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The Stage is Set . Hitler’s Rise to Power. Taken By Surprise.
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The Stage is Set Hitler’s Rise to Power
Taken By Surprise • “My sizing up of the man... is really one who truly loves his fellow-men, and his country and would make any sacrifice for their good. That he feels himself to be a deliverer of his people from tyranny… His eyes impressed me most of all. There was a liquid quality about them which indicate keen perception and profound sympathy... He spends most of his time [in the country]... He feels he needs the quiet and nature to help him think out the problems of his country. It seems to me that in this he was eminently wise. He is a teetotaler and also a vegetarian.” (From the diary of William Lyon Mackenzie King, [CDN PM], June 29, 1937).
Thoughts..? • What kind of man is Chamberlain made out to be in this diary entry? • Would Chamberlain be a man you would want to run your country? • What tyranny does King speak of?
Learning Goals • By the end of this lesson I will know about the events, actions and policies of Adolph Hitler and how they helped him to rise to power. • By the end of this lesson I will understand the various ways that countries responded to the growing Nazi threat as well as be aware of the policies of isolationism and appeasement. • By the end of this lesson I will know Hitler’s policies regarding Jews and the how they were put into place within Nazi Germany.
Hitler Seizes Power • January 30, 1933 – Hitler is elected to Chancellor of a Coalition government in Germany. • He requested a dissolution (elimination) of the Reichstag (Parliament). • Hitler was trying to convince President Hindenburg that the Communist party in Germany was on the verge of a revolution. • They had 17% of the population voting for them • Were hated by Hitler who had planned on banning them if he could convince the President to give him the power • On February 27, 1933 the Reichstag was set on fire. • Communists blamed – Reichstag Fire Decree • Hitler seized 52% of the vote in the March elections. • Allowed Hitler to pass enabling act
Hitler in Power • Stopped paying reparations to other countries • Used government funds to invest in German industry and businesses • Began a systematic process of rearmament – incredibly fast expansion of Army (Wehrmacht), Navy (Kriegsmarine) and the Air Force (Luftwaffe) • Would use his special police (SA: The Sturmabteilung) to crush any remnants of the communist party and any other opposition. • Would consolidate German politics into one party (there was over 34 at the time) • Anschluss • Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland
The world responds • The League of Nations • The original purpose of the league? • Its ability to serve that purpose? • Isolationism • The depression had created a score of problems at home in Canada, Britain, the United States, etc. • With WWI fresh in their mind the last thing they wanted was to get engaged in another global conflict • Growing anti-Semitic rhetoric at home • Of the 800,000 Jews seeking refuge from Germany Canada accepted only 4000 – SS. St Louis • The Canadian athletes saluted Hitler at the 1936 Olympics • The Christie Pits Riots in Toronto • The Canadian Forces purported to reject Jewish volunteers
Appeasement • Many democracies at the time favoured a more diplomatic approach to what they saw as “valid” demands being raised by Hitler. • Prime Minister King visited Hitler in 1937 and saw little threat in him or his policies • Neville Chamberlain visited Hitler in 1938 for the Munich conference where he agreed to appease Hitler’s demands if he would cease any further aggression. • Hitler promised both King and Chamberlain that once he restored Germany to the same borders it had pre-World War One that he would cease. Chamberlain agreed to give him the Sudetenland (A German-speaking area of Czechoslovakia) in return for a written promise to cease further aggression. • Hitler agreed and Chamberlain triumphed it as “peace in our time” • Winston Churchill, the future Prime Minister of Britain, was openly critical of appeasement.
What would you do? • If you were confronted with a similar situation…what would you do? • As a leader…as a father/mother? • What would be your justification…to yourself? • To the country? • What are the risks and benefits to appeasement?
Duped • Once Hitler had acquired the Sudetenland the rest of Czechoslovakia fell easily as the world finally realized the true intentions of Hitler. • The world was further shocked in 1939 when Germany and Russia signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact effectively allying the two countries. • More appeasement? • Poland divided • On September 3rd, 1939 both Britain and France declared war. • On September 9th, 1939 on our own accord, Canada declared war on Germany
Review • Hitler was able to seize power in Germany by seizing on the desperation of the population and eliminating any competition. • The Isolationist policy of the Western powers made the League of Nations extremely ineffective at combatting the growing aggression of Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito. • The strategy of appeasement proved futile in the face of the dictators and resulted in the unnecessary sacrifice of the Sudetenland while allowing the Germany army to continue to build its numbers. • Both appeasement and isolationism were a result of countries desire to avoid war combined with their sympathy and admiration for Hitler’s ambition and tenacity. It was only when war “was on our doorstep” that leaders realized the true implications.
Hitler’s Secret War First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.
Die Judenfrage – The Jewish problem • Almost immediately after being elected Hitler began targeting the Jews with legislation and violence. • In 1935 he imposed the Nuremberg Laws – a document that criminalized many of the issues he had discussed in Mein Kampfalmost 10 years earlier. • November 1938 – Kristallnacht (The Night of the Broken Glass). 36 Jews killed, thousands injured, and over 20 000 arrested. • By 1939 Germany had relocated almost all German Jews into ghettoes located in neighbouring Poland or the German countryside – such as Lodz and Warsaw • By 1941 the Jews as well gays, lesbians, gypsies, communists, prisoners of war, the mentally and physically disabled, criminals, and political prisoners were moved to camps.
Review • Many in the world underestimated Hitler’s desire for power and his willingness to achieve it in any way necessary. • The policy of appeasement and isolationism were adopted by many countries in the attempt to avoid war. In the process it made the League of Nations ineffective and allowed Hitler to build his army. • Hitler’s policy regarding the Jews was an important part of his platform that he began as soon as he had power – his military campaign was of primary importance but his campaign against the Jews was always present. • He stripped the Jews of their rights and then removed them from society, first to the ghettoes and then to the camps. • He utilized his power as chancellor to implement legislation that condoned acts of violence and oppression against the Jewish population who were being blamed for the hardships that Germany had experienced after WWI.
For Tomorrow… • The World Prepares for War..!
