Humanities Coursework

Humanities coursework

In 1919 the allies signed the treaty of Versailles with Germany many Germans were angered by the treaty and called it diktat a decision forced upon them against their wishes. The Germans were forced to admit blame for the war. (the war guilt clause). They also were forced to pay for all of the damage caused during the war (reparations). The Germans received a number of punishments for starting the war these punishments were things such as:

Germanys army was reduced to 100,000 men

Also weren't able to have tanks, submarines or warplanes

German colonies were taken away from them aswell.

These things made the German people become angry and they began to dislike their government eventually this helped Hitler turn the German people turn against the government and elect him as German prime minister.

The German government had borrowed money from industries and banks thinking it would be able to pay them back once they had won the war, however not only did they lose the war but Germany was put under more financial pressure by the heavy reparation payments they were they were required to pay back. Between 1920 and 1922 as goods became scare in Germany prices began to increase (inflation). By 1922 the German government announced they were unable to pay reparations anymore the French and Belgians did not believe Germany and in December 1922 decided to invade and occupy the Ruhr, the main coal and industrial area. Some historians argue that the French were just waiting for an excuse to invade. I believe this was because they hated Germany and blamed them for the war.

The Weimar government were unable to deal with the invasion. As a result, it encouraged workers in the Ruhr to adopt a policy of passive resistance.

This meant they would go on strike.

Hitler's beliefs and ideas helped the German people decide to elect him because he had answers to everything and said things such as:

This unfair treaty has been forced upon us we have no reason to obey it = suggesting he would sort it out if he came to power.

My system of education will be tough. I want the young people of Germany to be violent and masterful not weak and tender = the Germans will be not walked over ever again.

I will make more jobs for Germans. We will build motorways, which will employ lots of workers . I promise to make Germany great = telling the people want they want to hear in order to get elected.

The SA and SS will beat up anyone speaking out against the Nazis. Such people will be put in labour camps = proving he is no pushover and will do all things in his power to do the things he wants.Hitler tell the German people the things they want to hear and says he will do them if he gets elected.

Hitler used things such as slogans to appeal to all kind of different people German citizens such as :

The unemployed

Town workers

Farmers and rural communities

Capitalists - landowners and industrials

Work and bread - appealed to the unemployed. The Nazi party seemed to be offering them a future of employments and rewards.

Make Germany self - sufficient - appealed to farmers and nationalists. It implied that Germany should not import food or goods, which would also please farmers and factory owners and the people they employed . It would also apply to people who wanted Germany to become a great power again.

Smash communism! - appealed to capitalists because communists did not agree with the inheritance of wealth or ownership of land and factories. This slogan would also have appealed to many Catholics as communist ideology (thinking) attacked the large catholic vote.

People's willingness to join Hitler became much larger in 1929 as the wall street crash took place and left so many German's unemployed they were now considering listening to extreme parties such as Hitler and the Nazi's this is the time in which Hitler convinced masses and masses of people that he would be able to employ them and get them more money.

The influence of Nazi propaganda was great because they could get their ideas across so well and did everything they could to persuade the German people that Hitler was their last hope.

Hitler's speaking skills were considered phenomenal especially in front