Nazi Germany

• Millions unemployed, starving + desperate (1930-1933)
• So many turned to extreme political parties that offered solutions to their problems
• 1930 + 1933, Nazi and communist support soared
• 1932, parties wanted to destroy Weimar Republic- had 319/608 seats in Reichstag
• Workers turned to communism
• Government constantly changing

• Bitter after WW1
• Felt Weimar Republic had sold Germany out by ending the war too soon, and agreeing to TOV
• 1919, joined German Workers' Party + later became leader
• Changed party name to Nationalist Socialist German Workers' Party, A.K.A. Nazi Party
• Won people over via charisma and personality
• Blamed Jews for Germany's problems

• Territory taken from Germans + in compensation (bill of 6.6 million marks)
• Armed forces limited (100,000 soldiers)
• Germans left humiliated
• Republic failed to pay first installment to France so French invaded Ruhr region of Germany + stole natural resources and industry
• Economy crumbled + inflation rose -almost losing complete value-
• Middle class into poverty
• 1924, Dawes Plan restored value of currency by depending on loans from America
• 1929, Wall Street Crash made German economy chaos
• Unemployment rose to 6 million + lots of unrest as people starved again
• 1929, 1st installment of 2 million marks
• Could pay in 'kind' - coal, wood, materials + cash -
• Most paid like this ^^

• Flood of paper money but no goods manafactured after strike
• Prices out of control - loaf of bread cost 250 marks in January 1923-
• Currency worthless
• Uprisings as groups struggled to take power from Weimar Republic
• Nazis + Black Reichswehr rebelled in Berlin and Munich
• Communists took over two governments (Saxony + Thurginia), along with declaring Rhineland independant

• 1921, head of Nazi Party
• 1923, tries to overthrow government in Munich but put in prison - wrote Mein Kampf here -
• January 1933, effective political party
• 1920s, struggled to win seats in Reichstag
• Mein Kampf became a national bestseller
• 1932, flew around Germany to deliver speeches

• Part of Nazi propaganda team
• Made posters, newspapers, radio broadcasts + government film messages before beginning of a film
• Used motto 'Bread and Work' during Great Depression which appealed to demands of population, who were starving
• Used short, bold titles
• Had deep anti-semetic views
• Portrayed as god-like, supreme being

• 1933, made part of cabinet w/ Goring
• Made Minister of the Interior w/ responsibility for German life in society
• 1930-1931 worked in Germany's state parliament
• Used his powers to promote Nazis into important positions + to spread Nazi ideas in schools
• Helped shape racial policy in party

• 3rd in power to Hitler
• Deputy leader of party
• Job was to sign off all new legislation to ensure it followed Nazi ideology
• Worked in Munich at HQ to make sure everyone followed same goals

• Leader of SA (A.K.A. Storm department/'brownshirts')
• Originally set up to act as bodyguards to Hitler but was turned into Nazi's private army
• Took charge of SA in 1930 + increased numbers to 400,000 'Stormtroopers' by 1933
• Used to intimidate voters + other political parties
• During election stood outside voting booths to intimidate voters to vote for the Nazis
• Physically attacked Communists

• Ex-fighter pilot
• 2nd in power to Hitler
• Joined Cabinet w/ Hitler + Frick in 1933
• Controlled police in Prussia, largest German region
• 1933, formed Gestapo who would spy on Germans to stop opposition

• Led S.S. (A.K.A. Protection Sqaudron/'Blackshirts')
• Started as group of Nazi volunteers providing security for party leader - same as SA -
• End of 1933, S.S. had about 200,000 members
• Strict entry requirements of being a Nazi
• Developed methods of surveillance + terror
• Ran concentration camps + spied on people
• Scared people

Autarky- Country completely self-sufficient

Lebensraum- Able to expand (living space)

Social Darwinism- Aryan race

• Brot und Arbeit ('Bread and Work')
• Fight for Lebensraum- needed land to grow food + believed Slavs didn't need that land
• Build Nationalism- Germany should be run by Germans for Germans
• Foreign influence should be removed
• Believed services, e.g. water + electricity, should be provided by Government for benefit of nation rather than individual company profit

• JANUARY, HITLER BECOMES CHANCELLOR- can be kicked out president still
• March, another election called to gain more seats in Reichstag to pass laws
• Majority vote needed against social democrats + communists
• 28th February, Reichstag Fire + was blamed on Communists
• Nazi press claimed fire was signal for Communists to rise
• Angry mobs + hostages taken from middle class
• 24 hours, Nazis controlled the press, freedom of public assembly, tapped telephones, broke into desks + read letters
• 4,000 Communists arrested after week of fire- making of concentration camps (Dachau)
• Emergency Decree declared
• Nzis could arrest without warrant
• Produced postcards + photographs of Hitler to depict him as a normal working/middle class man- "A man of the people"
• Politics unstable + democracy disappeared
• 1930-1932, Nazi members had doubled
• President Hindenberg doesn't trust Hitler
• Hitler turns down offer of vice-chancellor

• Oscar von Hindenberg convinces president to give Hitler chancellor
• Another election called
•  7th March, 44% of vote to Nazis
• Enabling Act- dispend constitution + have powers for 4 years
• Hitler persuades Catholic party to vote for Nazis so they could keep their political party + religion
• 441/934 seats, gained majority vote
• During speech about enabling act, ** around outside of hall + intimidating voters- 94 people oppose

• 27th February 1933
• Marinus Van Der Lubbe- young dutch Communist + claimed he set the building alight
• Nazis blamed all Communists
• Hitler says that there will be "no mercy now"
• Van der Lubbe killed January 1934
• Act was the start of Communist civil war- claimed by Nazis
• Hitler persuaded Hindenberg to pass Reichstag Fire Decree- restricted civil liberties, increased power of Government, harsher punishments
• 4,000 Communists arrested + killed
• Meetings of Communists banned
• Allowed Nazis to remove their biggest threat + gain a majority vote