Aspects of Life in Weimar and Nazi Germany Flashcards
Why were there severe food shortages in Germany during the war?
It was hard to farm when all the horses had been taken from the front whilst most of the food was being sent there. Allied blockades of ports stopped supplies getting into Germany
What did food shortages in the first world war lead Germans to eat?
Alternative foods such as K brot which is bread made from potatoes, oats and sometimes even straw
What was life like due to malnutrition for ordinary Germans?
Infant mortality or still births were high.
What is an example of how much of an issue malnutrition was for ordinary Germans?
In one district of Berlin 90 percent of all children between 2 and 6 were undernourished
What shows that the establishment of the 8 hour working day in 1918 was unsuccessful?
It had all but disappeared by 1924 as though it was still the law workers not could afford to press for it and employers never wanted it.
How did the goverment cater for the poorest in society?
They were given benefits although it wasn’t alot
Why did even skilled workers and low level clerical workers experience rising unemployment?
Businesses preferred to employ women who they could pay significantly less
What were Labour exchange laws?
They set up goverment offices in 1922 to provide training and help to find work for the unemployed. This put forward the ides that people had the right to work.
When was the economic Enabling law introduced?
Febuary 1924
What is the economic Enabling law?
It restructures unemployment benefit and sets rates for employers contributions
What is the reich social welfare law?
Also introduced in Feburary 1924, it pulls together all of the different post war benefits and relief systems and sets up municipal welfare offices too administer them
What is the reich pension law?
It regulates pensions especially those paid to war veterans, war widows and parents of dead soldiers and is not linked to the rank of the soldiers but the jobs they had before they joined up
What is unemployment insurance law?
This introduces unemployment insurance to give benefit to all of those outside of work not just temporarily unemployed due to sickness.
What was the standard of living in Germany divided by in 1933 -39?
Between those of the conformist ‘pure germans’ the people that Nazis saw as ‘undesirable’
What was the law which eventually lead to the T4 programme?
On the 18th of August 1939 a law was passed that all doctors, nurses and midwives had to report any babies and children under 3 that showed any sign of physical or mental disability
When did the T4 programme begin?
October 1939
What was the T4 programme?
Parents were offered the chance to send their disabled children too specialist clinics where they were killed. The programme was expanded to cover all disabled children upto the age of 17
From January 1940 how was the T4 programme extended?
It was extended to other hospitals and institutions for the old, mentally ill or the chronically sick.
How many people died under the T4 programme?
Over 70,000
How did the Nazis identify familys as a social?
Familys that failed to lay rent, failed to keel a month or were alcholic
How were a social familys treated between October 36 and July 40?
They were sent for about a year to be re-educate at Hashude, a fenced off housing estate for 78 familys
What happened at Hashude?
Lectures and classes, living to set schedules and visits at any hours of the day or night by officials
Why was Hasude closed?
Housing became too scarce to maintain
Initially how did living standards improve under the Nazis for conformist?
Unemployment dropped whilst Nazi statistics showed real wages improving
What were the problems with the Nazis improving living conditions?
Wages were regulated so people did not have too much spending money because industry was geared to war production not consumables. Real wages only improved if a worker worked over time.
What extras did the strength through joy programme provide?
They included provision of loans, medical care and extra food and vitamins for suitable mothers. There was also the chance to save for a Volskwagen
What did the Nazis set up to deal with social welfare
The National Socalist People’s Welfare
How did the NSV divide people and what was its aim?
They divided people into the needy who deserves help and those who did not. The NSVs aims were to create a healthy nation not to care for the needs of individuals
What were 3 things the NVS did?
- Ran the mother and child programme and the creches and kindergardens s 2. Responsible for housing 3. Ran a yearly winter aid programme.
By 1939 how many had the NVS employed?
They had over a million voluntary workers and about 500,000 block workers who were responsible for 30-60 households
What was the yearly winter aid programme?
Fron 1939 the NVS distributed clothes and ran soup kitchens at emergency centres. Hitler announced its launch urging people ro contribute and by the next day he announced that 2 million reischmark had been donated some by Nazi head quaters.
Why was it hard for people to refuse to donate to the yearly winter aid programme?
A blockwarden often in SA uniform would be the ones asking for donations. Some factories also took a ‘voluntary’ donation from wages.
How did many people view the NSV officials?
They saw the volunteers as Nazi snoopers who were hoping to catch people breaking regulations for example listening to foreign radio broadcasts.
What had women’s roles been viewed as being in Germany?
Kinder, Kuche und Kirche
What did the German Civil code of 1900 say?
Women could not vote, single women could study for a profession such as law, but could not take the exams to qualify and practice.
What was the status of a married women pre WW1 like?
They had no legal status at all, a man had to do any legal business on their behalf.
What role did women take on during the war and what is an example of this?
They took the place of men in factories, on farms and almost every other role of life. In 1913 the armaments manufacturer Krupp had no women employees, by 1918 it had over 28,000
By the end of the war what percentage of working age women were in war?
75%
How many men died in ww1?
1.6 million
What did the deaths of men during the war mean for women?
Surplus women, women who could not find husbands were now significant part of the population
What was the turnout for women in the first Weimar elections?
90%
How many women were elected into the Reichstag between 1919 and 1932?
112
What did the Weimar constitution say about women?
It stated that women had equal rights, “in principle.” It also stated that marriage should be an equal union and women should be able to enter legal professions
What was the draw back of the Weimar’s constitution on women?
It only said in principle and should be. It did not change the legal status of women under the civil code.
What was the party that mostly supported equality and women’s rights?
The SPD
Why were some people in the Reichstag concerned about the changing roles of women?
The birth rate was fallling
How many live births per 1000 were then in 1911 vs 1933?
128 to 59
How did the divorce rate change throughout the Weimar period?
It went up which concerened some people
What was the Weimar governments policy in regard to returning soliders and work?
Women were to give their job up back to men
What did a post war census in 1925 show about women employment figures?
They were almost at pre war levels, with 36% of the workforce being female whilst it had been 34% before the war
What types of jobs did women do?
Women were expected to give up the jobs traditionally done by men and there were many more white blouse jobs after the war such as shop work traditionally done by women
In office work how were women paid compared to men?
They were on average paid 33% less then men.
What was one of the main causes of opposition to women entering the work force?
Women were not expected to have a career as they were expected to give up their job when they married. Professions required long term training and provided a career.
By 1933 how many women lawyers were there?
36
What was one of the struggles that married women faced if they wanted to work?
The school day was structured to end at lunch time so they needed to find childcare or work from home.
How many women were doing poorly paid work from home in 1925?
Over a quarter of a million as they could do this whilst looking after their children.
What idea rose in the media about women?
The idea of the new women
Why did women face less unemployment during the depression then men?
They were cheaper to employ
In 1932 what was unemployment like for men vs women?
46% vs 33%
What law did Bruning pass in regards to women in May 1932?
It allowed for the dismissal of married women in government service if they were had husbands who were earning, this was the same as was happening in privately owned industries.
What was the BDM?
The league of German girls, the older female Nazi youth group
What slogan did the Nazis use to show their view on women?
Kinder Kuche und Kirche to give their view of women a familiar feel
Why did the Nazis not really want women to attend church?
It competed with their influence.
What did the Nazis think of families?
They saw the family as too individualistic and wanted family members to work for the good of Germany, not too support the familu.
What organisastion organised activities for non Nazi members?
the German workers enterprise
What did couples need to qualify for a marriage loan?
A license saying they were fit and racially acceptable.
How was help with school fees provided by the Nazis?
Some were helped with school and transport fees but only after an interview eliminated the “unsuitable families.” Poor familes were given grants of up to 100 rm per child.
What was the lebensborn programme?
It started in 1936 and was run by a special part o the SS. Its aim was to produce healthy ayran children. Selected men, usually members of the SS, were selected to mare with as many different “racially pure,” young women as possible many from the BDM. The programme had its own hospitals, clinics and homes for children born under the children. They were then adopted by fit Germans who had trouble concieving. Once the third reich began to expand, the lebensborn programme took suitable children from families in the lands they took over and out them into homes.
What was the SS marriage order of 1931?
It stated that members of the SS can only marry Aryan women.
How was the SS marriage order amended in 1936?
It now said that SS married or not had to have at least 4 children by an aryan women
What did the loan to reduce employment state in regards to women?
It included an interest free marriage loan to aryan couples if a woman gave up her job and promised not to work again as long as the woman has a job and is passed as fit to have children. The loan is reduced by a quarter for every child the woman has.
What did the Nazis announce in regards to women on the 30th of June 1933?
All married women in the civil service with wage earning husbands are to be dismissed while the wages of the rest are fixed lower.
What was the law for the prevention of offspring with hereditary diseases?
This was passed on the 14th of July 1933, it made it possible to sterilize those (male or female,) with mental and physical disabilities, but it also extended to women with several sexual partners or illegitimate children and to male and female alcoholics. It secretly extended to cover racial undesirability.
What were women excluded from in 1936?
Working in the law except in administive posts.
What was the law for the protection of hereditary health of german people?
Passed on the 18th of October 1935, it stated that a fitness to marry certificate is required to prove that neither couple is genetically or racially impure.
What was change was announced to marriage loans in 1937?
Due to increasing war goods production to be ready for war, women can still work and be awarded the marriage loan.
How did the Nazis change divorce law in 1938?
Marriage law extended the grounds for divorce to include infertility, having an abortion and refusing to have a baby.
What was the mothers cross?
Introduce in May 1939, it was given to mothers with four (bronze,) six (silver,) or eight or more (gold) children. It is awarded on mothers day, Hitlers mothers birthday in August.
What was one of the large effects that Nazi policies had on women?
A large number of women, especially married ones, lost their jobs. Single women still found work, usually domestic work but were excluded from the highest level of work. Even highly skilled doctors were expected to work in suitable jobs such as maternity clinics or GPs rather than putting their skills to full use.
How were women teachers treated in the Nazi period?
Despite being the highest female professional group, they could only work at the lowest levels in schools, women who taught in secondary school had to teach primary school children.
How did women civil servants work?
They had to work in a woman’s section of the governments office in which they worked.
How were mothers with soldiers who had died or were on active service treated?
They were given more support and honored on occasions such as mothers day which the Nazis made a national holiday. They were brought together in small groups for coffee and cake with local youth groups.
What were the expectations placed on mothers that didn’t include having children?
They were expected to eat well, get enough exercise and not spoke. She was expected to be a good house wife and a faithful wife. The Nazis expected their various organisastions to monitor mothers to make sure they met these standards.
How did attitudes to women change during the war period?
War put extra pressure on production so women were urged to join war work even if they were married and more child care was provided.
How many kindergarten and creches did the NSV have by the end of 1942?
31,000
How was the amount of women in work during ww2 compared to ww1?
There were far less women in work, it only went up by 2% between 1939 and 44 whilst in WW1 it gone up by 76% between 1913 and 1918
What were the 3 main reasons why there wasn’t as much as an increase in women entering work during ww2?
- The Nazi propaganda had worked well and many organisastions were reluctant to have them, telling women who said they had children to go home. 2. The government did not use women in all types of war work preferring them to replace male teachers or work on the land rather then in the mines or heavy industry as they were doing in Britain 3. Germany had the use of foreign labour from the lands they conquered so their need to mobilise women was nowhere as great as other places.
In 1944 what amount of the workforce in agriculture and war production were foreigners?
About one third
How were women foreign workers treated?
They were expected to work as they weren’t pure aryan women.
What do the foreign workers figures not include?
The people forced to work in labour camps.
From October 1940 what were women allowed to do?
Join the armed forces in women’s auxiliary services doing clerical and support jobs to free up men to fight.
What did women in the BDM have to do in regards to work during the war?
They had to serve in the forces for six-month and they could then chose whether they stayed or left.
When there were not enough members of women in the auxillary services what did the Nazis introduce?
Compulsory military service for women between 18 and 40.
How was the law to get women into military service enforced?
It wasn’t rigously enforced, women could be excused for a number of reasons including ill health.
