Nazism and the Rise of Hitler

Nazism and Rise of Hitler

Birth of the Weimar Republic

Germany was a powerful empire in the early years of the twentieth century. It fought the First World War (1914-1918) alongside the Austrian empire and against the Allies (England, France and Russia).After the war Germany was defeated

The defeat of the Imperial Germany paved the way for democratic republic in Germany. The parliamentary parties met at the National Assembly at Weimar and established a democratic constitution with a federal structure. Universal suffrage was allowed for electing the Deputies to the German Parliament (Reichstag).

Versailles Treaty

a) As per the peace treaty Germany was held responsible for the damage done.

b)Germany had to pay compensation amounting to £6 billion.
c)Germany lost a tenth of its population, 13% of its territories, 75% of its iron and 26% of its coal to France, Poland, Denmark and Lithuania respectively.
d)To weaken its power, the Allied Powers demilitarized Germany. The resource rich Rhineland was occupied by the Allied armies.
Because of these developments, many.Germans were not happy with the Weimar Republic.

The Effects of the War

a) The Europe had turned into a continent of debtors from being a continent of creditors.
b)Glorification of Soldiers: After the First World War, the soldiers came to be placed above civilians all over Europe. Politicians and the media glorified the life of a soldier.

Political Radicalism and Economic Crises

This was the time when the Spartacist League revolution began to rise by the worker people.The Spartacist was crushed with the help of an organisation called Free Corps. The Spartacist later founded the Communist Party of Germany.

The economic crisis of 1923 further heightened the political radicalization in Germany. Germany had to pay war reparations in gold which led to depletion of gold reserve. When Germany refused to pay in 1923, the French occupied its leading industrial area Ruhr; to claim their coal.
Germany responded with passive resistance and printed paper currency recklessly. Increased circulation of currency led to hyperinflation in Germany. Price rise was phenomenal.
Finally, America decided to bail out Germany from this mess. America introduced the Dawes Plan. According to this plan, the terms of reparations were reworked to ease the financial burden on Germany.