NCERT Solutions Class 9 Social Science (India and the Contemporary World – I)
The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 9 Social Science (India and the Contemporary World – I) Chapter – 3 (Nazism and the Rise of Hitler) has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise.
Chapter – 3 (Nazism and the Rise of Hitler)
Questions
1. Describe the problems faced by the Weimar Republic.
Answer – The problems faced by the Weimar Republic were:
- Versailles treaty : The Versailles Peace Treaty at the end of the First World War dispossessed Germany of its territories, its resources and its pride as a nation. He also had to pay 6 billion pounds as war compensation. In spite of the harsh terms, the Weimar Republic accepted the humiliating treaty, thereby making it unpopular amongst the German masses.
- Economic Crisis : The German state was financially crippled due to overwhelming war debts which had to be paid in gold. Subsequently, gold reserves depleted and value of German mark fell. Prices of essential goods rose dramatically.
- Political defects : The Weimar Republic was weak due to inherent constitutional irregularities such as proportional representation and Article 48 (which gave the President the power to impose emergency and rule by decree). The democratic parliamentary system seemed to give the people no solutions or benefits in the times of the severe economic crisis.
2. Discuss why Nazism became popular in Germany by 1930.
Answer – In 1923, Hitler planned to seize control of Bavaria, march to Berlin and capture power. He failed, was arrested, tried for treason, and later released. The Nazis could not effectively mobilize popular support till the early 1930s. It was during the Great Depression that Nazism became a mass movement. After 1929, banks collapsed and businesses shut down, workers lost their jobs and the middle classes were threatened with destitution. In such a situation Nazi propaganda stirred hopes for a better future. In 1928, the Nazi party got not more than 2.6 percent votes in the Parliament. But by 1932, it had become the largest party with 37 percent votes.
3. What are the peculiar features of Nazi thinking?
Answer – The peculiar features of Nazi thinking were
- A belief in racial heirarchy and Lebensraum or living space.
- Nordic German Aryans were at the top, while the jews formed the lowest rung of the racial ladder.
- They believed that only the strongest race would survive and rule.
- New territories must be gained for enhancing the natural resources and power of Germany.
4. Explain why Nazi propaganda was effective in creating a hatred for Jews.
Answer – Nazi propaganda was effective in creating hatred for the jews because of two main reasons. Firstly, the Jews were stereotyped as killers of Christ. They had been barred since medieval times from ownership of land. Secondly, they were hated as usurers or money-lenders. Violence against jews, even inside their residential ghettos, was common. Hitler’s pseudo-scientific race theories made this hatred complete. His “solution” was the total elimination of all jews.
5. Explain the role of women in Nazi society. Return to Chapter 1 on the French Revolution. Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the role of women in the two periods.
Answer – Role of women in Nazi society followed the rules of a largely patriarchal or male-dominated society. Hitler hailed women as “the most important citizen” in his Germany, but this was true for only Aryan women who bred pure-blood, “desirable” Aryans. Motherhood was the only goal they were taught to reach for, apart from performing the stereotypical functions of managing the household and being good wives. This was in stark contrast to the role of women in the French Revolution where women led movements and fought for rights to education and equal wages. They were allowed to form political clubs, and schooling was made compulsory for them after the French Revolution.
6. In what ways did the Nazi state seek to establish total control over its people?
Answer – The Nazis established control over its people by various means:
- They used different propaganda through posters or films to glorify their behaviour.
- Media was carefully used to win support for the regime and popularise it.
- Nazism worked on the minds of the people, tapped their emotions and turned their hatred and anger against those marked as ‘undesirable’.
- Special surveillance and security forces to control and order society in ways that the Nazis wanted, was created.
- The police forces had powers to rule with impunity. Genocide also created an atmosphere of fear and repression which helped them to establish total control over its people.
