Germany After the Treaty of Versailles and the Nazi Rise
Germany After the Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles imposed a series of clauses on Germany that prevented the country from growing internally. Among these, we must prioritize the following categories:
Military Clauses
Germany was stripped of military equipment and its fleet; they were also prohibited from manufacturing new material. Its army was reduced to 100,000 men and 4,000 officers, without the possibility of possessing heavy artillery, aviation, or submarines. Furthermore, the Army General Staff was dissolved and compulsory military service was eliminated.
Economic Clauses
Germany had to deliver all merchant ships of more than 1,400 tons and supply new ships annually to compensate for the loss of Allied vessels during the conflict. Additionally, the nation was forced to deliver 44 million tons of coal, 371,000 head of cattle, and half of its chemical and pharmaceutical production over a five-year period.
Authorities also expropriated German private property in all territories and colonies (which were lost). Finally, Germany was faced with the payment of 132 billion gold marks, an amount considered excessive.
The Rise of the Nazi Party
In 1919, Adolf Hitler joined the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (German Workers' Party), which in 1920 became the National Socialist German Workers' Party, commonly known as the Nazi Party.
From the beginning, the party opposed Marxist thought and remained clear enemies of the Treaty of Versailles and the Weimar Republic government, blaming them for Germany's ruin. Key elements of the party included the defense of nationalism and Pan-Germanism, alongside the promotion of virulent anti-Semitism.
The Munich Putsch and Mein Kampf
In 1923, Hitler attempted a coup d'état, popularly known as the Munich Putsch. This ended with a five-year sentence in Landsberg prison, where he wrote his famous work, Mein Kampf (My Struggle). During this time, he focused on misrepresenting the allegations against him to convince the German people that the Republic was responsible for the nation's state.
The Great Depression and the Path to Power
The Crash of '29 further weakened the Weimar Republic, causing the Nazi Party and the Communist Party to rise in the 1930 election polls. On January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany following a coalition between the Nazi Party and conservative nationalist parties. After the Reichstag fire, Hitler became significantly more authoritarian, demanding support from other political parties and eliminating communists from the government.
The Enabling Act of 1933
The culminating moment occurred on March 24, 1933, when Hitler asked the Reichstag to enact a law granting him full powers "temporarily" to end national instability. This law allowed him to govern for four years in a state of emergency. His first action was to eliminate all other political parties, ensuring only the Nazi Party could run for election.