Nazism and the Rise of Hitler

• The chapter discusses the rise of Nazism in Germany and its impact on society

Nazism and the Rise of Hitler

• In spring 1945, Helmuth, an 11-year-old, overheard his parents discussing killing the family or suicide due to fear of Allied revenge
• Helmuth's father, a physician, killed himself, traumatizing Helmuth, who then refused to eat at home for nine years, fearing poisoning by his mother
• Germany surrendered to the Allies in May 1945
• Hitler, along with his propaganda minister Goebbels and their families, committed suicide in a Berlin bunker in April, anticipating consequences
• The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg was established to prosecute Nazi war criminals for Crimes against Peace, War Crimes, and Crimes Against Humanity

Key Terms

• Allies: Initially led by the UK and France, joined by the USSR and USA in 1941, fought against the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan)

• Germany waged a genocidal war during WWII, leading to mass murder of selected groups of innocent European civilians

• The victims included 6 million Jews, 200,000 Gypsies, 1 million Polish civilians, and 70,000 disabled Germans, along with political opponents

• The Nazis used unprecedented methods of killing, such as gassing in centers like Auschwitz

• The Nuremberg Tribunal sentenced only eleven leading Nazis to death, with others imprisoned

• The Allies were less harsh on Germany compared to after WWI

• The rise of Nazi Germany is linked partly to the German experience after WWI

The Weimar Republic

• Germany fought WWI from 1914-1918 with the Austrian empire against the Allies (England, France, Russia), initially hoping for a quick victory
• The Allies, strengthened by the U.S. in 1917, defeated Germany and the Central Powers in November 1918
• The defeat led to the abdication of the emperor and the establishment of the Weimar Republic, a democratic constitution with a federal structure, with deputies elected to the Reichstag through universal votes including women
• The Weimar Republic was not well-received due to the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles
• Germany lost overseas colonies, a tenth of its population, 13% of its territories, 75% of its iron, and 26% of its coal to France, Poland, Denmark, and Lithuania
• The Allies demilitarized Germany and held it responsible for the war, forcing it to pay £6 billion in compensation, occupying the Rhineland
• The Weimar Republic was blamed for the defeat and the disgrace of Versailles

Post-War Impact

• WWI had a devastating psychological and financial impact on Europe, turning it from a continent of creditors into debtors
• The Weimar Republic had to carry the burden of war guilt, national humiliation, and financial crippling due to reparations
• Supporters of the Weimar Republic were mocked as "November criminals" by conservative nationalists
• WWI left a deep imprint on European society
• Soldiers were valued above civilians, and there was emphasis on aggression and strength
• Trench life was glorified despite the miserable conditions soldiers faced
• Aggressive war propaganda and national honor took center stage, leading to support for conservative dictatorships
• Democracy was fragile and struggled to survive in interwar Europe

Economic Crisis

• The birth of the Weimar Republic coincided with the Spartacist League's uprising
• Soviets of workers were established, the political atmosphere in Berlin was charged with demands for Soviet-style governance
• The Weimar Republic crushed the uprising
• Communists and Socialists became enemies, both seeking radical solutions and Political radicalization was heightened by the economic crisis of 1923
• Germany's gold reserves were depleted as it paid war reparations
• Germany refused to pay in 1923, France occupied the Ruhr, and Germany retaliated by printing money, causing hyperinflation
• The US dollar's value soared against the German mark, leading to prices rising phenomenally
• The Americans intervened with the Dawes Plan to ease Germany's financial burden

Years Of Depression

• The years 1924-1928 had stability, but it was built on short-term loans from the USA
• The Wall Street Exchange crashed in 1929, leading to the Great Economic Depression
• Over three years, the national income of the USA fell by half, factories shut down
• The German economy was severely hit, with industrial production reduced by 40% by 1932
• Unemployment rose to 6 million, leading to youth criminal activities

Key Terms

• Hyperinflation: A situation when prices rise extremely high

• Wall Street Exchange: The world's largest stock exchange in the USA

• The economic crisis caused deep anxieties, especially for the middle class and small businesses

• Society feared proletarianization

• Politically, the Weimar Republic constitution had defects like proportional representation and Article 48, leading to instability and dictatorship

Hiter's Rise to Power

• The economic, political, and social crisis formed the backdrop for Hitler's rise to power
• Born in Austria in 1889, Hitler joined the German Workers' Party in 1919, renaming it the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party)
• In 1923, Hitler's attempt to seize control failed
• Nazism became a mass movement during the Great Depression
• Propaganda stirred hopes
• The Nazi Party became the largest party in 1932 with 37% of votes
• Hitler promised to build a strong nation
• Hitler introduced a new political style with mass rallies and symbolism

Key Terms

• Propaganda: Specific messages used to alter opinion through posters, films, speeches

Undoing Democracy

• On January 30, 1933, President Hindenburg offered Hitler the Chancellorship
• By using this power, Hitler dismantled democratic structures
• The Fire Decree of February 28, 1933, suspended civic rights guaranteed by the Weimar constitution
• He targeted Communists, sending them to concentration camps
• On March 3, 1933, the Enabling Act established dictatorship, giving Hitler powers to rule by decree
• All political parties and trade unions were banned
• The state controlled the economy, media, army, and judiciary
• Special forces were created to control society, leading to a dreaded criminal state
• People were detained without legal procedures

Key Terms

• Concentration camp: A camp where people were detained without legal due process, surrounded by electrified barbed wire

Key Policies

• Hitler assigned economic recovery to Hjalmar Schacht, who implemented a state-funded work-creation programme
• The superhighways and Volkswagen was produced
• In foreign policy, Hitler pulled out of the League of Nations in 1933, reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936, and integrated Austria and Germany in 1938 with the slogan of one People, One Empire and One Leader
• With this new found power he took German-speaking Sudentenland from Czechoslovakia, and then took the rest of the country too
• Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939, starting WWII, and signed a Tripartite Pact with Italy and Japan in 1940

Nazi Worldview

• Nazi ideology was synonymous with Hitler's worldview of inequality and a racial hierarchy
• Nordic German Aryans were at the top and Jews at the bottom, considered an anti-race
• Hitler's racism borrowed Nazi ideas from Darwin and Spencer, leading to the idea that the strongest would survive and that new territories needed to be acquired for settlement
• The racial community was defined by eliminating the undesirables

Key Terms

• Nordic German Aryans: Branch of Aryans who lived in North European countries and had German origin

• Nazis wanted a society of pure Nordic Aryans and the Germans who were seen as impure or abnormal had no right to exist

• The Nazi officials condemned to death many Germans who were considered mentally or physically unfit

• Gypsies and blacks were persecuted as racial inferiors leading to death

• Russians slaves were undeserving of any humanity leading to them being forced to work to death

The establishment of the racial state

• Once the Nazis were in power they began to impose what was stated in there eugenics beliefs
• Large areas of Poland Annexed much of Western Poland and forced polish peoples out
• This was lead under the idea that all the polish intellects were "undesirables"
• This was completed though a campaign of targeted violence and subjugation

Key Terms

• Gypsy: The groups that were classified as "Gypsy" had their own identifiable community based on their own unique culture
• Pauperized: To become completely impoverished and destitute to the point of complete poverty
• Usurers: Money lenders that would target vulnerable people and overcharge the service by taking advantage of a bad situation

Nazi Policies

Exclusion Stage 1933-1939

• The Nuremberg Laws of citizenship of September 1935
  • Germans, and German relatives would only, be considered true Germans and only considered those who are of the German empire
  • Marriages Between the Germans and Jews were strictly forbidden
  • Affairs Outside Relations would be now considered a great crime
  • Flying the German Flag was a sign of treason and was now out lowed

Ghettoisation stage1940-1944

• Being Jewish it Would be made mandatory once again since the first time in the medieval times
• Jews Had to go into an enclosed portion that would be separate from the rest of society

Annihilation Stage1941

• The killing and burning of Jews in the concentration camps the final solution would be set underway in death camps and factories the industrial burning of human beings would become the Nazis greatest crime

Youth in Nazi Germany

• Hitler aimed to establish a strong Nazi society by teaching children Nazi ideology both inside and outside school
• All schools under Nazism were 'cleansed' and 'purified', teachers who were Jewish were dismissed
• Children were segregated, Germans and Jews were not allowed to sit or play together
• 'Undesirable children' were thrown out of schools
• 'Good German' children underwent Nazi schooling and ideological training, and racial science was introduced
• Children were taught to be hate Jews and were expected to worship Hitler
• Sports was expected to focus on nurture a spirit of violence and aggression

A cult of motherhood

• Is that there was a set of radical differences women have against me in equal treatment was on Which meant there were a lot more rights to do a lot less things
• The boys are taught aggressive behavior while the girls are taught to be passive
• Is that the rules and laws are constantly changing but would often and in the destruction and elimination of those said beliefs

Nazi Propaganda

• Use of German language it to the party and use on other people
• The dehumanization of the enemies of that particular race or people
• The process of brain washing a particular audience to get behind the political cause.