The Beliefs of the Parties in the 1940s

Beliefs of the Conservatives

Parties at this time stood for broad principles - not just specific policies. At the start of Peel's Conservative ministry these were:

1. Monarchy was important in the British political system. Conservatives believed that the Monarch should be allowed to exert real power when it was appropriate. Queen Victoria should be entitled to select her own ministers and the government belonged to her.
2. Conservatives had a high regard for the traditional British constitution. They regretted passing the 1832 Reform bill, but they were prepared to accept necessary changes.
3. They believed that the landowning aristocracy were the given rulers of the country, and they deserved that role due to the background, education and wealth. The stability of the country depended upon a landowning class that had a sufficient stake in the system to act in it's best interests. In contrast to the French revolution that was going on at the same time, the British aristocracy were not opposed to a political role for the wealthy middle classes. This was shown when Peel favored free trade.
4. The Conservatives believed that the Church of England was the keystone of the social system. The monarch was the head of the Church and the bishops were often members of the House of Lords.

Beliefs of the Liberals

1. The liberals had a much greater acceptance of reform and change. For example, in 1832 Earl Grey (PM) said "the reform act was the most aristocratic measure ever put before parliament."
2. They were more suspicious of the powers that the Monarch had. They restricted a monarch's rights in the Bill of Rights of 1689. They believed in the Rule of Law, which meant that everyone regardless of their status or position must keep to the laws of the land.
3. Liberals were happy to allow the middle class into the heart of the political framework. This was shown when they allowed the £10 householder the vote in the 1832 reform act.
4. They weren't too concerned about the Church of England, but instead wanted more religious liberty. Liberals often showed sympathy to non-conformists. They wanted to use the Church's powers for things like education.
5. Liberals were keen on the government having a lower role, and influencing the economy less, for example by having lower taxation. This is very similar to what Conservative Margaret Thatcher wanted and Nobel prize winning economist Hayek.

Standard Chartered - The tip of an Iceberg?

Standard Chartered - The tip of an Iceberg? 

August this year, the UK based bank Standard Chartered was accused of illegally scheming with Iran to launder money by a young aspiring regulator from New York. Of course the bank denied the bulk of the charges, (they admitted of hiding $14m of transactions, not the alleged $250bn.) Yet I will not be focusing on the relatively minor misdemeanours of the bank but instead what the allegations really mean and entail.
In order to do this, we are going to need to zoom out of the bank accusations and look at the bigger picture. In the US there is a large Jewish lobby who have influence over politics and other important areas of the country. Recently the Americans have been pressured by the lobby to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon. However, rather than straight out going to war with Iran, America is imposing economic sanctions to persuade Iran to stop.
In order for this method to work, America wants all countries to obey the sanctions. They went about this by asking at the UN for others to follow. Both China and Russia disagreed and would not comply - why should they agree? However, due to our long-standing relationship with the US, Britain agreed to the sanctions.
Now that we have had a glimpse of the big picture, we can zoom back in and have a closer look the bank. According the the BBC, British bankers are saying that this is looking increasingly like an assault on the city of London by the US authorities. So, could it be that some Americans are misusing Britain’s compliance with the economic sanctions against Iran to bring business from London to New York? Some politicians have spoken of a perceived “anti-British” bias in Washington designed to weaken London as a financial center, even more so as the accusers threaten to revoke Standard Chartered’s New York trading license.
On one hand, these accusations may only be to bring business to New York, but on the other hand by looking at the bigger picture we can that ultimately Iran only want a Nuclear weapon to assure their own security, as the Isrealis have one which the Americans have them.
In conclusion, with no recognition of the offence this causes to the Palestines and the Arab world, along with increasing tension, this could spark into a devastating conflict.

Coastline Under Pressure Case Study : Lyme Bay

What's meant by a coastline under pressure?
A coastline with a lot of human activity that can possibly damage the area.

Lyme Bay

Lyme Bay is a coastline on the South of England that is under pressure.

Scallop Dredgers
The Scallop industry is profitable and generates over £180,000/year. However, scallop dredging involves dragging heavy fishing equipment along the seabed. This causes high levels of physical damage. The dragging stirs up the sediment on the sea floor and smothers sensitive species.
In the long term, this can have a large effect on people who use the bay.

The Wildlife
Around Lyme Bay there are many natural habitats for animals, such as rocky reefs and the like. These areas have lots of sea-grass and maerl. Furthermore, these habitats are nursery grounds for commercially valuable fish. In turn, these fish are the food for sea birds such as the Auks and Gulls.
These habitats are extremely sensitive to physical damage, and must be looked after.

Anglers
Anglers bring a  large amount of money to the local economy, roughly £250,000/year. They mainly fish things such as cod and bass.
However, angling actually has a minimum impact on the marine habitat, but the fishing lines may snag sensitive species, such as Pink Sea Tanks.

Tourism

Tourism brings lots of money to the local economy which can be used on leisure services such as:

• Sightseeing
• Sailing
• Waterskiing
• Jet-Skiing
• Power Boating
• Wind Surfing

The problem is, that you need to have an an attractive and healthy environment to continue to attract tourists, so it is vital for Lyme Bay to remain safe and balanced.

Persecution of Jews

Once in power, Hitler put his anti-Semitic ideas outlined in 'Mein Kampf' into operation. 

• In 1933, Jewish shops and businesses were boycotted.
• In 1934, any Jews who were employed in Civil servant jobs were fired.
• Jews were banned from Public Places.
• The Nuremburg Laws of 1935, took away the Jew's rights to be German citizens. Marriages between Jews and non-Jews were banned.
• Many Jews began to leave Germany
• In November 1938, Jewish shops and synagogues were ransacked and destroyed in Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass).
• Thousands of Jews were arrested over the following weeks, and 30,000 were sent to concentration camps.
• After 1939, the Final Solution (The extermination of Jewish people) began. This resulted in 6m Jews being killed.

Persecution of Other Groups

• Anyone who was not 'Aryan' suffered under the Nazis. Including, Blacks and Gypsies.
• People not 'socially useful' were put into concentration camps. e.g. Mentally and physically ill and tramps.

Why/How did Hitler become Chancellor?

Why/How did Hitler become Chancellor?

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Long Term Reasons (1920s)

1. Anger about WW1 and the Treaty of Versailles.
2. Weaknesses with the current government.
3. Financial Support from wealthy businessmen.
4. Nazi Propaganda.
5. The Stormtroopers (SA) attacked the Jews and those who were opposed to Hitler.
6. Hitler was a brilliant speaker and promised something to everyone.

Short Term Reasons (1929-1933)

1. After the Wall Street crash of 1929, the US called it's loans on Germany, causing the German economy to collapse. Unemployment grew, people starved on the streets. In the crisis people wanted someone to blame, they looked for extreme solutions - Hitler offered both of these.
2. Franz Von Papen was the current chancellor, but he could not get enough support in the Reichstag (due to the Nazis disrupting it). Hidenburg and Von Papen had to govern by emergency decree under Article 48 of the constitution. They offered Hitler the role of Vice-Chancellor, but he demanded to be made Chancellor. On the 30 January 1933, Hitler was made Chancellor.

How did the Depression help the Nazis? 1929

How did the Depression help the Nazis?

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What was the depression?

• In 1929 the Wall Street Crash forced US banks to recall their loans to Germany.
• German industry was hit by a fall in demand and was unable to pay back loans from the USA.
• Millions of workers were unemployed as factories closed down.
• None of the government's methods to combat the Depression had any effect, which brought out all the weaknesses of the Weimar Republic.
• Coalition Groups were formed as different parties disagreed on how to solve the depression. This lead to it being increasingly hard to setup a coalition government.
• After 1929, a presidential emergency was declared, and Germany was ruled by the President.

How did these problems help the Nazis?

The Depression was a gift to Hitler & the Nazis as for every problem the people had, the Nazis had an explanation or a promise.

• The Weimar government is weak: You need strong leadership. Hitler is your man.
• Unemployment? The Nazis will get people back to work through road-building and public works.
• Worried about the communists? Look at the Nazi's SA, they know how to deal with them.

Summary: How did the Nazis do it?

The Depression was only part of the reason that the Nazis had such success. 

• Organisation
• The Nazis were extremely organised. Most of them had been soldiers in WW1, and carried the same obedience and determination with them into the party. They has skilled leaders at almost every level.
• Propaganda
• The Nazi National leaders were masters at propaganda. They trained their local groups with propaganda skills. They knew all the tricks in the book. They stirred up violence at election meetings, just so the SA could crush it and be seen as crushing the communist threat.
• Support of the Industrialists
• Hitler made sure to become friends with some of the rich right-wing parties in order to gain large amounts of financial support.
• Use of Technology
•  Hitler made the use of radio to make sure he really brought his message home, and every home in Germany could hear him. Furthermore, he made good use of aircraft so that Hitler could give up to 4 or 5 speeches at massive rallies each day. This hugely increased the number of people supporting him.
• Promise to Voters
• Every sector of German society heard what it wanted to hear. Workers were promised jobs, Employers were promised profits, farmers were promised higher prices and shopkeepers were promised protection against competition.
• Flexibility
• The Nazis were extremely flexible with their ideas. If an idea was losing them support, they would simply no longer mention it again. For example, they said they would nationalise industry, but the industrialists did not like that, so they simply never mentioned it again. They realised it doesn't matter what you promise, as long as people trust you. Furthermore, they promised many vague things, such as 'making Germany great again'.
• Hitler
• Hitler was the Nazi's party superman. He was the driving force behind things, and he kept improving and improving. He improved his speech writing, and was displayed in propaganda as a physically strong leader. He refused to wear spectacles in public, so had his speeches written in 12mm high print.
• Weakness of Opposition
• Other parties were very weak and consistently underestimated the Nazis. They often just argued amongst themselves, rather than uniting together to overcome the Nazis.

The Nazi Party 1924-33

The Nazi Party, 1924-33

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As the German economy improved, the Nazi party made very little progress. It only held 12 seats in the Reichstag in 1925. However, during this time it gained lots of members. By 1928 it had 100,000 members. Support for the Nazis grew, especially among certain groups of Germans who were attracted by                                                                                                                               nazi ideas.

• Nationalists who wanted to destroy the Treaty of Versailles.
• Racists who hated Jews and thoughts that Germans were superior.
• Business people who feared communism.
• Young people attracted by the parades and the future hope of a 'Great Germany'.

Growth of Support from 1929 to 1933.

Effects of Depression

• The Weimar republic could not solve the problems of Depression.
• The Nazis promised to end the Depression and unemployment.
• The Nazis were well organised and used propaganda to convey their messages. 

Electoral Gains

• 1930 Reichstag Election: 107 seats won.
• July 1932 Reichstag Election: 230 seats won. Largest party.
• November 1923 Reichstag Election: 196 Won. Remains largest party.
• April 1932 Presidential Election: Hitler lost to Hidenburg, but 13 million Germans voted for him.

Nazi Party Early Years & The Munich Putsch

Hitler and the growth of the Nazi Party to 1933

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Early Years, 1920-2

The German Workers' Party was formed in 1919. Hitler joined the party, and quickly became leader, this was mainly due to his amazing skill at public speaking. In 1920, the party was renamed the National Socialist German Wokers' Party, AKA the Nazis. With Hitler as leader, they announced the 25 point programme. This mainly consisted of ideas saying that Germany belong to the Germans so only they should live there, and others, such as Jews, must leave. 

Hitler organised his own private army in 1921, called the SA, (Stormtroopers). They were mostly young men, some used to be Friekorps. They dressed in brown, and were nicknamed the brownshirts. Supposedly, their role was to protect speakers at Nazi meetings from left-wing opponents. But in actual fact, they spent most of their time starting the violence and opponent party's speeches.

The Munich Putsch

Causes

1. Weimar Weaknesses: After the main period of the Weimar, people begun to feel their government was very weak, along with lots of extremist groups being set up. This lead to anger.
2. Nazi Party Growth: During the 1923 Crises, (Occupation of the Ruhr and Inflation). the Nazi party rapidly grew. It went from 6,000 members to 55,000. The SA were desperate for a revolution. Hitler became friends with General Ludendorff (An old German General). Hitler thought the army would follow Ludendorff in a Putsch.
3. Stresemann calling off Passive Resistance in the Ruhr: Every German was furious that Stresemann called off passive resistance in the Ruhr, they felt like he was giving it to France. There was a right-wing revolt in Berlin and the Rhineland declared independence as a result of this. The government had to proclaim a state of emergency.
4. Mussolini's Example: In 1922, Mussolini has seized control of the Italian government by marching on Rome. Hitler wanted to copy this.

Events

8 Nov 1923: Hitler interrupted the Beer Hall meeting, and forced Kahr, the Bavarian Prime Minister, and two officials to support him in overthrowing the Reich government. The SA took over the Army HQ. Jews were beaten up and the anti-Nazi newspaper offices were trashed. However, Hitler then made a mistake by releasing Kahr. Kahr went on to call in the police with army reinforcements.

9 Nov 1923: The Nazis marched on Munich, but got stopped by the police in one street. They had made a blockade. The Nazis tried to push through, but as a result 16 Nazis died, and 3 policeman. Hitler ran off, and got arrested two days later. Whereas Ludendorff kept trying to push on through the blockade, but he got arrested.

Results

The Nazis were defeated and their leaders were arrested. Hitler was arrested and put on trial for treason. He was imprisoned for 9 months and forbidden to speak in public. BUT: Hitler turned his trial into a publicity stunt, giving long speeches. Before the Putsch, no one had really heard of Hitler, but after his trial, he became a national hero, as he went against the idea of stopping passive resistance in the Ruhr.

 Even the judge said he agreed with Hitler, so gave him a short sentence. 

While in Prison, Hitler wrote his book, 'Mein Kampf', this sold in the millions. He set out his beliefs in this book, and made him the leader of right-wing opposition to Weimar. Furthermore, Hitler realised he was not going to gain power by force and rebellion, but in fact he would have to be elected.

Recovery of Weimar Republic 1924-29

Recovery of Weimar Republic 1924-29

Gustav Stresemann became Germany's leading politician in 1923. He greatly improved Germany and it's relations with other countries. This period was known as the 'Golden Age of Weimar.

Political Recovery
At the time there was a system of proportional representation. Stresemann was able to take advantage of this by forming the 'Great Coalition' made up of the pro-democracy parties. They were able to resist criticism from smaller extremist parties, due to their size. Furthermore, they were able to pass any laws they needed to.

Economic Recovery
Stresemann called off passive resistance in the Ruhr, thus increasing industrial production. The French left the Ruhr once repartions were resumed.
 Additionally, he solved hyperinflation by burning the old currency and introducing the new rentenmark.
In 1924, the Dawes Plan allowed Germany to pay reparations according to it's ability to do so. It also allowed Germany to take a loan of 25,000m gold marks from the USA.
This was followed by the Young Plan of 1929 which gave Germany a further 59 years to pay reparations.

International Relations
Relations with other countries were improved by the signing of the:
* Locarno Treaty, 1925

The German foreign minister Gustav Stresemann proposed that France, Germany and Belgium should recognize as permanent their frontiers that was agreed at Versailles. This included the promise not to send German troops into the Rhineland and the acceptance that Alsace-Lorraine was permantely part of France. The French foreign minister, Aristide Briand agreed with Stressemann's proposals and signed the treaty. 

* The Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellogg%E2%80%93Briand_Pact
Basically is was a pre-NATO sort of thing.

* Germany was invited to join the League of Nations, 1926
This meant that Germany was again accepted by the other powers.

Economic Problems for the Weimar Government, 1923

Economic Problems for the Weimar Government, 1923

When the German government was ordered to pay £6600m in reparations as part of the Treaty of Versailles, the government announced that they could not afford the payments.
As a result of this, the French invaded the Ruhr, which is Germany's main industrial error. The idea behind this was that they would take what they were owed by force. However, as a passive resistance, the workers went on strike and the industrial production rates dropped to nothing.
 The government tried to solve the problem by simply printing more money. Money lost it's value and went out of control. For example, in 1918 a loaf of bread cost 0.6 marks but in November 1923 it cost 201,000million marks.

Winners from Hyperinflation

• Borrowers: Money borrowed in 1919 was worthless by 1923, so could very easily be paid back.
• Big Businesses: Exporters could sell goods abroad for more valuable currencies.
• Landowners: As prices went up, so did the value of land.

Losers from Hyperinflation

• Workers: The price of goods always rose faster than wages. Trade Union funds were wiped out.
• Savers: Savings in the bank were now worthless.
• People on fixed Incomes (Pensioners): Their incomes were now to low to live on.
• Small Businesses: They could not deal with rapid changes in prices. These were normally ran by the Middle Class, and many of them began to look towards the Nazis for improvement. 

Early Problems of the Weimar Republic, 1918-33

Early Problems of the Weimar Republic, 1918-33

The German Revolution began when the sailors mutinied at Kiel. This quickly spread to all cities and ports and also to the Western front. This caused councils to be setup that mimicked the Soviets in Russia. In November 1918 the Kaiser abdicated and Ebert (the leader of the Social Democrat Party) took charge as President.

The Treaty of Versailles

The German people hated the Treaty and blamed the politicians of the republic for signing it. They saw it as a stab in the back (to the army).

Secondly, the Germans hated the fact that they were blamed for the war in the war guilt clause in the treaty. They were made to pay £6600m of reparations in 1921.

 Furthermore, many other harsh terms were imposed on them at Versailles: Germany lost 1/10 of it's land. The army and Navy was scaled back to 100,000 men and only six ships.

Political Challenges

Left-Wing Uprisings

• Berlin 1919: The Spartacists (Communists) were defeated by the Friekorps.
• Bavaria 1919: A Socialist republic was set-up, but it was crushed by the government.

Right-Wing Rebellions

• Berlin 1920: The Kapp Putsch uprising was lead by Wolfgang Kapp, however they were defeated by a general strike by the workers.
• Munich Putsch (1923): A Nazi Putsch was defeated by the authorities. 

Weimar Constitution

Despite the Constitution being democratic, it had a large weakness from within. The constitution gave the President, the states and the army too much power, whilst a voting system of proportional representation meant that lots of small parties got seats in the Reichstag.  This lead to a lot of coalitions who could not make any agreements in the Reichstag. The republic survived through the crises of 1919-23 by using the right-wing army and Freikorps units to crush the Communists, and getting the help of the left-wing unions to crush the Kapp Putsch.

Bangladesh : Flood Defence Scheme [Case Study]

Bangladesh : Flood Defence Scheme [Case Study]

Causes:

Natural

1. Monsoon Climate - Long periods of heavy rainfall. Up to 100mm/Day.
2. Snow Melt - Rapid increase in river discharge.
3. Low lying land - River Delta
4. Cyclones - Regularly hit Bangladesh at speeds of 200 kph.

Human

1. Deforestation
2. Living on flood plains
3. Global Warming

Effects

The floods in Bangladesh hugely affect and shape the country, some of the effects they cause are:

• Disease
• Building Damage
• High Death toll. (140,000 die a year from floods)
• Mass Movement
• Crops Destroyed
• Psychological Damage
• Famine
• Poverty

Protection Measures

Many warning systems are being setup in order to combat the floods and try to defend the inhabitants against them. For example:

- Satellite Tracking

- Officers in each village.

- Radio Warnings

- Warning Flag System.

In addition to simple warning systems, they also take action against it such as,

• Strengthen embankments along the shore.
• Plant mangrove trees along the shore to halt waves.
• Build storm shelters on stilts. Each of these cost £80,000.
• Educate the people to use the shelters. 

Furthermore, emergency aid is donated and used, things like food, water, blankets, medicine and shelters for the future.

Establishment of Nazi Dictatorship

Establishment of Nazi Dictatorship, 1933-34

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Summary

When Hitler first became Chancellor, he wanted to establish a dictatorship. He achieved this between the beginning of 1933 and August 1934, when he removed all opposition to the Nazi Party. He even destroyed the   SA because they were considered a threat to the party. He appointed Nazi ministers to all governmental roles in Germany, to ensure he had control of all aspects of the country. Finally, when President Hindenburg died, Hitler had achieved total control and became Fuhrer.

The Events

The Reichstag Fire

• After becoming Chancellor, Hitler called an election so that he could increase Nazi seats in the Reichstag.
• On the 27th of February, the Reichstag building was burnt down. Within the building a communist called 'Van Der Lubbe' was found inside with matches. (Some believe he was planted here by the Nazis).
• This event, gave Hitler an excuse to pass emergency laws, which were to 'protect' Germany from Communists. He also took this as a chance to arrest many of his Communist opponents and banning them from running in the March election.

The Enabling Act

The Nazis had done well in the March election, however they only won 44% of the seats. They then teamed up with the Nationalist party. This did give them the majority, however it was still not enough to change the Constitution of the German Republic (66%). 

As a result, Hitler then used the SA to threaten and bully other parties and force them to vote for his new law, the 'Enabling Act'. The Enabling Act gave Hitler complete power to make laws for 4 years without consulting anyone, be it the Reichstag of the President. The Wiemar Constitution had been destroyed.

Removal of Opposition

With his recently gained powers from the Enabling Act, Hitler then removed any opposition to the Nazi party.

• April: They took over the local-government and the police. They started to replace teachers and University professors who were anti-Nazi, and replaced them. Furthermore, the set up the secret police called the Gestapo, they encouraged people to report on opponents of Nazism and 'grumblers' Anyone who did a 'crime' against the Nazis were sent to concentration camps. These crimes were such things as writing anti-Nazi graffiti or even just having a book that was banned.
• May: Trade unions were abolished and Hitler set-up the German Labour Front. This banned a worker's right to strike, and meant they got paid less.
• July: Hitler banned all other parties.
• Political opponents were arrested, and Nazi supporters were put into important positions such as Judges.

Night of the Long Knives

The SA was run by Ernst Roehm. Hitler, basically, felt that he was getting too much power and was becoming a threat to him. For example, they wanted more communist-type of policies put in and things to be more socialist. However, Hitler knew these would affect big businesses, and he needed the support of big businesses. Furthermore, they wanted control of Germany's army. Yet Hitler wanted and needed the army's support and did not want it to be used against him.

 As a result, on the 30th of June, Hitler ordered the murder of many SA leaders. Including Roehm. Also, he killed the former Chancellor von Schleicher.

Death of Hindenburg

On August the 2nd, President Hindenburg died, and Hitler declared himself the new President, and took the title of 'Fuhrer'. The army took a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler, and promised to serve him. Hitler now had complete control.

Key Dates

1933

January: Hitler becomes Chancellor

February: Reichstag Fire

March: Election gave Hitler control of Reichstag & Enabling Act

May: Trade Unions abolished.

July: All political parties banned.

1934

June: Night of Long Knives eliminates the SA.

August: Hindenburg dies and Hitler becomes Fuhrer.

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