1、Germany 2006 Sample AnswersQuestion 2a) The photograph shows us that the Spartacists has significant military strength and that they appealed to both ex-soldiers and civilians in Berlin in 1919. The fact that they have barricaded outside a newspaper office shows the importance the Spartacists place
2、in controlling information. They look as if they could face attack from either side which suggests that the forces opposing them are strong, their barricades are made out of old newspapers which also suggests that they are not as militarily strong as they would need to be. b) Both sources F and G su
3、ggest that the Nazis set up a gymnastics and sports section suggesting that the place a priority on physical fitness. Source F though suggests that this was only used to attract supporters who felt betrayed by the Weimar Republic and provide a cover for more militaristic activity. Source G, being Na
4、zi propaganda, suggested that men were attracted for positive reasons, it was for building loyalty and protection. Source F says that the SA would be disruptive and break up opposition meetings, Source G claims it develops “cheerful” obedience to the leader.c) Source G is useful in showing us how mu
5、ch emphasis the Nazis placed upon youth and strong sport and physical fitness. We know that these were areas which the Nazis would later develop when they got into power in the 1930s. It also talks about building up loyalty to the leadership of the party, Hitler insisted on absolute loyalty from his
6、 followers and the ability of the Nazis to protect him. The newspaper also indicates a sense that joining the Nazis would be “cheerful” and would give young people a sense of purpose and idealism at a time of great unrest.Of course this source fails to give a clear indicator of some of the more unse
7、emly activities of Nazi groups, the source gives the impression of an organisation working within the law but these groups often went around intimidating political opponents and disrupting their meetings, many who joined would have been ex-soldiers with a fondness for random violence, the SA were an
8、 intimidating force within Weimar Germany. The Munich Putsch provides an example of Nazi methods of violent revolution from the early days of the organsation. The source only focuses on the youth aspect and does not consider other elements within the organisation like the status of Hitler himself or
9、 how local branches would be organised, it mentions nothing of Nazis policies against Versailles, democracy or the Jews.The source comes from the Nazis own newspaper in 1921 so it gives a good indicator of what message the party wished to get across to the wider German public and appeal to potential
10、 supporters to join through presenting a wholesome and responsible image. It shows an idealised image of what the party stood for.Nevertheless, the motive of the author is to present an image of responsibility and loyalty which may not subscribe to the reality. The aim is to recruit young German men
11、 and it suggests that they will find lots on offer by joining the Nazis, as a result the image is a distortion of the more violent reality which would put many individuals off.Although the source is of some use in showing how the Nazis wished to be portrayed it does not give a true reflection on the
12、 development of the party, it ignores many of its founding principles based in hatred and anger and how Hitler sought to dominate the party and lead it to power through violence in the early 1920s.d) Egon Larsens account of the impact of reparations is useful in showing how the German public perceiv
13、ed the imposition of the bill for 6.6 billion given after the Treaty of Versailles. He argues that it was an unfair imposition as Germany had already been defeated in the war (though he states it was against 24 countries as a matter of pride) and its economy had been shattered, particularly as a res
14、ult of the British naval blockade. He gives the commonly held view that the terms came as a surprise to the German people as they felt they did not lose the war, or even had responsibility for starting it.Larsens interpretation though does not give a full insight into how reparations affected German
15、y. Many historians have argued that the German economy was still strong enough after the war, after all Germany had not been invaded. The German public and politicians were more of a mind of wont pay rather than cant pay. Successive Weimar governments used reparations as an excuse which led to the f
16、ailure to pay in 1923 leading to the Ruhr occupation and hyperinflation. The success of governments in the later 1920s shows us that the German economy was still capable of making money and paying off the reparations. It can be said the demand to pay reparations was more of a psychological blow to G
17、ermany than an economic one.Larsen would have had a good flavour of the events of the time serving as a journalist in the 1920s. He would have come across a wide range of viewpoints from different sections of German society and this could add to his summation of the mood in Germany in the 1920s. He
18、is writing with hindsight and a position of authority as someone who lived through the events and could record their impact on the people.However, it can be argued that Larsen is using his record as a means to explain the development of future events. He is perhaps seeking to find external factors t
19、o excuse the development of tyranny and war in Germany in the 1930s. By using economic problems as a means to explain the rise of Hitler, he is suggesting the peacemakers and not the German people (who he is probably assuming to be the readership of this book) as the key focus of later discontents.O
20、verall, the source does provide an interesting interpretation about the impact of reparations on the German economy and its people. The perceptions of being failed by the peacemakers was a very important theme in the Weimar Republic and one which Hitler played upon to his advantage in times of econo
21、mic distress. The source therefore fails to present a full picture of the effect of reparations but rather discusses them to make a political point.e) The depression was one of the crucial factors in allowing Hitler to become Chancellor but there were many other reasons which also allowed Hitlers ri
22、se to power. The depression started in Germany soon after the Wall Street Crash as American banks pulled in their loans and orders for German products dried up. As businesses folded more people were left with work. By 1933 over six million Germans were unemployed, many others were forced to take a c
23、ut in wages and feared joblessness themselves. Successive German Chancellors failed to improve the economy and the political system itself was accused of failing the German people. The disruption and uncertainty caused by the depression led to German people looking for alternative forms of governmen
24、t. Many turned to the Communists who would overthrow the capitalist system and the country could then be run in the interests of the workers rather than big business. Many property owners and businessmen deeply feared the effects of communist revolution and, as a consequence, turned their support to
25、wards the Nazis who provided a clear alternative.The Nazis played on the failures of the democratic parties and promised the German people that they would fight the danger of communist revolution and provide “Arbeit und Brot” Work and Bread for the German people. Although they did not present a clea
26、r plan of what they would do, they spoke with conviction and confidence that they alone could solve Germanys problems. The Nazis could take advantage of the divisions amongst other parties and the failure of successive Chancellors to form workable coalition governments. The Weimar Republic had been
27、discredited by the President, Hindenburg, allowing Bruning, Von Papen and Von Schleicher to use Article 48 and rule by decree as the only means of passing laws. This also led to a succession of elections in 1930 and twice in 1932 where Nazi support increased and they had become the largest single pa
28、rty in the Reichstag.Nazi campaigning was at the heart of their success, they could afford to vigorously use propaganda thanks to the support of many big businessmen who saw Hitler as the only alternative to communist revolution. Through rallies, marches, flights, newspapers, posters, flags and bann
29、ers, the Nazis presented themselves as organised and purposeful at a time when other parties were discredited. The use of the SA and SS to disrupt the meetings of opponents and to show strength and discipline won over many voters. Hitler himself was the prize asset of the party, a great orator with
30、incredible energy, he was able to touch the lives of those who heard him as no other politician could, he could make Germans feel better about themselves through blaming others like the November Criminals, the Versailles Peacemakers, the Jews and the communists. Hitler offered a vision of hope for t
31、he future for the German people.Depression was the key to Nazi success. In 1928 the Nazi Party had only 12 seats in the Reichstag, this was at a time of relative prosperity. In 1932 the Nazis gained over 200 seats at a time of depression. It can be argued that without the depression the Nazis would
32、have continued to be a fringe party with little to offer the German public. Depression was their opportunity to capitalise on the failings of the Weimar Republic and to use their brutality, skills and resources to provide a vision of a more successful German future which the distressed masses were c
33、alling out for.Question 6a) The Nazis used schools to promote and justify Nazi ideas about Germany. It did this in History by teaching about German glories, science focused on warfare and Geography was used to reinforce a perception of the hostility of Germanys neighbours. 3b) Source V shows us how
34、strong Nazi support was in the Reichstag following the March 1933 election, with 288 seats they had nearly half the seats, but to create a one-party state they needed to pass an Enabling Act with a two-thirds majority. Hitler could use the laws passed in the aftermath of the Reichstag Fire to ban th
35、e communist party bringing Hitler 81 votes closer to his goal. Hitler was then able to gain support of some of the smaller Nationalist parties and he came to a deal with the Catholic Centre Party to enable Catholics to keep their own schools and some independence. This brought Hitler over the two th
36、irds majority he needed but to make certain he also used his supporters to intimidate and threaten the remaining Social Democrats. Once the Enabling Act was passed, Hitler could ban all other political parties and prevent the formation of new ones, political opponents would be arrested and imprisone
37、d, many fled Germany instead. 7c) In June 1934, Hitler had almost complete control of Germany but was concerned about the army and the SA within the Nazi Party itself. The SA was led by Ernst Rohm who many saw as a potential rival to Hitler, the army was very suspicious of Rohms plans to incorporate
38、 the rabble of the SA into the disciplined German military machine. Due to his fears of Rohms popularity and in order to get the army chiefs on side Hitler decided to act. On 30 June, Rohm and other leading members of the SA were arrested by the SS and were shot without trial. This convinced the mil
39、itary that the could trust Hitler. 5d) Nazi racial and religious policies affected some groups in Germany much more than others. Hitlers message about the superiority of the German race and their shared glorious destiny in the “Thousand Year Reich” made many Germans proud of their country after a ti
40、me of despair in the Weimar days. Hitler used this a means of controlling the masses and seeking their approval for actions he wanted to take. It could be argued that Hitlers racial propaganda helped prepare Germany for war and led a willing nation into the abyss.Within Germany minority ethnic and r
41、eligious groups found themselves persecuted. As the decade progressed the level of discrimination and hostility increased. This most clearly affected the Jews living within Germany. Jews in professional positions in the law, education and the civil service were sacked. Jews found themselves denied G
42、erman citizenship and forbidden from marrying Aryan Germans in the Nuremburg Laws of 1935. Jewish shops and businesses were boycotted and violence against Jews was tolerated. Hostility towards Jews increased, in November 1938 Jews were blamed for the murder of a German diplomat and it resulted in Kr
43、istallnacht the Night of Broken Glass, where many Jews were murdered. Education and propaganda against Jews also increased to the point where most Jews with money would emigrate.Other groups like Gypsies were also persecuted, some had cruel experiments carried out on them in order for the Germans to
44、 prove a scientific reason for their inferiority. Five out of six Gypsies living in Germany were killed by the Nazis.Hitler had a complicated relationship with the Christian religion. He signed a Concordat with the Pope in 1934 to allow Catholic churches some freedom in the Nazi state, provided the
45、Catholic Church stayed out of politics. He tried to unite all the Protestant Churches into an official Reich Church but many remained loyal to their old institutions. The Nazis even encouraged the revival of pagan religion which linked into ideas about German blood and soil. Although many Christians
46、 remained silent about the atrocities going on in their midst, there were notable exceptions. Indeed, the Church provided one of the very few outlets for criticism of the Nazi Regime. As a result many priests were persecuted for their views, for example Pastor Martin Niemoller spent 1938 to 1945 in
47、concentration camp for his views.Racial and religious policies affected all people in German to some degree, it carried the ideology which took Germany into war in 1939, it led to the disapproval of some and the outright criticism and subsequent persecution of others. The progression of the racial a
48、nd religious policy towards the final solution means that this was a crucial element in what it meant to be German in the time of the Nazis.e) The effects of Nazi rule on Germans was determined by their background and status. Although there were benefits which the Nazis provided economically for man
49、y, this has to be countered with the loss of rights and individual freedoms.Many people would claim to have benefited from the Nazis economic policies, after all the millions unemployed in 1933 had been found work. The Nazis provided a greater sense of stability for the German workers and the projects which were carried out such as the building of Autobahns and the 1936 Olympics filled the German people with pride. Hitler said “we will be judged by our ability to provide the German people with
