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2 Nov 2015
1 Nov 2015
Struggle for power
Explain:
- How Stalin came to power in Communist Russia in 1924.
- Why Stalin, and not Trotsky, emerged as Lenin's successor.
Life in Lenin's Russia
Life improved for many ordinary people in Lenin's Russia. But Russia was now a dictatorship and anyone who openly criticised Communism risked losing their life.
Five aspects of the communist state
The Bolsheviks wanted to set up a Communist state. This comprised five aspects:
- Peace - as promised, Lenin made the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany although it meant that Russia lost vast amounts of its best industrial and agricultural land in Poland and the Ukraine.
- Communist economy - the Bolsheviks gave the land previously owned by the nobles to the peasants, and factories were handed over to workers' committees.
- Communist laws - the Bolsheviks banned religion; brought in an eight-hour day for workers, as well as unemployment pay and pensions; abolished the teaching of history and Latin, while encouraging science; and allowed divorce.
- Communist propaganda - there was a huge campaign to teach everyone to read. Agit trains' went around the country showing communist newsreels and giving lectures to teach peasants about Communism.
- Dictatorship - Lenin dismissed the Constituent Assembly, which was the parliament that the Provisional Government had arranged, and declared the 'dictatorship of the proletariat' (which was really, the dictatorship of Lenin). A secret police force called the Cheka arrested, tortured and killed anybody who tried to destroy the Communist state.
Test yourself:
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/russia/lifeinleninsrussiarev1.shtml
Nazi Persecution
Hitler had firm racial policies and believed that non-Germans should not have any citizenship rights. There were many groups of people who were targeted by Hitler's policies, but none more so than the Jews.
Who did the Nazis persecute?
The Nazis believed that only Germans could be citizens and that non-Germans did not have any right to the rights of citizenship.
The Nazis racial philosophy taught that some races were untermensch (sub-human). Many scientists at this time believed that people with disabilities or social problems were genetic degenerates whose genes needed to be eliminated from the human bloodline.
The Nazis, therefore:
- Tried to eliminate the Jews.
- Killed 85 per cent of Germany's Gypsies.
- Sterilised black people.
- Killed mentally disabled babies.
- Killed mentally ill patients.
- Sterilised physically disabled people and people with hereditary diseases.
- Sterilised deaf people.
- Put homosexuals, prostitutes, Jehovah's Witnesses, alcoholics, pacifists, beggars, hooligans and criminals - who they regarded as anti-social - into concentration camps.
How the Nazis persecuted the Jews: key dates
1933
- Boycott of Jewish businesses.
- Jewish civil servants, lawyers and teachers sacked.
- Race Science lessons to teach that Jews are untermensch.
1935
- 'Jews not wanted here' signs put up at swimming pools etc.
- Nuremberg laws (15 September) Jews could not be citizens. They were not allowed to vote or to marry a German.
1938
- Jews could not be doctors.
- Jews had to add the name Israel (men) or Sarah (women) to their name.
- Jewish children forbidden to go to school.
- Kristallnacht (9 November) - attacks on Jewish homes, businesses andsynagogues.
1939
- Jews were forbidden to own a business, or own a radio.
- Jews were forced to live in ghettoes.
1941
- Army Einsatzgruppen squads in Russia started mass-shootings of Jews.
- All Jews were forced to wear a yellow star of David.
1942
- Wansee Conference (20 January) decided on the Final Solution, which was to gas all Europe's Jews. The main death camps were at Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sobibor.
Question time: Why and how did the Nazis persecute many groups in German society?
Source: BBC GCSE Bitesize
Women in the Nazi state
Hitler had very clear ideas about the woman's role in the Nazi state - she was the centre of family life, a housewife and mother. Hitler even introduced a medal for women who had eight or more children!
The role of women
The Nazis had clear ideas of what they wanted from women.
Women were expected to stay at home and look after the family. Women doctors, teachers and civil servants were forced to give up their careers. Even at the end of the war, women were never asked to serve in the armed forces.
Their job was to keep the home nice for their husband and family - their life should revolve round the three 'Ks':
- church
- children
- cooking
Goebbels said:
"The mission of women is to be beautiful and to bring children into the world."
Hitler wanted a high birth rate, so the population would grow. The Nazis even considered making it law that families should have at least four children. Girls did keep fit in the BDM to make themselves healthy for childbirth, but they were discouraged from staying slim, because it was thought that thin women had trouble giving birth.
The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage gave newly wed couples a loan of 1,000 marks, and allowed them to keep 250 marks for each child they had. Mothers who had more than eight children were given a gold medal. Unmarried women could volunteer to have a baby for an Aryan member of the SS.
Women were supposed to emulate traditional German peasant fashions - plain peasant costumes, hair in plaits or buns and flat shoes. They were not expected to wear make-up or trousers, dye their hair or smoke in public.
Test yourself (with answers):
Source: BBC GCSE Bitesize
The structures of control in the Nazi state
Hitler introduced many policies and measures to ensure the Nazis remained in control, once he declared himself Führer. These measures dealt with political opponents, as well as ordinary people, who suddenly found their private, social and working lives controlled by the Nazis.
Seven key structures
The Nazi party aimed to control every aspect of people's political, social and working lives. It maintained control through a mixture of propaganda and intimidation.
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1. Government (political)The way Hitler consolidated power in 1933-1934 meant that the Nazis had absolute control of national and local government.
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2. Religion (social)Hitler believed that religion was a threat to the Nazis' control over people's minds, so he tried different ways to reduce the power of the church over people.
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3. Culture (social)Hitler ordered Nazification - the imposition of Nazi values - on all aspects of German life.
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4. Work (working)Dr Robert Ley, head of the DAF, boasted that he controlled workers' lives from the 'cradle to the grave'.
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5. Education and youth (working)The lives of young people were controlled both in and out of school to turn them into fanatical Nazis.
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6. Terror (method of control)Germany became a country where it was unsafe to do or say anything critical of the government.
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7. Propaganda (method of control)Josef Goebbels controlled the Propaganda Ministry, which aimed to brainwash people into obeying the Nazis and idolising Hitler.
Hitler's rise to power
Hitler's rise to power cannot be attributed to one event, but a mixture of factors including events happening outside Germany, the strengths of the Nazi party, and the weaknesses of other parties within Germany. Hitler used these factors to his advantage and in 1933 he legitimately gained power to become chancellor.
Summary
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In 1929, the American Stock Exchange collapsed, and caused an economic depression. America called in all its foreign loans, which destroyed Weimar Germany. Unemployment in Germany rose to 6 million.The government did not know what to do. In July 1930 Chancellor Brüning cut government expenditure, wages and unemployment pay - the worst thing to do during a depression. He could not get the Reichstag to agree to his actions, so President Hindenburg used Article 48 to pass the measures by decree.
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Anger and bitterness helped the Nazis to gain more support.Many workers turned to communism, but this frightened wealthy businessmen, so they financed Hitler's campaigns.Many middle-class people, alarmed by the obvious failure of democracy, decided that the country needed a strong government. Nationalists and racists blamed the Treaty of Versailles and reparations.
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In 1928, the Nazis had only 12 seats in the Reichstag; by July 1932 they had 230 seats and were the largest party.The government was in chaos. President Hindenburg dismissed Brüning in 1932. His replacement - Papen - lasted six months, and the next chancellor - Schleicher - only lasted two months. Hindenburg had to use Article 48 to pass almost every law.
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In January 1933, Hindenburg and Papen came up with a plan to get the Nazis on their side by offering to make Hitler vice chancellor. He refused and demanded to be made chancellor. They agreed, thinking they could control him.In January 1933, Hitler became chancellor, and immediately set about making himself absolute ruler of Germany using Article 48.
Reasons why Hitler rose to power
- Hitler was a great speaker, with the power to make people support him.
- The moderate political parties would not work together, although together they had more support than the Nazis.
- The depression of 1929 created poverty and unemployment, which made people angry with the Weimar government. People lost confidence in the democratic system and turned towards the extremist political parties such as the Communists and Nazis during the depression.
- The Nazi storm troopers attacked Hitler's opponents.
- Goebbels' propaganda campaign was very effective and it won support for the Nazis. The Nazis targeted specific groups of society with different slogans and policies to win their support.
- Hitler was given power in a seedy political deal by Hindenburg and Papen who foolishly thought they could control him.
- German people were still angry about the Treaty of Versailles and supported Hitler because he promised to overturn it.
- Industrialists gave Hitler money and support.
Test to see how much you remember (with answers!):
Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/germany/hitlerpowerrev1.shtml
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