AQA GCSE History: Germany, 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship Glossary
A (ABDICATE to AVANT-GARDE)
To abdicate is to give up the throne of a country.
antisemitism
Antisemitism is hatred for and persecution of Jewish people as an ethnic, religious, or racial group.
armaments
Armaments are weapons and military equipment such as tanks and battleships.
armistice
An armistice is an agreement, or truce, to stop fighting.
Article 48
Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution gave the President the right to rule in a time of crisis without requiring the support of the Reichstag.
Aryan
In Nazi belief, an Aryan was a person of German or Scandinavian origin, usually fair-haired and blue-eyed. The Nazis believed (mistakenly) that there was an ‘Aryan’ race that was ‘superior’ to all other races.
avant-garde
Avant-garde refers to new and experimental ideas and methods in art, music, or literature.
B - C (BUNDESRAT to CONSCRIPTION)
The German Bundesrat is a federal council. In early Germany, the Bundesrat was made up of a group of German state representatives who supported the Kaiser.
censorship
Censorship refers to the limiting of access to information, ideas, or books in order to prevent knowledge or the freedom of thought.
coalition
A coalition government is a government formed jointly by two or more political parties.
communism
Communism is a political system where all property is owned by the government. In a Communist system, people are equal and they are paid by the government according to their needs.
communist
A communist is a person who supports a political system where all property is owned by the government and all people are equal and paid by the government according to their needs.
concentration camp
A concentration camp is a place where people are held under harsh conditions and without the freedoms of the rest of society.
Confessing Church
The Confessing Church was a German Protestant group determined to have nothing to do with the Nazis or the German Christians.
conscription
Conscription is a law making it compulsory for all men of a certain age to join the armed forces and be available to fight at any time.
D (DAF to DICTATOR)
DAF stands for the German Labour Front, a Nazi organisation that workers had to belong to.
Dawes Plan
The Dawes Plan was an agreement between the USA and European countries, allowing US loans to be given to European countries (especially Germany) to help them build factories and roads, stimulate their economies, and (in Germany’s case) pay reparations.
death camps
Death camps were extermination camp where prisoners, mainly Jews, were put to death.
degenerate
Degenerate is a negative term that was used by the Nazis for art, music, and other types of culture that they believed went against Nazi ideals.
democratic republic
A democratic republic is a system of running a country in which all adults have the right to vote for the government they want.
Depression
The Depression was a time during the 1930s when many banks and businesses failed and millions of people lost their jobs.
dictator
A dictator is a ruler with total control over how a country is governed.
E - F (EINSATZGRUPPEN to FUHRER)
Einsatzgruppen were SS mobile death squads responsible for the murder of those thought by the Nazis to be racial or political enemies.
Eugenics
Eugenics is the unscientific and racist belief that the mental and physical characteristics of the human race can be improved by choosing who may become parents.
forced labour
Forced labour refers to work that people are made to do against their will.
Four Year Plan
The Four Year Plan was an attempt by the Nazis to increase agricultural and industrial production, regulate imports and exports, and achieve self-sufficiency in the production of raw materials.
Führer
Führer means supreme leader. It was the title adopted by Adolf Hitler.
G - I (GERMAN CHRISTIANS to INDUSTRIALISATION)
German Christians were a German Protestant group that was largely under Nazi control.
Gestapo
The Gestapo was part of the SS and Nazi Germany’s secret police force, created by Herman Goering in 1933 and controlled by Heinrich Himmler.
ghetto
A ghetto is an area where members of a particular racial group are forced (or in some cases choose) to live.
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a Nazi youth organisation.
Holocaust
Holocaust is the term used to describe the mass murder of millions of Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War.
hyperinflation
Hyperinflation is a sudden, dramatic rise in prices.
indoctrinate
Indoctrinate is another word for ‘brainwash’. It means to teach someone to accept a belief without exception.
industrialisation
Industrialisation is the process by which a country transforms from a mainly agricultural society to one based on manufacturing and factories.
K - L (KAISER to LEFT-WING)
Kaiser is the German word for emperor.
left-wing
People with left-wing political beliefs promote equality, high taxes for the rich, and the redistribution of wealth.
M - N (MASS RALLY to NUREMBERG LAWS)
A mass rally is a huge meeting of people, united for a common cause or occasion.
militarism
Militarism is the belief that a country should maintain strong armed forces and be prepared to use them aggressively.
mutiny
A mutiny is a rebellion by soldiers or sailors who refuse to take orders.
Navy Laws
Navy Laws were a series of laws introduced in Germany between 1898 and 1912 to grow and modernise the navy.
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws were a series of laws aimed at excluding German Jews from Reich citizenship and stopping them from marrying or having sexual relations with persons of ‘German or related blood’.
P (PACIFIST to PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION)
A pacifist is a person who refuses on principle to take part in war, for example because they believe it is wrong to use weapons for any cause.
police state
A police state is a country controlled by a political police force. In a police state, the government strictly controls people’s lives, especially by means of a secret police force.
propaganda
Propaganda is the systematic spreading of ideas and information in order to influence people’s thinking and actions, often through the use of media such as films, radio broadcasts, and newspapers.
proportional representation
Proportional representation is a voting system in which the number of politicians representing a particular party is in proportion to the number of votes they receive during an election.
R (RATIONED to RIGHT-WING)
When certain foods, goods, and fuel that are in short supply are rationed, they are spread more equally among people, by giving every person a fixed amount.
rearmament
Rearmament is the process of building up new stocks of weapons or replacing old weapons with new ones.
refugee
A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their home to escape war, persecution, or a natural disaster.
Reichstag
The Reichstag is the main, elected German parliament.
reparations
Reparations are compensation payments. Germany made reparations (payments) to some of the winning countries after the First World War, in compensation for the damage done by the fighting.
right-wing
People with right-wing political beliefs promote nationalism and strong control over people’s lives. They are less supportive of democracy and equality than those with left-wing political beliefs.
S - T (SOCIALISM to TREATY OF VERSAILLES)
Socialism is a system of government which supports democracy and greater government involvement in the economy and society.
socialist
A socialist is a person who wants a system of government that supports democracy and greater government involvement in the economy and society.
Stormtroopers (SA)
The Stormtroopers (SA) were Hitler’s private army, which was employed to beat up opponents and guard meetings during the 1920s.
swastika
A swastika is the crooked cross symbol adopted by the Nazi Party as their emblem.
Total War
Total War was a phrase introduced by Josef Goebbels. At the time, it meant that all Germans, both civilians at home and soldiers fighting at the fronts, must take an active part in the war.
trade unions
Trade unions are associations of workers that formed to protect their interests.
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty, signed on 28 June 1919, that stated Germany was responsible for the First World War. It set out a list of punishments and terms that Germany had to agree to, or else face invasion and another war.
W - Y (WEIMAR CONSTITUTION to YOUNG PLAN)
The Weimar Constitution was a set of rules for how to govern Germany under the Weimar Republic.
Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic was the name given to Germany’s democratic system between 1918 and 1933.
Weltpolitik
Weltpolitik literally means ‘world policy’. This was the Kaiser’s plan to turn Germany into a global power.
Young Plan
The Young Plan was an agreement to reduce reparations, made in 1929 between Germany and the countries they owed money to after the First World War.
