In between Wars

Weimar Germany& Rise of Hitler

Map 1920s

In November 1918, the German emperor

abdicated. Germany became a republic. Parliament (Reichstag) and President were

elected in free elections and women got a right to vote.

Parliament met in the city of Weimar. Weimar Republic existed between 1919 and

1933.

Weimar Republic

German people were not used to democracy

after being an empire for such along time. Communist ”threat”:

- Fear of Russian revolution spreading to Germany.- Spartacist uprising in 1919.- Communist leaders Rosa Luxemburg och Karl Liebknecht killed.

Extrem right’s uprising in 1920. In elections, more and more people

supported extreme left and extreme right.

Weak democracy

Government of Weimar Germany signed Treaty

of Versailles. Millions of Germans saw the government and

its supporters as traitors. They had let down their country.

So-called stab-in-the-back legend. Germany had not suffered a military

defeat. Instead, Germans traitors had stabbed the brave German soldiers in the back.

Versailles Treaty

Huge reparations (35 billion dollars). Germany had trouble paying. January 1923, French troops occupied Ruhr, all

its ports, steelworks and coal mines. Passive resistance and strike action against

France. Government met reparation payments by

printing new money. Consequence = Hyperinflation. November 1923, currency reform.

Reparations

Hyperinflation

January 1920:A loaf of bread costs 1.20 Marks.

November 1923:A loaf of bread costs 80 billion Marks.

In November 1923, in the middle of the

economic crisis, NSDAP attempted a coup in Munich.(Münchenputsch)

Hitler’s supporters killed or injured. Hitler was sentenced to jail for 5 years. He got out of jail after 1 year. In jail, he wrote his book ”My Struggle

- Mein Kampf”.

Munich Coup

In the middle of 1920s an economic and

political recovery took place.

Germany joined League of Nations (1926). Spirit of Locarno (1926). Germany was allowed to take part

in the Olympic Games (1928).

Recovery

New economic crisis after stock market crash

in USA. Many factories had to close down. Many people lost their jobs; 6 million

unemployed. By 1932 starvation and hopelessness had

spread all over Western Europe. Many people started voting for

Hitler’s NSDAP (National Socialist German Working Party).

1929

Election poster from 1932; ”Our final hope, Hitler”

A parliamentary election took place in November

1932. NSDAP got 33% of the votes. Nazis became the biggest party in Reichstag. But at the same time, SDP got 20% and Communist

party 16%. In January 1933 NSDAP and Conservative Party

formed a coalition government. Hitler became Chancellor.

1932

Co-operation between NSDAP and

Conservatives did not work out. Parliament dissolved and new elections

arranged. One week before the election, parliament

building was burned down. Communists were given blame. President Hindenburg’s emergency law. NSDAP got 44% of the votes.

1933

Hindenburg’s emergency law removed many

civil liberties and was a step towards dictatorship.

Emergency law was never lifted while Hitler was in power.

Other parties than NSDAP were banned. Trade union leaders sent to prison or

concentration camps. In May 1933 many Jewish and

Communist books were publicly burned.

Emergency Law

President Hindenburg died in 1934. Hitler appointed himself president. Membership in ”Deutsche Arbeitsfront”

became compulsory. Hitlerjugend and Bund Deutscher Mädel. Secret police (Gestapo) was formed. SS (Black uniforms).

- Controlled Gestapo, Hitler personal bodyguards.

SA (Brown uniforms).- Military section of Nazi Party.

Hitler becomes Führer