Britain refused to accept freedom of the seas, and neither Britain, France nor Belgium would allow self-determination to the colonies in their empires. Self-determination was not allowed elsewhere – Wilson had wanted Anschluss between Austria and Germany, but this was denied; in 1919 the Czechs took over Teschen by force; and in 1920 Poland attacked and took land inhabited in Russia and Lithuania. All this Wilson had to accept. Finally, when he went home, the Senate refused either to accept the Treaty or to join the League. Wilson tired himself out trying to persuade
This caused Germany to be able to re-arm their army as much as they wanted without any opposition, even though Britain never consulted France or Italy about the treaty. Because Britain never consulted other countries, it would have caused the countries relationship to decline meaning it was easier for Germany to fully abolish the treaty because the countries didn’t have as much joint power to defeat Germany. This would have caused Hitler to move closer towards his aims. The agreement led to the German army having 800 000 men in its army and having over 2000 aircraft by 1938. This was against the treaty of Versailles meaning he had abolished a term of the treaty bringing Hitler closer to achieving his aim of abolishing the whole treaty.
Thus, this essay will account for the consolidation of Nazi power between 1933 and 1934. The failure of 1923 Munich Beer Hall Putsch triggered for Hitler and the Nazis to alter their means of gaining power. Hitler instead of physical force, to attain political power, he turned to the democratic legal system, and had intended to gain votes into the Reichstag. After the Munich Putsch, Hitler was sent on trial and this gave Hitler and his movement national attention, causing for the increase of his following among right wing nationalists. While the Munich Putsch was not a success, as Hitler failed to seize power through force, his movement was however publicised, and made known to the German people.
Nazism was a revolution, and revolutions tend to devour their own.” The words of Robert Smith Thompson (2003, 141) have just described the crisis that was facing the Weimar Republic in the years 1933-1939. Adolf Hitler had risen to power and the 14 year old democratic republic was about to be eradicated in favour of something more sinister. Totalitarianism can be described as relating to a form of government that permits no rival loyalties or parties, demanding entire subservience of the individual to the state (the Concise Oxford dictionary). A totalitarian state’s ideologies reject existing societies as corrupt, immoral and beyond reform. They demand total conformity of all the people and their ideas and information is displayed through effective use of propaganda (TV, radio, press and education.)
They expected to have open discussions with everyone involved to produce a treaty and that there would not be any secret treaties. They hoped to be treated equally amongst other allies and managed fairly especially with negotiations. They did not expect the treatment they were given, and most of the fourteen points did not apply to Germany when she lost the war. Germany was not allowed to be part of the League of Nations, which meant she wasn’t involved in key decision making, the Germans felt this was hugely unexpected and unfair as she lost much of her strength and power. It resulted in diplomatic isolation, as she couldn’t defend lost Germans in other countries, and there were huge military restrictions where she was only allowed an army of 100,000 soldiers and very little weaponry.
The aim of Night of Long Knives was to eliminate all who Hitler perceived as a threat to Germany and his cause like leaders of the SA and other ‘enemies’ like communists and Jews. The SA were seen as thugs that tainted the image of Hitler, communists were seen as a major threat as they believed in equality of all people while also appealing to the working class and Jews were seen as inferior to the purity of German race, all these factors contributed to the atrocities as Hitler looked to establish himself as Fuhrer. Following the Night of Long Knives, Hitler made it clear that he was the supreme autocratic ruler of Germany, he had complete control as he was able to get away with his evil act and had the power derived from his rise to dictatorship to decide whether people lived or died for his own benefit. The fact that Hitler was beginning to fear his place and revolt from the SA army is supported by SA
Indeed, Hitler did not act unconstitutionally by declaring himself Fuhrer as the enabling act gave him dictatorial power via democratic means. Moreover, the emergency decree given after the Reichstag fire “for the protection of people and state” gave the police the power to detain without charge, a tool which was used to great effect by Hitler to quell any political opposition that arose after the Nazi seizure of power. The total legislative power afforded to the Nazis as a result of the enabling act allowed for the Communist Party to be banned, as well as the SPD, whilst the remaining parties faded away in fear of the same fate. By manipulating the constitution Hitler had eliminated all opposition to the Nazi regime and therefore organised and democratic insurrection in Nazi Germany was effectively impossible, thus consolidating Nazi power. Whilst the danger of any organised political opposition to the Nazis had been successfully crushed by the enabling act and subsequent legislation, there was still the chance that a populist uprising of the people could take down the regime if it had enough support.
Eventually, after von Schleicher resigns, Hitler is made Chancellor after von Papen persuades Hindenburg. Von Papen thought that as long as there were a limited number of Nazis in the cabinet then Hitler could be controlled. Von Papen was wrong. Once you let Hitler in, it’s nigh-on impossible to get him out again. Also there was the weakness of the Weimar government, which played its part in
However, this was not manifested in reality, in which Hitler maintained power through his Kommandogewalt and appeal to the German public. This is highlighted in Kershaw’s statement that Hitler’s “power was charismatic, not institutional”. Hitler’s self-appointed omnipotence was only feasible due to his popular support from the German Volk and not any leadership structure. Hitler’s capacity to control a totalitarian state was also undermined by the nature of his rise to power. The Hitler Myth, which depicts Hitler as Germany’s saviour from the “ruin” following World War 1 and the Treaty of Versailles, undermined his ability to lead the Nazi state through means of violence and terror because his power
The peace settlements left a layer of bitterness specially in Germany. Germans felt that Treaty of Versailles was unjust in holding Germany alone responsible for the war because even if Germany played a vital role in causing the war, the other nations also participated in it and therefore, made a minor war into a total war. In addition, the military terms of the Treaty (army of 100,000, only 6 battleships, no submarines or aeroplanes) is another part that disappointed Germans a lot. For Germans, not to be able to send troops even to places inside Germany was a national insult.The Germans were not invited to negotiate the treaty even. The Versailles Treaty required Germany to pay stiff reparations.