Aspects of life in Germany, 1933-45 Flashcards
1
Q
What was viewed as key to establishing a strong Germany?
A
The racial strength of ‘Aryan’ Germans.
2
Q
What were groups seen as harmful to German racial strength classed as?
A
‘Outsiders’ and subject to persecution.
3
Q
Consequences of the doctrine of Aryan racial supremacy?
A
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.
4
Q
Aryan
A
Nordic or Anglo-Saxon races that the Nazis believed were racially superior
5
Q
Asocials
A
Term used to describe various groups of people who the Nazis believed were damaging to society.
6
Q
Einsatzgruppen
A
SS units responsible for rounding up and murdering Jews in Eastern Europe.
7
Q
Euthanasia
A
Killing of those too ill, disabled/handicapped to work.
8
Q
What was the Final Solution?
A
The systematic, deliberate, extermination of Jews from 1941
9
Q
Aktion T4
A
Nazi programme dealing with the euthanasia or murder of disabled children and adults.
10
Q
Ghettos
A
Area in a city inhabited by Jews; under Nazi rule they were separated from other citizens and forced to live in overcrowded conditions.
11
Q
Social Darwinism
A
Belief that life is a competition and that the fittest deserve to prosper whilst the unfit deserve to be left behind.
12
Q
Volk
A
German word for ‘people’ - in Nazi context, people of the same ethnic identity.
13
Q
Volksgemeinschaft
A
A ‘people’s community’ - in Nazi context. a socially and racially united groups of people made up of pure German Aryans.
14
Q
Wannsee Conference
A
Conference held in 1942 at which the Final Solution of Jews in Europe was agreed by top Nazi figures.
15
Q
Political enemies
A
150,000 left-wing enemies of the Nazis were imprisoned during 1933-45.
16
Q
Gypsies
A
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.
17
Q
Disabled people
A
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.
18
Q
Homosexuals
A
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.
19
Q
How many homosexual men were imprisoned in concentration camps?
A
Approximately 15,000
20
Q
What were asocials and what happened to them?
A
People who did not conform to Nazi social ideals i.e. the homeless, alcoholics. Many were imprisoned in concentration camps.
21
Q
In what way could Nazi persecution of Jews be viewed as a process that was NOT systematic
A
- 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.
22
Q
When was the Wannsee Conference?
A
January 20th 1942
23
Q
What happened in the Wannsee Conference and what was decided?
A
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.
24
Q
At the Wannsee Conference, how many Jews did the Nazis believed there were amongst listen countries?
A
11 million
25
January 20th 1942
Wannsee Conference
26
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."
27
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.
28
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.
29
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.
30
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.
31
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.
32
Why did Jews start to become a problem for the Nazis in WWII?
1. 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.
2. It was costing too much to keep Jews in ghettos and there were simply too many of them.
3. 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.
4. 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.
33
What was the problem with Einsatzgruppen squads?
Costly and inefficient
34
When were all Jewish lawyers and judges sacked and "Race studies" introduced to schools?
1933
35
What were key issues that Nazis were focused?
- Gaining the support of the military.
- Destroying political opposition.
36
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.
37
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.
38
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.
39
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.
40
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.
41
When was Kristallnacht?
9th-10th November 1938
42
What was Kristallnacht?
A series of pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany.
43
What was Kristallnacht?
A series of pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany, government-permitted.
44
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.
45
How many synagogues were destroyed in Kristallnacht throughout Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland?
267
46
How many businesses were damaged or destroyed in Kristallnacht?
Over 7,000
47
How many Jewish men were taken away to concentration camps during Kristallnacht?
Over 20,000
48
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.
49
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.
50
What did Hitler state in January 1939?
That war in Europe would lead to the "annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe".
51
Did the Nazis have a clear, thought out policy relating to persecution of Jewish people?
No, didn't have a clear plan
52
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.
53
What was the Jewish question?
A wide-ranging debate that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews.
54
When Jews were put into ghettos what happened to their homes and possessions?
Confiscated
55
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.
56
What other country brought about more Jews?
USSR - SS given the order to exterminate Jews in the Soviet Union
57
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
58
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.
59
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.
60
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.
61
When were most Jews killed in the Holocaust?
Between March 1942 and March 1943. As defeat became more obvious, the madness increased.
62
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.
63
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.
64
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.
65
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.
66
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.
67
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.
68
Ethnic minorities:
When does Hitler impose a national boycott of Jewish businesses?
April 1933
69
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.
70
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
71
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.
72
Ethnic minorities:
When can Jewish doctors no longer work in govt hospitals and Jewish patients can't use these hospitals?
1936
73
Ethnic minorities:
1936
Jewish doctors cannot work in government hospitals and Jewish patients cannot use these hospitals.
74
Ethnic minorities:
When was the Evian Conference?
July 1938
75
Ethnic minorities:
July 1938
The Evian Conference, world leaders refused to accept more Jewish refugees into their countries.
76
Ethnic minorities:
When is a law passed forcing Jewish women to add Sarah and men to add Israel to their names?
August 17th 1938
77
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.
78
Ethnic minorities:
When is a law passed saying Jewish passports have to be stamped with "J"?
October 5th 1938
79
Ethnic minorities:
October 5th 1938
A law is passed saying Jewish passports have to be stamped with a large red "J."
80
Ethnic minorities:
When is Kristallnacht?
November 9th 1938
81
Ethnic minorities:
November 9th 1938
Kristallnacht
82
Ethnic minorities:
When is a law passed confiscating all Jewish businesses?
December 1938
83
Ethnic minorities:
When are Jews forbidden from coming out after 8pm/owning a radio?
September 1939
84
Ethnic minorities:
September 1939
Jews cannot be out after 8pm. Jews forbidden from owning radios.
85
Ethnic minorities:
When do all Jews in Poland have to wear a yellow star on their clothes?
November 23rd 1939
86
Ethnic minorities:
November 23rd 1939
All Jews in occupied Poland have to wear a yellow star on their clothes.
87
Ethnic minorities:
When were Jews in Poland forced to move into ghettos?
April 30th 1940
88
Ethnic minorities:
April 30th 1940
Jewish people in Poland are forced to move into ghettos.
89
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
90
Ethnic minorities:
When does Himmler order the building of Auschwitz?
April 1940
91
Ethnic minorities:
When does Hitler creates 6 Einsatzgruppen to follow the German army into Russia and shoot all Jews and Communists?
May 1941
92
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.
93
June 22nd 1941
Germany invades USSR. This campaign is known as Operation Barbarossa.
94
When was Operation Barbarossa?
June 22nd 1941
95
Ethnic minorities:
August 1941
Voluntary emigration of German Jews forbidden
96
Ethnic minorities:
When is voluntary emigration of German Jews forbidden?
August 1941
97
Ethnic minorities:
When is the mass murder of Jews at Babi Yar, near Kiev?
September 29th-30th 1941
98
Ethnic minorities:
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.
99
Ethnic minorities:
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.
100
Ethnic minorities:
When is the first gassing of Jews carried out at Auschwitz?
Jan/Feb 1942
101
Ethnic minorities:
1942-44
Transportation of Jews from around
Europe to death camps. 6 million are murdered, of whom around 1 million during Einsatzgruppen massacres.
102
Ethnic minorities:
When is the transportation of Jews from Europe to death camps?
1942-44
103
What were the Nuremberg Laws?
Two race-based measures depriving Jews of rights, enacted on the 15th September 1935.
104
Did persecution of Jews become more extreme between 1933 and 1945?
- Yes to some extent, as it was slow early on. More cautious approach. 1933 Boycott/Nuremburg laws/Berlin Olympics/Kristallnacht.
- Became more extreme after the invasion of Poland and Russia - Einsatzgruppen/Wannsee Conference/Final solution BUT not necessarily evidence of a SYSTEMATIC POLICY.
- Policy towards other groups was actually more radical early on: sterilisation of those unfit/1939 Aktion T4 scheme/political opponents in camps from 1933
105
What evidence is there of Hitler being fairly cautious in pursuing his ideological and extreme ideas?
- There was only a one day boycott of Jewish shops in 1933 but this did not signal the radicalisation that would follow.
- 1936 was the Berlin Olympics and this saw Nazi racial policies reduce as Germany wanted to present a favourable impression to the world.
106
What did the Nazis have to react to re ethnic minorities?
International pressures - had to adjust their level of persecution as a result.
107
How many Jews lived in Poland when Germany invaded?
3.5 million
108
Ethnic minorities:
Between 1939-44, what did Nazi policies experience?
Cumulative radicalisation - although this was not systematic and planned, but more haphazard and the result of approaching chaos.
109
What happened when Germany invaded Poland re. ethnic minorities?
After the defeat of the Polish forces, German authorities began enforcing their racial policies in the occupied territories. They required Jews to identify themselves by wearing white armbands with a star of David and conscripted them for forced labour.
110
When was the compulsory sterilisation programme introduced?
On 14 July 1933, just a few months after the Nazi Party’s rise to power, a law was put into effect which allowed for the forced sterilisation of Germans with physical or mental health conditions assumed to be hereditary. Widened to allow abortion of the unfit by 1935.
111
How many people were sterilised between 1934 and 1945?
400,000
112
What examples of early persecution of Jews are there?
- April 1933 Boycott of Jewish shops.
- April 1933 Law for the Restoration of the Civil Service - excluded Jews from government jobs.
- 1935 Nuremberg Laws - Jews are no longer citizens of Germany.
113
How did propaganda discriminate against Jews?
It marked them out as different and sub human.
114
How many Jews emigrated between 1933 and 1939?
Over 450,000
115
How did the invasion of Poland in 1939 mark a change in policy towards Jews?
Jews sent to ghettos. Einsatzgruppen squads = mass murder.
116
Why did Strength through Joy buses take people to see Jews in ghettos?
To show how dirty and disease ridden Jews were. To mark the Jews out as depraved.
117
How many gypsies were sent to ghettos?
5,000 to Lodz in Poland. Later 40,000 more were sent there.
118
When and where was the Final Solution decided?
Wannsee Conference, January 1942
119
Identity key turning points in policy towards Jews
- Sporadic violence/separation 1933-34.
- Nuremberg Laws 1935 = Jews are no longer protected.
- 1938 Kristallnacht - open and widespread violence.
- 1939 WW2 = mass murder of Jews.
- 1941 Invasion of Russia.
- 1942 - Wannsee Conference
120
What was the Nazi dictatorship founded on?
Racist ideology - this underpins the Nazi regime.
121
What did the Nazis think was responsible for the creation of all culture?
The Aryan race
122
What was considered culture destroying races?
Jews and Roma gypsies - they were 'incapable' of sustaining and creating culture thus destroying civilisation.
123
What was key to Aryan supremacy?
'Racial hygiene' No mixing of races.
124
Describe Nazis initial approach to persecution
Initially cautious
125
Example of a symbolic measure re ethnic minorities
Burning of the books
126
Ethnic minorities
Example of legal exclusion
Law for the Reconstruction of the Civil Service 1933 - removed Jews from civil service jobs BUT included Jews who had fought in WWI until Hindenburg's death.
127
Ethnic minorities
Why did Nuremberg Laws have limited effect?
Because democracy had already been destroyed and did not take away their economic rights.
128
Ethnic minorities
What did Schacht want to do but what did Goring do instead?
Schact wanted to protect Jews' economic rights, but Goring began a policy of Aryanisation of property.
129
Ethnic minorities
What did Nazis make Jews do after Kristallnacht?
Made Jews pay for damage which was expensive so Jews had property taken away.
130
After 1939, what had persecution evolved through?
Compromise, and had often been contradictory
131
What was first set up as a solution to the Jewish problem, but not a good solution?
Ghettos
132
What led to million of Jews under Nazi control?
WWII and the occupation of more countries
133
What plan re Jews was dropped?
The Madagascar plan to deport Jews was dropped.
134
What were Jews classed as by Himmler?
Energy partisans
135
Examples of death camps
- Auschwitz
- Treblinka
136
Example of groups that were sterilised
- Mixed race children
- Those with hereditary conditions e.g physical or mental illness
- Those considered 'unfit'
- Degenerate Aryans
137
When were camps for gypsies set up?
1936
138
1938 decree
Required gypsies to register with government
139
1939 - Gypsies?
1939, gypsies forbidden to marry Aryans
140
1942 mass murder
More than 21,000 die in Auschwitz
141
How many people were sterilised from 1933-1939?
300,000
142
How many people were killed during Aktion T4?
5,000 more children and adults killed
143
What other groups were sent into camps?
African Germans
144
Culture:
What did the Nazis want tight control over and why?
Wanted tight control over culture/education - Nazi policy of Gleichschaltung (co-ordination) involved making sure that every aspect of life was controlled to meet the aims of Nazi policy, from maternity care to radio broadcasts.
145
Culture:
What did the Nazis do to culture?
Censored 'unacceptable' culture and created one of their own.
146
Culture:
What did Nazi propaganda stress?
That Germans were the Kulturträger (culture-bearers) of Europe, but that they had been led astray by the over intellectual, Jewish-led, corrupt culture of Weimar Germany.
147
Culture:
10th May 1933
Mass burning of the books
148
Culture:
When was the mass burning of the books?
10th May 1933
Towns also held book burnings of various dates throughout 1933.
149
Culture:
What happened at the mass burning of the books in May 1933?
With the help of the Nazi student organisation, the Nazis organised the mass burning of about 25,000 books that were 'unsound'.
150
Culture:
How many books were burned on 10th May 1933?
25,000
Books that were 'unsound'.
151
Culture:
Examples of books that were burned
From textbooks to famous foreign authors such as Ernest Hemingway (America). Jewish authors were all seen as 'unsound'.
152
Culture:
What other ways did the Nazis censor 'unacceptable culture'?
- Art, music and theatre were also censored, removing works that were by 'unacceptable' people like Jews, of an 'unacceptable' style e.g Expressionism with an 'unacceptable' message e.g pacifism or that were 'intellectual' (for example, works of philosophy).
- Almost anything that encouraged individualism or discouraged conformity was 'unsound'.
- Magazines, newspapers and radio were censored.
153
Culture:
To summarise, what was censored?
Things considered 'unacceptable' and work by Jews, with almost anything that encouraged individualism or discouraged conformity.
154
Culture:
How long were students collecting books from to prepare for burnings?
From 6th April until 10th May
155
Culture:
Where were book burnings held?
Big public squares of 35 cities and at night to produce the firelight effect.
156
Culture:
Describe what would have happened at a book burning
- Books were taken in a torchlight procession.
- Press were notified before and seniors Nazis made speeches.
157
Culture:
Where did Goebbels speak at a book burning and how many people were there to listen?
At the Opernplaz in Berlin and there were about 40,000 people there to listen to him denounce the immorality of the books to be burned and how Nazis were returning Germany to morality and family values.
158
Culture:
Example of immoral books that were burned?
- Erich Maria Remarques's 'All Quiet on the Western Front' for its realistic portrayal of the horrors of WW1, making it anti-war).
- Works of Helen Keller (who was deaf-blind and championed the rights of the disabled).
159
Culture:
What was set up on 22nd September 1933?
Goebbels set up the Reichskulturkammer (RKK) - the Reich Chamber of Culture.
160
Culture:
When was the Reichskulturkammer (RKK) set up?
22nd September 1933
161
Culture:
Why was the Reichskulturkammer (RKK) set up?
To control all of the creative arts, stopping culture being 'elitist' and bringing it to everyone: the right sort of culture with the right sort of message.
162
Culture:
What kind of art was acceptable?
Nationalist, approachable, realistic art.
163
Culture:
Despite the fact that Nazis encouraged modern production techniques in factories and spent a lot of public money on large-scale urban building schemes, what did they idealise?
The simple, rural life and the simple, healthy farmer, and approved art often reflected this idealised view.
164
Culture:
Art the Nazis saw as 'degenerate' often focused on what?
Urban life and was often impressionistic if not completely abstract.
165
Culture:
How did the Nazis promote 'acceptable culture'?
Through things like Strength Through Joy, art exhibition trips, sport, celebrating Mother's Day.
166
What were Nazi cultural aims?
To change the cultural landscape: to promote what they considered to be traditional “German” and “Nordic” values, to remove Jewish, “foreign,” and “degenerate” influences, and to shape a racial community which aligned with Nazi ideals.
167
Culture:
What did the RKK do?
Supervised and regulated all facets of German culture.
168
Culture:
What was banned re architecture?
New functionalism and Bauhaus style movement.
169
Culture:
How did the RKK work?
All artists, publishers and art dealers had to be registered with the Reich Chamber of Culture, which had separate departments. The Chamber could refuse to register degenerate art and it laid down strict guidelines for what could be produced.
170
Culture:
How did the Nazis get everyone involved in culture?
There were 'Strength Through Joy' trips to the theatre, the opera and to art galleries and museums.
171
Culture:
What was 'Strength Through Joy'?
A German state-operated leisure organisation in Nazi Germany.
172
Culture:
What did art exhibitions in Germany show?
Showed people 'acceptable' art whilst also 'educating' them in the kind of art they should despise.
173
Culture:
When was the degenerate art exhibition in Munich?
1937
174
Culture:
1937
There was a 'degenerate art exhibition' in Munich. The pictures had information boards explaining why the art on display was worthless and 'corrupt'. The day before the exhibition started, Adolf Hitler delivered a speech declaring "merciless war" on cultural disintegration.
175
Culture:
Example of where 'acceptable art' was displayed
In factories and other workplaces, to saturate people with images that conveyed Nazi propaganda.
176
Culture:
What was the Nazi's view of sport?
Sport was encouraged, for everyone, to produce a healthy nation.
177
Culture:
What were artists/sculptors encouraged to produce?
Art that showed strong, healthy, physically perfect Aryans.
178
Culture:
Example of a large scale sporting event that was held in Nazi Germany
- 1936 Olympics was an opportunity to show off German sporting abilities (Germany hosted).
- Germany won 89 medals, 33 of them gold. The USA had the next highest number of medals (56) followed by Italy (22). So Germany could count the games as a triumph, even though they did not always use their best athletes - they excluded.
Jewish athletes, for example.
179
Culture:
How many medals did Germany win at the 1936 Berlin olympics?
89 medals, 33 of them gold.
The USA had the next highest number of medals (56) followed by Italy (22). So Germany could count the games as a triumph, even though they did not always use their best athletes - they excluded.
Jewish athletes.
180
Culture:
What was rearranged around important dates?
The calendar of festivals and holidays was rearranged around important dates in Nazi history, e.g Mother's Day.
181
Culture:
Example of an official holiday that was celebrated
Mother's Day - celebrated on Hitler's mother's birthday.
There were parades that people were expected to watch and cheer, which usually ended with propagandist speeches. In large cities, such as Berlin and Munich, some of these parades were increasingly military in character after 1935, with not just soldiers but also tanks and armoured vehicles parading through the streets.
182
Culture:
What kind of building works did the Nazis establish?
The Nazis had huge building projects in the cities.
- This was useful in creating work.
- Also created the impression of the Third Reich as being powerful and established.
- The large-scale public buildings were hung with enormous flags that showed the Nazi swastika.
183
Culture:
Example of Nazis having huge building works
- Reichssportfeld (sports complex)
- Olympic Village
Both built especially for the 1936 Olympics.
The Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg was another example of large-scale building designed to impress.
184
Culture:
Describe the stadium in the 1936 Berlin Olympics
The stadium itself could hold over 100,000 spectators and there was a special stand for Hitler and his guests.
185
Culture:
What was the large building 'the Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg' used for?
- It was where Nazis held yearly rallies in late August or September from 1933 to 1938.
- They lasted up to a week and drew not only Germans but many foreign journalists.
- It was also here that many of the party Leaders made long propaganda speeches.
CATHEDRAL OF LIGHT
186
Culture:
During the 'burning of the books' on the 10th May 1933, where were books seized from?
From private and public libraries - they were considered undesirable on account of their Jewish, socialist or pacifist tendencies.
187
Culture:
How did many respond to the book burnings?
For a nation whose literary heritage was one of the greatest in Europe, it was seen by many as an act of mindless barbarism.
Aptly set the tone for the cultural life of Nazi Germany.
188
Culture:
What was the purpose of Nazi culture?
Moulding public opinion. Germany's cultural life during the Third Reich was simply to be another means of achieving censorship and indoctrination.
Very different from Weimar.
189
Culture:
When was the Reich Chamber of Culture set up?
1933 (had 7 sub chambers)
190
Culture:
What key themes was Nazi culture dominated by?
Reflected ideological prejudices:
- anti-Semitism
* militarism and the glorification of war
* nationalism and the supremacy of the Aryan race
* the cult of the Führer and the power of absolutism
* anti-modernism and the theme of 'Blood and Soil'
* neo-paganism and a rejection of traditional Christian values.
191
Culture:
Did Nazi culture emphasise modernism?
NO!
It reflected anti-modernism i.e rejects/critical of changes to culture brought about by technological advancement.
192
Culture:
Did music survive during Nazi period?
Yes, the world of music managed to survive reasonably well in the Nazi environment, partly because of its less obvious political overtones.
193
Culture:
What music was proudly exploited by the Nazis? Examples of composers
Germany's rich classical tradition from the works of Bach to Beethoven was proudly exploited by the regime.
194
Culture:
What music was banned?
- Mahler and Mendelssohn, both great Jewish composers.
- Most modern musical trends.
- The new 'genres' of jazz and dance-band were respectively labelled
'Negroid' and 'decadent'.
195
Culture:
How many of Germany's writers left their homeland during 1933-45 in reaction to the new cultural atmosphere?
2,500
196
Culture:
Example of writers that left Germany due to the new cultural atmosphere (2,500 left)
- Thomas Mann
- Bertolt Brecht
- Erich Maria Remarque
197
Culture:
Who replaced the 2,500 writers that left during the Nazi regime?
A lesser literary group, who either sympathised with the regime or accepted the limitations.
198
Culture:
What did actors/musicians use to content themselves with?
Productions of the classics e.g Schiller, Goethe (and Shakespeare) - in the knowledge that such plays were politically acceptable and in the best traditions of German theatre.
199
Culture:
In what way were arts limited by Nazi constraints?
Modern schools of art were held in total contempt and Weimar's rich cultural awakening was rejected as degenerate and symbolic of the moral and political decline of Germany
under a system of parliamentary democracy.
200
Culture:
Examples of art that was censored under Nazi regime
- 'New objectivity' artists, like Georg Grosz and Otto Dix, who aimed to comment on the state of society.
- The Bauhaus style started by Walter Gropius, which influenced the close relationship between art and technology.
201
Culture:
Example of how much the Nazism resented modern styles of art
July 1937 two contrasting exhibitions launched: 'Degenerate Art' and 'Great German Art'.
202
Culture:
What did the 'Great German Art' exhibition show?
Glorified all the major Nazi themes of Volksgemeinschaft and celebrated classic styles and traditional nineteenth-century romanticism.
203
Culture:
Who was sculptor-in-chief of Nazi Germany and what did they do?
Arno Breker
- By collaborating closely with Albert Speer he undertook numerous government commissions. His statues celebrated Aryan physical perfection and the importance of comradeship.
204
Culture:
Who was the main architect of the Third Reich?
Albert Speer, who drew up many of the great plans for rebuilding the German cities - he oversaw the 1936 Berlin Olympics stadium.
205
Culture:
What is the only field that Nazis could be seen making a contribution to?
Cinema/film, as some of the movies were just for pure escapism.
206
Culture:
What were many of the major film studios of Nazi Germany?
They were in the hands of nationalist sympathisers. Not good
207
Culture:
What happened to Jewish films actors and directors?
Removed and then they decided to leave Germany e.g Fritz Lang
208
Culture:
Who is the perhaps the most famous German émigrée? (as Jewish film actors were removed)
Marlene Dietrich, who swiftly established a new career in Hollywood.
209
Culture:
What did Goebbels recognise about the film industry?
He recognised the importance of expanding the film industry, not only as a means of propaganda, but also as an entertainment form.
210
Culture:
Out of 1097 feature films between 1933-45, how many were specifically at the request of the propaganda industry?
Only 96.
Shows that cinema was mostly used for entertainment in Nazi Germany.
211
Culture:
What types can Nazi Germany films be divided into?
- Overt propaganda, e.g. The Eternal Jew (Ewige Jude) that portrayed Jews like rats.
- Pure escapism, e.g. The Adventures of Baron von Münchhausen.
- Emotive nationalism, e.g. Olympia.
212
Culture:
Example of overt propaganda films
- The Eternal Jew (Ewige Jude) that portrayed Jews like rats. (1940)
- Hitlerjunge Queux, based on the story of a Nazi murdered by the
communists. (1933)
213
Culture:
Example of pure escapism films
- The Adventures of Baron von Münchhausen, a comedy based on an old German legend which gives the baron the powers of immortality.
214
Culture:
Examples of emotive nationalism films
- Olympia, Leni Riefenstahl's docu-drama of the Berlin Olympics.
- Triumph of the Will, Riefenstahl's film about the 1934 Nuremberg Rally.
- Kolberg, an epic produced in the final year of the war, which played on the national opposition to Napoleon.
215
Culture:
What lines from a play underlines the anti-culture approach of the Nazis?
The play Schlageter (1934) by Hanns Johst - 'Whenever I hear the word culture, I reach for my gun'.
216
What was cultural life during the Third Reich?
Effectively silenced - it could only operate within the Nazi strait-jacket and to that extent Goebbels succeeded in censoring it.
217
However, what was the problem for the Nazis re culture?
The regime most certainly failed in its attempts to create a new Nazi cultural identity firmly rooted in the minds of the Volk.
218
What was different between Weimar and Nazi culture?
- Weimar = freedom of speech, new objectivity, bauhaus, permissiveness was evident in culture e.g Cabaret clubs.
- Nazi = indoctrination and gleichschaltung, glorification of war, art glorified the volksgemeinschaft and rettend to class styles and romanticism, idealised the simple peasant life, international influences + Jewish actors removed.
219
When was the degenerate exhibition in Munich?
1937
220
Culture:
How was sporting prowess encouraged?
- 1936 Berlin olympics = opportunity to show off sporting abilities, Germany won 89 medals (33 of them gold), but Jewish athletes were excluded.
- Sculptors encouraged to produce art showing physically perfect Aryans.
221
Culture:
What public holidays became more important?
Mother's Day - celebrated on Hitler's mother's birthday.
222
Culture:
How were buildings were used to promote Nazi ideology?
- Public buildings hung with swastika.
- Reichsportsfield and Olympic village had a special stand for Hitler and guests.
- Nazi Party Rally grounds in Nuremberg designed to impress. Yearly rallies held here between 1933 and 1938.
223
CULTURE SUMMARY NAZI
In this time period, culture was important because it was believed that art, film, etc. could convey their message and persuade people to obey their leader and make sacrifices for the good of the race. The essential character of the Aryan race was its capacity to create profound and wonderful culture. Messages of antisemitism and nationalism were all conveyed through culture so that culture reflected the supremacy of the Aryan race. Neo-classicism was a major influence.
224
What was a major influence on Nazi culture?
Neo-classicism (roman/greek times)
225
What did Nazis believe about WR culture?
That it declined moral and cultural standards.
226
What percentage of Germans owned a radio by 1932?
25%
227
What was the Peoples' Receiver?
A relatively inexpensive radio for Germans. It was called the Volksempfänger, or People’s Receiver.
228
Aims of the Ministry for Propaganda?
Responsible for 1) glorifying the regime 2) spreading nazi ideology and values and 3) winning over the people
229
Culture:
Aims of Nazi Germany
- Gleichschaltung - Nazis wanted tight control over culture as it was very important to them.
- They believed art could help convey their message and persuade people to obey the Fuhrer and make sacrifices for the good of the Aryan race.
- It was central to their view of history - human history was a battle between culture creating and culture destroying races.
- Nazis wanted to create a profound and advanced culture and promote their ideology.
230
Culture:
Influenced by?
- Nazi ideology
- American influences banned/censored
- Romanticising peasant life
- Architecture looking back to classic styles (Neo-classicism) - the Roman/Greek times.
231
When was Otto Dix sacked from his teaching post?
1933
232
What did Hitler commission Leni Riefenstahl to do?
Make The Triumph of the Will about the Nazi Party congress.
233
What kind of buildings did Hitler want?
Buildings that symbolised greatness and heroism, such as the Reich Chancellery which was completed in less than a year due to slave labour. However some buildings were just defined to be functional.
234
Culture:
Attitudes?
Widespread dissent amongst young people - Swing Youth for example listening to jazz music.
PEOPLE COULDN'T OPPOSE
