Germany was a powerful Century.

empire of 20th

Prepared By: Sujit Kumar

HITLER was one of the most powerful dictator

that the world ever witnessed.

But he lost the World War II that was

fought between
Allies (i.e. France, Poland, United Kingdom
and United States of America)
and

Axis Powers (i.e. Germany, Italy and Japan)

In May 1945, Germany surrendered to Allies.

Hitler, his propaganda minister Goebbels and his

entire family committed suicide in April

War ended and an International Military Tribunal

at was established at Nuremberg

Objective of IMT:
To punish Nazi war criminals for

Crimes Against Peace.

War Crimes.

Crimes Against Humanity.

Crime against humanity was so severe that world

even said Germany had waged a Genocidal
war.
Its proved by the fact that Hitler killed
approximately
- 6 million Jews
- 200,000 Gypsies
- 1 million Polish civilian
- 70,000 Germans who were considered
- Mentally and physically disabled
- Besides, other political opponents
One common method was by gassing the people
like at Auschwitz.

Concentration camp

But why did the Germans developed

such hatredness?
The seed of this lies in long past
It all started during first world war

Germany fought First World War with the

Central Powers (i.e. Hungary, Turkey & Bulgaria)
against

Allies (i.e. England,

France and Russia)

Allies joined war in hope of quick victory

But their hopes dashed as it really proved
very costly to them.
It eventually drained Europe of all its
resources.
Germany initially made some gains by
occupying France and Belgium.

However, US entry in 1917 changed the

entire scenario.

Ultimately Germany was

defeated along with other
Central
Powers
in
November 1918.

The defeat of Imperial Germany (Kaiser Wilhelm II)

and abdication of the emperor gave opportunity to
parliamentary forces to recast German Polity.

So, National Assembly

met at Weimer and
established democratic
constitution.

1. BIRTH OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC

Now, members were elected to German Parliament

or Reichstag (equal vote to all including women).

But this new govt. faced problems due to

harsh and humiliating treaty laid on it in
Versailles (28th June 1919).

Treaty of Versailles:
-Germany lost overseas colonies,
-a tenth of its population,
-13% of its territories,
-75% of its iron deposits
-26% of its coal
-To France, Poland Denmark & Lithuania.
-Germany was demilitarised to weaken its power
-War Guilt Clause held Germany responsible for
the war and damages the Allied countries
suffered
-Germany was forced to pay compensation
amounting to 6 billion
-Allied armies also occupied the resource-rich
Rhineland

1.1 THE EFFECT OF THE WAR

-All the major powers were ruined
-Creditors (European countries) turned debtors
-Weimar republic was forced to pay for the sins
of the old empire.
-Weimar Republic bears the burden of war guilt
and national humiliation.
-Weimar Republic got financially crippled due to
debt and forced to pay compensation.
-Supporters of Weimar Republic, mainly
Socialist, Catholics and Democrats also
attacked.
-All mockingly tagged as November Criminals.

Important changes
-Soldiers placed above civilians.
-Stress laid on need for men to be aggressive,
strong and masculine.
-Media glorified their lives.
(Although the truth was just the opposite and
they led a miserable life, face poisonous gases
and enemy shelling)

Aggressive war propaganda and

national honour paved way for
conservative
military dictatorships.
People had no faith in democracy.

1.2 POLITICAL RADICALISM AND

ECONOMIC CRISES
Political sphere
Socialists, Democrats and Catholics
met at Weimar to give shape to
democratic republic.
But crushed by Weimar Republic with
the help of war veterans (those who
favour wars) organization called Free
Corps.

They later founded Communist Party of

Germany (Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands
KPD).

Thus Weimar Republic and Communist Party

become critical to each other. Both wanted
radical changes.

Economic Crises

Two questions in front of Germany-Germany had fought war largely on loan ( Q: How
to pay back loan?)
-Pay war reparations ( Q: How to pay war
indemnity?)

ProblemHad to pay both in gold

ResultDepletion of gold deposit, which was
already scarce.

In 1923, Germany refused to pay

As a result France occupied leading
industrial area, Ruhr, to claim their coal
mines.
Germany retaliated in a passive manner.
For its own growth it printed paper
currency recklessly.
This resulted in inflation.

Eg: People had to carry cartloads of currency to buy

a loaf of bread.
This situation is called as Hyperinflation.

Americans
intervened to take
out Germany from
such crises by
introducing Dawes
Plan.
Under this the terms
of reparation eased
out reducing
financial burden.

1.3 The years of Depression

Depression started in America in 1929 when Wall
Street Exchange crashed.

Fearing a fall in prices people sell their shares.

On a single day (24th Oct) 13 million shares were sold.
This was the starting of The Great Depression and it
then spread worldwide.
Germany too couldnt escape from it.

Effect on GED:
Economic Sphere:
-40% of industrial production fell than in 1929.
-Workers wages reduced
-Unemployment

-Workers hanging placards around necks saying Willing to do any

work

-Workers outside employment exchange in long queues.

-Criminal activities rises
-Fear in minds of people
-Savings of middle classes especially salaried employees reduced
-Businessmen, self-employed and retailers suffered as their
business ruined. These section fear of being Proletarianisation
(reduction of their level in society i.e. to working or unemployed)

Political Sphere:
Constitution had some defects:
Defect 1 - Proportional representation This made achieving majority impossible for
any one party. So coalition ruled.
Defect 2 - Article 48 It gave President
the power to impose emergency, suspend civil
rights and rule by decree.
So, within its short life Weimar saw 20
different cabinets lasting only an average 239
days. Power misused by President.
People lost faith in democratic parliamentary
system as it offer no solution.

2 HITLERS RISE TO POWER

Hitlers Background
Born -

1889 in Austria

Youth

Spent in grim poverty

During WWI
-Enrolled in army as messenger.
-Become Corporal ( Noncommissioned officer).
-Earned medals for bravery.
-Versailles Treaty enraged him.
After war -Joined a group called German
Workers Party.
-Later he took over the party and
renamed it as National Socialist
German Workers Party
-Afterwards called as Nazi Party

In 1923, Hitler planned to control Bavaria, march

to Berlin and capture power.
But failed, was arrested, tried for treason, and
later released.
During The Great Depression Nazism became a
mass movement.

Nazi propaganda stirred hopes of a better future

when banks collapsed, business shut down,
workers lost jobs, middle class destroyed.
In 1928, Nazi Party got no more than 2.6% votes
in the Reichstag.
By 1932, it had become the largest party with
37% votes

Hitlers quality
-Powerful speaker
-Couldnt stand against injustice of
Versailles
-Wanted to restore dignity of Germans
-Wanted full employment
-Wanted to secure future of the youth
So, he promised to weed out all
foreign influences against Germany.

Hitlers Politics:
-Understood the significance of rituals
-Understood the significance mass
mobilisation
-Held massive rallies
-Held public meetings to demonstrate his
support
-Instil(Gradual development) a sense of
unity among the people
-He used red banners with Swastika

-Made Nazi followers

to salute it

Nazism Propaganda projected Hitler as a messiah, a

saviour, as someone who had arrived to deliver
people from their distress.

2.1 The destruction of Democracy

-On 30th January 1933, President Hindenburg
offered the Chancellorship, the highest post in the
cabinet of minister, to Hitler.

-By now, Hitlers power grew and he

started dismantling the structures of
democratic rule.
-Mysterious fire at German
Parliament helped Hitler.
-The Fire Decree of 28 February
1933 indefinitely suspended all civic
rights like of freedom, press,
assembly etc.

-Hitler then turned to arch-enemies, the communists,

and packed them in concentration camps

On 3 March 1933, the famous Enabling Act was

passed.
-

It established dictatorship in Germany.

Hitler got all power
All political parties were banned
Trade unions banned
Only Nazi Party and its affiliates can coexists
State takes over all control over economy

-Special surveillance and security forces were

created
-Besides regular police in green uniform other forces
are there.
-People were detained in Gestapo torture chamber
and then deported to concentration chambers

2.2 Reconstruction
Inside Germany
Responsibility on economic recovery was given
to economist Hjalmar Schacht.
He aimed at full production and full
employment through state-funded workcreation programme.
This led to the construction of famous German
superhighways and peoples car the
Volkswagen.

Foreign policy
Hitler pulled out Germany out of League of Nation
in 1933

Reoccupied Rhineland in 1936

Integrated Austria and Germany in 1938 under the

slogan One people, One empire, and One leader

Then he wrest (forcefully taken) German-speaking

Sudentenland from Czechoslovakia

Schacht advised Hitler not to invest in rearmament.

So, Hitler removed him.
In September 1939 Germany attacked Poland
(Starting of WWII)

Started war with France

In September 1940 signed a Tripartite Pact

between Germany, Italy and Japan

By the end of 1940 Hitler was at the height of his

power.

In June 1941 he attacked Soviet Union.

It proved biggest mistake of Hitler as it exposed west

front to the British aerial bombing and eastern to the
powerful Soviet armies.

Soviet Red Army pushed back Hitler till the heart

of Berlin.

Meanwhile, US resisted its involvement in war

Japan then planned attack on US bases in Pacific

and attacked base at Pearl Harbour.

US entered WWII

US entry shifted motion and on May 1945 Hitler was

defeated and US also dropped atom bomb on
Hiroshima in Japan

Now recall the story of

Helmuth and reason out
why he was afraid?

3 THE NAZI WORLDVIEW

Nazi Ideology
No equality between people, only racial hierarchy

Blond, bleu-eyed Nordic German Aryans

(they lived in north European countries and
had German or related origin and classified as
Aryans) were at the top whereas Jews lowest.
Besides this, People were also categorised
on the basis of their external features.
Hitlers racism was borrowed from natural
scientists like Charles Darwin (Theory of
evolution) and Herbertt Spencer (Survival of
the fittest)

Their ideas were used by racist to justify

imperial rule.
Nazi believed strongest race would survive
and weak ones would perish.
Aryan race was the finest and purest.
Hitlers ideology was also related to the
geographical concept of Lebensraum or living
space.

New areas needed to be acquired for

settlement and to enhance area of
motherland. This would also increase material
resources and power of German nation.
Hitler moved eastward to enhance
territories.
Poland became the laboratory for his
experimentation.

3.1 Establishment of the Racial State

Nazi party quickly began to implement its ideology &
removed those seen as undesirable

Nazi wanted society of pure and healthy Nordic

Aryans
Euthanasia programme was one such to get rid of
waste.

Others not fit in Pure Aryans list were:

Jews (worst sufferers, Treated as killers of
Christ)

Gypsies

Black

Even Russian and Poles were regarded as

subhuman

Jews were the worst sufferers among all

But why?

Treated as killers of Christ.

Treated as Usurers ( moneylenders charging
excessive interest)
Barred from their own land
They were forced to survive mainly through
trade or money lending.
They lived in separately marked areas called
Ghettos.
They were often prosecuted for organization
violence.
Hitlers hatred was based on pseudoscientific
theories means conversion was no solution
to the Jewish Problem.
So, elimination is required.

3.2

The Racial Utopia

*Utopia=Dreamland

Struggle for purification started so that an

imaginary land (dreamland) could be built.
Poland was occupied and divided by Germans.
Poles were forced to leave their own land.
Poles were also captured and treated as slave.
Killed in ghettos (small areas) and gas
chambers.

4.Youth in Nazi Germany:

Hitler believed that a strong Nazi society could be built
by teaching children Nazi ideology both inside and
outside school.
Schools under Nazism:
-Cleaned and purified.
-Children were segregated Between Jews and Germans.
-Not allowed to play, study and even
read together
-Gypsies and others thrown out as
undesirable children.
-Finally in 1940 taken in gas chambers
and killed

Good children
It include all pure Germans
They go through Nazi schooling and taught
Nazi ideology.
School textbooks were re-written.
Racial science was introduced to justify Nazi
ideas of race.
Stereotype about Jews were popularized
Children were taught to be loyal and
submissive, hate Jews, and worship Hitler
Even sports were meant to nurture a spirit
of violence and aggression.
Boxing could make children iron hearted,
strong and masculine.

Youths organization were made responsible for

educating German youth in the spirit of National
Socialism.

Ten-year children had to enter Jungvolk (Nazi youth

group for below 14yrs)

In 1922 Youth League of the Nazi was founded.

Renamed by Hitler as Hitler Youth

4.1

The Nazi Cult of Motherhood

Men and women were both different

Women demand for equal right was wrong

While men were taught to be iron hearted,

aggressive, strong and masculine, girls were
told that they had to become good mother.
Girls must marry in pure Aryan Race.
Women giving birth to desirable children were
awarded, given good treatment, concession in
railways while others punished.

Women giving birth to four children were given

bronze crosses
Women giving birth to six children were given silver
crosses
Women giving birth to eight children were given gold
crosses

Punishment for those who deviate from right

path
Women deviated from prescribed code of
conduct were publicly condemned and
severely punished
(head shaved, blackened faces and placard
hanging around their necks, sent to jail, lost
honour as well as their husband and families
were charged of criminal offence)

4.2

The Art of Propaganda

Nazi used media to great effect.

Never used words kill or murder in official

communication.

Mass killing were termed as special treatment, final

solution( both for Jews), euthanasia (for disabled),
selection and disinfection.

Evacuation means deporting people to gas

chambers.

Gas chambers were called as disinfection areas and

looked like bathroom equipped with fake
showerheads.

Media was carefully used to win support for

the regime and popularize worldwide.
Nazi ideas were spread through visual images,
films, radio, posters, catchy slogans and
leaflets.
Enemies of Germans were mocked in posters
and represented as weak.
Propaganda films were also made to create
hatred for Jews
Most infamous film was The Eternal Jew.
Orthodox Jews were even marked.
Jews were referred as rats and pests.

ORDINARY PEOPLE AND THE CRIMES

AGAINST HUMANITY
How did the common people react to Nazism?
Many saw world through Nazi eyes.
Felt hatred when saw someone looked like
Jew

They marked the houses of Jews and reported

suspicious neighbours to Nazi rulers.

Genuinely believed that Nazism would bring

prosperity and improve well being.
But not every German believed in the same manner.
Many organized active resistance to Nazism.
Pastor Niemoeller was a popular protestant fighter.

Charlotte Beradt secretly recorded peoples dream in

diary later published in book called the Third Reich
of Dreams

5.1

Knowledge about the Holocaust

The atrocities done by Nazi come to an end

after the war ended and Germany was
defeated.
Jews coming out of the destroyed Germany
wanted the world to know the horrors they
faced in Germany
Nazi killing operations were called as
Holocaust
World knew about atrocities done by Hitler
from notes written by inhabitants who wrote
diaries, notebooks, etc.

Prepared By: Sujit Kumar