Download GCSE History A Exemplar responses Unit 2D - Questions 2C

GCSE History A
91402D Germany, 1919–1945
Exemplar Responses to Question 2(c) and Question 3(c)
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Question 2(c)
‘It was aid from the USA that enabled the Weimar Republic to recover after 1923.’
How far do you agree with this interpretation of the importance of help from the USA in
making the Weimar governments successful after 1923? Explain your answer.
C grade
There were other reasons for Germany’s recovery. Stresemann was a talented politician who could
get people to work with him in government. Moderate parties continued to support the Weimar
Republic. The British, French and Americans accepted lower reparations payments for example in
the Young Plan 1929. The currency was replaced by the Rentenmark. However the American aid
was decisive. The willingness of the Allies, particularly the USA, to allow Germany to regain
strength as a market and a trading partner and to give them money to help achieve that allowed
Germany to get back to work and improve the standard of living of most Germans.
A grade
The aid was important because it helped the German economy recover after the war. The
First World War had cost Germany an enormous amount to wage and after the Versailles
settlement it was forced to agree to pay reparations of £6,600 million. The Dawes Plan in 1924
gave Germany 800 million marks to spend on industry. The aid paid for factories which in turn
produced jobs for Germans and put money and purchasing power in their pockets. This certainly
allowed Germany to recover. Stresemann deserves much credit for being the face of Germany that
the Allied powers were prepared to trust. This is shown by the way the Allies were prepared to
admit Germany back into the international club. In October 1925 Germany agreed to respect her
borders in the Locarno Treaty which reassured France. The relations with France were
strengthened initially by Stresemann when he called off the passive resistance in the Ruhr and
resumed Reparation payments. In September 1926 Stresemann triumphed in Germany’s
rehabilitation by being given a permanent seat on the Council of the League of Nations. This was
the very body which policed the Versailles treaty. All of this showed Germans and the Allies that
Germany had regained some respect and was prepared to be a good neighbour in Europe.
However it is fair to say that although at the time the Dawes Plan and diplomatic support from the
USA did appear to transform the political and economic fortunes of the Weimar Republic there
were deep seated problems. The recovery was fragile. Wages varied from industry to industry,
farm workers by 1929 were earning only half the national average. Jobs were not being created
quickly enough. It was only in 1928 that industry produced more than before the First World War.
Politicians like Stresemann and American leaders and economists recognised the importance of
this foreign support. Once the Wall Street Crash occurred and the effects of the Depression hit
Germany, all of the latent problems resurfaced and it became apparent that the success was built
on shaky foundations. In the short term American help did assist Weimar governments to tackle
some economic problems and made Weimar governments seem successful. But reviewing
German political opinions at this time shows that most of the underlying political problems
remained. Coalitions were formed and tried to work together. There were 25 governments in
fourteen years and parties like the Nazis and Communists wanted to overthrow Weimar entirely.
When the Depression struck it showed how unstable Weimar government was and how fragile the
recovery had been.
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Question 3(c)
‘It was the economic Depression that enabled Hitler to become Chancellor of Germany in
January 1933.’
How far do you agree with this interpretation of how important the Depression was in
bringing Hitler and the Nazis to power in 1933? Explain your answer.
C grade
I disagree with the interpretation because the Nazi propaganda was very good. The ideas of the
Nazis were simple and presented so that people remembered them. The SA threatened people
and created an impressive show. The Germans respected force and order and discipline which
seemed lacking under Weimar governments. Hitler’s ideas were simple and everyone understood
them. Many of his ideas had appeal such as punish the Jews, restore Germany’s pride and
borders. Hitler made promises about unemployment which he said he could cure. There were
6 million unemployed as a result of the Depression. The Communists seemed too extreme and
dangerous. People were frightened about losing what wealth they had.
A grade
The interpretation is valid up to a point. Hitler’s supporters liked to present him as the man who
rescued Germany in its hour of need. Hitler was thereby able to exploit the effects of the
Depression and his popularity soared as a consequence. From this viewpoint, the problems of the
Depression and Hitler’s solutions to them were critical. The Depression made people willing to
listen to Hitler’s ideas. He presented the image of a strong leader which contrasted with the
indecisive, dull Weimar leadership produced by proportional representation and the harsh realities
of Bruning’s rule by decree backed by Article 48. The scale of the Depression with 6 million out of
work meant that no household in Germany was untouched by the Depression. Hitler was good at
lumping all his political opponents together – this simplified the choice to either for or against the
Nazis in electoral terms. For many middle class Germans the Communists were a very radical
option at the ballot box that threatened their wealth and prosperity. Hitler as a public speaker was
able to discern those ideas, fear of communism, unemployment, anti-Semitism, shame at
Versailles, which would most win over the people in any particular audience. This was backed up
by some very simple propaganda organised by Josef Goebbels.
However, although conservatives were reluctant to acknowledge it in the light of subsequent
events, it was the intrigues of President Hindenburg and Von Papen and their advisers that directly
led to Hitler’s appointment. They needed his popular support to break the constitutional deadlock
and thought they could control him. While the Depression created the ideal climate for Hitler and
the Nazis to grow in popularity, the weakness of the Weimar system of government and the actions
of key individuals, particularly President Hindenburg and Von Papen, were the deciding factors
behind Hitler’s eventual victory.
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