expansion of territories. He wanted
to ensure food supplies and living space for Germans.
1. He reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936
2. He integrated Austria and Germany in 1938 under the
slogan, One people, One empire, and One leader.
3. He acquired German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia
Germany in the World War II
3.
4.
5.
6.
1. In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. This started a
war with France and England.
2. In September 1940, a Tripartite
Pact was signed between Germany, Italy and Japan to provide
mutual assistance to each other.
Hitler wanted food supplies and living space for Germans because of
which he wanted to acquire Eastern Europe.
He attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941. The Soviet Army
defeated Germany.
Meanwhile, Japan was planning an attack in US naval base in Pacific.
US entered the war when Japan supported Hitler and bombed US naval
base at Pearl Harbour.
US dropped atom bomb on Hiroshima in Japan. When Japan didn't
surrender, USA threw another bomb on Nagasaki which ended the war
with Japan and Germany's defeat.
Hitler's Practice/ ideologies from 1933 to 1945
1. Nazi's theory of Racism
They believed there was no equality between people but only racial
hierarchy.
2. They divided people in 2 categories
Desirables- included blond, blue eyed Aryans.
Undesirables- included Jews, gypsies and blacks in Germany ( referred
as rats or pests)
3. Nazi believed that the strongest race should survive and dominate
and the weak ones should perish.
4 The other ideology of Hitler’s was Lebensraum, or living space.
He believed that new territories had to be acquired for settlement. This
would enhance the area of the mother country, and the material
resources to be used for Germany.
5.They wanted a pure and healthy society of Aryans. The Germans
who were seen as impure had no right to exist.
6. Under the Euthanasia Programme, Nazi officials killed many
Germans who were considered mentally or physically unfit.
7. They used racial science to justify their theories.
What formed the basis of Nazi's Theory of Racism?
1. Hitler's theory of racism was borrowed from Charles Darwin and
Herbert Spencer.
2. Charles Darwin explained the creation of plants and animals through
the concept of evolution and natural extinction.
Herbert Spencer gave the theory of survival of the fittest in which he
stated that only those species who could adapt themselves to changing
climatic conditions could survive.
3. Hitler used the two theories to explain that the Jews were unfit to
survive. However, these theories were never given in context to human
beings.
The Racial Utopia (perfect racial state) and Treatment to Polish
(people of Poland) Civilians
Hitler wanted to create a perfect state with Nazi ideologies
1. Occupied Poland was divided up. North-western Poland was taken by
Germany. Poles were forced to leave their
homes and properties behind to be occupied by Germans
2. Poles were taken as cattles to the destination that was for all the
undesirables. This destination was called General Government. This
had Ghettos and gas chambers for killing the undesirables.
2.
Members of the Polish intelligentsia were murdered in large numbers.
3. Polish children who looked like Aryans were forcibly snatched from
their mothers and
examined by race experts. If they passed the race tests they were
raised in German families and if not, they were deposited in orphanages
where most perished.
Treatment given to the racially inferior class
A) From 1933 to 1938
( stage of exclusion)
1. Jews were terrorised, isolated and were forced to leave the country.
2. Jewish business was boycotted.
3. They were expelled from government services.
4. Houses were attacked and they were forced to sell properties.
B) From 1939 to 1945 ( stage of Ghettoization)
1. Jews were concentrated in gas chambers and were killed.
2. They were stamped with an identity mark and were sent to ghettos
and concentration camps where they lived in extreme poverty.
3. Faced hunger, starvation and disease due to poor hygiene.
4. From ghettos and camps they were sent to death factories in Poland
where they were put in gas chambers for mass killings.
Youth in Nazi Germany
Happenings in schools
1. Schools were cleansed and purified. This means that the teachers
who were Jews were dismissed.
2. Children were segregated. Jews, physically handicapped and gypsies
were thrown out of schools and later taken to gas chambers.
3. Good German children were given Nazi schooling where they were
taught Nazi ideologies and Racial Science. They were taught to hate
Jews and worship Hitler.
4. Children were taught Boxing to make them aggressive, strong and
iron- hearted.
5. They were taught that women were different from men and should
not be given equal rights.
Role of Youth Organisations
1. They educated German Youth.
2. Jugvolk ( a nazi youth group of under 14 children) was to be
joined by children at the age of 10.
3. Youth joined the Nazi Youth organisation and learnt to worship war,
violence, to hate Jews and gypsies.
4. At 18, they had to serve in armed forces of Germany.
Role of women in Nazi Society
1 Girls were told that they had to become good mothers and give
birth to Aryan children.
2 Girls had to maintain the purity of the race and distance
themselves from Jews, look after the home, and teach their
children Nazi values.
2
In Nazi Germany all mothers were not treated equally.
Women who gave
birth racially undesirable children were punished and those who
produced racially desirable children were awarded. They were given
favoured treatment in hospitals and concessions in shops , theatre
tickets and railway fares.
3
To encourage women to produce many children, Honour
Crosses were awarded. A bronze cross was given for four children,
silver for six and gold for eight or more.
4
All Aryan women who deviated from the prescribed code of
conduct were severely punished. Those who maintained
contact with Jews, Poles and Russians were paraded through the town
with shaved heads and blackened faces.
The art of propaganda/misinformation
1. The nazis were careful with the language they used in the media.
2. They never used the words such as 'killing' or 'murder'. Instead they
used deceptive terms such as 'special treatment' and 'final solution'.
3. Some other words that they used were- euthanasia for the disabled,
disinfection areas for gas chambers and evacuation for deportation of the
Jews to gas chambers.
4. Media was used to win the support for the regime. In posters,
groups identified as the enemies of Germans were stereotyped, mocked,
abused and described as evil
5. Propaganda films were made to create hatred for Jews. ( exampleThe Eternal Jew)
6. Orthodox Jews were shown with flowing beards wearing kaftans. They
were referred to as vermin, rats and pests. Their movements were
compared to those of rodents.
People's reaction to Nazism/ How did the common people react to
Nazism?
1. There was a section if people who actually believed that nazism would
bring prosperity and improve the general well-being.
2. They felt hatred and anger surge inside them when they saw
someone who looked like a Jew.
They marked the houses of Jews and reported suspicious neighbours
3. But not every German was a Nazi. There were few who resisted nazism.
But sadly, the large majority of Germans were passive onlookers who
were scared to protest.
What did Jews feel in Nazi Germany?
1.
In a book Third Reich of Dreams it is described how Jews themselves
began believing in the Nazi stereotypes about them. They dreamt of their
hooked noses, black hair and eyes, Jewish looks and body movements.
3.
The stereotypical images publicised in the Nazi press them even
in their dreams. Jews died many deaths even before they reached the
gas chamber.
How does the world get to know about the Holocaust?
1. Holocaust is the term given to the atrocities and sufferings the Jews
endured during the Nazi killing operations.
2. Jews wanted the world to remember the atrocities and sufferings they
had endured during the Nazi killing operations. They collected and
preserved documents wrote diaries, kept notebooks, and created
archives/records which are called the Holocaust.
3. Even though the Nazi leadership tried their best to destroy all the
evidences available in the office, the memory of the holocaust lives in the
diaries, fiction, documentaries, poetry and memorials in many parts if the
world today.