Download Impact of Nazism on German Foreign Policy: The Origins, 1918-1933

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Refers to the policies of the National Socialist
Party (Nazi) that took power with Hitler as its
leader in 1933
Roots in opposition to German foreign policy
dating from the armistice to the Treaty of
Versailles
Bolstered by the Great Depression
Hitler became Chancellor and then
consolidated power
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Adolf Hitler born in 1889 in Austria
Wanted to be an architect but
applications to school were rejected
in Vienna
Sold scenic paintings to earn a living
Became interested in writings of
racist authors like Lanz von
Liebenfels
Began to believe that Germans were
superior to other nationalities of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire (mainly
Slavs) and the rest of the world
Hitler resented the wealth of the rich
Jewish businessmen of Vienna
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Hitler also noted that many
leading Socialists and
Communists were Jews
Hitler believed that
Darwinism could be applied
to human societies
Hitler was a German
Nationalist and welcomed
WWI
He enlisted in the German
army rather than AustroHungarian since he was
living in Munich
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Expected WWI to be
short and victorious
 Failures of the Schlieffen
Plan meant a war of
attrition
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Victory had been in
signed after the 1918
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
with Russia
By November 1918,
must of Western and
Eastern Europe was
under German control
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Had lost its best troops in the
1918 Ludendorff Offensive,
convinced it could not carry on
Hoped to preserve the army’s
reputation and receive less
severe terms by signing the
armistice
Facing domestic unrest, the
Kaiser abdicated in favor a new
Weimar Republic
 Moderately liberal, mostly made of
Social Democrats (SPD)
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German population could not
understand the defeat,
developed “Stab in the Back”
Theory
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Clemenceau made
Germany pay for the
damage
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Article 231
Diktat
Reparations
De-militarization
Territorial/Resource Losses
Was either not harsh
enough or too severe,
left an impotent
Germany with little
direction
Austrian who had served in the
German army
 Horrified by the armistice, believed
the “November Criminals” had
subverted the effort at home
 Sent to investigate the German
Workers’ Party in 1919
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Group thought to be socialist, actually
maintained many nationalist elements
By 1920, had become the head of
the party
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Renamed National Socialist German
Workers’ Party and created the
Sturmabteilung (SA) or Stormtroopers
Established the 25 Point Program, a
strange mix of catering to workers and
rightist elements
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Supremacy of the state
and volk
Social Darwinism
Lebensraum
Blood and Soil
Pan-Germanism
Anti-Democratic
Will of the Fuhrer
Anti-Feminism
Anti-Semitic
Anti-Marxism
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Early years
characterized by
political unrest and
economic weakness
 Hyper-inflation,
unemployment
 Proportional
representation meant
the failure of coalitions
 Rise of radical groups on
the left and right
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Spartacist Uprising
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Kapp Putsch
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1919, faction of the communist party (KPD)
known as the Spartacists launched a rebellion
1920, leader of the right-wing Freikorps,
Wolfgang Kapp, attempted overthrow
White Terror
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Continued attacks from the right on left-wing
politicians
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German October
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376 assassinations from 1919-22
1923, KPD organized strikes and
demonstrations
Ruhr Crisis
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1923, French and Belgian troops invade the
Ruhr valley to enforce reparations payments
Response was to print more money to satisfy
striking German workers
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Devaluing of currency led to increased
resentment
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Hitler became the leader of the
Kampfbund, a collection of militant
right-wing groups
Inspired by Mussolini’s March on
Rome
Used 600 SA to attempt a coup in
the Bavaria region; disastrous
outcome
Turned him into a national figure
Arrested and imprisoned for only
one year
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Wrote Mein Kampf
Vowed only legal methods
Distanced himself from any left-wing
elements in his movement
Party re-launch in 1925, established
youth and women’s groups and the
Schutzstaffel (SS) in 1926
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Gustav Stresemann
instrumental, first as
Chancellor and then as
Foreign Minister
 1924 Dawes Plan invested
U.S. capital into German
system
 1928, industry has
exceeded pre-war levels
 1925-29, exports increased
40%
 1927-28, wages became
the highest in Europe
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Government spending on
health, education and social
services increased
 Unemployment insurance
issued to 17 million in 1927
Berlin became a vibrant
cultural center
 No further attempts to seize
power
 1928 elections saw decreased
seats for KPD and Nazis and
increase for the SPD
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 1928-30, Grand Coalition of
SPD, DDP (Democratic Party)
DVP (People’s Party) and ZP
(Center Party) have over 60%
of seats in Reichstag
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French and Belgians
withdrew from the Ruhr
in 1924
Instrumental in securing
borders in the Locarno
Pact of 1925
League membership in
1926
Partial Allied withdrawal
from the Rhineland in
1928
1929 Young Plan brought
further American credit
and reduced reparations
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Now heavily reliant on
the United States
Lagging agriculture
Still 2.8 million
unemployed in early
1929
Persistent opposition
from Nationalist groups
over accepting war guilt
Breakup of the Grand
Coalition with the Great
Depression
Wall Street crash in
October 1929 meant
American credit
stopped flowing
 German businesses
bankrupt with massive
unemployment
 Decline of prices and
value of exports
 Forced to cut
government spending
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Return of polarization in politics
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Street fighting between para-military
organizations of the KPD and Nazi
Party
Devastating failures of chancellors from
1929-32
Each side promising food and jobs
Nazis challenging Stresemann’s
internationalism, promoting “Stab
in the Back” and “November
Criminals” for Treaty of Versailles
 Hitler’s promises become very
attractive to the desperate German
people
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Subsidies to peasants
Law and order and return to traditional values
to middle class
Jobs for unemployed
Defense against KPD and revival of Germany
as great power
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President General Paul von Hindenburg
used emergency powers of Article 48 to
make executive decisions
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Chancellor Bruning asked for his support
and called for unscheduled elections in
1930 in response to the crises
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Nazis went from 12 to 107 seats
Hitler even seriously challenged von Hindenburg for
President in 1932
Hitler impressed army leaders and other
right-wing groups who wanted a strong
government
Hindenburg grew tired of having to
support Bruning
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Replaced by Franz von Paper and then
Kurt von Schleicher
Both of these men called for Hindenburg
to use decree to appoint Hitler as
Chancellor in January 1933, hoping he
could manage a majority coalition
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Thought he could be controlled
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Hitler immediately called
for a new election,
hoping to gain a Nazi
majority
 Before the vote, the
Reichstag was burnt down
 Hitler claimed it was a
communist plot
 Decree passed suspending
freedom of the press and
speech
 Nazis won 43.9% of the
vote
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Hitler prevented the
KPD from participating
in voting
 Allowed him to pass the
Enabling Act in 1933
▪ Could now bypass the
Reichstag
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1933, state parliaments
abolished, trade unions
banned and opposition
parties were forbidden
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July 1934, Hitler fearful of
remaining leftist elements
in his Nazi Party
 Night of the Long Knives saw
the purge of SA leadership,
including Ernst Rohm
 Carried out by the ring-wing
SS
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August 1934, Hindenburg
passed away and Hitler
merged the offices of
chancellor and president,
becoming Fuhrer
 All German armed forces
took a personal oath of
loyalty to him