chapter 16 - social policies Flashcards
young people
schools
under the law for the reestablishment of a professional service (1933) a number of teachers were dismissed on the grounds of political unreliability or because they were jewish
teachers were pressured into joining the national socialist teachersâ league but most teachers were willing to comply with the regimes demands. the historian Joachim Fest has claimed that the teaching profession was one of the most politically reliable sections of the population
vetting of textbooks was undertaken by the local nazi committees after 1933. from 1935 central directives were issued by the ministry of education covering what could be taught and by 1938 these rules covered every school year and most subjects
control over the curriculum
political indoctrination permeated every area of the school curriculum
the nazis aim to promote racial health led to an emphasis on physical education. military style drills became a feature of PE lessons
in German lessons, the aim was to instil a consciousness of being German through the study of nordic sagas and other traditional stories
in biology, there was a stress on race and hereditary. there was also a strong emphasis on evolution and the survival of the fittest
geography was used to develop awareness of the concepts of lebensraum, blood and soil and German racial superiority. atlases implicitly supported the concept of one people, one reich
universities
due to importance of physical education and political indoctrination the nazis downgraded the importance of academic education and the number of students attending university decreased between 1933 and 1939
access to higher education was strictly rationed and selection was made on the basis of political reliability
women were restricted to 10% of the available uni places while jews were restricted to 1.5%
coordination of universities followed much the same pattern as schools
- under law for the reestablishment of a professional civil service, about 1200 university staff were dismissed on racial or political grounds (15% of the total)
- November 1933 - all university teachers were made to sign a declaration in support of hitler and the national socialist state
- students had to join the German students league although some 25% managed to avoid doing this
- students were also forced to do 4 months labour service and two months in an sa camp. labour service would give students experience of real life considered by the nazis to be more important than academic learning
nazis encountered very little resistance to their policies of bringing the universities under their control. coordination was made easier by the voluntary self coordination of many facilities. even in the weimar period, the universities had been dominated by the nationalist and anti - democratic attitudes and traditional student fraternities were a breeding ground for reactionary politics. nazis were able to tap into a pre existing culture of extreme nationalism and infuse it with nazi ideology. this was helped by the studentsâ knowledge that their prospects of employment after graduating depended on showing outward support for the regime
the hitler youth
created in 1926 and in its early years it was relatively unsuccessful
when nazis came to power in 1933 all other youth organisations except those linked to the Catholic Church were banned or taken over by the hitler youth
1936 - a law for the incorporation of German youth have the hitler youth the status of an official education movement, equal in status to school and the home. catholic youth organisations were banned and the hitler youth became the only officially permitted youth organisation
by 1936 - hitler youth had been granted a monopoly over all sports facilities and competitions for children under the age of 14
MEMBERSHIP OF THE HITLER YOUTH BECAME COMPULSORY IN 1939.
there was a constant diet of political indoctrination and physical activity. boys from the age of 10 were taught the motto â live faithfully, fight bravely and die laughingâ
emphasis in youth activity was on competition, struggle, heroism and leadership as boys were prepared for their future role of warriors
members had to swear a personal oath of allegiance to the fĂŒhrer
there was a set syllabus pf political indoctrination which all members had to follow and a heavy emphasis on military drill.
boys were taught to sing nazi songs and encouraged to read nazi political pamphlets. they were taken on hikes and on camping trips. rituals, ceremonies and the singing of songs reinforced their induction into nazi ideology
the opportunity to participate in sports and camping trips away from home made the organisation attractive to millions of German boys, many of whom grew up in the 1930s with no experience of other systems
their growing up was shaped by the hitler youth and the nazi emphasis on struggle, sacrifice, loyalty and discipline became accepted as the norm. many children had joined against the wishes of parents who were not nazi sympathisers and had grown up in a different era. for these boys, the hitler youth offered an outlet for their teenage rebelliousness.
by the late 1930s - as the organisation became more bureaucratic and rigid, there were signs that enthusiasm was beginning to wane
â-> reports of poor attendance at weekly parades
boys resented the harsh punishments imposed for minor infringements of the rules
the league of German girls
bund deutscher MĂ€del
the female equivalent of the hitler youth
motto - â be faithful, be pure, be Germanâ
part of the process for preparing girls for their future role as being housewives and mothers in volksgemeinschaft
membership became compulsory in 1939 - same as hitler youth
girls were taught that they had a duty to be healthy since their bodies belonged to the nation. they needed to be fit for their future role as child bearers. instructed in matters of hygiene, cleanliness and healthy eating.
formation dancing and group gymnastics served the dual purpose of raising fitness and developing comradeship
at weekly home evenings girls were taught handicrafts, sewing and cooking. there were also sessions for political education and racial awareness. annual summer camps were highly structured, every minute being taken up with sports, physical exercise and route marches as well as indoctrination, flag waving and saluting.
faith and beauty groups young women were instructed in baby care and social skills such as ballroom dancing
many girls found their experiences in BDM as liberating. they were doing things that their mothers had not been allowed to do and they could escape from the constraints of their home. developed a sense of comradeship.
BDM groups were relatively classless bringing together girls from a wide range of backgrounds. this was part of the strategy for capturing minds of German youth and moulding them to the purposes of the nazi regime. racial awareness was an important element in this indoctrination
Jutta RĂŒdiger , leader of the BDM, instructed girls on their future partners in marriage, â only the best German soldier is suitable for you, for it is your responsibility to keep the blood of the nation pure. German girl your honour lies in being faithful to the blood of your race.â
after 1934 - girls expected to do a years work on the land or in domestic service. aim was to put girls in touch with their peasant roots and give them practical experience in child care
also developed their sense of serving the community. unpopular with girls from the cities and many tried to avoid it
1939 - this scheme was made compulsory
all German women under the age of 25 had to do a year of unpaid work with the reichs labour service before they could get paid employment. female equivalent to compulsory military service for the boys and was a part of the growing coordination of all levels of German society under nazi rule
women
the main priority for nazi policy towards women after 1933 was to raise the birth rate. attempts to restrict the employment of married women outside the family home
- marriage loans introduced for women who left work and married an aryan man
- nazis awarded medals for women who donated a baby to the fĂŒhrer
- birth control was discouraged and abortion was severely restricted
- women were encouraged to adopt to a healthy lifestyle, with plenty of exercise and no smoking or drinking
organisations created for women
German womanâs league (DFW) -
set up in 1933
coordinate all womenâs groups under nazi control
domestic science department which gave advice to women on cooking and healthy eating
by 1939 - DFW had 6 million members, 70% of whom were not members of the nazi party
the national socialist womanâs league (NS-F) -
elite organisation to promote the nations âlove life, marriage, the family, blood and raceâ
primarily an organisation for propaganda and indoctrination among women to promote the nazi ideology that women should be child - rearers and homemakers
the reichs mothers service (RMD) -
branch of the DFW for training physically and mentally able mothers to make them convinced of the important duties of motherhood, experienced in the care and education of their children and competent to carry out their domestic tasks
by march 1939 - 1.7 million women had attended its motherhood training services
what happened in 1936
growing labour shortages in Germany as the pace of rearmament increased
regime began to encourage women to take up employment
when were existing trade unions banned
2nd may 1933
The German Labour Front (DAF)
established 6th may 1933 under the leadership of Robert ley
took over the assets of the banned trade unions and became the largest organisation in the third reich
membership of the DAF was not compulsory but its membership grew rapidly since it was the only officially recognised organisation representing workers
daf had 2 main aims
1) win the workers over to the volksgemeinshaft
2) encourage workers to increase production
DAF included employers as well as workers
DAF REPLACED TRADE UNIONS BUT WAS NOT A TRADE UNION ITSELF
no role in bargaining over wages and little influence over the regimes social and economic policies
had its own propaganda department to spread nazi ideology among working class germans
established a subsidiary organisation âstrength through joyâ to organise workers leisure time
1936 - DAF started to provide vocational training courses to improve workersâ skills
DAF built up a large business empire of its own - included banks, housing associations and construction companies, the Volkswagen car plant and its own travel company
by 1939 - DAF had 44,500 paid employees
nazis were well aware that they could not take the workers for granted
strength through joy (KDF)
set up by Robert Ley and the DAF to organise workersâ leisure time
basic idea behind the scheme was that workers would âgain strength for their work by experiencing joy in their leisureâ
workers who were refreshed by holidays, sports and cultural activities would be more efficient when they returned to work
aims of the KDF
submerge the individual in the mass and encourage workers to see themselves as a volksgemeinschaft, with leisure time as well as work time regulated by the regime, there would be no time for workers to develop private lives
kdf was a propagandist organisation which used its activities to indoctrinate workers and their families into nazi ideology
encourage a spirit of social equality. all kdf activities were organised on a one class basis with no distinction between rich and poor
to bring germans from the different regions of the country together and to break down regional and religious differences
to encourage participation in sport to improve the physical and mental health of the nation. every youth in employment was obliged to undertake 2 hours each week of physical education at their workplace
to encourage competition and ambition a kdf national trades competition was organised for apprentices to improve skills and standards of work
what were kdf members offered
subsidised holidays in Germany and abroad
sporting activities and hikes
theatre and cinema visits at reduced prices
classical music concerts were put on in their lunch breaks in factories
kdf wardens in every factory and workplace employing more than 20 people
