Download Rise of the Nazis

Higher History
Germany: The Rise of the
Nazis
Why did the Nazis come to
power in 1933?
We are learning to…
Explain why the Nazis came to power in
Germany in 1933
I can…
Build up notes on the topic
Plan a 20 mark essay
Pass a 20 mark timed essay
Introduction
• In January 1933 Austrian born Adolf
Hitler became the chancellor of Germany
• However, until 1923 he was insignificant
and unknown in German
• Historians debate the reasons why the
Nazis were the biggest party in Germany
by 1933
• It is your job to explain all of the reasons;
but also to judge which are more
important than others
Background (need for intro)
• In November 1918, Germany lost the First World
War, the Kaiser abdicated and the days of the
German Empire were over
• A new democratic government was elected and it
became known as the ‘Weimar Republic’ as it met
at the town of Weimar
• It was a socialist led coalition government and the
first chancellor was Friedrich Ebert
• Although it was probably the fairest and most
modern democracy in the world at the time, the
Weimar government was unpopular and
experienced many crises between 1918 and 33
• During this time, the right- wing anti-democracy
Nazi party led by Adolf Hitler gradually gained
support in Germany
The arguments for the Nazis coming to power
‘The Factors’
1. Political weaknesses of the Weimar
government
2. Economic problems
3. Appeal of the Nazis
4. Lack of any united opposition
You should aim to cover 4 of these in your
essay; but you must know all of them in case
it is the isolated factor.
Weaknesses of Weimar: Knowledge
The Stab in the Back myth
Even from the moment of it’s birth, the Weimar government
was unpopular
• On 11th November 1918, the German generals and Weimar
politicians signed an armistice which effectively meant
Germany surrendered and lost the war
• A myth developed, particularly in right wing and
conservative circles, that this surrender was unnecessary
as Germany had not yet been invaded and could have
fought on to won the war
• The myth supported the view that Germany had been
forced to surrender by ‘traitors’ within Germany – Jews,
Socialists and Communists
Stab in the Back: Analysis
Analysis (basic)
• There is little doubt that the stigma of being the
‘November Criminals’ (the politicians who signed
the armistice) hung like a giant shadow over the
Weimar government and it would be difficult to
gain the respect and trust of the German people
• Analysis (+)
• However, the myth was exactly that – a ‘myth’
and in actual fact the German army was close to
collapse in November 1918 and had Germany not
converted to a democratic government their
punishment would have been even more harsh,
and most reasonable Germans knew this
Weaknesses of Weimar: Knowledge
The Treaty of Versailles
• On 28th June 1919, Germany was forced to
sign what is probably considered one of the
harshest peace treaties in history – the
Treaty of Versailles – which the German
government were allowed no say in – it was
nicknamed ‘The Diktat’
 Germany lost 13% of it’s land – to France, Poland
and others
 Germany had to reduce it’s army to 100,000 and
could have no tanks or air force
 Germany had to pay £6.6 billion in reparations
 Germany had to take full responsibility for the
war
 3 million German-speaking settlers now lived in
Czechoslovakia
 Germany lost all her colonies
Treaty of Versailles: Analysis
Analysis (basic)
• The treaty was a horrendous blow to Germany as
they lost money, their land and their pride and
every German held the Weimar government in
contempt for signing it and some historians have
described the treaty as a ‘dark shadow’ or a
‘curse’ on the Republic
• Destroying the treaty became a central part of
the Nazi party’s policy and propaganda and Hitler
exploited the treaty to gain support and votes
from German people
Treaty of Versailles: Analysis
Analysis (+)
• However, some Historians have pointed out that
the Weimar government survived for more than
a decade after the signing of the treaty and
that the treaty was more of a ‘blow’ to the
government rather than the end of it and that
the alternative of the war restarting if it was
not signed was not what German people wanted
Weaknesses of Weimar:
Knowledge
Revolutions
The Weimar government experienced a number of threats to
its government 1918-1933
• In January 1919, a group of Communists known as the
Spartacists tried to start a revolution and overthrow
the government to establish a Communist Republic. The
government had to use ex-soldiers – The Freikorps – to
put down the revolt. 700 were killed in the violence.
• In March 1920, the Kapp Putsch was when a right wing
Journalist Wolfgang Kapp with a number of the
Freikorps wanted to establish a new right wing antiVersailles government. Kapp managed to seize Berlin and
proclaimed a new government with him as chancellor
while the Weimar government fled.
Revolutions: Analysis
Analysis (basic)
• Both of these attempted revolutions show that
there was widespread opposition to the Weimar
government from both the left and right wing
which backs up the argument that Weimar were
very unpopular in Germany
• The revolutions also show that the Weimar
government was unstable – they relied on help
from unofficial ex soldiers The Freikorps to
maintain control which suggests they were not
strong enough to put down a challenge to their
government
Revolutions: Analysis
Analysis (+)
• However, it is important to remember that both
of these revolts ultimately failed. Ebert
successfully put down the Spartacist revolt using
the Freikorps, the leaders were killed and order
returned to Germany and the revolt actually
made people fear the Communists
• In addition, Ebert was able to organise a general
strike in Berlin and put the Kapp Putsch down
which showed that Ebert did have the support of
those in Germany’s capital
Weaknesses of Weimar: Knowledge
Democracy
The Weimar constitution has been called a ‘perfect
democracy’ – on paper – meaning it had some flaws in reality
• All Germans over 20 had the right to vote in elections
using proportional representation, meaning 15% of the
votes earned a part 15% of the seats. This led to the
growth of many small, extremist parties. In some
elections there were almost 35 parties to choose from.
• The PR system made it almost impossible for one party to
gain a majority vote. Two or more parties tried to form
coalition governments which were weak and often argued,
causing the government to collapse. There were 9
elections between 1918-28.
Democracy: Analysis
Analysis (basic)
• The system of elections in Weimar Germany was
confusing to many German people who didn’t
understand what all the parties stood for or how
a government was elected, causing democracy to
become unpopular
• Coalition after coalition led to the belief in
Germany that democracy was weak and unstable
and the Nazis exploited this to promise voters a
return to a strong government
Democracy: Analysis
Analysis (+)
• However, it is important to remember that many
liberal Germans supported a proportional
democracy and did not want to return to the
autocratic Kaiser years of pre 1918
• In addition, although PR was supposed to help
smaller parties like the Nazis it also helped
extremists parties on the left like the
Communists into the Reichstag who were the
Nazis biggest opposition so it didn’t only help the
Nazis
Economic Problems: Knowledge
Hyperinflation 1923
• Paying £100 million per year for 66 years under the
Treaty of Versailles crippled the German economy and
they defaulted on their repayments in 1922, causing
Belgian and French troops to occupy the industrial
Ruhr
• Workers in the Ruhr went on strike and the Weimar
government continued to pay them by printing more
paper money which caused the Germany mark and the
economy to collapse as money became worthless.
• In January 1922, $1 was worth 80 marks but by
November 1923 $1 was worth 4.4 million marks. A
Kolbi cabbage cost 50million marks.
• Life savings became worthless, middle class people lost
everything, people on set salaries and pensions now
earned nothing, bartering replaced cash exchanges.
Hyperinflation: Analysis
Analysis (basic)
• The Weimar government were held responsible for
the collapse of the German economy due to their
acceptance of Versailles and poor management of the
Ruhr crisis
• Many Germans, particularly the middle class, never
forgave the Weimar government for the humiliation
that was forced on them due to hyperinflation and it
was these people that turned to the Nazis
• Hyperinflation also had political consequences as
Adolf Hitler tried to seize power in Bavaria in an
attempted revolution where he capitalised on the
misery of 1923
Hyperinflation: Analysis
Analysis (+)
• However, it is important to remember that the
Weimar government quickly recovered from
hyperinflation and took swift action to end the crisis
– Gustav Stresseman was appointed chancellor,
money was borrowed from America under the Dawes
plan and a new currency was introduced
• By 1924, Weimar was experiencing a ‘Golden Age’ of
prosperity and wealth and support for democracy
grew with the economy – showing that the effects of
hyperinflation were not long lasting
Economic Problems: Knowledge
The Great Depression 1929-33
• With the collapse of the New York Stock
Exchange (The Wall Street Crash) in October
1929, the USA immediately demanded the
repayment of their loans to Germany, causing the
German economy which was reliant on US loans to
collapse
• Unemployment rose, businesses collapsed, banks
closed. The socialist-led coalition resigned as
they couldn’t deal with the problems and the
President had to operate under Article 48 The
Emergency Decree, giving him extra power.
• Unemployment rose to 3 million in 1930 and by
1932, 6 million Germans were unemployed. 30%
of the German population had no employment or
income. Homelessness and hunger rose.
The Great Depression: Analysis
Analysis (basic)
• The Weimar government had now led Germany
into financial ruin twice and Germans blamed the
crash on their over-reliance on US loans and
inability to manage the crisis. Support for
democracy collapsed.
• Nazi propaganda went in to overdrive during the
Depression and they promised jobs to every
unemployed German, gaining them support and
votes across Germany. The Nazi vote went up to
13.7million in July 1932.
• Many historians have put forward the view that
the Depression was ‘the wind in the Nazi’s sails’
Great Depression: Analysis
Analysis (+)
• However, more recent research has suggested that
not all unemployed people voted for the Nazis – that
Catholics remained loyal to the Centre party and
many unemployed working men continued to support
the socialists
• Most of the Nazis votes came from farming
communities and small towns, destroying the belief
that unemployed men in the cities all voted for the
Nazis
• It is also important to remember that the Communist
vote rose during times of misery too, and they were
also able to exploit the Depression to their
advantage; not just the Nazis.
Appeal of the Nazis: Knowledge
The Nazi Party Policies
Changing to the Nazi party from the German Worker’s
party in 1920, the Nazi party was violently nationalistic
• The Nazi Party had policies with a broad appeal which
were popular across every sector of society
 They promised jobs for the unemployed
 To the conservatives they promised to rip up the Treaty
of Versailles and rebuild the German army
 They offered farmers higher prices for their goods
 They offered businessmen the destruction of
Communism & Jewish banks
 The young were offered hope and jobs for the future
Policies: Analysis
Analysis (basic)
• The Nazis gained support and votes from every sector
of German society – rich and poor, young and old, with
their broadly appealing policies whereas other parties
focussed on one demographic, for example the
Communists only received support from poorer
Germans
Analysis (+)
• However, the Nazi party policies were clearly
contradictory – i.e. better wages for workers but also
restricting the power of trade unions – and many
Germans were able to see through the Nazi’s
unrealistic promises.
• In addition, the Nazis needed economic crises for
people to listen to their promises – they had the same
policies during the Golden Age of 1924-29 yet were
gaining only around 800,000 votes in 1928
Appeal of the Nazis: Knowledge
The Nazi Party Organisation
• Propaganda was key to the Nazis success, Joseph
Goebbels was vital in helping to spread the Nazi message
through posters, speeches, leaflets, rallies and new
media like radios and cinema which always presented the
Nazis as the saviours of Germany
• Hitler’s alliance with Alfred Hugenberg who had a
monopoly over German newspapers and cinema allowed
the Nazis to reach a mass audience as during the 30s
most people went to the cinema twice a week
• Their election campaigns were run with military
efficiency and Hitler had perfected his campaigns
during the 1920s; Hitler had outstanding public speaking
abilities, the swastika was plastered everywhere, Nazi
party members were controlled strictly, the uniformed
SA protected rallies and meetings & started violence on
the streets to create a sense of political instability
Party Organisation: Analysis
Analysis (basic)
• Many historians argue that Goebbels in particular and
Nazi propaganda was important in causing people to
believe that voting for the Nazis would genuinely lead
to an improvement in their lives
• Historians also believe that Hitler was the biggest
asset to the Nazi party in elections and that they were
the only party in the 1930s who had realised the
persuasive power of cinema
Analysis (+)
• However, it is important to remember that in the last
free election in November 1932 the Nazis won 196
seats in the Reichstag which was only 33% of the vote,
a huge disappointment to Hitler, which shows that the
Nazis were still not appealing enough to voters to win a
majority in the Reichstag.
Lack of United Opposition: Knowledge
Lack of Opposition
The other parties in the Reichstag cannot escape
responsibility for the success of Hitler
• The Socialists (SPD) and Communists (KPD) could have joined
together to defeat the Nazis as they were both left wing
parties, However the Spartacist Uprising in 1919 proved to be
an issue as the Socialist wouldn’t forgive the Communists for
starting an uprising and the Communists wouldn’t forgive the
Socialists for their executing the Spartacists
• The Centre parties such as Zentrum and the Democratic party
should have opposed Hitler due to their belief in democracy but
they had lost so many votes during the Depression they felt
too weak to do so
• The Right wing helped Hitler into power. Right wing politicians
Von Papen and Von Schleicher convinced Hindenburg to appoint
Hitler as chancellor in January 1933 as they were more
concerned with setting up a strong anti-Communist government
than preserving democracy
Lack of United Opposition: Analysis
Analysis (basic)
• Due to old mistrust on the left and self-interest
on the right, no German parties were willing to
work together to stand against the Nazis, making
the Nazi Rise to power in the 1930s virtually
unchallenged
• The actions of right wing politicians helped Hitler
into power as due to their opposition to
Communism and democracy, they convinced
President Hindenburg against his own wishes to put
Hitler in the position of German chancellor, the
leader of the Reichstag in 1933 in the hope he
would protect their own interests
Lack of United Opposition: Analysis
Analysis (+)
• However, it is important to remember that
Hindenburg’s decision to appoint Hitler as
chancellor was a difficult one as there were
few real candidates for the job and the
Nazis were causing parliamentary chaos by
walking out of the Reichstag so that votes
could not be passed
• In addition, Hindenburg appointed Hitler
chancellor to ‘keep an eye on him’ and it was
not until the Reichstag Fire in February
1933 that Hitler passed the Enabling Act
which gave him the real authority to pass
laws in Germany
Consolidation
• A good idea when you have taken all
your notes for a topic is to create a
condensed revision guide for the essay
• This might be a mind map, picture map,
bullet points etc. but should fit on one
page
• Do this for homework (example on next
page)
Success Criteria
All four factors covered
2 Knowledge points for each factor
(min)
4 examples of basic analysis
2 examples of A+
Essay Questions
• Rise of the Nazis is an example of an isolated factor
essay – this means the SQA will ask you whether the
Nazis came to power because of a specific factor (one
of the 4 we cover)
• You must talk about the factor in the question BUT you
do not need to agree it is the most important
• Examples
To what extent was the rise of the Nazi party due to the
appeal of the NSDAP?
How far can it be argued that The Nazis came to power in
1933 due to resentment over the Treaty of Versailles ?
‘The rise of the Nazi party in German was largely due to
propaganda’. Discuss.
Introduction – 3 step plan
• Background (give 2-3 sentences of what
Germany was like around the end of WWI)
‘After WWI…’
• Factors (what are the factors in the
essay?) There were many important factors in
the rise of the Nazis such as… (a list is fine)
• Argument (what will you be arguing is most
important?) It can be argued that the most
important factor was …because…
Conclusion – 4 step plan
• In conclusion, there were many reasons
why the Nazis came to power in 1933.
• On the one hand… (you should take one key
factor here and explain why it was
important)
• On the other hand… (now you should do the
same with another key factor to balance
your argument)
• Overall, the most important factor was…
(keep your strongest until last, backing up
why it is so important and it should be
clear why it outweighs the other factors)
Evaluation
• A good way to approach trying to get the
final 4 marks for evaluation is to take your
factors (5 in this case) and rank them from
most important to least important
• Try to come up with a reason Why each is in
that place (not why it is important but why it
is more or less important)
• A priority diagram can be a good technique
to use – try to relate every factor back to
your most important
Factor 1
Factor 2
Factor 3
Factor 4
Evaluation
E1 and E2 - 2 marks can be gained from
making evaluative comments which relate to
individual factors
Example – Upon evaluation, ______ was the
most/least important factor in the Rise of
the Nazis because...
NB – You must be saying something new in
your evaluation, not repeating your analysis
or doing ‘mini conclusions’
Evaluation +
E+ - up to 4 marks can be gained from making
evaluative comments which show the relative
importance between factors (i.e. you compare
two)
Example – Upon evaluation, the economic
problems were more important than ______
because...
NB – You must be saying something new in your
evaluation, not repeating your analysis or doing
‘mini conclusions’
Remember analysis is really tricky and many
candidates get 0/4 but still get an A!