THE RISE OF THE NAZIS

First part: Please read the following text. Then answer the questions at the end. 

Second part: You will pretend that you are living in Germany in 1934 and you are writing a letter to your cousin in the United States. Include in this letter the recent events that have been happening and how you are feeling.

THE RISE OF THE NAZIS

The Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, affected German power and prestige. Like many Germans, Hitler believed that the treaty was a betrayal, with the country having been "stabbed-in-the-back" by its own government. Many people felt that Germany had been betrayed by civilian leaders and Marxists, who were later called the "November Criminals”.

 At the end of the war, Hitler went to Munich. In 1919, he joined a tiny political group. This group shared his belief that Germany had to abolish the Treaty of Versailles and combat communism. The group later named itself the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, called Nazi for short. The party adopted the swastika /ˈswɒs tɪ kə/ as its symbol. The Nazis also set up a private militia called the storm troopers or Brown Shirts. 

Within a short time, Hitler’s success as a speaker led him to be chosen der Führer, or the leader, of the Nazi party. Inspired by Mussolini’s march on Rome, Hitler and the Nazis plotted to seize power in Munich in 1923. This is known as The Beer Hall Putsch, or the Munich Putsch. About two thousand men marched to the center of Munich, where they confronted the police. The Putsch failed, and Hitler was arrested. He was tried for treason but was sentenced to only five years in prison. He served less than nine months.

While in jail, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle). He wrote about his beliefs and his goals for Germany. Hitler said that Germans, whom he incorrectly called “Aryans”, were a “master race.” He declared that non-Aryan “races,” such as Jews, Slavs, and Gypsies, were inferior. He called the Versailles Treaty an outrage and vowed to regain German lands. Hitler also declared that Germany was overcrowded and needed more Lebensraum, or living space. He promised to get that space by conquering eastern Europe and Russia.       

         

After leaving prison in 1924, Hitler revived the Nazi Party. Most Germans ignored him and his angry message until the Great Depression. The German economy collapsed. Frightened and confused, Germans now turned to Hitler, hoping for security and firm leadership.

Hitler Becomes Chancellor

The Nazis had become the largest political party by 1932. Conservative leaders mistakenly believed they could control Hitler and use him for their purposes. In January 1933, they advised President Paul von Hindenburg to name Hitler chancellor. Thus Hitler came to power legally. 

 

Once in office, Hitler called for new elections, hoping to win a parliamentary majority. Six days before the election, a fire destroyed the Reichstag building, where the parliament met. The Nazis blamed the Communists. The fire was used as evidence by the Nazi Party that communists were plotting against the German government.

                 

The day after the fire, Hitler asked for and received from President Hindenburg the Reichstag Fire Decree. The Reichstag Fire Decree suspended most civil liberties in Germany, including freedom of expression and freedom of the press. The decree was used by the Nazis to ban publications not considered "friendly" to the Nazi cause. By using people’s fear of the Communists, the Nazis and their allies won by a simple majority. Hitler used his new power to turn Germany into a totalitarian state. He banned all other political parties and had opponents arrested.

Meanwhile, an elite, black-uniformed unit called the SS (Schutzstaffel, or protection squad) was created. It was loyal only to Hitler. In 1934, the SS arrested and murdered hundreds of Hitler’s enemies.               

The Nazis quickly took command of the economy. New laws banned strikes, dissolved independent labor unions, and gave the government authority over business and labor. Hitler put millions of Germans to work. They constructed factories, built highways, manufactured weapons, and served in the military. As a result, the number of unemployed dropped from about 6 million to 1.5 million in 1936.

Hitler turned the press, radio, literature, painting, and film into propaganda tools. Books that did not conform to Nazi beliefs were burned in huge bonfires. Schoolchildren had to join the Hitler Youth (for boys) or the League of German Girls.

                 

Hatred of Jews, or anti-Semitism, was a key part of Nazi ideology. Although Jews were less than 1 percent of the population, the Nazis used them as scapegoats for all Germany’s troubles since the war. This led to a wave of anti-Semitism across Germany. Beginning in 1933, the Nazis passed laws depriving Jews of most of their rights. Violence against Jews rose. On the night of November 9, 1938, Nazi mobs attacked Jews in their homes and on the streets and destroyed thousands of Jewish-owned buildings. This rampage, called Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass), signaled the real start of the process of eliminating the Jews from German life.

  

Adapted from: Beck, R., et. al,  (2005).  World History: Patterns of Interaction. New York: McDougal-Littell.

1. In which ways the treaty of Versailles damaged Germany’s prestige? Who were the “November criminals”? Why were they called that way?

2. Describe picture 1 and picture 2. What can we see? Who are the people there? What do they represent?

3. What was the The Beer Hall Putsch?

4. Describe picture 3.

5. According to Hitler, who was the “master race”? Who were the “inferior races”?

6. Explain with your own words the term “lebensraum”.

7. Who were the SS?

8. How did Hitler create new jobs?

9. What was the Kristallnacht?

Now you can write your letter. For example:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxdVW9SZLZEld0hwWkVleTlULVk