Context

The Setting:

Events following WWI left Germany susceptible to Nazi propaganda
(1919-1939)

The peace treaty that ended World War I, known as the Treaty of Versailles, left German citizens and soldiers humiliated. The treaty included war reparations of 132 billion gold marks, admission of Germany's guilt for causing the war, and limitations on the German army.

"The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies."

~ War Guilt Clause in The Treaty of  Versailles,

June 28, 1919

"The article was seen as a concession to the Germans by the negotiators. It was bitterly resented, however, by virtually all Germans who did not believe they were responsible for the outbreak of the war"(Facing History and Ourselves).

Newspaper Article, 1919, The Conversation

The German government began printing money in an attempt to pay their war debts. Instead, they created hyperinflation within their economy and poor economic conditions, increasing the unemployment rate from 9% to over 30%. ​​​​​​​

The Insider

The graph shows the German CPI index rising 10,000,000,000 times its original value.

urigubu

The unemployment rate in Germany rose to 30% by 1932, allowing the Nazi regime to capitalize on the economic instability.

Dissatisfaction in the German government due to poor living conditions and economic crisis allowed Hitler to leverage the political instability and begin his takeover.  Before elections, the Nazi party “Conducted public opinion research to identify the hopes, needs, and fears of the German population”, which they used to develop propaganda. They hired "talented graphic artists and designers to create eye-catching posters with appealing slogans that were posted in well-trafficked areas”(The United Nations Holocaust Awareness). During a time of hunger, economic disaster, and fears of foreign invasion, the hope and nationalism promoted by the Nazi Party was an irresistable beacon of light which would soon taint the German image forever.

"As a result of the World War, this old Germany collapsed. It collapsed in its constitution, in its social order, in its economic structure. Its thinking and feeling changed."
~ Gustav Stresemann

(German statesman served as Chancellor between 1923-1929)

Franfurt, Germany, The Local

A food line in Frankfurt Germany forms during the economic recession following World War I

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