Aspects Of Life Nazi Germany Flashcards
What was the nazi policy of gleichschaltung?
The nazi policy of gleichschaltung (coordination) meant that Nazis wanted tight control over education as well as culture. They censored ‘unacceptable’ culture and created one of their own. Nazi propaganda stressed that the Germans were the culture bearers of Europe but they had been lead astray by the over intellectual, Jewish led, corrupt couture of Weimar
What happened to books deemed unacceptable?
On the 10th of May 1933, the Nazis organised the mass burning of about 25 000 books that were ‘unsound’. These books ranged from textbooks to famous foreign authors such as Ernest Hemingway. All Jewish authors were seen as unsound as well. Towns also held book burnings throughout various times in 1933.
What else was censored?
Art, music and theatre was also censored. Works from unacceptable people (Jews…) were censored, works of an unacceptable style (such as expressionism), with an unacceptable message of (e.g. pacifism) or that were ‘intellectual’ (e.g. works of philosophy) were also censored.
Anything that promoted individualism and a break from conformity was ‘unsound’. Magazines, newspapers and radios were also censored.
When was the reichskulturkammer set up (RKK) and what did it do?
22 September 1933 - Goebbels set up the RKK. The RKK led and controlled the National Socialist “coordination” [Gleichschaltung] of culture by making membership in its organization mandatory for anyone active in any cultural field and by engaging heavily in censorship. Artists who were deemed racially or politically undesirable were barred from membership and were thus effectively prevented from working. Particular attention was given to new media, radio and film, for they had great potential with respect to propaganda.
What kind of art was acceptable
Nationalist, approachable and realistic art was acceptable. Despite the fact that the Nazis encouraged modern production techniques in factories and spent a lot of public money in large scale urban building schemes, they idealised the simple, rural life and the simple, healthy farmer, and approved art often reflected these ideals
What kind of art wa unacceptable?
Art they saw as degenerate or unacceptable was often focused on urban life and was often impressionistic, if not completely abstract.
How did strength through joy promote acceptable culture?
Strength through joy trips were to the theatre, opera and to art galleries and museums. Trips to art museums demonstrated what ‘acceptable’ art was like. However the trips also ‘educated’ them in art they should despise. In 1937, there was a ‘degenerate’ art exhibition in Munich. The pictures had information boards next to them, explaining why the painting was degenerate. Acceptable art was also placed around factories and workplaces to saturate people with images that conveyed nazi propaganda
How and why was sport encouraged
Sport was encouraged for everyone to produce a healthy nation. Artists, especially sculptors were encouraged to produce art that showed strong and healthy and physically perfect Aryans. Various kinds of large scale Sporting events were held, and hosting the 1936 olympics was an opportunity to demonstrate German sporting abilities. Germany won 89 medals, 33 gold. The USA had 2nd most medals, then followed by Italy
How were festivals and holidays rearranged to promote culture?
Mother’s Day was moved to hitlers mothers birthday. There were parades that people were expected to see and cheer for. These often ended up with propagandist speeches. In major cities like Munich and Berlin, some of these parades were increasingly military in character after 1935, not just with soldiers but also tanks and armoured vehicles parading through the streets.
Nazi building projects
Useful in creating work, but it created the impression of the third reich being powerful. The large scale public buildings were hung with Enormous flags that displayed the swastika. Examples of this was the reichssportfeld and Olympic village that were built especially for 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Stadium could hold over 100 000 spectators .
Another example is nazi party rally grounds in Nuremberg, designed to impress. Nazis held rallied from late august to September from 1933 - 1938. They lasted up to a week and drew not only Germans, but many foreign journalists. Many party leaders often made long propaganda speeches here.
What did the pursuit of racial purity entail
Getting rid of the elderly and disabled, jews and other ethnic minorities. They quickly brought in laws into force to control breeding as well as increasingly violence persecution of ethnic minorities
When was sterilisation introduced?
1 January 1934 - Nazis began a compulsory sterilisation programme. Doctors and hospitals had to report those they saw as ‘unfit’ to breed to one of the hundreds of Hereditary Health Courts set up all over Germany, which decided who to sterilise
Who was targeted for sterilisation?
Jews, gypsies, criminals, blacks, mixed race.
When was the law on sterilisation extended?
June 1935 - to allow abortion of the ‘unfit’. Sterilisation was publicised in the press and at public meetings. It was even taught in schools, using pamphlets, books and films
How many people were sterilised during the programme?
Despite no official figures - between 1934 and 1935, around 400 000 people were sterilised, almost all against their own will.
5000 have been known to have died from the procedure, most of them women.
