CLASS 9 NAZISM AND THE RISE OF HITLER

                                         NAZISM AND THE RISE OF HITLER

HELMUTH'S EXPERIENCES IN GERMANY

Helmuth was in bed when he heard his parents discussing something seriously. His father was a doctor who was discussing with his wife that either they had to commit suicide or the Jews would kill them for revenge. Next day ,the silently burnt in the family's fireplace, Helmuth was so traumatised  by this incident that he refused to eat at home for the fear that his mother would poison him. This was the tragic end of his father, who was Nazi supporter.

* 2nd world war -1939-1945

Allies Power-The Allies Power were initially led by the UK and France ,In 1941 they were joined by the USSR and USA

Axis Power-Germany, Italy and Japan

Propaganda Minister-Goebbels

End of the 2nd world war and International Military  Tribunal at Nuremberg was set up to prosecute Nazi was criminals for crimes against peace for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Genocidal war-Germany had waged a genocidal war which resulted in the mass murder of selected group of innocent civilians of Europe.

The number of people killed included 6million Jews,200000 Gypsies, 1million polish civilians,70,000 Germans who were considered mentally and physically disabled, besides innumerable political opponents.

1.BIRTH OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC

FIRST WORLD WAR -1914-1918

CENTRAL POWER-GERMANY,HUNGARY,AUSTRIA,OTTOMAN EMPIRE,BULGARIA

In 1917 Allies strengthened by the US entry.

GERMAN PARLIAMENT ESTABLISHED AFTER FIRST WORLD WAR

The defeat of Imperial Germany and the abdication of the emperor gave an opportunity to parliamentary parties to recast German polity. A National Assembly met at Weimar and established a democratic Constitution with a federal structure. Deputies were now elected to the German Parliament or Reichstag on the basis of equal and universal votes cast by all adult including women.

THE TREATY OF VERSILLES WAS HUMILIATING ON THE GERMANS

1.The peace treaty at Versailles with the Allies was a harsh and humiliating one.

2.Germany lost its overseas colonies, a tenth of its population, 13% of its territories , 75 % of its iron and 26% of its coal to France, Poland, Denmark and Lithuania.

3. The Allied Powers de-militarised Germany to weaken its powers.

4.The war Guilt Clause held Germany responsible for the war and damages the Allied countries suffered.

5.Germany was forced to pay compensation amounting to about 6 billion pounds.

6.The Allied army also occupied the resource rich Rhineland for much of the 1920.

7.Many Germans held the new Weimar Republic responsible for not only the defeat in the war but the disgrace at Versailles.

1.1 THE EFFECT OF THE WAR

NOVEMBER CRIMINALS-Those who supported Weimer republic, mainly Socialist. Catholics and Democrats became easy targets of attack in the conservative nationalists circles. They were known as the November Criminals.

IMPACT OF WORLD WAR -1 ON GERMANY'S POLITICS AND SOCIETY

EFFECT ON POLITICAL LIFE

1.The infant Weimer Republic was made to pay for the sins of the old empire.

2.The republic was financially crippled and was forced to pay war compensation.

EFFECT ON SOCIETY

1.Soldiers came to be placed above civilians.

2.The media glorified trench warfare, where soldiers lived miserable lives.

3.Aggressive war propaganda and national honour held an important place in the lives of people.

1.2 POLITICAL RADICALISM AND ECONOMIC CRISES

The birth of the Weimar Republic coincided with the revolutionary uprising of Spartacist League on the pattern of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. Soviets of workers and sailors were established in many cities. The political atmosphere in Berlin was changed with demands for Soviet style Government. The anguished Spartacists later founded the Communist Party of Germany Communists and Socialist hence forth became irreconcilable enemies and could not make common cause against Hitler. Both revolutionaries and militant nationalists craved for radical solution.

POLITICAL RADICALISATION

It was only heightened by economic crisis.

Germany had fought the war largely on loans and had to pay war reparations in gold.

In 1923,Germany refused to pay and the France occupied its leading industrial area, Ruhr to claim  their coal.

In April the US dollar was equal to 24,000 marks, In july 353,000,In August 4,621,000 marks and at 98,860,000 marks by December the figure had run into trillions.

1.3 THE YEARS OF DEPRESSION

 QUESTION-How did the economic crisis begin in the USA?

ANSWER-World's biggest stock exchange Wall Street Exchange crashed in the year 1929. USA could not recover back loan. fearing a fall in price, people made frantic efforts to sell their share. On a single day 13 million shares were sold. Factories shut down, bank became bankrupt, exports fell, farmers were badly hit, leading to unemployment.

QUESTION-What were the effects of the economic crisis on Germany?

ANSWER-

The Germany's economic was worst hit by economic crisis.

Industrial production was reduced to 40%.

Big and small business was in crisis.

Only organised workers could manage to keep their heads above water, but unemployment  weakened their bargaining power.

Workers lost their jobs and the number of unemployed reached 6 million.

The economic crisis created deep anxieties and fear in people.

QUESTION-"Politically, Weimer Republic was fragile." Explain the statement.

ANSWER-The Weimer Constitution had some inherent defects which made it unstable. Due to proportional representation, one single party could not come to power rather a coalition government was formed .

Article 48 -Which gave the President the powers to impose emergency suspend civil rights and rule by decree. Within a short period of time many governments changed and this made people lose confidence in the democratic parliamentary system which seemed to offer no solutions.

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2.HITLER'S RISE TO POWER

1889-Hitler was born in Austria.

He join army as a messenger after the end of first World War.

1919-He joined a small group called German Worker's Party. He subsequently took over the organisation and renamed it the National Socialist German Worker. After some time party know as Nazi Party.

1923- Hitler planned to seize control of Bavaria march to Berlin and capture power.

1928- Nazi party got 2.6%vote.

1929- Banks collapsed and businesses shut down workers lost their Job.

1932- Nazi party got 37% vote.

Promise of Hitler

1. He promised to build a strong nation.

2.In justice of the Versailles Treaty.

3.Restore the dignity of the German people.

4.Give the employment for those looking for work and a secure future for the youth.

Hitler started a new style of politics "mass mobilisation" through massive rallies "Propaganda".

2.1 THE DESTRUCTION OF DEMOCRACY  

30 JANUARY 1933-The President Hindenburg offered the Chancellorship.

28 FEBRUARY 1933-Indefinitely suspended civic right like

   1.Freedom of speech.

   2. Press and Assembly that had been guarnted by the Weimar Constitution.

Concentration Camps- The repression of the communist was severe out of the surviving 6808 arrest, 1,440 were those of communist alone, 52 types of victims persecute by the Nazi across the country.

3 MARCH 1933- The famous Enabling Act was passed.

ENABLING ACT

1.This act established dictatorship in Germany.

2.It gave all powers to side line parliament and rule by decree.

3.All political parties and trade unions were banned except for the Nazi Party.

4.The state established complete control over the economy, media, army, judicary.

POLICE REFORM

Green uniform-Regular police

SS(The protection squads)criminal police.

SA or Storm Troopers-Gestopo (Secret State Police)

SD(Security Service)

HITLER gave power to arrested without any legal procedure.

The police force acquired power to rule with impunity.

2.2 RECONSTRUCTION

1.Hitler assigned responsibility of economic recovery to the economist Hjalmar Schacht who aimed at full production and full employment through a state funded work creation program. 

2.German super highways and peoples car the VOLKSWAGH.

3.Schacht had advised Hitler against investing hugely financial condition.

Hitler choose war out of approaching economic crisis.

Resource were to be accumulated through expansion of territory.

1936-Reoccupied the Rhimeland.

1938-Austria and Germany under the slogan ONE PEOPLE ONE EMPIRE AND ONE LEADER.

SEPTEMBER 1939-Germany invaded Poland.

The started Second World War with France and England.

SEPTEMBER 1940-Tripartile Pact war signed between Germany, Italy and Japan.

End of 1940-Hitler was at the Pinnacle of his power.

Hitler now moved to achieve his long term aim of conquering Eastern Europe.

JUNE 1941-Hitler attacked the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Red army inflicted a crushing and humiliating defeat on Germany at Stalingard.

USA has resisted involvement in the war.

Japan was expanding its power in the East.

It had occupied Franch Indo-China  and was planning attacks on US navel bases in the pacific.

When Japan extended its support to Hitler and bombed the US base at Pearl Harbor, the US entered the Second World War.

The War ended in May 1945 with Hitler's defeat and the US dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.

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3.THE NAZI WORLDVIEW

 HITLER'S IDEOLOGY

Hitler's ideology was related to the geopolitical concept of living space. He believed that new territories had to be acquired for settlement. This would enhance the area of the mother country and it would also enhance the material resources and power of the German nation.

QUESTION- How were Darwin and Herbert Spencer's ideas adopted by Hitler or Nazis?

 ANSWER-

 (i) Hitler borrowed racism from thinkers like Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer.

 (ii) Darwin was a natural scientist, who tried to explain the creation of plants and animals through the concept of evolution and natural selection. Herbert Spencer later added the idea of survival of the fittest.

 (iii) According to this idea, only those species survived on earth that could adapt themselves to changing climatic conditions.

 (iv) Darwin never advocated human intervention in what he thought was a purely natural process of selection. However, his ideas were used by racist thinkers and politicians to justify imperial rule over conquered people. 

(v) The Nazi argument was simple: the strongest race would survive and the weak ones would perish. The Aryan race was the finest. It had to retain its purity, become stronger and dominate the world.

QUESTION- How was a 'Racial State' established by Hitler in Germany?

 ANSWER- Nazis wanted an exclusive racial community of pure Germans. Nazis wanted only a society of pure and healthy' Nordic Aryans. This meant that even those Germans who were seen as impure or abnormal had no right to live. Jews were considered undesirable. Many Gypsies and Blacks were also considered as inferior Germans. Even Russians and Polish were considered subhuman and were forced to work as slave labourers. Many of them died through hard work and starvation.

NAZI ARGUMENT-It was simple the strongest race would survive and the weak ones would perish. The Aryan race was the finest . It had to retain its purity became stronger and dominate the world.

1933-1938:-The Nazis terrorised, pauperised and segregated the Jews, eompelling them to leave the country. The next phase 1939-1945 aimed at concentrating them in certain areas and eventually killing them in gas chambers in Poland.

3.2 THE RACIAL UTOPIA-Under the shadow of war the Nazis proceeded to realise their murderous racial ideal. Genocide and war became two sides of the coin. 

Occupied Poland was divided up. Much of north western Poland was annexed to Germany. Poles were forced to leave their homes and properties behind to be occupied by ethnic Germans brought in from occupied Europe. 

Members of the Polish intelligentsia were murdered in large numbers in order to keep the entire people intellectually and spiritually servile. 

Polish children look like the Aryan their mothers examine by the race experts.

If the passed the race test they were raised in German families and if not they were deposited in orphanages where most perished. With some of the large ghettos and gas chambers, the government also served as the killing field for the Jews.

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 4.0. YOUTH IN NAZI GERMANY

Hitler was fanatically interest in the youth of the country .He felt that a strong Nazi ideology could be established only by teaching children Nazi ideology. This required a control over the child both inside and outside school.

All schools were cleansed and purified. In this means that teachers who were Jews or seen as politically unreliable were dismissed. Children were first segregated German and Jews could not sit together or play together.

UNDESIRABLE CHILDREN-Jews, the physically handicapped, Gypsies were thrown out of schools. 

Finally in the 1940's they were taken to the gas chambers.

Good German-Children were subjected to a process of Nazi schooling a prolonged period of ideological training. School text book were rewritten. Racial science were introduced to justify Nazi ideas of race.

In Mathematics class children were taught to be loyal and submissive, hate Jews and worship Hitler.

In Sports class children were learn spirit of violence and aggression.

Hitler believed that boxing could make children iron hearted, strong and masculine.

Youth organizations were made responsible for educating German youth in the sprit of National Socialism.

10 years old children enter the JUNGVOLK.

All 14 years boys had to join the Nazi youth organization HITLER YOUTH where they learnt to worship war, glorify aggression and violence, condemn democracy and hate Jews, communists, Gypsies and all those categorized as UNDESIRABLE .

After the age of 18 years he join armed force and enter one of the Nazi organizations.

1922-The youth league of the Nazis was founded.

1926-Youth league was renamed Hitler Youth.

Unity of the Youth Movement under the Nazi control.

4.1 THE NAZI CULT OF MOTHERHOOD

Nazi were told that women were totally different from men.

Girls were told that they had became good mother and rare pure blooded Aryan children.

Girls had maintain the purify of the race.

In 1933-Hitler said, " In my state the mother is the most important citizen". But in Nazi Germany all mothers were not treated equally.

Women who were punished and those who produced racially desirable children were awarded.

They were given favoured treatment in hospital and were also entitled to concessions in shop and on theatre tickets and railway fares.

To encourage women to produce many children Honour crosses were awarded.

A bronze cross were given for 4 children, Silver for 6 and Gold for 8 or more .

4.2 ART OF PROPGANDA.

Nazi never used the world 'kill' or 'Murder' in their official communication.

'Mass Killing' were termed  "Special treatment" .

"Final Solution" (for Jews).

 euthanasia (for the disabled) selection and disinfection.

Evacuation mean deporting people to gas chambers.

Nazi ideas were spread through visual images, Films, Radios, Poster, Catchy slogan and Leaflets.

Propaganda films were made to create hatred for Jews.

The most famous film was "The Eternal Jew.

5.0 ORDINARY PEOPLE AND THE CRIMES AGAINST HUMINITY

 Every German was not a Nazi.

The large majority of German's however were passive onlookers and apathetic witnesses.

Charlotte Beradt secretly recorded people's dreams in her diary and later published them in a highly disconcerting book called "The third Reich of dreams".

5.1 KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST

The Germans were preoccupied with their own plight as defeated nation emerging out of the rubble the Jews wanted the world to remember the atrocities and suffering they had endured during the Nazi killing operation also called HOLPCSUST.

At the end of the second world war the Nazi leadership distributed petrol to its functionaries to destory all incriminating evidence available in offices.

The history and the memory of the Holocaust live on in memories fiction, documentaries, poetry, memorials and museums in many part of the world today.

These are a tribute to those who resisted it, an embarrassing remainder to those who collaborated and a warning to those who watched in silence.

NCERT QUESTION AND ANSWER

QUESTION.1. Describe the problems faced by the Weimar Republic.

 ANSWER-

1.Treaty of Versailles:-The end of the first world war, a treaty was signed between the Weimar Republic and the Allied powers. It was considered as the treaty of humiliation as Germany lost all its major resource areas to the allied powers and had to pay a compensation of 6 billion dollars. 

2.Economic crisis: The German state was going through a financial crisis. They had to repay the loan they took to fight the First World War and to add the burden they had to compensate the loss of the allied powers. During this time the gold reserves were being depleted and value of mark well, the Wall Street exchange crashed which followed the great economic depression.

3.Political Crisis:- The Weimar Republic was criticized by the citizens for the defeat in the First World War and for the harsh conditions which prevailed during that time. The proportional representation and Article 48 (which gave the President the power to impose emergency and rule by decree) - such constitutional irregularities made people choose dictatorship.

Question 2. 

 Discuss why Nazism became popular in Germany by 1930s. 

Answer-

1.Failure of Weimar Republic:-After the defeat in the First World War many social and political instability took place like the treaty of Versailles, there was starvation, devastation, unemployment. Weimar Republic failed to solve the economic crises of the country and which later led to the Great Economic Depresnion. This provided a golden opportunity for the Nazis to launch a campaign in its favour. O Nazi propaganda was unique. Red banners with the Swastika, Nazi salute and the rounds of applause attracted the people making Nazism very popular.

2 . Hitler's Personality: Hitler was a powerful speaker, an able organizer, resourceful person and a man of actions. He could mobilize the mass in his favour by his passionate words. He promised to build a strong nation, undo the injustice of the Versailles Treaty and restore the dignity of the German people. In fact, his personality and actions contributed maximum to the popularity of Nazism in Germany. 

Question. 3. 

What are the peculiar features of Nazi thinking?

 Answer-

1.Nordic German Aryans were at the top of the racial status whereas the Jews were at the bottom. 

2.They believed that only the strongest race would survive and rule.

3.•According to them, new territories must be gained for enhancing the natural resources and powers of Germany. 

Question- 4.

 Explain why Nazi propaganda was effective in creating a hatred for Jews. 

Ans. 

1.Language and media were used effectively and with great care by the Nazis.

2.Racial theory by the Nazi that the Jews belonged to a lower race and considered undesirable. 

3.The Nazis injected hatred against the Jews even in the minds of the children through schools where they were taught to be aggressive and conservative about the purity of their race. 

4.The teachers who were Jews were dismissed and Jews children were thrown out of the schools.

5. Nazi's Propaganda films were made to create hatred for the Jews. 

Question.5. 

Explain what role women had in Nazi society. Return to Chapter I on the French Revolution. Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the role of women in the two periods.

 Answer-

 Role of Women in Nazi Society:-

1.It followed the rules of largely patriarchal or male-dominated society. 

2.Hitler hailed women as 'the most important citizen' in his Germany, but this was true for only Aryan Women who bred pure-blood, desirable' Aryans.

 3.Medals were given to the women considering how many kids she has, from gold, silver and bronze. 

4.Girls from childhood were only taught the goals of being a good and obedient wife, motherhood. 

Role of Women during the French Revolution:-

1.There is a major contrast to the role of women in the French Revolution where they led movements. 

 2.They fought for their rights to education and equal wages. 

3.They were allowed to form political clubs.

4.Schooling was made compulsory for them after the French Revolútion. 

Question.6. 

In what ways did the Nazi state seek to establish total control over its people? 

Answer. 

1.The Nazis established control over its people by various means. 

 2.They used different propaganda methods through posters or films to glorify their behaviour. 

3.They were very çareful with their language in the media especially with words like kill or murders were not used. 

4.Media was carefully used to win support for the regime and popularise it. •

5.Nazism worked on the minds of the people, tapped their emotions and turned their hatred and anger against those marked as 'undesirable'.

 6.surveillance and security forces to control and order society in ways that the Nazis wanted, was created.

7.The police forces had powers to rule with impunity. 

8.Holocaust also created an atmosphere of fear and repression which helped them to establish total control over its people.

SOURCES-

1.INDIA AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD-1(NCERT)

2.EVERGREEN  SOCIAL SCIENCE CLASS 9

3.XAM IDEA SOCIAL SCIENCE CLASS 9

PREPARED BY

DR.SANTOSH ANAND MISHRA

D A V PUBLIC SCHOOL

MANPUR

GAYA

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