GCSE HISTORY.

DEPTH STUDY –
GERMANY 1919 –
1933

gd luck

Cambridge IGCSE and O Level

History – Option B : the 20th century
Syllabus: 097/0470/2147
 SO,

‘How to revise for history?’

No one may know….

– Possibly ask Michel about how she revises for history: what
techniques she uses, where she gets extra information from, how
does she remember facts and figures...
– Go on GetRevising website and look for stuff there
– Make flashcards on key figures (people + numbers) History is a pain,
– Possibly read relevant information about the time from other revision and not one of a
guides and make notes on them
nice kind
– Give links to useful websites as creating those notes
– Watch educational videos
– Check Khan Academy – our bae – for help So, make it nicer by
– Do essay plans actually committing to it
– Ask for different structures and doing sm WORK.
– Try to improve evaluation skills – vids
– Do mini-knowledge tests
 DEPTH STUDY:
Germany 1918-45

WELCOME TO 2 YEARS OF SUFFERING, but

g00d design is EVERYTHING
 Timeline of the period (1919-1929)

1919 1920 1923 1925 1929

• January: • March: • January: • April: • August:

Spartacist Kapp French and Hindenburg Young Plan
Uprising Putsch Belgian elected
President • October:
• June: Treaty troops Wall Street
occupy after death
of Versailles Crash
theRuhr of Ebert
• 1920 July: • July: French
Weimar • August:
and Belgian
Constitution Stresemann troops leave
becomes the Ruhr
Chancellor
and Foreign
Minister
• November:
Munich
Putsch
What did Germans believe after
the end of WW1?
– That the German army didn’t loose the war, because it asnt been beaten
– Jews were used as scapegoats for germany’s defeat
– Some argued that politicians in power had stabbed germany in the back – the
November criminals
 The formation of W.G. – timeline
The allies offer
peace treaty under
The Kaiser refused Sailors in Kiel in The Kaiser
strict conditions, The revolts and
to accept peace northen Germany abdicated and fled
including that unrest spreas
under these terms mutinied to the Netherlands
Germany become
more democratic

Ebert as the leader

Ebert promised
of the largest party,
Germany declared The Armistice was freedom of speech,
the Social A new constitution
itself to be a signed and the war freedom of worship
Democrats, was drawn up
Republic ended and improved living
became its new
conditions
leader

The new
Opposition to the government met in
Elections were held
new government Weinmar as Berlin
and Ebert's party
sprang up almost was regarded as
won
immediately too violent and
unstable
 What was Weimar Republic?

– The Weimar Republic was the name given to Germany from 1919 – 1933
– It was a new political democratic system for Germany, forced by the Allies
– ‘Weimar’ was the town in Germany where they held a meeting to set up this new system.
– Under the Weimar Republic all men and most women could vote for their leaders.
– This was completely different to being ruled by the old Kaiser - most people had never had the freedom to
do this
– Voters had a choice of political parties who they could vote for
– People elected a president and a chancellor and parliament (Reichstag)
 Political structure of Weimar
government
– A president was a figurehead for people to serve as a focus of loyalty
– President was elected every 7 years
– A chancellor was elected to run the country
– Reichstag was a form of parliament, it voted to make laws
– The Parliament was a multi-party system, there were many different political parties represented in the
Reichstag
– The new system was protected by a set of basic laws called the Weimar Constitution
Weimar government –
constitutional problems
– Some ponts of the constitution were a bit dictatorial
– There was Article 48
– So in emergency it gave president ultimate powers
– Some points gave government-opposition powers
– Voting system was proportina representation which made it very hard to get a
majority in reichsatg
 Kaiser Wilhelm II
(hereditary monarch)

Appoints Calls/Dismisses Controls

Reichstag The Army

Government
(Chancellor; (Parliament)
Ministers) (elected)
Can stop laws
proposed by the
Government but can
not make laws

Weimar
Electors
Men over 25 can
vote
constitution
 Threats to Weimar Government:
Spartacist Uprising 1919
– Spartacists were German Communists who aimed to build a Soviet Germany in alliance with
Soviet Russia
– Their leaders were Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
– From January 1919, the Spartacists fought to seize control of Germany in an armed uprising
– Were joined by rebel soldiers and sailors set up Soviets in many towns
– Ebert made an agreement with leaders of the army and the Freikops to put down the revolt
– There was bitter street fighting
– As a result, the leaders were killed
– It was a left wing threat, which showed Ebert as a weak leader, because he had to rely on
Freikorps to keep order
 How did Treaty of Versailles
affect Germany?
– The Treaty of Versailles was signed by the new Government in Germany in June 1919
– Terms of the treaty:
– War guilt
– Disarmament
– Reparations
– Land loss
– Extra
– Germany was not allowed to take part in the peace talks and was made to accept and sign the treaty in
June 1919 – the terms were dictated
– There was a fall in production and political instability
How did germans react to the
ToV?
– They were very angry
– Werent allowed to argue the case
– Te terms were very harsh (as they believed)
– Believed it was a plan of revenge to keep Germany permanently weak
– Due to military agreements, many ex-soldiers did not agree or support new
government which caused political instability
 Threats to Weimar Government:
Kapp Putsch - 1920
– On 13 March 1920, right-wing extremists staged an armed rising (putsch) in Berlin
– Their aim was return to K's dictatorial style of government, Germany to have a strong army, expand its
territory and acquire an Empire, regain industrial strength Resented ToV
– Freikorps units, led by General von Luttwitz, seized control of the capital and named Wolfgang Kapp as
Germany's new leader
– The German army refused to fire on the Freikorps, but the rising failed when Berlin workers staged a
general strike in protest at the uprising and paralysed the city
– Millions of workers across Germany joined in the strike and on 18 March, Kapp and Luttwitz fled to Sweden
– Kapp realised he could not succeed and left country
– He was hunted down and died awaiting trial, the rest of rebels went unpunished by courts and judges
 Threats to Weimar Government
Invasion of the Ruhr - 1923
– It was a foreign threat
– Its aim was to make Germany pay (for the delayed reparations)
– Germany delayed payment of 2nd reparations and Ebert was playing for time
– But French run out of patience, because they had their own debts to USA
– French nad Belgian troops entered Ruhr – legally under the ToV
– They took what was owed to them in form of raw material and goods
– Government odered workers to carry passive resistance, so French had nothing to take away
– French reacted harsly and killed and expelled workers
– This had a massive impact on German economy
– Gemrnay had no goods to trade so it printed out more money, resulting in rise of prices and wages; - money
became worthess
Hyperinflation

– Germans didn’t have anything to pay reparations with so they printed out more
money
– This made those papers lose value which resulted in hyperinflation
– Prices ran out of control and German currency became worthless
– Pensioners and middle class families were most badly hit as for first their
income was fixed and seconf lost all their saving
– Yet some people made fortunes during the crisis
What did Hitler believe in?

– Germany should be a great nation

– Communism should be destroyed
– Germans need Lebensraum – living space
– The Treaty of Versailles should be reversed
– The Aryan race are the master race
– Jews are the lowest form of humanity
– Austria and Germany should unite
– Germany needs a strong leader
– Workers should share in company profits
 More hitler’s ideas

– Nationalism was concerned with revivng Germany’s power, expanding gerany’s frontiers and’purifying’ German race
– Socialism sressed the need to increase state control over economy
– Believed that struggle was a basic fact of nature – made nazis ruthless and merciless
– Argued that humans shuld be subdivided into superior and inferior races
– The superior race wre th Aryans
– Inferior races included those of eastern Europe, asia and Africa
– He believed that th lowest form of humanity were the jews
– Blamed for all misfortunes and regarded them as parasites
– Conquest and expansion were both necessary and natural for a helathy race like aryans
– Germany was to small and to gain living space (Lebensraum) at the expense of Poland and Russia
– That would invlve struggle and war which would make aryans even stronger
– He despised democracy and introduced the Fuhrer principle – where hed be given total and unquestioning loyality
– Saw himself as the only true interpreter of what was best for the German people
 Hitler’s impact on Nazi party

– Adolf Hitler joined this small political party in 1919, as a propaganda chief
– rose to leadership through his emotional and captivating speeches
– He encouraged national pride, militarism, and a commitment to the Volk, a racially "pure" Germany
– Hitler condemned the Jews, exploiting antisemitic feelings that had prevailed in Europe for centuries
– changed the name of the party to the National Socialist German Workers' Party, called for short, the Nazi Party (or NSDAP)
– Came up with 25 points programme, targeting different viewers and supporters (like nationalists, socialists, monarchists,
anti-semmists and people angry for loosing war)
– Came up with nazi sign – swastika
– He was convinced that more support would be attracted if the Nazi Party could show itself to be strong in dealing with its
opponents
– believed that parades, banners and marching songs could do as much as political rallies
– Gave people scape goats to blame Germanys problems on(allies, communists, jews, Weimar government, treaty of
versailes)
Origins of Nazi party

– Og name – ‘The German workers’ pary’

– Led by anton Drexler
– Formed in 1919
– In 1920 renames to National Socialist German Workers’ Party (nazis) and
announced 25 points programme
– At first were both nationalists (believed in germnay’s greatness) and socialists
(believed that state would benefit from equality)
 Munich Putsch
why November 1923?
– The contry is in the middle of the economic crisis, there Ruhr invasion and hyperinflation
– Government is preoccupied and unpopular
– Passive Resistance just called off and every German nationalist was furious with the government
– Hitler thought he would be helped by important nationalist politicians in Bavaria.
– Hitler had a huge army of storm troopers, but he knew he would lose control of them if he did not give
them something to do
– Hitler hoped to copy Mussolini
– Party had 55K members at the time and was stronger than ever before
 Munich putsch – what was the
plan and how it turned out
The plan How it actually turned out
– Hitler and 600 storm troopers burst into a meeting that Kahr
– First to seize government of Bavaria and Lossow were holding at the local Beer Hall. Waving a gun
– Then march on Berlin and topple Weimar at them, Hitler forced them to agree to rebel - Kahr and
colleagues won over by Ludendorff s intervention
– Replace democracy with strong central govternmen
– Bavarian politicians were then permitted to go home.
– The SA took over the army headquarters and the offices of
Other things to note bout the putsch: the local newspaper and other public buildings
- Was helped by Lunderndorff (a war hero)
– Announced takeover of Bavaria
- Got betrayed by Kahr and Lossaw
- It was a short term failure, but a long term – Next morning, on 9 November, Hitler tried again. This time he
led about 3,000 supporters to the centre of Munich
success
– Rebels were met by police and shot fire on, 16 nazis were
killed
– Hitler had kept in tlw backg•·ound as the trouble started and
managed to esc.ipe
Why did the putsch fail

– Kahr had called in police and army reinforcements

– Nazis blocked by police and loyal soldiers
– Overestimated support, particularly from the army- both they and the police
remained loyal
– Hitler neglected to order SA to take control of radio stations and telegraph
– Kahr betrayed him
 Consequences of the munich
putsch

Short term Long term

– 16 Nazis killed, 3 policemen – While in prison wrote ‘Mein Kampf’
– Nazi party banned – Hitler learned from his mist;ake and worked out a
– Hitler injured/ charged with treason new way to a·chieve power

– Hitler was prevented from speaking in public until – Hitler decided that he would never come to power
1927 by revolution; he realised that he would have to use
constitutional means
– Hitler imprisoned for 5 years
– Trial gained publicity
– During the tria were noticed by important figures in
legal systems and army
 Key person: Stresemann (1)

– Believed that in the short term Germany should accept ToV

– Was prepared to work with other Weimar parties like social democratic party and centre party
– This gave WG some middle-class support and Stresemann’s German people’s party soon became an integral part of the
coalition of parties that governed Germany between 1919 and 1933
– Stressemann was able to straddle the divide between a conservatice constituency and the ore centre parties – he was a
stabilising figure at a time of great political unrest
– He called off the policy of passive resistance in ruhr and promised France that Germany would resume repapartion
payments
– he persuaded Ebert to decree a state of emergency and rule by presidential decree
– Issued a new currency – rentenmark
– helped to end the period of runaway hyperinfl.1-tion that peaked in November 1923
– Stresemann's refusal to take effective action ,1gainst Hitler and the rebels was an opportunity missed
– This alienated his SPD partners, who left the co,1lition and sparked a new election
 Key person: Stresemann (2)

– The Centre Party led the coalition that won the election of November 1923 and its leader Wilhelm Marx kept
Stresernann on as foreign minister he rernilined in this post until his death in October 1929, serving in eight different
Weimar governments
– Stresernann did want to revise the Treaty of Versailles, it is just that he wanted to do so peacefully and gradually
– in some ways as a moderate, his foreign policy ultimately aimed to restore German power in central Europe
– Stresemann quickly established himself as an effective ambassador for Germany
– set up a number of initiatives aimed at persuading Germany's enemies that Weimar was not a threat
– Dawes Committee decided on a number of measures to refloat the German economy (withdrawing from the Ruhr,
restructuring reparations payments, reorganising Germany's national bank,)
– As part of Dawes Plan USA would also loan Germany 800 million marks
– Stresemann accepted these proposals and the resulting plan marked a new stage in European relations, It also marked
the start of a period of stability for Weimar Germany
 Key person: Stresemann (3)

– He also wanted international rehabilitation for Germany.

– He began a series of international agreements that lessened postwar tensions
– 1925 marked Locarno Treaties
– Stresemann led German negotiations with France, Belgium, Britain and Italy over Germany's western borders and the resulting 'Rhineland
Pact' guaranteed these
– Agreed that Belgium, France and Germany would not attack each other and that if they did, Britain and Italy would assist the country under
attack
– Stresemann had reassured former enemies that the new Germany was no longer a threat to them
– Germany refused to guarantee its new borders in the east from possible future revision and only offered arbitration agreements t
Czechoslm·aki􀃾 and Poland
– Germany joined the League of N;itions and became a permanent member of its Council
– Right-wing parties accepted Stresemann, and the left were prepared to work in coalition with his party
– is partv and sn a certain stability was ,1chieved. By
– 1929 the economy was booming and the extremist parties were attracting little support
– In 1929 the Young Plan was established; it reduces the reparations bill by a further 20% and extended the payment terms
 Recovery in the Weimar
Republic - Economic
Successes Failures
– The Young Plan (1929) reduced reparations by 75% and extended - A fragile monetary cycle which relied on money from
the repayment period by 59_ years America, was created
– The old, worthless bank notes were destroyed - The economic boo in W.G. was precarious
– Exports soared and unemployment fell - Loans could be called in a short notice – would cause ruin in
– The economy stabilised Germany
- Boom also increased inequality – main economic winners
– The Dawes Plan (1924) made it easier for Germany to pay
reparations were big businesses and landowners; workers in big
industries gained as well
– A new currency was introduced
- Rise in unemployment
– Foreign investment, particularly from the USA, poured into - Main losers were peasant famreres and sections in middle
Germany
calss
– Worldwide economic recovery meant that there were new markets - Peasant farmers had increased production and were
for German goods abroad producing too much in peacetime
– Unemployment was low - People began to feel that W.G. offered them little
 Recovery in the Weimar
Republic – Foreign
Successes Failures
– Germany joined the League of Nations in 1926 – Natioanlsits attacked for joining LoN and signing the
– France pulled out of the Ruhr Locarno Pact - this meant that WG acceped ToV

– Germany did well at Locarno. Her frontiers with – Communists attacked Locarno, seeting it as a plot
Poland and Czechoslovakia were not finalised against the communist government in USSR

– Stresemann ended Germany's international isolation

and established friendly relations. with former
enemies
– American banks continued to loan German industry
money to help it rebuild
 Recovery in the Weimar
Republic – political
Successes Failures
– Became more sable – One government replaced another in rapid succession
– No more attempted revolutions – Political violence and extremism were very common
– Parties that supported Weimar democracy did well – Nazis and communists were building u their party
– Strong and firm government established organisations

– By 928 moderate parties had more seats in Reichstag – There were 4 different chancellors and only influence
than radcal parties of party leader which held the party calitions together

– For a time people had faith in democracy – One government replaced another n rapid succession

– Nazism failed to make much headway in attracting – Law and order proved imposible to mantain
mass support
 Recovery in the Weimar
Republic – cultural

Successes Failures
– Ultural revival – For rural people the culture of the cities represented
moral decline
– Kaisers srtrict censourship was gone
– Bauhaus design college was in Dessau because it was
– WC allowed free expression of ideas
forced out o Weimar by hostile town officials
– Writers and poets flourished
– Organisations ike Wandervogel movement were a
– Artists tried to represent the reality of everyday life reaction to Weimar culture – called for a return to simple
– Bauhaus style of design and architechture developed country values

– 1920s was a golden age for German cinema – Wanted to see more help for the countryside and less
decande in the towns
– Berlin was famous for its daring an liberating night life
– Was a powerful feeling, succesfuly used by nazis
– In 1927 there were 700 music bands just in berlin
 Nazis in the wilderness years,
1924-19
Opportunities they were taking to get
Problems the party faced stronger
– It was a period of stability for Germany and people weren’t – Hitler was reorganising the party
interested in extreme ideas – Reduced № of stormtroopers and created SS
– Their policies were based on Germany’s misery’s and during – Set up a network of lcal parties
the time of confidence in democracy were unpopular and
irrelevant – Merged with other right-wing groups and took over

– Unemployment was low and its international status was – Set up hitler youth, attracting young people to the party
much improved. In these circumstances, extremist Nazi ideas – put Josef Goebbels in charge of propaganda, creating better
had little appeal. Most Germans were happy to support the strateeies
established democratic parties
– Hitler set up idea of Fuhrerprinzip – meant his authority
– Had image and identity problem unquestionable
– From 1925 to 1927, the Nazi Party failed to make inroads in – Set up rallies at Nuremburg
the cities and in May 1928, it did poorly in the Reichstag – Hitler promised everybody something, so they supported him
elections
 Nazis in the wilderness years,
1924-19 #part2
Opportunities they were taking to get
stronger
Problems the party faced – He cultivated the support of wealthy businessmen promising them
– Party organisers began to stress the 'socialist' ideas of that, ifhe came to power, he would destroy Communism and the
Nazism in propaganda targeted at Germany's major Trade Unions. This gave him the finance to run his campaigns.
industrial centres, hopig to attract general workers, but bulk – Nazis started fighting elections
of the industrial working class remained loyal to the
Communists and the Social Democrats – Nazis targeted other social groups: farmers in Northern Germany,
middle-class shopkeepers and small, businesspeople in rural areas
– by emphasising their socialist identity, the Nazis created the
image of being a radical working class party. This isolated – Also targeted peasants
them from the middle classes who regarded the Nazis with – Gained support from conservative townspeople for condemnation
suspicion and therefore continued to support tl1e traditional of Weimar culture
parties.
– The Party shifted its strategy to rural and small town areas and
– There was rising Stresemann’s prosperity which limited fueled antisemitism by calling for expropriation of Jewish
attraction to extremist idea agricultural property and by condemning large Jewish department
stores
 Why did the nazis attract little
support in 1924-28
– Their ideas and proposals ‘mushroomes on the country’s misfortunes’
– Germany seemed to be prosperous and stable, so nazis had little apeap with their slogans
– Unemployment was low and its international sttus was much improved
– Extrimist nazi ideas had little appeal
– Most germans were happy to support the established democratic party
– Nazi arty also had image and identity problems during this perid
– Party organisers began to stress ‘socialistic beginings’ of the party in propaganda, targeted at Germany’s major
industrial centres
– Bulk of the industrial working class remained loyal to the ommunists and the social democrats
– By emphasizing their social identity, the nazis created the image of being a radical working class party
– This isolated the from the middle classes who regarded nazi with suspicion and thus continued to support the
traditional parties
 Timeline of the period (1930-1935)

1930 1932 1933 1934 1935

• September: • April: • January: Hitler • June: Night of • September:

Nazis become Hindenburg re- becomes the Long Nuremberg
second largest elected Chancellor Knives Laws
party in the president, • February: • August: Death
Reichstag defeating Reichstag Fire of President
Hitler by 53.1 • March: Hindenburg
per cent to Enabling Law
36.7 per cent
• July: Nazis
become
largest party in
theReichstag
 How did Great Depression afeect
Germany – politically
– Germans were joining the nazi party and voting for nazis in elections
– People blamed the governmet for their misfortunes and turned to politicians who promised to ed their
hardship
– Boosted te support for the nazis and destroyed the political stability of the Stresemann eera
– Republic became more and more unpopular since it appeared unable to do anything
– Many voters were disillusioned and voted for nazis
– Most working class remained lyal to social democrats and communists, but some supported hitler
– Hitler attracted huge crowds with his attacks on the republics economic record and foreign policy
– Deression helped hitler by undermining democracy
– Economic crisis caused many coalitions to fall appart
How did Great Depression afeect
Germany – socially
– Economic crisis led to social misery
– Many middle and workig class familis were ruined
– Some people had to give up their homes because they could n longer fford the
rent
– People moved to makeshift shanty towns
– City streets were filled with men who had no work and no hope
How did Great Depression afeect
Germany – economically
– It has created an economic crisis
– US investments were withdrawn from Germany
– Many industrialists went bankrupt or had to reduce production
– Large parts of workforce were laid off
 Hitler’s rise to power (including
after 1933)
1. Elections – nazis win 288 seats
2. Von papen appointed chancellor by Hindenburg – no support in Reichstag – hitler refuses to cooperate = another election
3. Elections – nazis win 196 seats
4. Power struggle between von papen and genral von schleicher
5. Von schleicher appointed chancellor
6. Von papen and hitler work together – schleicher resigns
7. Von papen persuades Hindenburg they can control hitler – hitler appointed chancellor and von papen vice-chancellor
8. Hitler insists on new elections in march and get Hindenburg to pass a decree allowing the police to control election meetings
9. Reichstag fire
10. Hitler persuades Hindenburg to pass emergency decree giving police even greater powers – freedoms suspended
11. Hitler uses his emergency powers to ban communist members of the Reichstag
12. Elections – nazis have 230 = largest party
13. Enabling act passed by 444 votes to 94
 What did Joseph Goebbels done
for Nazis?
– He was in charge of propaganda
– Nazis started to advocate clean messages, targeting broad range of people
– Propaganda aimed to exploit people’s fear of uncertainty and instability
– Ideas were spreading appea; from poor workers to women
– Goebels used a combination of modern mediea to reach as many people as possible
– Strated to build an image of hitler to be a strong stable leader which Germany needed – the hitler myth
– Brought back the scapegoating – nazis and the jews
Reichstag fire – 27 Feb, 1933
what happened
– Reichstag burnt down
– A communist, Van Der Lubbe, was caught red-handed
– Hitler blamed the communsts
– Many theories about what actually happened – no one knows
 Reichstag fire – 27 Feb, 1933
how did it benefit hitler
– Hitler said it was the beginning of a communist uprisisng and ersuaded Hindenburg to grant him
emergency powers
– They gave him an opportunity to imprison many communist leaders, and 4000 people were imprisoned
– This stopped them campaigning during the election
– It allowed nazis to say that the country was in danger from the communists during their campaign
– Hitler wipped up people’s fears creating hysteria
– Turned the public against the communists – one of the nazis main opponents
– Helped nazis to win more seats in the election
– Elemination of the communists gave nazis a clear majority
 Emergency decree – 28 Feb,
1933
– Were granted by Hindenburg to hitler
– The decree suspended the democratic aspectsof the Weimar republic and declared a state of
emergency
– Used to arret communists, break up meetings and frighten voters
– Gave the nazis a lagal basis for the persecution and oppression of an opponents who were framed
ans traitors to the republic
– People could be imprisoned for any or no reason
– The decree also removed basic personal freedoms like freedom o fspeech, the right to own property
and the right for trial before the imprisonment
Election – 5 Mar, 1933

– Government used control of radio and police to intimidate oponents

– Nazis won largest share of vote – 44%
– Deal with nationalists to gain an overall majority
– After a deal with the and after hitler had banned and arrested all 81 communsts
deputies and the other parties had been intimidated by the SA
– Hitler got the 2/3 majorit needed to get the enabling at passed – all he needed
to do
– Catholic party cooperated in fear of being supressed
 Enabling act – 24 Mar, 1933

– Proposed afte1933 general elction, would give dictatorial powers

– Needed ¾ of the Reichstag to vote in his favour
– Used SA and SS inside and outside Reichstag meeting in Kroll Opera House to pass law
– Made a speech where he talked about ending unemployment, promotion of peace with France, but to
achieve al this he needed the act
– Gave him the powers of an absolute dictator
– Able to pass laws for 4 years without going through the Reichstag or president
– Barred jews from civil service, courts and education
– Banned trade unions – set u German Labour front
– Banned olitical parties – Law Against the Formation of New Parties
– Destroyed th eremains of German constitution
 Night of the Long Knives – 29-30
Jun, 1934
– Squads of SS men broke into homes of Rohm and other SA leaders
– Accsed them of a plot to overthrow and murder hitler
– Over the 2 week period 400+ senior SA leaders/potential revals executed (+VS)
– SA became subordinate to SS and more disciplined
– SA were dramatically reduced in size by 40% to 1.8 mill in 1935
– Hitler gained support from the army and irridicated rivals
– Goebels engeneered the propaganda plan for hitler to come out as a hero
– SA was violent and unruly, many saw this as a legitmate move by government to ensure order
– SA role was completely taken over by SS and it was submerged into it
 NotLK – why to support SA

– Rohm shared hitler’s vision of racially pure society

– Rohm was personally loyal to hitler
– Member f SA were loyal nazis
– SA had been in existence since the early days of nazis
– SA fought for hitler during the munich putsch
– Sa had more than 2 millin men by 1934
– SA supported hitler and the nazis by putting posters, handing out leaflets and intimidating political oponents
throughout 1920s and 30s
– SA was led by one of the earliest supporters – Rohm
– SA were good at breaking opponents political meetings, but they were not a professional army
– Bad reputation and worried hitler
– Rohm wanted to push hitler to certain policies, which he though were unwise
 NotLK – why not to support SA

– As membership grew they were harder to control

– Rohm wanted to merge regular German army with the SA
– Rohm was a potential rival to hitler
– If hitler woul support the German army he would gain the spport of large businessmen
– If SA were not brought under control Hitler may lose the support of Hindenburg and powerful conservatives
– Many nazi genrals distrusted and feared rohm
– SA leaders were demanding rewards for their loyal service – they were angry that the new party members got
more recognition than them
– German army was well organised and rained and passessed the weapons necessary to wage a large scale war
– SA were becoming lawless and were causing some germans to turn against the nazis
– In order to succeed Hindenburg, needed th support of the army
Army oath – 2 Aug, 1934

– Hindenburg died
– Hitler amalgated titles of chancellor and president
– Called himself fuhrer
– Entire army made to swear oath of personal loyality to Hitler as fuhrer of
Germany
– Army agreed to stay out of politics and seve hitler
– Hitler stepped u rearment and brought back conscription – to enhance military
However, hitler was still
vunreable..
– Unions could have organised a strike against him
– Opposition parties
– judges could of laucnches a legal challenge
– Has a potential to be undermined by civil service
– Army was suspicious
Methods of control - SS

– 1 mill membership in 1944

– Henich Himmler as a leader
– Members were aryans, highly trained total lyal to hitler
– Were responsible for running the concentration camps and implementing nazi
racial policies
– Had subdivisions of SD, Death Head Units and Waften
– Had power to arrest, detain without charge and interrgate and search and
confiscate
 Methods of control – concentration
camps and informers & wardens

– Large scale prisons for critics and opponents of nazi regme + gypsies, beggars,
tramps and work-shy
– Basic conditions and harsh disciplne
– Amny deaths from beating torture and other ill treaments
– Prisners are used as slave labour – worked in quarries, agriculture and forestry
– Local mazi officials reported on the reliability of local residnets
– Everyone was encouraged to be vigialnt and report anti-nazi talk and activities
– System created enormous fear as wel as enabling priate scores to be settled
 Methods of control – gestapo and
police and legal sytem
– Gestpo were led by Reinhard Heydrich
– Had a role of secret state police
– Had sweeping powers to spy on germns by tapping phone, intercepting mail and using info from
inforers; arrests ould result in contretaion camps or death penalt
– Were the most feared arm of law by the citixens
– All the legal systems came under the ontrol of the nazis
– Jews were sacked from civil services
– Telling anti-nazi joke and listening to foreign radio could result in death statement
– Magistrates took and oath of loyality to hitler
Methods f control – posters and
print
Methods of control – art and
architechture
– Weimar republic art and archtechture were considered ‘degenarate’
– Art galleries only had works representing heroic aryans
– Public archtechture was classical style, stone built – it empahsized the authority
of state
– Only nazi-approved artists could show their works
Methods of control – rallies and
sport
Methods of cotrol – audio and
music
 Methods of control – film and
theatre
– Enertaiment was at affordable prices
– Plays and films were based on historical events, so audience could draw parallels with
the 3rd reich
– Also based on love stories nad adventures
– Velified jews, attacked britiths as brutual imperialists
– All films had to carry a pro-nazis message
– Newsreels before each films told of the greatness of hitler and achivements of nazi
Germany
– All foreign films were censored
 Timeline of the period (1930-1935)

1936 1938 1939 1942 1943 945

• August: Berlin • November: • September: • January: • January: • April: Hitler

Olympics Crystal Night Outbreak of Wannsee German defeat commits
Second World Conference at Stalingrad suicide
War • May:
Unconditional
surrender of
German troops
to the Allies