DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT ADMIRE THE HOLOCAUST. ANY AND ALL REFERENCES I MAKE TO 'GOOD' PARTS OF THE NAZI REGIME ARE BASICALLY BECAUSE I AM SLEEP-DEPRIVED. OKAY? IT'S JUST COMING OUT FUNNY.
Please don't quote me. I am not an objective person, this is just one person oversharing.
Any and all stats n facts are quoted from my memory, so don't expect too much.
Nazism:
Background: Willy, the Kaiser and biggest klutz in history, stepped down. This is possibly the best thing that happened to Germany post-1872(i.e. being born). Feel sorry for Bismarck here.
On the other hand, Germany went to hell in a handbasket due to, you know, losing WW1. Cue the Versailles Treaty which is kinda scary in its harshness. Clemenceau was totally a Germanophobe.
At this point I would like to add that the military had BIG power during this period of time in Britain, France, Germany... even though they were all incredibly incompetent strategists and idiots.
Examples would include Winston Churchill. Around this time he was Second Sea Lord of the Admiralty and his planned expeditions were total fiascos, which is why people mocked him until WWII. Actually they still mocked him right until Monty belted Rommel in Africa, i.e. the loss of Tobruk and losing African campaign.
Don't even get me started on the French. dkfjsdlkldkgdvnkeniorhgnvd...
Righty ho. So anyway, being the progandists that they were, high command and little Willy kept the losing streak secret from the masses, so this is roughly what happened in 1918.
NEWPAPER: GERMANY PAWNED IN EPIC EPICNESS.
GERMAN PERSON: WHAT THE FUCK? WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WINNING.
NEWSPAPER: YOUR KAISER LIED TO YOU, SUCKER!!
GERMAN PERSON: IMMA RIP HIS B*LLS OFF.
... anyway, Willy stepped down.
I'd like to add that the Weimar government couldn't even step into power in Berlin, because of everyone there freaking over the Versailles Treaty, and losing a war. That's why they're called Weimar, yo.
Then the coalition governments began. You know that man in the Bible who had so many demons they were called Mob?
... yeah, Germany was kinda like that.
Germany went kind of mental, too.
That plus post-war circumstances? Ouchies.
People were either right-wing, left-wing, so swingers (here this term means swinging the wings daily).
Communism grew around this time.
Hitler the Ballsless (okay this is mean of me, I think he still had one) took advantage of this (not that way, perverts) by saying he loved it. (this sounds a bit weird)
... okay, by hating it. Businessmen liked the way he talked about communism: it made them feel safe and protected.
Until someone came along and spoiled Hitler's relationship. That dude was called Stresemann. No he is not a composer (the dude Hitler had a crush on was Wagner, esp. Die Nibelungen- Nordic myths revamp)
Stresemann did lovely things with cash though, and he sweet-talked the Americans into the Dawes Plan: money-lending.
For some period then, Germany had life going pretty well...
until the Wall Street Crash and Stresebaby died.
Yep, in the same year.
BAM! Germany went back under, and being the competents they were...
German politician Von Papen basically cajoled Hindenburg into letting Hitler become Chancellor to ward off Communist influence. Apparently he thought that Hitler would 'sober up' and that the other right-wingers would moderate his influence.
Unfortunately, the Reichstag fire and the SS made things a little more complicated.
One more thing: the SS had really sexy black uniforms courtesy of Hugo Boss, which is now being desgined by Graeme Black (2011). Blonde hair on black- admittedly Hitler was really good at creating image. Too bad he sucked at art himself.
I have to say though, Hitler did fulfill his posters: Arheit, Freiheit und Brot (work, freedom and bread). Granted through unscrupulous ways like banning trade unions, taking Jewish jobs and with state enterprises, but unemployment figures did drop.
By the way, Hitler had consistently ranted on Lebensraum (living space for Germans, i.e. territorial expansion) and the evil puppy-killing Versailles Treaty.
So I really don't know why they thought he wouldn't be a megalomaniac, considering Mein Kampf-y Chair. Ah well.
By the way, reintroducing conscription was a major win thing in the army. Night of Long Knives was SUPPORTED by many in the army, including Rommel (although he thought slaughtering Rohm and all his buddies was too severe).
And the Rhineland remilitarization in 1936? ... the army LOVED Die Fuhrer. The fact that he'd challenged Versailles and WON gave them MASSIVE... erm, happy things.
Btw, rmb the Italian Abyssinian invasion (1935-1936)? Allies were too busy freaking over that, and overlooked the teeny little Rhineland issue.
Besides, Germany-baby was just weclaiming its wightful tewwitowy, awwwwwww...
Apparently the Sudetenland, Austria, and the rest of Czechoslovakia was Germany's too.
Righttttttttt.
A/N:
More to be added later. I hope this was entertaining!
Again I apologize for any and all mistakes. My views of the high command are influenced by Norman Stone and A.J.P. Taylor, and my love for Rommel is due to the biography Desert Fox. Again, this is from memory and therefore do check before quoting me (esp. since I am high on caffeine, sleep-deprived and I don't have my notes with me). Thank you!!
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Military Campaigns of World War Two
Notes: Okay, so this is not that important for the A Levels, unlike the N/F Note that is STILL incomplete (similarly the planned rhapsody of longlegged blond Aryan SS men in their sexy sable SS suits *sibilant soundsex* is only important if you are a perv like me). But military history is teh sex. Now I don't study mil. hist. much, but I like WWII... and of WWII... Rommel is, like, OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
The Russian Front (Eastern), or,
Why Operation Barbarossa was a REALLY FUCKING STUPID MOVE, HITLER, YOU DUMBKOPF.
The Western Front (past the Maginot Line, and a messy little thing it is, too)
North Africa (ROMMEL. SWOON. GASP. LOVE. BLUSH. GIGGLE)
What dates and sweet promises failed to do, Panzer IVs and Tobruk's fall managed in 3 minutes.
The Russian Front (Eastern), or,
Why Operation Barbarossa was a REALLY FUCKING STUPID MOVE, HITLER, YOU DUMBKOPF.
The Western Front (past the Maginot Line, and a messy little thing it is, too)
North Africa (ROMMEL. SWOON. GASP. LOVE. BLUSH. GIGGLE)
What dates and sweet promises failed to do, Panzer IVs and Tobruk's fall managed in 3 minutes.
Nazism and Fascism; INCOMPLETE
History Notes! Will be updated...
Both Nazism and Fascism are extremely right states. Right- wing.
Some examples?
CULTURAL
Adocating Tradition: such as the ideal German/Italian being a peasant, and depicted as such in propaganada.
Nationalism: I shouldn't have to say this, but both Fascism and Nazism were extremely nationalistic. Fascism advocated 'Nothing outside the state', while Nazism shared a fairly similar view. This is best seen in the rigid, pervasive party rule, as well as their expansionist foreign policies- both emulated the Holy Roman Empire. The German term ‘lebensraum’ describes the insatiable aim of world domination.
PHILOSOPHICAL/IDEOLOGICAL
Anti-communist stance: Both Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler hated communists- for instance Hitler believed in the Stab in the Back theory: communists and evilllllllll politicians were responsible for BETRAYING THE FATHERLAND WITH VERSAILLES. OH, THE HORROR.
Anti-Versailles
They weren't just authoritarian... Authoritarianism----> Totalitarianism (extreme form)
SOCIAL
Economic ‘Third Position’: neither capitalism nor communism.
In accordance with the Corporate State in totalitarian ideals of Fascism and Nazism. Both of them believed in nationalizin business enterprises.
SIMILAR ASPECTS (PLUS TOTALITARIANISM)
EDUCATION AND PROPAGANDA
They broadcast propaganda through the state-controlled mass media. Why was Goebbels so powerful? Because he was the Propaganda Minister during the Third Reich. Fairly obvious, really. Censorship and media clampdowns were common in both regimes, however, so don't just bash Germany.
Both states indoctinated their youth with party policies and ideology. For instance, Fascism and Nazism was taught in schools with the teachers monitored, and there was the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens in, you guessed it, Germany.
SINGLE PARTY STATES
POLICE STATES
CORPORATE STATES
PERSONALITY CULTS
STATE IDEOLOGY
STATE CONTROL
EXPANSIONIST FOREIGN POLICIES:
Elaboration: totalitarian states wanted to expand, win glory, fame, land, resources, and support their population, generally by beating up somebody else’s.
Differences:
Anti-semitism was far more evident in Nazi Germany. Example? The State-administered 'Final Solution', the Holocaust, Shoah; possibly the worst human rights abuse in history: a genocide of six million European Jews. Not to mention Kristallnacht, the Nuremberg Race Laws…
Aims:
Glorify and strengthen their country so that they would never suffer humiliation like that meted out by the Western powers post-WW1 attracted a lot of people.
Get revenge on the Allies for the national humiliation (particularly in Germany’s case)
Expand their countries to become vast empires, possibly the WORLD (in Germany’s case, this is an advancement upon Wilhelm’s pre-WW1 Weltpolitik).
REASONS:
1. THE VERSAILLES TREATY- GERMANY
416/440 clauses of Versailles? Were for punishing Germany.
FINANCIALLY:
Reparations of 6,600 million pounds
Loss of the Saar Coalfield
Loss of Alsace-Lorraine
MILITARILY:
Army: 100,000 men
No tanks
No submarines
No airforce
Demilitarised Rhineland
SIX battleships
This harmed Germany's national sovereignty, security and made her vulnerable to external/internal threat. Note that the army was unable to suppress the November Revolution, plus the subsequent putsches, without the aid of the Freikorps.
TERRITORIAL
Anschluss
Alsace-Lorraine,
Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium
North Schleswig to Denmark
Land to Czechoslovakia and Poland for creating the Polish Corridor- pissed off even moderate Germans. Why? Well, this actually split German territories from the main part of Germany, and denied the principle of national self-determination.
War Guilt Clause- Even France and Britain felt bad after a while, let alone the Germans.
Weimar Republic:
Democratic constitution that ruled Germany.
Mutinies, riots and Allied pressure led to Wilhelm's abdication. Afterwards, some felt that democracy had been forced on Germany.
Timeline of Revolutions:
The Spartacists- 1919 (extreme left-wing communists)
Munich 1919 (communists)
Kapp putsch 1920 (led by the Freikorps and supported by the army)
Munich putsch 1923 (Adolf Hitler's first and failed attempt. This led to him being imprisoned for a few months, during which he wrote Mein Kampfy Chair, which is German for My Gay Furniture.)
Crises:
Widespread discontentment with Versailles: national humiliation, anger at weakness and 'betrayal'.
Freikorps: The Weimar government possessed no militia of their own and were forced to rely on the Freikorps. This made Germany exceedingly vulnerable to internal and external threat, as demonstrated by the Kapp putsch.
Weaknesses
The Weimar republic was extremely weak, as it was burdened by the financial reparations demanded by Versailles. Furthermore, it was militarily weakened by post-war damage as well as the clauses of the Versailles Treaty. Therefore it had to rely on the Freikorps to suppress revolts such as that of the Spartacists in 1919, and could not suppress the Kapp putsch of the Freikorps in 1920. People therefore felt that the new democracy was weak, and began to support autocratic forms of government.
In addition, this was the first time in Germany's history she had a democratic, constitutional form of government. The politicians therefore lacked experience and did not know how to cooperate in order to solve national problems.
Individual militia were too strong, and remaining high command still had a strong influence over German politics. As a result, the decisions of politicians were hampered.
Due to the implementation of proportional representation, there were many political parties respresented in the Weimar Republic. As a result it was extremely hard for them to reach a consensus, especially with both extreme left and extreme right groups within the coalitions. Therefore, it was impossible for Germany to be politically unified. With the high turnover rate of coalition governments, it was impossible to find a national solution to German problems.
Many revolutions furthered drained Germany's treaury, as well as costing valuable resources and time. This also hampered cooperation between different political parties, as both the extreme left and right opposed the Weimar government through force and had different reactions to the crises. This also hindered the Weimar government's attempts to stabilise Germany, and rendered it unable to deal with the political discontent’s root causes.
As a result of the republic’s forced to sign Versailles, as well as its ineptness creating hyperinflation (such as the passive resistance in the Ruhr and overprinting money), not to mention its inability to deal with postwar circumstances (in 1929, the Wall Street Crash and Stresemann’s death worsened the situation), discontent with the weak democracy was high. People felt Nazism promised strong and decisive leadership that would end the turmoil and problems. Nazism promised prosperity, employment and glory; none of which the Weimar Republic could achieve.
November Revolution
Fascist Aggression
Nazi Agression
Both Nazism and Fascism are extremely right states. Right- wing.
Some examples?
CULTURAL
Adocating Tradition: such as the ideal German/Italian being a peasant, and depicted as such in propaganada.
Nationalism: I shouldn't have to say this, but both Fascism and Nazism were extremely nationalistic. Fascism advocated 'Nothing outside the state', while Nazism shared a fairly similar view. This is best seen in the rigid, pervasive party rule, as well as their expansionist foreign policies- both emulated the Holy Roman Empire. The German term ‘lebensraum’ describes the insatiable aim of world domination.
PHILOSOPHICAL/IDEOLOGICAL
Anti-communist stance: Both Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler hated communists- for instance Hitler believed in the Stab in the Back theory: communists and evilllllllll politicians were responsible for BETRAYING THE FATHERLAND WITH VERSAILLES. OH, THE HORROR.
Anti-Versailles
They weren't just authoritarian... Authoritarianism----> Totalitarianism (extreme form)
SOCIAL
Economic ‘Third Position’: neither capitalism nor communism.
In accordance with the Corporate State in totalitarian ideals of Fascism and Nazism. Both of them believed in nationalizin business enterprises.
SIMILAR ASPECTS (PLUS TOTALITARIANISM)
EDUCATION AND PROPAGANDA
They broadcast propaganda through the state-controlled mass media. Why was Goebbels so powerful? Because he was the Propaganda Minister during the Third Reich. Fairly obvious, really. Censorship and media clampdowns were common in both regimes, however, so don't just bash Germany.
Both states indoctinated their youth with party policies and ideology. For instance, Fascism and Nazism was taught in schools with the teachers monitored, and there was the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens in, you guessed it, Germany.
SINGLE PARTY STATES
POLICE STATES
CORPORATE STATES
PERSONALITY CULTS
STATE IDEOLOGY
STATE CONTROL
EXPANSIONIST FOREIGN POLICIES:
Elaboration: totalitarian states wanted to expand, win glory, fame, land, resources, and support their population, generally by beating up somebody else’s.
Differences:
Anti-semitism was far more evident in Nazi Germany. Example? The State-administered 'Final Solution', the Holocaust, Shoah; possibly the worst human rights abuse in history: a genocide of six million European Jews. Not to mention Kristallnacht, the Nuremberg Race Laws…
Aims:
Glorify and strengthen their country so that they would never suffer humiliation like that meted out by the Western powers post-WW1 attracted a lot of people.
Get revenge on the Allies for the national humiliation (particularly in Germany’s case)
Expand their countries to become vast empires, possibly the WORLD (in Germany’s case, this is an advancement upon Wilhelm’s pre-WW1 Weltpolitik).
REASONS:
1. THE VERSAILLES TREATY- GERMANY
416/440 clauses of Versailles? Were for punishing Germany.
FINANCIALLY:
Reparations of 6,600 million pounds
Loss of the Saar Coalfield
Loss of Alsace-Lorraine
MILITARILY:
Army: 100,000 men
No tanks
No submarines
No airforce
Demilitarised Rhineland
SIX battleships
This harmed Germany's national sovereignty, security and made her vulnerable to external/internal threat. Note that the army was unable to suppress the November Revolution, plus the subsequent putsches, without the aid of the Freikorps.
TERRITORIAL
Anschluss
Alsace-Lorraine,
Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium
North Schleswig to Denmark
Land to Czechoslovakia and Poland for creating the Polish Corridor- pissed off even moderate Germans. Why? Well, this actually split German territories from the main part of Germany, and denied the principle of national self-determination.
War Guilt Clause- Even France and Britain felt bad after a while, let alone the Germans.
Weimar Republic:
Democratic constitution that ruled Germany.
Mutinies, riots and Allied pressure led to Wilhelm's abdication. Afterwards, some felt that democracy had been forced on Germany.
Timeline of Revolutions:
The Spartacists- 1919 (extreme left-wing communists)
Munich 1919 (communists)
Kapp putsch 1920 (led by the Freikorps and supported by the army)
Munich putsch 1923 (Adolf Hitler's first and failed attempt. This led to him being imprisoned for a few months, during which he wrote Mein Kampfy Chair, which is German for My Gay Furniture.)
Crises:
Widespread discontentment with Versailles: national humiliation, anger at weakness and 'betrayal'.
Freikorps: The Weimar government possessed no militia of their own and were forced to rely on the Freikorps. This made Germany exceedingly vulnerable to internal and external threat, as demonstrated by the Kapp putsch.
Weaknesses
The Weimar republic was extremely weak, as it was burdened by the financial reparations demanded by Versailles. Furthermore, it was militarily weakened by post-war damage as well as the clauses of the Versailles Treaty. Therefore it had to rely on the Freikorps to suppress revolts such as that of the Spartacists in 1919, and could not suppress the Kapp putsch of the Freikorps in 1920. People therefore felt that the new democracy was weak, and began to support autocratic forms of government.
In addition, this was the first time in Germany's history she had a democratic, constitutional form of government. The politicians therefore lacked experience and did not know how to cooperate in order to solve national problems.
Individual militia were too strong, and remaining high command still had a strong influence over German politics. As a result, the decisions of politicians were hampered.
Due to the implementation of proportional representation, there were many political parties respresented in the Weimar Republic. As a result it was extremely hard for them to reach a consensus, especially with both extreme left and extreme right groups within the coalitions. Therefore, it was impossible for Germany to be politically unified. With the high turnover rate of coalition governments, it was impossible to find a national solution to German problems.
Many revolutions furthered drained Germany's treaury, as well as costing valuable resources and time. This also hampered cooperation between different political parties, as both the extreme left and right opposed the Weimar government through force and had different reactions to the crises. This also hindered the Weimar government's attempts to stabilise Germany, and rendered it unable to deal with the political discontent’s root causes.
As a result of the republic’s forced to sign Versailles, as well as its ineptness creating hyperinflation (such as the passive resistance in the Ruhr and overprinting money), not to mention its inability to deal with postwar circumstances (in 1929, the Wall Street Crash and Stresemann’s death worsened the situation), discontent with the weak democracy was high. People felt Nazism promised strong and decisive leadership that would end the turmoil and problems. Nazism promised prosperity, employment and glory; none of which the Weimar Republic could achieve.
November Revolution
Fascist Aggression
Nazi Agression
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