Nazism and the Rise of Hitler

Q73. What was the Honour Cross system?
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What was given to German mothers who bore several children?
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Why was the honour crosses awarded to the German mothers?
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What was the honour crosses awarded to the German mothers?

Ans. In Nazi Germany all mothers were not treated equally. Women who bore racially undesirable children were punished and those who produced racially desirable children were awarded. To encourage women to produce many children, Honour Crosses were awarded. A bronze cross was given for four children, silver for six and gold for eight or more.

Q74. How did Hitler get the support of Germany?
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What did Hitler promise to Germany?
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Why did so many Germans support Hitler?

Ans. Hitler was a powerful speaker. His passion and his words moved people. He promised to build a strong nation, undo the injustice of the Versailles Treaty and restore the dignity of the German people. He promised employment for those looking for work, and a secure future for the youth. He promised to weed out all foreign influences and resist all foreign conspiracies against Germany.

Q75. What was the impact of First World War on the political system of Germany?

Ans. The defeat of Imperial Germany and the abdication of the emperor gave an opportunity to parliamentary parties to recast German polity. A National Assembly met at Weimar and established a democratic constitution with a federal structure. Deputies were now elected to the German Parliament or Reichstag, on the basis of equal and universal votes cast by all adults including women.

Q76. What was Hitler's aim in conquering Eastern Europe? What was its result?

Ans. Hitler moved to achieve his long-term aim of conquering Eastern Europe. He wanted to ensure food supplies and living space for Germans. He attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941. In this historic blunder Hitler exposed the German western front to British aerial bombing and the eastern front to the powerful Soviet armies. The Soviet Red Army inflicted a crushing and humiliating defeat on Germany at Stalingrad.

Q77. Why did Helmuth's father kill himself?
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Why did Helmuth's father shoot himself?
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Why Helmuth's father shot himself?

Ans. His father, a prominent physician and had been supporter of Nazis and Adolf Hitler. Germans who were seen as impure or abnormal had no right to exist. Under the Euthanasia Programme, Helmuth’s father along with other Nazi officials had condemned to death many Germans who were considered mentally or physically unfit. They had fear that, now Allies will do to them what they did to the crippled and Jews. So, he shot himself in his office.

Q78. How was Hitler ideology related to the geopolitical concept of ‘Lebensraum’ or ‘living space’?
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What was Hitler’s ideology of ‘Lebensraum’ or ‘living space’?
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What were the main features of Hitler's geopolitical concept of ‘Lebensraum’ or ‘living space’?
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State the main features of Hitler's geopolitical concept of ‘Lebensraum’ or ‘living space’.
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Describe Hitler ideology related to the geopolitical concept of ‘Lebensraum’ or ‘living space’.

Ans. The other aspect of Hitler’s ideology related to the geopolitical concept of Lebensraum, or living space. He believed that new territories had to be acquired for settlement. This would enhance the area of the mother country, while enabling the settlers on new lands to retain an intimate link with the place of their origin. It would also enhance the material resources and power of the German nation.

Q79. How was the Nazi Party formed?

Ans. When the First World War broke out, Hitler enrolled for the army, acted as a messenger in the front, became a corporal, and earned medals for bravery. The German defeat horrified him and the Versailles Treaty made him furious. In 1919, he joined a small group called the German Workers’ Party. He subsequently took over the organisation and renamed it the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. This party came to be known as the Nazi Party.

Q80. Why did USA enter the Second World War?
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What factors compelled the USA to enter the Second World War?
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Explain the factors that forced USA to enter the Second Word War.
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When did USA enter the Second World War?

Ans. The USA had resisted involvement in the war. It was unwilling to once again face all the economic problems that the First World War had caused. But it could not stay out of the war for long. Japan was expanding its power in the east. It had occupied French Indo-China and was planning attacks on US naval bases in the Pacific. When Japan extended its support to Hitler and bombed the US base at Pearl Harbor, the US entered the Second World War.

Q81. Why did USA introduce the Dawes plan?
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What was the purpose of the Dawes Plan?
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What was Dawes Plan?

Ans. In 1923 Germany refused to pay, and the French occupied its leading industrial area, Ruhr, to claim their coal. Germany retaliated with passive resistance and printed paper currency recklessly. With too much printed money in circulation, the value of the German mark fell. As the value of the mark collapsed, prices of goods soared. Eventually, the Americans intervened and bailed Germany out of the crisis by introducing the Dawes Plan, which reworked the terms of reparation to ease the financial burden on Germans.