Edexcel international a-level history option 1c notes
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Notes for Edexcel International A Level history option 1c- germany 1918-45, provides notes, information and details about everything in the history IAL specification, the student who wrote these notes received 98/100 UMS points in the paper, provides essay plans and is organised by part
- PART 2
1) ORIGINS OF THE NSDAP (NAZI PARTY)
Hitler did not overthrow W.R → became chancellor in 1933 → this
happens due to a multitude of reasons
HITLERS MAIN IDEAS
He was not a systematic or original thinker
He hated intellectuals
saw himself as an agitator, a propagandist and a man of action.
Nazism was a carefully worked out, fully coherent political doctrine as a
bundle of instincts, hatreds and prejudice
NAZI CORE BELIEFS - ultra-nationalism, racism, authoritarianism, anti-capitalism
and anti-Communism.
‘I am a German nationalist. That is to say I am true to my nation. All my
thoughts and actions are dedicated to it. I am a socialist. I recognise no class
or status group, but rather a community of people, tied by blood, united by
language.’ Hitler
MAIN IDEOLOGIES IN NAZISM
- German nationalism- expanding germany's colonial powers, german pride
and strength
- Racial ideas- superiority of aryans and believed racial views that there was
clear differentiation between racial groups, belief in german ‘purity’
- Anti-semitism- believed that jews was an inferior race, blamed them on
problems of the past eg the WW1
- Social darwinism- used ‘survival of the fittest’ ideology, believed the ‘weaker’
minority should be illuminating
- Facism- combination of racist nationalism with militarism and belief
in a strong state and strong authoritarian leadership → amti-
democracy and anti-socialist
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NAZISM AND CONSERVATIVE ELITES:
- Both were ultra-nationalist. Both were anti-Communist, anti-Semitic and anti-
democratic.
- But C.E wanted a return of monarchy whilst nazism wanted a dictatorship like
gov
- ‘A man chosen by destiny to lead’ as said by hitler
- C.E wanted to reclaim colonies whilst hitler aimed to ‘drive the east’ taking
power of eastern areas including USSR and their resources
- The conservative elites were suspicious of a movement which labelled its
ideas ‘National Socialism’ and supported anti-capitalist proposals.
, - The Nazis spoke of creating a new society, a ‘National Community’,
which was not divided by class and status. This apparent belief in equality
alarmed the conservative elites.
BACKGROUND OF HITLER
Born in 1889 to a lower middle-class family on the Austrian side of the German
border.
When the WR was founded, Hitler was a 30-year-old soldier in the Germany army
based in Munich
- He had behind him an undistinguished school career, two rejected art
school applications, five years living as a drop-out in pre-war Vienna and
four years serving as a low-ranking soldier on the Western Front.
By 1920- forceful orator, easily understood prejudices spewed out to the first political
audiences to hear him in Munich in that year. Circumstances ensured that instead of
being dismissed as a crank, he was increasingly taken seriously.
- Hitlers ideas evolved over time- not original but made up of different
sources
1907- went to vienna, consisted of large jewish population (Karl Lueger)
mayor was anti semite
- He absorbed the rapid German nationalism, preached by street corner orators
and present in many cheap pamphlets
Hitler blamed Germany’s 1918 defeat on the Jews and it was unfortunate that the
Jews played a large part in the aborted revolution in Munich where, with his sight
restored, Hitler returned in 1919.
- Hitler saw first hand the bavarian communist role of kurt eisner →
his anti jewish and communist views became a vision
- War brutalised germans and made violence acceptable to most
1920s- National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) founded by ernst rohm
and alfred rosenburg joined, echoing hitlers value
HITLER & THE NAZI PARTY (1920-22)
Jan 1919- Anton Drexler, a locksmith, founded a small and insignificant political
party in unstable Berlin called DAP (Germans workers party)
- Drexler hoped to attract German workers away from support for socialism and
communism and towards support for a nationalist agenda by addressing
their concerns
- It preached an extreme message of anti-Semitism, the destruction of the
Treaty of Versailles, living space for Germany in the east (Lebensraum), a
social revolution and the end of the WR.
Hitler returned to munich in 1919 to see the german bolsheviks attempt at a
takeover → joined one of the many parties that shared an anti-semitic
values
, 25 POINT PROGRAMME
Feb 1920- written by hitler and drexler → themes in manifesto stayed
consistent beyond the 1920s
Mid 1923- 55,000 members attracted to the manifestos aims
EXAMPLES OF THE 25 POINTS
- The revision of the Treaty of Versailles and the ending of reparations. By
revision of the treaty the Nazis meant the scrapping of Article 231 by which
Germany accepted guilt for the war.
- Citizenship of the German state to be given to those of German Blood.
To the Nazis, this automatically excluded the Jews.
- Lebensraum (living space) for the German people.
- The creation of a strong government.
- War profiteering (making money from war) a criminal offence.
- Large department stores to be divided up and leased to small traders.
HITLERS SPEECHES
- Had a talent in persuasive speech and public speaking → his ability
to grab the attention of big crowds made him extremely valuable to
the NSPAD
- Dec 1920- NSPAD able to create their own newspaper → ‘Volkischer
Beobachter.’
- By the end of 1920- membership grew to 2000 members
HITLERS LEADERSHIP
- By mid 1921- clear that hitler was the driving point of the NSPAD
- Membership grew to 3300 members
- He introduced propaganda techniques → the salute, swastika,
uniform → created a recognised identity.
- 1921- important year in Hitlers political career → some members
wanted to merge with right wing parties but hitler denied this
believing it was ‘all or nothing’
Drexler and other members tried to lessen hitlers power but he had become too
influential. He was able to gamble and threaten leaving the party
which he knew they couldn't afford → drexler stepped down →
hitler now leader of the party
- July 1921- hitler gain dictatorial power becoming chairman and fuhrer
At the time he didnt aim and didn't see himself as dictator but the person who
made it possible
1921-23 the party gained lots of power and recognition
THE SA
Aka ‘storm section’
Began in 1920 as bouncers to protect the parties meetings
July 1921- named SA led by Ernst Rohm and was key to the parties success
Ernst went abroad and was reappointed commander of the SA in 1930, a post he
held until June 1934. He died on the Night of the Long Knives
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