On the road to WWII

Hitler Fill in the KWL Chart K - What do you already know about Hitler? W - What do you want to know about Hitler? As we work through the unit, you will fill in the L – What have you learned about Hitler?

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist; Then 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 out. Pastor Martin Niemoeller, 1933

Germany After WWI After the war every country in Europe was in terrible shape With the added burden of the treaty of Versailles, Germany was in ruins What were some of the conditions of the treaty? Germany accepted guilt for WWI Had to pay back billions of dollars to the other European countries (trillions of dollars in today money) The Allied countries (Britain, France, US) gave Germany a new constitution after WWI It was hoped that this would stabilize the country It didn’t because there were so many different political parties

Germany after WWI What would be the problem with having a lot of political parties represented in the government? Nothing could get done because no one party had enough votes to accomplish anything. This lead to a series of weak governments. These governments tried to pay back their debts, but eventually they would run out of money What would you do if you were running a country and you ran out of money to pay back your debts?

Germany after WWI Germany is forced to do one of two things They could borrow money from another country, usually the US, to pay back the debts What would be the problem with this situation? It doesn’t eliminate the debt, it just moves it to someone new The could print more money, use them to pay back their debt Can you see a problem with this solution? When you print more money, the value of your money drops, so then you need even more money to pay back your debts

Germany after WWI Germany did both of these things which resulted in something called hyperinflation As more money went into circulation, each one becomes worth less Businesses demand more money for their products Workers demand more money for their labour This caused prices to rise, slowly at first, then at an uncontrolled rate Eventually people would need wheelbarrows to take their money to the store to buy groceries

Germany after WWI Price of one loaf of bread Year Price 1919 0.26 1923 (Jan) 700.00 1920 1.20 1923 (May) 1 200.00 1921 1.35 1923 (Sept) 2 000 000.00 1922 3.50 1923 (Nov) 80 000 000 000.00

Germany After WWI The height of a stack of 1,000 one dollar bills measures 4.3 inches. The height of a stack of 1,000,000 one dollar bills measures 4,300 inches or 358 feet – about the height of a 30 to 35 story building. The height of a stack of 100,000,000 (one hundred million) one dollar bills measures 35,851 feet or 6.79 miles. During this period of hyperinflation, criminals were more likely to steal your clothes than your money, because money had so little value.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiSFXt-Ogm4&t=2s

Definitions Hyperinflation An extreme or excessive rise in the price of goods Fascism a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism Nazi The National Socialist German Workers Party

Definitions Fuhrer German for leader, generally meaning a leader with absolute authority Appeasement to yield or concede to the belligerent demands of a nation, group, or person in an effort to maintain peace, sometimes at the expense of justice or other principles

The Rise of Fascism in Europe As European countries struggled to recover from World War I, many people suffered terribly. When the Great Depression hit, things became even worse. Many Europeans began to question the ability of their governments to make things better. In this atmosphere, fascism blossomed.

The Rise of Fascism in Europe Fascists were fierce nationalists who blamed others - Jews, foreigners, communists, socialists, unions - for their country’s problems. They believed that the good of the country was more important than individual democratic rights and that only an all-powerful leader - a dictator - could fix what was wrong. To people who were suffering through very hard times, fascism offered hope.

The Rise of Fascism in Europe Benito Mussolini was the first fascist dictator to come to power in Europe. He took control of Italy in 1922, when the country was in a deep recession and many Italians were struggling to survive. When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, Germany and Spain also turned to fascism. In Germany, the dictator was Adolf Hitler; in Spain, it was Francisco Franco

The Rise of Fascism in Europe Country Name of Fascist Party Fascist Dictator Year Dictator Came to Power Italy Fascists Benito Mussolini 1922 Germany National Socialists (Nazis) Adolph Hitler 1933 Spain Nationalsits (later called the Falange of Flaangists Francisco Franco 1936