Nazism and The Rise of Hitler class 9 - Description
Nazism and The Rise of Hitler class 9 PDF
Germany’s Defeat In The World War I
- Germany entered the world war on 1st August 1914. It aimed to dominate Russia and France, the most powerful countries on either side of Germany.
- It first attacked Belgium. After this move by Germany, Great Britain attacked Germany.
Later as the U.S joined the Allied forces, Germany was easily defeated by them.
- First, the failure of the Schlieffen plan and then the weakness of Kaiser Wilhelm II made the general public and the army lose respect for him.
- In 1918 Wilhelm abdicated the throne.
- The Social Democratic Party & the Independent Social Democratic party convened a National Congress. Ultimately, a weak coalition government was made.
Paris Peace Conference & the Treaty of Versailles
Meanwhile, in Paris, the Allies met basically to take revenge (politically and economically) upon the defeated Central Powers. The main outcome of the peace conference was the Treaty of Versailles (1919). This treaty was signed with Germany. The terms of this treaty blamed all the descriptions & damages squarely on Germany. Because of this treaty:
- Germany had to lose its overseas colonies. Nearly 13% of the German territory was given away to various countries that directly or indirectly supported the Allies’ countries.
- France also grabbed Alsace and Lorraine which were parts of Germany.
Germany’s control over Poland was also taken away. Poland now had become a sovereign country again.
- As reparation, Germany had to shell out $33 billion.
- Germany’s military prowess was more or less neutralized -especially in Rhineland.
- France and Belgium initially grabbed a significant part of the Rhineland. Later when Germany failed to pay reparations the French and Belgian army occupied the Ruhr region as well.
After-Effects of The Treaty
- It was a huge embarrassing blow to the psychology of the proud Germans. They had to undergo extreme humiliation due to this treaty.
- The poor Weimar Republic – which had nothing to do with the war or the treaty – became the punching bag of the Germans. They felt that it was because of the weakness of the republic government that the Allies had dared to impose such heavy penalties.
Radical Elements In The Political Sphere
As the Weimar Republic came into existence so did the radical group called the Spartacist League. The group was impressed by the Soviets & wanted to imitate their style of governance. Initially, the Weimar Republic, with the help of the Free Corps, stunted the rise of the Spartacist League. As you can imagine from their love of the Soviet-style of governance, the league was Communist in spirit. Later it formed the Communist Party of Germany.
The Economic Fallout
- Germany also had to pay the Allies an astronomical sum of money as reparations. On the other hand, during the war, it borrowed money & resources as well. So it was in great debt.
- France occupied the Ruhr upon non-payment of reparations.
The Emergence of Hitler
- As the German economy was deteriorating day by day due to unfair ruling in the peace treaty, Hitler was seething with anger. Toxic nationalistic sentiment had filled him to the core.
- Who was Hitler as a man before Hitler became ‘the’ Hitler? He was the son of a customs official. He lived in Austria in his early days. Hitler also wanted to be an artist but was repeatedly rejected by the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. (Imagine if he had been admitted to the Academy, the History could have been a lot less bloody).
In 1913, Hitler then came to Munich and joined the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment. An aimless Hitler had found refuge in war. He loved the discipline and the way of life that he experienced while he was in the army.
- After his service, Hitler also joined the German Workers Party. That was in the year 1919 the year when the Versailles Treaty was also signed. He then became the topmost leader of the party and had renamed it the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. This same party was then transformed into the Nazi Party. The Promise For A Better Country.
- By 1932, Hitler’s nazi Party got 37% votes and became a majority party in the German Parliament. Ultimately on 30th January 1933, Hitler became the Chancellor, and The Dictatorship Began. Hitler then intoxicated the conservatives & the general population with his promises.
When a mysterious fire broke out in the German Parliament building, Hitler used this as an opportunity for the murder of freedom of speech and the press. He also imposed heavy restrictions on the right to assemble.
The Communists were then condemned to the concentration camps. And came the Enabling Act of 1933. The Nazi party had become the only party in Germany. Every other party & organization was termed illegal.
Racism In Hitler
- “All human culture, the results of art, science, & technology that we see before us today, are almost exclusively the product of Aryans” – Hitler writes in Mein Kampf. From this, you can imagine how blind Hitler was in his love for the so-called pure race.
- Hitler was against the union of the Aryans & other races as that would then produce inferior sons and daughters.
Hitler was also a believer in the racial hierarchy. The Aryans were normally considered to be the most superior & the Jews were considered to be the most inferior. All other races were between these two extremes.
Holocaust
Hitler’s hatred for Jews was deadly as a forest fire that showed no sign of stopping. After Hitler became the dictator of Germany, he then pushed forth his theory of Aryan supremacy. He believed that blue-eyed Nordic Aryans were at top of the racial hierarchy & the Jews were at the bottom. He associated spiritual significance with the killing of Jews. Thus, with the help of his police force, the SA unit & the Gestapo, he systematically located and sent the Jews to concentration camps and butchered them. This systematic killing of the Jew community by Hitler is known as the Holocaust.
The Defeat of Germany in The First World War
- The Nazism and Rise of Hitler notes start with the fact that Germany fought World War 1 against the Allied forces.
- After the US joined the Allies, they crushed the German soldiers.
- The soldiers and the general public became disillusioned and went against Kaiser Wilhelm II.
- A constituent assembly was elected. A coalition government was formed in 1918.
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