C1: Treaty of Versailles

110 The Aims of the Big Three

Aims:

Britain-Lloyd George (The realist):

1. To punish Germany but not too harshly
2. Wanting to trade with Germany
3. Lose its naval powers and colonies
4. Doesn’t want Germany to adopt communism

France-George Clemenceau (The uncompromising):

1. Cripple Germany economically + Territorially
2. Wanted Germany to disarm totally
3. Wanted Germany to pay reparations
4. Wanted Rhineland to be an independent state as a bu er zone
5. Wanted to get back to Alsace-Lorraine

U.S.A-Woodrow Wilson (The idealist):

14 points:
1. Self-determination (Rule themselves rather than rule themselves rather than be
ruled by others.
2. Wanted all countries to disarm
3. No secret treaties- open diplomacy
4. Free trade between countries
5. France to regain Alsace-Lorraine
6. Create League of Nations

Causes of con ict:

1. Di ering aims and interest
2. Punishment imposed on Germany
3. Reparations ( Clemenceau- Wanted G to be crippled, George+Wilson- Wanted
G not to be crippled

120 Terms of the treaty

Military Loss:
1. Limited to have 100, 000 soldiers
2. Only six battleships were allowed
3. Rhineland to be demilitarized
4. No tanks+Air Force

Financial:
1. 6.6 billion pounds
2. Coal in the Saar region went to France for 15 years
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League of Nations:
1. Set up in 1919, work started in 1920
2. Germany was not allowed to join until 1926

War guilt:
1. Article 231: Germany had to take full responsibility for starting the war

Territory:
1. Alsace lorraine-> France
2. Given access to the sea (polish corridor) -> Poland
3. The union between Austria and Germany is forbidden
4. Saar region was lost
5. Danzig become a free city
6. All colonies has been lost, and most was given to France and Britain

Big Three’s reaction:

*Clemenceau:
1. think the Treaty of Versailles was not harsh enough
2. Happy to have Alsace Lorraine back
3. Was not pleased that Germany did not demilitarize fully

*David Lloyd-George:
1. Happy that it gained colonies and that Germany paid reparations
2. Worried that Germany would take revenge in the future
3. Was not pleased that Germany did not lose all naval power

*Woodrow Wilson:
1. Please that the league of nations
2. Was not pleased that only Germany was demilitarized
3. Was not pleased Germany had to pay too many reparations

130 Impact of the Treaty of Germany (1919.6.28)

Germany's reaction to the Treaty of Versailles:

1. Thought the Treaty of Versailles was a ‘diktat’ (A dictator treaty)

2. War guilt- Unfair and wrong
3. Reparations impossible since industrial areas (Saar, Upper Silesia) away
4. Disappointed that Germany lost all colonies
5. Disappointed that only Germany had to disarm

Impacts:

Economic:

Printing money to pay reparations-> Hyperin ation ->Marks became worthless

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Political:

Kapp Putsch- Right-wing extremists wanted to take over the Weimar government-
> defeated by a general strike of Berlin workers

Kaiser abdicated-> politicians created the Weimar Republic-> People were angry
about the politicians surrendering (stabbed in the back)

Social:

* Violence
* Lost pride
* Riot

140 Justifying the treaty:

Hindsight (事情发展完的 度去看）:

1. The Treaty of Versailles became one of the causes of the cruelness of the Nazi
regime + one reason world war II happened.
2. Others thought the treaty was fair -> if it were more generous-> British and
French crowds would think it was unacceptable
3. Peacemakers had a tough job balancing public opinion and a fairer future
4. Some say that the treaty has been the best that could be achieved in these
circumstances

Contemporary:

Fair:
*They were harsh to Russia during the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1918 -> The Treaty
of Versailles was more generous than it
* Germany’s economic problem-> Partly self-in icted -> Kaiser has not raised
taxes for the war

Unfair:
*Germans expected a fair treaty rather than a diktat
*Germany was not allowed to negotiate during the conference of the Treaty of
Versailles
*Germany was not the reason that caused the outbreak of WWI, however, they are
forced to admit it.
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 C2: League of Nations
Speci ed content:
Structure:
Assembly:
1. Met once a year
2. Elected non-permanent members of the council
3. Decisions have to be unanimous
4. League’s parliament
5. Met in Geneva

Council:
1. Met more frequently, about 5 times a year
2. The Assembly elects non-permanent members every 3 years
3. Has permanent members (UK, France, Japan and Italy) + Non-permanent members
4. Permanent members have veto power
5. Met for emergencies

Secretariat:
1. Civil servants paid by the league
2. Prepared reports
3. Recorded meetings
4. Based in Geneva, Switzerland
5. Gathered experts on issues

Permanent court of justice:

1. Advise the council and assembly
2. Made up of 15 judges elected by the assembly
3. Gave decisions on legal cases
4. Key role in settling disputes peacefully

ILO:
1. To improve working conditions around the world

Agencies:
1. Mandates Commission
2. Refugee commission
3. Slavery commission
4. Health committee

Aims:
1. Discouraging aggression of its members
2. Encouraging its members to cooperate in business and trade
3. Encouraging its members to disarm
4. Improve living and working conditions

Membership:
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* 42 founding members, 19 left in 1946US never joined
1. UK 1919-1945
2. France 1919-1945
3. Russia 1934-1939
4. Italy 1919-1937
5. Japan 1919-1933
6. Germany 1926-1933
7. US never joined

1920 Disputes:

Vilna 1920 (Failure) :

* Poland vs Lithuania
* Vilna used to be the capital of Lithuania, Poland took Vilna
* League wanted a plebiscite vote
* Poland refused to leave
* Vilna was given to Poland

Corfu 1923 (Failure) :

* Italy vs Greece
* Italian league member killed in Greece, Greeks refused to compensate
* Italy took Greek island - Corfu
* The league said the money would be held for Italy and they would investigate
* Mussolini refused and appealed to the Conference of Ambassadors
* Greece paid compensation, and Italy left

Aaland Islands 1920-21 (Success):

* Sweden vs Finland
* The island belonged to Finland, but Sweden claimed it.
* League wanted Finland to keep it, but to keep the Swedish life
* Both sides obeyed the league

Bulgaria 1925 (Success):

* Greece vs Bulgaria
* Border dispute, Greece invaded Bulgaria
* The league told them to stop ghting, make Greece pay a ne, and threatened with sanctions
* Greece obeyed, but very upset

Internation Agreements in the 1920s (Outside of the League):

1921 Washington conference: US, Britain, France, and Japan agreed to limit navy size
1922 Ropallo treaty: U.S.S.R and Germany re-established diplomatic relations
1925 Locarno treaty: Germany agreed to demilitarize Rhineland
1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact: 65 Nations agree not to use force to settle disputes

The league's humanitarian work:

Refugees:
* Aim to look after refugees + resettle
* League helped 425,000 return home
* Raised money, give transport + medical help
* Created Nansen Passport as ID for stateless people

Health:
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* Aim to end some major disease
* Work with government to help end leprosy and yellow fever
* Make campaigns

Working conditions:
* Aim to improve working conditions
* Convinced many countries to introduce 8 hours of work per day ( 48 hours per week)
* Campaigned to end child labor, and improve women’s right
* Stop lead (venomous) being added to paint

Slavery:
* Aim to end slavery, slave trade, and forced prostitution
* Mandates country stopped slavery
* Freed 200, 000 slaves in Sierra Leone
* Organized sudden attack against slave owners and traders in Burma
* 1926 slavery convention ( treaty to end slavery) - every league member signed

1930’s disputes:

Manchuria crisis 1931-1933:

Causes:
* Farmers needed new land
* They had an army base there
* Owned railway
* Wanted to settle its growing population
* Rich in natural resource

Events:
* 1931- Mukden railway incident, Japan invades China, China goes to the league
* 1932- Japan attacks Shanghai, and Manchukuo created
* 1933- Japan took control of other areas, left Shanghai

League’s action:
* Used moral condemnation
* Lytton Commission to investigate

Consequence:
* Japan left the league
* Undermine the league’s authority
* Japan invaded Manchuria
* Japan took over more land
* Allied with Germany

Abyssinia crisis 1935-1936:

Causes:
* For revenge for the defeat by poorly equipped Abyssinian soldiers in 1896.
* Abyssinian had rich mineral deposits and fertile land for farmers.
* Abyssinia was bordered by Eritrea and Somaliland (Italian colonies) -> to create a stronger
colony in East Africa.

Events:
* 1934- Mussolini created a border incident at the Wal-wal oasis (2 Italians and 150
Abyssinians were killed)
 * 1935 June- Abyssinian emperor (Haile Selassie) addressed the league, but the league did
nothing
* 1935 October- Italian troops entered Abyssinian, and the league condemned them, Mussolini
ignored the league and used chemical weapons
* 1935 December- Hoare Laval pact signed between France and Britain to Italy, o ering two-
thirds of Abyssinia
* 1936- The Italian troops entered the capital Addis Ababa and left the league

Consequence:
* Highlights the sel sh interests of Britain and France:
- It did not close the Suez Canal, so Italy still had sea access to Abyssinia.
- Stresa Font (1935) an agreement with Italy to be against Nazi Germany, shows how alliance is
more important than protecting Abyssinia
* The incident recon rmed how weak the League was without the USA

The Great Depression (1929+):

Cause:
* Wall Street Crashed in NYC in 1929
* Causing an economic recession (经济 萧条)

Consequences:
* Rearmament ->People were unemployed, by joining the military, at least you could have warm
food
* Self Interest-> The G.D cause many domestic problems, therefore countries more focus on
self-interest
* Bankrupt
* International trade slowed by 50%

C3: Hitler’s foreign policy

Speci ed content:

Hitler’s foreign policy aims:

L: Living space (Lebenstraum)

- Expand eastwards to Poland and the Soviet Union to create living space
O: Overturn the Treaty of Versailles
- Rearm Germany
- Reintroduce conscription
U: Uniting with Austria (Anschluss)
- All German-speaking people to be part of a greater Germany
- Taking back the Polish corridor
- Taking in Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia
D: Defeat communism
- Defeat the threat of communism
- Hitler believed communists wanted to destroy the German Reich
R: Rearmament
- Build up Germany’s armed force to take back lost territory

Rearmament:
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1933:
- Secret rearmament
- Thousands of unemployed workers joined the army
- Made a public display that Germany has no desire to rearm

1934:
- League of Nations disarmament conference: Nations were not prepared to disarm,
because many countries use this to ght unemployment

1935:
- Massive military rally to celebrate the German armed forces
- Anglo-German Naval agreement: Between Germany and U.K, allowing Germany to
increase its navy to 35% of the size of the British Navy

1936:
- Conscription reintroduced in Germany

The Saar:

1919-1934:
- The league has run the Saar region of Germany

1935:
- League promised a plebiscite for people to vote on whether their region should return
to German rule
- Around 90% of the population voted to return to German rule
- A morale ( ）booster for Hitler
- Great propaganda of success for Hitler

Remilitirazition of Rhineland:

1925:
- Locarno treaty: Germany agreed to demilitarize the Rhineland to protect France from
German invasions

1935:
- Hitler used the alliance between France and Russia as an excuse to invade
- He said Germany was surrounded by hostile forces
- Germany's invasion unimpeded:
- 1. LON too busy with the Abyssinian crisis
- 2. Britain believed Germany was justi ed
- 3. Non of the French politicians was prepared to take responsibility for plunging France
into war
- Remilitarization of Rhineland

Rome-Berlin axis and Anti-Comintern pact:

Rome-Berlin axis (1936):

- An alliance treaty between Germany and Italy signed in 1936
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- Aimed to strengthen the military and political bond between Germany and France
- Laid the groundwork for the later inclusion of Imperial Japan

Anti-Comitern pact (1936+1937):

- Alliance between Germany and Japan to combat the spread of communism, later on in
1937 also signed by Italy

Spanish Civil War:

- In 1936, a civil war broke out between the Republican government (Socialist) and
Right-wing (capitalist) rebels under General Franco.
- Stalin (USSR) supported the republic government (in the form of weapons, aircraft
and pilots)
- Hitler (Germany) and Mussolini (Italy) declared support for General Franco
- Mussolini send thousands of Italian troops
- Germany sent aircraft and pilots who took part in most of the major campaigns of
the war including bombing raids (突袭) on civilian populations
- Hitler’s actions alarmed Chamberlain and he ordered a massive increase in spending
on Britain’s armed forces, especially the Royal Air Force
- U.S.S.R. became increasingly suspicious of Britain and France because of their
reluctance to get involved in opposing fascism.

Anschluss with Austria:

1934:
- Hitler tried to take over Austria, but Mussolini on that occasion stopped him
1938:
- Italy and Germany are allies then
- There is a strong Nazi party in Austria
- Hitler told Nazis to stir up trouble in Austria and demand the union
- Schuschnigg (Austrian chancellor) held a plebiscite
- Hitler resignated Schuschnigg and was replaced by Nazi leader Seyss-Inquart
- Over 99% voted in favor of the union.
- Hitler’s troops marched in Austria unopposed in March 1938

Reasons for Anchluss:

- Rich deposits of gold and iron ore
- Build a stronger army and industry for the German Empire
- Overturns TOV

Crisis with Czechoslovakia:

Why Hitler wanted Sudetenland:

- Geographically: It is bordered to the side of Germany, Hitler wanted to protect Germany
from any threat of invasion
- Economically: Sudetenland has rich mineral deposits and fertile land for farmers
- Militarily: Sudetenland contained much of Czechoslovakia’s defenses, thus taking it will
weaken the nation
- Socially: Over 3.5 million Sudetens Germans lived in the Sudetenland, Hitler wanted
them to be part of the German Reich

15 September 1938: Agreed part of Sudetenland will be given to Germany since much of
the population is German.

September 1938: Hitler demanded all of Sudetenland, he claimed that Czechoslovakia

was mistreating Sudeten Germans. Chamberlain ordered the British government to
prepare for war

29 September 1938: The Munich conference: Appeasement by Britain and France, as

long as Germany doesn’t in ict war, they may get the whole of Sudetenland

1 October 1938: German soldiers marched into Sudetenland

Result: Take over of the whole of Czechoslovakia in March 1939

Polish Crisis:

* The Polish Corridor was given to Poland after the Treaty of Versailles
* Hitler feared the U.S.S.R -> Nazi-Soviet pact (August 1939): promise to give half of
Poland to the Soviet Union, but it could not interfere with the German invasion
* Ensured not to face war on two fronts
* Stalin gains half of Poland and baltic states
* Hitler gained half of Poland
* Britain and France promised Poland to help
World War 2 starts!!!

Why Stalin signed:

1. Give Stalin time to build the Russian military
2. Gains 1/2 of Poland and Baltic states
3. Poland was a useful bu er zone
4. Stalin did not trust U.K and France (Partly because he was not invited to the Munich
Conference)

C5: US containment on the spread of communism

Korean War (1951-1953):

Main events:

1. June-September 1950: The North Korean People’s Army makes huge advances.
South Korea only held a small area around Busan.
2. September-October 1950: The UN forces under General McArthur pushed the North
Koreans back to the Yalu River close to the border with China.
3.

Cuban Crisis (1951-1953):

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 Background:

- Cuba is 190 miles away from Florida

- Cuba has agreed as part of the United States’ sphere of in uence
- Cuban old leader: Batista (Corrupt & dictator & Allies with US)
- The United States has a large naval base in Cuba
- Fidel Castro (communist) takes over the Batista regime and declares that Cuba is
o cially a communist state
- Fidel Castro took over the American land gradually and transferred it to his communist
supporters who were previously experiencing poverty
- Some Cuban people who opposed Castro and who were capitalists, a.k.a Cuban
Emigres-> Fled Cuba and formed an organization + still in touch with the United States
- Eisenhower regarded Castro as a threat and was anti-communist
- Eisenhower’s actions:
1. Stop trading
2. Impose economic sanctions (Including telling their allies to stop trading e.g UK)->
Widespread economic boycott
3. Training Cuban Exiles (Cuban Emigres) by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a
military force as a power of invasion of Cuba against Castro
4. CIA attempted to assassinate Castro
- To rejuvenate its economy, Castro approaches the Soviet Union as an ally power and
an economic trader
- 1960: Castro and Kruschev (Soviet leader) allied, and Kruschev promised Cuba 100
million dollars of aid. Also, it gave military support (man + conventional weapons,
but not nuclear!) to potential American attack
- 1961: J.F.K(Kennedy) replaces Eisenhower as president
- Eisenhower: A general before becoming a president, tough, extremely experienced,
could not easily be taken advantage of
- J.F.K: Just in his 40s, inexperienced, Kruschev thought he was weak

Bays of Pigs incident (April 1961):

- J.F.K was acknowledged about the secret training of Cuban Emigres and was asked to
authorize the attack
- CIA told false information about Cuba and pressured J.F.K to agree
- Eventually, Kennedy agreed to the invasion. However, no direct U.S. involvement, only
the provision of military equipment.
- 1,400 Cuban exiles attacked Cuba on April 9th, attempts to land in the Bay of Pigs
- Castro's forces were waiting for them, and their military way out-numbered the attack
force, so it was a complete failure
- J.F.K choose did not do anything, because he didn’t want the United States to be
involved
- Demonstrated the weakness of the United States and J.F.K
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Cuban Missile Crisis (1962-14days):

Background:

- ICBM (Intercontinental ballistic missile): A nuclear bomb, that could be red on a rocket
from one continent to another
- US’s number of ICBM = 2 x USSR’s number of ICBM
- U.S.S.R was falling behind in the arms race. Kruschev thought that they needed to do
something to catchup
- Kruschev believes that putting nuclear missiles into Cuba, threatens the U.S. and
demonstrates their power and that they are not falling behind
- The nuclear missiles in Cuba act as a deterrent (威慑) to USA’s invasion
- It is risky to give Castro, as Castro is a volatile (不稳定) and perilous man

Main Events (Chronological):

October 1962:
- U2 Spy planes spotted the missile silo (A base for nuclear missiles to come in)
- Russian ships began to sail towards Cuba, and Americans believe that the Soviets has
brought Nuclear missiles to store in the Silos
- Americans blockaded the Russian ships, by sending ships surrounding Cuba refusing
to let the Russian ships through (Which could’ve caused war)
* At that stage, America and Russia are very close to war
- The Russians then stopped their ships from sailing to Cuba -> negotiations and
diplomacy started
- Kruschev sends a letter (o er 1-26th): Cuban missiles removed + U.S needs to agree
not to invade Cuba
- Kruschev sends a second letter (o er 2-27th): Cuban missiles removed + U.S needs to
agree to remove missiles from Turkey
- Kennedy accepted the rst o er and ignored the second o er because accepting
the second letter made Kennedy look weak
- Bobby Kennedy (J.F.K’s little brother) negotiated with the Ambassador of the U.S.S.R
and Kruschev agreed to remove the missile sites in Cuba

Aftermath:

For U.S.A:
* J.F.K looks strong, popularity has increased
* The United States secretly removed the nuclear missiles in Turkey in 1963
* They failed to remove Castro or communism in Cuba (Failure in the containment of
communism)

For Soviet Union:

* Kruschev and Russia looked weak
* Kruschev was replaced in 1964 by a di erent type of leader

For the world:

* Russia and the U.S have come too close to nuclear and hot war, relationships must
improve
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 Example question: ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis was a defeat for Kruschev’. How far do you
agree? Explain your answer

Argument for:
1. The action of the Soviet Union where they stopped their ships from sailing to Cuba
undermines the authority of the country, showing their unableness to confront the U.S.
2. The fact that Kruschev removed the missile launch sites in Cuba makes him look
signi cantly weak, which overturns the situation during the Bay of Pigs incident.

Argument Against:
1. Kruschev took Cuba away from the United States, expanding its communist sphere of
in uence.
2. Kruschev's o er to Kennedy tactfully eradicated the possibility of going to Nuclear
war, which could’ve caused severe damage to the Soviets.

Vietnam War (1964~):

Background:
* Vietnam borders with China
* Capitalist countries are afraid that a domino e ect will spread communists’ sphere of
in uence
* France ruled Indo-China (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos…) before World War 2
* Before WWII, France and Vietnam had a 9-year-long war, since Ho Chi Minh declared
independence
* 1954- France withdrew from Vietnam
* Vietnam was split into two: 1. North -> communist 2. South -> Capitalist (Anti-
communist)
* 1955- Ngo Diem (Dictator + Catholic + anti-communism + hated Buddism) seized
power in South Vietnam, and attempted to persecute 迫害 people who believed in
Buddism, Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the North
* Viet Kong- Initially a Gorilla force (hidden + disrupts the government + disguised as
citizens of a region), supported by the North and Southern Buddist peasants
* 1960- The Ho Chi Minh created the Ho Chi Minh trail to supply the Viet Kongs
* 1960+ -A gorilla war was held as the North attempted to eradicate Diem and unite
both regions into a communist state

American Initial Involvement:

* 1961- J.F.K replaced Eisenhower, supplied military ground forces (small scale) and
advisors to support Diem
* 1963- 1. Diem was assassinated and his government was overthrown 2. Kennedy was
also assassinated, and L.B.Johnson took over as the president (became president until
1968)

The actual crisis:

* 1964- L.B.J is much more aggressive, and the full-scale war starts against the Northern
Vietnamese
* Gulf of Tonkin incident(1964): The American ship was sunk by the Northern Koreans (No
evidence proved this, this is most likely a lie)
* Gulf of Tonkin resolution(1964): L.B.J. told the lie to the Congress, where the Congress
believed it and gave L.B.J unlimited power to ght the Vietnamese
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 * 1965- L.B.J instituted Operation Rolling Thunder ( 500,000 ground troops were sent to
Vietnam + Bombs to break the Ho Chi Minh trail + Napalm (A sticky substance that was
highly ammable) was thrown to burn down the forest areas to make the Northern
troops more visible) -> Failure!!!
6 reasons of the failure of the operation rolling thunder:
1. In 1967, conscription was introduced, so morale was low as people didn’t want to go
+ drugs were highly used
2. The clever tactics of Viet Kong- Constructed a huge network of underground tunnels
+ set up land mines 地雷 and ambush 埋伏
3. The peasants of the Southern land supported the North Vietnamese army rather than
the United States
4. The atrocities of the United States (The use of napalm) were broadcasted in the world,
the cruel approach led to the decrease in the popularity of L.B.J
5. Americans were equipped for open warfare, but the Viet Kongs knew the countryside
better and were supplied by China
6. Failed to destroy the Ho Chih Minh trail- Every time one was destroyed, the
Vietnamese built another somewhere else
* 1968- The Vietnamese launch the Tet O ensive (Took back all the gains from Rolling
Thunder, including land, properties, etc)
* America uses chemical weapons which again destroys his reputation
* My Lai Massacre (1968)- Led by William Calley who massacred a whole village
(150~500 villagers were killed)
* 1968- All the failures and atrocities turned the public against the war
* 1968- L.B.J. does not join the election and Richard Nixon replaced him as the American
president
* Nixon decided to escalate the war, putting in more e ort to win the war -> it didn’t win,
and peace negotiated
* 1972- Nixon was re-elected
* 1973- Paris Peace Treaty signed: America agreed to withdraw from Vietnam, Nixon
decided South Vietnamese could resist the North Vietnamese
* 1975- North Vietnamese took over the South Vietnamese, and Vietnam become a total
communist state

Stats and Impacts:

* U.S.A death: 47,000 people
* The nancial cost of the war for the U.S: $ 170 Billion -> modern money- approx $ 1
trillion
* Hinders the moral reputation of the United States due to the atrocities it committed,
which demonstrated its sinister and cruelness
* Shows the weakness of the U.S military- Well-equipped 500,000 soldiers didn’t even
win poor peasants of Vietnam
* Proofs the domino theory-> Cambodia also become a communist
* The Vietnam War signi ed the failure of the policy of containment
* American public opinion-> Isolationism (not getting involved in any con icts)
* The Americans concentrated on defense rather than o ense
* The Americans continued this attitude until 2001 (911, twin tower attack) -> America
came out again, removing threats
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C6：U.S.S.R’s control over Eastern Europe

Berlin Wall (1961):

- East Germany: GDR (German democratic republic)

I. Low living standards
II. Restrictions (a lot)
III. Poor economy
IV. Food shortages
V. Poor quality housing

- West Germany: FRG (Federal Republic of Germany)

I. High living standards
II. Freedom
III. Good economy

- After WW2, Berlin was separated into four zones

- Western powers combined their zones (Trizonia)

Causes:

- Refugee crisis: Due to low living standards, many East Germans left and ew
to West Germany (approximately 3 million Germans had left the GDR by
1958) -> most of them were highly educated
- Arms race: Americans developed more ICBMs -> U2 spy plane incident ( The
pilot did not die, so was forced to confess his nature of espionage)
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 Depth Studies B: Germany 1918-45

2. Why was Hitler able to dominate Germany by 1934?

The early years of the Nazi Party:

- Background:
• Nazi began as the German worker’s party (DAP), led by Anton Drexler
• Adolf Hitler joined initially as a spy but then was appealed to their ideas and soon in
charge of propaganda
• In 1920, it renamed itself to NSDAP (National Socialist Germans Worker Party)
• In 1921, Hitler removed Anton Drexler and became the leader of the party

- Nazi main Ideas (25 points program):

• Abolition of the Treaty of Versailles
• Anschluss (union) with Austria
• Strong central government
• Generous old age pension
• Anti-semitism: Exclude Jewish people or get them out of the country (acts as a
scapegoat for German problems)
• Large industries to be nationalized
• Rearm Germany
• Lebensraum (Conquer living space)

- Nazi methods:

• Stirred Nationalist Passions -> gave scapegoats (替罪 ) for German problems, e.g
‘November criminals’, Jewish, and communists
• Held meetings
• In 1921, they hired SA (a.k.a stormtroopers or Brownshirts), which protected Hitler’s
meetings or disrupted other’s meetings.
• Later on, the SS was built, which was similar to the SA but was personally loyal to
Hitler.

- Munich Putsch (1923):

• November 1923: Hitler decided to topple the Weimar Government by plotting a
revolution with nationalist politicians
• Reason: The German government was preoccupied by the economic crisis
• Actions & events: Hitler forced other right-wings leaders to agree to rebel
• Hitler persuaded Germany’s war hero General Lundendor to support him
• Beer Hall meeting was held, and Hitler announced he was taking over the government
of Bavaria
• The S.A under the command of Ernst Rohm, began to march through Munich + take
over the o cial building
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• Weimar police fought back the next day -> 16 Nazis were killed, + Hitler escaped in a
car
• Consequences: Hitler was put on trial and charged with treason (叛国罪）
• Hitler gave his famous speech and, gained enormous publicity, + impressed the
judges
• Hitler was given only ve years of prison but stayed for 9 months (usually committing
treason would carry a life sentence)
• General Lundendorf was freed
• Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) during his prison sentence
• Hitler set up the Hitler Youth (Nazi Students League) after being released from prison

- The roles of Hitler and other Nazi leaders:

• Adolf Hitler: Leader/Fuhrer of the Nazi party
• Ernst Rohm: Commander of the SA, later on seen as a threat and murdered by Hitler
• Joseph Goebbels: Head of Nazi propaganda, in charge of Nazi newspapers, rallies,
and poster
• Heinrich Himmler: Commander of the SS
• Hermann Goering: Old SA leader -> President (Speaker) of Reichstag from 1932
• Rudolf Hess: Hitler’s private secretary + Chairman of the Nazi party and deputy
Fuhrer from 1933

The impact of the Depression on Germany:

- Political, economic, and social impact in 1930~1933:

• Economic:
1. Economic collapse in Germany
2. Business was bankrupted
3. Workers were laid o (解雇) -> unemployment skyrocketed
4. Germany had to pay reparations from T.O.V and loans borrowed from the U.S

• Social:
1. Mass unemployment-> Increased poverty and hunger
2. Widespread disillusionment (不抱期望) with the Weimar Republic
3. People turned to extremist ideas to maintain their livelihood

• Political:
1. Increasing support for extremist parties (Nazi vote went from 107 seats in 1930 to
nearly 200 in 1932)
2. The decline in support for mainstream and moderate parties (e.g., SPD)

- Reasons for Nazi’s rise to power:

• The depression: Mass unemployment and famine -> Unemployed workers turned to
extremism and wanted to join the military to maintain their livelihood
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• Failings of the Weimar Govt: Disillusionment -> Nazis exploited the huge discontent
and provided solutions for prevailing economic problems
• The appeal of Hitler: Through his charisma and in uence by giving inspiring speeches,
he gains support from important gures and the crowd

• Fear of the rise of communism: “Fear of communism” becomes a shared negative for
many people. This shared negative caused many people to support Nazis.

• Nazi Party propaganda and use of technology: They rallied around Germany, made
posters, wrote newspapers, and spread their ideas on media. Their propaganda
contrasted the supposedly clean and simple life of peasants and corrupt and crime-
ridden cities, blaming Jews. Their propaganda impressed people with their enthusiasm
and energy and increased the support for the Nazi’s ideas and hatred of Jews. Also,
some conservationists disliked the decadent (颓废) lifestyle of the big cities, and Hitler
mentioned bringing the traditional lifestyle back, so gets support from them.

• Support from Farmers/Peasants: They comprised 35% of the German population. The
Nazis used propaganda to praise them and promised to help agriculture if they came
to power. Also, farmer’s land became state-owned, and millions of peasants were
either killed or imprisoned in the U.S.S.R. The fear of the communist rise also
caused farmers to support the Nazis.

• Support from Industrialists: They feared that the communists would introduce state
control businesses and were concerned about the growing trade unions. They
believed the Nazis could combat these issues, so fund the Nazi campaign.

- Hitler takes power:

• Chancellor: Von Papen (Had virtually no support from Reichstag, so forced to resign)
->Von Schleicher (Big rival to Von Papen, forced to resign within a month) -> 1933
January Hitler (A chancellor who had support from the Reichstag)
• Hindenburg appointed Hitler with the thought that he and Von Papen (Vice-chancellor)
could limit Hitler’s in uence and resist his extremist demands.
• February 1933: Emergency decrees were issued by Hindenburg to Hitler
• March 1933: The enabling act -> Hitler passed decrees without the President’s
involvement
• August 1934: Hindenburg was dead, and Hitler combined Chancellor and President,
becoming the Fuhrer or virtual dictator

- The Reichstag Fire and the Election of 1933:

• 1933 February 27: Dutch communist- Van der Lubbe was found at the scene of the
Reichstag re and was charged with treason and executed
• The Reichstag building was burnt down
• Hitler blamed the communists and declared that this re was the beginning of a
communist rising.
• Hitler demanded special emergency powers and decrees to deal with this situation,
which were given by Hindenburg the next day.
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 • Hitler used the emergency powers to make SA an auxiliary (附属) police force
• He arrested 4000 communist leaders and shut down anti-Nazi press
• 5 March 1933: Reichstag elections- Hitler used control of the radio and police to
intimidate (恐吓) opponents. Nazi election slogan was “battle against Marxism.” Won
43.9% of votes.

Nazi rule of Germany:

- The enabling act:

• Using SA and SS, he intimidated the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Act
• Enabling act allowed Hitler to pass laws without consulting the Reichstag and the
president
• Enabling act made Hitler a virtual dictator
• Hitler banned communism in the following election

- The Night of the Long Knives:

• SA was a badly disciplined force.
• Rohm’s 4 million SA force made Hitler feel threatened, along with Goering and
Himmler’s persuasion.
• June 1934: SS captured Rohm and other leading o cers of the SA
• Hitler accused Rohm of plotting to overthrow and murder him
• Rohm and 400 others were executed (e.g, former Chancellor Von Schleicher and a
erce critic of Hitler)
• SA becomes subordinate to the SS

- The Death of Hindenburg:

• Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934 at the age of 86
• Hitler combined the power of the Chancellor and President using the enabling act
• Hitler became the Fuhrer (leader) and Chancellor
• The entire army swore an oath (宣誓忠诚于) to Hitler
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