Aspects of life in Germany, 1933-45 Flashcards
What was viewed as key to establishing a strong Germany?
The racial strength of ‘Aryan’ Germans.
What were groups seen as harmful to German racial strength classed as?
‘Outsiders’ and subject to persecution.
Consequences of the doctrine of Aryan racial supremacy?
Had dangerous consequences for Jews and other people who did not fit into the Nazis’ conception of a master race. The ultimate result was genocide and mass murder during the Second World War.
Aryan
Nordic or Anglo-Saxon races that the Nazis believed were racially superior
Asocials
Term used to describe various groups of people who the Nazis believed were damaging to society.
Einsatzgruppen
SS units responsible for rounding up and murdering Jews in Eastern Europe.
Euthanasia
Killing of those too ill, disabled/handicapped to work.
What was the Final Solution?
The systematic, deliberate, extermination of Jews from 1941
Aktion T4
Nazi programme dealing with the euthanasia or murder of disabled children and adults.
Ghettos
Area in a city inhabited by Jews; under Nazi rule they were separated from other citizens and forced to live in overcrowded conditions.
Social Darwinism
Belief that life is a competition and that the fittest deserve to prosper whilst the unfit deserve to be left behind.
Volk
German word for ‘people’ - in Nazi context, people of the same ethnic identity.
Volksgemeinschaft
A ‘people’s community’ - in Nazi context. a socially and racially united groups of people made up of pure German Aryans.
Wannsee Conference
Conference held in 1942 at which the Final Solution of Jews in Europe was agreed by top Nazi figures.
Political enemies
150,000 left-wing enemies of the Nazis were imprisoned during 1933-45.
Gypsies
Roma and Sinti - these groups were the first to be murdered because of their ‘racial identity. When WWII broke out, they were deported to Poland.
Disabled people
The Law for the Protection of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring (1933) permitted the compulsory sterilisation of those with hereditary conditions. In 1939, Aktion T4 scheme was launched in which disabled children were murdered.
Homosexuals
These people were persecuted because they were viewed as resisting the Nazi desire for all Aryans to breed. Approximately 15,000 men were imprisoned in concentration camps.
How many homosexual men were imprisoned in concentration camps?
Approximately 15,000
What were asocials and what happened to them?
People who did not conform to Nazi social ideals i.e. the homeless, alcoholics. Many were imprisoned in concentration camps.
In what way could Nazi persecution of Jews be viewed as a process that was NOT systematic
- The Nazis did not immediately start murdering all the Jews of Europe in 1933.
- This was because the Nazis were not in a strong enough position to do so at that time.
- They worked towards the Final Solution’ by degrees, often reacting to events.
In this sense it could be argued that persecution was not systematic.
When was the Wannsee Conference?
January 20th 1942
What happened in the Wannsee Conference and what was decided?
15 leading Nazi Officials including Heydrich, Eichmann and Hoffman gathered in a villa in a suburb of Berlin called Wannsee to discuss the Final Solution. The Wannsee Conference was when the final solution to the Jewish problem was decided: the mass murder of the Jews in Europe.
At the Wannsee Conference, how many Jews did the Nazis believed there were amongst listen countries?
11 million
January 20th 1942
Wannsee Conference
What did the Final Solution state?
- Jews to be deployed under appropriate supervision at a suitable form of labour deployment in the East.
- In labour camps, a large number will doubtlessly be lost through natural reduction.
- The rest “must be dealt with appropriately, since, representing the fruit of natural selection, they are to be regarded as the core of a new Jewish revival.”
What is important to understand about the persecution of Jews?
When the Nazis first came to power in 1933 there was little systematic persecution of the Jews or other minorities. This was because Hitler was not in a position of power internationally to resort to open and violent antisemitism. Persecution started out slowly with one day boycotts of Jewish shops and removing Jews from certain employment.
However by 1935, what became a TP in the persecution of Jews?
The Nuremberg Laws were a key turning point as these laws stripped Jews of citizenship meaning it was now easy to take away their rights.
What was another TP in persecution of Jews?
The Night of broken Glass or Kristallnacht in 1938 also acted as a turning point as it was now that open violence was used against the Jews and some were deported to ghettos and camps and killed.
What was shown by 1937 that gave Hitler confidence to increase measures against the Jews?
By 1937 the USA had shown they were unwilling to take in Jewish refugees giving Hitler confidence to increase measures against the Jews.
During WWII, what happened to Nazi leadership?
The nature of Nazi decision making became very chaotic and there was increasing radicalisation of policies by SS officers like Himmler who was in charge of the concentration and death camps.
Why did Jews start to become a problem for the Nazis in WWII?
- More Jews came under Nazi control with the invasion of Poland in 1939 and then Russia in 1941, and so the Nazis had to find a solution to the Jewish question.
- It was costing too much to keep Jews in ghettos and there were simply too many of them.
- Plus, when the USA came into the war, the Nazis wanted to use their money resourcing a war against America rather than keeping the Jews in ghettos.
- Einsatzgruppen squads were used but this was costly and inefficient.
This led to the final solution of 1942, decided at Wannsee in 1942 and led to the mass extermination of Jews in extermination camps using gas.
What was the problem with Einsatzgruppen squads?
Costly and inefficient
When were all Jewish lawyers and judges sacked and “Race studies” introduced to schools?
1933
What were key issues that Nazis were focused?
- Gaining the support of the military.
- Destroying political opposition.
Why was the Nazi focus not on Jewish people in the first 2-4 years?
Nazis had to secure the support e.g of the army and wipe other dangerous opponents out. They were more focused on tightening their grip on power.
When did persecution of the Jews increase?
After the Berlin Olympics in 1936. The Nazis were aware of the importance of propaganda and public image and that signs saying “No dogs, no Jews” would alienate a worldwide audience.
Why did Nazis scale back persecution of Jews during 1936?
Berlin Olympics - the Nazis were aware of the importance of propaganda and public image and didn’t want to alienate a worldwide audience.
Once the Berlin Olympics were over, what did the Nazis do?
Goebbels, the propaganda minister and a committed anti Semite, began a campaign against the Jews in the knowledge that they would not be too scrutinised by the rest of the world.
As the government was now entrenched in power the Nazis could focus on increasing decimation towards the Jews.
When were Nazis able to put all their focus on the Jews?
From 1937-1938 - the government were in power with no serious opposition, there was an obedient population and the Nazis were fully supported by the military.
When was Kristallnacht?
9th-10th November 1938
What was Kristallnacht?
A series of pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany.
What was Kristallnacht?
A series of pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany, government-permitted.
Stats from Kristallnacht
- More than 1,000 synagogues burned throughout Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland.
- Over 7,000 Jewish businesses were damaged or destroyed.
- Over 20,000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps.
How many synagogues were destroyed in Kristallnacht throughout Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland?
267
How many businesses were damaged or destroyed in Kristallnacht?
Over 7,000
How many Jewish men were taken away to concentration camps during Kristallnacht?
Over 20,000
Why was Kristallnacht a TP?
After the pogrom, anti-Jewish policy was concentrated more and more concretely into the hands of the SS. Moreover, the passivity with which most German civilians responded to the violence signaled to the Nazi regime that the German public was prepared for more radical measures.
Why did Goebbels encourage Kristallnacht?
Goebbels prestige was at a low after his unsuccessful propaganda campaign around the Sudeten crisis and he was in disgrace after an affair with a Czech actress and believed this would improve his standing with Hitler. As a result the persecution of the Jews became more extreme.
What did Hitler state in January 1939?
That war in Europe would lead to the “annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe”.
Did the Nazis have a clear, thought out policy relating to persecution of Jewish people?
No, didn’t have a clear plan
What did a new law state re. Jews in 1942?
Jews could no longer be given the Reich sports medal.
- shows obsession with Jewish question.
What was the Jewish question?
A wide-ranging debate that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews.
When Jews were put into ghettos what happened to their homes and possessions?
Confiscated
How many Jews came under German control after the invasion of Poland?
3 million
The ‘Final Solution’ was in no way planned but the logical to the Nazi leadership was mass murder.
What other country brought about more Jews?
USSR - SS given the order to exterminate Jews in the Soviet Union
What individual must take some of the blame for the increased persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust?
Reinhard Heydrich - principle architect of the Holocaust and high ranking in the SS
Why is Reinhard Heydrich significant?
- Had the responsibility for implementing Nazi racial policy.
- He was one of the most anti-Semitic in the Nazi government.
- It was he who chaired the Wannsee conference that outlined the details of the plan to use gas to kill Europe’s 11 million Jews.
Describe the nature of the Nazi regime
Chaotic nature - Hitler hated details so those below interpreted his orders and what resulted was often muddled and contradictory.
This meant the Final Solution was arrived at complex workings of an unorganised government.
How many people died in the Holocaust?
- 6 million European Jews
- At least five million Soviet prisoners of war, Romany, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, and other victims.
When were most Jews killed in the Holocaust?
Between March 1942 and March 1943. As defeat became more obvious, the madness increased.
Is there evidence of the Nazis having a clear plan outlining the Jewish Final Solution?
No - could be seen as the govt reacting to the changing situation in Europe.
Was anti-semitism new in European history when the Nazis came to power?
No it had been around for a long time, however, it was enhanced by people looking for scapegoats for Germany’s defeat in WWI (‘stab in the back myth’) and for the economic crisis of the 1920s and 1930s. The Nazis used this situation to develop an anti-semitic ideology which led to the persecution of the Jewish people.
Nazi racial policies ethnic minorities:
Mass murder/genocide
- April 1940: Himmler orders the building of a concentration camp at Auschwitz. Auschwitz is the first and most signifiant of the 6 death camps built by the Nazis. TP
- May 1941: Hitler creates 6 Einsatzgruppen (killing squads). These squads are given orders to follow the German army into Russia and shoot all Jews and Communists.
- September 29th-30th 1941: There is a mass murder of 34, 000 Jews at Babi Yar, near Kiev. The murder is carried out by a German Einsatzgruppe and Ukranian police.
- January 20th 1942: Senior German officials meet outside Berlin at a country house in Wannsee. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the “final solution” for the Jewish problem. TP
- Jan/Feb 1942: The first gassing of Jews is carried out at Auschwitz. By Spring, death camps have been established at Belzec, Treblinka and Sobibor.
- 1942-1944: Transportation of Jews from around Europe to death camps. 6 million are murdered, of whom around 1 million during Einsatzgruppen massacres.
Nazi racial policies ethnic minorities:
Segregation (separating Jews from the rest of the population)/ghettosisation
- April 1933: Imposes a national boycott of Jewish businesses - SA members stood outside shops urging people not to go in.
- 1936: Jewish doctors cannot work in government hospitals and Jewish patients cannot use these hospitals.
- July 1938: The Evian Conference, world leaders refused to accept more Jewish refugees into their countries.
- Sept 1939: Jews cannot be out after 8pm. Jews forbidden from owning radios.
- Sept 1st 1939: The German army invades Poland. All Jews in Poland have to wear a Star of David.
- Nov 23rd 1939: All Jews in occupied Poland have to wear a yellow star on their clothes.
- April 30th 1940: Jewish people in Poland are forced to move into ghettos (areas of the city which are designated as zones just for Jews). These areas are surrounded by a wall and people cannot leave or enter.
- April 1940: Himmler orders the building of a concentration camp at Auschwitz. Auschwitz is the first and most significant of the 6 death camps built by the Nazis.
Nazi racial policies ethnic minorities:
Legal discrimination
- Sept 15th 1939: - Two laws are passed:
1. The Reich Citizenship Law, saying Jews are no longer German citizens. TP
2. The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour, which forbids marriage between Jews and Germans. THE NUREMBURG LAWS - July 1938: The Evian Conference, world leaders refused to accept more Jewish refugees into their countries.
- August 17th 1938: A law is passed forcing Jewish women to add Sarah and men to add Israel to their names. This new name must appear on all legal documents including passports.
- Oct 5th 1938: A law is passed saying Jewish passports have to be stamped with a large red “J.”
- Dec 1938: A law is passed confiscating all Jewish businesses.
- Aug 1941: Voluntary emigration of German Jews forbidden.
Nazi racial policies ethnic minorities:
Bullying/sporadic violence
Kristallnacht, a government-permitted attack on Jews in Germany and Austria.
Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues are vandalised and burned. Jewish property is looted and approximately 28,000 German and Austrian Jewish men are deported to concentration camps.
Open violence.
Ethnic minorities:
When does Hitler impose a national boycott of Jewish businesses?
April 1933
Ethnic minorities:
January 30th 1933?
Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany. Imposes a national boycott of Jewish businesses - SA members stood outside shops urging people not to go in.
Ethnic minorities:
When were two laws passed about the Jews (The Reich Citizenship Law and the Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour)?
Sept 15th 1935
Ethnic minorities:
September 15th 1935
THE NUREMBURG LAWS
Two laws are passed about the Jews
1. The Reich Citizenship Law, saying Jews are no longer German citizens. TP
2. The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour, which forbids marriage between Jews and Germans.
Ethnic minorities:
When can Jewish doctors no longer work in govt hospitals and Jewish patients can’t use these hospitals?
1936
Ethnic minorities:
1936
Jewish doctors cannot work in government hospitals and Jewish patients cannot use these hospitals.
Ethnic minorities:
When was the Evian Conference?
July 1938
Ethnic minorities:
July 1938
The Evian Conference, world leaders refused to accept more Jewish refugees into their countries.
Ethnic minorities:
When is a law passed forcing Jewish women to add Sarah and men to add Israel to their names?
August 17th 1938
Ethnic minorities:
August 17th 1938
A law is passed forcing Jewish women to add Sarah and men to add Israel to their names. This new name must appear on all legal documents including passports.
Ethnic minorities:
When is a law passed saying Jewish passports have to be stamped with “J”?
October 5th 1938
Ethnic minorities:
October 5th 1938
A law is passed saying Jewish passports have to be stamped with a large red “J.”
Ethnic minorities:
When is Kristallnacht?
November 9th 1938
Ethnic minorities:
November 9th 1938
Kristallnacht
Ethnic minorities:
When is a law passed confiscating all Jewish businesses?
December 1938
Ethnic minorities:
When are Jews forbidden from coming out after 8pm/owning a radio?
September 1939
Ethnic minorities:
September 1939
Jews cannot be out after 8pm. Jews forbidden from owning radios.
Ethnic minorities:
When do all Jews in Poland have to wear a yellow star on their clothes?
November 23rd 1939
Ethnic minorities:
November 23rd 1939
All Jews in occupied Poland have to wear a yellow star on their clothes.
Ethnic minorities:
When were Jews in Poland forced to move into ghettos?
April 30th 1940
Ethnic minorities:
April 30th 1940
Jewish people in Poland are forced to move into ghettos.
Ethnic minorities:
April 1940
Himmler orders the building of a concentration camp at Auschwitz. Auschwitz is the first and most significant of the 6 death camps built by the Nazis
Ethnic minorities:
When does Himmler order the building of Auschwitz?
April 1940
Ethnic minorities:
When does Hitler creates 6 Einsatzgruppen to follow the German army into Russia and shoot all Jews and Communists?
May 1941
Ethnic minorities:
May 1941
Hitler creates 6 Einsatzgruppen (killing squads). These squads are given orders to follow the German army into Russia and shoot all Jews and Communists.
June 22nd 1941
Germany invades USSR. This campaign is known as Operation Barbarossa.
