CH-3 HISTORY

NAZISM AND THE RISE OF HITLER

INTRODUCTION

BIRTH OF THE WEIMER REPUBLIC

Germany fought the First World War (1914–1918) along with the Austrian empire and against the
Allies (England, France and Russia). CENTRAL POWER- ALLIED POWER

Germany initially made gains by occupying France and Belgium. However, the Allies won defeating
Germany and the Central Powers in 1918.

• The defeat of the Imperial Germany and the abdication(give up means no king) of the
emperor gave an opportunity to parliamentary parties to recast German polity.
• A National Assembly met at Weimer and established a democratic constitution with a federal
structure.
• Deputies(members of parliament) were elected by the people for the German Parliament or
Reichstag on the basis of equal and universal votes cast by all adults including women.The
republic, however, was not received well by its own people largely because of the terms it was
forced to accept after Germany’s defeat at the end of the First World War.
• On 28th June 1919 a treaty (agreement) was signed between Allies and Germany called
Versailles Treaty. This was a harsh and humiliating treaty for Germany due to following reasons:
a. Germany lost 13 % of its territory and overseas colonies.(which were controlled by Germany)
b. 75% iron & 26% of coal was taken by France, Poland, Denmark and Lithuania.
c. Germany was dimilitarised as a result powers of Germany reduced.
d. Allied armies occupied resource rich Rhineland.(IRON ,COAL & STEEL)
e. Germany paid 6 billion Euros as compensation to allied armies because Germany blamed for
the loss in the war.

*Germans held the new Weimer Republic responsible for not only the defeat in the war but the
disgrace at Versailles.

*Socialists, Catholics and Democrats (GERMAN LEADERS)who supported Weimar republic were
called NOVEMBER CRIMINALS (NOV 1918)by the nationalists.

The Effects of the War— The war had a devastating impact on the entire continent both
psychologically and financially. From being a creditor, Europe became a debtor. The supporters of the
Weimer Republic were criticized and became easy targets of attack in the conservative nationalist
circles. Soldiers came to be placed above civilians. Aggressive war propaganda and national honour
became important. The fragile (damage or broken) democracy could not survive and led to instability
in Europe.
Political Radicalism (action for political change)and Economic Crisis :
The birth of the Weimer Republic coincided with the uprising of the Spartacist League (group). This
league was based on the pattern of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.
• Soviets (Elected leader)of workers and sailors were established in many cities.
• The political atmosphere was changed in Berlin.
• The Weimar republic crushed the Spartacist league with the help of free Corps.
• Later the Spartacists founded the Communist Party of Germany.
• The political instability in Germany paved the way for Hitler.
Political radicalization was heightened by the economic crisis of 1923.

• Germany fought war largely on loans had to pay reparation in gold which depleted the gold
reserve at the time when the resource were scarce.
• As Germany refused to pay the war reparations, France occupied its leading industrial area,
Ruhr which was rich in Coal.
• Germany printed paper currency abundantly.
• This resulted in fall of the value of the German Mark(currency)
• As a result , prices of goods increased.This crisis came to be known as Hyperinflation.
At last the Americans introduced Dawes Plan which helped Germany to overcome the crisis.

DAWES PLAN- The plan provided for an end to the Allied occupation, and a staggered payment
plan for Germany's payment of war reparations. Because the Plan resolved a serious
international crisis, Dawes shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1925 for his work.

The Years of Depression

1924–1928 saw some stability, yet it was built on sand. Germany was totally dependent on short-term
loans, largely from the USA. This support was withdrawn with the crash in 1929 of the Wall Street
Exchange. German economy was hit badly. It led to social unrest. The middle class and working
population was filled with the fear of proletarianisation.

The Weimer Republic had some inherent defects :

1. Proportional Representation

2. Article 48 — which gave the President the powers to impose emergency, suspend civil rights and
rule by decree.

HITLER’S RISE TO POWER

Hitler was born in Austria in 1889. He earned many medals for bravery in the First World War.The
German defeat horrified him. The Treaty of Versailles made him furious. He joined the German
Workers Party and renamed it National Socialist German Workers’ Party. This later came to be known
as the Nazi Party.
Nazism became a mass movement only during the Great Depression. The Nazi propaganda stirred
hopes of a better future. Hitler was a powerful and effective speaker. He promised the people a strong
nation where all would get employment.

His politics included the significant rituals and spectacle in mass mobilization. Nazi propaganda
skillfully projected Hitler as a messiah, a saviour.

The Destruction of Democracy— Hitler achieved the highest position in the cabinet of ministries on
30 January 1933. Hitler now set out to dismantle the structures of democratic rule.The Fire Decree of
28 February 1933 suspended civic rights like freedom of speech, press and assembly. Communists
were hurriedly packed off to new established concentration camps. All political parties were banned.
Special surveillance and security forces were created to control the people and rule with impunity.
Reconstruction : Economist Hjalmar Schacht was given the responsibility of economic recovery. He
aimed at full production and full employment through a state funded work creation programme.
Hitler pulled out of the League of Nations in 1933, reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936 and integrated
Austria and Germany in 1938 under the slogan : One people, One empire, One leader. Hitler ignored
the Schacht’s advice of not to invest hugely in rearmament. He then took Sudetenland from
Czechoslovakia. Hitler had the unspoken support of England.Hitler did not stop here. He chose war as
a way out of the Economic Crisis.

Resources were to be accumulated through expansion of territory. In September 1940 Germany

invaded Poland. This started a war with France and England. USA resisted involvement in the
war. But when Japan extended its support to Hitler and bombarded Pearl Harbour, the USA
entered the war. The war ended in 1945 with Hitler’s defeat and the US bombing of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in Japan.

THE NAZI WORLD VIEW

According to Nazi ideology there was no equality between people, but only racial hierarchy. The Nazis
quickly began to implement their dream of creating an exclusive racial community of pure Germans
by physically eliminating all those who were considered undesirable. They wanted a society of pure
and healthy Nordic Aryans. Jews, Gypsies, blacks, Russian, Poles, even certain Germans and abnormal
were considered undesirable.

The other aspect of Hitler’s ideology related to the geopolitical concept of Lebensraum, or living
space.

Jews were the worst sufferers in Nazi Germany. Hitler believed in pseudo scientific theories of race
which said that conversion was no solution to the Jewish problem. It had to be solved through their
total elimination.

From 1933–1938 — the Nazis terrorized, pauperised and segregated the Jews, compelling them to
leave the country.
The next phase, 1939–1945, aimed at concentrating them in certain areas and then killing the min
gas chambers in Poland.
YOUTH IN NAZI GERMANY
Hitler felt that a strong Nazi society could be established by teaching Nazi ideology to children.All
schools were given German teachers. Children were divided into two groups — desirable(Aryans) and
undesirable(Jews). Children were taught to be loyal, to hate Jews and worship Hitler. Even sports like
boxing were introduced to develop the spirit of aggression, violence among children. Hitler thought
that boxing will could make the children iron-hearted, strong and masculine.

• Youth organisation were made responsible for educating German Youth.Ten-year-old boys
had to join Jungvolk. At 14, all boys had to join the Nazi youth organisation Hitler Youth’ and
at last they joined the Labour Service at the age of 18.

The Nazi Cult of Motherhood — Women were told to be good mothers and rear pure blooded
Aryan children. They were encouraged to produce many children.
• Those who produced desirable children were awarded, given facitlities in hospitals, concessions
in shops ,theatre & even in railways. Honours of Bronze was given for four children, silver for
six and gold for eight or more was given to eligible women.
• Women who maintained contacts with Jews were punished or imprisoned.

The Art of Propaganda — The Nazi regime used language and media with care and often to great
effect. They never used the word kill or murder in their official communication, for that they used
special treatment and final solution.
• They used Evacuation for killing people in gas chambers and the gas chambers were called
disinfection areas.
• They used films, pictures, radio, posters, etc. to spread hatred for Jews. Nazism worked on the
minds of the people, tapped their emotions, and turned their hatred and anger at those
marked as ‘undesirable’.
Crimes against Humanity — Many people believed Nazism would improve their well being and
some were scared to protest as they were killed by Nazi in gas chambers. Charlotte Beradt an author
in her book The Reich of Dreams wrote that jews saw the world through Nazi eyes and spoke the
Nazi language. At times even the Jews began to believe in the Nazi stereotypes about them.

Knowledge about the Holocaust ( Mass murder of Jews in gas chamber by Nazi) — The atrocities
and sufferings that jews had experienced during the Nazi killing operations are called Holocaust. It
was only after the war ended that people came to know about what had happened. The Jews wanted
the world to know about the atrocities and sufferings they had endured during the Nazi killing
operations. They just wanted to live, even if it was for a few hours, to tell the world about the
Holocaust.