17.The Radicalisation of the State (S5) Flashcards
What is Social Darwinism?
A theory that adapted Darwin’s concept of ‘Survival of the Fittest’- the Nazis linked this to race.
What were Hitler’s views on races?
He believed humanity was a hierarchy of races, with the master race being Aryan. Also wished to ‘purify’ this race by eliminating the ‘germs’ of the inferior races.
What was Hitler’s concept of the Volksgemeinschaft (‘people’s community’)?
A community of true Germans, in terms of loyalty and racial purity.
Name 3 groups excluded from the Volksgemeinschaft.
Political enemies
‘Asocials’
Racial enemies
Jews
Gypsies
Homosexuals
Those with hereditary defects
What was the Nazi ideal of Lebensraum?
Expanding territory for the natural development of a country.
How did the Nazis use sterilisation as a racial tool?
They introduced sterilisation for the mentally ill, those with deformities, and in extreme cases, homosexuals.
What was the T4 programme?
The T4 programme was a euthanasia programme introduced in 1939.
Which group in particular opposed the T4 programme and what did this lead to?
The Catholic Church. In fact, Archbishop Galen preached an attack on euthanasia, and copies of his sermon were widely distributed. This led the T4 programme to be halted by Hitler in August 1941.
Name 2 groups considered to be ‘asocial.’
Criminals
The ‘work-shy’
Tramps
Beggars
Alcoholics
Homosexuals
Name 1 policy against ‘tramps and beggars’.
- In 1933, the regime began a mass round-up to concentration camps of ‘tramps and beggars’ which intensified before the 1936 Olympic Games.
- ‘Tramps and beggars’ caught more than once could be sterilised.
- Some ‘tramps and beggars’ were also killed in the T4 Euthanasia Programme
Why did the Nazis oppose homosexuality?
They believed homosexuals to be degenerate and a threat to the racial health of German people. Homosexuals also did not contribute to the production of children.
How many men were arrested for homosexuality overall?
100,000 men, of whom 50,000 were imprisoned.
How did the Nazi regime deal with lesbians?
Lesbians could choose to ‘reform’ and produce children with an Aryan man. Those who refused were sent to concentration camps.
Which religious group continued to show hostility to the Nazi state and why?
The 30,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany at the time held a belief that they could only obey Jehovah (God), so they refused to obey rules such as conscription or the Hitler salute.
Why did the Nazis persecute the Roma and the Sinti (Gypsies)?
They faced growing number of prosecutions against them, subjected to legal discrimination and a new reich office was set up to fight gypsy nuisance
