US II World War II

 Review of WWI:  What was the War – Guilt Clause?  What government did Germany have?  How is the economic situation in Germany?

 1923-issue 50 million mark banknote. Worth approximately $1 US when printed, this sum would have been worth approximately $12 million nine years earlier. The note was practically worthless a few weeks later due to continued inflation.

 Hyperinflation, paramilitary groups (left and right winged groups)  Did not respect the Treaty of Versailles – wanted to gain back lost territories  President Hindenburg gave dictatorial powers (in a “state of emergency”) to the German chancellors  Hitler become Chancellor in 1933, ending the Weimar Republic

 1907  Rejected from art and architecture school  1909 – 1913  Hitler struggles in Vienna, turns to politics   Joins the German army  1919  He joins the German Workers’ Party, an extreme anti-communist, anti-Semitic right wing organization

 1920  Works for German Workers’ Party (publicity and propaganda)  1920  Changes the name of the GWP to the National Socialist German Workers Party, (or Nazi for short)  1923  Involved in the Beer Hall Putsch (political uprising), Hitler is captured and jailed

 1925  Re-founds the Nazi Party  1930  Nazi Party increases its representatives in parliament from 14 to 107  Hitler is now the leader of the second largest party in Germany

 1933  Hitler is appointed Chancellor  1933  Reichstag goes up in flames, Nazi Party blames the communists, new elections  1933  Laws are passed making Hitler a virtual dictators and restricting the rights of many people/groups (communists, Jews, socialists, trade unions)

 July 1934  President Hindenburg dies  Hitler becomes “Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor” and abolishes the title of President  1934 – 1939  Period of German expansion and “appeasement”  September 1, 1939  Germany invades Poland, WWII begins