Transcript Notes on the Third reich

Notes on the Third reich
The Third reich is probably the most
popular and controversial field of
historical study in the world
The large context
• 1871 - 1918 The German Empire
– Authoritarian and aggressive
• 1919 - 1933 The Weimar republic
– The most democratic constitution in the world
• 1933 - 1945 The Third Reich
– Aggressive dictatorship
• 1945 - 1990 split Germany
– Democratic and authoritarian
• 1990 United Germany again.
– Democratic.
The Nazi ideology
• Nazism is a revolutionary rightist
movement and its main features are ultranationalism and the leadership principle.
– The nation is connected by blood relations which should not be
severed
– The nation should follow the leader that reads the nations will and
takes decisions for the people
– One will of the nation, one party, one leader.
– Imperialism (lebensraum)
– Racism - anti-semitism
Nazism also defined itself by hatred towards:
• Liberalism and Democracy
– Individualism divides the nation. Profit becomes the
highest goal. Heroic action and sacrifice is extinct.
Democracy is ineffective.
• Rationalism
– Nazism puts emphasis on feelings, will and
intuition.Discussions and argumentation hamper the will
to action. They glorify action and war.
• Marxism
• Modernism
Why did Weimar fail
• Weak democratic legacy
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The right wing wanted autocratic government
The communists wanted revolution
Nationalism was not connected with democracy
it has sometimes be said that Weimar was a republic
without republicans
• The Center party and the Social democrats were the
only real democratic parties
• The army was still of Junker origin
The negative image of Weimar
• The system of the victors
• The Weimar republic was connected to the defeat
in the war and to Versailles
• The stab in the back myth of Nationalists
• Communist attacked the republic after the
rebellions 1919 had been suppressed with violence
• Pillars of the state like army and civil servants and
educators resented it
Weak government
• The constitution allowed for many parties
• Governments were weak and usually didnt last
long
• Coalition and minority governments
• The best qualified people didn’t want to make a
career in politics
• Stresemann died in 1929
• Hindenburg earned it some respect as president
Economic depression from 1929
• The collapse of the mark in 1923 left many
middle-class people in ruin and dissatisfied with
the government
• Economic recovery 1924-28, investment still
based on short term American loans
• The world depression hit Germany hard
• Loans have to be paid
• Bankrupcies and unemployment goes from 1,5
mill to 6 million.
• Elections 1932
– In spite of this poster it
is not neccesserely the
unemployd that vote
for the Nazis.
Parties in the reichstag
Political
Partie
s in
the
Reich
stag
June
1920
May
1924
Dec.
1924
May
1928
Sep.
1930
July
1932
Nov.
1932
Mar.
1933
Communist
Party
(KPD)
4
62
45
54
77
89
100
81
Social
Demo
cratic
Party
(SDP)
102
100
131
153
143
133
121
120
Catholic
Centre
Party
(BVP)
65
81
88
78
87
97
90
93
Nationalist
Party
(DNV
P)
71
95
103
73
41
37
52
52
Nazi Party
(NSD
AP)
-
-
-
12
107
230
196
288
98
92
73
121
122
22
35
23
Other
Partie
s
Hitler Chancellor in Jan 1933
• Clique of nationalists and generals bring Hitler
into coalition government 3/10
• Hoped to control Hitler even if Hitler got the
Chancellorhsip as he demanded
• Hitler decides on new elections march 5th
• Reichstag fire 27th of february
• Gets 44% in elections, 288 out of 647
• Enabling law march 23th 441 to 94 (needed 2/3)
– Enabling Hitlers dictatorship
Who supported the nazis?
• Voters
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Protestants
Farmers
Lower middle class
Extreme nationalists
Youth
• Financial support from nationalistic
industrialist like Alfred Hugenberg
What made Hitler so special?
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Great orator
Feeling for the masses
Political intuition
Steadfast opportunist
Nazis turned Germany totalitarian
• Totalitarian system :
– Centralized government, single party.
– All political opposition suppressed
– Media and social organizations used to control
peoples minds and actions
– Propaganda, personal cult, censorship, purges.
– State intervention in the economy.
Gleichschaltung
• Put society in line with the party
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KPD and SPD banned and leaders put in prison
Labor unions dissolved
German labor front established
Nazis take over local government
Dismissal of jewish and “incompetent” civil servants
and teachers
– Army and church remained out of reach for awhile
– Nazis and big business went hand in hand – politics
first
Culture and education
• Nazi ideals in eduction?
– Emphasis on history, biology, German and
gymnastics.
– Einsteins theory of relativity banned as jewish
• Children should enter nazi youth
organizations, Jungvolk and Jungmadel
• Nazi art: nationalistic, physical and
mediocre. Films more subtle.
“One people, one
state, one leader!”
“Youth serves the
Führer. All 10-year-olds
into the Hitler Youth.”
Membership in the Hitler
Youth had become
mandatory in 1936.
Third Reich economics
• Immediate economic goal
– Get rid of unemployment
• Longterm economic goals
– Prepare Germans for war. This includes:
• Selfsufficiency
• Rearmament
• The government must keep up the living standard
and thus the morale of the people.
First actions
• Hitler reduced unemployment from 6 m to
2.2 million in oct 1934 by:
– State funded projects like the autobahns.
– Voluntary labor service for young unemployed.
– Women sent home
Recovery problems
• Rearmament, construction projects and
increased consumer demand called for
increased imports
• Hjalmar Schacht was appointed minister of
finance 1934 and he introduced the New
Plan to solve the balance of payment crises:
• Importers had to seek clearance
• He also managed to pay for some import by marks.
The Four-year plan 1936
• Hitler wanted faster rearmament and selfsufficiency than
the conventional economics of Schacht allowed
• German Economy must be fit for war within four years.
– Göring directed the Four Year plan
• Exercised control over investment capital, labour and raw
materials.
• Reichswerke Herman Göring, the largest industrial enterprise
in Europe 1939
• Rubber and oil lacking
The peoples community
• Hitler formed organisations to bring worker
into line in the new state
– German labour front (Daf)
• Campaigned for better working conditions
• Kraft durch Freude controlled workers leisure and
provided cheap vacation packages
• The Volkswagen was intended for the every German
Nazis and the Church
• “National socialism and christianity are irreconcilable”
Martin Borman
– Why is that?
• The German Christians (protestants) wanted to remove
the Old testament from he Bible.
• Hitler removed two protestant bishops but reinstated
the after upproar
• After that nazis try do diminish protestand influence
over education and youth movements gradually.
The Catholics were also powerful
• 8. July 1933 the catholic church and nazis
made a Concordat between state and
church.
– The church stayed out of politics but church
institutions and schools were intact
– In spite of the concordat nazis waged war
against church schools by demanding changing
of curriculum and dismissal of teachers.
Girls in uniform
• What is the general purpose of the BDM
• What was its purpose before the war
• What was its purpose in the war?
• Why would a girl voluntarily enter such an
organisation? What pressures were put on
girls to enter BDM
• What is the argument of the paper?
The consequences
• Germans said farewell to democracy and
gave in to criminals
• Questions
• Why did Weimar fail: divide causes into short term
causes and long term causes.
• Where did the supporters of Weimar go wrong?
• Is there any relation between Nazi electoral support
and the figures in the handout and table 14.2
Questions
• Was Germany prepared for war in 1939? (p.
23)
• What classes gained most and least from the
economic recovery?
• Was the Nazi government a front for
German capitalism?
The attraction of Hitler
• Albert Speer became a minister in Hitlers Government
during the war. In his autobiography written in jail he
describes how he became a member of the Party.
– “… he (Hitler) had a great gift for adjusting…” (pg. 44) How was
this evident at the meeting?
– Describe the effect of Hitlers speech on Speer. What was
memorable about the speech.
– What made Hitler a good political choice for Speer?
– How was Goebbels different from Hitler as a speaker? What did
they have in common?
Hitler
• Discuss in groups of four:
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Describe Hitler in one sentence.
From where have you got your knowledge of Hitler?
Should we remember Hitler? Why? How?
Think of a few problems that you as a proto-historian
would like to do research on regarding Hitler.
– Was Hitler a historical freak or could history repeat
itself?
The Historical issues
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How and why did the Nazis gain power?
Why did the Weimar-republic fail?
How could they maintain such a brutal government?
What is the role of Hitler?
What is the role of the individual in history?
Was Nazism a unique phenomenon or is it a part of a
European trend?
• Was Nazism a unique phenomenon in German history or a
natural offspring of German history?
What happened after 1929
• Brunings deflationary tactics earned him the
title “hunger canchellor”
• Both Bruning and Papen resorted to early
elections 1930 and 1932 which gave the
Nazis extra opportuninty
• In July 1932 Nazis biggest party
• Losing votes in nov 1932 elections
The Historical Debate
• Why did Germans fall so easily for nazism?
– Four main schools of explanation:
• A German phenomenon: A natural offspring of
German history. (A.J.P. Taylor)
• Outcome of the social and political chaos and
upheavals of the 20s and 30s. (Ritter)
• The last resort of besieged capitalism. (Marxist)
• Hitlers dynamic personality. (Alan Bullock)