Ch 03 - Nazism and the Rise of Hitler9th History

Birth of a Fragile Republic

• The Burden of Peace: The newly formed Weimar Republic was deeply unpopular because it was forced to sign the humiliating and punishing Treaty of Versailles after Germany's WWI defeat.
• The 'November Criminals': This became a derogatory term used by conservatives to mock the Socialists, Catholics, and Democrats who supported the Weimar Republic.
• The Origin: The term was coined because the WWI armistice was signed in November 1918, which right-wing nationalists viewed as a treacherous surrender.

A Humiliating Peace

1. Territory: Germany lost all its overseas colonies, 13% of its European territories, and a significant portion of its population (including the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France).
2. Demilitarisation: The Allied powers severely restricted the German army's size to permanently weaken its military capacity.
3. Reparations (War Guilt): Through the 'War Guilt Clause', Germany was held entirely responsible for the war and forced to pay crippling financial reparations amounting to £6 billion.
4. Rhineland Occupation: The resource-rich Rhineland was occupied by the Allied armies for much of the 1920s.

The Socialist-Communist Schism

• The Spartacist League: A radical revolutionary group in Germany demanding a Soviet-style communist government (inspired by the Bolsheviks in Russia).
• The Weimar Response: The moderate socialist Weimar government brutally crushed the Spartacist uprising by deploying armed WWI veterans known as the Free Corps.
• The Consequence: Because of this violent suppression, the Socialists (Weimar supporters) and the Communists (former Spartacists) became irreconcilable, bitter enemies. This division made it impossible for the political left to unite against Hitler's subsequent rise.