The Depression and the Nazis

1. Look carefully at Sources 3-7 and 9. For each source, write two sentences explaning whether you think it is evidence that:

• Supports the view of Goebbels
• Supports the view of Craig
• Could be used to support either interpretation

Source 3: I think that this source supports Goebbles. This is because after the Nazi's gained a large amount of support, the unemployment rate began to level off.

Source 4: I think that this source supports Goebbles. This is because the imagery is showing the troops as guardians.

Source 5: This source supports Craig. The poster clearly shows that the Nazi's are against something that most Germans hated with every fiber of their being.

Source 6: This source could support either interpretation. While the hall is full, that does not mean that all of the people are there because they agree with the Nazi ideals.

Source 7: This source definitely supports Craig. Almost everyone in Germany was scared of the Communists.

Source 9: This source could support either interpretation, or even both interpretations. On one side, the Nazi's are promoting themselves, while on the other, they are accusing their opponents of using corruption, lies, and terrorism to control the people. Sound familiar?
 

2. Now work through the text and other sources on pages 191-94. Make a list of examples and evidence that seem to support either viewpoint.

 

3. Decide how far you agree with each of the following three statements and give them a score on a scale of 1-5. And then, write a short paragraph explaining your score for each statement.

a. Very few people fully supported the Nazis (Score = 2) Explanation:
 Many people supported the Nazi's. Without support, they would never have gotten so much power. However, the only reason they had that support was because of the economic depression.

b. The Key factor was the economic depression. Without it, the Nazis would have remained a minority fringe party. (Score = 5) Explanation:
 The only reason anyone listened to the Nazi's message was because their lives were terrible. If the depression hadn't happened, their lives wouldn't have been terrible, and they wouldn't have listened to the Nazi party.

c. The politicians of the Weimar Republic were mainly responsible for the rise of the Nazis 

(Score = 3) Explanation:

The politicians of the Weimar Republic were only partially responsible for the rise of the Nazis. They were driven by fear, and acted upon their instincts, making them easy targets for manipulation by the right wing.

Nazi Ideology

The Nazi's believed that the Weimar Republic was weak, and that a single strong leader was needed. They believed that Germany's defeat was caused by wealthy Jewish bankers who had withdrawn support for the war and were behind the Treaty of Versailles.

The Nazis wanted to create a higher order of Germans. They followed the idea of "Social Darwinism". They believed that the Aryans (people with blonde hair and blue eyes) were superior, or the "Master Race", while the Jews were considered "sub-human". They even based their 25 point manifesto on the idea that Jews are inferior, and that they didn't deserve any of the rights that Germans were entitled to.

Many of the points in their 25 point plan were very subtly worded attacks on Judaism. For example, point 4 states that "Only a member of the race can be a citizen. A member of the race can only be one who is of German blood, without consideration of creed. Consequently no Jew can be a member of the race." This is saying that Judaism is a race, not a religion, and that they could not be a German citizen.

Hitler's Background to 1923

Hitler's background contributed strongly to his interactions with NSDAP. His father was abusive, and his mother pampered him. His grades were never very good, and at one point, he used a school reprt as toilet paper. After his father died, he became wayward. He left school with no qualifications.

He went to Vienna to try to secure a place at the Academy of Fine Art. He fails, and within the same year, his mother died. mourning his mother, he wanders for six years, during which he develeps anti-semetic and anti-marxist leanings.

In 1913, he moves to Munich. A year later, he is recalled to Austria, but found unfit for them military. He joins anyway, but fails to rise above the rank of Corporal. In 1918, he is gassed and hospitalized. While in the hospital, he learns of Germany's defeat. In 1919, he joins the DAP and becomes a committee member.