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Rise of the Nazis 1. Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic

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Presentation on theme: "Rise of the Nazis 1. Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic"— Presentation transcript:

1 Rise of the Nazis 1. Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic
Higher History

2 Weimar Republic - Background
After WW1, the German ruler, Kaiser Wilhelm II, abdicated and fled to Holland. The democracy that governed Germany in his absence met at the town of Weimar. It became known as the Weimar Republic. Click on image to view video clip.

3 Born at a bad time! Finlay McKichan has put forward the theory that the Weimar Republic was “a Republic that nobody wanted”. In turn, it can be argued that it was doomed from the start.

4 Stab in the back The first reason that many Germans disliked the new Weimar Republic was for surrendering in the war. When Germany surrendered there were no allied troops in Germany – so many Germans believed that they had not lost the war, in other words the new democratic government surrendered too soon. The German government leaders who signed the Armistice on November 11, 1918, became known as the "November Criminals".

5 Analysis Read pages of the ‘Britain & Scotland and Germany textbook’. What did Stab in the back mean? How did the ‘Stab in the Back’ lead to more support for Hitler/Nazis in later years?

6 Analysis answers… Stab in the back – the belief that Germany had not lost the war yet democrats, Communists, Socialists and Jews went behind the countries back and surrendered.

7 Analysis answers… Stab in the back – the belief that Germany had not lost the war yet democrats, Communists, Socialists and Jews went behind the countries back and surrendered. This meant that people were disillusioned with democracy and politicians so they turned to parties which offered an alternative. Getting rid of democracy was one of the Nazis’ central policies and Hitler promised strong leadership to replace the “November criminals” of the Weimar Republic.

8 Treaty of Versailles The Weimar Republic was also very unpopular for signing the Treaty of Versailles.

9 THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES
The hated Diktat The war ended in November 1918, and in June 1919 a conference met at Versailles near Paris to try and sort out the terrible mess that the war had caused. Although the conference said it wanted lasting peace, the leading members France and Britain decided to punish Germany harshly. Germany was not allowed to take part and defend itself. In later years the Germans would say this was a Diktat (dictated peace) that everyone in Germany hated. Hitler stated it was a vindictive treaty designed to keep Germany weak and poor.

10 Treaty of Versailles Summary
A dictated peace – a ‘Diktat’. Germany lost 10% of its people and 13% of its land e.g. Alsace and Lorraine. German army reduced – 100,000. Not allowed submarines or an air force, Germany lost the ability to defend itself Was fined reparations of £6.6 Billion to pay for damages to its enemies Article Worst of all Germany was forced to sign the War Guilt clause which made them accept the blame for starting the war. Click on image to view video clip.

11 ANALYSIS The fact that the Weimar Republic had surrendered and signed the T of V – made Weimar unpopular with the German people. Click on image to view video clip. The Nazi Party were against both and Hitler constantly referred to them in his speeches to help gain support.

12 “HOW THE NEW GOVERNMENT WAS TO BE RUN”
PRESIDENT (Head Of State) CHANCELLOR Elections held every four years. Parties elected by proportional representation (e.g 10% of the vote equals 10% of the seats). THE REICHSTAG ( Parliament ) 421 Members (1919) 647 Members (1932) Appointed by the president. The President was very important: Chose the Chancellor (Prime Minister) Could call elections whenever he wanted Article 48 – he could even pass laws without the Reichstag in emergencies.

13 Constitutional Problems
The new Weimar constitution was supposed to be the fairest in the world, e.g. Most adults 20+ could vote No one was discriminated against because of their religion Elected Members would represent you in the Reichstag

14 Problems The voting system – Proportional Representation was too fair, too many parties were elected - in one election alone Germans had to choose between 35 different parties.

15 Problems The voting system – Proportional Representation was too fair, too many parties were elected - in one election alone Germans had to choose between 35 different parties. It was very confusing for voters. No one party had enough votes/MPs in the Reichstag to rule alone. This meant that governments were often made up of more than one party – called coalition governments.

16 Problems The voting system – Proportional Representation was too fair, too many parties were elected - in one election alone Germans had to choose between 35 different parties. It was very confusing for voters. No one party had enough votes/MPs in the Reichstag to rule alone. This meant that governments were often made up of more than one party – called coalition governments. Often coalitions would quarrel and fall out with each other which led to election after election (9 elections up to 1928). This made democratic government seem weak.

17 May 1928 election results

18 Article 48: Powers of the President
Even though the new constitution was very democratic it had Article 48 in case of emergencies. This meant that the President could rule by himself. Later this allowed Hitler to gain complete control. Emergency Decree

19 ANALYSIS Germans were confused by democracy, most had been led by a strong leader, the Kaiser and began to long for a simpler time with one strong man leading them, Hitler said he was that man.

20 ANALYSIS Germans were confused by democracy, most had been led by a strong leader, the Kaiser and began to long for a simpler time with one strong man leading them, Hitler said he was that man. All the elections made Weimar governments look weak and corrupt, the Nazi Party had never been in government so were seen as something new and incorruptible.

21 ANALYSIS Germans were confused by democracy, most had been led by a strong leader, the Kaiser and began to long for a simpler time with one strong man leading them, Hitler said he was that man. All the elections made Weimar governments look weak and corrupt, the Nazi Party had never been in government so were seen as something new and incorruptible. Groups such as judges, civil servants, the army teachers – would never support the new style of government that wanted to give a say to the lower classes. They liked what Hitler said about getting rid of democracy.

22 Lack of Law and Order The inability of Weimar to control law and order was a further reason why the German people were unhappy. Spartacist Revolt 1919 over 700 died. Constant riots, violent strikes and street battles saw over 300 political deaths/assassinations. ANALYSIS – To the German people Weimar was not in control of law and order. They wanted an alternative government that could ensure peace in the country. Hitler seemed like the strong leader that could achieve this.

23 ANALYSIS SUMMARY There were still many groups in Germany who would always associate democracy with defeat, weakness and something ‘foreign’ imposed on them. The Nazi Party constantly highlighted the weaknesses of Weimar like a lack of law and order and many Germans hoped that by supporting the Nazis, the pre-war stability of the Kaiser would return.


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