( Nazism And The Rise OF Hitler)
Q. " Under the Shadow of the second world war, Germany had waged a genocidal
war " Justify
This resulted in the mass murder of selected groups of innocent civilians of
Europe.
6 million Jews were killed.
1 million polish civilians.
200,000 Gypsies.
70,000 Germans who were considered mentally and physically disabled.
Q. " The Peace Treaty at Versailles with the Allies was a harsh and humiliating for
Germany " . Justify
Germany had lost its overseas colonies (one tenth of its coal to France)
Germany lost 13 % of its territories.
75% of its iron and 26% of its coal to France, Denmark .
The Allied Powers demilitarised Germany to weaken its power.
Germany was forced to pay compensation of 6 billion pounds
Q. First World War (1914-1918):
Allies Powers (England, France and Russia)
Later joined by United States.
Central Power ( Germany, Austria-Hungary Empire, Ottoman Empire)
Q. What was Impact of First world war on Germany?
The war had a devastating impact on the entire contents both
psychologically and financially.
Europe turned into debtors from creditors .
Soldiers came to be placed above civilians.
Politician laid great stress on the need for men to be aggressive, strong and
masculine.
Aggressive war propaganda and national honour occupied centre stage in
the public sphere.
People's support grew for the dictatorships than Democracy.
Q. Who were called as the ' November Criminals '? Why were they targeted?
The Weimar Republic had to signed the peace treaty at Versailles with the
Allies.
It was a harsh and humiliating peace.
Those who supported the Weimer Republic mainly Socialist, Catholics and
Democrats came to known as ' November Criminals '.
They were mockingly called the ''November Criminal "
They were targeted by the Conservative.
Q. Political Radicalism :
" Communist and Socialits henceforth became irreconcilable enemies " . How ?
The birth of the Weimar Republic led revolutionary uprising.
Spartaist league was formed on the pattern of Bolshevik.
Demands for Soviet-style governance had increased.
The Weimar Republic crushed the uprising with the help of war veterans
organisation called Free Corps.
The Spartacist founded the Communist party of Germany.
Therefore, they were irreconcilable enemies.
Q. What do you mean by Hyperinflation? Explain with examples.
Hyperinflation, a situation when prices rise phenomenonally high.
Germany had fought the war on loans and had to pay war reparations in
gold.
This depleted gold reserves.
Germany refused to pay, the French occupied it's leading industrial
area,Ruhr to claim their coal.
Germany had printed paper currency recklessly.
With too much printed money in circulation, the value of German mark fell .
In April the US dollar was equal to 24,000 mark, August 4,621,000 marks
,98,860,000 marks by December.
This crisis came to be known as hyperinflation
Q. What was the impact of the Great Depression on the US?
The Great Depression started when the Wall Street Exchange of USA
crashed in 1929.
Values of Shares dropped, National income of US fell by half.
Factories shut down, export fell, farmers were badly hit.
Hundreds of American banks, went bankrupt.
There was large scale unemployment, poverty and starvation.
Q. " Politically the Weimar was a Fragile Republic " Explain this statement.
It was based on proportional representation which made achieving majority
by one party impossible. ( Ruled by coalition government )
Existence of Article 48 in the constitution which gave the President the
power to impose emergency, suspend Civil rights.
Weimar Republic saw twenty different cabinets lasting on an average 239
days, people lost Confidence in democracy.
Q. What was the impact of the Great Depression on the Germany?
By the 1932, industrial production was reduced to 40%.
Workers lost their jobs or were paid reduced wages.
The number of unemployment reached to 6 million.
Unemployed youths played cards or sat at street corner and engaged in
criminal activities.
The economic crisis created deep anxieties and fears of unemployment.
Small businessmen and retailers suffered as their business ruined.
Women were unable to fill their children's stomach.
Q. How Nazi Party was formed in Germany?
Hitler's born in 1889 in Austria.
He spent his youth in poverty.
He acted as a messenger for the army and earned medals for bravery.
The Germany defeat horrified him and Versailles Treaty made him furious.
In 1919, he joined a small group called the German Worker's Party.
He took over the organization and renamed National Socialist German
worker's party.
This party came to be known as the Nazi Party.
Q. How did Nazi party became largest party?
In 1923 ,Hitler planned to seize control of Bavaria and Berlin .
He was failed and arrested,later released .
During Great Depression (1929-1932), Nazi Propaganda created hopes of a
better future.
In 1928, the Nazi Party got 2.6% votes in the Reichstag ( the German
parliament)
But in 1932 , it become the largest party with 37% votes.
Q. What were the promises made by Hitler to people of Germany?
He was a powerful speaker.
He promised to build Germany into a strong nation.
He was promised to restore the dignity of the German people
He promised employment for those looking for work.
He promised to secure the future of the youth.
He promised to weed out all foreign influence and resist all foreign
conspiracies against Germany.
"Hitler devised a new style of Politics ".Justify.
He was a powerful speaker.
He understood the significance of rituals and spectacle in mass
mobilisation.
Nazi held massive rallies and public meeting to demonstrate the support for
Hitler.
Nazi used Red banners with Swastika.
Nazi salute and the rounds of applause after speeches were common.
Nazi propaganda skilfully projected Hitler as a messiah, saviour.
Q. Explain any five measures adopted by Hitler to establish dictatorship in
Germany.
Or
The Destruction of Democracy
On 30 January 1933, President Hindenburg offered the Chancellorship,
(highest post in the cabinet of minister) to Hitler.
A mysterious fire broke out in German parliament.
The Fire Decree of 28 Feb 1933 suspended civic rights like freedom of
speech, press and assembly.
He turned to his enemies mostly Communist, Socialist, Democrats and
Catholics were arrested and killed.
On 3rd March, 1933, the famous Enabling Act was passed. This act
established dictatorship in Germany.
All political parties and trade unions were banned.
Hitler control over the economy, media army and judiciary.
Q. "The Police forces acquired powers to rule with impunity ". Justify
Special surveillance and security forces were created to control the society.
Apart from regular police in green uniform, Storm Troopers (SA) included
the Gestapo (secret state Police) , the SS (the protection Squads), criminal
Police and the Security Service (SD).
People detained in Gestapo torture Chambers, sent to concentration
camps.
Reconstruction :
Q. Explain any four points of Hitler 's foreign Policy. What did Schacht advise to
Hitler's?
In foreign Policy, Adolf Hitler took quick and successful steps.
He assigned economist Hjalmar Schacht who worked for full production and
full employment.
He pulled Germany out of the league of Nation in 1933.
Germany reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936.
He integrated Austria and Germany in 1938 under the slogan One people,
one empire and one leader.
He captured German speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.
Schacht advised Hitler against investing in war which led deficit financing.
Hitler and world war II :
Hitler choose war ,inspite of economic crisis.
In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland.
This led war with France and England.
In September 1940, a Tripatie pact was signed between Germany, Italy and
Japan.
Hitler attacked USSR in June was a historic mistake made by Hitler.
The Soviet Red Army defeated Germany at stalingard and to Berlin.
In the beginning, the US remained neutral.
When Japan extended it's support to Hitler and bombed the US base at
Pearl Harbor.
The US entry led Hitler's defeat and end of war in may 1945.
Japan surrendered after the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.
The Nazi Worldview :
Q. How were the ideas of Darwin and Herbert Spencer adopted by Hitler or
Nazis? Explain.
Darwin was a natural scientist who tried to explain the creation of species of
plants and animals through the concept of natural selection and evolution.
He did not advocate human interfere, purely natural process of selection.
Herbert Spencer added the idea of Survival of fittest
These ideas were used by racist thinkers and politicians to justify imperial
rule.
Nazi thought strongest race (Aryan race) would survive and the weak ones
would be perish.
Q. What were the main features of Hitler's geopolitical concept of lebensraum (
living space) ? Give three features
He believed that new territories had to be acquired for settlement.
This enhance the area of mother country.
It enhances the materials resources and power of the German nation.
Q. List the communities which were classified as undesirable in Nazi Germany?
The Jews, Gypsies and Blacks.
Mentally or physically unfit persons.
Russian and poles were considered subhuman.
The only community which was considered 'desirable ' was pure and healthy
Nordic Aryan who were considered superior to other races.
Q. How were Jews the worst sufferer in the Nazi government?
The Nazi hatred for Jews was rooted in the traditional Christian hostility
towards them.
Jews lived in separetly marked areas called ghettos.
They were often persecuted through periodic organized violence and
expulsion from the land.
From 1933 to 1938 , the Nazi terrorised, pauperised and segrageted the
Jews.
Hitler believed that ' Jewish problem ' could be solved only through total
elimination.
Q. Explain the New Education Policy introduced by Hitler in Germany.
Hitler believed that Nazi society could be established only by teaching
children Nazi ideology.
Jew teachers were dismissed from the schools.
Children were segrated - German and Jews could not sit together or play
together.
Undesirable children ( Jew, Gypsies, physically handicapped) were thrown
out of school.
School textbook were rewritten.
Racial science was introduced to justify Nazi Ideas of race.
Stereotypes about jews were popularised through maths classes.
Children were taught to be loyal and submissive, hate jews and worship
Hitler.
Sports like boxing, which made children iron-hearted, strong and masculine
were introduced in school.
Youth in Nazi Germany :
Children were taught to be loyal and submissive and worship Hitler.
Boys were taught to be aggressive, masculine and steel hearted.
Youth organisation were formed to develop ' the spirit of National Socialism
'.
Ten - year olds had to enter Jungvolk.
At 14 ,all boys had to join the Nazi youth organisation - Hitler youth ( youth
league).
At the age of 18 ,they had to serve in the armed forces and enter in Nazi
organisation.
They learnt to worship war, glorify aggression and violence and condemn
democracy.
The Nazi Cult of Motherhood :
Hitler declared women as most important citizens.
Girls were told to become good mothers , look after the home.
They were bearer of pure-blooded Aryan Children.
Girls had to maintain the purity of race and culture.
They were favoured treatment in hospitals ,concession in Shops, theatre
tickets, railway tickets.
To encourage women to produce many children. A bronze cross was given
for four children, silver for six and gold for eight or more.
Note :
Women who produced racially undesirable children were punished.
All Aryan women who deviated from the prescribed code of conduct were
publicly condemned and punished.
Those who maintained contact with Jews, Poles and Russian were punished
with shaved heads, blackened faces.
Many received jail sentence and lost civic honour as well as their families.
Q. Evaluate the use of media by the Nazis to popularise their ideology in
Germany.
Nazi ideas were spread through visual images, film, radio, poster, catchy
slogans and leaflets.
In posters, enemies of Germany were stereotyped , mocked and abused.
Socialists and liberals were represented as weak and degenerate.
Propaganda films were produced to create hatred for Jews.
Orthodox Jews were stereotyped marked with beards and wearing kaftan.
They were referred to as Vermin, rats and pests.
The Art of Propaganda in Nazi :
Nazi never used the words ' kill ' or ' murder ' in their official communications
.
Mass killings were termed Special treatment, final solution ( for the jew's),
Euthanasia (for the disabled), selection and disinfections were used.
Evacuation meant deporting people to gas Chambers.
Q. How did the Common people react to Nazism?
Many people saw the word through Nazi eyes.
They spoke their mind in Nazi language.
They felt hatred and anger when they saw someone looked like a Jew.
The stereotypical images published in Nazi press haunted the Jews.
Common men really believed that Nazism would bring happiness and
prosperity.
The majority of German were passive onlookers as they were scared to act
or protest against Nazism.
Many German organized active resistance to Nazism.
Examp : Pastor Niemoellar, a resistance fighter .
Charlotte Beradt secretly recorded people's dreams in her diary and
published book ' Third Reich of Dreams.
Knowledge About the Holocaust :
Information about the Nazi horrible practices was known after second world
war.
The atrocities and suffering that Jews had experienced during the Nazi
killing operation called Holocaust.
Documents written by ghetto and camp inhabitants in diaries, notebook and
archives were preserved as witnesses.
Nazi leadership distributed petrol to it's follower to destroy evidence.
The history and the memory of the Holocaust live on in memoir, fiction,
documentaries, poetry, memorial and museums in many parts of world.
These are tribute to those who resisted, embarrassing reminder to those
who collaborated, warning to those who watched in silence.
Important point :
Goebbles, the propaganda minister in Hitler Germany.
Reichstag, German parliament.
Volkswagen, people's car in Germany.
Remember New words from book.
Notes prepared by Hassan shahid
(B.A ,M.A ,BLIS, B.Ed ,M.Ed, CTET, STET, KVS and NET qualified)
(if you have any problem or suggestions please contact me
on 8969752812).
