Name: _____________________________

Election

MWH: 1932 German

Demonstrate Understanding margin notes.

Weimar Republic was the unofficial name of the German Reich (or state)
between 1919 and 1933. The name derives from the city of Weimar,
where its constitutional assembly first took place. The republic was a semipresidential democracy, and emerged in the aftermath of the German
Revolution of 191819. The lawmakers of the Weimar Republic would meet
in the Reichstag building where they reformed currency, unified tax
policies, and built the railway system. They also had modern policies like
giving women rights. Many Germans rejected the Weimar Republic for
challenging religious traditions. Others criticized the Weimar for embracing
capitalism. In its fourteen years, the Weimar Republic faced numerous
problems, including hyperinflation, political extremists, and sore
relationships with the winners of the First World War. The Weimar Republic
successfully reformed the currency, and unified tax policies and the
railway system
Summarize the parties below. Make notes on who might vote for these
parties.

Part Platform 1: KPD (Communist

Party of Germany)

Party Platform 2: SPD (Social

Democratic Party of Germany)

Party Platform 3: Center Party

Party Platform 4: NSDAP (National
(formerly known as Christian Peoples Socialist German Workers Party)
Party)

In your notebook: Write an interior monologue or diary entry as

your character.
What is your life like in Germany?
What is your job like?
What is one issue you are worried about?
What party do you support? Why do you support them?
Hint: Connect your worry to the party platform

For a 4:
Answer all questions above
Reference 3 historical events
More than 1 page written

Party Platform 1: KPD (Communist Party of Germany)

The KPD rejected the legitimacy of the Weimar system and continually attack its leaders. The
KPDs support was primarily from factory workers and the unemployed in large cities. The KPD
had very few followers in the countryside.
The KPD was the only major political party that called for the violent overthrow of capitalism in
order to establish a workers state similar to Russia. Inspired by Russia, the KPD worked with
Russian leader Josef Stalin and from 1929-1932 and the National Socialist German Workers Party
(Nazi Party) to bring down the Weimar republic.
Like the Nazi party, the KPD had tens of thousands of paramilitary forces that were used to
disrupt opponents meetings and to fight street battles.
The KPD also recruited many youth. KPD clubs were established to involve teenagers in
recreational activities.
Platform Points:
1) Replace the Weimar system with a workers state through collaboration with Russia
2) Help both employed and unemployed workers with fair wages, benefits, and welfare
3) Stop military spending
4) Break off from the church and legalize abortion

Party Platform 2: SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany)

The SPD was Germanys largest party in 1932. Its strength was based in the growing industrial
working class. The leaders of the major non-Catholic labor unions largely shaped SPD policies,
which means that the SDP was for the most part not religiously affiliated.
Though not a formal partner of the Weimar government, the SPD was a powerful force in passing
laws that established an 8 hour workday, laid down rules for settling employer-employee
arguments, protecting labor unions, and creating social programs that benefit the working class.
This showed their willingness to work within the government structure.
The SPD rejected violent, revolutionary means to change Germany. Instead, they were committed
to working within the system to improve the status of workers in an effort to achieve what they
called economic democracy.
Platform Points:
1) Protect workers rights
2) Stop military spending
3) Negotiate to change the Treaty of Versailles
4) Break off from church and legalize abortion
5) Protect small farmers

Party Platform 3: Center Party (formerly known as Christian

Peoples Party)
The Center Party was similar to a smaller party called the Catholic Bavarian Peoples Party and
their support came from Germany's Roman Catholic population. Center voters came from
different regions and classes but they were united in their desire to protect their Catholic
heritage from government interference.
Many leaders of the Center Party were represented in the Weimar republics Reichstag (or lawmaking body) which means the Center Party worked within the system. The political and social
outlook of the Center was dominated by traditional family-centered religious values and they
opposed modern Weimar values.
The Center strongly opposed communism, looked at the Communist Party of Germany with
suspicion, and tried to keep them out of government.
Platform Points:
1) Balance the government budget by cutting spending on social programs like welfare
and worker benefits
2) Strengthen traditional family values banning abortions and solidifying Catholic faith
3) Increase military defense
4) Support businesses by giving them tax breaks

Party Platform 4: NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers Party)

The National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP/Nazi Party) attracted little attention at first.
Like the Communist Party, the Nazi Party rejected the Weimar Republic and argued that Weimar
leaders had betrayed the German people by accepting the Treaty of Versailles program. The Nazi
program was based on extreme nationalism, anti-semitism, and rejecting the post-WWI Treaty.
The NSDAP support came mostly from Protestant, white-collar workers, small businessmen,
farmers, and craftsmen. Young voters were attracted to the Nazi party due to youth recruitment
but most factory workers were not attracted to the party..
The partys success in largely due to the charismatic leader Adolf Hitler who declared himself
Fuehrer, or leader, of the movement. Hitler was a gifted speaker and his highly charged speeches
ignited the sense of anger and humiliation that many Germans felt, especially after the economic
depression. Because Hitler was originally Austrian and didnt gain German citizenship until 1932,
he was seen as a political outsider.
Platform Points:
1) Replace the Weimar with the leadership of the Fuehrer NSDAP
2) Reject the Treaty of Versailles and punish German politicians responsible for it.
3) Rebuild German army
4) Unify all Germans to harness society toward expansion and the greater good of the
nation
5) Purge German society of corrupt non-Aryan influences such as Jewish control in

banks. Protect German Christianity.

Hans
You are a 45-year-old postal worker. As a government employee, you have seen your wages fall
since the onset of the economic depression. You really hope that this new election brings some
change to the country. You and your family live in Berlin and are concerned about the increasing
political street violence. It seems like the political tensions increase every day.

Anna
You are a 60-year-old homemaker. Your husband is a prosperous lawyer. Although your husband was
raised as a Christian, his father was born a Jew in Russia and immigrated to Germany. You are
concerned with womens rights issues, especially the right of women to participate in politics and
have control over their own bodies.

Dietrich
You are a 21-year-old unmarried factory worker. You recently lost your job because of the economic
crisis. For the past few months, you have occasionally been able to find low-paying, part-time work.
Some nights, you have been forced to go without food and to sleep in the park. You really hope that
this election will bring more benefits to unemployed Germans like you.
Gretel
You are a 45-year-old farmers wife. You have worked hard with your husband on your small farm in
Bavaria for over twenty years and have raised eight children. You are a devout Catholic and dislike
Weimar culture. You are concerned that the Weimar culture is scandalous - you consider yourself
very traditional. You are particularly concerned by the popular music - jazz - and the behavior of
women.

Martin
You are a 32-year-old shoemaker. For the past fifteen years, you have worked in a small shop with
five other craftsmen. Competition from large factories, however, has forced your boss to make plans
to close his shop at the end of the month. You have never voted before this election. You have read
up on each political party and you hope that one will help workers like yourself.

Freida
You are a 22-year-old shop clerk in a large town. You live with your parents and are trying to save
money for your dowry (money that a brides family contributes to a wedding). You want to get married
soon and begin raising a family, but your fiance fears that he may lose his job. You hope the election
can bring more jobs and prosperity to Germany.
Hermann
You are a 43-year-old World War I veteran. You were wounded twice during the war. You had hoped
to make the military your career, but limits on the size of Germanys army imposed by the Versailles
Treaty forced the government to discharge you. You resent the terms of the Treaty, and the effects its
had on you and the country. If only one of these political parties would stand up and fight back....
Gertrude
You are the 52-year-old wife of a business manager. Your husband maintains that high labor costs
and taxes have prevented his business from expanding and competing abroad. He blames expensive
government social programs for many of Germanys problems. The government is spending too much
money on the unemployed and lazy people of Germany. These artists and neer do wells sit around
all day, getting money from the government for nothing. You should get paid for the hard work you do
- not live off the governments dime.
Kurt
You are a 29-year-old worker in a steel factory. You have always followed the recommendations of
your union leaders and voted for the SPD. In recent months, however, the SPD has seemed
powerless to solve Germanys increasing problems. Meanwhile, S.A (Storm Trooper). gangs are
growing larger in your part of town. You dont have anything to fear from them - yet, but you worry for
your neighborhood friends, mostly a group of Jewish guys you knew from school. These S.A. fellows
seem to be targeting more and more Jews , blaming them for the loss of the war and the bad
economy.
Wolfgang
You are a 21-year-old university student from a wealthy family. You expect to eventually run your
familys business. Too young to remember the war, you identify with the stories of past German
greatness and resent the Jewish students who compete with you for honors at the university. You are
a true German, who deserves glory and success. These Jewish students are backstabbers who
shouldnt be allowed at the university - or in Germany, for that matter.

Karl

You are a 70-year-old retired railway worker living on a government pension. You have been a
member of the railway workers union since you were sixteen. You and your friends, who are also
retired union members, are grateful for the SPDs efforts in the Reichstag to stand up for workers
rights.