Notes on the Third reich

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Notes on the Third reich

• The Third reich is probably the most popular and
  controversial field of historical study in the
  world

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The large context

• 1871 - 1918 The German Empire
• Authoritarian and aggressive
• 1919 - 1933 The Weimar republic
• The most democratic constitution in the world
• 1933 - 1945 The Third Reich
• Aggressive dictatorship
• 1945 - 1990 split Germany
• Democratic and authoritarian
• 1990 United Germany again.
• Democratic.

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The Nazi ideology

• Nazism is a revolutionary rightist movement and
  its main features are ultra-nationalism and the
  leadership principle.
• The nation is connected by blood relations which
  should not be severed
• The nation should follow the leader that reads
  the nations will and takes decisions for the
  people
• One will of the nation, one party, one leader.
• Imperialism (lebensraum)
• Racism - anti-semitism

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Nazism also defined itself by hatred towards

• Liberalism and Democracy
• Individualism divides the nation. Profit becomes
  the highest goal. Heroic action and sacrifice is
  extinct. Democracy is ineffective.
• Rationalism
• Nazism puts emphasis on feelings, will and
  intuition.Discussions and argumentation hamper
  the will to action. They glorify action and war.
• Marxism
• Modernism

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Why did Weimar fail

• Weak democratic legacy
• The right wing wanted autocratic government
• The communists wanted revolution
• Nationalism was not connected with democracy
• it has sometimes be said that Weimar was a
  republic without republicans
• The Center party and the Social democrats were
  the only real democratic parties
• The army was still of Junker origin

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The negative image of Weimar

• The system of the victors
• The Weimar republic was connected to the defeat
  in the war and to Versailles
• The stab in the back myth of Nationalists
• Communist attacked the republic after the
  rebellions 1919 had been suppressed with violence
• Pillars of the state like army and civil servants
  and educators resented it

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Weak government

• The constitution allowed for many parties
• Governments were weak and usually didnt last long
• Coalition and minority governments
• The best qualified people didnt want to make a
  career in politics
• Stresemann died in 1929
• Hindenburg earned it some respect as president

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Economic depression from 1929

• The collapse of the mark in 1923 left many
  middle-class people in ruin and dissatisfied with
  the government
• Economic recovery 1924-28, investment still based
  on short term American loans
• The world depression hit Germany hard
• Loans have to be paid
• Bankrupcies and unemployment goes from 1,5 mill
  to 6 million.

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• Elections 1932
• In spite of this poster it is not neccesserely
  the unemployd that vote for the Nazis.

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Parties in the reichstag
 
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Hitler Chancellor in Jan 1933

• Clique of nationalists and generals bring Hitler
  into coalition government 3/10
• Hoped to control Hitler even if Hitler got the
  Chancellorhsip as he demanded
• Hitler decides on new elections march 5th
• Reichstag fire 27th of february
• Gets 44 in elections, 288 out of 647
• Enabling law march 23th 441 to 94 (needed 2/3)
• Enabling Hitlers dictatorship

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Who supported the nazis?

• Voters
• Protestants
• Farmers
• Lower middle class
• Extreme nationalists
• Youth
• Financial support from nationalistic
  industrialist like Alfred Hugenberg

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What made Hitler so special?

• Great orator
• Feeling for the masses
• Political intuition
• Steadfast opportunist

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Nazis turned Germany totalitarian

• Totalitarian system
• Centralized government, single party.
• All political opposition suppressed
• Media and social organizations used to control
  peoples minds and actions
• Propaganda, personal cult, censorship, purges.
• State intervention in the economy.

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Gleichschaltung

• Put society in line with the party
• KPD and SPD banned and leaders put in prison
• Labor unions dissolved
• German labor front established
• Nazis take over local government
• Dismissal of jewish and incompetent civil
  servants and teachers
• Army and church remained out of reach for awhile
• Nazis and big business went hand in hand
  politics first

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Culture and education

• Nazi ideals in eduction?
• Emphasis on history, biology, German and
  gymnastics.
• Einsteins theory of relativity banned as jewish
• Children should enter nazi youth organizations,
  Jungvolk and Jungmadel
• Nazi art nationalistic, physical and mediocre.
  Films more subtle.

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Youth serves the Führer. All 10-year-olds into
the Hitler Youth. Membership in the Hitler Youth
had become mandatory in 1936.
One people, one state, one leader!
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Third Reich economics

• Immediate economic goal
• Get rid of unemployment
• Longterm economic goals
• Prepare Germans for war. This includes
• Selfsufficiency
• Rearmament
• The government must keep up the living standard
  and thus the morale of the people.

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First actions

• Hitler reduced unemployment from 6 m to 2.2
  million in oct 1934 by
• State funded projects like the autobahns.
• Voluntary labor service for young unemployed.
• Women sent home

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Recovery problems

• Rearmament, construction projects and increased
  consumer demand called for increased imports
• Hjalmar Schacht was appointed minister of finance
  1934 and he introduced the New Plan to solve the
  balance of payment crises
• Importers had to seek clearance
• He also managed to pay for some import by marks.

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The Four-year plan 1936

• Hitler wanted faster rearmament and
  selfsufficiency than the conventional economics
  of Schacht allowed
• German Economy must be fit for war within four
  years.
• Göring directed the Four Year plan
• Exercised control over investment capital, labour
  and raw materials.
• Reichswerke Herman Göring, the largest industrial
  enterprise in Europe 1939
• Rubber and oil lacking

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The peoples community

• Hitler formed organisations to bring worker into
  line in the new state
• German labour front (Daf)
• Campaigned for better working conditions
• Kraft durch Freude controlled workers leisure and
  provided cheap vacation packages
• The Volkswagen was intended for the every German

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Nazis and the Church

• National socialism and christianity are
  irreconcilable Martin Borman
• Why is that?
• The German Christians (protestants) wanted to
  remove the Old testament from he Bible.
• Hitler removed two protestant bishops but
  reinstated the after upproar
• After that nazis try do diminish protestand
  influence over education and youth movements
  gradually.

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The Catholics were also powerful

• 8. July 1933 the catholic church and nazis made a
  Concordat between state and church.
• The church stayed out of politics but church
  institutions and schools were intact
• In spite of the concordat nazis waged war against
  church schools by demanding changing of
  curriculum and dismissal of teachers.

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Girls in uniform

• What is the general purpose of the BDM
• What was its purpose before the war
• What was its purpose in the war?
• Why would a girl voluntarily enter such an
  organisation? What pressures were put on girls to
  enter BDM
• What is the argument of the paper?

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The consequences

• Germans said farewell to democracy and gave in to
  criminals
• Questions
• Why did Weimar fail divide causes into short
  term causes and long term causes.
• Where did the supporters of Weimar go wrong?
• Is there any relation between Nazi electoral
  support and the figures in the handout and table
  14.2

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Questions

• Was Germany prepared for war in 1939? (p. 23)
• What classes gained most and least from the
  economic recovery?
• Was the Nazi government a front for German
  capitalism?

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The attraction of Hitler

• Albert Speer became a minister in Hitlers
  Government during the war. In his autobiography
  written in jail he describes how he became a
  member of the Party.
• he (Hitler) had a great gift for adjusting
  (pg. 44) How was this evident at the meeting?
• Describe the effect of Hitlers speech on Speer.
  What was memorable about the speech.
• What made Hitler a good political choice for
  Speer?
• How was Goebbels different from Hitler as a
  speaker? What did they have in common?

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Hitler

• Discuss in groups of four
• Describe Hitler in one sentence.
• From where have you got your knowledge of Hitler?
• Should we remember Hitler? Why? How?
• Think of a few problems that you as a
  proto-historian would like to do research on
  regarding Hitler.
• Was Hitler a historical freak or could history
  repeat itself?

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The Historical issues

• How and why did the Nazis gain power?
• Why did the Weimar-republic fail?
• How could they maintain such a brutal government?
• What is the role of Hitler?
• What is the role of the individual in history?
• Was Nazism a unique phenomenon or is it a part of
  a European trend?
• Was Nazism a unique phenomenon in German history
  or a natural offspring of German history?

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What happened after 1929

• Brunings deflationary tactics earned him the
  title hunger canchellor
• Both Bruning and Papen resorted to early
  elections 1930 and 1932 which gave the Nazis
  extra opportuninty
• In July 1932 Nazis biggest party
• Losing votes in nov 1932 elections

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The Historical Debate

• Why did Germans fall so easily for nazism?
• Four main schools of explanation
• A German phenomenon A natural offspring of
  German history. (A.J.P. Taylor)
• Outcome of the social and political chaos and
  upheavals of the 20s and 30s. (Ritter)
• The last resort of besieged capitalism. (Marxist)
• Hitlers dynamic personality. (Alan Bullock)