The Path to World War II

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The Path to World War II

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The Economy of the 1920s-1930s

• The political experiments in Europe following
  World War I faced their greatest problems from
  the economic crises of the 1920s.
• Reparations and war debt destroyed European
  economies. The 1929 Wall Street crash removed US
  loans and investment in Europe.
• Germany found it hard to make its reparation
  payments eventually banks collapsed and the
  German and Austrian banking systems moved toward
  crisis.
• Eventually world wide economic depression struck
  and most nations had no idea how to solve the
  problem.
• 1936 JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES General Theory of
  Employment, Interest, and Money 1936 developed
  idea that governments should spend their way out
  of depression. This idea was not available in
  the 1920s.

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Great Britain

• Conservative vs. Liberal vs. Labour governments
• 1931 Labour leader Ramsey MacDonald formed a
  NATIONAL GOVERNMENT with members of his cabinet
  from all parties. This idea won the support of
  the people but lost him the support of his party.
  
• In an attempt to end the depression the National
  Government
• Raised taxes and cut benefits
• Off gold standard
• Import Duties Bill tariff on non-empire imports

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France

• 1932 Radical coalition elected right wing
  groups resorted to violence to protest the move
  left.
• 1934 protest in Paris between left and right
  wings violence and deaths
• Radical parties began to cooperate with each
  other fearing a right wing coup socialists
  and communists began to work together POPULAR
  FRONT
• 1936 Popular Front elected a majority in the
  government led by Leon Blum

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Popular Front

• Strikes and political unrest faced France. Blum
  and the Popular Front responded with
• New labor-management relations salaries were
  increased employers required to recognize
  unions and submit to collective bargaining all
  workers received paid two week holidays 40 hour
  work week established
• Public works
• Small industry loans
• Banking and business community hated these moves
• Left was divided right hated the republic -
  businessmen felt republic inefficient loyalty
  to the Third Republic was at a low point.

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The Weimar Republic

• The new democratic government of Germany was
  called the Weimar republic because it was
  proclaimed in the German town of Weimar
• The Weimar government faced opposition from
  communists on the left and conservative
  militarists on the right.

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Economic Problems in Weimar Germany

• Reparations badly needed money left Germany to
  pay the victors of World War I
• Lack of access to the Saar Valley and its coal
  and industries
• INFLATION economic forces led to massive
  inflation where German money marks had
  little value. Eventually, money was worth little
  more than the paper it was printed on. 1923 - 1
  4,200,000,000,000 marks

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• Discontent in Weimar Germany made many Germans
  wonder why they lost the war.
• Anger developed as many thought
• Germany should have fought on
• Was duped by the Allies into surrender
• The Treaty of Versailles emasculated Germany
• Communists caused the loss of the war
• Jewish bankers caused the loss of the war
  growing anti-Semitism

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• When the world wide depression hit in 1929
  Germany was already in tough shape
• A generation of Germans were angry and
  disillusioned.
• They looked for change
• In 1923 a new radical right group tried to assume
  power in a PUTSCH in Munich. The Beer Hall
  Putsch failed and sent one of its leaders to jail
  Adolph Hitler.

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Germany

• Depression and unemployment massive
  disaffection for the Weimar Republic populace
  dividing left and right.
• 1930 government deadlock President Paul von
  Hindenburg appointed HEINRICH BRUNING chancellor
  ruled under ARTICLE 48 of the constitution
  emergency decrees.
• Unemployed and disillusioned Germans flocked to
  the fascist teachings of the NAZI PARTY led by
  Adolph Hitler.
• The Nazis organized gangs of thugs SA brown
  shirts to attack political rivals.

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• Ernst Roehm

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• 1932 Nazis made strong showing in Reichstag
  elections Hitler demanded to be made chancellor
  Hindenburg refused and called for another
  election fear of civil war led political
  leaders to force Hindenburg to ask Hitler to be
  chancellor in January 1933. They believed Hitler
  could be controlled. Hitler came to power
  legally and all aspects of the government were
  then bound to support him as chancellor. Nazi
  support rested in farmers, the young, and war
  veterans.

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Hitlers consolidation of power

• 27 February 1933 the Reichstag set on fire
  communists? Hitler used this as an excuse to
  use Article 48 issuing Emergency Decrees
  suspending civil liberties and arrested
  communists and supposed communists.
• March 1933 new Reichstag election Nazis
  received 44 - but with the communist removed
  from power Hitler was easily able to assume
  control of the Reichstag.
• March 23, 1933 ENABLING ACT Hitler given
  power to rule by decree.

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• May 1933 SA (not the government) arrested union
  leaders seized newspapers, offices and banks of
  the unions
• June-July 1933 all political parties other than
  the Nazi Party illegal

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The Night of the Long Knives

• Hitler had assumed political control of Germany
  then he needed to be assured of complete control
  of the Nazi Party
• The SA had been led by ERNST ROEHM a supporter
  of Hitler but a very popular person himself.
• The SA had brought Hitler to power then Hitler
  needed to destroy the leadership of the SA
• 30 June 2 July 1934 The Night of the Long
  Knives the SA leadership was arrested and
  killed - 100 top leaders including ROEHM
• The German Army had been jealous of the power of
  the SA they did nothing to stop the killings
  Hitler also used the killings as a way to get in
  favor with the army.

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• August 2, 1934 President Hindenburg died and
  Hitler combined the offices of president and
  chancellor into one position his.
• Hitler used Heinrich Himmler to develop an all
  encompassing police state
• SS- Schutzztaffel soldiers of death
• Gestapo - Geheime Staatspolizei "secret state
  police"

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Nuremberg Laws 1935

• The Nuremberg Laws removed Jews from German
  society and established anti-Semitism as law.
• Kristallnacht November 1938 organized
  destruction of Jewish businesses, synagogues
  movement of people to concentration camps - Dachau

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