History 317: Lecture--Collapse of the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany

Instability of the Republic

Economic Crisis

Banking Crisis

Diplomatic Defeats

Cultural Criticism

    Otto Dix, (2) Georg Grosz, (2) (3)

Domestic Criticism

Cabinet politics:  Muller (1928-30 ) to Bruning (March 1930-June 1932) to Papen (June 1932-December 1932) (2) (with Otto Meissner) to Schleicher (December 1932 to January 1933) to Hitler

Machtergreifung: Requirements for Seizure of Power

Organizations:  HJ  (2) (last), BdM, (2) DAF, KdF (2), NSF, NSKK, SA, SS

Mentalities: Robert Ley

Nazi Labor Policy

Nazi Economics

Nazi Diplomacy

    Concordat July 1933

    League of Nations Withdrawal

    Non-Aggression treaty with Poland 1934

    January 1935 Saar plebiscite

    March 1935 Anglo-German Naval agreement

    March 1936: remilitarization of the Rhineland

    Olympics (USHMM On-line exhibition on the Berlin Olympics)

Nazi Culture

Women in Nazi Germany

Nazi Church Policy

Popular Opinion and Resistance in the Third Reich

(Academic Nazi Propaganda Web Site)

            1928:  1.39 million/ 6.3%

            1929:  1.89 million/ 8.5%

            1930:  3.07 million/ 14.0%

            1931:  4.52 million/ 21.9%

            1932:  5.60 million/ 29.9%

             9,300 in 1927

            13,700 in 1928

            18,200 in 1929

            22,700 in 1930

            27,900 in 1931

            20,300 in 1932

Reichstag Elections

KPD                11%                 13.3                             14.6                                         17.1

SPD                 31.2                 24.8                             21.9                                         20.1

Other               13.6                 15.8                                5.4                                           5.5

Z                      12.6                 11.8                             12.3                                         12.0

DDP                  5.1                   3.5                               0.7                                           0.34

DVP                  9.2                   5.2                               1.2                                           1.9

DNVP             14.9                   7.1                               6.1                                            6.1

NSDAP            2.4                   18.5                             37.8                                         33.6