IMG_1300.jpeg

# L1. What was life like in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s? The Weimar Republic faced many problems. The country was almost bankrupt after the war, and about 2 million Germans were unemployed in 1926. The government was criticized for agreeing to the Treaty of Versailles and were called the "Novemb...

# L1. What was life like in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s? The Weimar Republic faced many problems. The country was almost bankrupt after the war, and about 2 million Germans were unemployed in 1926. The government was criticized for agreeing to the Treaty of Versailles and were called the "November criminals." The Allies charged the Germans with paying staggering reparations for the cost of the war. The unpopularity of the government meant they faced many violent uprisings. # L2. Who was Adolf Hitler? Adolf Hitler was an Austrian man who was the leader of the Nazi Party and ruled Germany as a dictator until his death in 1945. He is also seen by many as the man responsible for the outbreak of WWII in 1939. Hitler had previously fought as a soldier for Germany during WWI and, after the war, he joined the German Worker's Party. Hitler and the German Worker's Party tried to overthrow the government in 1923 but were unsuccessful. Hitler spent 9 months in prison as a result where he wrote his book Mein Kampf. After his release he rebuilt the German Worker's Party into the National Socialist German Worker's (Nazi) Party. In 1929 a worldwide depression happened which left many Germans poor. Hitler and the Nazis blamed Jews and communists for this event, and this anti-Semitism became central to Hitler's beliefs, along with a desire for a pure Aryan race. In 1933 Hitler became chancellor of Germany and then was made president in 1934. From this moment on he was known as the Führer. # L3. Why did people support Hitler? People supported Hitler for a wide variety of reasons, including: * Hatred of the Treaty of Versailles * Nationalism * Anti-Semitism * Hitler's personality * The failure of the previous government Many people see the most important reason as propaganda. Joseph Goebbels was the Minister for Propaganda and he had a large role to play in the hundreds of posters that were used to promote Hitler and the beliefs of the Nazi party. Many of these posters portrayed Hitler as the savior of Germany and showed the Nazis protecting families and helping to rebuild Germany. These messages were supported by the German people. # L4. What was life like for women and children in Nazi Germany? Women in Nazi Germany were expected to stay at home and look after the family. To support this idea, the Nazis introduced the Motherhood Cross, which was awarded to women who had lots of children (more than 8 would get you the gold cross). They also introduced the Lebensborn program, which was where unmarried women could be made pregnant by racially pure members of the SS (a section of the Nazi Party). Children The Nazis had control over the school curriculum, allowing them to decide what children were taught. They promoted anti-intellectualism, anti-Semitism, nationalism, and Hitler worship. They also set up organizations outside of school for children to join. The most famous of these was the Hitler Youth, which prepared young boys for the army. By 1939 it had been made compulsory. # L6. What was the impact of Nazi Germany on the Church? There were approximately 45 million Protestants and 22 million Catholic Christians in Germany in 1933. Hitler saw Christianity as a threat and a potential source of opposition to Nazism because it emphasized peace. The Nazis tried to control the Churches with policies and bargaining. A State Reich Church was created. In 1933 Hitler agreed a Concordat with the Pope, which said that he would not interfere in the running of the Catholic Church if it stayed out of political matters. Hitler didn't keep his side of the bargain, however, as the Nazis attempted to infiltrate the Church and spread their propaganda. # L7. How did people resist the Nazis? * **The Stauffenberg Plot:** This was an attempt to assassinate Hitler by Claus von Stauffenberg who wanted to bring an end to WWII. They tried to plant a bomb but it was moved at the last moment and Hitler survived the explosion. * **The Edelweiss Pirates:** A group of youths who resisted the Nazis by taking part in banned activities like camping trips and singing banned songs. Thirteen members were hanged while others received prison sentences of 25 years if caught * **The Swing Kids:** A group of middle-class youths who opposed the Nazis by listening to banned jazz music from America * **The White Rose Group:** University students led by Hans and Sophie Scholl who spread anti-Nazi leaflets. Hans and Sophie were ultimately caught and beheaded for their actions. # L9. How far was Hitler responsible for the Second World War? Adolf Hitler was determined to make Germany a strong and powerful country again. He had fought for the defeated German army in the First World War and, like millions of Germans, was humiliated by the agreement Germany had to sign at the end of the fighting. Three days after becoming leader of Germany in 1933, Hitler told his military chiefs to start building up the armed forces- a process called rearmament- in secret, breaking the Treaty of Versailles. In 1936, Hitler sent his soldiers into the Rhineland area of Germany. In March 1938, German troops marched into Austria and in March 1939 when his soldiers took over most of the rest of Czechoslovakia On 1st September 1939, German troops invaded Poland. Chamberlain decided enough was enough. Two days later, on 3rd September 1939, Britain- and France- declared war on Germany.