Hitler’s Rise to Power

The Road to War

By the end of this lesson I will know how the various articles of the Treaty of Versailles had devastating implications for the German population.

By the end of this lesson I will understand the process of hyperinflation and how it impacted the German population.

By the end of this lesson I will know what forces allowed Hitler to seize power in Germany during the 1930s.

Learning Goals

Hyperinflation

Economy under the Weimar Republic

Paid for the war with loaned moneyTheir central bank was funded almost exclusively with

government IOU’sThe reparations demanded by the Treaty of Versailles

Borrowed money from international powersThe overproduction of German currency.

To continue to maintain their economic system they printed more money to be exchanged and used internationally

The dramatic fall of the German MarkAs they printed more money, its value plummeted, both

at home and abroad.

Causes of Hyperinflation

The Effects of Hyperinflation

The Price Climbs

444,000$

1,120,000$

2,800,000$

560,000$

Necessities

67,200$

3,337,600,000$

100,800,000,000.00$

The Effects of Hyperinflation

From a woman who worked in a Christian Centre, helping the poor.

The widow of a policeman was left with four children. She had been awarded three months of her late husband’s salary. By the time she received it the amount was only enough to buy three boxes of matches.

The Effects on the German Population

The memories of a German writer.

One day I dropped into a café to have a coffee. As I went in I noticed the price was 5,000 marks – just about what I had in my pocket. I sat down, read my paper, drank my coffee, and spent altogether about one hour in the café, and then asked for the bill. The waiter duly presented me with a bill for 8,000 marks. ‘Why 8,000 marks?’ I asked. The mark had dropped in the meantime, I was told. So I gave the waiter all the money I had, and he was generous enough to leave it at that.

The Effects on the German Population

The German Health Minister, February 1923

This shocking decline in health conditions applies to the whole of Germany. In the country areas where farmers can feed themselves, conditions seem to be better. But in the towns…there has been a decided decline.

Especially hard hit are the middle class, those living on small sums given annually, the widows and the pensioners who, with their modest incomes, cannot afford today’s prices…Death rates are rising…as are deaths from hunger.

The Effects on the German Population

The Treaty of VersaillesThe Occupation of the RuhrDemanding the repaying of debts after the

Great Depression.

Salt in the Wound

Imagine the following scenario…

An Unfair Treaty

Your quarterback will be kicked off the team and kicked out of the school and be considered an ineffective player.

Article 227

You will publically admit to losing the game in front of both schools and you will be responsible for paying for the other teams transport to the game, transport home, equipment, celebratory party, etc.

Article 231

You must promise not to form a full football team, must limit to special teams only, and you can only let grade 9’s try-out.

Part V

You will not be able to use your usual equipment, you must get all your equipment from goodwill or make it yourselves using specified materials. You must not borrow any equipment from any other team.

Part V

You will lose three quarters of your football field that is to be split up between St. Mary’s, Resurrection and St. Benedict’s. They may use the field for whatever purposes they see fit.

Part V

Lastly, you will be required to pay the other schools in the city for even having to play you. You will take this money from whatever parts of the school you need to…but you will pay it. Otherwise the other schools will occupy your school and take your computers, textbooks, teachers, food, sports equipment, etc. until they feel the debt has been paid.

Reparations

Now imagine on top of all of these things you lose your part-time job, people keep posting on facebook about your loss, you get sick and have to miss classes, and your history teacher gives you a test that you miss…

To make matters worse

How would this make you feel?What parts of this seem unfair?How would you respond or react to these

events?What is the purpose of this treaty….and how

does it satisfy it?

Reactions

War Guilt Clause

Treaty of Versailles

ReparationsGermany must pay reparations to the allied

countries in the amount of 226 billion or ℳ31.4 billion U.S. $ (the equivalent of $442 billion dollars today.

Treaty of Versailles

Territory

German loses a lot of their territory but most importantly, the Rhine region

including Alsace and Lorraine as well as Prussia and Czechoslovakia.

Germany had to hand over some 70,000 square kilometres of land.

Territory

German Emperor Wilhelm II is to be charged as war criminal

War Criminal

German forces are ordered to be reduced to only 100,000 troops and tanks, ships and planes are virtually eliminated.

The German army was to have no more than 100,000 men and the navy was limited to 15,000 sailors.

Reduced Military

Germany must admit guilt in WWIGerman Emperor Wilhelm II is to be charged as war

criminalGerman loses a lot of their territory

but most importantly, the Rhine region including Alsace and Lorraine as well as Prussia and Czechoslovakia.

German forces are ordered to be reduced to only 100,000 troops and tanks, ships and planes are virtually eliminated.

Germany must pay reparations to the allied countries in the amount of 226 billion or 31.4 billion U.S. $ ℳ(the equivalent of $442 billion dollars today.

Major Articles of Versailles

Why did Germany suffer so much during the 1920s and 1930s?

What were the main causes of inflation in Germany in the 1930s?

What were three articles of the Treaty of Versailles

Based on our football scenario….what was the attitude of most Germans at the time.

Stage is Set

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syI_B8a5IV4&feature=related

Hitler Seizes Power

“Hitler did not rally the Germans as much as the Germans elevated Hitler”

“The Germans were the first victims of Hitler.”

Quotes to think about