The Rise Of The Great War

After Germany’s humiliating defeat in World War I, Germans had little faith in their government, and in the early 1930s following the stock market crash in New York, Germany was economically struggling . Millions of people were out of work due to the world wide catastrophe making it an opportune time for Hitler and the Nazis to rise into power. Hitler, who was a powerful and spellbinding speaker, attracted Germans desperate for change. He promised to make Germany a better country and promised the disenchanted, a better life. Nazis appealed especially to the youth, unemployed, and members of the lower to middle class. Hitler’s rise to power seemed instantaneous. Before the economic depression, Nazis were virtually unknown, winning less than 3 percent of the vote to the Reichstag, which was the German Parliament. However, in the 1924 elections, the Nazis won a whopping 33 percent of the votes which was more than any other party. In January of 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor, the head of German Government . The Germans were convinced that they had found a savior for the Nation. The timing of his rise made it very easy for Hitler to gain power in a democratic government because people were hopeless and wanted a fast solution to the deficit. He promised things like a stronger economy, prosperity, and anything that they desired . He focused on first getting noticed and then grew from there. He didn’t say anything but what the people wanted to hear. Getting the people of Germany to trust him was how he started to gain so much control. Unfortunately, Hitler’s charm and persuasion was not the sole reason why Hitler gained so much power in a democratic

After World War One, Germany was thrown into downward spiral. They were left with a monstrous amount of

According to Abc.News, Germany had signed the debts to pay 269 million gold marks and around 96,000 tons of gold in Treaty of Versailles during 1919. The debts were unaffordable for Germans since they had also lost a lot of properties during the Great War. Followed along the debts that they had to pay to the Allies, there were the Great Depression. During 1930, the Great Depression occurs. “The total number of German workers involved in the unemployment easily reaches four million”(20,000,000 Unemployed in World," Revolutionary Age). Germans were frustrated with the government. Germans were ravenous and overwhelmed. Under this circumstances, the hopeless Germans started to believe that Hitler was the man who could bring the glory of Germany back. The propaganda poster below has shown that people were tiresome of trusting the government. The German words translated into English was “Our Last Hope— Hitler”. It indicated that Hitler was the last person as a leader they were going to believe. The poster enlarged the name “Hitler” to emphasize his importance, to attract attention, and to encourage people to join the Nazi Party.

One of the terms that Germany had to meet was A large debt in gold for reparations to the other countries, Which was 132 billion gold marks (Doc C). Although they had to pay off reparations to other counties they did not have to rebuild bridges, roads, schools, and business as did their other allies. Germany had to suspend payments due to the Great Depression in 1931 also

During the 1930’s Germany was at an all time low as the worldwide economic depression hit Germany hard. The confidence in Germany from the people was lacking due to the fresh memory of their defeat in World War I. This caused great need of a new leader, someone who could give the people change, and Adolf Hitler knew he could do just that. His rapid rise to power began when he started to promise things that intrigued the German people. He promised the hopeless and needy a better life, and promised opportunities that were exactly what the people needed. This caught the attention of so many young unemployed and middle class people. His party, known as the Nazi Party, won 33 percent of the votes in the 1932 elections. And by January 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor, which was the head of the German government. Germany started to feel like they might've found the leader they'd been so desperate for.

With incompetent leadership and an unhappy nation, the German people began to realize that their country was in a vulnerable situation and began to look for stable alternatives to democracy. Hitler’s

World War I was a deadly war spurred on by a greed for economic and political power; violently effecting some twenty seven million people, it topped the charts of casualties. World War II, though, changed the playing field: it was even more deadly in more ways than one. At the end of World War I, the Versailles Treaty was drawn up by the victorious members of the war; this treaty burdened Germany with the fault of causing the war and implanted reparations in which Germany would repay others for damages done. This treaty ignited the spark that fueled World War II; Germany was forced to pay for World War I in land, gold, in giving up a majority of their military strength, and they suffered under the guilt of the war. By placing all of these reparations

The allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage (Doc D). The War Guilt Clause states, the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggressor of Germany and her allies (Docs D)which indicates that the aggressor Germany must pay the reparations to the countries they aggressed and have full responsibility of the damage they caused to the people of those countries. Due to the unfairness of the Treaty of Versailles , the people of Germany lost some of their pride. Their humiliation and loss of pride, causes the people of Germany to want to fight back. As a result they support Adolf Hitler. The Germans admire Adolf HItler because they felt he gave them a sense of pride, reawakened a sense of self-respect, forcing the world to look at Germany

After WWI, Germany fell into poverty. Everyday, lines of people were seen in the streets waiting to purchase bread. People were poor and desperate. Hitler saw this and used it. He gave people hope and the economy improved and he was announced chancellor of Germany in 1933. Government suspected he was unstable, but were convinced they could control him if necessary. Hitler secretly made a new police called the Nazis who were Hitler’s supporters and enforced the law at Hitler’s command. Quickly and unknowingly, the government was no longer in control of Hitler. Hitler had full power of Germany.

Germany emerged from World War I with huge debts incurred to finance a costly war for almost five years. The treasury was empty, the currency was losing value, and Germany needed to pay its war debts and the huge reparations bill imposed on it by the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended the war. The treaty also deprived Germany of territory, natural resources, and even ships, trains, and factory equipment. Germany’s population was undernourished and contained many widows, orphans, and disabled veterans living in poverty. The new German government struggled to deal with these crises, which had produced a serious hyperinflation.

Each difficult time led to him believing that he was standing up for the right thing. While Germany was left in a terrible depression from World War 1, their trade had been severely limited. Germany could not import or export goods. All their resources had been given to the War effort. This left Germany in a terrible way, dropping themselves from the rank of the second greatest economy. Germany began printing money at a large rate, leading to hyperinflation. Money, in turn, was worth little to nothing. Unemployment also reached record high levels. Approximately 6 million people were left unemployed. Hitler began to think like many of the racist organizations at the time, believing that the Jews were the sole reason for World War 1 and Germany’s economic

The German government ordered the workers to strike as a form of passive resistance. To compensate these workers the German government printed huge amounts of new money. This led to inflation. German currency rapidly lost value. Many people were unemployed and on the brink of starvation.

Imagine that after a lifelong of hard work and saving, you find that your lifesavings will not buy more than one cup of coffee. For a majority of the middle class living in Germany during the early 1920’s this was precisely their experience. Of course, not all suffered during this period of hyperinflation. Those who owed money encouraged their government’s expansionary monetary policies, knowing the resulting inflation would effectively cancel their debt. In fact, it was the Reich itself who had the most to gain from inflation, for it was the biggest debtor of them all.

discuss how Germany was to be made to pay for the damage World War One

As much as reparation requirements sparked outrage and called the republican order into question, it was the advent of unprecedented hyperinflation that truly destabilized Weimar’s long-term legitimacy. When Germans across the economic spectrum began to protest for wage increases in 1921, the government had little political support for raising taxes or to counter the demands of labor. Printing currency to meet these demands, Weimar’s government showcased its economic incompetence by creating a vicious wage/price spiral through expansionary monetary policy. By 1923, the German government had created a liquidity trap, where expanding the money supply failed to result in any economic growth. Under these circumstances, hyperinflation ran rampant. In November, the Reichsbank issued a 100-trillion-mark note, which at the time converted to roughly $24. As direct consequence of the government’s policy, currency became worthless and physical goods became king. Peasants, the poorest of the poor, “purchased pianos with heavily depreciated currency” whenever a shopkeeper or merchant was foolish enough to trade. The pocketbook was replaced by the satchel, the wheelbarrow, and the basket as the premier transportation for the worthless Reichsmark. Destabilizing the economic foundation on which Weimar depended, hyperinflation produced widespread disillusionment with the established institutions throughout German society.