germany - chapter 4

Question 1

when was the wall street crash

Answer 1

october 1929

Question 2

what caused the depression

Answer 2

• america had grown very rich after ww1, but manufacturing things like cars and fridges and selling them all over the world
• some americans brought shares in companies to make a profit
• some americans borrowed money from banks in order to join this share-buying trend
• in october 1921, the wall street crash occurred
• many americans hadn’t made as much money as expected from shares, so sold them very quickly
• the share prices dropped as more and more people tried to sell their shares
• millions of americans couldn’t sell their shares for as much as they brought them for
• some couldn’t pay the banks back either -> were left ruined as debt collectors took their homes and cars
• soon, many americans couldn’t afford to buy new goods, meaning many firms went out of business and millions lost their jobs

Question 3

how did the wall street crash affect other countries

Answer 3

• america brought items from germany, italy, britain and japan
• the depression meant that americans couldn’t afford this stuff anymore, so foreign countries had to shut down

Question 4

how did the wall street crash affect germany

Answer 4

• america used to buy from them, but due to the depression they could no longer afford to
• goods made in german factories, such a cars, electric goods and clothing, were not selling
  -> factories had to close down and millions lost their jobs
• american banks demanded back all the money they had lent germany after ww1
• german banks tried to get this money back from german businesses, which could not pay, and so went bankrupt
• people were soon living on the streets - jobless, hungry and full of resentment

Question 5

why did the depression increase support for extremist parties

Answer 5

• millions blamed the weimar government for their problems (unemployment, hunger, etc.)
• people were prepared to listen to extremist parties, like the nazis and communists
  -> the leaders of these parties promised radical solutions to all germanys problems
  -> promised to make the german peoples lives better

Question 6

how many votes did the nazi party have in 1928 and how many did they have by July 1932

Answer 6

1928 - 800,000 votes
- 8th most popular party in germany

July 1932 - 4 million votes
- most popular party in germany

Question 7

what reasons contributed to the nazi party becoming so popular

Answer 7

• the depression
• germans unhappy with weimar gov
• appeal of hitler
• fear of communism
• nazi party structure, methods and tactics

Question 8

the did the depression contribute to increased support for the nazis

Answer 8

• depression caused businesses to collapse, unemployment to soar and banks to close
• the voters who paid little attention to hitler in the 1920s now started to listen to him
• the nazis continued to repeat their core beliefs: that the treaty of versailles was a crime to germany, that jews should be blamed for the economic problems, and that germany should be reborn as a great and powerful country
  -> desperate germans wanted to believe them and so, voted for them

Question 9

what were the nazis core beliefs

Answer 9

• treaty of versailles was a crime to germany
• Jews should be blamed for the economic problems
• germany should be reborn as a great and powerful nation

Question 10

what did hitler promise

Answer 10

work and bread (for the millions of unemployed and hungry germans)

Question 11

why were germans unhappy with the weimar gov (at time of depression)

Answer 11

• couldn’t seem to agree on how to help the unemployed and get germany out of the depression
• they argued constantly and achieved very little
• both chancellor Müller, then chancellor Brüning made little impact

Question 12

what did chancellor Brüning do (at time of depression)

Answer 12

• at one point, Brüning was passing laws uses the Presidents emergency decrees and making them legal under Article 48
• however, when Brüning tried to pass laws to seize rich people’s land and give it to poor peasants, the new President Hindenburg quickly withdrew his support (Hindenburg himself owned lots of land)
• without this support Brüning resigned

Question 13

what did the chaos of the Weimar gov cause ordinary germans to do

Answer 13

• for many ordinary germans then, the democratic system of the weimar gov was just not working
• some people, who had always tried hard to support the key principles of democracy, were drawn towards parties with extreme ideas about to tun the party

Question 14

how did the appeal of hitler increase support for the nazis

Answer 14

• he had a charismatic personality
• he could make people believe he could be trusted to make germany a great nation
• as a powerful and inspiring speaker, he was able to fill his audiences with hope

Question 15

why were german people so afraid of communism and how did it increase support for the nazis

Answer 15

• in 1917 there had been a communist take over in russia
  -> the communist party took over all businesses and farms
• there had been attempts by german communists to take over germany in the years after ww1
  -> as a result, middle and upper class germans, particularly businessmen and landowners, were frightened of german communists
  -> they didn’t want to lose the wealth and position in society they had worked so hard to build
• communists didn’t believe in religious institutions, so this worried churchgoers
• from the start, hitler said he would fight communism
  -> he sent the SA to fight with communist gangs
• he gained support from middle and upper class because he promised to deal with the communist threat

Question 16

what did hitler and the nazis start to do after hitlers time in prison

Answer 16

started to spread their ideas systematically and to build support through an effective combination of persuasion and intimidation

Question 17

how did the nazi structure, methods and tactics increase support for them

Answer 17

• nazi party officers were set up all over germany to recruit more loyal followers. there were 100,000 men in the SA by 1931, growing to 400,000 by 1932. the SA protected hitlers meetings and tried to influence voters at elections
• the nazi party made use of propaganda through new media like radio broadcasts and cinema news reports. they also bought newspapers and printed millions of leaflets and posters to persuade and influence germans to their ways of thinkings
  -> hitler made Joseph Goebbels the chief Nazi propagandist from 1928
• hitler himself took part in parades to show off Nazi power, and rallies where he mad passionate speeches
• the Hitler Youth Organisation was set up to encourage younger followers. special clubs and camping trips were organised for young nazis where they could learn to fire guns, wrestle, read maps and build campfires
• after the depression hit germany, the nazis appeared the more organised and disciplined ground in the country - a party that might restore the nations greatness

Question 18

why were the nazis popular in the countryside

Answer 18

• farmers had been hit hard by the depression -> people were not buying as much food so farmers had to lower prices
• the weimar gov didn’t help farmers
• the nazis promised farmers higher prices for their crops, a better quality of life, and higher status in german society
• the nazis also hated communists - and if communists took over they would seize the land that families had farmed for generations

Question 19

why were the nazis popular with women

Answer 19

• the nazis said that family life, good morals and self-discipline were important
• some women agreed with hitler when he said that over the last ten years ‘our youth have been exposed to a flood of muck and filth, in word and print, in the theatre and in the cinema.’ -> the nazis promised to sort this out

Question 20

why were the nazis popular with the middle class people

Answer 20

• some peoples wages had been cut by the gov in the depression, and large groups of unemployed youth were all over the place
• the middle class feared that law and order might break down or a communist takeover would destroy their way of life
• they want the weimar gov to be strong but they just seem to argue between themselves
  -> the nazis promised to deal with problems decisively - and their SA were not afraid to take on communists
  -> the nazis seemed to show order and discipline in a time of chaos

Question 21

why were the nazis popular with young people / soldiers

Answer 21

• hitler was an old soldier who knew the value of a powerful army, navy and air force
• he promised to tear up the treaty of versailles signed by the weak weimar politicians, and make the country great once again
• young people wanted to be part of germanys bright future and get jobs in the armed forces or building new homes, motorways and hospitals
• people who had heard hitler speak were won over by the sheer force of his beliefs

Question 22

why did hitler have the support of the upper class

Answer 22

• the nazis promised the wealthy classes strong leadership and a more powerful nation, like the ‘good old days’ when germany was feared and respected throughout europe
• hitler promised to allow them to run factories how they wanted, and his plans to use their factories to build weapons, battleships and fighter planes meant they would make even more money
• the nazis were opposed to the communists, and would not let them take their business