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The Rise of Hitler
At the completion of the war, American president Woodrow
Wilson argued for fair treatment of Germany by the Allied Powers. Wilson
believed that a League of Nations was needed to prevent future wars. However,
France and England wanted vengeance
The resulting Treaty of Versailles imposed terrible hardships on Germany.
The treaty stripped Germany of its overseas colonies and its coal-rich
Saar region. Germany was limited to a small army and was forbidden to
build large ships. The treaty also forced Germany to pay Great Britain
and France for the damage caused by the war. The German people were quite
proud, but they were in no position to oppose the terms dictated by England
and France.
Life for the German people became very difficult after
the Treaty of Versailles. Germany was forced to borrow vast sums of money
from America in order to pay its war debt to England and France. In 1929,
the United States experienced an economic depression. A depression is
a time when business is bad and many people are out of work. America was
unable to continue lending money to Germany during the depression. Without
the income from American loans, Germany was unable to pay its war reparations
to England and France. The result was a severe depression in Germany.
German money became close to worthless. They German people were angry
with the Treaty of Versailles; they felt the terms were unfair. Many Germans
believed a strong leader could return their nation to greatness.
In 1923, Adolf Hitler attempted to overthrow the German
government. He was unsuccessful, and sent to prison for nine months. While
in prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, which means “my struggle.”
Hitler suggested that there were easy solutions to the complex problems
the German people faced in the 1920s. Hitler blamed Germany’s problems
on its weak government. He said Germany had lost the war because of “a
stab in the back.”
Hitler spoke in a charismatic style that impressed the
German people. He blamed outsiders for causing problems in the nation.
He argued that if pure Germans known as Aryans controlled the destiny
of Germany, it would return to greatness. Hitler placed the blame for
many of Germany’s problems on one group: the Jews.
By January 1933, Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi)
party controlled Germany. Hitler became a dictator, a leader with complete
control. The Nazis acted quickly against all who opposed their rule. They
outlawed all other political parties. People who opposed the new regime
were often murdered.
The Nazis focused on teenagers, and trained them to follow
Hitler’s beliefs. The Boy Scouts and other teenage organizations
were outlawed. Teens were encouraged to join the “Hitler Youth,”
where they chanted Nazi slogans and were taught that they had the power
to fulfill Germany’s destiny as a world power.
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