Download Chapter 4 Nazi Germany

Crisis and Conflict
An Enquiry Approach to Modern World History
Secondary 3
Chapter 4:
Authoritarian Regimes
— Case Study:
Nazi Germany
Was the rise of Nazism in Germany
inevitable?
How was Hitler able to
become the leader of
Germany?
What was the impact of
Hitler’s rise to power on
Germany?
Factors which led to Hitler’s
rise to power.
Crisis and Conflict: Nazi Germany
Effects of Hitler’s rule.
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3
In a Nutshell

Prior to Hitler’s appointment as the Chancellor of
Germany, the ruling Weimar Government was unpopular
among the Germans.

The Weimar Government was blamed for its inability to
solve many of the post-war problems Germany inherited
from its defeat in World War I.

The Weimar Government was also blamed for its role in
the surrender in World War I and the signing of the Treaty
of Versailles.

Hitler was able to gain support by promising to overturn
the Treaty of Versailles and regain Germany’s pride.

Hitler and his Nazi Party were able to gain total control of
Germany by 1933, turning it into a totalitarian Nazi state.
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How was Hitler able to become the
leader of Germany?
The weakness of the
Weimar Government
Crisis and Conflict: Nazi Germany
Hitler’s abilities
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The
constitution
and system of
proportional
representation
Opposed by
the right
Unable to
keep order
in the
country
The
weakness of
the Weimar
Government
Lost a
capable
leader
Opposed by
the left
Crisis and Conflict: Nazi Germany
Lost the
support of
the middle
class
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The constitution and system of
proportional representation
• Germany had been controlled by
authoritarian rulers for a very long
time.
• After the German surrender in
World War I, a new constitution was
drawn up which established a
democratic government.
• The democratic Weimar Government
had a President who was chosen by
the people.
• The President chose the Chancellor
and the cabinet ministers.
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The constitution and system of
proportional representation

However, under this new system, governments
did not last long.
 Regular changing of the governments proved to
be disruptive to the stability of the country.
 Moreover, most of the ruling parties were
coalition parties that lacked unity.
 Many people had little faith in the ability of the
government.
Ba
ck
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Opposed by the right
 The
‘right’ comprised mainly of the
German Army which objected to the
signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
 This
group claimed the army had been
‘stabbed in the back’ and could have
continued fighting.
 Deeply
resentful, they were determined to
obstruct the work of the Weimar
Government.
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Opposed by the right

However, their claims were untrue.


Germany’s allies, Turkey and Bulgaria, were ready to
stop fighting and negotiate for peace, leaving
Germany’s south open to attack.
Since 1915, the British naval blockade of Germany’s
ports had prevented food and raw materials from
reaching Germany.
 Starved of food and basic goods, the Weimar
Government had no choice but to sign the Treaty
of Versailles.
Ba
ck
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Opposed by the left
The ‘left’ refers to the Communists.
 One of the Communist groups was known as the
Spartacists, a group which wanted to set up a
government similar to the one in the Soviet Union.
 Frequent uprisings by the Spartacists occurred between
1918 and 1919.
 The Spartacists were opposed by anti-Communist exservicemen, the Freikorps (or the Free Corps). There
were frequent battles between both groups.

Ba
ck
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Unable to keep order in the country

The government spent much of its time trying to
suppress riots and attempts to overthrow the
government.
 It relied heavily on the Freikorps to suppress
revolts.
 The Freikorps themselves tried to overthrow the
government in the 1920 Kapp Putsch which
almost succeeded.
 In November 1923, Hitler himself attempted to
overthrow the government in the Munich Beer
Hall Putsch.
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Unable to keep order in the country

Members of the Weimar Government became
targets for attack.
 Between 1919 and 1922, there were 376
political murders.
 Many people were deeply shocked by the level
of violence in the country and lost confidence in
the government’s ability to maintain law and
order.
 The judges and police, many of whom preferred
the days of autocratic rule under the Kaiser,
were sympathetic towards the murderers and
the murderers mostly received light sentences.
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Lost the support of the middle class

The Weimar Government was heavily in debt
due to the payment of war reparations.
 Germany’s problems were worsened by the
hyper-inflation caused by the overprinting of
money which the government used to pay off its
debts.
 Many Germans lost their savings overnight and
they blamed the government.
 The middle class was the worst hit and they
stopped supporting the government, believing
that the government and its democratic system
had failed.
Ba
ck
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Lost a capable leader






Despite its weaknesses, the Weimar Government did not
collapse.
This was due to the efforts of Chancellor Gustav
Stresemann.
He was able to negotiate for a longer term for the
repayment of reparations through the Dawes Plan and
the Young Plan.
He also improved relations with the Allies and Germany
was admitted to the League of Nations.
These positive developments led some people to
describe the years between 1924 and 1929 as a golden
age for Germany.
His death in 1929 was a big blow to Germany.
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Lost a capable leader
Germany’s economic recovery relied on US
loans.
 This made Germany vulnerable as it depended
on America’s ability to keep lending.
 When the Great Depression hit and America was
badly affected, the loans from America to
Germany dried up.
 Germany suffered as a result of this and was on
the verge of collapse.

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Critical Thinking
What do you learn about the early years of
democratic Germany from the two viewpoints?
Ba
ck
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The
constitution
and system of
proportional
representation
Opposed by
the right
Unable to
keep order
in the
country
The
weakness of
the Weimar
Government
Lost a
capable
leader
Opposed by
the left
Crisis and Conflict: Nazi Germany
Lost the
support of
the middle
class
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Hitler’s abilities

Hitler overcame the failures in his life and rose to become one of the
most powerful leaders of Germany within a very short time.
 He used his abilities and took advantage of the opportunities present
to rise to power.
Excellent
speaker and
charismatic
leader
Reorganised the
Nazi Party
Crisis and Conflict: Nazi Germany
Skilful at
making deals
with politicians
Exploited fear of
Communism to
win support
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Excellent speaker and charismatic
leader





Hitler had the natural ability to capture people’s attention with
his public speaking skills.
He was able to inspire confidence and belief among Germans
that he could be the one to lead Germany out of its problems.
Under Hitler’s leadership, the National Socialist German
Worker’s Party (NSDAP) or Nazi Party grew and came up with
its first programme known as the Twenty-five Points in 1920.
For his role in the Munich Beer Hall Putsch, he was arrested.
However, his stirring speech made the judges sympathetic
towards him and he received a light sentence of a five-year jail
sentence. He was released on parole after only nine months.
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Reorganised the Nazi Party

The jail term proved to be a turning point.

It convinced Hitler that legal means and not
force alone would help him gain power.

Upon release, he concentrated his efforts on
reorganising the Nazi Party.

Among the changes made was the setting up
of branches in different parts of Germany as
well as the creation of a youth movement.
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Reorganised the Nazi Party

Initially, the Nazi Party had very little support from the people.



The working class supported either the Social Democratic Party or the
Communists.
The years 1924–1929 saw general economic prosperity and political stability.
Thus, the people did not see the need to vote out the Weimar Government.
At the time, most Germans were not interested in Nazi calls to keep Jews out of
German political life nor in the Nazi plan to invade other countries. The people
also did not like the way the Nazis beat up their opponents to intimidate them.

After the Great Depression in 1929, many Germans suffered. The
Weimar Government’s popularity dipped even further.

With improved organisation, Hitler was able to gain much popularity and
support.
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22
ck
Exploited fear of Communism to win
support






The Nazi Party and the Communists became popular during the
difficult times after the Great Depression.
Many Germans believed that the Weimar Government had
failed them and were open to trying out alternative forms of
government.
Hitler made use of propaganda to spread fear about the aims of
Communism.
He convinced people that the Nazi Party was the only party
capable of providing order and stopping the Communists.
Many rich industrialists supported the Nazis as they wanted an
anti-Communist government.
With strong financial support, Hitler was able to build a sizeable
private army — the Sturmabteilung (SA) or Stormtroopers.
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23
ck
Skilful at making deals with politicians






The Nazis won less than three per cent of the votes in the
1928 Elections.
By 1930, they had won 37.3 per cent, making them the
party with the most seats in the Reichstag.
In 1932, President von Hindenburg was pressurised to
agree to Hitler’s demand for chancellorship. He was
persuaded by Franz von Papen who thought that the
conservatives could channel their support for Hitler into
support for the policies of the cabinet.
Furthermore, it was hoped that Hitler could help the
government to control the Communists.
This was welcomed by the rich industrialists who then
supported the appointment of Hitler as Chancellor.
On 30 January 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor.
Within months, he ended Weimar Germany and started the
Third Reich.
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Hitler’s abilities

Hitler overcame the failures in his life and rose to become one of the
most powerful leaders of Germany within a very short time.
 He used his abilities and took advantage of the opportunities present
to rise to power.
Excellent
speaker and
charismatic
leader
Reorganised the
Nazi Party
Crisis and Conflict: Nazi Germany
Skilful at
making deals
with politicians
Exploited fear of
Communism to
win support
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Critical Thinking
Study the table below. Do you think Hitler came to
power because of his own actions or due to
circumstances in Germany after World War I? Why?
Hitler’s Actions
Circumstances
Good leadership
Wall Street Crash and the World
Depression
Promised to make Germany
a great country again
Fear of Communism
Excellent party organisation
Weak and short-lived governments
Extensive use of propaganda Politicians decided to make deals
with Hitler
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What was the
impact of
Hitler’s rise to
power on
Germany?
Political
Impact
Economic
Impact
Social
Impact
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Democracy in Germany was destroyed
February 1933 Reichstag Fire





Hoping for full control, Hitler dissolved the Reichstag and
called for fresh elections in March 1933.
A week before the elections however, the Reichstag
building caught fire.
Blaming the incident on the Communists and claiming that
the state was in danger, Hitler managed to convince the
President to grant him emergency powers.
Using these powers, Hitler arrested the Communists and
other political opponents.
On 5 March 1933, the Nazis won 43.9 per cent of the
votes in the Reichstag.
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Democracy in Germany was destroyed
23 March 1933 Enabling Act

This act gave Hitler full dictatorial powers for four years.
 To pass the Enabling Act, Hitler needed a two-thirds
majority of the Reichstag.
 To achieve this, Hitler outlawed the Communist Party and
arrested most of them to prevent them from voting
against him.
 On March 1933, he got two-thirds of the votes with the
support of the Nationalists and the Catholic Centre Party.
 Within a month, Hitler made use of his powers to
strengthen his control.
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Democracy in Germany was destroyed
23 March 1933 Enabling Act
April 1933
New laws were
passed to remove
all members of
other political
parties from all
government
departments.
May 1933
All trade unions
were banned and
reorganised into a
Nazi-controlled
organisation, the
German Labour
Front or DAF
(Deutsche
Arbeitsfront). The
Social Democratic
Party was
dissolved.
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July 1933
All other political
parties in the
country were
banned. Germany
thus became a oneparty dictatorship.
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Democracy in Germany was destroyed
Threats to Hitler within the Nazi Party were
removed





The SA was Hitler’s private army and played a crucial role in his
rise.
By 1934, the SA (also known as Brownshirts) had grown into a
four-million strong army under Ernst Rohm.
Hitler was worried about the potential threat from the SA.
Rohm’s calls for the SA to be made into a second German Army
and large firms nationalised worried the generals, industrialists
and Hitler, who was afraid that the SA might challenge his
position.
On 29 and 30 June 1934, Hitler had Rohm and many SA leaders
arrested and executed, together with other political leaders who
opposed him. This event was known as the Night of the Long
Ba
Knives.
ck
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German people had little freedom
 One
of Hitler’s aims was to gain complete
control of the state.
 After
getting political control of the state,
he proceeded to gain tight control over the
people in order to achieve his goals.
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Emergency laws were used

Hitler used his emergency powers to suspend political
and civil rights after the Reichstag fire.

The government had the power to arrest anyone
suspected of being against the government.

Suspects could be imprisoned for an indefinite period of
time, without being brought to a court of law.

The courts were also under the total control of the Nazis.

Only Nazis or Nazi supporters could become judges.

Hence, it became impossible to get a fair trial in Nazi
Germany.
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The SS and the Gestapo

The SS (Schutzstaffel or Elite Guard) and the Gestapo
(the secret police) often arrested and killed opponents of
the Nazi Party.

The Gestapo were not accountable to the courts or to
any law.

The SS and Gestapo struck fear in all Germans.

Nazi Germany is sometimes called a police state,
because of the virtually unlimited power of its police
force.
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Informers




The Nazis divided each town into smaller units called
viertels or quarters.
Each quarter had its own Nazi Quarter Warden who
would visit the houses in his quarter every week to check
and gather information on everyone.
The Quarter Wardens acted as informers to the Nazi
Party of any possible opposition.
People were encouraged to report on their families and
neighbours who did not show total support for Hitler and
the Nazi Party.
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Concentration camps

Concentration camps were built to house the huge
number of people arrested for being anti-government.

Between 1933 and 1939, more than 200 000 Germans
were arrested and sent to the concentration camps.

The people were very badly treated there — they were
forced to work very hard and had very little food to eat.

As a result of the hardship and suffering they had to
endure, there were many deaths in the concentration
camps.
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Only pro-Nazi cultural activities were allowed

Under Nazi rule, all cultural activities, such as
musical performances, films and art exhibitions,
were aimed at shaping the minds of the
Germans to think like Nazis.

The Nazis organised a lot of cultural activities to
encourage the Germans to support Hitler.

The development of other forms of culture was
not permitted.
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Propaganda




Joseph Goebbels, one of Hitler’s most trusted ministers,
was put in charge of the Nazi propaganda programme.
He played an important role in spreading Nazi
propaganda in Germany to gain the people’s support for
the ‘Führer and the Fatherland’.
The Nazis brought all radio stations under their total
control. All Germans were encouraged to buy radios
which were sold very cheaply in Germany, and radio
loudspeakers were also installed in all public and work
areas.
Whenever Hitler gave speeches, orders would be given
for everyone to switch on their radios and listen to his
speech.
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Propaganda





The Nazis also controlled the cinemas, a very popular
form of entertainment in the 1930s.
Only movies approved by the Nazis could be shown.
Short films which highlighted the achievements of the
Nazis and which contained Nazi beliefs had to be
screened before the start of all movies.
German movies in the 1930s usually praised the Nazis
or showed the Jews as the enemies of the Germans.
The Ministry of Propaganda made sure the only
information the German people got was what the
government wanted them to hear, read and see.
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Censorship




The Nazis controlled all forms of media and there was
very strict censorship.
Publications, including newspapers, could publish only
what was approved by the Ministry of Propaganda.
Any publication that did not follow this was closed down
and the people responsible arrested and thrown in the
concentration camps.
Books written by Jews and other ‘undesirable’ people
were removed from libraries and shops, and burnt in
public.
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Parades and rallies

Even after gaining political control of the state, the Nazis
continued to use spectacular and colourful rallies just as
they had done before coming to power.

The biggest rally was an annual one held in Nuremburg.
Hundreds of thousands of people witnessed or took part
in the rally.

The people were very impressed by the Nazi uniforms,
colourful flags, searchlights and torchlight processions.
These gave an impression of power and unity, which
greatly appealed to the Germans.
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Youths were brainwashed by the Nazis

Nazi youth organisations were set up for both sexes.

Boys went through programmes of military athletics while
girls were prepared for eventual motherhood.

German youths who were not members of these youth
organisations found it difficult to enter universities or
obtain jobs.

Through these programmes, German youths were
brainwashed by the Nazis.
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Youths were brainwashed by the Nazis

Though many young people enthusiastically joined these
organisations, others did not. One of the largest anti-Nazi
youth groups was the ‘Edelweiss Pirates’.

The ‘Edelweiss Pirates’ were youths who did not like the
strictly-controlled life required by Nazi youth organisations.

The Nazis punished the members of the ‘Edelweiss Pirates’
by putting thousands of them in prison and hanging the
leaders of the group, but this did not deter them.

The presence of these groups showed that the Nazis did
not have complete control over the German people.
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Education system was controlled by
the Nazis






Hitler made sure that schools encouraged loyalty and
obedience to Nazi beliefs.
All teachers had to attend special training camps to help
them teach Nazi beliefs more effectively.
Physical Education was emphasised to ensure all
German children were healthy.
Students were taught how unfair the Treaty of Versailles
was.
Textbooks portrayed the Jews and the Communists
negatively.
Students were also taught the superiority of the German
(Aryan) race.
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Nazi-controlled education system:
The Nazis had total control over the
subjects and textbooks. The main objective
of education was to teach Nazi ideas and
to instill in all young Germans a sense of
loyalty to Nazism.
Teachers had to attend special training
camps to learn how to teach Nazi ideas.
Those who refused to attend lost their jobs.
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Use of terror to control Germany:
The Nazis used violence to make sure
that they did not face challenges to their
power. Many opponents of the Nazis
were beaten up, sent to prison or killed.
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Women were given limited responsibilities

The Nazis believed that women should only be
concerned about ‘children, church, kitchen’ (kinder,
kirche, kuche).

Hitler thought the role of German women was to produce
racially pure and healthy German babies and to look
after their families.

Many professional women were forced to give up their
jobs and stay at home.

Women who bore many children received special
awards and cash to encourage them to have more
children.
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Critical Thinking
These statements
were on a Nazi
leaflet given to all
young women.
Do you agree with
the statements?
1.
Remember that you are a German!
2.
If you are healthy, do not stay single!
3.
Keep your body pure!
4.
Keep your mind and spirit pure!
5.
Marry only for love!
6.
As a German, choose only a husband of the same blood!
7.
In choosing a husband, ask about his forebears!
8.
Health is essential to beauty!
9.
Don’t look for a playmate but for a companion!
10. You should want to have as many children as possible!
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Jews were treated cruelly



Hitler was also known for his anti-Jewish stance and
laws.
Hitler and the Nazis believed that Germans were part of
the Aryan race. They believed that the Aryans were the
superior race (Ubermensch) and the non-Aryans were
the inferior race (Untermensch), and that the inferior
races should be the slaves of the superior race.
Hitler had made it clear from the time he entered politics
that he hated the Jews and that they should not be
allowed to take part in German life.
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Jews were treated cruelly



Hitler was strongly opposed to marriages between
Germans and Jews for he felt that this weakened the
German race. He wanted the Germans to remain racially
pure.
Although the Jews were only about one per cent of the
German population, Hitler convinced many Germans that
the Jews were responsible for all the bad things that
were happening in Germany.
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they
immediately began to take measures against the Jews.
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Jews were treated cruelly
1933
• All Jews were
sacked from
government jobs.
• The government
called for the
boycott of Jewish
shops.
• Jews could not
own farms.
• Jews were banned
from jobs that
involved the
media.
1935
• Jews were banned
from joining the
Army.
• Jewish authors
could not publish
their works.
• Jews were not
allowed to own
radios, typewriters
and bicycles.
• The Nuremberg
Laws were passed.
• Jews were stripped
of their citizenship.
• Jews were banned
from marrying
Germans.
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1938
• Jewish doctors and
lawyers were not
allowed to have
German clients.
• Jews were banned
from entering public
places of
entertainment.
• Jews were not allowed
to buy newspapers and
magazines.
• Jews were not allowed
to attend state schools
and universities.
• Jews were banned
from owning
businesses.
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Jews were treated cruelly




On 7 November 1938, following the killing of a German
official, Ernst vom Rath, by a Jew, the Nazis used this as
an excuse to organise a night of violence against the
Jews.
More than 7 500 Jewish shops and over 400
synagogues were destroyed.
More than 90 Jews were killed while another 30 000
were arrested.
This event was known in history as Kristallnacht (Night of
Broken Glass).
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Jews were treated cruelly
 Hitler was also responsible for carrying out ‘The Final Solution’ which
killed more than 6 million Jews through mass execution death camps
in parts of Germany and Poland. This event is known as the
Holocaust.
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Christian churches were controlled by
Nazis

The Reich Church was established by Hitler.
 The Reich Church controlled all Protestant churches and
preached Nazi values.
 Members of the Catholic church who opposed the Nazi
party were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
 Hitler was able to reduce the influence of Christian
churches over the people significantly.
 This was achieved through closing all church schools
and church youth groups.
Ba
ck
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Economic impact

Hitler’s three main economic policies were :
 To reduce unemployment.
 To build up the German weapons building
industry so as to create jobs and make Germany
a great military power again.
 To achieve autarky or economic self-sufficiency.

To ensure that the industries were not disrupted,
Hitler banned all trade unions and declared strikes
illegal in 1933.
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Working conditions partly improved




The German Labour Front (DAF) replaced the trade
unions.
The DAF controlled the workers to ensure that wages
were fixed according to the employers.
Efforts were made to improve the lives of the workers,
e.g. the ‘Strength through Joy’ (Kraft durch Freude)
programmes included cheap holidays, cruises and
sporting activities to encourage the workers.
The DAF also included a programme that enabled all
workers to own cars at low prices. This was stopped
however, when war broke out. Many workers paid their
instalments but did not receive their cars.
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New jobs were created





Hitler spent large sums of money on government projects
that involved many workers.
The National Labour Service employed many jobless
people in government building projects. Schools, hospitals
and highways (autobahns) were built using this labour.
The civil service was expanded to provide more jobs.
Unemployment was further reduced with the reintroduction
of conscription and the removal of Jews from their jobs.
Overall unemployment fell from six million in 1933 to below
one million in 1939.
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Big businesses benefited

The rearmament programme benefited big businesses.
 This was due to the increase in demand in the coal,
steel, chemical and transport sectors.
 Small businesses did not benefit as they were not
treated as favourably by the Nazis, compare to the large
companies.
 However, due to the lack of natural resources, Germany
did not achieve self-sufficiency. Germany was still
spending money to buy goods from abroad.
 Overall, although unemployment fell, the German
economy did not improve.
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Based on this illustration, what was the strength of the German
economy based on?
Ba
ck
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What was the
impact of
Hitler’s rise to
power on
Germany?
Political
Impact
Economic
Impact
Social
Impact
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Critical Thinking
1. What are the differences between an
authoritarian regime and a democracy?
2. How is democracy protected in
Singapore?
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Summary
Was the rise of
Nazism in Germany
inevitable?
The weakness of
the Weimar
Government
The
constitution
and system of
proportional
representation
Unable to keep
order in the
country
Opposed by the
right
Lost the
support of the
middle class
Opposed by the
left
Lost a capable
leader
Crisis and Conflict: Nazi Germany
Hitler’s abilities
Impact of Hitler’s
regime
Political
Social
Economic
Excellent
speaker and
charismatic
leader
Reorganised
the Nazi Party
Exploited fear
of Communism
to win support
Skilful at
making deals
with politicians
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Summary
• Unstable and
changed hands
frequently.
• Disruptive to the
running of
government.
• Lacked unity.
• The ‘right’ believed
the army had been
‘stabbed in the
back’ and could
have continued
fighting.
• Deeply resentful,
they were
determined to
overthrow the
government.
The weakness of
the Weimar
Government
The
constitution
and the system
of proportional
representation
Opposed by
the right
Opposed by
the left
• Frequent uprisings by the Spartacists
destabilised the government.
Crisis and Conflict: Nazi Germany
Unable to
keep order in
the country
Lost the
support of the
middle class
Lost a capable
leader
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Back to
main
summary
62
• The government spent
much of its time trying to
suppress riots and
attempts to overthrow the
government, e.g. Kapp
Putsch.
• Also unable to maintain
law and order when many
political murders
happened between 1919
and 1922.
• The hyper-inflation
caused by the
government made many
people lose their savings
overnight, particularly the
middle class.
• Stresemann managed to
help Germany for a brief
period.
• His death in 1929,
together with the Great
Depression, was a big
blow to Germany.
Summary
Hitler’s abilities
Excellent
speaker and
charismatic
leader
Reorganised
the Nazi Party
Exploited fear
of Communism
to win support
Skilful at
making deals
with politicians
Crisis and Conflict: Nazi Germany
Back to
main
summary
• Natural speaking and leadership
abilities.
• Able to gather support and instill belief
among Germans that he was the one
who could restore glory to Germany.
• Under him, the Nazi Party grew in
numbers.
• Rich industrialists supported him for
fear of Communist takeover.
• President was pressurised into
appointing him as Chancellor.
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Summary
Impact of Hitler’s
regime
Political
Social
Economic
• Working conditions partly improved.
• New jobs were created.
• Big business benefited.
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Back to
main
summary
• Democracy in Germany ended.
• Threats to Hitler within the Party were
removed.
• Emergency laws were used.
• The SS and the Gestapo.
• Informers.
• Concentration camps.
• Pro-Nazi cultural activities, parades and
rallies.
• Propaganda and censorship.
• Youths were brainwashed by the Nazis.
• Nazi-controlled education system.
• Women were given limited
responsibilities.
• Jews were treated cruelly.
• Christian churches were controlled by
the Nazis.
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