I. Ideological Roots: Antecedents & Context - Historical Antecedents & Preconditions
Historic Roots of Nazism

SG#5 World War I& its Aftermath. The Weimar Republic, 1918-32

Bauer, 61-86
* World War I. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/00/lincolnm/intro.html
The Great War - Link to posters, propaganda, and cartoons from the Great War.
http://www.pitt.edu/~pugachev/greatwar/ww1.html
WWI, the basics. http://www.42explore.com/ww1.htm
*Map: Europe in 1914. http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/euro1914.htm
* Wars & Atrocities. http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/war-1925.htm
* Treaty of Versailles. http://history.acusd.edu/gen/text/versaillestreaty/vercontents.html
* Weimar Republic. http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/ascit/german/weimar.html


Objectives - Students should be able to describe & analyze
the historical circumstances and conditions in Germany, that preceded the Nazi rise to power, and that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler, & the rise of the Nazis to power


I. Define/Identify

WW I. Armenian Genocide. Nazism. Treaty of Versailles. ‘War Guilt Clause;’ reparations; Polish state; Ludendorff. Legend of stab in the back. Weimar Republic. Rosa Luxembourg. Free Corps/Freikorps. Reichstag; chancellor; Article 48. Palestine. W. Rathenau.

Multiple-Choice Questions

1. This antisocialist group stressed strong German nationalism, & was antisemitic.
a) the Pan-German League
b) the Social Democratic party

2. They believed in a totalitarian, monolithic dictatorship; a single party, to use terror to conformity & obedience; national glory, war, conquest to be achieved by a leader
a) the Catholic Center party
b) the radical right, ultra-nationalists

3. They were upper echelon of civil service, judges, industrialists, large landowners, & army leaders; by 1912, would join radical right-wing groups.
a) liberal democrats
b) traditional conservatives

4. Nazism would emerge out of a
a) radical right-wing ultra nationalist politics.
b) radical left-wing politics

5. Mostly communists, Marxists; urban workers; believed their party must dictate policy to benefit the proletariat; private property to be abolished; social equality; revolution acceptable
a) members of the radical right
b) members of the radical left

The Weimar Republic & its Weaknesses

6. On Nov. 1918, led by Friedrich Ebert, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) proclaimed the establishment of a German democratic state known as
a) the Weimar Republic, new government of the moderate Left.
b) the kaiser Republic, new government of the extreme right

7. Give the chronological period & the type of government for Germany’s Weimar Republic
a) from 1871-1919; monarchy
b) from 1919-1933; parliamentary democracy

8. This government which preceded that of the Nazi party, lasted
a) 100 years
b) 14 years

9. Leader of radical left-wing socialists; formed the German Communist party, Dec. 1918
a) Bela
b) Rosa Luxembourg

10. Paramilitary armed organization of the right, composed of vigilante war veterans; broke up left-wing meetings unofficially; its members would formed the Nazi ‘brown-shirts’
a) the Free Corps - Freikorps
b) the Big Army

11. The first time democracy came to Germany was
a) during the 19th century
b) after the Great War - World War I

12. In 1919, Germany was a centralized democratic state ruled by a Reichstag (Parliament); the president appointed the leader of the majority party in the Reichstag as
a) kaiser
b) chancellor

13. This article of the German Constitution allowed for the exercise of emergency presidential powers at times of political crisis - permitted the president to suspend the constitution
a) article 48
b) article 7

14. The Peace Settlement redrew map of eastern Europe: Serbia formed a new South Slav state, Yugoslavia, combining Serbs, Croats, & Slovenes; Britain received
a) Palestine b) Syria

15. On June, 28, 1919, this treaty signed with Germany, ended WWI - the Great War, & had profound & far-reaching impact on the infant republic
a) the Treaty of Berlin
b) the Treaty of Versailles

16. Article 231 declared Germany (& Austria) responsible for starting the war, & added shame & humiliation to German national pride
a) the ‘War Guilt Clause’ b) the ‘Proud Clause’

17. The Germans hated the Versailles Treat because it
a) denied them any voice in its peace terms
b) blamed them for causing the war

18. According to the Treaty, Germany had to pay for all civilian damages caused by war
a) indemnities b) reparations

19. Germany also lost her colonies and large portions of German territory: Alsace-lorraine to France, & section of Prussia to the new
a) Polish state b) French state

20. General Ludendorff explained that the German army was defeated in 1918 by Democrats, Catholic Center party, Socialists, & Jews, by an internal enemy - a
a) stab in the back
b) stab in the ankle

21. The stab-in-the-back legend was
a) believed by the Allies
b) used by Hitler to undermine the government

22. On June 24, 1922, this Jewish foreign minister of Germany, was assassinated by right-wing extremists identifying Jews with bolshevism & democracy
a) Walter Rathenau b) Karl Lueger

23. The Weimar republic created an inflation, printed a lot of paper money to pay its bill to
a) France b) England

24. In 1922 & 1923, the Weimar Republic faced serious economic difficulties; the price of an egg, grew to 30 million times its original price in 10 years: Germany experienced
a) inflation with serious social effects on those on fixed incomes
b) an economic boom

Map

Bauer 26.

25. After 1918, this country is between France and Poland
a) Ukraine b) Germany

After 1918, this country is between Germany (Deutschland) and Russia (Rossiya)
a) Poland b) Italy

26. After 1918, this country is south of Germany & Czechoslovakia, and west of Hungary
a) Italy b) Austria

27. After 1918, this country is south of Germany and south of Poland


Copyright, Fall 1999, January 2004 Edith Shaked

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