1a. Source 37: Source 37 could be used to support Goebbels' and Craig's interpretations. Source 37 shows an increase and then a little decrease in popularity, which Goebbels could use to say that the people really want Hitler to be their leader, that it's his destiny shown by all his popularity. Also, it could be used to support Craig's interpretation that the people shared negative opinions about the Weimer Government, reparations, and Communist Party violence shown also by the popularity or votes.
1b. Source 38: Source 38 could be used to support Craig's interpretations because in the quote it talks about "discipline in a time of chaos" and "universal hopelessness," which the German people felt and saw this as a bad thing happening in Germany. This was a shared opinion with the Nazi Party, therefore the German people voted for NSDAP because of shared negative opinions, also known as "negative cohesion" as Craig puts it.
1c. Source 39: I believe Source 39 could support Craig's interpretation that Hitler became in power because of negative cohesion. This is true because the poster says "Against Versailles," which was a common opinion with the NSDAP and the German people, but it was a negative opinion not a positive one coming from the party.
1d. Source 40: I believe Source 40 could definitely be used as evidence for Goebbel's interpretation that Hitler was destined to be Germany's leader. This is true because Source 40 is a photograph of a Nazi Party rally with millions of people, so it makes it look like all those people are there to praise and listen to Hitler and want him to be their leader.
1e. Source 41: I believe that Source 41 fits more as evidence for Craig's interpretation because it depicts negative aspects of the Communist Party, and doesn't focus on the positives that the NSDAP was going to offer. For example, it shows the communists shooting a brown coat, or Nazi, right on the street; which shows their violence and a common opinion of the NSDAP and the Germans.
1f. Source 43: I think that Source 43 supports Craig's interpretation of negative cohesion because the poster talks about the negative aspects of different parties, which the German people don't really want to happen. For example, the poster talks about the other parties "planning to use terror, corruption, lies and other strategies as the basis for their government," which the Germans didn't want because they were already in a similar situation and wanted to get out of it.
2.
Supporting Goebbels' interpretation:
a. Source 37
b. Source 40
c. Source 42
d. Hitler being a great orator
e. Hitler's overall look (a man of the people, a dynamic man of the moment, the leader of a modern party with modern ideas)
Supporting Craig's interpretation (negative cohesion):
a. Source 35
b. Source 36
c. Source 37
d. Source 38
e. Source 39
f. Source 41
g. Source 43
h. Source 44
i. Twenty-Five Points
j. Nazi Propaganda
k. Communist Threat
l. Weimer Culture vs. old, traditional German values
Scale of 1-5 with 5 being you agree fully.
3a. Score: 4 Very few people fully supported the Nazis.
Explain your score: I am giving this statement a four because I think there was a small part of Germany that supported the Nazis, but I strongly believe that a lot of Germans supported the Nazis because of Craig's negative cohesion theory. I think that there were a lot of bad events happening and opinions that the Germans and NSDAP had in common. Maybe the people didn't agree with any other party so all they really had was the Nazi Party. They agreed on what the Nazi Party thought was bad so they thought how bad could the NSDAP be. They most likely didnt' see the Center Party or Socialist Democratic Party as being successful since they were the founders of the Weimer Constitution that basically brought Germany into this chaos, and the people probably saw the Communist Party as a threat from what they saw over in USSR, like collectivization and nationalizing industries.
3b. Score: 5 The key factor was the economic depression. Without it, the Nazis would have remained a minority fringe party.
Explain your score: I strongly agree with this statement because in 1924 to 1928, before the Great Depression, Germany started to improve and people were content with life at that point, but then the Great Depression caused large unemployment rates and made chaos, which the people did not want at all. On top of that no other party, in the Germans' eyes, coud fix the problems especially the SPD and Center Party since they were the ones with majority at that moment and couldn't fix anything. Also, the other parties, before the Depression, had more votes than NSDAP, besides the Communist Party. The NSDAP was still obscure before the Great Depression, between 1918 and 1929, because the people didn't buy or believe in their extreme ideas.
3c. Score: 3.5 The politicians of the Weimar Republic were mainly responsible for the rise of the Nazis.
Explain your score: I partially agree with this statement because the Weimer Republic did struggle to fix the problems and they let Hitler become chancellor of Germany because they thought they could control him by surrounding Hitler with people from the Center Party and SPD; which didn't end up working. On the other hand, there could have been any other party or the Weimer Republic could have become more organized to try to solve these problems and compete against the Nazi Party, which could've stopped the rise of the Nazis. The other political parties could have challenged the Nazis and made their plans better than the Nazis. Even though there were no political parties to the right or on the same side as the NSDAP there could have been one to challenge the Nazis. The negative cohesion Germans who voted for the Nazis because they shared the same dislikes about Germany and the Weimer Republic could have made their own political party with the same dislikes, but different policies that they did not agree with in the NSDAP.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Jan. '33: Hitler is Appointed Chancellor
1. Why did Hindenburg's advisers agree to the appointment of Hitler as chancellor in January 1933?
Hindenburg's advisers agreed to the appointment of Hitler as chancellor in January 1933 because Hindenburg convinced the advisers that they could tame Hitler by surrounding him with responsible conservative ministers. Basically they believed that Hitler couldn't cause any trouble as long as he was out-numbered. Also, they agreed because Hindenburg and his advisers thought that Hitler's supporters would be willing to change the government int a restructured, conservative government. Hindenburg and the adivers wanted a conservative government and thought that they could achieve this with Hitler's supporters because he became so popular.
2. Why is the term "totalitarianism" used to describe Nazi Germany?
"Totalitarianism" is used to describe Nazi Germany because the government was under the control of Hitler and his party, the Nazi Party. Also, Hitler drastically changed Germany within years he became chancellor and then Fuehrer. He changed the restrictions on the military, foreign policies, education, the press, the churches, and the arts. He also made laws saying that he had full power, basically. He made laws that took away people's rights that they recieved under the Weimer Republic, such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. It was very clear that Hitler was taking away many rights from German citizens and that he was trying and obtaining power of Germany.
3. Why did the Enabling Law allow Hitler to overcome the constitutional restraints of the Weimar system?
The Enabling Law of March 24, 1933 allowed Hitler to overcome the constitutional restraints of the Weimer system because it allowed Hitler to make laws and regulations without the interference from the other cabinet members, the Reichstag, National Council, and the President. Hitler could make these regulations so long as it didn't effect the position of the Reichstag and National Council, and it didn't hinder or disturb the President's powers in any way. Now Hitler could make any law he wanted so long as it didn't effect these people.
4. What was the goal of Goebbels' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda?
The goal of Goebbel's Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was to inspire people to follow what he and Hitler were doing and going to do. In other words, the goal was to inspire people and to make them patriotic; Goebbels would go back to how Germany was embarrassed and this would raise patrioticism in citizens because they would want revenge. For example, at the Mass Book Burning on May 10th, 1933 Goebbels describes the burning of the books as forgetting the past and the Weimer Republic being destroyed being a good thing because a new and improved government and Germany is going to better and stronger. This inspired people to serve their country and work for Germany's greatness so they could possibly get revenge and become a strong country.
5. How did Hitler destroy potential sources of opposition?
Hitler destroyed potential sources of opposition by making them look really bad by blaming them for crimes, and by making laws. Hitler when he first became Chancellor blamed the KPD or the Communist Party for setting fire the Reichstag, and right on que the government arrested and communist who supposidly set the fire. Therefore, people believed that the Communist Party really did set the fire and this made them very unpopular, so the party lost votes and therefore seats. The other parties, such as SPD and Center Party, also became unpopular and lost seats. Also, Hitler made the Law Concerning the Formation of New Parties in July 14th, 1933. This law said that there were no other parties to be organized or made except for the National Socialist German Workers' Party, and if parties were to organize or formed they would be sent to jail. Therefore, people were afraid to make or organize parties because they would be sent to jail and probably die, so no new parties were made or organized. So Hitler had no other parties to worry about excpe the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which was probably under his influence anyways.
6. Which laws served as the first steps in Hitler's plan to eliminate Germany's Jewish community?
The laws that served as the first steps in Hitler's plan to eliminate Germany's Jewish community were the Nurember Laws on Citizenship and Race (September 15, 1935), Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor (September 15, 1935), and Supplementary Decree on Citizenship (November 14, 1935). The Nurember Laws on Citizenship and Race said that only pure German blood would have rights, therefore the Jewish people would have no rights because they aren't completely German. The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor said that "pure" German citizens and Jewish people couldn't marry. The law also said that Jews couldn't employ "pure" German people as their servants and they couldn't show the Reich, national flag, or national colors. The Supplementary Decree on Citizenship said that a Jewish person cannot be a citizen of the Reich or Germany, couldn't vote, or be in public office. Jewish officials could only be in an office position until December 31, 1935 where after that they would be retired. It also specifically classified a person as being Jewish by saying that they had to be descendants of at least three grandparents who were both jewish or descendent of two full Jewish grandparents.
Hindenburg's advisers agreed to the appointment of Hitler as chancellor in January 1933 because Hindenburg convinced the advisers that they could tame Hitler by surrounding him with responsible conservative ministers. Basically they believed that Hitler couldn't cause any trouble as long as he was out-numbered. Also, they agreed because Hindenburg and his advisers thought that Hitler's supporters would be willing to change the government int a restructured, conservative government. Hindenburg and the adivers wanted a conservative government and thought that they could achieve this with Hitler's supporters because he became so popular.
2. Why is the term "totalitarianism" used to describe Nazi Germany?
"Totalitarianism" is used to describe Nazi Germany because the government was under the control of Hitler and his party, the Nazi Party. Also, Hitler drastically changed Germany within years he became chancellor and then Fuehrer. He changed the restrictions on the military, foreign policies, education, the press, the churches, and the arts. He also made laws saying that he had full power, basically. He made laws that took away people's rights that they recieved under the Weimer Republic, such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. It was very clear that Hitler was taking away many rights from German citizens and that he was trying and obtaining power of Germany.
3. Why did the Enabling Law allow Hitler to overcome the constitutional restraints of the Weimar system?
The Enabling Law of March 24, 1933 allowed Hitler to overcome the constitutional restraints of the Weimer system because it allowed Hitler to make laws and regulations without the interference from the other cabinet members, the Reichstag, National Council, and the President. Hitler could make these regulations so long as it didn't effect the position of the Reichstag and National Council, and it didn't hinder or disturb the President's powers in any way. Now Hitler could make any law he wanted so long as it didn't effect these people.
4. What was the goal of Goebbels' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda?
The goal of Goebbel's Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was to inspire people to follow what he and Hitler were doing and going to do. In other words, the goal was to inspire people and to make them patriotic; Goebbels would go back to how Germany was embarrassed and this would raise patrioticism in citizens because they would want revenge. For example, at the Mass Book Burning on May 10th, 1933 Goebbels describes the burning of the books as forgetting the past and the Weimer Republic being destroyed being a good thing because a new and improved government and Germany is going to better and stronger. This inspired people to serve their country and work for Germany's greatness so they could possibly get revenge and become a strong country.
5. How did Hitler destroy potential sources of opposition?
Hitler destroyed potential sources of opposition by making them look really bad by blaming them for crimes, and by making laws. Hitler when he first became Chancellor blamed the KPD or the Communist Party for setting fire the Reichstag, and right on que the government arrested and communist who supposidly set the fire. Therefore, people believed that the Communist Party really did set the fire and this made them very unpopular, so the party lost votes and therefore seats. The other parties, such as SPD and Center Party, also became unpopular and lost seats. Also, Hitler made the Law Concerning the Formation of New Parties in July 14th, 1933. This law said that there were no other parties to be organized or made except for the National Socialist German Workers' Party, and if parties were to organize or formed they would be sent to jail. Therefore, people were afraid to make or organize parties because they would be sent to jail and probably die, so no new parties were made or organized. So Hitler had no other parties to worry about excpe the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which was probably under his influence anyways.
6. Which laws served as the first steps in Hitler's plan to eliminate Germany's Jewish community?
The laws that served as the first steps in Hitler's plan to eliminate Germany's Jewish community were the Nurember Laws on Citizenship and Race (September 15, 1935), Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor (September 15, 1935), and Supplementary Decree on Citizenship (November 14, 1935). The Nurember Laws on Citizenship and Race said that only pure German blood would have rights, therefore the Jewish people would have no rights because they aren't completely German. The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor said that "pure" German citizens and Jewish people couldn't marry. The law also said that Jews couldn't employ "pure" German people as their servants and they couldn't show the Reich, national flag, or national colors. The Supplementary Decree on Citizenship said that a Jewish person cannot be a citizen of the Reich or Germany, couldn't vote, or be in public office. Jewish officials could only be in an office position until December 31, 1935 where after that they would be retired. It also specifically classified a person as being Jewish by saying that they had to be descendants of at least three grandparents who were both jewish or descendent of two full Jewish grandparents.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Troubled Infancy of the Weimar Republic
1. Explain why several segments of German society never accepted the legitimacy of the Weimar system.
Several segments of German society never accepted the legitimacy of the Weimer system because the founders of the Weimer Republic didn't even recieve the majority from the founders (the democrats) who originally formed the system. The democratic founders of the Weimer Republic were never able to recieve more than fifty percent of the votes again. Since there wasn't really any majority and the Weimer system was struggling to be democratic and stay alive the German society never reallly believed in the Weimer system. Some of the political parties were the German Communist Party (KPD), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the German Democratic Party (DPP), the Catholic Center, and German National People's Party (DNVP). The democratic parties were DPP, SPD, and the Catholic Center, while the others were either more left or right parties. A major attack on the Weimer Republic was by the German military led by many of Germany's generals, such as Field Marshal Erich von Ludendorff, believed that Germans were bertrayed by the Weimer system and it's government becauase they had signed the Treaty of Versailles, which gave Germany many losses, like reparations and land loss to the allies. Overall, people never accepted the legitimacy of the Weimer system because they signed the Versallies treaty and they just didn't believe in the system at all.
2. How did Hitler use anti-Semitism to further his political aspirations?
Hitler used anti-Semitism to further his political aspirations by putting his views and aspirations in a book called Mein Kampf, where he wrote about how Jews were poisoning Germany's culture and blood of the German people. He wrote about how he thought the German race was the perfect race, the race that was meant to rule the world. He constantly downplayed the Jewish people as poisoning Germany, and it didn't help that the rumor of Jewish people was floating around that they were planning to take over the world, which many people did not want, especially Hitler.
3. How was the French occupation of the Ruhr tied to Germany's hyperinflation?
The French occupation of the Ruhr tied to Germany's hyperinflation by Germany greatly supporting the strikers with money. The workers of the Ruhr went on strike because they did not by no means want to collaborate or work with the French. Germany supported the strikers because they didn't want to support or be okay with France interferring. Therefore, they printed lots of paper money to support the workers, which in the end helped to cause and increase Germany's hyperinflation.
4. Describe "Weimar culture" and explain why many Germans rejected its values.
The "Weimer culture" consisted of jazz, painting, architecture, music, graphic arts, film, and literature; which was said to be influenced by the United States, so Germany was westernizing. Not all of the "culture" aspects were from the west, however, other people believed that the new freedoms for women were a challenge to their traditional, family-centered values, and the new realism in literature offended thos who favored writers that glorified the German past. The Germans, most of them, appreciated and greatly liked literature that glorified Germany, mostly when Germany's military was glorified. The new literature, the westernized literature, did not glorify Germany and this they hated. For example, "All Quiet on the Western Fron" did not glorify Germany, it talked about the horrors of trench warfare in World War I. It was more negative, when Germany wanted a description of World War I as more positive.
5. How did the conflict between the Catholic Center Party and the SPD contribute to the political crisis of the Weimar Republic?
The Catholic Center Party became stronger when previous kaiser, Otto von Bismarck, tried to separate church and state, however, this strengthened the Catholic Center Party. They tried to be more with the state and put religious influences into their decisions and policies. The Catholic Center Party at the time of the Weimer Republic, tried to find coalition partners, mostly from small right-wing parties who wanted the destroy the Weimer system, which made the political crisis of the Weimer Republic. Also, the SPD was strengthened when Otto von Bismarck had suspicion of the labor movement, which made the SPD members who were workers be even more committed. During the Weimer Republic the SPD became the majority, but the Catholic Center Party and SPD were greatly divided because of specific issues where they beleived different things. This made a political criss for the Weimer Republic because now there was no balance, the SPD was the majority and the Catholic Center was off getting more supporters from the right-wing parties.
6. How did the economic depression that began in 1929 create an opportunity for extremist political parties in Weimar Germany?
The economic depression that began in 1929 created and opportunity for extremist political parties in Weimer Germany by allowing different parties to make and offer different ways to solve the problem. For example the SPD and KPD fought against cuts in social programs, but the conservative parties opposed higher taxes. Then in March 1930 the "grand coalition" collapsed and for the next three years there was no leadership, which was an opening for parties to try to get control. There was a poll taken to form a new government, and all the political parties recieved gains as the economic depression worsened, gains as in an increase in popularity. This way the parties were able to protest and try to increase their popularity to the peopel so they could get power. There were demonstrations made and even acts of violence by the Storm Troopers who were apart of NSDAP. Since there was no leadership for three years it opened up a huge opportunity for the parties to try to get power.
Several segments of German society never accepted the legitimacy of the Weimer system because the founders of the Weimer Republic didn't even recieve the majority from the founders (the democrats) who originally formed the system. The democratic founders of the Weimer Republic were never able to recieve more than fifty percent of the votes again. Since there wasn't really any majority and the Weimer system was struggling to be democratic and stay alive the German society never reallly believed in the Weimer system. Some of the political parties were the German Communist Party (KPD), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the German Democratic Party (DPP), the Catholic Center, and German National People's Party (DNVP). The democratic parties were DPP, SPD, and the Catholic Center, while the others were either more left or right parties. A major attack on the Weimer Republic was by the German military led by many of Germany's generals, such as Field Marshal Erich von Ludendorff, believed that Germans were bertrayed by the Weimer system and it's government becauase they had signed the Treaty of Versailles, which gave Germany many losses, like reparations and land loss to the allies. Overall, people never accepted the legitimacy of the Weimer system because they signed the Versallies treaty and they just didn't believe in the system at all.
2. How did Hitler use anti-Semitism to further his political aspirations?
Hitler used anti-Semitism to further his political aspirations by putting his views and aspirations in a book called Mein Kampf, where he wrote about how Jews were poisoning Germany's culture and blood of the German people. He wrote about how he thought the German race was the perfect race, the race that was meant to rule the world. He constantly downplayed the Jewish people as poisoning Germany, and it didn't help that the rumor of Jewish people was floating around that they were planning to take over the world, which many people did not want, especially Hitler.
3. How was the French occupation of the Ruhr tied to Germany's hyperinflation?
The French occupation of the Ruhr tied to Germany's hyperinflation by Germany greatly supporting the strikers with money. The workers of the Ruhr went on strike because they did not by no means want to collaborate or work with the French. Germany supported the strikers because they didn't want to support or be okay with France interferring. Therefore, they printed lots of paper money to support the workers, which in the end helped to cause and increase Germany's hyperinflation.
4. Describe "Weimar culture" and explain why many Germans rejected its values.
The "Weimer culture" consisted of jazz, painting, architecture, music, graphic arts, film, and literature; which was said to be influenced by the United States, so Germany was westernizing. Not all of the "culture" aspects were from the west, however, other people believed that the new freedoms for women were a challenge to their traditional, family-centered values, and the new realism in literature offended thos who favored writers that glorified the German past. The Germans, most of them, appreciated and greatly liked literature that glorified Germany, mostly when Germany's military was glorified. The new literature, the westernized literature, did not glorify Germany and this they hated. For example, "All Quiet on the Western Fron" did not glorify Germany, it talked about the horrors of trench warfare in World War I. It was more negative, when Germany wanted a description of World War I as more positive.
5. How did the conflict between the Catholic Center Party and the SPD contribute to the political crisis of the Weimar Republic?
The Catholic Center Party became stronger when previous kaiser, Otto von Bismarck, tried to separate church and state, however, this strengthened the Catholic Center Party. They tried to be more with the state and put religious influences into their decisions and policies. The Catholic Center Party at the time of the Weimer Republic, tried to find coalition partners, mostly from small right-wing parties who wanted the destroy the Weimer system, which made the political crisis of the Weimer Republic. Also, the SPD was strengthened when Otto von Bismarck had suspicion of the labor movement, which made the SPD members who were workers be even more committed. During the Weimer Republic the SPD became the majority, but the Catholic Center Party and SPD were greatly divided because of specific issues where they beleived different things. This made a political criss for the Weimer Republic because now there was no balance, the SPD was the majority and the Catholic Center was off getting more supporters from the right-wing parties.
6. How did the economic depression that began in 1929 create an opportunity for extremist political parties in Weimar Germany?
The economic depression that began in 1929 created and opportunity for extremist political parties in Weimer Germany by allowing different parties to make and offer different ways to solve the problem. For example the SPD and KPD fought against cuts in social programs, but the conservative parties opposed higher taxes. Then in March 1930 the "grand coalition" collapsed and for the next three years there was no leadership, which was an opening for parties to try to get control. There was a poll taken to form a new government, and all the political parties recieved gains as the economic depression worsened, gains as in an increase in popularity. This way the parties were able to protest and try to increase their popularity to the peopel so they could get power. There were demonstrations made and even acts of violence by the Storm Troopers who were apart of NSDAP. Since there was no leadership for three years it opened up a huge opportunity for the parties to try to get power.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Unrest and the Treaty of Versailles
1. Using the information from Chapter 4, what were the threats to the new Weimar Republic? How did the Free Corps assist the government?
One of the threats to the new Weimer Republic was the Communists who were organizing riots and strikes to seize power in Berlin. This was a threat to the Weimer Republic because it shows a possible threat to the Weimer Republic power, which would be bad for whomever was leading it. The Free Corps was called upon by the Weimer Republic to shoot anyone who had a weapon in their possession (and do it right on the spot), in the end the Free Corps killed over a thousand people including sailors who were just trying to get their pay.
Anohter threat to the new Weimer Republic was the republic set up by the Independent Socialists in Bavaria, with Kurt Eisner as their leader. The republic in Bavaria was barely able to move ahead when a right-wing student shot Eisner in February 1919, but at his funeral over hundreds of thousands of people payed their respects to him by attending the funeral. Since so many people attended the funeral it shows how popular he was, which is a threat to the new Weimer Republic because these people could get mad at the new repubic by revolting, the Weimer Republic could lose a lot of its popularity, and there could be other groups like Communists who are just as popular and therefore a threat to the Weimer Republic. The Free Corps did not assist the government with this threat, and they didn't help with the immediate threat after as a result of Eisner's death.
The resulting threat was who would take power or replace Eisner. There was great debate between the Socialists and the Communists on who should take power. The Communists end up taking power and make Bavaria into a Soviet Republic on Russian lines. The Free Corps did nothing to help the Weimer Government with this threat as well, and which helped to lead to the downfall of the Weimer Republic and being led by Communists for a while, but later the Free Corps was able to put down the Communists in Bavaria and Berlina and restore the Weimer Republic.
2. How did the Germans react to the Treaty of Versailles?
The Germans absolutely hated the Treaty of Versailles, they thought that it was completely unfair. Therefore, they decided to protest as much as possible to not sign the treaty. the captains of the German fleet that were being held by the British sank the British ships in protest, and the German army made plans to defend the country against the possible invasion. The allies had told Germany that if they didn't sign the treaty in five days that they would invade Germany, which was decided after the German government protested agains the peace terms.
3. Who were the "November Criminals"?
The "November Criminals" were the politicians that had signed the armistace in November. These politicians were given this nickname by the citizens because the citizens felt like they were stabbed in the back by making peace with the Allies. The people believed that the politicians would sign what was best for Germany and not agree to the terms that were made in the treaty, such as losing one-tenth of their land.
4. Read chapter 5. Why didn't Field Marshal von Hindenburg and the other generals fight instead of having the Weimar government sign the Treaty of Versailles?
Field Marshal von Hindenburg and the other generals didn't fight instead of having the Weimar government sign the Treaty of Versailles because they all knew that if they fought it would basically be suicide for them. Field Marshal von Hindenburg made the point to President Ebert that they could be successful in defending the east of Germany, but would not be in the west and that "the success of the operation as a whole is very doubtful." Therefore, he and the other generals wanted to fight against the treaty and for Germany, but they saw that if they were to fight it would be very bad and they would lose without a doubt.
5. What were the major aspects of the Treaty that caused Germans to object so strongly to it?
The major aspects of the Treaty that caused Germans to object so strongly to it were the land, arms, war guilt and reparations, and not allowing to unite with Austria along with other minor aspects. The land part fo the Treaty caused the Germans to object so strongly to it because they lost so much land that was very valauble to them, such as losing 48% of the iron production, and the Treaty had cut Germany into two. Since Germany had lost such valuable land, not only in Germany but their colonies as well, they didn't recieve or have as much resources as they needed and left Germany a lot less productive. Also, the arms aspect of the Treaty angered the Germans because they had to greatly decrease their army, navy, and air force. The army could only consist of three divisions of calvary and seven divisions of infantry with a total of one hundred thousand men, the navy could only have six battleships and no submarines, and the air force was completely gone. This basically led Germany defenseless and unable to fight against the Treaty or attack again. The war guilt and reparations also made Germans very angry because the Treaty said Germany had to admit that the war was completely their fault and they had to pay all the damage caused in the war in the other countries (the reparations). Lastly, the minor aspects of the Treaty greatly angered Germans because they couldn't unite with Austria, the Allies would occupy all German land west of the River Rhine for fifteen years, and German had to sign it without and discussion. The Germans wanted to unite with Austria because they were their German-speaking neighbors, and the Germans definitely didn't want the Allies to be in their western land because it was like babysitting and they just didn't want it. The Germans greatly disliked the fact that they couldn't discuss the aspects of the Treaty and they called it a "Diktat," which means a dictated peace because they couldn't really do anything about the Treaty.
One of the threats to the new Weimer Republic was the Communists who were organizing riots and strikes to seize power in Berlin. This was a threat to the Weimer Republic because it shows a possible threat to the Weimer Republic power, which would be bad for whomever was leading it. The Free Corps was called upon by the Weimer Republic to shoot anyone who had a weapon in their possession (and do it right on the spot), in the end the Free Corps killed over a thousand people including sailors who were just trying to get their pay.
Anohter threat to the new Weimer Republic was the republic set up by the Independent Socialists in Bavaria, with Kurt Eisner as their leader. The republic in Bavaria was barely able to move ahead when a right-wing student shot Eisner in February 1919, but at his funeral over hundreds of thousands of people payed their respects to him by attending the funeral. Since so many people attended the funeral it shows how popular he was, which is a threat to the new Weimer Republic because these people could get mad at the new repubic by revolting, the Weimer Republic could lose a lot of its popularity, and there could be other groups like Communists who are just as popular and therefore a threat to the Weimer Republic. The Free Corps did not assist the government with this threat, and they didn't help with the immediate threat after as a result of Eisner's death.
The resulting threat was who would take power or replace Eisner. There was great debate between the Socialists and the Communists on who should take power. The Communists end up taking power and make Bavaria into a Soviet Republic on Russian lines. The Free Corps did nothing to help the Weimer Government with this threat as well, and which helped to lead to the downfall of the Weimer Republic and being led by Communists for a while, but later the Free Corps was able to put down the Communists in Bavaria and Berlina and restore the Weimer Republic.
2. How did the Germans react to the Treaty of Versailles?
The Germans absolutely hated the Treaty of Versailles, they thought that it was completely unfair. Therefore, they decided to protest as much as possible to not sign the treaty. the captains of the German fleet that were being held by the British sank the British ships in protest, and the German army made plans to defend the country against the possible invasion. The allies had told Germany that if they didn't sign the treaty in five days that they would invade Germany, which was decided after the German government protested agains the peace terms.
3. Who were the "November Criminals"?
The "November Criminals" were the politicians that had signed the armistace in November. These politicians were given this nickname by the citizens because the citizens felt like they were stabbed in the back by making peace with the Allies. The people believed that the politicians would sign what was best for Germany and not agree to the terms that were made in the treaty, such as losing one-tenth of their land.
4. Read chapter 5. Why didn't Field Marshal von Hindenburg and the other generals fight instead of having the Weimar government sign the Treaty of Versailles?
Field Marshal von Hindenburg and the other generals didn't fight instead of having the Weimar government sign the Treaty of Versailles because they all knew that if they fought it would basically be suicide for them. Field Marshal von Hindenburg made the point to President Ebert that they could be successful in defending the east of Germany, but would not be in the west and that "the success of the operation as a whole is very doubtful." Therefore, he and the other generals wanted to fight against the treaty and for Germany, but they saw that if they were to fight it would be very bad and they would lose without a doubt.
5. What were the major aspects of the Treaty that caused Germans to object so strongly to it?
The major aspects of the Treaty that caused Germans to object so strongly to it were the land, arms, war guilt and reparations, and not allowing to unite with Austria along with other minor aspects. The land part fo the Treaty caused the Germans to object so strongly to it because they lost so much land that was very valauble to them, such as losing 48% of the iron production, and the Treaty had cut Germany into two. Since Germany had lost such valuable land, not only in Germany but their colonies as well, they didn't recieve or have as much resources as they needed and left Germany a lot less productive. Also, the arms aspect of the Treaty angered the Germans because they had to greatly decrease their army, navy, and air force. The army could only consist of three divisions of calvary and seven divisions of infantry with a total of one hundred thousand men, the navy could only have six battleships and no submarines, and the air force was completely gone. This basically led Germany defenseless and unable to fight against the Treaty or attack again. The war guilt and reparations also made Germans very angry because the Treaty said Germany had to admit that the war was completely their fault and they had to pay all the damage caused in the war in the other countries (the reparations). Lastly, the minor aspects of the Treaty greatly angered Germans because they couldn't unite with Austria, the Allies would occupy all German land west of the River Rhine for fifteen years, and German had to sign it without and discussion. The Germans wanted to unite with Austria because they were their German-speaking neighbors, and the Germans definitely didn't want the Allies to be in their western land because it was like babysitting and they just didn't want it. The Germans greatly disliked the fact that they couldn't discuss the aspects of the Treaty and they called it a "Diktat," which means a dictated peace because they couldn't really do anything about the Treaty.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The German Revotion
1. Using the documents in Chapter 1 as evidence, list the ways in which conditions in Germany worsened during the war.
As shown in the first document, conditions worsened during the war in Germany because in the first document women tried to protested against high food prices and wanting their men to return home from the war, but their protest was not recorded or written about in the newspaper. The document makes it seem like the women in Germany never protested before and if anything major were to happen in Germany it would have been written about in the newspaper, since the opposite happened in the historical account it shows that conditions had worsened for the people. Also, in the second document an even bigger protest occurred, but the police were ready for the arrival of the protesters and even beat a man, Karl Liebknecht, down because the rioters were praising him. This shows the chaotic and hostile environment the Germans had to go through during the war, and this event occurred after the women revolt, so it shows that conditions had worsened for the people because this account is much worse than in the first document. Thirdly, in the "Dear Emmie" letter it is clear that conditions worsened even more because it was a year after the the second documents revolt and now there was barely any food for the people to eat. Conditions continued to get worse during the war as shown in the soldier's letter document to his parents, where Albin Kobes says that he is getting the death penalty for rioting against the government. Since he is getting the death penalty it shows that the government went into chaos to try to control the protesters and keep control.
2. Give two reasons why the war caused such bad conditions for German civilians.
Two reasons why the war had caused such bad conditions for German civilians because the British had made a blockade in the water, which prevented food from coming into Germany's ports, and the soldiers were tired of having the constant threat of being blown up or suffocating from poisonous gases.
3. After reading Chapter 2, give two reasons why Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 1918.
Two reasons Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 19218 are because many of the soldiers and citizens died from Spanish influenza so there was a drastic decrease in the number of soldiers to fight making it more likely to lose the war, and the navy began mutineeing and protesting against fighting in the war, like at Kiel.
4. Using the information you have read in this chapter, give evidence to support the statement that there was "revolution all over Germany."
There was "revolution all over Germany" as shown by the Kiel mutiny and soon after protests in support of the arrested sailors, and after people had suffered from basically starvation and the Spanish influenza the Germans were inspired by the Communist and Socialists to have a revolution to overthrow Kaiser Wilhelm II. In the mutiny in the navy at the Kiel port sailors were ordered to fight against the British, but sailors on two of the ships refused to fight and showed this by putting the fires out in the boiler rooms. After this mutiny 600 soldiers were arrested and eight were found guilty and shot, which made other sailors angry. Not only sailors, but workers and soldiers joined the revolt to try to stop the death penalty and arrest of those 600 sailors, soon cities all over Germany joined in the revolt; which in the end made the final push for Kaiser Wilhelm II's abdication. Also, the major food shortages and Spanish influenza made the people exhausted and angry, which made them want change from the govnernment. The Communists and Socialists tried to make the people revolt as well, which added to the threats Kaiser Wilhelm II saw, which made him want to abdicate.
5. Study the information about the German Socialists in Chapter 2, page 5. What did the three Socialist groups have in common?
The Social Democratic Party, the Independent Socialists, and the Spartacists all had the same aims. The all wanted to improve workers' conditions and they wanted to give democratic rights to all Germans, such as the right to vote.
6. In what ways were the Socialist groups different.
The Socialist groups were different because they all had different methods in mind to achieve their common aims. The Social Democratic Party wanted to support the government and try to make reforms by acts of parliament. There was a slight difference between the Social Democratic Party and the Independent Socialists where the Independent Socialists wanted to oppose the government and force it to make reforms by organizing strikes. However, the Spartacists were the most radical of the Socialist groups because they wanted to completely overthrow the government in a revolution, where then councils of workers or 'soviets' would make reforms.
7. After reading Chapter 3 make a time chart of the events of the German Revolution from Nov. 10, 1918 to Jan. 15, 1919. You should be able to find six events.
November 10, 1918-Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated.
November 12, 1918-Friedrich Ebert issued a statement to the German people about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, censorship ceasing to exist, and steps to improve housing and working conditions were made as new laws for Germany
December 23, 1918-a thousand hungry and underpaid sailors broke into government headquarters where the held Ebert prisoner at gunpoint, to get higher wages
December 31, 1918-The Spartacists renamed to the German Communist Party, they decided to work for a communist revolution, Rosa Luxemburg (one of the leaders of party) wrote in their newspaper about a battle or revolution to reach communism
January 6, 1919-the Spartacists or German Communist Party began their revolution
January 10, 1919-Ebert with the support of the sailors (called the Free Corps), who were against the Spartacists, attacked the Spartacists to try to overthrow them, fighting continued for the next three days
January 15, 1919-Rosa Luzemburg was arrested by the Ebert supporting sailors, where her and Karl Liebknecht (the other leader of the Spartacists) were beaten and murdered by the Free Corps
8. At what time would you say the Communists had their best chance of seizing power? Explain your answer.
The Communists, in my opinion, had their best chance of seizing power before Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated. At that point the people were greatly influenced by the Communists and Socialist groups and there was nothing really drastic done by these groups. Also, the citizens hated the Kaiser the most at this time and were willing to support anyone or do anything to take him down. However, once the Kaiser abdicated there were power struggles and a lot of fighting, while as before there was no physical fighting between the different Communist groups. The people would have been more willing to support the different groups before the fighting.
As shown in the first document, conditions worsened during the war in Germany because in the first document women tried to protested against high food prices and wanting their men to return home from the war, but their protest was not recorded or written about in the newspaper. The document makes it seem like the women in Germany never protested before and if anything major were to happen in Germany it would have been written about in the newspaper, since the opposite happened in the historical account it shows that conditions had worsened for the people. Also, in the second document an even bigger protest occurred, but the police were ready for the arrival of the protesters and even beat a man, Karl Liebknecht, down because the rioters were praising him. This shows the chaotic and hostile environment the Germans had to go through during the war, and this event occurred after the women revolt, so it shows that conditions had worsened for the people because this account is much worse than in the first document. Thirdly, in the "Dear Emmie" letter it is clear that conditions worsened even more because it was a year after the the second documents revolt and now there was barely any food for the people to eat. Conditions continued to get worse during the war as shown in the soldier's letter document to his parents, where Albin Kobes says that he is getting the death penalty for rioting against the government. Since he is getting the death penalty it shows that the government went into chaos to try to control the protesters and keep control.
2. Give two reasons why the war caused such bad conditions for German civilians.
Two reasons why the war had caused such bad conditions for German civilians because the British had made a blockade in the water, which prevented food from coming into Germany's ports, and the soldiers were tired of having the constant threat of being blown up or suffocating from poisonous gases.
3. After reading Chapter 2, give two reasons why Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 1918.
Two reasons Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 19218 are because many of the soldiers and citizens died from Spanish influenza so there was a drastic decrease in the number of soldiers to fight making it more likely to lose the war, and the navy began mutineeing and protesting against fighting in the war, like at Kiel.
4. Using the information you have read in this chapter, give evidence to support the statement that there was "revolution all over Germany."
There was "revolution all over Germany" as shown by the Kiel mutiny and soon after protests in support of the arrested sailors, and after people had suffered from basically starvation and the Spanish influenza the Germans were inspired by the Communist and Socialists to have a revolution to overthrow Kaiser Wilhelm II. In the mutiny in the navy at the Kiel port sailors were ordered to fight against the British, but sailors on two of the ships refused to fight and showed this by putting the fires out in the boiler rooms. After this mutiny 600 soldiers were arrested and eight were found guilty and shot, which made other sailors angry. Not only sailors, but workers and soldiers joined the revolt to try to stop the death penalty and arrest of those 600 sailors, soon cities all over Germany joined in the revolt; which in the end made the final push for Kaiser Wilhelm II's abdication. Also, the major food shortages and Spanish influenza made the people exhausted and angry, which made them want change from the govnernment. The Communists and Socialists tried to make the people revolt as well, which added to the threats Kaiser Wilhelm II saw, which made him want to abdicate.
5. Study the information about the German Socialists in Chapter 2, page 5. What did the three Socialist groups have in common?
The Social Democratic Party, the Independent Socialists, and the Spartacists all had the same aims. The all wanted to improve workers' conditions and they wanted to give democratic rights to all Germans, such as the right to vote.
6. In what ways were the Socialist groups different.
The Socialist groups were different because they all had different methods in mind to achieve their common aims. The Social Democratic Party wanted to support the government and try to make reforms by acts of parliament. There was a slight difference between the Social Democratic Party and the Independent Socialists where the Independent Socialists wanted to oppose the government and force it to make reforms by organizing strikes. However, the Spartacists were the most radical of the Socialist groups because they wanted to completely overthrow the government in a revolution, where then councils of workers or 'soviets' would make reforms.
7. After reading Chapter 3 make a time chart of the events of the German Revolution from Nov. 10, 1918 to Jan. 15, 1919. You should be able to find six events.
November 10, 1918-Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated.
November 12, 1918-Friedrich Ebert issued a statement to the German people about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, censorship ceasing to exist, and steps to improve housing and working conditions were made as new laws for Germany
December 23, 1918-a thousand hungry and underpaid sailors broke into government headquarters where the held Ebert prisoner at gunpoint, to get higher wages
December 31, 1918-The Spartacists renamed to the German Communist Party, they decided to work for a communist revolution, Rosa Luxemburg (one of the leaders of party) wrote in their newspaper about a battle or revolution to reach communism
January 6, 1919-the Spartacists or German Communist Party began their revolution
January 10, 1919-Ebert with the support of the sailors (called the Free Corps), who were against the Spartacists, attacked the Spartacists to try to overthrow them, fighting continued for the next three days
January 15, 1919-Rosa Luzemburg was arrested by the Ebert supporting sailors, where her and Karl Liebknecht (the other leader of the Spartacists) were beaten and murdered by the Free Corps
8. At what time would you say the Communists had their best chance of seizing power? Explain your answer.
The Communists, in my opinion, had their best chance of seizing power before Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated. At that point the people were greatly influenced by the Communists and Socialist groups and there was nothing really drastic done by these groups. Also, the citizens hated the Kaiser the most at this time and were willing to support anyone or do anything to take him down. However, once the Kaiser abdicated there were power struggles and a lot of fighting, while as before there was no physical fighting between the different Communist groups. The people would have been more willing to support the different groups before the fighting.
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