The Rise of Hitler

Post WWI Crisis in Germany

• After WWI: Germany became a democracy (Weimar Republic)

• War devastation and massive reparations led to hyper-Inflation (money worthless)

• Global Depression after U.S. stock market crash made the economic crisis in Germany even worse

Jan 1914 4:1 July 1921 73:1

Jan 1918 5:1 Jan 1922 182:1

Jan 1919 8:1 July 1922 470:1

July 1919 14:1 Jan 1923 17,000:1

Jan 1920 26:1 July 1923 375,000:1

July 1920 37:1 Dec 1923 4,000,000,000,000:1

Jan 1921 62:1

International Exchange Rate:

German Marks to U.S. Dollars

Food Housing Clothing

1914 10 5.5 6

Jan 1920 86 8 70

Jan 1921 139 9 70

Jan 1922 257 11 128

July 1922 700 14 518

Jan 1923 13,098 300 11,725

July 1923 391,458 2,400 260.750

Nov 1923 9,354,000,000,000 38,000,000,000 5,016,000,000,000

Weekly Cost of Living in German Marks for a

Low-Income Family of Four

German Reaction to the Crisis: Fascism

• German people unhappy with Weimar Republic

• The National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazis), a German brand of fascism, emerges.

What is Fascism?

•political movement that emphasized loyalty to the state

and obedience to its leader who had absolute authority

•promotes extreme

nationalism and

militarism

•includes denial of

individual rights

Rise of Hitler

• Adolf Hitler named chancellor of Germany in 1933

• Nazi party took command of economy and put millions to work

Rise of Adolf Hitler

• Hitler began to secure more power through:

– Arresting and murdering all opposition using secret police (Gestapo)

– Using propaganda

– Burning books

– Creating Hitler Youth

– Finding a scapegoat for German’s problems -Jews

– Promoting nationalism with his “Aryan” race ideas

Rise of Adolf Hitler

•Defiance of the Treaty of Versailles

• Hitler announced plans to re-arm in

1935

• Occupied the Rhineland in 1936

• Made an alliance with Japan and Italy

(Axis Powers) in 1936

• Annexed Austria in 1939