Gcse history exam final revision
- 1. GCSE History Exam Germany 1918-c1945
- 2. •Weimar Germany and the rise of the Nazi Party
- 3. The early problems of the Weimar Government The Treaty of Versailles. • Germany was had to accept blame for the war (war guilt). • Germany lost a lot of valuable land. • Germany lost most of its armed forces. • Germany had to pay reparations (money to the other countries) • The new Weimar government was unpopular because it signed the Treaty. The army called the Treaty “The Stab in
- 4. The early problems of the Weimar GovernmentOpposition to Weimar Government Spartacist Uprising, Jan 1919 Left-wing Led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht Wanted to overthrow Weimar and create a Communist government The Freikorps were used to put down the uprising UNSUCCESSFUL Kapp Putsch, March 1920 Right-wing – wanted the return of a strong leader like the Kaisar. Led by Dr Wolfgang Kapp The Freikorps tried to take control and the government fled. Stopped by a workers’ strike UNSUCCESFUL
- 5. The early problems of the Weimar Government The Weimar Constitution. • The system – President - Similar to the king or queen in Britain but with more power and elected every 7 years. He appointed the Chancellor. In an emergency he could make laws without going to Parliament. – Chancellor appointed by the President and similar to the British Prime Minister. He led the government and needed to have the support of the majority in Parliament. – Reichstag (parliament) – similar to the House of Commons in Britain. Elected every 4 years and had the power to pass or reject changes to the law. • Strengths – All Germans had equal rights including the right to vote, free speech, religious freedom, to travel freely and hold political meetings. – The election system of proportional representation meant that all parties got a fair share of seats in the Reichstag to match the percentage of people who voted for them. • Weaknesses – Proportional representation made the government weak because it led to too many parties in the Reichstag, including extremist parties like the Nazis. – No one party got enough votes to form a majority in the Reichstag so parties had to get together in coalition governments which were often weak and short lived.
- 6. The occupation of the Rhur and Hyperinflation Germany could not pay reparations to France sent its army into the Ruhr. The workers went on strike (passive resistance) The German government printed money to pay its workers. The amount printed in bank notes was far more than the actual gold reserves the government had. So the value of German money went down and down. Prices went up and up = Hyperinflation Challenges and Recovery 1923-1929 How were people affected? Different groups were affected differently Pensioners found their money was worthless. Middle Class People with savings found they lost all value. Workers wages could not keep up with prices and so people could not afford basic food such as bread Some people did well, especially farmers and people who had taken out loans such as the very rich.
- 7. Challenges and Recovery 1923-1929 • The Munich Putsch - 1923 • The was the first significant event in the rise of the Nazi party • Hitler and the SA (Stormtroopers) and General Ludendorff took over Beer Hall meeting led by Gustav von Kahr (leader of Bavaria’s government) and demanded his support. • Neither Von Kahr or the public supported the Nazis • Putsch fails and Hitler is sent to prison • Hitler gets national publicity because of the trial. In prison he writes Mein Kampf. He decides to improve the organisation of the Nazis
- 8. Challenges and Recovery 1923-1929 Recovery after 1923 – “The Golden Years” Gustav Stresemann, the new Chancellor introduced policies which helped German. Dawes Plan and Young Plan A new currency – Rentenmark He agreed to reduce the amount of reparations. He ended the strikes and France pulled out of the Ruhr. The USA agreed loans and German businesses could get going again. Stresemann also made agreements with Britain and France. The Locarno Treaty in 1925 fixed the borders of countries in Europe The Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1928 agreed that in future all problems in Europe would be solved peacefully. Germany joined the League of Nations which was set up to prevent another war. During 1924-1929 Things seemed to be going better in Germany. The German economy began to grow. Berlin became a big arts and entertainment centre. • 1924 election – 32 Nazi seats in the Reichstag. •
- 9. The Wall Street Crash 1929 and the Growth of the Nazi Party 1929-33 1929 – The Wall Street Crash • The Wall Street Crash – a massive financial crisis in the USA. • American loans to Germany ended. Germany had to pay back money. • Many German businesses had to close. • By 1932 6 million Germans were unemployed. • Many families suffered terrible poverty. • Half of Germans aged between 16 and 30 could not find work, including 60% of university graduates.
- 10. The Wall Street Crash 1929 and the Growth of the Nazi Party 1929-33 1929-1933 The Nazi Party grows • After the Wall Street crash people lost confidence in the Weimar government. It seemed unable to solve Germany’s problems. It was blamed for relying too much on the USA. • The Proportional representation voting system meant that governments were weak. • There was more and more support for the Nazis and Communists. • The Nazi SA (brownshirts) were fighting the Communists in the streets. • Hitler promised bread, work and land. He said he would tear up the Treaty of Versailles. He blamed the Jews for Germany’s problems. • The Nazis started to do well in elections. Many workers liked their promises of work. The Nazis got a lot of money from big businesses because they were against the Communists. They got a lot of middle class support for the same reason. Key groups: Farmers, middle classes, big businesses, upper classes, women and the young. • The racism of the Nazis was also popular with many people. • Nazi propaganda (organised by Goebbels) was very effective – rallies, posters, radio, newspapers, parades and marches.
- 11. •Government of the Third Reich
- 12. Hitler takes control 1933-35 – the 8 steps to dictatorship. 1. Hitler was appointed Chancellor 2. Hitler used the Reichstag Fire to ban the Communists. Their leaders were arrested and their party was banned. 3. New elections: using terror, killings and anti-Communist propaganda the Nazis did better but they still did not get a majority 4. Hitler forced the Parliament to agree a new law. This was the Enabling Act. It said Hitler could make any law he wanted without asking the Reichstag. 5. Trade unions and clubs were all taken over by the Nazis. All other political parties were banned. 6. Hitler organised the murder of hundreds of top Nazis including Rohm, the head of the SA and his friend -the ‘Night of the Long Knives’. The SA was closed down and replaced by the SS. 7. President Hindenburg died and within hours Hitler declares himself “Fuhrer” – the leader. 8. He got all the soldiers in the army to swear an oath of loyalty to for him personally. He now had total control. He was a dictator. Germany was a country of terror where everyone was afraid to speak out. But most Germans supported him. They wanted a strong leader. 12
- 13. How did the Nazis maintain control? 1933-1945 Terror – controlled by Heinrich Himmler • The SS (Schutz Staffel = protection squad) – black uniforms, 240,000 members • Concentration camps – forced labour camps for anyone who criticised the Nazis (Jews, Communists, Socialists, trade unionists, gays, church leaders etc) • Gestapo – the state secret police with a network of informers and local wardens • Police and courts controlled by the Nazis • Laws restricting the rights and liberties of everyone Censorship and Propaganda – controlled by Josef Goebbels • Newspapers – all that disagreed with the Nazis were closed down. • Book burning – no books could be published without Goebbels’s permission and books by Jewish authors or with anti-Nazi ideas were burnt. • Culture – modern art, progressive theatre and jazz music were banned • Meetings, marches and rallies - Cult of the Fuhrer. • Radio – all controlled and not allowed to pick up foreign stations • Films, Posters • Sport – the Berlin Olympics in 1936 were used to promote the idea of white ‘Aryan’ superiority. Germany won the most medals but one black American athlete, Jesse Owens, won 4 golds. 13
- 14. Opposition to the Nazis 1. Young people: Edelweiss Pirates. Many young people hated the Hitler Youth and did not join. Some young people joined gangs like the Edelweiss Pirates, the Texas Cowboys, and the Navajos – preferring to have a good time. Some even beat up Nazis. Students in the White Rose Club spread leaflets against the Nazis and their leaders were executed. 2. The churches. Some church leaders supported the Nazis and others were against them. To deal with Catholics, Hitler made a deal – A Concordat - with the Pope saying he would leave the Catholics alone if they did not interfere with politics. He brought all the Protestant Churches together under Nazi control – the Reich Church and made the pastors swear loyalty to him. Church schools and youth clubs were closed down. Still some Christians opposed the Nazis and ended up in camps. They included Martin Niemoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer of the Confessional Church. 3. Army officers. Some – including Colonel von Stauffenberg - wanted to get rid of Hitler and tried to kill him with a bomb. The Plot of July 1944. They failed and were executed. 5,746 people executed in response. 4. Political groups - Socialists, Communists, trade unions. They were arrested in large numbers or left the country. There were some secret meetings and handing out of anti-Nazi leaflets. 14
- 15. •Social Impact of the Nazi state to 1945
- 16. Young people in Nazi Germany Youth movements All boys had to join the Hitler Youth. Military training, camps, sports and Nazi ideas. The aim as to become good soldiers. Girls joined the League of German Maidens. Keeping fit and home-building. The aim was to become good wives and mothers. School Nazi control of the school curriculum. Teachers who refused were sacked. The most important subject was PE. Boxing was compulsory for boys. Girls had to do home-making and childcare. History lessons were about the unfair Treaty of Versailles, the rise of the Nazis and the evil of Jews and Communists. Biology was about the superiority of the blond, blue-eyed ‘Aryan’ race. German lessons were about war heroes and the Nazi Party. Geography lessons were about the land in other countries that the Nazis said should be taken by Germany. Maths lessons had problems about bombs and how to save money by not spending it on the mentally ill. 16
- 17. Women in Nazi Germany • Women in Nazi Germany – Back to the traditional role of wife and mother – Hitler wanted to increase the birth rate and produce more soldiers for the ‘master race’ – KKK (Kinder, Kirche, Kuche – children, church and cooking) – Less women in jobs meant jobs for unemployed men – Women doctors, civil servants and teachers forced to leave their jobs. – Large grants of money to women who gave up jobs and had lots of children – Government loans to married couples – for each child they had, they could keep 25% of the loan, so if they had 4 children they did not have to pay anything back – Strict laws against abortion and all birth control banned – Gold medals for 8 children, silver for 6 and bronze for 5 – The ideal Nazi woman was fair-haired, blue-eyed, strong, with broad hips for child- bearing and traditional clothes (not fashionable). – In spite of this the number of working women went up because the Nazis needed more workers in weapons factories and because employers preferred women workers as they could pay them less. 17
- 18. Economic policies • Hjalmar Schacht’s New Plan 1934 aimed to: – Reduce unemployment – Make Germany self- sufficient (Autarky) • Hermann Goring’s Four Year Plan 1936 aimed to: – Re-arm Germany ready for war – Continue to achieve self- sufficiency – Build new factories • Labour Front replaced trade unions – didn’t really represent workers • Strength Through Joy (KDF) promised hard workers holidays and other privileges. Very few actually went on cruises… • Beauty of Labour allowed workers to build themselves swimming pools at work • The Volkswagen was designed so every family could save for a car. No Volkswagens were ever delivered to customers.
- 19. Nazi Treatment of Minorities Who did the Nazis target? ‘burdens on the community’ – severely disabled, mentally ill, unhealthy, homosexuals Hospitals were ordered to kill the severely disabled The mentally ill were sterilised and 70,000 were later killed by the ‘Public Ambulance Service Ltd’ ‘undesirables’ – gypsies, vagrants Vagrants were forced to work and 100,000 were sent to concentration camps Gypsies were not allowed to marry non- gypsies and were called ‘aliens’. Gypsies forced to register with the authorities. During the Second World War half a million gypsies died in the Nazi death camps. This disaster is called the Porajmos (‘Devouring’) in the Roma language ‘subhumans’ – Slavs, Black people Germans were not allowed to marry black people. Mixed race children were sterilised. • Nazi Treatment of Jews • 1933 - Boycott of Jewish shops – Jews sacked from jobs as civil servants and lawyers • 1934- Jews banned from public places such as parks and swimming baths • 1935- Nuremberg Laws – Jews not allowed to be German citizens, not allowed to marry non-Jews • 1936- Jews banned from being vets, dentists, accountants etc • 1938 - Kristallnacht (The Night of Breaking Glass) – three days of the SA destroying Jewish shops, homes and synagogues. – Jewish children not allowed in German schools • 1939- Jews not allowed to run shops or businesses – Jews in German-occupied Poland forced to live in ghettoes (‘Jewish reservations’) – only starvation rations allowed in and thousands died from cold and hunger
- 20. ‘The Holocaust’ 1939-1945 • The mass killing of European Jews is known as the Holocaust. • The killings were supervised by the SS under the control of Heinrich Himmler. However, many other people – German and others – also took part. • 1939-41 – Mass killings of Jews in Poland, Russia and other countries occupied by Germany – First shootings, then gas vans. Killings done by Einsatzgruppen (murder squads) with Jews forced to dig their own graves before being shot. About 2 million killed in Russia • 1942 – The Wannsee Conference when the Nazis agreed upon the ‘Final Solution’ – to kill all the Jews in Europe • 1942-45 – About 6 million Jews killed in death camps such as Auschwitz, Chelmno, Treblinka and Sobibor – They were transported in trains from all over occupied Europe – Most killings were in gas chambers using Zyklon-B – Bodies were then burnt in ovens 20
- 21. The Exam – 1 hour and quarter, 54 marks • Question 1 - Inference from a source (4 marks, does not require own knowledge) • Question 2 - Explanation of importance. Chose from one bullet point (9 marks) • Chose either question 3 or 4- Explanation = giving reasons why something happened. (12 marks) • Chose either 5a and 5b or 6a and 6b. Analysis and evaluation. a= 9 marks, b=16marks (plus 4 SPAG). Start with this section of the exam. It is worth nearly half your overall marks.
- 22. Final Advice and Good Luck 1. Read the question carefully, make sure you look at the dates or period of history they ask you about. 2. Jot down key points to answer the question. 3. Start writing, stay focused on the question. Develop each point. Keep linking back to the question. Put the question number in the margin. 6. Keep an eye on the time. 7.If you finish read back through and add any extra information. 8. If you are not sure put down what you know. 9. DO NOT PANIC if you do have a blank go to another question then come back. 10. DO NOT PANIC start writing !!!! GOOD LUCK you will do well.