Germany- A time of Change

1. Germany- A time of Change By: Anna Krikorian, Natalie Nuckolls, and Kathy Zhang

2. Before the 1918 Revolution

3. Causes for Revolution • Germany entered WWI in 1914. The Central Powers (which consisted of Germany, Austria- Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria) believed that they had more man power than the Allies did. However, when the United States joined the Allies in April 1917 and they restored much of the power to the Allies. The Central powers began to lose in the WWI; therefore, many Germans began demanding an end to the war. Several more Germans also began to unite themselves with the Social Democratic Party, who also opposed the war. In October of 1918, North Germany began could feel the imminent start of the revolution. Germany Navy ships refused to sail, which began the revolts against the imperial government. Henceforth, the revolutions began. The revolts began to spread throughout Germany on November 3 of the same year. Also, military authorities began to lose faith with Kaiser and his government. Because of an internal revolution, Austria-Hungary commenced to discourage from racial tensions, and pressure from the German high command, the German ruling princes surrendered their power. On November 9, 1918, Phillip Scheidemann entitled a Republic to take the imperial government’s place. This newly established government was governed by the German Social Democrats. On November 11 of the same year, the armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany to stop fighting in the Western front (Luxembourg and Belgium) and the war was over. In the year of 1919, a national assembly met in Weimar and created a new constitution, which would begin August 11.

4. Germany in WWI

5. Weimar Republic • P: This revolution was brought about mainly because of public’s disenchantment with the Kaiser and his family and the monarchy would be preserved if he abdicated. It changed to a parliamentary republic with 19 states and a constitution. The president was elected through direct secret vote for seven years. He appointed the Chancellors and Cabinet, and there was an elected parliament, or Reichstag. There was universal sufferage for all, and the people had a great amount of involvement in legislation. The president could dissolve the Reichstag and the people could vote on and pass legislation. • I: The Frankfurt school consisted of Marxist scholars that were more openminded than the traditional Marxists in the Communist parties. They criticized capitalism and the socialism practiced in Soviet Russia. Their research came from many different modern philosophers such as Freud and Weber. • R: Catholics and Jews both became influential in the republic since Protestants lost their special privileged place in society. However, because the Jewish became very successful, they fueled the Anti-Semitism that Hitler used to gain power. • A: Flag and coat of arms were changed because of being a republic. The flag had black, red, and gold stripes while the coat of arms, or Reichswappen, reduced the number of eagle heads from two to one. A new liberal and modern architectural style was popular and called the Bauhaus style after the art school. It was simple and minimalist and featured flat roofs, neutral shades, functional furniture, and lack of ornamentation. • T: After WW1, the Allies wanted reparations in the forms of two Zeppelins and further Zeppelin production was halted. However, it continued in 1924 as a vehicle and some flew from Germany to the United States as a vehicle of peace between the two nations. • E: The Rentenmark was issued to replace the Deutshe Mark since no gold could back the old one. It was a temporary one that stopped inflation. According to the Treaty of Versailles that ended the war, Germany was deprived of land, natural resources, and was left with a starving population. With foreign help, the Weimar Republic enjoyed a golden age from 1924-1929 when its economy stabilized, but then they suffered once again from the GreatRepublic was a symbol of defeat, couldn’t be a world power because of world conspiracy Germans thought that the Weimar Depression. • S: Class distinctions were still apparent in which members of the middle class had to fight for their privileges over the working class. Women’s rights were granted by the Constitution, but tradition, civil, and criminal codes were still patriarchal.

6. The Weimar Republic

7. Important People of the WeimarRepublic Friedrich Ebert: First Weimar President Kurt Eisner: Overthrew the Bavarian Monarchy in 1918

8. Constitution of the Weimar Republic Composition of the Reich: The first part (Erster Hauptteil) of the Constitution: Section 1 consisted of Articles 1 to 19 and established the German Reich as a republic. Section 1 also gave the Reich government exclusive jurisdiction of: foreign relations, colonial affairs, citizenship freedom of movement immigration, emigration, and extradition. defense currency and coinage customs and trade postal, telegraph, and telephone service Section 2 consisted of Articles 20 to 40 and described the parliament, the Reichstag, in Berlin. The Reichstag was composed of representatives elected by the German people by an equal and secret ballot open to all Germans aged 20 or older. Reichstag elections were carried out through the policy of proportional representation. Section 3 consisted of Articles 41 to 59. Principal provisions were: The Reich president represented the entire German nation. Any German 35 years of age or older was eligible to serve as president, but the president could not be simultaneously a member of the Reichstag. Presidents served for 7 years and could be re-elected. Section 4 consisted of Articles 60 to 67 and established the Reichsrat (State Council). The Reichsrat allowed the provinces (Länder) to participate in legislation at the national level. Section 5 consisted of Articles 68 to 77 and specified how legislation is to be passed into law. Laws could be proposed by a member of the Reichstag or by the Reich government and were passed on the majority vote of the Reichstag. Proposed legislation had to be presented to the Reichsrat, and the latter body's objections were required to be presented to the Reichstag. Section 6 consisted of Articles 78 to 101 described the methods by which the Reich government administered the constitution and laws, particularly in the areas where the Reich government had exclusive jurisdiction — foreign relations, colonial affairs, defence, taxation and customs, merchant shipping and waterways, railroads. Section 7 consisted of Articles 102 to 108 and established the judicial system of the Weimar Republic. The principal provision established judicial independence which meant that judges were subject only to the law. This section also established a Supreme Court and administrative courts to pass judgment over disputes between citizens and administrative offices of the state.

9. Constitution (cont.) The second part (Zweiter Hauptteil) of the Weimar Constitution Section 1 consisted of Articles 109 to 118 and set forth individual rights of Germans, the principal tenet being that every German was equal before the law. Both genders had the same rights and obligations. Privileges based on birth or social statuses were abolished. Section 2 consisted of Articles 119 to 134 and guided Germans' interaction with the community and established the following: Germans had the right to assemble peacefully and unarmed without prior permission. (Article 123)[†] Germans were entitled to form clubs or societies, which were permitted to acquire legal status. This status could not be denied because of the organization's political, socio-political or religious goals. (Article 124)[†] Free and secret elections were guaranteed. (Article 125) All citizens were eligible for public office, without discrimination, based on their abilities. Discrimination toward female civil servants was abolished. (Article 126) Civil servants served the whole nation, not a specific party. They enjoyed freedom of political opinion. (Article 130) Citizens could be required to provide services to the state and community, including compulsory military service under regulations set by Reich law. Section 3 consisted of Articles 135 to 141. Residents of the Reich were granted freedom of belief and conscience. Free practice of religion was guaranteed by the constitution and protected by the state, and no state church was established Section 4 consisted of Articles 142 to 150 and guided the operation of educational institutions within the Reich. Public education was provided by state institutions and regulated by the government, with cooperation between the Reich, the province, and the local community. Primary school was compulsory, with advanced schooling available to age 18 free of charge. Section 5 consisted of Articles 151 to 165. One of the fundamental principles was that economic life should conform to the principles of justice, with the goal of achieving a dignified life for all and securing the economic freedom of citizens. The right to property was guaranteed by Article 153. The Reich also protected labor, intellectual creation, and the rights of authors, inventors, and artists.

10. Before the Third Reich

11. Third Reich • P: Hitler first rose to power as Chancellor under von Hindenburg. When he died, Hitler passed the Enabling Act which provided the constitutional basis of his dictatorship. States were abolished and the Nazis were the only political party allowed. He became Fuhrer, or leader, and abolished the presidency. • I: Education in Germany was focused on creating more Nazis. They emphasized History in order to teach “white supremacy”, biology to teach “race science,” and PE to train future soldiers and housewives. • R: Hitler aspired to create a state church called the Protestant Reich Church, but that experiment failed. Starting from the Nuremburg Laws that deprived Jews of citizenship, he passed many Anti-Semitic measures such as forcing them to wear the yellow star, encouraging violence (1938 Kristallnacht) against Jews, and shipping them off into concentration camps. Some might say that Nazism was a sort of political religion since propaganda during his regime made him seem perfect. • A: Hitler and his propaganda minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels worked to reverse the modern art that proliferated during the Weimar • Republic, and the Bauhaus school was shut down. All forms of media had to be examined by the Propaganda Ministry. All Western and foreign films were banned. Art was focused on themes such as racial purity, and books by “undesirables” were burned and destroyed. • T: Hitler wanted to take over the entire world and encouraged development of the army and new weapons. He aided Franciso Franco in the Spanish civil war and tested the weapons and by 193, Germany had the most powerful mechanized army and largest air force. • E: The Axis and Allied powers raced to develop atomic weapons, and also invented the first nerve gas tabun. The economy was mixed between command and free-market. The Nazis didn’t really have a clear economic policy because they believed that economic matters were purely materialistic and that expansion of territories through war was the first priority. Lebensraum was as political philosophy that involved exterminating the Slavs in Eastern Europe, repopulating them with Aryans, and creating an agricultural surplus to feed Germany as well as providing them with raw materials. • S: “Aryans” were the favored people in the Third Reich and were characterized by blonde hair and blue eyes. Those persecuted and sent to the concentration camps included Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the disabled, and homosexuals.

12. Important People of the Third Reich

13. The Enabling Act of 1933 • The formal name of the Enabling Act was Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich which meant "Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich”. • It was the second major step, after the Reichstag Fire Decree, that led up to Adolf Hitler’s legally obtained plenary powers. This act established his dictatorship. • It received its name from its legal status as an enabling act which granted the Cabinet the authority to enact laws without the input of the Reichstag. The act stated that it was to last for four years unless renewed by the Reichstag, which happened twice.

14. The Enabling Act in German Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk and Reich Der Reichstag hat das folgende Gesetz beschlossen, das mit Zustimmung des Reichsrats hiermit verkündet wird, nachdem festgestellt ist, daß die Erfordernisse verfassungsändernder Gesetzgebung erfüllt sind Artikel 1 Reichsgesetze können außer in dem in der Reichsverfassung vorgesehenen Verfahren auch durch die Reichsregierung beschlossen werden. Dies gilt auch für die in den Artikeln 85 Abs. 2 und 87 der Reichsverfassung bezeichneten Gesetze. Artikel 2 Die von der Reichsregierung beschlossenen Reichsgesetze können von der Reichsverfassung abweichen, soweit sie nicht die Einrichtung des Reichstags und des Reichsrats als solche zum Gegenstand haben. Die Rechte des Reichspräsidenten bleiben unberührt. Artikel 3 Die von der Reichsregierung beschlossenen Reichsgesetze werden vom Reichskanzler ausgefertigt und im Reichsgesetzblatt verkündet. Sie treten, soweit sie nichts anderes bestimmen, mit dem auf die Verkündung folgenden Tage in Kraft. Die Artikel 68 bis 77 der Reichsverfassung finden auf die von der Reichsregierung beschlossenen Gesetze keine Anwendung. Artikel 4 Verträge des Reiches mit fremden Staaten, die sich auf Gegenstände der Reichsgesetzgebung beziehen, bedürfen für die Dauer der Geltung dieser Gesetze nicht der Zustimmung der an der Gesetzgebung beteiligten Körperschaften. Die Reichsregierung erläßt die zur Durchführung dieser Verträge erforderlichen Vorschriften. Artikel 5 Dieses Gesetz tritt mit dem Tage seiner Verkündung in Kraft. Es tritt mit dem 1. April 1937 außer Kraft, es tritt ferner außer Kraft, wenn die gegenwärtige Reichsregierung durch eine andere abgelöst wird.

15. The Enabling Act in English Law to Remedy the Distress of the People and the Nation The Reichstag has enacted the following law, which is hereby proclaimed with the assent of the Reichstat, it having been established that the requirements for a constitutional amendment have been fulfilled. Article 1 In addition to the procedure prescribed by the constitution, laws of the Reich may also be enacted by the government of the Reich. This includes the laws referred to by Articles 85 Paragraph 2 and Article 87 of the constitution. Article 2 Laws enacted by the government of the Reich may deviate from the constitution as long as they do not affect the institutions of the Reichstag and the Reichsrat. The rights of the President remain undisturbed. Article 3 Laws enacted by tshe Reich government shall be issued by the Chancellor and announced in the Reich Gazette. They shall take effect on the day following the announcement, unless they prescribe a different date. Articles 68 to 77 of the Constitution do not apply to laws enacted by the Reich government Article 4 Treaties of the Reich with foreign states which affect matters of Reich legislation shall not require the approval of the bodies of the legislature. The government of the Reich shall issue the regulations required for the execution of such treaties. Article 5 This law takes effect with the day of its proclamation. It loses force on 1 April 1937 or if the present Reich government is replaced by another.

16. Struggles of the Weimar Republic • The Weimar Republic experienced many problems before it thrived. Because of the war, they were severely in debt. Also due to the war, many orphans and disabled soldiers were in the hands of the government. A bad economy, and therefore a poor country, was the result of weak currency. Hyperinflation, high unemployment rates and high taxes were also major causes. Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor in January 1933 during the economic, social, and political decline of the republic. He then establishes the third Reich through the Enabling Act of 1933, which was signed by President Paul von Hindenburg. Through this act, Hitler legally established his plenary powers and his dictatorship. It allowed the Nazis to have complete power and the cabinet did not have to have a majority support of the Reichstag, or the Parliament established by the Weimar Republic.

17. Comparison of the German Government • The Weimar republic replaced the imperial government in 1919 during the German Revolution. This government was different than the original government structure because the people were more involved with politics through the Weimar’s democratic nature. • The Weimar Republic was also different from the final government system established by the Third Reich. It was different because in the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler had absolute power and could not be challenged due to the Enabling Act of 1933, while in the Weimar Republic the people were fairly represented and could have their opinions heard. • The Third Reich was similar to the original government before the revolution through their imperial natures and one all-powerful ruler, but the Third Reich was more cruel and demanding of the people of Germany. There was far less freedom under the Third Reich than before the Revolution.

18. Bibliography • The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History • www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERrevolution.htm • http://libcom.org/tags/german-revolution-1918

19. Who did What? • Causes for Revolution: Natalie Nuckolls • Weimar Republic and Third Reich PIRATES: Kathy Zhang • Constitution of the Weimar Republic: Anna Krikorian • The Enabling Act of 1933, The Enabling Act in English, The Enabling Act in German: Anna Krikorian • Struggles of the Weimar Republic: Natalie Nuckolls • Comparison of German Governments: Anna Krikorian • Pictures and Maps: Anna Krikorian, Natalie Nuckolls, and Kathy Zhang