Download Pre WWII - 111

Pre-WWII
WHAT WERE THE CAUSES
OF WORLD WAR II ?

Generally, tension, suspicion and
mutual distrust built up during the
1920's and 30's by:
– 1. THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES ~
Germany humiliated and angry - desire for
revenge.
– 2. THE GREAT DEPRESSION ~ 1929-39.
Germany hardest hit in Europe.
– 3. THE FAILURE OF THE LEAGUE OF
NATIONS~to keep the peace.(Manchuria)
– 4. THE RISE OF TOTALITARIAN
DICTATORSHIPS ~ Italy, Germany, Spain,
Japan (name these)
– 5. THE WEAKNESS OF EUROPEAN
DEMOCRACIES ~ France, Britain
– 6. AMERICAN ISOLATION & NEUTRALITY
~ made Hitler more willing to take
chances.
– 7. THE “RED” SCARE ~ ie. Fear that
communism would spread to other countries
resulted in a willingness to accept any group
that were anti-communist.
– 8. ACTS OF AGGRESSION AND
APPEASEMENT ~
(Aggression: Japan, Italy, and Germany)
(Appeasement: France, Britain)
ORIGINS OF THE
NAZI PARTY
- Founded, early 1920's in Germany.
 - NAZI - short for National Socialist
German Workers Party.


- members disliked:
 1. The Weimar Government ~
(Because they had signed the
armistice and treaty)
 2. Communists
 3. Treaty of Versailles

*** NOTE ~ Adolf Hitler joined the NAZI
Party, he did NOT start it.
ADOLF HITLER
~ born in Austria.
 ~ parents middle class, Catholics.
 ~ served in German army during WWI ...
started as a dispatch runner and became a
corporal.
 ~ wanted to be an architect...Vienna art
academy refused him admission...he
blamed the Jews.


~ medium height, dark hair & eyes, small
moustache
Any resemblance?
~ incredible will power.
 ~ powerful personality, almost hypnotic
eyes.
 ~ fierce temper.
 ~ incredible speaking ability.

1920's : PROBLEMS IN
GERMANY

1. INFLATION: prices rising, value of
money dropping.

2. REPARATIONS PAYMENTS bankrupting
the country.

3. UNEMPLOYMENT very high: - factories
did not re-open after the war. – fewer
men in army etc.

4. Lack of confidence in Weimar Government:
a) not solving economic problems. (Did
borrow money from the US....not a lot of
help.)
b) hated government for signing of the Treaty
of Versailles.

RESULT: ~ frequent elections ~ led to weak
government.

***NOTE ~ NAZI Party only 1 of many political
parties in Germany.
THE NAZI PARTY PLATFORM
“Vote for us and we will...”:

1. solve Germany’s economic problems...
high prices, worthless money, unemployment

2. tear up the Treaty of Versailles.

3. get rid of all the Communists in Germany.

4. make Germany great again.
Nazi Party:
- very nationalist.
 - blamed all of Germany’s problems on
others... ~ The Big Four (who?)
~ Government (who signed the
armistice & treaty)
~ Communists
~ Jews (in control of government
& industry) – Why?

NAZI CAMPAIGN METHODS

1. Speeches, rallies

2. Newspapers, magazines.

3. Criticize other parties, the government

4. Use STORM TROOPERS to “convince”
people...by beatings, intimidation.
THE STORM TROOPERS

part
-
of the Nazi Party... “the enforcers”.
wore uniforms, organized like an army.
used Swastika armband.
wore knee-high boots.
‘goose-step’ march

- NOT politicians or party organizers...did
do some recruiting.

- often criminal types & low-life scum.
The Munich ‘Beer Hall’ Putsch1923

Hitler now one of several important NAZI
leaders.

tries to take over government of Bavaria
(German province).

failed, leaders arrested and sent to prison.

While in prison, Hitler wrote his book,
MEIN KAMPF (My Struggle).

Hitler released (good behavior). Now
becomes the #1 leader of the Nazis. He
decides that the way to get power is
legally, by winning elections.
1933: Hitler becomes
Chancellor of Germany
Chancellor = Prime Minister.
 Nazis are largest party in Reichstag but
DON’T have a majority of seats.
 President Hindenburg asks Hitler to form a
government…assumes he will form a
coalition.
 Hitler agrees, becomes Chancellor, then
calls another election, but, this time he
has control.

The Reichstag Fire

Towards the end of the election campaign,
the Reichstag building burns down.

Hitler blames the Communists…trying to
start a revolution and FEAR.

Hitler uses special articles in Weimar
Constitution to suspend Constitution and
have the President rule by decree.

Communists are arrested and other parties
campaigns are stopped, Nazis can
campaign.

Election results: Nazis get largest number
of seats but still NOT a majority.
The Enabling Law

Gave Hitler the power of a dictator.

Made all other parties illegal.

Destroyed the power of trade unions.

Hitler's first step towards TOTAL CONTROL
or TOTALITARIANISM.
The Rise of Totalitarian States
(1920-1945)

A totalitarian government claims total
authority over its people. It allows only
one political party and outlaws all opposition.
The economy is run or controlled by the
government with schools and media used to
teach people total belief in the government.

(Propaganda-untrue information is used
to brainwash citizens in order to make
them loyal and unquestioning.)

The leader of a totalitarian state is
usually a dictator, a single, strongwilled personality whose rule is absolute.
Four Totalitarian Governments
in Europe
(1918-1945)

ITALY (Mussolini)- FASCISM

GERMANY (Hitler)- FASCISM/Nazism

RUSSIA (Stalin)- COMMUNISM

SPAIN (Franco)- FASCISM
Reasons for the rise in popularity of
Totalitarian States

1.Voter impatience with:
democratically elected leaders.
Not enough progress being made in
areas of reform and
economy after WW I.
 2.
Economic problems:
 poverty, hunger, unemployment,
inflation.
 Many created as a result of WW I and
the treaty of Versailles.
 3.
Nationalism:
 Dictators promised to restore pride
and glory of their countries in the
eyes of the world. (Germany & Italy)
The SS

Hitler's hand-picked bodyguards.

Elite group – desired a pure Aryan race
– at first…6 ft. & blond and blue eyed

well trained and best equipped military
units in Germany.

Managed the concentration &
extermination camps,

Allies declared it to be a ‘criminal
organization’ during WW II.

Hated and feared by Germans.

Wore black uniforms.
The Night of the Long Knives
1934

Hitler's elite bodyguards (SS), killed Rohm
& hundreds of Storm Troopers.


WHY?
Hitler could not be sure of their loyalty to
him.
1934: President Von
Hindenburg Dies

Hitler takes power of President as well as
that of Chancellor, now to be addressed as
FUHRER (leader).

Army has to take loyalty oath to Hitler (not
to Germany).

The Third Reich begins…Hitler vows it will
last 1000 years.
The Master Race

Taught in Hitler’s book Mein Kampf, the
Aryan race (pure German).

Nazi’s teach racial superiority, all lesser
races should serve the Master Race.

EXCEPT Jews…Nazis thought that these
people were dangerous, trying to make
the Master Race impure.
The Nuremberg Laws-1935

1. No German can marry a Jew.

2. All Jewish identity cards are stamped
with a ‘J’ (later, all Jews forced to wear
a star of David on outer clothing).

3. No Jew can be a German citizen.

4. No Jew can own a business.

5. No Jew can own a property.

6. Most professions closed to Jews.

7. Jews cannot attend or teach in German
schools and universities.

8. No Jew can work for the government.
Kristalnacht-1938

Known as the night of the broken glass.

Young Polish Jew in Paris killed a German
diplomat, leads to…

…Goebbels (Minister of Propaganda) gives
speech blaming all Jews and encourages
violence against Jews, Strom Troopers lead
POGROM (acts of violence against Jews for no
just reason).

billions of dollars in damage and hundreds killed.
The Camps

First one opened in Dachau, in 1933,
prisons too full, concentration camps were
for political prisoners, not criminals.

Dachau became model camp, SS gave
tours.

By 1939, approximately 25000 in camps.

Camps also included factories, prisoners
used as slave labour.
The Camps

1941 (during war)
– Hitler decided on the FINAL SOLUTION to the
Jewish problem.
– some camps set up specifically to murder Jews,.
– AUSCHWITZ, in Poland, one of the best
known ‘death’ camps.

Gas chambers and ovens.

GENOCIDE: an attempt to wipe out an
entire race of people.
The Holocaust: 1933-1945

Nazis attempt to murder all the Jews in
Europe.

Estimate 6 million dead.

Jewish population of Europe 1920’s was
9 million.