Germany 1919-45 notes
Germany 1919-45
Germany 1914:
• Protestant north and catholic south
• Had colonies in Africa and Asia
• 1900- one of strongest economies in world, second to the USA
• Germany was authoritarian- strict obedience to authority (the Kaiser)
• Growing communist movement
after ww1, many felt that they had not been defeated:
• Was never fully over- not a formal surrender
• Only an agreement to stop fighting
• Germany remained un-invaded
• Germany soldiers still present in France, Belgium, therefore the fight could continue
• Although army was weakened it was not defeated
Ww1 impacts on Germany
• Social- German workers were bitter at restrictions placed on earnings during the war/
1.5 million demobilised soldiers returned to society, many disillusioned/
Huge gaps between living standards of rich + poor/
• Political- revolution in oct-nov 1918- fighting between left- and right-wing groups/
Germans angry about losing war- law and order breaking down in a country so used to order and
discipline/
Ex-soldiers + civilians despised new democratic leaders
• Economic- food shortage- 1918- producing 50% of milk + 60% of butter it had produced before
ww1/
Fuel was short and people cold- 300,000 died from starvation and hypothermia
600,000 widows left after war and 2 million children with no fathers
1925- state spending one third of budget on war pensions
National income was one third of what it had been in 1913
Industrial production was two thirds of what it had been
The treaty of Versailles, 1919: brat
1. Blame-
• Germany had to accept all blame for starting war and damage caused (article 231)
• Germans angry- they didn’t cause all destruction. ‘league of nations’ ganged up on them/
tarnished their reputation and pride
2. Reparations
• Had to pay full cost of damage in 1921 worked out to 136,000 million marks- to be paid through
20th century
• Germany angry- they were in an economic state + could not rebuild stable economy
3. Army
• Reduced to 100,000 men (from 4 mil. In 1914) + only to be used internally
• Navy restricted- 6 battleships, 6 cruisers and 12 destroyers
• Existing air force destroyed + future ones banned
• Rhineland demilitarised (as bordered France)
• Germany angry- was very militarist country + this also meant huge job loss and lots of money
had been invested in military/ defenceless/ weakens patriotism/ wasted money in army
Page 1 of 34
,Germany 1919-45 notes
4. Territories and colonies- the German empire was no more
• Lost large amounts of land
• Alsace-Lorraine went back to France
• (Posen and west Prussia went to Poland
• Eupen and Malmédy lost to Poland
• German port of Danzig governed by lofn
• Profits from saar coalfields went to France for 15 years
• Germany forbidden from uniting with German-speaking Austria
• 11 German colonies in Africa and far east given to Britain and France)
• Germany lost about 13% of European territory, 50% of iron and 15% of coal reserves
• Germans angry-was v nationalist country/ trading and economic values lost overseas/ lost
industry + needed to pay workers for resources that weren’t going to Germany/ weakened
economy/everything they had built up was taken away
USA- Woodrow Wilson- wanted no revenge + lasting peace
France- Clemenceau- wanted revenge + wanted Germany to completely rebuild damaged France
Britain- Lloyd George- Germany made stable + prepare to be a trading partner once more/ feared
that communism would take over
The Germans sunk their nave in scapa flow rather than give their ships to the allies
Where the allies too harsh? - Germany was not in a position to negotiate + allies would never
admit their responsibility in war/ however they needed to ensure Germany didn't have enough
power to retaliate
Germany wasn’t invited to negotiations. Treaty was a diktat (forced upon them) under threat of
invasion
Germans felt army had been stabbed in the back (a dolchstoss) by politicians and striking workers
at home
Many Germans now separated from Germany (e.g. East Prussia separated from mainland
Germany)
Why was there so much violence between 1919-23?
• After Kaiser’s rule, Germany= democratic republic ~ ordinary German’s could choose their
leaders.
• Ebert= new president-guaranteed freedom of speech + religion, he hoped to improve living
conditions/people thought he sounded like a good leader-he cared about the people
• Belief in communism= left wing ~ Spartacus league ~ opposed everything Ebert did
• Right wing ~ freikorps ~ hated the communists- increasing insatiability in Germany
• Freikorps- bloodthirsty ex-soldiers home from the war. Blamed communists for stirring up trouble
in Germany at end of war and * the reason for defeat
There were 5 outbreaks of trouble linked to left wing opponents of Ebert (worker’s risings)
There were 3 right ring putsches:
• The Kapp putsch- March 1920
• Black Reichswehr- October 1923
• The beer hall putsch- November 1923
Page 2 of 34
,Germany 1919-45 notes
Threats to democracy: the crises of 1919-34
The spartacist rising: 1919
• Communists wanted to overthrow new Weimar government
Why?
• Not enough food + resources
• Too much focus on rich
• Workers couldn't afford good lifestyle w working hours and wage battles
• Wanted to become republic of soviets- could help world revolution + world socialism
• Wanted a worker’s government
• Wanted to unite w Russia
• Wanted to educate the poor
What happened?
• Leaders- Karl Liebknecht + Rosa Luxemburg ~ murdered
Methods?
• Took over news offices in berlin
• Organised general strike
• Armed street fighting
Government response?
• Used freikorps to help crush uprising
• Showed weakness of new government- had to rely upon an independent group
• Led to further communists’ rebellions which were further crushed by freikorps
The Kapp putsch- 1920- right wing
• Where? - Weimar Germany
• Wolfgang Kapp= right-wing journalist + extreme nationalist who opposed Ebert
• 5000 freikorps members supported him and marched on berlin
• Kapp wanted to be new leader and recover land taken from TofV
• Wanted to build of Germany’s military strength
• Ebert’s government fled from berlin to Dresden- unable to rely on army support
• Government pled for assistance from communists (berlin workers)
• A general strike in berlin brought it to a halt as they would not have been able to run a city where
nothing was happening
Political murders:
• Another reason why these years so violent = great no. Of political murders
• Some ex freikorps members formed death squads to fight against socialists + communists
• Between 1921-23 they murdered 356 people
Some examples: Matthias Erzberger august 1931/ ‘November criminal and enemy of all people’
Walter Ratenhau June 1923/ Weimar foreign minister gunned down
The great inflation:
How it happened:
• French and Belgian soldiers began to take back what was owed to them from Germany to
France
• The German gov. Ordered its workers in Ruhr on strike + not help soldiers remove goods from
country-passive resistance
• French and Belgians were tough w strikers. Over 100 killed and 150,000 thrown out of homes
Page 3 of 34
, Germany 1919-45 notes
• German gov promised to pay the workers on strike, but they were running short of money as
Ruhr wasn’t producing goods abroad
• To pay the striking workers they printed large amounts of money- caused problems
• Striking workers spent money quickly. They were being paid for not working and as they were
spending a lot, shopkeepers put up their prices
• As shops raised prices gov. Printed even more money
• The more money printed the faster prices went up
• The faster prices went up, the faster people spent their wages. Soon workers being paid twice a
day and carried wages in wheelbarrow. (the price of goods could rise between joining the queue
and reaching the front
• All this meant that gov. + Weimar politicians lost support in 1923- ppl looked for someone to
blame
Life during great inflation:
Benefited:
• Those who had debts or taken out loans
• The youth
• Workers if they had a job were protected
• The rich who had both money, land possessions and foreign currency
• Many rich businesses
Suffered:
• Old people living on fixed pensions + people who lived off savings- they were now worthless
• Middle classes- savings and businesses destroyed
• People looking for jobs (competition for jobs-companies didn’t have enough money to employ
people)
Hitler’s early life:
• Moved around a lot-unsettled childhood/found it hard to feel like he belonged somewhere/
After war when milling around he was exposed to anti-Semitic views + started forming hatred
against gov.
the Munich putsch 1923
• Leader = Adolf Hitler
• Objective = overthrow Weimar government + replace it w Nazi government
• He thought it would be a success as w.r. v unpopular in late 1923. The ending of passive
resistance made it look like they were giving into the French, hyperinflation was high
• Hitler’s collaborator= general Ludendorff
• Hitler wanted to persuade the army + members of Bavarian state gov to join him
• 8th November, 600 storm troopers + Hitler forced into meeting between Bavarian prime minister
and local businessmen. At gunpoint the pm (Gustav Kahr) was persuaded to announce that he
supported the putsch
• Hitler staged a march through berlin streets to gain public support
• Armed police ended it- 16 Nazis killed + h + g.l. arrested
• Hitler uses trial to attack Weimar regime and announce views-achieves national fame
• Failed because~ army remained loyal to w.r., Nazi party = small- 3,000 members
• Nazi party banned
• Hitler released after 9 months in prison (supposed to be 5yrs) on 24th December 1924
• In feb 1925, ban on Nazi party was lifted- Hitler relaunched party
German government 1924
Page 4 of 34
Germany 1919-45
Germany 1914:
• Protestant north and catholic south
• Had colonies in Africa and Asia
• 1900- one of strongest economies in world, second to the USA
• Germany was authoritarian- strict obedience to authority (the Kaiser)
• Growing communist movement
after ww1, many felt that they had not been defeated:
• Was never fully over- not a formal surrender
• Only an agreement to stop fighting
• Germany remained un-invaded
• Germany soldiers still present in France, Belgium, therefore the fight could continue
• Although army was weakened it was not defeated
Ww1 impacts on Germany
• Social- German workers were bitter at restrictions placed on earnings during the war/
1.5 million demobilised soldiers returned to society, many disillusioned/
Huge gaps between living standards of rich + poor/
• Political- revolution in oct-nov 1918- fighting between left- and right-wing groups/
Germans angry about losing war- law and order breaking down in a country so used to order and
discipline/
Ex-soldiers + civilians despised new democratic leaders
• Economic- food shortage- 1918- producing 50% of milk + 60% of butter it had produced before
ww1/
Fuel was short and people cold- 300,000 died from starvation and hypothermia
600,000 widows left after war and 2 million children with no fathers
1925- state spending one third of budget on war pensions
National income was one third of what it had been in 1913
Industrial production was two thirds of what it had been
The treaty of Versailles, 1919: brat
1. Blame-
• Germany had to accept all blame for starting war and damage caused (article 231)
• Germans angry- they didn’t cause all destruction. ‘league of nations’ ganged up on them/
tarnished their reputation and pride
2. Reparations
• Had to pay full cost of damage in 1921 worked out to 136,000 million marks- to be paid through
20th century
• Germany angry- they were in an economic state + could not rebuild stable economy
3. Army
• Reduced to 100,000 men (from 4 mil. In 1914) + only to be used internally
• Navy restricted- 6 battleships, 6 cruisers and 12 destroyers
• Existing air force destroyed + future ones banned
• Rhineland demilitarised (as bordered France)
• Germany angry- was very militarist country + this also meant huge job loss and lots of money
had been invested in military/ defenceless/ weakens patriotism/ wasted money in army
Page 1 of 34
,Germany 1919-45 notes
4. Territories and colonies- the German empire was no more
• Lost large amounts of land
• Alsace-Lorraine went back to France
• (Posen and west Prussia went to Poland
• Eupen and Malmédy lost to Poland
• German port of Danzig governed by lofn
• Profits from saar coalfields went to France for 15 years
• Germany forbidden from uniting with German-speaking Austria
• 11 German colonies in Africa and far east given to Britain and France)
• Germany lost about 13% of European territory, 50% of iron and 15% of coal reserves
• Germans angry-was v nationalist country/ trading and economic values lost overseas/ lost
industry + needed to pay workers for resources that weren’t going to Germany/ weakened
economy/everything they had built up was taken away
USA- Woodrow Wilson- wanted no revenge + lasting peace
France- Clemenceau- wanted revenge + wanted Germany to completely rebuild damaged France
Britain- Lloyd George- Germany made stable + prepare to be a trading partner once more/ feared
that communism would take over
The Germans sunk their nave in scapa flow rather than give their ships to the allies
Where the allies too harsh? - Germany was not in a position to negotiate + allies would never
admit their responsibility in war/ however they needed to ensure Germany didn't have enough
power to retaliate
Germany wasn’t invited to negotiations. Treaty was a diktat (forced upon them) under threat of
invasion
Germans felt army had been stabbed in the back (a dolchstoss) by politicians and striking workers
at home
Many Germans now separated from Germany (e.g. East Prussia separated from mainland
Germany)
Why was there so much violence between 1919-23?
• After Kaiser’s rule, Germany= democratic republic ~ ordinary German’s could choose their
leaders.
• Ebert= new president-guaranteed freedom of speech + religion, he hoped to improve living
conditions/people thought he sounded like a good leader-he cared about the people
• Belief in communism= left wing ~ Spartacus league ~ opposed everything Ebert did
• Right wing ~ freikorps ~ hated the communists- increasing insatiability in Germany
• Freikorps- bloodthirsty ex-soldiers home from the war. Blamed communists for stirring up trouble
in Germany at end of war and * the reason for defeat
There were 5 outbreaks of trouble linked to left wing opponents of Ebert (worker’s risings)
There were 3 right ring putsches:
• The Kapp putsch- March 1920
• Black Reichswehr- October 1923
• The beer hall putsch- November 1923
Page 2 of 34
,Germany 1919-45 notes
Threats to democracy: the crises of 1919-34
The spartacist rising: 1919
• Communists wanted to overthrow new Weimar government
Why?
• Not enough food + resources
• Too much focus on rich
• Workers couldn't afford good lifestyle w working hours and wage battles
• Wanted to become republic of soviets- could help world revolution + world socialism
• Wanted a worker’s government
• Wanted to unite w Russia
• Wanted to educate the poor
What happened?
• Leaders- Karl Liebknecht + Rosa Luxemburg ~ murdered
Methods?
• Took over news offices in berlin
• Organised general strike
• Armed street fighting
Government response?
• Used freikorps to help crush uprising
• Showed weakness of new government- had to rely upon an independent group
• Led to further communists’ rebellions which were further crushed by freikorps
The Kapp putsch- 1920- right wing
• Where? - Weimar Germany
• Wolfgang Kapp= right-wing journalist + extreme nationalist who opposed Ebert
• 5000 freikorps members supported him and marched on berlin
• Kapp wanted to be new leader and recover land taken from TofV
• Wanted to build of Germany’s military strength
• Ebert’s government fled from berlin to Dresden- unable to rely on army support
• Government pled for assistance from communists (berlin workers)
• A general strike in berlin brought it to a halt as they would not have been able to run a city where
nothing was happening
Political murders:
• Another reason why these years so violent = great no. Of political murders
• Some ex freikorps members formed death squads to fight against socialists + communists
• Between 1921-23 they murdered 356 people
Some examples: Matthias Erzberger august 1931/ ‘November criminal and enemy of all people’
Walter Ratenhau June 1923/ Weimar foreign minister gunned down
The great inflation:
How it happened:
• French and Belgian soldiers began to take back what was owed to them from Germany to
France
• The German gov. Ordered its workers in Ruhr on strike + not help soldiers remove goods from
country-passive resistance
• French and Belgians were tough w strikers. Over 100 killed and 150,000 thrown out of homes
Page 3 of 34
, Germany 1919-45 notes
• German gov promised to pay the workers on strike, but they were running short of money as
Ruhr wasn’t producing goods abroad
• To pay the striking workers they printed large amounts of money- caused problems
• Striking workers spent money quickly. They were being paid for not working and as they were
spending a lot, shopkeepers put up their prices
• As shops raised prices gov. Printed even more money
• The more money printed the faster prices went up
• The faster prices went up, the faster people spent their wages. Soon workers being paid twice a
day and carried wages in wheelbarrow. (the price of goods could rise between joining the queue
and reaching the front
• All this meant that gov. + Weimar politicians lost support in 1923- ppl looked for someone to
blame
Life during great inflation:
Benefited:
• Those who had debts or taken out loans
• The youth
• Workers if they had a job were protected
• The rich who had both money, land possessions and foreign currency
• Many rich businesses
Suffered:
• Old people living on fixed pensions + people who lived off savings- they were now worthless
• Middle classes- savings and businesses destroyed
• People looking for jobs (competition for jobs-companies didn’t have enough money to employ
people)
Hitler’s early life:
• Moved around a lot-unsettled childhood/found it hard to feel like he belonged somewhere/
After war when milling around he was exposed to anti-Semitic views + started forming hatred
against gov.
the Munich putsch 1923
• Leader = Adolf Hitler
• Objective = overthrow Weimar government + replace it w Nazi government
• He thought it would be a success as w.r. v unpopular in late 1923. The ending of passive
resistance made it look like they were giving into the French, hyperinflation was high
• Hitler’s collaborator= general Ludendorff
• Hitler wanted to persuade the army + members of Bavarian state gov to join him
• 8th November, 600 storm troopers + Hitler forced into meeting between Bavarian prime minister
and local businessmen. At gunpoint the pm (Gustav Kahr) was persuaded to announce that he
supported the putsch
• Hitler staged a march through berlin streets to gain public support
• Armed police ended it- 16 Nazis killed + h + g.l. arrested
• Hitler uses trial to attack Weimar regime and announce views-achieves national fame
• Failed because~ army remained loyal to w.r., Nazi party = small- 3,000 members
• Nazi party banned
• Hitler released after 9 months in prison (supposed to be 5yrs) on 24th December 1924
• In feb 1925, ban on Nazi party was lifted- Hitler relaunched party
German government 1924
Page 4 of 34
