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World War 1 Ends
Germany realised that with America coming to join the war, they had no chance to make a comeback and turn the tables of the war. Therefore they surrendered as did their allies. The violence ended in 1918. However, the war had not entirely been closed, it would not be until the treaty of Versailles in 1919 that the war would officially have ended. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed by the Allies and Germany and was a treaty for peace. However, Germany did not get any say in what was part of the treaty. Germany was stripped of its power as it lost land, was no longer allowed to have a large army with powerful weaponry, and it also had to pay for the the repairs which took place in France. The treaty caused great distress in Germany. -
Germany's Territorial Losses
One of the requirements that Germany had to follow for the treaty of Versailles was to give away land. Germany returned Alsace-Lorraine to France. Other countries like Belgium received Eupen and Malmedy, the Saar region was placed under the administration of the League of Nations for 15 years and Denmark received Northern Schleswig. -
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The Ruhr Occupation
Germany failed to comply with the some of the demands made in the Treaty of Versailles, one of which being the Reparation Comissions (Germany had to pay for the reparation of France after the war). French and Belgian armies invaded the Ruhr. The Ruhr was one of Germany's main industrial districts and its workers went on strike after the invasion. Germany, however, continued to pay the workers and printed more money, causing hyperinflation. -
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The Great Depression
The Wall Street stock market collapsed in October of 1929, financial disaster struck all over the world, especially in Germany. The German economy suffered as it relied greatly on foreign trade and aid, especially from America. In 1932, about 5 million Germans were unemployed. Adolf Hitler saw this as his chance to rise to power, and promised the German people that he would deliver them out of the Depression and make Germany great again. -
Hitler Appointed as Chancellor
He rose to power due to the previous government failing to keep the people of Germany happy. President Hindenburg and former chancellor Papen made Hitler the chancellor to gain Nazi support. People had also lost faith in democractic parties during the Great Depression and turned to extremist parties such as the communists and the Nazis. Hitler was able to gain the support of the people by promising them that he would overturn the Treaty of Versailles. -
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German Concentration Camps
In March, 1933, the first concentration camp was opened under Hitler's rule. Many people, mostly Jews, were gathered and sent to these camps were they were treated horrifically. They were forced to work numerous hours a day with little to no food. There were also common mass murders in these camps, with groups being sent to gas chambers to be killed. Torture was also very common in concentration camps. The Nazis made several of these camps all over Europe. -
Nazi Rise to Power
After Hitler was appointed chancellor, he focused on changing Germany. A lot of political parties and organizations were forced by him to abide by the Nazi law, and soon he managed to control a lot of Germany under his Nazi laws. This was one step that Hitler needed to complete in order to guarantee his supreme rule. He did this by banning all other political parties. -
The 'Night of the Long Knives'
During this time, Hilter ordered an elite military force to assassinate many of the leading politicians of Germany. He also had many political parties, both in and out of the Nazi party, who he'd purged. Hitler justified his killings and called it 'self-defence', saying that those who had been assassinated had committed treason. -
World War 2 Begins
After Hitler assumed the role of president following the death of President Hindenburg, Hitler set out to invade Europe. First, he invaded Poland, then he continued to invade many other European countries. Germany formed alliances with Japan and Italy, and Britain and France also joined the war. Germany's main targets were the Soviet Union, Britain and France. At the same time, many concentration camps were being made and many Jews, among other people, were sent there. -
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The Holocaust
The Holocaust was the persecution of Jews by the Hitler-led Nazis. Concentration camps were one of the many things the Nazis used to harm the Jews. There were also many murders and executions of people, simply because they were Jewish. This was a devastating time for the Jews of Europe and it forced them to seek refuge where ever they could find it.
