1. Describe the problems faced by the Weimar Republic.
2. Discuss why. Nazism became popular in Germany by 1930.
3. What are the peculiar features of Nazi thinking?
4. Explain why Nazi propaganda was effective in creating a hatred for Jews.
5. Explain what role women had in Nazi society. Return to Chapter 1 on the
French Revolution. Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the role of
women in the two periods.
6. In what ways did the Nazi state seek to establish total control over its people ?
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
1.The Weimar Republic faced violent uprisings from various groups, not to mention devastating economic problems. Germany between 1918 and 1919 was in chaos. People were starving, the Kaiser had fled and people hated the government for signing the armistice in November 1918 - they called them the November criminals.
2.Nazism became popular in Germany by 1930 due to a lot of reasons:
The most apparent being the Great Depression. The Weimar Republic did little to remedy the country's economic downfall, and Hitler was presented as a saviour to the humiliated German people living in economic and political crises.
The powerful speeches of Hitler in which he sought to build a great nation, undo the injustice of the Versailles Treaty, restore the dignity of German people and provide employment for all stirred hopes in people.
Nazi propaganda was unique. Red banners with the Swastika, Nazi salute and the rounds of applause attracted the people making Nazism very popular.
3.The peculiar features of Nazi thinking were:
A belief in racial hierarchy and Lebensraum or living space.
Nordic German Aryans were at the top, while the Jews formed the lowest rung of the racial ladder.
They believed that only the strongest race would survive and rule. This was borrowed from Darwin's theory of natural selection.
New territories must be gained for enhancing the natural resources and power of Germany.
4. Propaganda films were made to create hatred for Jews. The most infamous film was The Eternal Jew. Orthodox Jews were stereotyped and marked. They were shown with flowing beards wearing kaftans. They were referred to as vermin, rats, and pests. Their movements were compared to those of rodents. Orthodox Jews were stereotyped as killers of Christ and moneylenders. Stereotypes about Jews were popularised even through Maths classes. Children were taught to hate the Jews. The Nazi propaganda against the Jews was so effective that people felt anger and hatred surge inside them when they saw someone who looked like a Jew.
5. Role of women in Nazi society followed the rules of a largely patriarchal or male-dominated society. Hitler hailed women as "the most important citizen" in his Germany, but this was true for only Aryan women who bred pure-blooded Aryan children. Motherhood was the only goal they were taught to reach for, apart from performing the stereotypical functions of managing the household and being good wives. This was in stark contrast to the role of women in the French Revolution where women led movements and fought for rights to education and equal wages. They were allowed to form political clubs, and schooling was made compulsory for them after the French Revolution.
6. Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933. He passed many laws to gain control over his people. The first Decree was passed on 28th February 1933.
The Decree abolished freedom of speech, press, and assembly that had been guaranteed by the Weimar constitution.
Concentration camps were set up and the communists and jews were sent there.
On 3 March 1933, the famous Enabling Act was passed. This Act established dictatorship in Germany. All other political parties were banned. Nazi party took complete control of the economy, media, army, and judiciary.
Special surveillance and security forces were created to control and order society in ways that the Nazis wanted.
The police, the stormtroopers, the Gestapo, the SS and the Security Service were given extraordinary powers to control and order the society.
People could now be detained in Gestapo torture chambers, rounded up and sent to concentration camps, deported at will or arrested without any legal procedures. The police forces acquired powers to rule with impunity.