The AQA GCSE History unit Germany 1890-1945, democracy and dictatorship follows the story of German politics from the authoritarian rule of Kaiser Wilhelm II, through the First World War and the democratic Weimar Republic, to the rise of Hitler, life under the Nazi dictatorship, and Germany's defeat in 1945. You need to explain the causes and consequences of key events and evaluate how and why democracy in Germany failed.
The unit is examined through short questions and two essay questions that test your ability to explain causes, consequences and significance. Strong answers use precise knowledge of dates, events and individuals, and link ideas about power, control and people's lives across the whole period.
Kaiser Wilhelm II ruled Germany as an authoritarian monarch. The Reichstag existed but had limited power, and the Kaiser dismissed Chancellors who disagreed with him. Germany was increasingly powerful and industrialised, and Wilhelm's aggressive foreign policy and naval expansion alarmed Britain and France. The First World War broke out in 1914. Germany suffered a naval blockade, food shortages and huge casualties, and by 1918 the war was lost. The Kaiser abdicated in November 1918 and a new democratic republic was declared.
The Weimar Republic was created in 1919 with proportional representation and a strong presidency. It faced huge problems: the Treaty of Versailles imposed the War Guilt clause, reparations, and loss of territory, and extremists on the left and right attempted coups. In 1923, the French occupied the Ruhr and hyperinflation wiped out savings. The republic recovered under Gustav Stresemann between 1924 and 1929, with the Rentenmark, the Dawes Plan and admission to the League of Nations. This period is often called the Golden Age, but the republic remained fragile and many groups in German society, from army officers to civil servants and the middle class, resented democracy and blamed it for Germany's problems.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggered the Great Depression. Unemployment rose to about 6 million by 1932, and the Weimar government, increasingly ruling by decree under Article 48, lost support. The Nazis exploited the crisis with propaganda, promises of work and bread, and scapegoating of Jews and communists. Nazi support grew from 2.6% of the vote in 1928 to 37.3% in July 1932, and in January 1933 Hitler was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg with the backing of conservative politicians who hoped to control him. Within months, democracy in Germany was dismantled.
After the Reichstag Fire of 1933, the Enabling Act gave Hitler the power to rule without the Reichstag. The Nazis created a totalitarian state using terror, propaganda and censorship. The SS and Gestapo, concentration camps and informers crushed opposition, and the Night of the Long Knives removed rivals within the party in 1934. The Nazi regime controlled every area of life: women were pushed back to the home, young people were indoctrinated through the Hitler Youth, and the churches and education were brought under party control. Persecution of Jewish people escalated from the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 to the violence of Kristallnacht in 1938. At the same time, many Germans benefited from falling unemployment and the strength of the economy, which helps explain why the regime kept popular support.
Germany's military expansion led to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. Early victories were followed by defeat at Stalingrad in 1943 and the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944. The war brought mass bombing of German cities, food shortages and the mobilisation of the entire society, including women and forced labour from occupied countries. The Nazi regime carried out the genocide of six million European Jews, the Holocaust, and of other persecuted groups. By 1945 Germany was defeated, Hitler had committed suicide, and the country was divided and occupied by the Allied powers.
1890 – Wilhelm II dismisses Bismarck and takes personal control
1914 – Outbreak of the First World War
1918 – Kaiser abdicates; Weimar Republic declared
1919 – Treaty of Versailles
1923 – Ruhr occupation and hyperinflation
1924 – Stresemann stabilises the currency; Dawes Plan
1929 – Wall Street Crash
1932 – Nazis become the largest party
1933 – Hitler becomes Chancellor; Reichstag Fire; Enabling Act
1934 – Night of the Long Knives; Hitler becomes Führer
1935 – Nuremberg Laws
1938 – Kristallnacht
1939 – Start of the Second World War
1945 – Defeat of Germany; end of the Nazi regime
Start with the free AQA Germany 1890-1945 revision checklist to see which parts of the course you have covered. The GCSE Elite Series covers the AQA Germany course with model answers, key timelines and video tutorials on the essay technique required for the two 12 and 16 mark questions. For 1-to-1 tuition, Nick Morgan tutors this module online with a completely free first lesson — book it here.