Significance and relevance 1 To understand what is

Significance and relevance! 1) To understand what is meant by significance 2)To decide which points are relevant for the question your are answering SIGNIFICANCE WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Which of these is the most significant and why? • The assassination of Franz Ferdinand • The First World War • The Treaty of Versailles • The Munich Putsch • The World Depression • The Nazi-Soviet Pact

WHAT IS SIGNIFICANCE? I. Explanation of other events in history. II. Understanding historical vocabulary. III. Helping us to decide what we think is right and wrong. IV. Understanding how and why people did what they did. V. Understanding the meaning of evidence. HE IMPACT OF AN EVENT OVER AND ACROSS TIME HOW DO THESE RELATE TO THE WSC? Put in order of importance!

Structure YOUR ESSAY YOUR STRUCTURE! Suggestions: a) How can the WSC be seen as significant (first part of essay) and how can it not be (second part of essay) – e. g. the events that followed would have happened anyway regardless of the depression or it changed the course of history b) The events that happened as a result can be addressed individually (one per paragraph) and then it can be argued if they would have happened anyway or not. c) The decision can be made in the introduction and each paragraph proves that this result only happened because of the WSC. You will need to consider other arguments but can disprove them. d) Consider LONG term and SHORT term impact. E. g. Do you think that the WSC was to blame for the events that immediately followed and do you think that the later events (e. g. the persecution of the Jews) were inevitable?

Key terms for writing essays Short term: Events which immediately followed the Wall Street Crash (within a year) e. g. Long term: Events which happened later as a result of the Wall Street Crash e. g. Significance: The impact of an event over and across time Inevitable: Something that would have happened anyway without other events helping it Impact: The effect something has Justified: Something or a statement which is fair and carries some weight# e. g. an argument can be justified

Prelude to the Wall Street Crash Germany before 1929 • Financially crippled by WW 1 (statistics) • Land, people and Saar taken from Germany • Reparations from WW 1 set at £ 6. 6 million • Invasion of the Ruhr by the French – passive resistance – gave in • Hyperinflation – poverty – starvation • Stresemann – new currency – foreign loans (Dawes Plan) – by 1928 same production as pre war era • No more attempted revolutions • Extreme Right (Nazis) only won 12 seats in 1928 • Freedom of culture – writers, poets, artists, cinema, music Economy • Locarno Treaties, League of Nations and Young Plan BUT: • Economy based on loans • Big businesses gained – smaller businesses did not • Unemployment was rising by 1928 • Communists and Nazis were building up their parties • Republic still unpopular • Hindenburg become president and is opposed to democracy • Culture only developed in cities – nothing changed in COUNTRYSIDE • Opposition to moral decline • League of Nations membership unpopular with Right wing • Locarno and League meant that Treaty had been accepted Political Social Foreign affairs

5 mins! What was the Wall Street Crash? Write a paragraph to explain what it was using the following words: Stock market Credit Post WW 1 Loans Economy 1929 Depression USA debt

What impact did the WSC have on Germany? Task: 1) What happened to the ECONOMY / POLITICS / LIFE OF PEOPLE (SOCIAL) / FOREIGN AFFAIRS after the WSC? 2) Which of your points before the WSC are relevant to include in your essay? Cross out the ones you will not include. Before the Wall Street Crash Financially crippled by WW 1 (statistics) Land, people and Saar taken from Germany Reparations from WW 1 set at £ 6. 6 million Invasion of the Ruhr by the French – passive resistance – gave in Hyperinflation Stresemann – new currency – foreign loans (Dawes Plan) – by 1928 same production as pre war era BUT Economy based on loans Big businesses gained – smaller businesses did not Unemployment was rising by 1928 Hyperinflation – poverty – starvation Freedom of culture – writers, poets, artists, cinema, music BUT Culture only developed in cities – nothing changed in towns Opposition to moral decline No more attempted revolutions Extreme Right (Nazis) only won 12 seats in 1928 BUT Communists and Nazis were building up their parties Republic still unpopular Hindenburg become president and is opposed to democracy Locarno Treaties, League of Nations and Young Plan BUT League of Nations membership unpopular with Right wing Locarno and League meant that Treaty had been accepted After the Wall Street Crash - 1939 Economic Political Social Foreign affairs

Point 1 to be discussed Here you could add a) Your strongest argument (and arguments against) b) Your short term impacts (and arguments against) c) Your decision! Each paragraph / point backs up your argument in the introduction Point 2: Each points links to the next to improve flow INTRO! What is the question / problem? What is the context? What is the main argument you are going to make e. g. WSC was really significant WSC was mostly significant WSC was slightly significant WSC was not significant Point 5: Point 3: Point 4: