RESEARCH NOTES

Why Hitler hate the Jews :

Hitler and the Nazis said the Jews were responsible for huge events like losing World War One and the economic crisis. This was totally untrue.But by giving the Jews the blame Hitler created an enemy. Hitler said that all Germany’s problems had been caused by the Jews. Many people believed him. The solution to all these problems was to banish the Jews from society. With this political message and the promise to make Germany a large and economically powerful country Hitler’s party won the 1932 election. In 1933 he and his party came to power. Did Hitler invent hatred of Jews? No, Hitler built on and used anti-Semitic ideas that already existed. He was Austrian and grew up in Vienna where the mayor was extremely anti-Semitic and where hatred of Jews was widespread. His hatred of Jews cannot be tied down to a specific event in his life, for example a Jewish childhood friend, as many children think. Hitler and the Nazis also thought that people could be divided into different races and that there was a struggle going on between these different races. According to the Nazis the ‘Aryan race’ was the best and strongest race. Jews were of another inferior race. In fact so inferior that they were not considered to be ‘people’ by the Nazis.

What caused the world economic depression of the 1930s:

The high loss of life, along with the devastating economic and infrastructural damage inhibited consumer spending (after a temporary post-war boost that proved to be unsustainable). Plus, production capabilities throughout Europe were only a fraction of pre-war levels. Consequently, international commerce slowed to a trickle, causing a ripple effect throughout the world.

Reactions toward German’s reaction to the ToV:

Germany's reaction:

The Germans were humiliated, ashamed, and just down right pissed at the allies after the Treaty of Versailles. In the Treaty they admitted to being the instigators and aggressors of World War I (or the Great War as it was called at the time). And since they were the aggressors and had to sign and take full responsibility for instigating the war they also had to pay all the war debts - which was impossible because the Germans could not even pay for their own food. Germany was not doing so great during the war when they didn't have that debt to pay. People were starving even then. By the time the surviving German soldiers came home from war there were people fighting for food that was meant for garbage.

Hitler, according to his autobiography, was very angry about this. The fact that the people were starving and so on set a stage for him to gain power about 15 years later. He became head of the nationalist socialist party and eventually took control of Germany and you know the story from there. He blamed the Allies for Germany's deep depression following World War I and the disgrace of the German people. This also helped rear a strong nationalist sense of pride in everyday Germans when Hitler came to power. He wanted to bring Germany back to "what it was in the first two Reichs". Germany was once again trying to gain it's glory from the ashes of despair.

Reactions to the Treaty in Germany were very negative. There were protests in the German Reichstag (Parliament) and out on the streets. It is not hard to see why Germans were outraged. Germany lost 10% of its land, all its overseas colonies, 12.5% of its population, 16% of its coal and 48% of its iron industry. There were also the humiliating terms, which made Germany accept blame for the war, limit their armed forces and pay reparations.

British’s reaction:

When the Treaty terms were announced in June 1919, there was a mixed reaction. The general opinion in Britain was that the terms were fair and should probably have been more severe. British newspapers suggested that Germany would no longer threaten world peace. Any complaints by the Germans were dismissed as trickery and play-acting. When Prime Minister David Lloyd George returned from Paris in June 1919, he received a hero's welcome. The king came out to meet him at the railway station, which was completely unheard of in British history.

France’s Reaction:

Reactions in France were mixed. There were celebrations that the war was definitely over. People approved of the reparations that Germany had to pay. They also liked the fact that Germany's borders with France (the Rhineland) would be demilitarised. This meant Germany could not station any troops in this area. They appreciated that the coalmines of the Saar would bring prosperity to France instead of Germany. They also believed that the League of Nations would be a powerful force for peace. It would protect France if Germany recovered and tried to act aggressively again.

However, there was a strong sense that Germany still threatened France. Many French people looked at the terrible cost of the war and believed that France had suffered far more than Germany. Soon after the Treaty, Clemenceau stood for election as President of France. He was outraged when other candidates stood against him. It was then that he realised how bitter many people were about the Treaty.

USA’s Reaction:

In the USA reactions to the Treaty were generally negative. Many Americans felt that the Treaty was unfair on Germany. More importantly, they felt that Britain and France were making themselves rich at Germany's expense and that the USA should not be helping them to do this. This was not really the case, but many Americans believed it.

This was partly because American politics were deeply divided at the time. President Wilson led the Democratic Party. However, his rivals in the Republican Party dominated the US Congress. They used the Treaty as an opportunity to criticise Wilson. Wilson has to take some of the blame for this as he made little effort to consult the Republicans about the Treaty. Americans were also uneasy about Wilson's scheme for a League of Nations. They were concerned that belonging to the League would drag the USA into international disputes that were not their concern. In the end, the Congress rejected the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations.

Other Untitled Notes

Historians disagree about what 'caused' the First World War, but most trace it in some degree to the growing power of Germany. The 'balance of power' between the nations of Europe became unstable. This led them to form military alliances:

       The Triple Alliance ‒ Germany, Austria and Italy

·       The Triple Entente ‒ France, Britain and Russia

An easy to remember list of the most important issues surrounding the causes of the war is:

·       Militarism - many countries believed it was important to build large armies and navies.

·       Alliances - the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente were said to have been formed to help prevent war.

·       Imperialism - European nations were creating empires and coming into conflict.

·       Nationalism - all countries were looking out for their own interests.

After the murder of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia. The countries of Europe found that the alliances they had formed dragged them into war.

In August 1914, Germany invaded France through Belgium, using its plan for war ‒ the Schlieffen Plan. The German attack was forced back at the Battle of the Marne in September 1914. Both sides dug defensive trenches and the war ground to a halt.

For the next four years, the war on the Western Front consisted of a deadly stalemate. The battles of Verdun and the Somme in 1916, and Passchendaele in 1917 were key events, where each side tried to wear the other side down.

In 1917, the Americans entered the war. Before they could arrive, the Germans made another attack, in March 1918. It was successful to start with but the Germans failed to break through. They were pushed back in August 1918. Two months later the Germans signed the Armistice.

Films like All Quiet on the Western Front (made in 1930 and then remade in 1979), based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, have led us all to imagine that we know what the First World War was like. We often think of flooded trenches, artillery bombardments, suicidal rushes across No Man's Land, poison gas, mud and gangrene. There were other theatres of war, eg eastern Europe, Gallipoli, the Middle East, Africa and at sea.

Causes

A number of different things contributed to a situation where the First World War could break out.

The Threat of Germany

Germany became a united 'empire' in 1871, by defeating and humiliating France.

·       After 1900 Germany built up its navy – this frightened the British.

·       In 1901, Kaiser Wilhelm II demanded an overseas empire for Germany – this frightened Britain and France.

·       Germany wanted to build a railway through the Balkans to Baghdad – this alarmed the Russians, who said they were the protectors of the Balkans.

·       Germany's military defence plan – the Schlieffen Plan – involved attacking France.

The Balkans

The Turkish Empire in the Balkans collapsed:

·       Nationalist interests became clear when the new aggressive nation of Serbia clashed with Austria.

·       Austria and Russia clashed because they both wanted more power in the Balkans.

The System of alliances

Two opposing groups had grown up by 1914, believing that a 'balance of power' would prevent war:

·       The Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy (1882).

·       The Triple Entente of France, Russia and Great Britain (1907).

The Coming of War, 1914

28 June	Serb terrorists shot the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on a visit to inspect Austrian troops in Bosnia.
5 July	Germany promised total support for Austria
28 July	Austria declared war on Serbia – this angered Russia.
30 July	Russia mobilized her army – this alarmed Germany.
3 August	Germany implemented the Schlieffen Plan and invaded France through Belgium.
4 August	Britain declared war on Germany.

The economic collapse of 1929 had dire effects on Germany; by 1932, two-fifths of the German workforce was without a job. This resulted in many German voters abandoning their support for mainstream and moderate parties, to instead vote for radical groups. It is unclear how much of this was genuine support for these parties and how much was a protest vote – but whatever the reasons, the NSDAP recorded significant increases in Reichstag seats in 1930 and July 1932. This propelled HItler into the public eye, first as a presidential nominee and then as a potential chancellor. Without the miserable conditions created by this external event, Hitler and the NSDAP would likely have remained on the margins of Weimar politics.

The Weimar Republic was devastated by Wall Street Crash of October 1929 and the Great Depression that followed. The Crash had a devastating impact on the American economy but because America had propped up the Weimar Republic with huge loans in 1924 (the Dawes Plan) and in 1929 (the Young Plan), what happened to the American economy had to impact the Weimar Republic's economy.

Both plans had loaned Weimar money to prop up the country’s economy - especially after the experiences of hyperinflation in 1923. Now America needed those loans back to assist her faltering economy.

Stresemann had died in 1929, but shortly before he died even he admitted that the German economy was a lot more fragile than some would have liked to accept.

“The economic position is only flourishing on the surface. Germany is in fact dancing on a volcano. If the short-term credits are called in, a large section of our economy would collapse”

After the Wall Street Crash, America gave Germany 90 days to start to re-pay money loaned. No other world power had the money to give Germany cash injections. Britain and France were still recovering from the First World War and the Wall Street Crash was to have an impact on industrial Britain. Stalin’s Russia was still in a desperate state and embarking on the 5 year plans. Therefore, an impoverished Weimar Germany could only call on America for help but was effectively bankrupt by the end of 1929 and quite incapable of lending money.

Rising support for Hitler and the Nazis

Keyword: Nazi, Hitler's promises, NSDAP, the fall of Weimar Republic, hitler became chancellor

Between 1924 and 1932, Hitler and his agents busied themselves with reforming and expanding the NSDAP. They re-badged the NSDAP as a legitimate contender for Reichstag seats; toned down their anti-Semitic and anti-republican rhetoric; recruited members to increase party membership; and transformed the NSDAP into a national rather than a Bavarian party. Hitler also chased support from powerful interest groups: German industrialists, wealthy capitalists, press barons like Alfred Hugenberg and the upper echelons of the Reichswehr. Without these changes, Hitler and the NSDAP would not have been in a position to seek power in the early 1930s.

The Weimar Republic appeared to have no idea how to solve the problems of the Depression.  The Nazis on the other hand promised to solve the problems.  Hitler promised most groups in Germany what they wanted.  Hitler used the Jews and other sections of society as scapegoats, blaming all the problems on them.  To Germans at the time Hitler made sense, he united everyone by providing explanations for Germany's problems.

People in Germany were tired of their poor quality of life.  Hitler promised to make Germany proud again - it was exactly what people wanted to hear.  Hitler pledged something for every part of Germany society

In the first world war, the big powers were divided into two rival alliances, Now democrsits between democracies and dictatorship

Democracy:

- Everybody (above the age of 18) can vote.

- Voters have choices between several political parties.

- Everybody must obey the law of land

- Freedom belong to trade unions

- a government is limited in time of power

Dictators:

a  ruler who assumes sole and absolute power with military control, but without hereditary    descendants such as an absolute monarchs.

They are also authoritarian, and his rule is not subject to popular volte or legislative override

- Benito Mussolini (Italy)

- Francisco Franco (Spain)

- Joseph Stalin (Georgia/Russia/Soviet Union)

- Adolf Hitler (Germany)

Fascism: A political movement that promotes

- Extreme Nationalism

- Imperialism

- dictatorial government

- One party system

- denial of individual rights

Mussolini:

- took advantage of the unrest in italy by gathering a following of war veterans and those unhappy with the conditions.

Results:

Many enemies of the state were killed.

The goals of the state were put above the rights of the individual.

Dictators expanding territories:

1931 - Japan attacked manchuria