Nazism and the Rise of Hitler Class 9 NCERT Solutions & Important Notes

Ans: 1. Treaty of Versailles: The Republic was forced to sign a humiliating peace treaty, losing 13% of its territories and 75% of its iron.
2. Hyperinflation: Germany had fought the war on loans and had to pay reparations in gold. Printing too much paper currency led to the collapse of the Mark's value.
3. Political Instability: The Weimar Constitution had inherent defects like proportional representation and Article 48, which made the cabinet weak and vulnerable to dictatorship.
4. Economic Depression: The Great Depression of 1929 hit Germany hard, leading to 6 million people losing their jobs.

Ans: 1. The Great Depression: During this time, banks collapsed and businesses shut down. Nazism offered hope of a better future.
2. Hitler's Oratory: Hitler was a powerful speaker. He promised to build a strong nation and undo the injustice of the Versailles Treaty.
3. Propaganda: The Nazi party used spectacles, massive rallies, and red banners with the Swastika to demonstrate unity and power.
4. Weak Opposition: The failure of the Weimar Republic created a political vacuum that Hitler exploited.

Ans: 1. Racial Hierarchy: There was no equality between people, only a racial hierarchy. Nordic German Aryans were at the top, while Jews were at the bottom.
2. Lebensraum: The belief that Germany needed to expand its territory to ensure the survival of the race.
3. Anti-Democracy: Nazis despised parliamentary institutions and believed in the leadership of one man (the Fuhrer).
4. Social Darwinism: They misapplied Darwin’s theory to argue that only the 'strongest' race should survive.

Ans: 1. Women were told they were radically different from men. Their duty was to be good mothers and rear pure-blooded Aryan children.
2. They were encouraged to produce more children through the 'Honour Cross' system (Bronze for 4, Silver for 6, Gold for 8 children).
3. They had to maintain 'racial purity' and avoid contact with Jews.
4. Those who deviated from these norms were publicly punished and humiliated.

Ans: A plan introduced by the Americans to rework the terms of German reparation payments to ease the financial burden on Germany.

Ans: The politicians who supported the Weimar Republic and signed the Treaty of Versailles were mockingly called 'November Criminals' by their critics.

Ans: 1. Economy: Hjalmar Schacht was assigned the task of economic recovery. He aimed at full production and employment through state-funded work programmes (e.g., the Volkswagen).
2. Foreign Policy: Hitler pulled out of the League of Nations (1933), reoccupied the Rhineland (1936), and integrated Austria and Germany.
3. Rearmament: He invested heavily in the military, defying the Treaty of Versailles, which eventually led to World War II.

Ans: A Nazi youth group for children below 14 years of age where they were taught Nazi ideology.

Ans: The largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp located in occupied Poland.

Ans: On September 1, 1939, which started World War II.

Ans: A pact signed in 1940 between Germany, Italy, and Japan, strengthening Hitler’s claim to international power.

Ans: Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda who committed suicide with his family at the end of the war.

Ans: A Nazi euphemism for the mass murder of Jews.

Ans: It gave the President the power to impose emergency, suspend civil rights, and rule by decree.

Ans: Adolf Hitler while he was in prison.

Ans: Hitler Youth.

Ans: A mysterious fire in the German parliament building in Feb 1933, which Hitler used as an excuse to suspend civic rights.

Ans: The process of confining a specific group of people (Jews) into a separate, overcrowded area of a city.

Ans: In May 1945, with the surrender of Germany.