RISE OF DICTATORSHIPS IN EUROPE AFTER THE FIRST

RISE OF DICTATORSHIPS, IN EUROPE, AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Rise of dictatorships

DICTATORS –ITALY AND GERMANY

AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR IN EUPOPE MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAD NOT RECOVERED FROM WWI HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE – HIGH LEVEL OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES, NO LAW AND ORDER, FOOD SHORTAGE ETC POLITICAL INSTABILITY – DEMOCRACY FAILED SOME SAW COMMUNISM AS A SOLUTION FOR THEIR ECONOMIC PROBLEMS OTHERS WANTED STRONG MILITARY LEADERS TO RESTORE LAW AND ORDER RESULT? ? ? …RISE OF DICTATORS

CAUSES FOR The Rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party

Causes for the rise of Nazism in Germany HUMILIATION IN THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES MAKING THE BEST USE OF PARTY STRIFE (CONFLICT/RIVALRY) POLITICAL INSTABILITY PESONALITY OF HITLER ECONOMIC CRISIS NAZI PROPAGANDA • THE VOLUNTEER CORPS • ANTI-SEMITIC PROPAGANDA GERMANY HAD NO FAITH IN DEMOCARCY

POLITICAL INSTABILTY IN GERMANY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR WEIMAR REPUBLIC Free and fair elections were held after the WWI to restore order in Germany on August 10 th, 1919 The new Parliament met at Weimar* and adopted a new constitution which made Germany a democratic republic. Government had to work under troubled conditions KAISER WILHELM II – THE LAST EMPEROR OF GERMANY COMPELLED TO RESIGN AND HE FLED TO HOLLAND No law and order, economic crisis, poverty, unemployment and in 1929 the Great Depression

POLITICAL INSTABILTY IN GERMANY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR • COALITON GOVERNMENTS SUCCEEDED ONE AFTER ANOTHER • PARTIES IN THE COALITION COULD NOT AGREE WITH EACH OTHER, THUS THEY WERE UNABLE TO FOLLOW ANY CONSISTENT POLICY TO CONTROL THE CHAOS IN THE COUNTRY. • PEOPLE LOST FAITH IN DEMOCRACY ITSELF BECAUSE OF POLITICAL INSTABILITY • THE COMMUNISTS, THE FREIKORPS, THE NAZIS, HAD TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT AT DIFFERENT TIMES BUT FALIED. BUT THEY CREATED A SENSE OF CHAOS AND UNCERTAINTIY. • HITLER TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE POPULAR DISCONTENT AND MADE PROMISES TO MAKE GERMANY A STRONG AND DISCIPLINED NATION.

HUMILIATING TREATY OF VERSAILLES • GERMANY WAS COMPELLED TO A HUGE WAR – IDEMNITY • FEELING OF DISSATISFACTION AMONG THE PEOPLE • GERMAN NATIONALISTS WERE HURT AND HUMILIATED BY THE TREATY • PEOPLE BLAMED THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT FOR ACCEPTING SUCH HUMILIATING TERMS, ALTHOUGH IN FACT IT WAS KAISER WILHEM’S REPRESENTATIVE WHO HAD ASKED FOR PEACE JUST BEFORE HE ABDICATED THE THRONE. • HITLER PLAYED UPON SUCH MISTAKEN POPULAR BELIEFS AND MAINTAINED THAT THE DEMOCRATIC GOVT HAD ‘BETRAYED’ THE GERMAN PEOPLE.

ECONOMIC CRISIS • WAR RUINED GERMAN INDUSTRY • ECONOMIC RECOVERY CRIPPLED DUE TO HEAVY WAR PENALTIES • POVERTY, WIDESPREAD UNEMPLOYMENT AND DISCONTENTMENT AMONG THE YOUTH. • WORLD WIDE ECONOMIC DEPRESSION IN 1929 MADE THINGS WORSE. • HITLER’S NAZI PARTY GAINED POPULARITY IN THOSE YEARS IN WHICH THE ECONOMY WAS IN BAD SHAPE AND UNEMPLYOMENT WAS WIDESPREAD

GERMANY HAD NO FAITH IN DEMOCRACY • PEOPLE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND FOLLOW THE DEMOCRATIC INSTITUITIONS • THEY PREFERRED PRESTIGE AND GLORY TO LIBERTY AND FREEDOM • THEY LOST TRUST IN DEMOCRACY AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORTED HITLER AS HE COULD PROMISE TO TRANSFORM THEIR DREAMS INTO REALITY • THIS MENTALITY OF THE PEOPLE HELPED HITLER BECOME THE DICTATOR.

Spread of communism • Inspired by Russian Revolution, German Communists also tried to bring about a revolution in Germany • Hitler feared that Germany would become a slave of Russia of Communism spread there. • He exposed the destructive result of Communism to people. • He instigated the people against Communism • Consequently, the workmen and the masses joined the Nazi Party in large numbers.

MAKING THE BEST USE OF PARTY STRIFE (CONFLICT/RIVALRY) • RIVALRY BETWEEN THE VARIOUS POLITICAL PARTIES IN GERMANY BETWEEN 1919 TO 1933 – THE PERIOD OF POLITICAL STRIFE IN THE HISTORY OF GERMAN REPUBLIC WHEN EACH PARTY TRIED TO GAIN POWER. • THIS WEAKENED THE REPUBLIC AND THE NAZIS GAINED A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO SNATCH POWER.

ADOLF HITLER • HITLER SERVED IN THE WORLD WAR 1 AND EARNED THE IRON CROSS. • THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST PARTY (IN SHORT - NAZI PARTY) WAS ONE OF MANY POLITICAL PARTIES IN GERMANY BEFORE HITLER GAINED POWER. • 1919 – HITLER JOINS THE NAZI PARTY • HITLER TRIES TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT IN 1923 IN MUNICH. HE WAS SENT TO JAIL FOR FIVE YEARS, WHERE HE WROTE HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY ‘MEIN KAMPF’ (MY STRUGGLE). IT WAS SOON PUBLISHED. • IN HIS BOOK HE BLAMES JEWS AND COMMUNISTS FOR GERMANY’S DECLINE.

Hitler and Early Politics • Hitler helped form the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi) in 1919 and assumed leadership in 1921 • November 8 th, 1923 – Attempt by Hitler to seize power and overthrow the government for signing the Treaty of Versailles – The attempt failed and Hitler was imprisoned for five years for high treason (but he was released after only serving one year – he was not considered a threat to the public)

ADOLF HITLER • 1932 - NAZI PARTY HAD TAKEN PART IN ELECTIONS, WON 230 SEATS TO THE REICHSTAG (THE GERMAN PARLIAMENT) WHICH STILL DID NOT GIVE THEM A MAJORITY • NAZIS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR ANY COALITION GOVERNMENT TO FUNCTION • WELL ORGANISED NAZI PARTY YOUTH, TERRORISED THE COUNTRY AND KILLED THE OPPONENTS • 1933 – SOME NATIONALIST AGREED TO MAKE HITLER THE CHANCELLOR IN A COALITION GOVERNMENT. HOWEVER HITLER DID NOT LIKE DEPENDING ON OTHER PARTIES FOR SUPPORT AND ORDERED FRESH ELECTIONS • 1933 ELECTIONS, NAZIS INTIMIDATED THE VOTERS WITH VIOLENCE AND TERROR. HOWEVER FAILED TO GET AN OVERALL MAJORITY. • FEBRUARY 27 TH 1933, THE REICHSTAG WAS BURNED DOWN. HITLER BLAMED THE COMMUNIST FOR THE INCIDENT AND TURNED THE PEOPLE AGAINST THE COMMUNISTS. • HITLER ASKS THE PRESIDENT TO DECLARE EMERGENCY. • HITLER MOVED A PROPOSAL CALLED THE ‘ENABLING ACT’, TO PASS LAWS WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE REICHSTAG • BILL PASSED USING TERROR. HITLER, THUS BECAME AN ABSOLUTE DICTATOR OF GERMANY, WITHOUT EVER HAVING THE SUPPORT OF THE MAJORITY.

NAZI PROPAGANDA • VOLUNTEER CORPS – AS A RESULT OF THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES MNAY GERMAN SOLDIERS BECAME UNEMPLOYED. – HITLER ORGANISED THE ‘VOLUNTEER CORPS’ WITH THE HELP OF THESE SOLDIERS – HITLER CRUSHED THE OPPOSITION PARTIES WITH THE HELP OF THESE SOLDIERS – THIS HELPED HIM IN ORGANISE AND STRENGHTHEN THE PARTY

NAZI PROPAGANDA • ANTI-SEMITIC PROPAGANDA (MISINFORMATION) – ANTI-SEMITIC(ANTI-JEWISH) PROPAGANDA INCREASED HITLER’S POPULARITY – JEWS WERE DESCRIBED AS TRAITORS AND BLAMED THEM OF CONSPIRING WITH THE ALLIES DURING THE WAR – HITLER PROPAGATED THAT JEWS EXPLOITED THE GERMAN ECONOMY – IMPRESSED BY THE PROPAGANDA, MANY GERMANS MARCHED BEHIND THE NAZI PARTY

NAZI PROPAGANDA A Sign at the Entrance to a Village Reading: "The Locals Don't Want Any Contact with Jews".

NAZI PROPAGANDA

Germany, 1933, two members of the SA (the Nazi storm troopers), enforcing the boycott of Jewish-owned businesses

Extra Information • The SA was founded in Munich by Hitler in 1921 out of various roughneck elements that had attached themselves to the fledgling Nazi movement • armed freebooter groups, made up largely of ex-soldiers, that battled leftists in the streets in the early days of the Weimar Republic. • Outfitted in brown uniforms after the fashion of Mussolini’s Fascist Blackshirts in Italy, the SA men protected Party meetings, marched in Nazi rallies, and physically assaulted political opponents. • Temporarily in disarray after the failure of Hitler’s Munich Putsch in 1923, the SA was reorganized in 1925 and soon resumed its violent ways, intimidating voters in national and local elections.

NAZI SS • uniformed elite corps and self-described “political soldiers” of the Nazi Party. Founded by Adolf Hitler in April 1925 as a small personal bodyguard, • the SS grew with the success of the Nazi movement and, gathering immense police and military powers, became virtually a state within a state.

1929 THE EFFECTS OF GREAT DEPRESSION ON GERMANY

1923 Hyperinflation in Germany: A woman burns German marks in the furnace to heat the home during the peak of the Weimar Germany hyperinflation. The currency had devalued so much, it was