Germany in Transition 1919–1939

The Weimar Republic (1919–1933)

Germany's defeat in the First World War left the country in crisis. The Kaiser abdicated in November 1918 and a new democratic republic was proclaimed at Weimar. Its constitution gave Germans civil liberties and proportional representation — but this system made it almost impossible for any party to win an outright majority, causing weak coalition governments.

Early crises of Weimar:

• November 1918 – 1919: "Stab in the back" myth — nationalists blamed civilian politicians for signing the armistice, calling them the "November criminals."
• Treaty of Versailles (1919): Forced Germany to accept war guilt (Article 231), pay reparations (£6.6 billion), lose territory (including Alsace-Lorraine and the Polish Corridor), and reduce its army to 100,000 men. Germans called it a Diktat — a dictated peace.
• 1923 crisis: France occupied the Ruhr (Germany's industrial heartland) after Germany missed reparations payments. The government printed money to pay strikers → hyperinflation. A loaf of bread cost billions of marks. Savings were wiped out.
• Munich Putsch (Nov 1923): Hitler attempted a coup in a beer hall. It failed; he was jailed. But he used his trial as a platform, writing Mein Kampf in prison.

The "Golden Twenties" (1924–1929): Under Chancellor Stresemann, the Dawes Plan (1924) restructured reparations with US loans; the Rentenmark stabilised currency; the Locarno Treaties (1925) improved international relations. Weimar flourished culturally — Bauhaus art, Expressionist film, jazz. But underneath: unemployment, extremist parties, and dependence on American loans.

Depression and collapse (1929–1933): The Wall Street Crash (October 1929) triggered US loan recalls. German unemployment soared to over 6 million by 1932. The Weimar coalition collapsed; governments ruled by emergency decree (Article 48). The Nazis' vote share rose from 2.6% (1928) to 37.4% (July 1932). Hindenburg appointed Hitler Chancellor on 30 January 1933.

The Nazi Rise to Power

Hitler exploited Weimar's weaknesses through both legal and illegal means:

• Electoral success: Offered simple solutions — blame the Jews, the Communists, the Versailles betrayers. Skilled propaganda by Goebbels. Mass rallies created cult atmosphere.
• SA (Stormtroopers): Intimidated opponents; street violence made Germany ungovernable.
• Backroom deals: Conservative politicians (Papen, Hindenburg) thought they could control Hitler. They were wrong.

Once Chancellor, Hitler moved fast:

• Reichstag Fire (Feb 1933): Blamed Communists; emergency decree suspended civil liberties.
• Enabling Act (March 1933): Gave Hitler power to rule by decree for four years. The SA intimidated the Reichstag. Passed 441–84.
• Night of the Long Knives (June 1934): Hitler purged SA leadership (Röhm). Army rewarded with an oath of personal loyalty.
• Hindenburg's death (Aug 1934): Hitler merged Chancellor and President into Führer. The Nazi state was complete.

The Nazi State

Control mechanisms: Gestapo (secret police) and SS monitored dissent. Concentration camps held political opponents. Press, radio and film censored by Goebbels' propaganda ministry. Education reshaped through Hitler Youth and curriculum changes.

Racial policy: Nuremberg Laws (1935) stripped Jews of citizenship and banned marriage with non-Jews. Kristallnacht (Nov 1938) — synagogues burned, businesses smashed. Jews forced to emigrate or face persecution.

Economy: Schacht's economic recovery used public works (autobahns), rearmament, and Mefo bills. Unemployment fell from 6 million to under 1 million by 1938. But consumer goods remained scarce; the economy was on a war footing.

Women and young people: Women encouraged to marry and have children (Kinder, Küche, Kirche). Hitler Youth and League of German Girls indoctrinated the young.

WJEC Exam Technique

Eduqas Component 1 tests knowledge, analysis and evaluation. The source-analysis question requires provenance (who wrote it, when, why) and content inference. The essay question requires a sustained argument using supporting and qualifying evidence. Always link back to the question throughout.