CLASS
IX
CBSE-i
UNIT 5
HISTORY
Rise of
Facisam and Nazism
STUDENTS’ MANUAL
Shiksha Kendra, 2, Community Centre, Preet Vihar, Delhi-110 092 India
CBSE-i
CBSE-i
History
Rise of
Facisam and Nazism
Students’ Manual
CLAS S
IX
UNIT-5
Shiksha Kendra, 2, Community Centre, Preet Vihar, Delhi-110 092 India
The CBSE-International is grateful for permission to reproduce
and/or translate copyright material used in this publication. The
acknowledgements have been included wherever appropriate and
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case any thing has been missed out, the Board will be pleased to rectify
the error at the earliest possible opportunity.
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may be reproduced, printed or transmitted in any form without the
prior permission of the CBSE-i. This material is meant for the use of
schools who are a part of the CBSE-International only.
Preface
Education plays the most important role in acquiring professional and social skills and a positive attitude to face thechallenges of
life. Curriculum is a comprehensive plan of any educational programme. It is also one of the means of bringing about qualitative
improvement in an educational system. The Curriculum initiated by Central Board of Secondary Education-International
(CBSE-i) is a progressive step in making the educational content responsive to global needs. It signifies the emergence of a fresh
thought process in imparting a curriculum which would restore the independence of the learner to pursue the learning process
in harmony with the existing personal, social and cultural ethos.
The CBSE introduced the CBSE-i curriculum as a pilot project in few schools situated outside India in 2010 in classes I and IX and
extended the programme to classes II, VI and X in the session 2011-12. It is going to be introduced in classes III, VII and for Senior
Secondary classes with class XI in the session 2012-13.
The Senior Secondary stage of education decides the course of life of any student. At this stage it becomes extremely important
for students to develop the right attitude, a willingness to learn and an understanding of the world around them to be able to
take right decisions for their future. The senior secondary curriculum is expected to provide necessary base for the growth of
knowledge and skills and thereby enhance a student's potential to face the challenges of global competitiveness. The CBSE-i
Senior Secondary Curriculum aims at developing desired professional, managerial and communication skills as per the
requirement of the world of work. CBSE-i is for the current session offering curriculum in ten subjects i.e. Physics Chemistry,
Biology, Accountancy, Business-Studies, Economics, Geography, ICT, English, Mathematics I and Mathematics II. Mathematics
at two levels caters to the differing needs of students of pure sciences or commerce.
The Curriculum has been designed to nurture multiple intelligences like linguistic or verbal intelligence, logical mathematical
intelligence, spatial intelligence, sports intelligence, musical intelligence, inter-personal intelligence and intra-personal
intelligence.
The Core skills are the most significant aspects of a learner's holistic growth and learning curve. The objective of this part of the
core of curriculum is to scaffold the learning experiences and to relate tacit knowledge with formal knowledge. This involves
trans-disciplinary linkages that would form the core of the learning process. Perspectives, SEWA (Social Empowerment through
Work and Action), Life Skills and Research would be the constituents of this 'Core'. The CBSE-i Curriculum evolves by building
on learning experiences inside the classroom over a period of time. The Board while addressing the issues of empowerment with
the help of the schools' administering this system strongly recommends that practicing teachers become skilful and lifelong
learners and also transfer their learning experiences to their peers through the interactive platforms provided by the Board.
The success of this curriculum depends upon its effective implementation and it is expected that the teachers will make efforts to
create better facilities, develop linkages with the world of work and foster conducive environment as per recommendations
made in the curriculum document.
I appreciate the effort of Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Director (Training), CBSE and her team involved in the development of this
document. I specially appreciate the efforts of (Late) Dr. Srijata Das for working tirelessly towards meeting deadlines.
The CBSE-i website enables all stakeholders to participate in this initiative through the discussion forums. Any further
suggestions on improving the portal are always welcome.
Vineet Joshi
Chairman, CBSE
Acknowledgements
Advisory
Conceptual Framework
Shri Vineet Joshi, Chairman, CBSE
Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Director (Academics & Training),
CBSE
Shri G. Balasubramanian, Former Director (Acad), CBSE
Ms. Abha Adams, Consultant, Step-by-Step School,
Noida
Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Director (Academics & Training),
CBSE
Ideators
Dr. Anju Srivastava
Ms. Varsha Seth
Ms. Sarita Manuja
Prof. Chand Kiran Saluja
Mr. N. K. Sehgal
Ms. Preeti Hans
Ms. Sunita Tanwar
Dr. Usha Sharma
Dr. Uma Chaudhry
Ms. P Rajeshwary
Ms. S. Radha Mahalakshmi
Ms. Renu Anand
Ms. Anita Sharma
Ms. Suganda Vallli
Ms. Neelima Sharma
Dr. Rajesh Hassija
Mr. Mukesh Kumar
Material Production Groups
English :
Ms. Gayatri Khannaa
Ms. Renu Anand
Ms. P. Rajeshwary
Ms. Sarabjit Kaur
Hindi :
Ms. Sunita Joshi
Ms. Babita Singh
Ms. Veena Sharma
Sh. Akshay Kumar Dixit
Core- SEWA
Ms. Vandna
Ms. Nishtha Bharati
Ms. Seema Bhandari
Ms. Seema Chopra
Ms. Madhuchhanda
Ms. Reema Arora
Ms. Neha Sharma
Chemistry
Ms. Charu Maini
Ms. S. Anjum
Physics:
Ms. Novita Chopra
Ms. Meenambika Menon
Biology :
Ms. Pooja Sareen
Ms. Neeta Rastogi
Core- Prespectives
Ms. Madhuchhanda,
RO(Innovation)
Ms. Varsha Seth,
Consultant
Ms. Neha Sharma
Mathematics :
Dr. K.P. Chinda
Dr. Ram Avtar
Mr. Mahendra Shankar
Mr. J.C. Nijhawan
Ms. Rashmi Kathuria
Ms. Reemu Verma
Ms. Arti
Ms. Himani Ashija
Economics:
Ms. Anubha Malhotra
Ms. Vintee Sharma
Ms. Chaitali Sengupta
Core-Research
Ms. Renu Anand
Ms. Gayatri Khanna
Dr. N. K. Sehgal
Ms. Anita Sharma
Ms. Rashmi Kathuria
Ms. Neha Sharma
Ms. Neeta Rastogi
Ms. Manjushtha Bose
Ms. Varsha Manku
Dr. K. L. Chopra
ICT:
Mr. Yogesh Kumar
Ms. Nancy Sehgal
Ms. Purvi Srivastava
Ms. Babita Mahajan
Ms. Ritu Arora
Ms. Swati Panhani
Ms. Chanchal Chandna
Geography:
Ms. Meena Bharihoke
Ms. Parul Tyagi
Ms. Sudha Tyagi
Ms. Sonia Jarul
Ms. Neena Phogat
Mr. Nisheeth Kumar
History:
Ms. Sajal Chawala
Ms. Jyoti Sharma
Ms. Kamma Khurana
Ms. Shalini Chatarvedi
Mr. Dalia Haldar
Ms. Preeti Gupta
Political Science:
Dr. Sangeetha Mathur
Ms. Ananya Roy
Ms. Sunita Rathee
Ms. Amarjit Kaur
Ms. Nishu Sharma
Ms. Manisha Anthwal
Ms. Mamta Talwar
Chief Co-ordinator : Ms. Kshipra Verma, EO
Coordinators:
(Late) Dr. Srijata Das, EO
Shri R. P. Singh, AEO
Ms. Deepa Shukla
Consultant (Biology)
Ms. S. Radha Mahalakshmi, EO
Ms. Monika Munjal Gandhi
(Co-ordinator)
Ms. Reema Arora
Consultant (Chemistry)
Mr. Navin Maini, RO (Tech)
Sh. R. P. Sharma
Consultant (Science)
Ms. Prabhjot Kaur
Consultant (Social Studies)
Shri Al Hilal Ahmed, AEO
Ms. Neelima Sharma,
Consultant (English)
Mr. Sanjay Sachdeva, DO
CONTENTS
Preface
Acknowledgement
1. Introduction
1
2. The World from 1919 to Second World War
Ø
Europe between the two World Wars
1-2
3. Rise of Fascist Movement
Ø
Fascism and rise of Benito Mussolini
3-6
Ø
Nazism and rise of Hitler
12
4. Character Sketch of
Ø
Benito Mussolini
7-11
Ø
Adolf Hitler
16-23
5. Period of Great Depression
15
6. The Effects of the 1st World War
Ø
Aggression Committed by Fascist Powers
(Italy, Germany and Japan)
7. Fascist Propaganda
Ø
Establishment of a Racial State
27
Ø
Crimes against humanity
33
Ø
Holocaust
36
UNIT V : RISE OF FACISAM AND NAZISAM
INTRODUCTION
During the period of the World Wars, both Germany and Italy succumbed to
Authoritarian rule and supported intense Nationalism and Militarism. In this chapter
you will read about the rise of Fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany in the second
decade of the 20th C which was a drastic change in the history of Europe, in which you
will observe that the concept of Nationalism, Democracy and Revolution will move
away and Germany and Italy will be promoting political domination and Dictatorial
Government which will witness the two World Wars. The Fascist Governments will
wage a genocidal war which will prove moral and ethical decline and serious crime
against humanity.
THE WORLD FROM 1919 TO SECOND WORLD WAR
The world statesmen had labeled the First World War (1914-1919) to be ‗the war to end
all war‘s they expected that there would be establishment of world peace and the life of
masses would become more prosperous and peaceful. However, their hopes were soon
dashed. The two decades between the first, and the second World Wars (1939-1945)
proved to be a period of mammoth changes all over the world.
Europe in 1914-1919 (The map shows countries involved in the first world war)
1
Europe in 1939-1945 (The map shows countries involved in the World War-II)
Activity-Teacher will hold a class discussion of the effects of the 1stworld War and Rise
of Fascism .Students will observe a related animated map (Video) of Europe.
Re-Structuring of Political Boundaries in Europe-Socialist took over the Government
in Russia through the October Revolution of 1917 normally called the Russian
Revolution. The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany
at the end of the First World War, which resulted in the replacement of Germany's
imperial Government with a Republic. The Revolutionary period lasted from
November 1918 until the formal establishment of the Weimer Republic in August 1919.
Germany, a powerful empire in early 20th C, fought the First World War but was
defeated by the Allies (England, France and Russia).The humiliating treaty of Versailles
in the First World War made the existing Weimar Republic of Germany unpopular.
Austria Hungary and Ottoman Empire were also in the state of decline after the First
World War. The rivalries between the different countries of the world would lead to
wars and restructuring of their political boundaries.
2
RISE OF FASCIST MOVEMENTS
A number of political movements which came into existence in Europe in the post
World War I period are generally known as the Fascist movements. The term Fascism
came from the word fasces, an axe-tightly wound with sticks. According to some other
historian the origin of the word ‗Fascism‘ lies in the Latin word ‗fascio‘ which means a
bundle of sticks with an axe in it. Fascism can be defined as a political attitude and mass
movement that arose during the time between the first and the Second World War.
Fascism is the attitude of giving full interest in economic, social and military power to a
dominant race or state led by a single dominant leader. Fascism basically rejected the
idea of Socialism, Capitalism, Democracy. Fascism is characterized by terrorism and
police surveillance. It focuses on ethnicity and on ―our‖ race being better than ‗your‘
race. Each culture can believe that it is better than his fellow man. Fascism is used to
categorize censorship and oppression. Ones who take away freedom from others can be
considered fascist. Several countries of the world embraced Fascism between World
War I and World War II, such as Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, Belgium and France
had large fascist movements. Others such as Spain, Austria, Hungry, Romania, Poland
and Finland, gained substantially Fascist Governments. Fascism had the largest effect
on Italy and Germany. Fascism and Nazism respectively proved to be dangerous and
harmful for the entire world. In this chapter we will focus on the rise of Fascism in Italy
and rise of Nazism in Germany which led to the Second World War and eventually fall
of the fascist Governments.
Common Features of the Fascist Movement
1. All fascist movements were hostile to Democracy.
2. They were against socialism.
3. Their main aim was the establishment of dictatorship.
4. They were opposed to all Liberal and Social values.
3
Emergence of Various Political Ideologies
There were movements in many European countries for improvement in the living
conditions of the masses. Due to the success of the Russian Revolution (1917), there was
a growth of Socialist and Communist parties in almost every European country.
However, the socialist movement failed to achieve abiding success and within a few
years in many European countries the Socialist movements were crushed and
dictatorial Governments were established. The Dictatorial Governments clamped down
on the socialist movements and destroyed Democracy.
The emergence of dictatorial Governments paved the way for the Second World War –
the most destructive war of the 20th century.
RISE OF FASCISM IN ITALY
The most significant event in the history of Italy between the two World Wars was the
rise and growth of Fascism under Benito Mussolini.
Mussolini address a rally
Benito Mussolini
4
A.
Causes for the Rise and Growth of Fascism
Following were the main factors for the rise and growth of Fascism in Italy.
1.
Dissatisfaction with the Peace Treaties
Italy had entered the war with the aim of gaining colonies. However, Italy‘s
share of the war spoils was the minimum. Italians felt themselves disgraced in
the eyes of the world and held their weak government responsible for it.
2.
Miserable Economic Conditions
The First World War affected Italy economically. Production declined prices
saved and affected the common man adversely. Mussolini assured the people
of mitigating their economic conditions by establishing Fascism ; therefore the
common man was drawn towards him.
3.
Spread of Socialism
There was a rapid spread of socialism in Italy which posted a great threat to
the life and property of the capitalists and landlords. Hence, they were ready
to extend their support to any anti-democratic movement which could save
them from of socialism.
4.
Inefficiency of the Government
After the World War I, Italy was confronted with many serious problems. But
the inefficient and feeble Government which existed failed to find suitable
solutions of the problems of the masses. Mussolini, the leader of the Fascist
party promised to provide a strong and formidable Government which gained
him popular support.
5.
Able Leadership
The able leadership of Benito Mussolini proved to be the most significant
factor for the growth of Fascism. Mussolini efficiently organized the fascist
5
party and assured his countrymen of internal security, peace and order.
Consequently, the fascist party started gaining strength steadily.
B.
Principles or Characteristics of Fascism or Fascist Ideology
The origin of the word ‗Fascism ‘ lies in the Latin word ‗fascio‘ which means a
bundle of sticks with an axe in it. Thus it stands for Unity, Authority and
Discipline. Following were the main principles of Fascism.
C.
1.
Strong faith in the supremacy of the state.
2.
No belief in Democracy.
3.
Emphasis on extreme Nationalism.
4.
Emphasis on war and its glorification.
5.
Faith in single political party and one leader.
6.
Firm faith in militarization and military discipline.
Main Objectives of Fascism
Following were the main objectives of Fascism : (i) To increase the power and
authority of the state (ii) Security of individual property (iii) Establishment of law
and order in the country (iv) Organisation of a strong army (v) Development of
trade and industry (vi) Increasing the prosperity of the countrymen. (vii) Adoption
of a strong foreign policy.
D.
Growth of Fascism ; Mussolini’s Coming to Power
Benito Mussolini was born in Romagna in 1883. He entered the army during the
World War I but was angered at the behavior meted out to Italy during the Peace
Conference. Mussolini started the Black Shirt Movement in Italy called Fascism .
He systematically organized the Fascist Party on 23rd March 1919 at Milan. Soon its
membership started rising.
6
INTERESTING FACTS
Benito Mussolini:
The Troponent of Fascism
Life Sketch
Born: July 29, 1883, Predappio, Italy
Died: April 28, 1945, Como, Italy
Italian dictator
Benito Mussolini was head of the Italian Government from 1922
to 1943. He was the founder of Fascism , and as a dictator he
held absolute power and severely mistreated his citizens and his
country. He led Italy into three straight wars, the last of which
led to his overthrow by his own people.
Early life and career
Benito Mussolini was born at Dovia di Predappio, Italy, on July 29, 1883. The
Mussolinis were a poor family who lived in a crowded two-bedroom apartment. His
father, Alessandro Mussolini was a blacksmith and a follower of socialism (a system
providing for the sharing of land and goods equally among all people); his mother,
Rosa Mussolini, taught in an elementary school. Benito, although intelligent, was
violent and had a large ego.
He was a poor student at school and learned very little. As a student at a boarding
school in Faenza, Italy, Mussolini stabbed another student, and as a result he was
expelled. After receiving his diploma in 1901 he briefly taught in secondary school. He
went to Switzerland in 1902 to avoid military service, where he associated with other
socialists. Mussolini returned to Italy in 1904, spent time in the military, and engaged in
politics full time thereafter.
7
Mussolini had become a member of the Socialist Party in 1900 and had begun to attract
wide admiration. In speeches and articles he was extreme and violent, urging
revolution at any cost, but he was also well spoken. Mussolini held several posts as
editor and labor leader until he emerged in the 1912 Socialist Party Congress. He
became editor of the party's daily paper, Avanti, at the age of twenty-nine. His powerful
writing injected excitement into the Socialist ranks. In a party that had accomplished
little in recent years, his youth and his intense nature was an advantage. He called for
Revolution at a time when Revolutionary feelings were sweeping the country.
From Socialist to Fascist
Mussolini deserted the Socialist Party in 1914 to cross over to the enemy camp, the
Italian middle class. He knew that World War I (1914–18) would bury the old Europe,
and he began to prepare for "the unknown." In late 1914 he founded an independent
newspaper, Popolod'Italia, and backed it up with his own movement, the Autonomous
Fascists. He drew close to the new forces in Italian politics, the extreme middle-class
youth, and he made himself their spokesman. The Italian working class now called
Mussolini "Judas" and "traitor." Mussolini was wounded during army training in 1917,
but he managed to return to politics that same year. His newspaper, which he now
backed with a second political movement, Revolutionary Fascists, was his main
strength. After the war, Mussolini's career declined. He organized his third movement,
Constituent Fascists, in 1918, but it did not survive. Mussolini ran for office in the 1919
parliamentary elections but was defeated.
Benito Mussolini
Reproduced by permission of AP/Wide World Photos.
In March 1919 Mussolini founded another movement, Fighting
Fascists, won the favor of the Italian youth, and waited for
events to favor him. The elections in 1921 sent him to
8
Parliament at the head of thirty-five Fascist deputies; the third assembly of his
movement gave birth to a National party, the National Fascist Party, with more than
250 thousand followers and Mussolini as its uncontested leader. In October 1922
Mussolini successfully marched into Rome, Italy. He now enjoyed the support of key
groups (industry, farmers, military, and church), whose members accepted Mussolini's
solution to their problems: organize middle-class youth, control workers harshly, and
set up a tough central Government to restore "law and order." Thereafter, Mussolini
attacked the workers and spilled their blood over Italy. It was the complete opposite of
his early views of socialism.
Fascist state
Once in power, Mussolini took steps to remain there. He held general elections, but
they were fixed and provide him with an absolute majority in Parliament. The
assassination of the Socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti, a noted opponent, by Fascist
followers reversed his fortunes and nearly brought him down. Mussolini, however,
recovered. He suspended civil liberties, destroyed all opposition, and imposed open
dictatorship (absolute rule). In 1929 his Concordat with the Vatican settled the historic
differences between the Italian state and the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Pius XI
(1857–1939) said that Mussolini had been sent ―by Divine Providence.‖
Mossolini‘s march towards Rome Mussolini and Fascist Black shirts during the march
on Rome in 1922
9
As the 1930s began, Mussolini was seated safely in power and enjoyed wide support.
The strongest groups who had put Mussolini into power now profited from it.
However, the living standard of the working majority fell; the average Italian worker's
income amounted to one-half of that of a worker in France, one-third of that of a worker
in England, and one-fourth of that of a worker in America. As National leader,
Mussolini offered no solutions for Italy's problems. He surrounded himself with
ambitious and greedy people and let them bleed Italy dry while his secret agents
gathered information on opponents.
March on Rome
The main motive of Mussolini was to usurp power. He aimed at rescuing Italy from
‗feeble Government.‘ In the morning of 28th October 1922 around ten thousand fascists
swarmed Rome and took over the railway stations, post, telegraphs and telephone
officers etc. The helpless emperor Victor Emmanuel III invited Mussolini on 29th
October to join the Government. Thus without firing a shot, fascists came to power in
Italy under the leadership of Mussolini. In history this event came to be known as
‗March on Rome‘.
E.
Consequences of the Victory of Fascism
(i) The victory of Fascism resulted in a reign of terror in Italy. The Socialist
Movement was crushed and many Socialist and Communist leaders were either
arrested or murdered (ii) As a result of the victory of Fascism Democracy came to
an end and an autocratic rule was established. (iii) In 1926 all the Non-Fascist
parties and organizations were declared illegal (iv) Mussolini centralized the
power into his own hands appointing men of his confidence to all the positions of
importance (v) Army was recognized and military strength was increased (vi) As
the main objective of the home policy of the Fascist Government was to increase
production, special attention was paid towards the development of agriculture
(vii) The Fascist Government advocated a policy of expansion and colonialism.
10
Aggression committed by Fascist Movement. (i) In the field of foreign affairs the
main objective of Mussolini was to restore the lost glory and prestige of Italy and
to make her a great nation. To achieve this motive he followed a policy of
expansion and aggression.
Italy occupied the islands of Dodacanese and Rhodes and established strong naval
bases there. It held its control over Albania and occupied Ethiopia in East Africa in
May 1935 in 1936, Mussolini‘s intervention in Spain, aided Francisco Franco (1892–
1975) in Spain's civil war, but had no benefits for Italy. Mussolini then joined forces
with German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) and in 1938 began to attack Jewish
people within the country just as Germany was doing. As the 1930s ended,
Mussolini stated losing support within Italy
The outbreak of World War II (1939–
45) left Mussolini on the figure of
world politics, and he worried that
Hitler would redraw the map of
Europe without him. He decided "to
make war at any cost." The cost was
clear:
Modern
armies,
Mussolini
and
industry,
Modern
popular
support.
lacked
all
of
these.
Nonetheless, in 1940 he pushed Italy
into war against the will of the
people, ignoring the only meaningful
lesson of World War I. The United
States alone had decided that conflict,
Good man gone wrong, as Mussolini
and therefore America, not Germany,
supported War
was the most important power.
11
Italy lost its war in 1942, Mussolini's power collapsed six months later. Restored as
Hitler's puppet in northern Italy in 1943, he drove Italy deeper into invasion,
occupation, and civil war during 1944 and 1945. The end approached, but
Mussolini struggled to survive. He was finally executed by a firing squad on April
28th, 1945, at Dongo in Como province.
Nazism and the Rise of Hitler
Meaning –Hitler saved Mussolini
What was Nazism? It was a system-a structure of ideas about the world and politics. It
was not one or two isolated acts. Most of you must be aware of so many facts about
Nazis and Hitler. Hitler‘s determination to make Germany into a mighty power and his
ambition of conquering all of Europe is not something of a secret. It is probably known
to all. Thousands of Jews were killed by him. Hitler‘s crimes against humanity raised
serious moral and ethical questions which attracted worldwide condemnation. What
was Nazism all about? This is what we will try and understand in this chapter.
12
The German experience at the end of the First World War partly can be contributed to
the rise of Nazi Germany. What was this experience?
Reason behind the Emergence of Nazism
In the early years of the twentieth century, Germany, a powerful empire, fought the
First World War (1914-1918) alongside the Australian empire and against the AlliesEngland, France and Russia. Hoping to gain from a quick victory all joined the war
enthusiastically. But the war stretched on, eventually draining Europe of all its
resources. Initial gains were made by Germany by occupying France and Belgium.
However, the Allies strengthened by the US entry in 1917 had won. Germany and the
Central Powers were defeated in November 1918.
It was the defeat of Imperial Germany and the abdication of the emperor that gave an
opportunity to parliamentary parties to recast German policy. Democratic constitution
with a federal structure was established at a meeting of National Assembly at Weimar.
On the basis of equal and universal votes cast by all adults including women, deputies
were now elected to the German Parliament or Reichstag.
However, this Republic was not received well by its own people. The reason of its
rejection was the terms at which it was forced to accept after Germany‘s defeat at the
end of the First World War. The Peace Treaty at Versailles with the Allies was harsh
and humiliating. Germany suffered huge losses. Its overseas colonies, a tenth of its
population, 13 percent of its territories, 75 per cent of its iron and 26 per cent of its coal
were lost to France, Poland, Denmark and Lithuania. The Allied Powers demilitarized
Germany to weaken its power. Germany was held responsible for the damages the
Allied countries suffered by the War Guilt Clause and was forced to pay compensation
amounting to a billion. The resource-rich Rhineland was also occupied by the Allied
armies for much of the 1920s. The new Weimar Republic was held responsible by many
Germans for not only the defeat in the war but also for the disgrace at Versailles.
13
The War Effects
The entire continent suffered a devastating effect of war both psychologically and
financially. Europe, from a continent of creditors, turned into one of debtors.
Unfortunately, the infant Weimar Republic was being made to pay for the sins of the
Old Empire. The republic carried the burden of war guilt and National humiliation. It
was financially crippled by being forced to pay compensation. Socialists, Catholics and
Democrats, who supported the Weimar Republic, became easy targets of attack in the
conservative nationalist circles. They were mockingly called the ‗November criminals‘.
The political developments of the early 1930 were highly influenced by this mind set.
A deep imprint was left on European society and policy, by the First World War.
Soldiers were placed above civilians. A great stress on the need for men to be
aggressive, strong and masculine was laid by the politicians and publicists. The media
glorified trench life.
Economic Crisis and Political Radicalism
The emergence of the Weimar Republic coincided with the revolutionary uprising of the
Spartacist League that followed the pattern of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. In
many cities, Soviets of workers and sailors were established. Soviet-style Governance
charged the political atmosphere in Berlin. The Socialists, Democrats and Catholics who
opposed this, met in Weimar to give shape to the Democratic Republic. The uprising
was crushed by the Weimar Republic with the help of a war veterans organization
called Free Crops. The Communist Party of Germany was founded by the anguished
Spartacists later. Communists and Socialists, henceforth, become irreconcilable enemies
and could not make common cause against Hitler. Radical solutions were sought by
both Revolutionaries and Militant Nationalists.
Political redicalisation was only heightened by the economic crisis of 1923. Since
Germany had fought the war largely on loans, they had to pay war reparations in gold.
This depleted gold reserves at such a time when the resources were scarce.
14
The Period of Depression
Some stability was seen in the years between 1924 and 1928. German investments and
industrial recovery were totally dependent on short-term loans, largely from the USA.
When the Wall Street Exchange crashed in 1929 this support was withdrawn. People
made frantic efforts to sell their shares fearing a fall in prices. 13 million shares were
sold on one single day, 24 October. This was the start of the Great Economic
Depression. Over the next three years, between 1929 and 1932, the National Income of
the USA fell by half. As a result factories got shut down, exports fell, farmers were
badly hit and speculators withdrew their money from the market. The effects of this
recession on the US economy were felt worldwide.
The economic crisis hit the German economy badly. Industrial production was reduced
to 40 per cent of the 1929 level, by 1932. Workers lost their jobs or were paid reduced
wages. The number of unemployed touched an unprecedented 6 million. You could see
men with placards hanging around their necks saying, ―Willing to do any work‖ on the
streets of Germany. Unemployed youths played cards or simply sat at street corners.
Desperate queues appeared at the local employment exchange. Total despair became
common as jobs disappeared and the youth took to criminal activities.
The Weimar Republic was fragile politically too. There were some inherent defects in
the Weimar constitution, which made it unstable and vulnerable to dictatorship. This
made achieving a majority by any one party a near impossible task. It led to a rule by
coalitions. Within its short life, the Weimar Republic saw twenty different cabinets
lasting on an average 239 days and a liberal use of Article 48 that empowered the
President to impose emergency. Yet it was not possible to manage the crisis. The
confidence of people was lost in the democratic parliamentary system, as it could not
offer any solutions.
Rise of Hitler to Power
Hitler‘s rise to power was mainly due to the crisis in the economy, polity and society.
15
INTERESTING FACTS
Early life
Hitler‘s mother Klara
Alois Hitler‘s stern minded
Adolf Hitler as an infant in
father
(1889-1890)
Hitler's father, Alois (born 1837), was illegitimate. For
a time he bore his mother's name, Schicklgruber, but
by 1876 he had established his family claim to the
surname Hitler. Adolf never used any other surname.
After his father's retirement from the state customs
service, Adolf Hitler spent most of his childhood in
Linz, the capital of Upper Austria. It remained his
favourite city throughout his life, and he expressed
his wish to be buried there. Alois Hitler died in 1903
but left an adequate pension and savings to support
Self portrait of Hitler
his wife and children. Although Hitler feared and
disliked his father, he was a devoted son to his mother, who died after much suffering
in 1907. With a mixed record as a student, Hitler never advanced beyond a secondary
education. After leaving school, he visited Vienna and then returned to Linz, where he
dreamed of becoming an artist.
16
Later, he used the small allowance and he continued to draw to maintain himself in
Vienna. He wished to study art, for which he had some faculties, but he failed twice to
secure entry to the Academy of Fine Arts.
Painting made by Hitler. His signature can be seen at the bottom left of the painting.
For some years he lived a lonely and isolated life, earning a precarious livelihood by
painting postcards and advertisements and drifting from one municipal hostel to
another. Hitler already showed traits that characterized his later life: loneliness and
secretiveness, a bohemian mode of everyday existence, and hatred of cosmopolitanism
and of the multinational character of Vienna.
Rise of Military Career and Formation of Nazi Party
In 1913 Hitler moved to Munich. Screened for Austrian military service in February
1914, he was classified as unfit because of inadequate physical vigour; but when World
War I broke out he immediately volunteered for the German army and joined the 16th
Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment. He served throughout the war, was wounded in
October 1916. He was hospitalized when the conflict ended. During the war, he was
continuously in the front line as a headquarters runner, for his bravery in action he was
17
rewarded with the Iron Cross, Second Class, in December 1914, and the Iron Cross, First
Class (a rare decoration for a corporal), in August 1918.
When the First World War broke out, he
joined the army as a messenger on the
front. He became a corporal, and earned
medals for his bravery. Germany‘s
defeat horrified him and the Versailles
Treaty made him furious. He joined a
small group called the German Workers
Party in 1919. Subsequently, he took
over the organization and renamed it as
the National Socialist German Workers
Party. This party came to be known as
the Nazi Party. He greeted the war with
Hitler with other German soldiers
enthusiasm, as a great relief from the
frustration and aimlessness of civilian
life. He found discipline and comradeship satisfying and was confirmed in his belief in
the heroic virtues of war.
March towards Berlin
In 1923, Hitler planned to seize control of Bavaria, march to Berlin and capture power.
He failed in his manoeuvres and was arrested. Hitler soon discovered that he had two
remarkable talents — for public oratory and for inspiring personal loyalty. His streetcorner oratory, attacking the Jews, the Socialists and Liberals, the Capitalists and
Communists, began to attract adherents. Hitler decided to use Ludendorff as a front in
an attempt to seize power in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, later known as the "Hitler
Putsch" or "March to Berlin" of November 8th, 1923, the army quickly dispersed them
and Hitler was arrested.
18
Hitler was tried for high treason and in April 1924 he was sentenced to five years'
imprisonment in Landsberg prison. Here he dictated a book called Mein Kampf (My
Struggle) to his deputy Rudolf Hess. Considered relatively harmless, Hitler was given
an early amnesty and later on released in December 1924.
INTERESTING FACTS
Adolf Hitler was found guilty of taking part in the Beer Hall
Putsch in 1923, he was sentenced to five years in prison.
Hitler was sent to Landsberg Castle in Munich to serve his
prison sentence. He was treated well and was allowed to
walk in the castle grounds, wear his own clothes and receive
gifts. Officially there were restrictions on visitors but this did
not apply to Hitler, and a steady flow of friends, party
members and journalists spent long spells with him.
Maurice, whose main talent was as a street fighter, was a
poor writer and the job was eventually taken over by Rudolf Hess, a student at Munich
University. Hess made a valiant attempt at turning Hitler's spoken ideas into prose.
However, the book that Hitler wrote in prison was repetitive, confused, turgid and
therefore, extremely difficult to read. In his writing, Hitler was unable to use the
passionate voice and dramatic bodily gestures which he had used so effectively in his
speeches, to convey his message.
The book was originally entitled Four Years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity, and
Cowardice. Hitler's publisher reduced it to My Struggle (Mein Kampf). The book is a
mixture of autobiography, political ideas and an explanation of the techniques of
propaganda. The autobiographical details in Mein Kampf are often inaccurate, and the
main purpose of this part of the book appears to be to provide a positive image of
Hitler. For example, when Hitler was living a life of leisure in Vienna he claims he was
working hard as a labourer.
19
Hitler showing the Nazi salute
In Mein Kampf Hitler outlined his political philosophy. He argued that the German (he
wrongly described them as the Aryan race) was superior to all others. "Every
manifestation of human culture, every product of art, science and technical skill, which
we see before our eyes today, is almost exclusively the product of Aryan creative
power."
Till the early 1930s, the Nazis could not effectively mobilize popular support. It was
during the Great Depression that Nazism became a mass movement. Nazi propaganda
stirred hopes of a better future. In 1928, the Nazi Party got no more than 2.6 per cent
votes in the Reichstag-the German parliament. However, by 1932, it had become the
largest party with 37 per cent votes.
The reformed Nazi Party contested the elections after their ban ended the previous year
However, the party received less than 3% of the votes and won just 12 seats in the
Reichstag. This was due to Hitler, who had been incarcerated in Landsberg prison for
his involvement in the Beer Hall Putsch until Christmas 1924, concentrating on reestablishing himself as the leader of the party following his release.
20
Dismantling of Democracy
Hitler was offered the Chancellor-ship, the highest
position in the cabinet of ministers, on 30th January
1933 by President Hindenburg. By now the Nazis had
managed to rally the conservatives to their cause.
Having acquired power, Hitler set out to dismantle the
structures of democratic rule. A mysterious fire that
broke out in February in the German Parliament
building facilitated his move. He then turned on his
Hitler the architect of Nazi
arch enemies, the Communists. Most of them were
Germany
hurriedly packed off to the newly established concentration
camps. The repression of the Communists was severe. Out of the
surviving 6,808 arrest files, 1440 were those of Communists
alone. There were 52 types of victims persecuted by the Nazis
across the country and the communists were one of them.
Nazi logo
The famous Enabling Act was passed on 3 March 1933.
Dictatorship in Germany was established with the help of this
Act. It gave Hitler all powers to sideline Parliament and rule by decree. Except for the
Nazi Party and its affiliates all political parties and trade unions were banned.
Complete control over the economy, media, army and
judiciary was established by the state.
Facts
The Enabling Act (German: Ermächtigungsgesetz) was
passed by Germany's Reichstag and signed by President
Paul von Hindenburg on 23rd March 1933. It was the
second major step, after the Reichstag Fire Decree,
21
Hitler's Reichstag speech
promoting the bill
through which Chancellor Adolf Hitler legally obtained plenary powers and
established his dictatorship. It received its name from its legal status as an enabling act
granting the Cabinet the authority to enact laws without the participation of the
Reichstag. The act stated that it was to last for four years unless renewed by the
Reichstag, which occurred twice. The formal name of the Enabling Act was Gesetz zur
Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich (English: "Law to Remedy the Distress of People
and Reich").
Rare photograph of Hitler with glasses (it was forbidden to show his weakness)
The Nazis created special surveillance and security forces to control and order society in
ways they wanted. In addition to the already existing regular police in green uniform
and the SA or the Storm Troopers, they included the Gestapo (secret state police), the SS
(the protection squads), Criminal Police and the Security Service. With the help of extraconstitutional powers of these newly organized forces, the Nazi state earned the
reputation as the most dreaded criminal state. Gestapo torture chambers were used to
detain people. They could be rounded up and sent to without any legal procedures. The
police forces acquired powers to rule with no accountability.
22
Reconstruction
The responsibility of economic recovery was assigned
to the economist, Hjalmar Schacht by Hitler.
The economist aimed at full production and full
employment through a state-funded work-creation
programme. The famous German superhighways and
the people‘s car, the Volkswagen was the outcome of
this project.
Hitler acquired quick successes in Foreign policy also.
In 1933, he pulled out of the League of Nations. He
reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936, and integrated
Austria and Germany in 1938- under the slogan ―One
Hitler with Hjalmar Schacht
people, one empire, and one leader‖. Since the English,
a creative thinker
considered the Versailles verdict too harsh, they
extended their unspoken support to Hitler. These quick successes at home and abroad
seemed to reverse the destiny of the country.
Hitler attending a rally
23
Nothing could stop Hitler here. Schacht had advised Hitler not to invest hugely in
rearmament as the state was still running on deficit financing. The economic crisis of
1935-36 caused Schacht and Price Commissioner Dr. Carl Friedrich Goerdeler to
reconsider the mounting deficits. They urged a return to free-market economics, cuts in
military spending, a shift away from autarkic and protectionist policies, and stopping
the drift toward a statist economy. Reich Marshall Hermann Goring posed those steps
and was generally supported by Hitler. The implementation of the Four Year Plan
managed by Goring meant that he had won the debate (1936). Schacht resigned as
Economic Minister in (1937).
Aggression Committed by Nazis
Poland was invaded by Germany in September 1939. This started a war with France
and England. Germany, Italy and Japan signed a tripartite pact in September 1940,
strengthening Hitler‘s claim to international power. In a large part of Europe, puppet
regimes, supportive of Nazi Germany, were installed by the end of 1940. Hitler was at
the pinnacle of his power.
World map displaying the World War II participants. The Allies depicted in green
(those in light green entered after the attack on Pearl Harbor), the Axis Powers in
orange and neutral countries in gray.
24
In June 1941, Soviet Union was attacked by Germany. This was a historic blunder.
Hitler exposed the German Western front to British aerial bombing and the eastern
front to the powerful Soviet armies by attacking them. A crushing and humiliating
defeat was inflicted by the Soviet Red Army on Germany at Stalingrad.
According to the graph given there was increase in the GDP(Gross Domestic Product)
of both Axis power and Allied power from 1940s onwards.
After this the retreating German soldiers were hounded by the Soviet Red Army on
Germany at Stalingrad. Until they reached the heart of Berlin, where the Soviet Red
Army established Soviet hegemony over the entire Eastern Europe for half a century
thereafter.
25
With Hitler‘s defeat and the US bombing of Hiroshima in Japan, the war ended in May,
1945.
Bombarding of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945)
The Nazi Worldview
The ideology of Nazi was synonymous with Hitler‘s worldview. The crimes they
committed were linked to a system of belief and set of practices. According to this, there
was no equality between people, but only a racial hierarchy. Blond, blue-eyed, Nordic
German Aryans in this view were at the top, while Jews were regarded as an anti-race
and arch enemies of the Aryans.
Depending upon their external features all other colored people were placed in
between. Hitler‘s racism was borrowed from thinkers like Charles Darwin and Herbert
Spencer
However, racist thinkers and politicians used his ideas to justify imperial rule over
conquered peoples. The stronger race would survive and the weak ones would perish
that is what the Nazis believed. According to them the Aryan race was the finest.
Therefore, it had to retain its purity, and strength to dominate the world.
26
Hitler‘s ideology‘s other aspect was related to geopolitical concept of living space.
According to him, new territories had to be acquired for settlement, to enhance the
material resources and power of the German nation.
Establishment of a Racial States
The Nazis quickly began to implement their dream of creating an exclusive racial
community of pure Germans, once they were in power. All those who were seen as
undesirable were physically eliminated in the extended empire. Nazis wanted only a
society of pure and healthy Nordic Aryans. Those Germans had no right to exist who
were seen as impure or abnormal. Nazi officials under the Euthanasia Programme had
condemned to death those Germans who were considered mentally or physically unfit.
Youth in Nazi Germany
The youth of the country attracted Hitler fanatically. He felt that only by teaching Nazi
ideology to the children could the Nazi society be established and made stronger. For
this control was required over the child both inside and outside the school.
Germans and Jew children were not allowed to sit
or play together. All the undesirable children-Jews,
Gypsies, and the physically handicapped were
dismissed from schools and finally were taken to
gas chambers in the 1940s.
All 'Good German' children were subjected to a
The elementary school of the
Nazis
prolonged period of ideological training a process
of Nazi schooling. School text-books were rewritten.
It was taught to the children to be loyal and
submissive, hate Jews, and worship Hitler. Even sports were used to nurture a spirit of
violence and aggression among children. Hitler believed boxing made children iron
hearted, strong and masculine.
27
Aryan breed youth of Germany
Nazi German Youth
The Deutsches Jungvolk (German Youth) was the subdivision of the Hitler Youth for
boys aged 10 to 14. It reinforced the National Socialist view of Aryan ideals and
transmitted the Nazi idea of the Volksgemeinschaft (national or people's community).
They were devoted to the Nazi thoughts and they wore scarves. Parents could send
their children to become members of the organization up to the age of fourteen. In
many parts of Germany, young boys were forced to join the Jungvolk as a requirement
for school or just as a result of their town's orders. The Nazis believed that teaching
children how to become tough would free them from their weaknesses. It sowed antiSemitism through indoctrination.
The Youth League of the Nazis that was founded in 1922 was renamed as Hitler Youth.
INTERESTING FACTS
The League of German Girls or League of German Maidens: Bund Deutscher Mädel or
BDM), was the girl's wing of the overall Nazi party youth movement, the Hitler Youth.
It was the only female youth organization in Nazi Germany.
28
At first, the League consisted of two sections: the Jungmädel,
or Young Girls League, for girls ages 10 to 14, and the League
proper for girls ages 14 to 18. In 1938, a third section was
introduced, the Belief and Beauty Society (BDM-WerkGlaube
and Schönheit), which was voluntary and open to girls
between the ages of 17 and 21.
Ilse Hirsch - a member of the BDM, 1933
The Motherhood and Nazi Cult
In Nazi Germany, children were repeatedly told that women were radically different
from men. It was preached that the fight for equal rights for men and women was
wrong. That it would destroy the society. The boys were taught to be aggressive,
masculine and steel hearted. The girls were taught to become good mothers. They were
supposed to rear pure-blooded Aryan children and maintain the purity of the race.
They had to distance themselves from Jews, look after the home, and over and above
teach their children Nazi values.
In 1933, Hitler said:
"In my state the mother is the most
important citizen". But in reality, women
who bore racially undesirable children
were punished and those who produced
racially
desirable
children
were
awarded.”
The Act of Propaganda
Language and media in the Nazi regime
Motherhood in Nazi Germany
was used with care, and often to great
29
effect. They coined deceptive and chilling terms to describe their various practices. The
Words 'kill' or 'murder' were never used by Nazis in their official communications.
Mass killings were termed special treatment (final solution). Evacuation was used for
deporting people to gas chambers. They were labeled 'disinfection is as'. These chambers
looked like bathrooms equipped with fake showerheads. Visual images, films, radio,
posters, catchy slogans the leaflets were used to spread the Nazi ideas. Hatred was
created for Jews through film propaganda. Propaganda films were made to create
hatred for Jews.
INTERESTING FACTS
Anne Frank and other Jews
Over one million children under the age of sixteen died
in World War II, not because of the bombs, but because
they did not fit in as Hitler’s image of the "perfect"
German.
Many children and their parents living in countries, which
had been invaded by the Germans, were imprisoned and
killed because they were Jewish. Jewish people follow the
religion known as Judaism. They are Jews.
Who was Anne Frank?
Anne Frank was an ordinary German Jewish girl. She enjoyed playing with her toys,
riding her bike and going to the seaside.
Why is Anne Frank Famous?
Anne Frank is well known because of her diary. It was first published as a book, in
Dutch, in 1947. Since then, millions of people have read the thoughts and hopes of one
young girl and have been inspired by them.
30
Why were Jews imprisoned and killed during World War Two?
Hitler wanted to create what he saw was the perfect German, this meant that anyone
who did not fit into his perfect image was persecuted (ill-treated) and/or killed. Hitler
persecuted German citizens who were Jewish, Gypsies, or otherwise "undesirables".
What was life like for a Jew living in Germany?
Anne Frank and other Jews were forced to think they were lower and inadequate to
everyone else just because they had a different religious belief. Many laws were made
of what Jews could and couldn't do, Anne describes some of these in her diary:
―Jews were required to wear a yellow star, Jews were forbidden to use trams, Jews were required
to turn in their bicycles, Jews were forbidden to use any public sports centers, Jews were not
allowed to watch any form of entertainment and so on‖
Why is Anne Frank's diary important?
Through her diary "The Diary of Anne Frank", people all over the world are able to see
what life as a persecuted Jew was like during World War II; thus gaining an
appreciation for the sacrifices people made in the struggle to stay alive. Anne describes
in her diary how she felt while she was in hiding, and how it was very hard to survive
in such a small living space.
When did Anne receive her diary and what was the occasion?
Anne received on her 13th birthday in 1942, a diary from her parents.
What did she name her diary?
Anne called her diary 'Kitty'.
Anne Frank did not become famous until after her death in the Bergen-Belsen
concentration camp and after the liberation of all concentration camps. Otto Frank, the
only surviving member of the people hiding in the Secret Annex, later had Anne's dairy
published.
31
Quick Facts about the life of Anne Frank
June 12th, 1929 - Anne Frank born in Frankfurt, Germany.
Her parents were Otto and Edith Frank
Anne Frank's sister was called Margot
Her father was an officer in the German army in World War I
1933
-
Adolf
Hitler's
Nazi
party
come
to
power
in
Germany
Hitler begins his campaign against the Jews
Anne Frank and her family move to Amsterdam 1933 where they hope to be safe
from the Nazi Germans.
May, 1940 - the Germans invade the Netherlands
May 1942 - all Jews aged six and older are required to wear a yellow Star of
David on their clothes to set them apart from non-Jews.
Jews are arrested just for being Jews.
June 14 1943 - Anne starts writing her diary
July 6, 1942 - Frank family go into hiding
August 4, 1944 - Their hiding place is discovered and they are arrested.
September 3, 1944 - Frank family are transported to the Auschwitz death camp
in Poland.
October, 1944, Anne and Margot are transported from Auschwitz to the BergenBelsen concentration camp in Germany.
March 1945 - Anne dies in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, from Typhus
You can read about what life was like for Anne Frank through the diary she wrote of
her experience.
32
Crime against Humanity and Ordinary People
What was the reaction of the common people towards Nazism? Many of the people
spoke their mind in Nazi language because they saw the world through Nazi eyes.
When they saw someone who looked like a Jew, they felt hatred and anger surge inside
them.
The Nazis buried thousands of Jews in broad pits like this one.
The houses of Jews and reported suspicious neighbours were marked by Nazis. They
really thought that Nazism would bring prosperity and improve general well-being
Pastor Niemoeller, a resistance fighter, wrote movingly about this silence of the
ordinary Germans that is the face of brutal and organised crimes committed against
people in the Nazi empire.
What Pastor Niemoeller wrote?
―First they came for the Communists Well; I was not a CommunistSo I said nothing.
Then they came for the Social Democrats. Well, I was not a Social Democrat
33
So I did nothing.
Then they came for the trade unionists. But I was not a trade unionist.
And then they came for the Jews.
But I was not a Jew so I did little.
Then when they came for me.
There was no one left
Who could stand up for me‖?
It is a different story altogether what Jews felt in Nazi Germany. Charlotte Berate
secretly recorded people's dreams in her diary and later published them in a highly
disconcerting book called the "Third Rich Dreams". She described how Jews themselves
had begun ‗believing in the Nazi stereotypes about them.‘
Every Jew died many deaths even before he reached the gas chamber.
Gas Chamber
34
Holocaust
Picture Analysis
Topic-Hatred for Jews
Title: ―The day of revenge is coming‖
Explanation: A father holds his bleeding son, run over by a car full of careless Jews.
This plays on both the charge that Jews were rich and Germans poor, and that Jews
cared not at all for the harm they were doing to Germany. (1929)
35
Knowledge about the Holocaust
It was during the last years of the regime that the
information about Nazi practices had leaked out of
Germany. But the horrors of what had happened there
came into limelight before the world only after the war
ended and Germany defeated. While the Germans were
trying to wriggle out of their own plight as a defeated
nation; the Jews wanted the world not to forget the
atrocities and sufferings faced by them during the Nazi
killing operations - also called the Holocaust.
In spite of all the precautions taken by the Germans to
Pre-war photograph of three
wipe out every trace of their misdeeds, the history and
memory of the Holocaust still lives on in poetry,
memoirs,
fictions,
documentaries,
museums
and
Jewish children with their
babysitter. Two of the
children perished in 1942
memorials in many parts of the world today.
Observe the film
Charlie
Chaplin
from
the
film
The
Great
Dictator,1940
Teacher will give the following task after the class
discussion.
Objective: Critical analyzing thinking and creating
awareness.
Time:30 min
36
Method: The students will watch the film, at home or in the school auditorium and
analyze the need for making a humorous film on Hitler and the highlights and
outcomes of the film.
Students will discuss and give their views in writing
Assessment: Teacher will assess on the basis of the written matter and the participation
of the students in the class discussion.
Conclusion
The rise and fall of Fascism in Italy and Germany, was one of the most important
upheaval of the European history. The Second World War was a ‗Total War‘ in which
almost at the countries of the world participated. There was hardly any part of the
world which was not involved in the war. The United States of America made use of its
vast resources for carrying on the war.
The whole world was shattered by exploitation and terrorism of Fascist power as well
as devastating effect of the Second World War with heavy loss of military and civilian
population.
It will take a lot of years, to reconstruct the world polity, economy and society: It will
also secretly pave the way for a cold war period after 1945 and division of the world
into two major power blocs USA and USSR.
37
GLOSSARY
Important Terms and Concepts
1.
Allies: The Allied Powers led by the UK and France.
2.
Genocidal: Killing on a large-scale leading to destruction of large sections of
people.
3.
Reparation: Make up for a wrong done.
4.
Wall Street Exchange: The name of the world‘s biggest stock exchange located in
the USA.
5.
Proletarianisation: To become impoverished to the level of working classes.
6.
Dictatorship: It is a form of Government in which a person or a group of persons
possess absolutely power without effective Constitutional limitations.
7.
Nazism: A political system introduced by Hitler in Germany. Akin to dictatorship
and Fascism , is also propagated extreme hatred against the Jews.
8.
Nazi: The short form of Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party. Formed by
Hitler in 1921, it propagated Nazism.
9.
Axis Powers: Italy, Germany and Japan formed the Axis powers.
10.
Allied Powers: Britain, France, Russia and USA were the allied powers.
11.
Second World War: The global war which took place from September 1939 to may
1945 in which over 50 million people were killed and many cities were reduced to
rubble.
12.
The Great Depression: A worldwide economic slump lasting from 1929 to 1935.
During these years, trade between nations dropped and around 25 million people
lost their jobs.
38
13.
Pearl Harbour: Situated on the Hawlian island of Honolulu, it was the main base
of the US Pacific Fleet. Japanese planes launched from aircraft carriers attacked the
base on 7th December 1941. They destroyed 120 aircrafts and killed 2,400 people.
14.
Gestapo: Short for Geheime Staatspolizei, the secret state police in Nazi Germany.
It had the power to arrest people without trial and torture and kill them. As a
result they were the most hated and feared organization in Nazi-occupied Europe.
15.
Holocaust: It comes from the Greek words ‗holos‘ and ‗kaustos‘ which literally
means ‗completely burnt‘. It is used to describe the persecution and mass murder
of Jews by German Nazis between 1933 and 1945.
16.
Semite: Usually someone who belongs to any of the peoples of South-west Asia,
especially Jews and Arabs. In Nazi Germany the word was used to describe only
Jewish people.
17.
Reichstag: The name given to the German Parliament.
18.
Propaganda: Specific type of message directly aimed at influencing the opinion of
people through the use of posters, films and speeches.
19.
Concentration camp: A camp where people were isolated and detained without
the due process of law.
20.
Persecution: Systematic, organized punishment of those belonging to a group or
religion.
21.
Jungvolk: Nazi youth groups for children below 14 years of age.
39
IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS
1918: Weimer Republic was established.
1919: Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany. Hitler joins the 'National Socialist
German
Workers Party'.1929: The Economic Depression occurs in USA.
1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany.
1934: Hitler becomes President of Germany.
1935: (a) Italy attacks Ethiopia.
(b) Anglo-German Naval Agreement signed between
Britain and Germany.
1936: (a) A new constitution is introduced by Stalin
(b) Hitler occupies the Rhineland.
(c) Civil
War starts in Spain.
1937: (a) Japan attacks China
(b) Anti-Cominternpactsigned by Germany,
Japan and Italy.
1938: (a) Hitler's troops marchinto Austria.
,
(b) Munich pact is signed. German troops acquire Sudeten land.
1939: (a) Germany attacks Czechoslovakia.
40
(b) Soviet Union signs non-aggression pact with Germany.
(c) 1st September: Germany invades Poland.
(d) 3rd September Britain and France declare war on Germany.
1940: (a) Italy declares war on Britain and France.
(b) Battle of Britain begins.
(c) Italy attacks Egypt.
(d) Germany invades Norway and Sweden.
(e) France surrenders.
1941: (a) 8th April
Germany invades the Balkans.
(b) 22nd June
Germany invades the Soviet Union.
(c) 15th September
Siege of Leningrad by the Germans.
(d) 7th December
Japan attacks Pearl Harbour.
America joins the war.
(e) 11th December
Germany and Italy declare war on America.
1942: United Nations declaration signed by the representatives of 26 nations.
1943: Germany and Italy defeated by the Allied powers in North Africa.
1944: 6th June: The-Day - Opening of the Second Front.
1945: (a) 25th – 26th August :
Liberation of Paris.
(b) 28th April
:
Italian partisans shoot Mussolini.
(c) 30th April
:
Hitler commits suicide.
41
(d) 2nd May
:
Soviet army enters Berlin.
(e) 7th May
:
Germany surrenders.
(j) 8th May
:
VE (Victory in Europe) Day celebrated.
(g) 9th May
:
Stalin announces defeat of the German forces
by the Red Army.
German naval fleet surrenders.
U.S. drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Soviet Union declares war on Japan.
(j) 9th August
:
U.S. drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
(k) 14th August
:
Japan surrenders.
(l) 2nd September
:
The Second World War ends.
(m) 24th October
:
U.N.O. comes into existence.
42
WORKSHEETS
Worksheet–I
Solve the puzzle with the clues given below-
9
H
4
8
U
2
L
T
L
3
Z
6
1
S
5
E
7
E
10
43
U
Down
1. The world‘s biggest stock exchange
2. The leader of the Nazi Party
3. Italy, Germany and Japan form the __________
Across
4. Head of the Fascist Party in Italy
5. Killing on a large scale leading to the destructions of a large section of people
6. Nazi killing operations
7. The German Parliament
8. Political party in Germany
9. Hitler was appointed as a German ______________ in 1933
10. Nazi youth group of children below 14 years of age.
44
Worksheet-II
Answer the following in one word:
1. The Latin word ‗fascio‘ which means a bundle of sticks with an axe in it
____________
2. Name the most important leader of fascist movement______________
3. Name the colour of the shirt for the fascist in Italy _____________
4. A Killing center made by the Nazis that killed people by gassing them
_______________
5. The name of the treaty with the Allies which was harsh and humiliating for
Germans _____________
6. In 1919, a new constitution was introduced in Germany which is known as
_____________
7. The Spartist league in Germany followed the pattern of the ______________ in
Russia.
8. The
leading
industrial
areas
of
Germany
occupied
by
the
French
________________
9. Name Hitler‘s economist who took the responsibility of
economic recovery of Germany ________________
10. The Nazi propaganda of ‗special treatment‘ for the Jews means ___________
45
Worksheet-III
Read the paragraph and use the words from the word bank given in the table to fill in
the blanks and complete the given essay.. A word may be used twice.
A Terrible Destruction
One of the most shameful events in the history of the world is called the Holocaust.
Holocaust means ‗a great or total destruction‘ or ‗any widespread, horrific destruction
of human life.‘ This is what happened in Europe during the years of Hitler‘s power in
Germany.
Word bank
(a) Anne frank
(b) Holocaust
(c) Jews
(d) Final Solution
Content
(a)________________ dreamed of a world ruled by tall,
strong, blond people he called (b) ________________ He
preached
hatred
for
all
others,
especially
(c)
________________, Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally ill
and physically handicapped, as well as anyone who
opposed him or his ideas. In 1941 the (d) ________________
(e) Eight million
implemented a plan called the (e) ________________. Huge
(f) Nazis
death camps were built in German occupied countries;
theses (f) ________________
(g) Third Reich
(h) Auschwitz
(i) Adolf Hitler
(j) Work Camps
(k) Concentration
were worse than any prison.
In some of these camps, called (g) ________________,
prisoners manufactured supplies for the army of the (h)
________________.
All
of
the
camps
were
(i)________________, where people were tortured, killed, or
left to starve. This terrible destruction of human life has
come to be known as the (j) ________________, from a
Greek word meaning total destruction of an entirety. A
46
camps
(l) Europe
(m) Aryans
(n) Diary
young Jewish girl, (k) ________________, became the voice
of the victims of the Nazis. She kept a diary while hiding
with her family and before being arrested. She died in a
camp, but her courage lives on in the (l) ________________
she kept. In all, over (m) ________________ Jews were
victims of the (n) ________________. An additional (o)
(o) Final Solution
________________ Poles, Russians, Czechs, Slavs, Gypsies,
(p) Horrific
and others were (p) ________________. In camps such as (q)
________________, 12,000 ―inferior‖ people were gassed
(q) Six million
(r) Death factories
(s) exterminated
every day. In all, more than thirty concentration camps
were built across (r) ________________, and to this very day
people question how the world could have allowed such a
(s) ________________ episode to occur.
47
Worksheet-IV
Multiple choice questions
1.
Who among the following was assigned the responsibility of economic recovery
by Hitler?
2.
(a) Goebbels
(b)
Hindenburg
(c) Hajlmar Schacht
(d) Adam Smith
Which Nazi Youth organization consisted of all German boys of 14 to 18 years of
age?
3.
4.
(a) Hitler Youth
(b)
Jungvolk
(c) Labour Service
(d) Youth League
The U.S. army dropped the atomic bomb in 1945 on the cities of :
(a) New York and Los Angeles
(b)
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
(c) Beizing and Shanghai
(d) Tokyo and Ottawa.
After the end of the 2nd World War, why was a tribunal set up at Nuremburg?
(a) To try Hitler and his family members.
(b) To try the leaders of Allied Powers
(c) To persecute the Nazi war criminals
(d) To try the Jews who were involved in conspiracy against Hitler.
5.
The German Parliament was known as :
(a) National Parliament
(b)
(c) Reichstag
(d) Estates General
48
German Legislature
6.
Why the Article 48 of the Weimar Republic was considered harmful for the
republic? Because
(a) it gave too much power to the trade unions.
(b) it gave the President power to impose emergency, suspend Fundamental
Rights and rule by decree.
(c) it provided a complex system of proportional representation.
(d) it prevented the Weimar Republic from forming a stable Government.
7.
8.
9.
What name was the National Socialist Workers' Party known later?
(a) National Socialist Party
(b)
German Workers' Party
(c) Nazi Party
(d) Socialist Workers' Party
Hjalmar Schacht was
.
(a) An economist
(b)
(c) A military dictator
(d) A politician
A philosopher
Why did Nazism become a mass movement during period of Great Depression in
1929?
(a) Since people were jobless they had enough time for the Nazi party.
(b) Nazism taught people to cope with future problems?
(c) Nazi propaganda stirred hopes of a better future people were threatened with
destitution due to economic depression.
(d) Depression made German people anti-Government.
49
10.
Which of the following was the people's car of Germany produced under statefunded work creative programme?
(a) Renault
(b)
(c) Volkswagen
(d) Mercedes Benz
50
Bentley
Worksheet – V
1.
Why was the Enabling Act passed on 3rd Marc significant? Because:
(a) It gave more power to the Reichstag.
(b) It enabled Hitler to suspend all political parties,
(c) It gave Hitler supreme power to sideline the Parliament and rule by decrees.
(d) It enabled the adult population of Germany to e-Government.
2.
3.
In 1940, the Tripartite Pact was signed by which following group of powers?
(a) Italy, Germany, Japan
(b)
Germany, Austria, Russia
(c) Japan, Italy, France
(d) Austria, Germany, Japan
Some important dates and events given in Columns I and II respectively. Match
them correctly.
Column I (Dates)
Column II (Events)
(A) 1914
(1) Hitler's troops march into Austria
(B) 1934
(2) Italy attacked Ethiopia
(C) 1935
(3) Hitler became the President of Germany
(D) 1938
(4) First World War begins
(a) A-3, B-2, C-I, 0-4
(b)
(c) A-4, B-3, C-2, 0-1
(d) A-3, B-4, C-2, 0-1
51
A-2, B-3, C-4, 0-1
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Which of the following refers to the secret police of Nazi Germany?
(a) Cheka
(b)
Gestapo
(c) KGB
(d) Security service
Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in Japan by :
(a) USA
(b)
Germany
(c) England
(d) Russia
Who among the following popularized the theory of the 'Survival of the Fittest‘?
(a) Charles Darwin
(b)
William Harvey
(c) Herbert Spencer
(d) Issac Newton
In official communication of the Nazis what did the term 'evacuation' mean?
(a) Killing someone by poison
(b)
Deporting people to gas chamber
(c) Mass killing
(d) Killing someone by hanging
Which of the following incidents started the process of the 2nd World War?
(a) Annexation of Czechoslovakia by Germany.
(b) Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.
(c) Invasion of Poland by Germany.
(d) Attack on Soviet Union by Germany.
9.
Which of the following events prompted USA to join the 2nd World War?
(a) Battle of Stalin grad
(b) Battle of Britain
(c) Attack on Pearl Harbour by Japan
(d) Annexation of Austria by Germany
52
10.
11.
12.
In Nazi Germany 10 year old children had to enter which of the following:
(a) Nazi school
(b)
Jungvolk
(c) Hitler youth
(d) Labour service
Red army refers to the army of which of the following country:
(a) Germany
(b)
Russia
(c) France
(d) Austria
Which of the following is not a part of Nazi ideology:
(a) Poles are a desirable section of society.
(b) Jews were the most inferior and undesirable section of society.
(c) Germans are the descendant of Pure Aryan race.
(d) Society should be ruled by Nordic Aryans.
13.
14.
Nazi killing operations came to be known as :
(a) Deadly operation
(b)
Holocaust
(c) Mass execution
(d) Final solution
Which of the following was the most important outcome of the Fire Decree of 28th
February, 1933 ?
(a) New Fire Fighting Department was set up by this decree.
(b) The Decree made Hitler all powerful, somebody who could
(c) The Decree announced compensation for all victims of Fire in the Reichstag.
(d) The decree suspended the Civil Rights like freedom of speech, expression,
press and assembly.
53
15.
Some statements with their options are given below in Columns I and II. Correctly
match them.
Column I
Column II
(A) Name given to the German Parliament
Jungvolk
(B) Making up for a wrong done
Reichstag
(C) Nazi Youth groups for children
Reparation
(D) The name of the world's biggest stock
Wall street exchange
exchange located in the USA
(a) A-2, B-3, C-I, 0-4
(b)
(c) A-I, B-2, C-3, 0-4
(d) A-2, B-3, C-4, 0-1
54
A-4, B-3, C-I, 0-2
Worksheet -VI
Pretend you are Anne Frank and write a letter to a friend describing experiences on a
particular in Hitler`s Germany.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Anne Frank
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
55
Worksheet-VII
Observe the Pie-Chart and answer the following questions:
1.
Name the countries associated with the Axis Power.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2.
Name the countries associated with the Allied Power.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
56
3.
Observe the causalities of the Second World War 1939-1945 and percentage of
death of
(a)
Military population
(b)
Civilian population
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4.
(a)
What mistakes did Hitler make when he attacked the Soviet Union?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(b) State the effect of the Germany`s invasion of Soviet Union.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
57
Worksheet-VIII
Europe in 1914-1919 (The map shows countries involved in the First World War)
Europe in 1939-1945 (The map shows countries involved in the Second World War)
58
Observe both the maps carefully and answer the following1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Name two countries associated with Triple Entente
(a)
_________________________
(b)
_________________________
Name two countries associated with Central Power
(a)
_________________________
(b)
_________________________
Name two countries associated with Axis Power
(a)
_________________________
(b)
_________________________
Name two countries associated with Allied Power
(a)
_________________________
(b)
_________________________
Name two neutral countries of the Second World War
(a)
_________________________
(b)
_________________________
Explain any one reason why the Second World War is said to be the most
destructive war in the history.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
59
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
60
Worksheet-IX
Bombarding of Hiroshima
And Nagasaki(1945)
1.
Name the first country that developed the atom bomb. Why did it do so?
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
61
2.
Why did USA enter the Second World War?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3.
When did the Second World War end?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
62
Worksheet-X
Questions based on reasoning skill
1.
Carefully study the given Caricature and answer the following questions :
(i)
Identify the given person.
(ii)
Name the political party with which the given person was associated.
(iii) What were the main objectives of his party?
2.
Explain his role in the rise of Nazism in Germany
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
63
Worksheet – 11
Solution
Nazi Economy
Unemployment
Dr. Hjalmar
Hitler‘s
HITLER’S
ECONOMIC
Was it a success?
Hitler‘s and Goering
Goerings 4 year plan
64
REFERENCES AND WEB LINKS
1.
Cassels, Alan. Mussolini's Early Diplomacy.
2.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1970.
3.
Kirkpatrick, Ivone. Mussolini: A Study in Power. New York, Hawthorn Books,
1964.
4.
Mack Smith, Denis. Mussolini. New York: Knopf, 1982.
5.
Mussolini, Benito. The Fall of Mussolini: His Own Story. Edited by Max Ascoli.
New York:
6.
Farrar, Straus, 1948. Reprint, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1975.
7.
Mussolini, Benito. My Rise and Fall. New York: Da Capo Press, 1998.
8.
Ridley, Jasper Godwin. Mussolini. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998.
9.
Davidson, E. (1996). Unmaking of Adolf Hitler. 3).
10. Rise of Adolf Hitler.Greenhaven
11. Eberle, Henrik and Uhl, Matthias (2005).
12. The Hitler Book: The Secret Dossier Prepared for Stalin from the Interrogations of
Hitler's Personal Aides. New York: Public Affairs.
13. Hitler. Harvest Books.
14. Fuchs, T. (2000). A Concise Biography of Adolf Hitler. Berkley
15. Gerber, A. (1961). The life of Adolf Hitler, 1889-1945. Mercury Books. ASIN
B0007EAR98
16. Giblin, J. (2002). The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler.
65
17. Hanfstaengl, E. (1994). Hitler : The Missing Years. Arcade Publishing.
18. Gogerly, L. (2003). Adolf Hitler. Heinemann/Raintree.
19. Hallett, G. (2005). Hitler Was a British Agent. Progressive Press.
20. Hant, Claus (2010), Young Hitler, London: Quartet Books Publishing,
21. Heiber, H. (1972). Adolf Hitler a Short Biography. Berg Pub Ltd.
22. Heiden, K. (1936). Hitler: A Biography. A.A. Knopf
VIDEO
1.
Benito Mussolini
2.
Adolf Hitler‘s speech
3.
Map of World War Second (Animated)
LINKS
1.
Read more: Benito Mussolini Biography - life, family, story, death, school, mother,
old, information, born, time, yearhttp://www.notablebiographies.com/MoNi/Mussolini-Benito.html#ixzz1mw2xL2GV
2.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mein_Kampf
3.
http://www.historyplace.com/bookshop/titles.htm
4.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler's_rise_to_power
5.
www.cartoonstock.com
6.
http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/lessons/germany
66
CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
Shiksha Kendra, 2, Community Centre, Preet Vihar, Delhi-110 092 India