Hitler's Germany

How did the Nazis' control the economy through control over workers' leisure time

- To win the support of workers and to control their leisure time, the Nazis set up the ''Strength Through Joy" (KdF) programme to provide cheap recreational activities such as cruises and sports events for workers. - This programme was very popular as it made it possible for ordinary workers to afford social activities that they previously could not. - They benefited from a wide range of recreational activities planned for them - The 'Beauty of Labour' programme was set up to improve working conditions such as the provision of washing facilities but the workers had to indirectly pay for them. - Hitler also started a scheme to encourage Germans to save 5 deutsche marks a week to buy a Volkswagen car. - Nazi control over workers' free time - they led highly controlled lives constantly being watched by the Nazis.

How did Hitler revive the economy through re-employment

- When Hitler came to power in 1933, Germany was badly affected by the GD, with 6 million jobless Germans and a farming crisis - Hitler set up the Reich Labour service which made it compulsory aged 18 to 25 years to work on public works project. - To achieve autarky (economic self-sufficiency) he banned imports and created industries to look for substitutes - Positions that were formerly occupied by Jews and Women were given to Germans - He started massive public building programmes, such as the construction of autobahns or highways - All these helped to create jobs and unemployment fell to only 1/4 million in 1939. - It also boosted economic recovery and provided many Germans with the means of livelihood - helped them recover from the effects of the GD and saved them from hunger, poverty and economic hardship. - It also raised the morale of people - so increased support for the Nazis - Creation of Jobs - Hitler delivered on his electoral promise to bring economic recovery - Hence, Hitler's rule was successful in resolving the economic crisis and lifting the people out of poverty

How did Hitler's charisma and strong oratorical skills lead to the rise of Hitler

-Hitler was able to relate to the people's hardships and whip up the crowd with his stirring speeches - Through these speeches, he was able to make many Germans believe that he understood and could solve their problems - He was also able to gain rapport with the people as he toured the country frequently and held mass rallies - Moreover his rallies were well organised with floodlights and marching music - projected a positive image of Hitler to the people - Hitler was also able to exploit situations to his advantage, such as people's suffering during the GD and put the blame on the WG - Hitler's strength as a passionate speaker - helped him convince the people to support his party as he appeared to offer a credible solution to the people's problems and end their misery - Hitler's charisma and strong oratorical skills - won him many supporters - contributed to his rise to power

What were the reasons for the rise of Hitler

1) Favourable circumstances 2) Hitlers abilities

What were the impacts of Hitler's rule

1) Political impact 2) Economic impact 3) Social impact

What were the favourable circumstances that led to the rise of Hitler

a) A weak Weimar government b) Hyperinflation c) Impact of the great depression

What were Hitler's abilities

a) Appeal of Nazi ideology b) Hitler's charisma and strong oratorical skills c) Exploited the people's fear of communism d) Reorganisation of Nazi party e) Hitler's skillfulness at making deals with politicians

What were the Social impacts

a) Control over people's thinking b) Rise of the police state and use of violence created fear c) Persecution of the 'undesirables' worsened the lives of the people d) Nazi policy towards women e) Impact on youths

What were the political impacts

a) Hitler consolidated his power b) Hitler set up a totalitarian dictatorship

What were the economic impacts

a) Revived and improved the economy b) Nazi control over the economy

How did Hitler consolidate his power

i) By making use of the Reichstag fire to eliminate the communist threat. ii) By making use of the March elections to extend his political influence iii) By using the Night of the Long Knives to eliminate internal threats

How did Hitler set up a totalitarian dictatorship

i) By making use of the enabling act to become a legal dictator ii) By making use of the death of President Hindenburg to create the position of Fuehrer

How did the Nazi control the economy

i) Control over trade unions ii) Control over workers' leisure time iii) Rise of rich industrialists

How did Hitler control the people's thinking

i) Control through the clever use of propaganda ii) Control through censorship

How did Hitler revive and improve the economy

i) Economic recovery through re-employment ii) Economic recovery through militarisation

Why was the Weimar government weak

i) Fragmented and ineffective government due to its system of proportional representation ii) Instability of coalition government iii) Due to article 48 of the Weimar constitution iv) lack of mass support

How did Hitler reorganise the Nazi party

i) Increasing party membership ii) Setting up the SS (Blackshirts) and the SA (Stormtroopers) iii) Nazi propaganda

Who, How and why did Hitler persecute the undesirables

i) The Jews ii) Other minority groups

How did the Hitler use the Reichstag fire to consolidate his power

- A Dutch communist member was caught at the scene of the Reichstag fire and admitted to starting the fire - Hitler convinced President Hindenburg that the communist party was trying to overthrow the government - He pressurised the President to pass emergency laws, which suspended civil liberties such as freedom of press and the right to public assembly. - This affected election campaigns of political parties in preparation for March elections - About 4,000 communists were arrested - Hitler also took the opportunity to remove other political rivals - The Reichstag fire and its aftermath helped the Nazis remove their biggest political rival, the communists, - by weakening them through arrests and by heightening people's fear of communism - It also helped the Nazis consolidate their political power by eliminating other political opponents - Hitler cleverly manipulated the events surrounding the Reichstag Fire to eliminate his formidable opponent, the communists, and reduced their threat and chance to win in the March elections

How did hyperinflation lead to the rise of Hitler

- After WWI, the German economy was weak and there was widespread poverty - The need to pay hefty war reparations further drained the depleted treasury - the government resorted to printing of more money to keep up with the payment - When Germany failed to pay the reparation in 1923, France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr region to seize its coal - the Weimar government told the German miners to go on a sit-down strike and responded to the crisis by printing more money - This caused the value of the German currency to fall drastically. Prices spiralled out of control and led to hyperinflation Hyperinflation: - Brought immense poverty, hardship and suffering to the people - The poor were hit hard but the wealthy and the middle-class Germans were worse hit as their savings were virtually wiped out - It exposed the weakness of the government and caused it lose the support of the middle class - Hence, hyperinflation swayed the support of some Germans in favour of other parties like the Nazis - created favourable circumstances for the rise of opposition parties

How did the Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution lead to the rise of Hitler

- Article 28 of the Weimar constitution allowed the president to dissolve the parliament for 6 months in 'times of emergency' and suspend civil liberties - As the constitution did not clearly define what constituted an emergency, this created a loophole that allowed opportunists like Hitler to exploit. - Eg: he seized power legally after the Reichstag fire in 1933, helping him to gain greater political influence and paving his rise to power - Article 28 of the Constitution and the emergency powers associated with it - allowed Hitler to use it to his advantage - consolidate his power

How did the instability of coalition government lead to the rise of Hitler

- Coalition government - made up of many political parties with different aims - They kept breaking up due to disagreements, leading to frequent changes in the government - Eg: there were altogether 20 different coalition governments during the entire existence of the Weimar leadership - The frequent changes made it difficult to put in place long-term plans to develop the country and led a lack of political continuity - This affected the effectiveness of the Weimar government in solving problems and improving the lives of the Germans, thus affecting credibility - disunity and instability of the coalition government made - Germans lost faith in them and more willing to support extremist parties like the Nazis - leading the the rise of the Nazis

How did Hitler use the night of the long knives to consolidate his power

- Ernst Roehm, the leader of the 4-million strong SA, wanted to combine the German army with SA, and put them under his charge - Roehm was perceived as a threat to Hitler - He was disliked by the army, which made a pact with Hitler to swear allegiance to Hitler if he got rid of Roehm and his leaders - In June 1934 , the SS arrested and killed Roehm and other SA leaders, along with other political opponents of Hitler - About 400 SA leaders and members were executed - It helped Hitler to eliminate potential internal threats in his party as well as some of his key rivals to further consolidate his political power. - It also greatly weakened the power of SA, as it was put under SS control - Hitler's handling of the SA helped him win the support of the German army, thereby strengthening his position within and outside his party. - Night of the long knives - Further consolidate his power by getting rid of internal threats - Gaining support of the army

How did increasing the party membership lead to the rise of Hitler

- Hitler did this after he was released from prison for his involvement in the Munich Putsch - He set up local branches of the Nazi party in various parts of Germany - created youth movements to get support from the young - Arranged large public meetings to attract new members - All these provided platforms to reach out to the masses, increase party membership and broaden the support base for the party - more supporters - Nazis rose

How did the Nazi control the economy through control of trade unions

- Hitler imposed a wage freeze on all workers in 1935 - He banned trade unions and forced all workers to join a workers' organisation called the German Work Front, where workers were strictly controlled by the Nazis. - Though the ban resulted in fewer strikes and greater industrial peace, it also meant that workers lost a platform to protect their interests - Though workers could not be sacked on the spot, they were no longer allowed to strike or bargain for higher pay or better work conditions - Workers could not change jobs without the government's permission - So they lost the freedom to change jobs - All workers were given 'work books' in which employers made comments about them - Though the economy improved in general, it was achieved at the expense of workers' wages and benefits. - Nazis' strict control and monitoring of German workers meant a loss of freedom and affected them adversely.

How did Hitler use censorship to control people's thinking

- Hitler set up the Reich Chamber of Commerce to oversee and scrutinise all production and publications in film, radio and newspapers. Only members of this organisation could produce works. - So the Nazis censored everything that the Germans could read, watch and listen - The Nazis also ransacked libraries and organised public book-burning events to destroy books that they found unacceptable - Anti-Nazi newspapers were put out of business - Goebbels made radios affordable for all Germans so that they could listen to Nazi broadcasts and Hitler's speeches - Loudspeakers were placed along the streets to broadcast Hitler's speeches - Strict censorship - helped the Nazis to ensure that any information hostile to them was kept away from the German people - By feeding the Germans with positive information about the Nazis and enforcing Nazi doctrines on the people, the Nazis were able to win the support of the Germans and control public opinion more easily - However, the censorship also led to the lack of freedom of expression and ideas among the Germans

How did Hitler make use the enabling act to set up a totalitarian dictatorship

- Hitler used bully tactics, intimidation and persuasion to secure a two-third majority in the Reichstag to pass the enabling act. - The act gave Hitler the power to pass laws without the approval of the Reichstag and the President - In addition, the communist party and the Social Democrat party were banned from all future elections - Enabling Act - important - as it made Hitler a legal dictator - greatly strengthened his political position and authority - Hitler use his new power to control the media, set up concentration camps and ban all trade unions - gained more support from rich industrialists - He also turned Germany into a one-party state by banning all political parties except the Nazi Party in July 1933, thus eliminating his political opponents from the government - Made use of the enabling act - eliminate his political opponents - further strengthen his control over the government - consolidate his power

How did Hitler's skillfulness at making deals with politicians lead to the rise of Hitler

- Hitler was a good political strategist and opportunist - was willing to wait for the right opportunity to gain power gradually - He was skillful in making deals to advance his position - Though the Nazi party was the single largest party (but failed to win majority vote) in July and November 1932 elections, President Hindenburg refused to make Hitler Chancellor - he did not trust Hitler - In November elections, the Nazis saw their support decline and they lost 34 seats in the Reichstag - Hitler decided to make a deal with the conservatives as he realised that there was a slim chance for him to gain power through elections - This enabled Hitler to stay in competition and maintain his political influence in the Reichstag - Hitler's willingness and ability in making deals with politicians - paved the way for him to systematically rise to power - gain political control in Germany

How did Hitler revive the economy through militarisation

- In 1935, Hitler introduced conscription and expanded the army - He also started a modern air force, the Luftwaffe. - Hermann Goering's Four-Year plan, which aimed to get Germany ready for war in four years, saw massive amounts spent on the production of war materials such as weapons and uniforms - All these measures created jobs for the unemployed and boosted economic growth - As a result , the unemployment rate fell drastically - people now had the means of livelihood to meet their basic needs. - Hitler's rearmament and militarisation programme - created jobs and lifted the people out of the economic crisis

How did exploiting the people's fear of communism lead to the rise of Hitler

- In the late 1920s, both the Nazis and the communists gained popularity as the Germans looked for alternatives to a weak Weimar government - Nazi party - exploited the fears that that the middle class had in communism - by painting a bleak picture of a communist dictatorship like the one in the USSR. - Rich industrialists and businessmen supported the Nazis - they were afraid that they might lose their wealth and property if Germany became communist - Strong anti-communist stand - Nazi party won the support of the rich upper class - in turn gave financial support to the Nazis - Rich upper class - donated funds to hold rallies and sponsored Nazi election campaigns - enabled the Nazis to reach out to more people in Germany to garner their support - During the GD - communists often fought with the police and caused much instability. - Nazi party - used military force to tackle the communists - impressed the rich people - convinced them that the Nazis were able to control the communists and restore order in Germany - Hitler's ability in exploiting the people's fear of communism - helped Nazis secure votes of those wary of communism - Nazis rose

How did Nazi propaganda lead to the rise of Hitler

- Joseph Goebbels was put in charge of Nazi propaganda - He cleverly used propaganda effectively to appeal to the people's emotions and needs - He portrayed the Nazi party as a strong, well-organised and united party - The image of Nazi party as a disciplined and competent political party appealed to many people especially against the backdrop of the political and economic crisis in Germany in the early 1930s - Use of aggressive and clever propaganda - Nazi won more supporters - Nazi rose

How did Hitler use propaganda to control people's thinking

- Joseph Goebbels was put in-charge of propaganda - He used propaganda to project a positive image of Hitler and the Nazi party - win the continued support and loyalty of the people their critics - Goebbels also controlled and ensured that all forms of media, such as films and posters carried pro-Nazi messages - Mass rallies such as the Nuremberg rallies were organised to showcase German might and give Germans a sense of belonging - He also stirred up anti-Semitic and anti-communist feelings - Education was placed under strict Nazi control to propagate Nazi ideas such a loyalty to Hitler. - Teachers and professors were closely monitored to ensure that they did not teach anti-Nazi ideas - Propaganda - helped the Nazis control all that the Germans could read, listen and see so that they would see Hitler as the saviour of Germany and convince the Germans to support and obey him - Enabled Hitler to gain the people's loyalty and secure his hold on the people - Led to an increase in the popularity of the Nazis, both from Germans in Germany and ethnic Germans in other part of Europe - Constantly remind the people of Nazi achievement - enabled the Nazis to win the continued loyalty of the people and control them

How did the appeal of Nazi ideology lead to the rise of Hitler

- Many Germans were attracted to Nazi ideology and its promises - Eg: the Nazi party's Twenty-Five points promised to undo the humiliating TOV and restore Germany's national pride - Hitler's ideas of rebuilding Germany into a strong nation and establishing a Greater Germany for all Germany-speaking people also appealed to many Germans, and won their support - The Nazis' promised to deliver the Germans from their economic woes during the GD by providing 'Jobs and Bread' and having a strong central government - won the support of many Germans, who were already disillusioned with the WG and were desperate for help. - Nazi's ideology - was simple and relevant and appealed to the needs and sentiments - won their support - led to the rise of Hitler

How did the lack of mass support for the Weimar government lead to the rise of Hitler

- Right-wing and left-wing extremists made many attempts to overthrow the Weimar government in the early 1920s, such as the Kapp Putsch and the Munich Putsch, leading to political instability - The Weimar government struggled to put down these revolts and often had to rely on the Freikorps to do it, thus making it look weak and incompetent in the eyes of the people - The civil service, military and wealthy businessmen did not support the Weimar government too. - Lack of mass support - undermined the authority and credibility of the Weimar government - further weakening it and many Germans lost faith in it - This allowed opponents like the Nazis to capitalise on to gain power

How did the impact of the Great depression lead to the rise of Hitler

- The GD started with the Wall street crash - The GD affected trade worldwide and resulted in a severe economic crisis in Germany because it relied heavily on US loans and investments - The USA suddenly recalled all loans given to Germany, causing many German businesses and factories to close - About 6 million Germans lost their jobs and suffered poverty and hardships - The economic crisis created a political crisis, as the Weimar government failed to solve the economic crisis and life the Germans out of poverty - The economic crisis - made many Germans desperate and they lost faith in the WG - made them more willing to support extremist parties such as Nazi party which seemed to offer more effective way of solving Germany's problems - The Nazi party grabbed the golden opportunity to criticise the government for the economic woes and suffering and promised to give the people jobs and hope - This swayed many Germans into supporting Hitler and the Nazi party won its largest percentage of votes at the height of the GD - Impact of GD -favourable circumstance - as it further exposed the weaknesses of the WG in solving the economic crisis - made many people lose confidence in them - made them turn to parties like the Nazi party - led to Hitler's rise

How and why did Hitler persecute the Jews

- The Nazis indoctrinated anti-Semitic feelings in the Germans by using propaganda to blame the Jews - to blame the Jews for all of Germany's ills, such as TOV and the GD, - to portray the Jews as evil and cunning - Hitler embarked on a systematic attempt to first deprive the Jews of their rights and then to exterminate them eventually - In April 1933, the Nazis called for a national boycott of Jewish businesses to destroy the Jew financially and to segregate them from the rest of the population - The Nazis burnt books written by the Jews. Jewish businesses and properties were also taken away. - In 1935, the Nuremburg laws were passed to exclude Jews from the German society. - This deprived the Jews of their German citizenship and barred them from marrying non-Jews - To seek revenge for the killing of a Nazi diplomat by a Jew, the Nazis unleashed further terror on the Jews in Germany and Austria on the night of the broken glass in 1938 - Jewish shops were looted and destroyed. More than 20,00 Jews were beaten up, sent to CC or killed. - Hitler's invasion of Poland delivered more Jews into his hands. Polish Jews were rounded up and sent to ghettos where overcrowding and poor living conditions killed many - The Nazi 'Final Solution' saw the extermination of Jews in gas chambers during WWII - Due to discrimination and persecution - Jews suffered great humiliation and inhumane treatment - Caused the Jew immense hardships, suffering and killed 6 million of them in WWII

How and why did Hitler persecute other minority groups

- The Nazis persecuted other minorities such gypsies, homosexuals and the disabled as they were seen as undesirables and a threat to the survival of the Aryan race. - They introduced laws to control, authorise arrest and even sterilise them. Eg: about 100,000 homosexuals were arrested. - Physically and mentally disabled people were seen as burdens to the German society and many were sterilised to prevent them from procreation. - Cruel and inhumane experiment were performed on many of these minorities - Many were sent to CC and gassed to death - They suffered immense humiliation, hardship and suffering under the Nazis

How did the impact on youths socially impact the country

- The Nazis viewed the youths as essential to the future and well-being of Nazi Germany - Great care was taken to ensure that they would grow up to be loyal to Hitler and contribute to the state - Youth Organisations such as Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls were set up to indoctrinate the youths in anti-Semitism and Nazi ideology - Great emphasis was also placed on military training - In 1936, membership in the Hitler Youth was made compulsory - German youths were made to conform to Nazi standards and ideology - While some German youths enjoyed the activities of the organisation there were some who resented the restrictive lives and the lack of freedom

How did Hitler used the March elections to consolidate his power

- The Nazis won about 44% of the seats in Reichstag - Hitler allied himself with the Nationalist Party to get a majority of 55% in the Reichstag - Alliance - helped the Nazis to strengthen their hold in the Reichstag and spread their political influence - Majority - Provided the Nazis with a platform to pass laws in their favour, which Hitler quickly used to try to pass the enabling act. - The outcome of the March elections and Hitler's alliance with the National party - helped him further consolidate Nazi power in the Reichstag - allowed him to systematically manoeuvre his way to gain more control.

How did a fragmented and ineffective government due to its system of proportional representation lead to the rise of Hitler

- The Reichstag was formed based on a system of proportional representation - the number of seats in the Reichstag won by political parties depended on the percentage of votes won in the elections - Though this was a democratic and fair system - it meant that there were many competing political parties - making it difficult for any party to gain a majority in an election - Hence it resulted in the need to form a coalition government that was made up of several parties with diverse aims - Very often, the different parties in the Reichstag could not agree of many issues and hence the government took a long time to make decisions - This fragmentation and disunity in the Reichstag affected the effectiveness of the government in solving problems and improving the lives of the people - This made the Germans lose confidence in the government and made them more willing to support extremists parties like the Nazis - System of proportional representation - ineffective and fragmented government - favourable circumstance for Hitler to rise

How did the setting up of the SS and SA lead to the rise of Hitler

- The SA broke up communist meetings and won the support of anti-communist Germans - The SA and the SS were portrayed as strong and well-disciplined - This gave the Germans the impression that the Nazis were capable of restoring stability in Germany, especially against the backdrop of the crisis during the GD. - This boosted their confidence in the Nazis and made them more willing to support the Nazis - more supporters - Nazi rose

How did Nazi policy towards women socially impact the country

- The role of women changed considerably under the Nazis - Under the Weimar government, German women enjoyed high social status - as they could hold political positions and were given equality in marriage - But the Nazis confined women to the roles of mother and spouse - Jobs were taken away from them so that they could stay at home and focus on child-bearing - Women who bore many children were honoured and given monetary rewards and medals such as the Motherhood cross - Women were discouraged from pursuing university studies and excluded from politics and academics - Other restrictions were also put on women, such as discouraging the use of make-up - There were mixed reactions to the Nazi policy towards Women - German Women who believed that women should stay at home welcomed the new emphasis that the Nazi put on child-bearing as they enjoyed greater importance and benefited from the awards and recognition given to honour their child-bearing - their lives were improved - However, career-minded women who used to hold professional jobs saw the policy as oppressive. They resented the restrictive lives that were imposed on them and their loss of freedom. So they suffered under Nazi rule as they were forced to conform to Hitler's views of the ideal society - they suffered due to the loss of freedom

How did the Nazis' control the economy through the rise of rich industrialists

- To achieve autarky, Hitler banned all imports - Under the four-year plan, Hitler subsidised industries important to Germany such as oil and steel. Companies that produced these were given huge government contracts to produce these goods - These contracts benefitted the owners as it boosted their income. In return, they continued to give financial support to Hitler - He also spent huge amounts on rearmament - Companies involved in the production of war materials also thrived and it boosted the incomes of the industrialists who owned these companies - The Nazis - able to control the rich industrialists - who thrived under Hitler leadership by giving them huge contracts and winning over their support in return

How did the rise of police state and use of violence socially impact the country

- To make Germany a totalitarian state with no opposition to challenge his rule, Hitler used violence to instill fear in the people - Hitler turned Germany into a police state by using the SS and the Gestapo to hunt down his opponents - The SS were responsible for - destroying the 'enemies of the state' - carrying out Hitler's race policies. - They ran concentration camps where opponents of the state and the 'undesirables' were tortured and made to work for long hours under harsh working condition - The Gestapo or Nazi secret police were staffed by officers of the SS. - It had virtually unlimited power to eliminate threats to the Nazi. - They were responsible to no one and could detain anyone without trial - They used torture, arrests, intimidation and murder to stifle opposition. Opponents were sent to concentration camps - Use of violence - struck fear in the people and helped Hitler to consolidate his control over Germany because no one dared to oppose or challenge his authority for fear of arrest, punishment or being sent to concentration camps - The people did not know who they could trust as there were many informers working for the Nazis - they lived in constant fear and suspicion - Anyone found criticising the Nazis were either tortured or killed - All these forced the people to conform and obey the Nazis out of fear of losing their lives. Hence the Germans suffered, as there was a lack of freedom of expression and ideas