Treaty of Versailles and Germany

• HST 802 covers the Second World War.

Course Information

• The course takes place Mondays from 1:00pm-3:00pm and Wednesdays from 11:00am-12:00pm, Section 2.
• Dr. Jardim is the professor.
• Contact Dr. Jardim at [email protected]
• The TA is [email protected]
• Office hours are on Wednesdays from 12:45-1:45 in JOR 530.

Syllabus and Assignment Tracker

• Seminar Participation is 20% of the grade.
• The Mid-Term Test is 20% of the grade.
• The Major Paper, due March 24, is 25% of the grade.
• The Final Exam is 35% of the grade.

Lecture 1: Germany Post-WW1 Challenges

• Germany's defeat in WW1(1914-1918) ended its territorial expansion ambitions and left the nation humiliated.
• The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to surrender 13% of its territory including Alsace-Lorraine and territories ceded to Poland for the Polish Corridor.
• Treaty of Versailles reduced the German army to 100,000 men, restricted the navy to 36 ships, and eliminated the air force.
• The Rhineland was demilitarized to protect France.
• The allies sabotaged Germany's possibility of democracy with the Treaty of Versailles document.
• The war effort left Germany's economy in shambles and the Treaty of Versailles destabilized the economy, leading to hyperinflation in 1923.
• The War Guilt clause blamed Germany for WW1, requiring them to cover all war costs.
• If Germany did not pay, French and Belgian troops would occupy the Ruhr valley to control and exploit their industry until debt repayment.
• This occupation occurred in January 1923 causing hyperinflation as the Weimar Republic printed excessive money.
• The Weimar Republic (1918) faced resistance from those yearning for a return to authoritarianism.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II tried to shift blame from Kaisers who were responsible for starting the war.
• General Ludendorff claimed Germany was "stabbed in the back" by pacifists, democrats, and Jews.
• The false idea was that WW1 could have been won if not for pacifists, democrats and Jews (associated with socialism and communism) on the homefront.
• The British blockade of German trade further caused starvation of civilians in Germany during WW1.
• Post allied resistance and German army collapse, the German population was shocked by news outlets misrepresenting the war as Germany winning.
• The right wing aimed to destroy the document and rid Germany of democracy that is humiliating Germany as it is associating them with defeat.

Adolf Hitler's Early Life and Ideology Formation

• Born in Austria in 1889, expelled from school, and rejected from Vienna Academy of Fine Arts twice.
• Lived in Vienna, a city with widespread anti semantic sentiments, under Mayor Karl Lueger's anti semitism platform.
• Vienna was very anti semitic, Mayor Karl Lueger elected on a platform of anti semitism (which was NOT originally Hitler's idea)
• Jews were associated with capitalism and socialism - starkly opposed to Germanic ideologies.
• Jews are viewed as a parasitic threat to German nationality where Arianism is considered the superior race.
• Hitler's core ideology, formed in Vienna, combined radical nationalism, anti semitism, Social Darwinism, believing Jews were a parasitic threat to the Aryan race, associating them with capitalism and socialism.

Hitler's Rise to Power and the Nazi Party.

• Joined the German Workers Party in 1919, rebranding it as the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) in 1921.
• Built a paramilitary group (SA) nicknamed stormtroopers to intimidate opponents and bolster his movement.
• Nazi rally in 1928 featured a dynamic, well reasoned, organised group (opposite of Weimar Republic) that had 28,000 members, who exploited fears of communism.
• The Beer Hall Putsch (1923): Failed coup in Munich led to Hitler's arrest, sentencing him to 18 months in prison, during which Mein Kampf was written, outlining his vision for Germany, including Lebensraum and racial purity of the Volksgemeinschaft.
• The Great Depression (1929): Unemployment in Germany soared to 6 million, creating fertile ground for extremist ideologies, helping the Nazi Party gain support from the middle class.

Nazi Consolidation of Power

• By July 1932, the Nazi Party had won 37.3% of the vote.
• Pressure from conservatives and elites led to Hitler being appointed Chancellor on January 30, 1933.
• Right-wing elites believed they could create a workable coalition with the Nazis.
• The Nazis exploited fears of communism “Victory or Bolshevism".
• Polarization between the far right and far left emerged as the “run of the mill" political parties seemed incapable of resolving the crisis.
• Parliament was dissolved and a new election was called for March to validate Hitler's government.
• The Reichstag Fire (February 27, 1933) was blamed on communists allowing Hitler to suspend civil liberties under Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution (democratic article used in emergencies - no freedom of assembly, no freedom of association etc).
• The National German People's Party combined with Nazis to have a majority government
• The Enabling Act (March 23, 1933) asked for the right to rule by decree for 5 years in order to get Germany through the economic crisis effectively dismantling democracy.
• All communists were placed in custody and all other political parties were suspended.

Lecture 2: Nazis in Power

• German people expected Hitler deliver on his promises: bring security to workers and businesses, fix economy.

• The Nazis successfully turned Germany from bankruptcy to a great economic power by 1935-6.

• The unemployment rate went from 6 million to 164,000.

• The "Economic Miracle" required abandonment of liberal economy, and no state intervention.

• It rebuilt by three steps:

  • Massive deficit spending on public works projects to stimulate the economy.
  • Contend with massive inflation by imposing tight controls on prices and wages.
  • Sealing off German economy from global systems to stop speculation.

• Example public works include: Autobahn.

• Secretly began to rebuild the German army which violated of the Treaty of Versailles where 60% of the German national budget was going to the rearmament of Germany.

• The miracle of the economy was built on the need for conquest, expansion, and plunder as well as a purposeful deficit with the idea of regaining through war.

• The average purchasing power of civilian Germans went back to what it was in 1913 (pre war year!)

• "Volksvagen” translated to “People's Car", used to join the people together to a celebration of Volksgemeinschaft

• Those how did not belong to the Volksgemeinschaft faced Nazi intimidation like “Germans, protect yourselves and don't buy from Jews”.

Fascist Italy

• Totalitarian state under Benito Mussolini
• Italy had fought alongside Britain and France in WW1, but was still economically ruined.
• Massive workers strikes meant peasantry was seizing private land.
• The government had no response to the strikes.
• "Red Threat" - the fear of communist revolution
• Benito Mussolini was an Elementary school teacher, Editor and writer for a socialist newspaper.
• He went to war, embraces violence as key to political action and national greatness and gained popularity by physically attacking known communists, and disrupting meetings and socialists.
• The National Fascist Party -Fascist - fascio - bundle to become unbreakable through unity -Called for radical reform for gov -Starkly opposed to socialism and communism because of emphasis on class. -Advocated rule by a select elite, state as the ultimate source of power and rejected egalitarianism. -Created the Squadristi - stormtroopers
• March on Rome - Oct 1922 -Threatens Kin with staging a revolution with only 20,000 marchers. -King Emmanuel appointed Mussolini prime minister intending to avoid a civil war. -Mussolini takes title as Il Duce "The Leader."

Soviet Communism

• The Soviet system was a radical alternative to liberal dysfunctional system.
• It another totalitarian system limiting freedoms creating a classless, propertyless society.
• Communism excluded the wealthy, exploited class and class spectrums.
• In 1917, Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin seized power in the name of the working class.
• The state attempted to bring into practice, Karl Marx's vision wherein capitalism must be destroyed and replaced a dictatorship of the proletariat
• By 1922, Communists created the USSR following a Civil war resulting in a Total economic collapse.
• Communism had relied on the idea of collective leadership, but Lenin was the head until his death when control handed back.
• Joseph Stalin rose to the top to take over.

Joseph Stalin

• Stalin joined the Bolsheviks and robbed a bank to support the Bolshevik movement.
• He was eventually appointed General Secretary of the Bolshevik Party.
• Stalin appointed positions in the state only to those who were loyal to him.
• Able through the channels of his administrative role to become the absolute dictator, creating 5 year plan “Free Working Hands of the Collective Farms - To Industry".
• Collectivization (1934) ensured private farms and land were State owned pushing people off their lands or forcing populations to give up their productions from their land to the state.
• This resulted in Starvation in the Ukraine during the artificial “famines” of 1932-33 to force people to obey - labeling Protests of collectivization as Kulkas as those standing in the way of progress.
• Ultimately, Kulaks were "liquidated as a class", forced out of the country, sent to Siberia, sent to camps, and mass arrested, resulting in Stalin creating a state police.

Lecture 3: Early Years of Hitler in Power

• Hitler always had war in mind.
• On Jan 30th, 1933 Hitler comes to power.
• Feb, 1933, holds meeting with generals where Request rearmament of army and talk about eliminating communism.
• Even before he was dictator, he had a distinct vision of these goals; Domestic reconstruction was just a first step in the fulfillment of his foreign policy goals that always were meant to lead to war.
• “With or without the Treaty - war was inevitable and necessary for Hitler”
• “Diplomatic Revolution” of the Nazis meant to exploit Germany's weakness, making key points:
• • The Population in Germany second would be the largest Soviet.*
• • The Argue to is dispose of the treats is a part of justice, but of violence.*

Early Years of Hitler's Europe in 1933

• Following WW1 Britain feared anyone would do it again.
• Russia/Russia's communism countries was out cast as a threat.
• In the heart of Europe there was no country that could step up so Hitler took the opportunity to do so in secrecy.
• The Nazi leader planned from the begging to get back what was lost.
• Hitler believe and says Stain has made Russia weak, which is a threat and makes him the person to fix what he started.

Hiltier's Foreign Policy

• Was planning to get in power but did so in secret.
• Once elected by march 1935 he already had the power/funds to start building a re-massiver force air.
• • The allie sent warning but did not do any thing about the military growing.*
• Hitler build with support from a new set of allies.
• -The first person he goes to is Mussolini in Italy, who has a plan to invade some of the countries that Italy will be taking over.
• -In 1936 japan and Germany were signing a anti comitern act form a alliance front against communism.

Appeasement

• the belief that if European states satisfy the Germans than he could preserve peace "Europe as whole a state worried of Germany is not just Nazi its the comist and the soviet union"
• • Germany can reharm a buffer to soviet Union, but some see it as well as a threat*
• Pushes Hitler further to see what he can get with
• 1936 - Hitler reenters Rhine land on the Western along France Treaty permission, but did not want to go to war.

Path to the war

• In November of 1937 plans, had been started for what was to come.
• With plans to keep military on going in the name of lebenfraum with no alterative.
• • 3o billion was spent in rearmament in the year 1939.*
• A new war of kaltzrigg or lightning war of ww1 that was infective. -* Airforce - luftwaffle, Tansk and truck infantry.*
• Chanrmberline made it clear to hillier that he would not oppose territorial changes in Europe.

Hillier's Invasions Begin

• Threaten of Austrians so that the would use Nazi polcing in 1938.
• • Using " legal basis" that the Austrian chancellor invited the German to Austrain, which made them greet well from all cities.*
• Chekolocavka
• Land that was set to go defence in Germany to Cheklocavka because Hitler beleves that Chekolocavka should be on is own because that there are a lot of German people that will be going to.
• -Hitler mind change because he's decides if it is his place to do so.*
• threatens a lord war but will be taking over Cheklocavka and nothing France can say

The soviets and the Germans

• So that would the German's would counter when the German would move in east of Poland , agreeing take over Poland together.
• On the 1st or September the enter despite brain warning.

Germany V, Poland-

• Had a lot machines, when for a modern war stratgy, Hiller the commander was very powerful.

• The invasion of Poland- Germans used there tanks and for the invasion of Poland

• ss leader - Henrich Himmler who was responsible for ideological, but a lot respiable for responsible programs but to

• British and France wanted there and keep Poland to void war, but Promises no more violence

• Chanrmberlain refuse leads to Phony war.

The Phony wars

Germans and Soviets

• Because of what the other sides are doing Soviets breaks the chains first a lot faster then the other sides.

allie and phony waes

Because the other sides were not on there feet yet and the the west world could just wait.

Returning on the blitzing of the world

• HItler returns with the blitzing of the World.

• Demonstrates the first bombed to a a whole country, or demoing

• and 1473 is when the surrender France.

• and the ww2 happens over a period of year

1936 the re milized

• Hitier becomes the power to get into.

• 1940 Witer Bliskgrieg Weter.

Explore the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany after World War I. This quiz covers the treaty's consequences, including land surrender, economic burdens, and the 'War Guilt' clause. Understand the challenges and crises faced by Germany in the post-war period.