GERMANY AND HITLER

HITLER'S BACKGROUND

• Born April 20th 1889, Austria
• Joined German Army, as Austrian army rejected him
• Didn't agree with "Treaty of Versailles"
• Felt betrayed at German Government

HITLERS NAZISM

• After WWI Weimar Republic established
• They scrutinised Communist activities
• Joined "National Socialist German Workers Group" (Nazi Party)
• Became leader of this party
• Democratic government now weak and powerless compared to this Party

HITLERS NAZISM

• Beer Halt Revolt November 1923
• This was where Nazi's tried to take over munich

MEIN KEMPF

• Book Rudolf Hess and Hitler wrote on Nazi beliefs
• Aryans (german race) are the premium race (herrenvolk)
• Lebensraum: "living space", take over USSR
• Auschluss: wanting to unite with Austria
• Treaty of versailles be destroyed - stopping them achieve goals

MEIN KEMPF

• Fascism take over for communism
• Anti-semitism: Non-Aryans (jews) made slaves
• Kristallnacht: "night of broken glass"
• ^ jewish homes, shops, etc. Invaded by SA
• Isolation: Ghettos - awful living quarters

MEIN KEMPF

• Nuremberg Laws 1934: jews lost all rights
• ^ Not seen as citizens, wore star of David
• ^couldnt vote/own property/marry German citizen
• Final solution/death: camps, holocaust

NAZI'S

• Brownshirts (SA)
• Straight arm salute & goose step
• Swastika

RISING TO POWER

• Propaganda, indoctrination & censorship
• SA's intimidating appearance
• 1st & 2nd Class preferred fascism to communism
• Made President von Hindenberg to appoint a:
• ^ Coalition government with Hitler as Chancellor (Jan. 1933)

RISING TO POWER

• Wall street crash 1929:
• ^America wanted loan paid back by Germany
• ^Germany could barely repay reparation
• ^Businesses closed due to this
• ^Unemployed agreed with Nazi - stop treaty and Jews

RISING TO POWER

• Enabling Law 1933: hitler didnt have to look for Parliaments consent
• ^Blames Communist Party for burning down Reichstag
• Hitler declared himself Führer
• Army officials who opposed Hitler were fired
• Gestapo: secret police

Untitled Slide

RISING TO POWER

• SS: Bodyguard, leader - Heinrich Himmler
• Night of the Long Knives:
• ^SS murdered brownshirts that disagreed with Hitler
• Germany now known as "Third Reich"
• SA: Hitlers Army

ECONOMY

• Trade Unions controled by Nazi's
• Public Work Schemes: eg. Motorways
• Private Industry supported by cutting taxes
• New businesses: eg. Volkswagen
• ^Wealth and Employment increased due to this

WORLD WAR II

BACKGROUND

• Auschluss & Lebensraum to be achieved
• Destroy The Treaty of Versailles

HOW TREATY WAS DESTROYED

• International Relations stopped
• German Army replenished
• Rhineland took over: area bordering France
• ^France built up defence forces - Maginot Line

WHY HITLER WASN'T STOPPED

• Italy: war threatened by Mussolini when Hitler was going to invade Austria
• ^Rome-Berlin Axis/ Pact of Steel 1936: Germany & Italy joined forces
• ^Union of policies on military & economy
• France: too busy building the Maginot Line
• America: isolated itself from European affairs

WHY HITLER WASN'T STOPPED

• Britain: felt bad as Treaty of Versailles was harsh
• Unprepared and scared for War
• Thought Hitler would be happy with just an Army
• Rhineland was Germanys originally & no alliance with USSR
• Appeasement: agreeing to something to keep things at peace

AUSCHLUSS

• Coup d'état tried by Austrian Nazis
• ^Appointed own man Prime Minister
• Germany and Austria united
• ^Signed a contracting stating such
• Allies didn't take notice in time

CZECHOSLOVAKIA & MUNICH CONFRENCE 1938

• Chamberlain (Britain), Daladier (France) & Hitler met up
• ^Hitler wanted the Sudetenland
• Policy of Appeasement
• Hitler signed contract showing he wouldn't ask for any other territory
• Britain & France presumed this caused peace for definite

CZECHOSLOVAKIA & MUNICH CONFRENCE 1938

• All Czechoslovakia's defence and weaponry systems in Sudetenland
• ^Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia March 1939
• Britain & France threatened war if Germany was to nvade poland

INVADING POLAND

• War with USSR might occur if invasion happens
• War with Britain & France
• Two wars fough pt at same time would end in defeat
• Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939: Germany & USSR Agreed not to go to war yet
• ^to divide Poland between the two countries

INVADING POLAND

• 1st September 1939: Poland invaded by Hitler
• 3rd September 1939: Britain & France declared war
• ^Started World War II

World War II now officially started