"Our Last Hope." This is how these unemployed and hopeless Germans felt about Adolf Hitler. These impecunious Germans were completely devastated by the Great Depression and sought a radical change. This time period in Germany from 1933-1938, marked the rise of Hitler and the end of The Great Depression in Germany. The people depicted in this poster are most likely unemployed and of a lower social class. These were the people who were hit the hardest by The Great Depression. Hitler understood that the German people were now ready for the change that he was about to bring and remarked this about The Great Depression: “Never in my life have I been so well disposed and inwardly contented as in these days. For hard reality has opened the eyes of millions of Germans” ( "The Great Depression in Germany - Weimar Germany").
(Mjölnir [Hans Schweitzer])
(Mjölnir [Hans Schweitzer])
If you walked into someone’s house, and saw that their walls were covered in money, you could probably assume that they have done well financially, and that they are wealthy, upper-class citizens. However, due to hyperinflation in Germany during the 1920s and 1390s, it was cheaper to do this then to buy wallpaper, and it was the only thing that the lower class Germans of the time could afford to do (“Inflation’s Moral Hazard”). That is how much the Mark had lost its value. The German economy was in shambles, and the Germans, like the Americans, were eager for a change. They elected Adolf Hitler to help solve the issues with the economy, but instead of declining the offers to become a dictator, as Roosevelt had done, Hitler accepted them. He knew that lower and middle class Germans could no longer afford to buy necessities, and that the mood was dreary. But he figured that as long as he could get the Germans to ignore their financial troubles, the troubles themselves could practically disappear. His plans to recover the economy were very different from those of Roosevelt, but interestingly, they started off pretty similarly.
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"He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future"
-Adolf Hitler
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Tristan- After the weakness of the Weimar Republic was put on show for all of Germany to see, Hitler saw this as an opportunity for him and the Nazi Party to surge to power. The majority of German citizens at the time were very poor and were easily attracted to Hitler's promise of revamping the economy. Meanwhile the rich admired Hitler's strength as a leader as Hitler promised that he would once again solidify Germany as a world power by building an army and seizing land to expand border's. Hitler also brought unity among social classes through the targeting of a common enemy, the Jewish people in Germany. Hitler convinced the people that the Jews were mone-grubbing scum and that the Jews alone were responsible for the depression in Germany. Finally, Hitler unified the German people by utilizing the single most powerful ideal in human history, divine right. In 1937 Hitler gave a speech that stressed the "importance of the German people not being divided by religion, and that the path laid out before the German people has been laid out by God"("Hitler Says Religion Won't Divide German People").
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Hitler was very popular among most Germans at the time. He was often viewed as a savior, as depicted in "Long Live Deutfchland!". The lower and middle classes especially favored him because he provided them with hope. This hope involved putting an end to the depression and inflation. Hitler and his Nazi regimen did this by once again establishing order to the government and stabilizing the economy. Although there was a shift to a stronger governmental rule, many deemed this necessary and fully supported Hitler.
Hitler also provided Germany with a source to blame for all their troubles. Hitler targeted Jews and democracy as being the sole issue behind the depression. Most Germans appreciated this newfound scapegoat, as they could now put a face to all their anger and frustration. |
Tristan's Sources-
-Graph of Unemployment in Germany- "The Nazis and the German Economy." The Nazis and the German Economy. History Learning Site, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/nazis_and_the_german_economy.htm>.
-Article about Hitler and Religion & Full Speech from Hitler/Picture of Hitler in Car-"Hitler Says Religion Won't Divide German People." Skepticism.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://skepticism.org/timeline/june-history/6654-hitler-says-religion-wont-divide-german-people.html>.
-Political Cartoon of Hitler stepping on Democracy- Kravetz, Melissa. "Giving Youth a Voice: U.S. Student Perceptions of Adolf Hitler, 1933-1939." M. Kravetz: US Students View Hitler (2003). History.ucsb.edu, May 2003. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/honsem/theses/mkravetz03/mkravetz035hitler.htm>.
-Quote From Hitler about youth- "Adolf Hitler Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/adolf_hitler.html>.
-Video of Hitler Invoking God- "Christian Hitler Invoking God." YouTube, 5 Jan. 2011. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StaPF5qqFDk>.
-Graph of Unemployment in Germany- "The Nazis and the German Economy." The Nazis and the German Economy. History Learning Site, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/nazis_and_the_german_economy.htm>.
-Article about Hitler and Religion & Full Speech from Hitler/Picture of Hitler in Car-"Hitler Says Religion Won't Divide German People." Skepticism.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://skepticism.org/timeline/june-history/6654-hitler-says-religion-wont-divide-german-people.html>.
-Political Cartoon of Hitler stepping on Democracy- Kravetz, Melissa. "Giving Youth a Voice: U.S. Student Perceptions of Adolf Hitler, 1933-1939." M. Kravetz: US Students View Hitler (2003). History.ucsb.edu, May 2003. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/honsem/theses/mkravetz03/mkravetz035hitler.htm>.
-Quote From Hitler about youth- "Adolf Hitler Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/adolf_hitler.html>.
-Video of Hitler Invoking God- "Christian Hitler Invoking God." YouTube, 5 Jan. 2011. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StaPF5qqFDk>.
Christopher’s sources-
"Inflation's Moral Hazard by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal Summer 2009." Inflation's Moral Hazard by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal Summer 2009. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.city-journal.org/2009/19_3_otbie-inflation.html>.
Inflation's Moral Hazard by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal Summer 2009. Digital image. Inflation's Moral Hazard by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal Summer 2009. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2014. <http://www.city-journal.org/assets/images/19_3-td.jpg>.
Jake's Sources-
"Mjölnir [Hans Schweitzer], "Our Last Hope—Hitler," 1932." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ushmm.org/propaganda/archive/poster-our-last-hope/>.
"The Great Depression in Germany - Weimar Germany." Alpha History. Alpha History, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://alphahistory.com/weimargermany/great-depression/>.
Hayley's Sources-
"Home." Remembering 30 January 1933. N.p., 30 Feb. 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
"Myths." MajorityRights.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014. <http://majorityrights.com/weblog/comments/myth_and_self_interest_in_the_creation_of_a_white_american_republic/undefined/P100/albionmyway.blogspot.com>.
"Inflation's Moral Hazard by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal Summer 2009." Inflation's Moral Hazard by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal Summer 2009. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.city-journal.org/2009/19_3_otbie-inflation.html>.
Inflation's Moral Hazard by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal Summer 2009. Digital image. Inflation's Moral Hazard by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal Summer 2009. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2014. <http://www.city-journal.org/assets/images/19_3-td.jpg>.
Jake's Sources-
"Mjölnir [Hans Schweitzer], "Our Last Hope—Hitler," 1932." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ushmm.org/propaganda/archive/poster-our-last-hope/>.
"The Great Depression in Germany - Weimar Germany." Alpha History. Alpha History, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://alphahistory.com/weimargermany/great-depression/>.
Hayley's Sources-
"Home." Remembering 30 January 1933. N.p., 30 Feb. 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
"Myths." MajorityRights.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014. <http://majorityrights.com/weblog/comments/myth_and_self_interest_in_the_creation_of_a_white_american_republic/undefined/P100/albionmyway.blogspot.com>.