Chapter 4 Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-39 Flashcards
Once the Nazis gained power, what policies did they introduce that affected woman’s lives in may ways ?
- For women to adopt a ‘natural’ look with simple plaited/ tied back hair and long skirts
- To marry and have as many children as possible
- To believe in the Nazi ideas of Kinder, Küche, Kirche ( children, children, church )
- To stay at home and not go to work or to university
Why were Nazis concerned over women, marriage and family ?
- Birth rates were falling
- 1900, there had been 2 million births per year
- 1933 , 1 million per year
What were the Nazi ideas of the Kinder, Küche and Kirche ?
A set of beliefs women’s lives should revolve around, the three ‘Ks’: Kinder, Küche, Kirche (Children, Kitchen, Church).
When Nazi’s came to power, what did they do concerning women ?
- They turned their ideas of women into policies that affected their lives
What policies were made to encourage marriage ?
The Law for the Encouragement of marriage
What policies were created to encourage childbirth ?
- Divorce Laws
- The mother’s cross
- Lebensborn
When was the Law for the Encouragement of marriage formed ?
1933
What was the Law for the encouragement of marriage ?
- Loans of 1000 marks were given to couples who wanted to get married so they could become indépendant
- They could then pay off these loans, a quarter for a child
- This encourages marriage and childbirth
What were divorce laws ?
- 1938, Nazis changed divorce laws
- If a wife could not have children or had an abortion, this could be used to ground a divorce by the husband
What was the Mother’s cross?
- It was an award given to women depending on the number of children they had
- bronze for 4/5, silver for 6/7 and gold for 8
- Encouraged child birth
What was the Lebensborn?
- The Lebensborn programme was another policy to encourage childbirth
- Encouraged women to breed with SS men and provided financial aid and nurseries for them
How successful were policies encouraging women to stop working ?
During 1933-1936 the number of employed women fell
What did Nazi’s do in order to reduce employment ?
- From 1933, women were banned from professional posts such as teachers, doctors and civil servants
- From 1936, no women could become a judge or a lawyer, or even a jury service
- School girls were trained for motherhood and not work
How successful were policies encouraging women to marry ?
The number of marriages did increase, but its not clear whether this was due to the nazi policies or a stronger economy
How successful were policies encouraging women to have children ?
- The birth rate did increase, but this may have because of the economy was improving rater than because of Nazi policies. Few women had more than children
- The German Women’s Enterprise had six million members, which suggests that many women welcomed Nazi policies
What was the aim of the German Women’s Enterprise ?
The group was used to ensure women had the latest Nazi teachings and beliefs.
What was the role of the Reich Women’s Leader ? Who was it ?
- In 1934, they created the post of Reich Women’s Leader whose role was to lead on the effort to ensure Women conformed to the rules of the Nazis.
- Gertrud Scholtz-Klink was appointed
What were the four Nazi youth groups and who was in them ?
- Young German Folk ( boys aged 10 -14 )
- Young girls ( Girls aged 10 -14 )
- Hitler Youth ( Boys aged 14-18 )
- League of German Maidens ( Girls aged 14-18 )
When did Nazi youth group meetings and activities take place ?
After school, at weekends and in holidays
What were Nazi aims for young people ?
- To be proud of Germans who supported a strong, Independent Germany
- To be loyal supporters of the Nazi Party and to believe in Nazi policies - preying children for their future roles as adults
What were Nazi aims for girls ?
Girls to be strong and healthy in order to be strong wives and fertile mothers
What were Nazi aims for boys ?
Boys to be strong and healthy in order to work for the German economy and fight in the German forces
Why were Nazi aims for girls and boys different ?
The Nazi policies differed between them. They encouraged the young to regard Hitler as a father figure an they made sure the the Nazis had control of children outside of school
What activites where solely for boys ?
- Shotting
- Military drills
- Signalling
- Military-style camps
- Helping the fire brigade during the war
- Formed military brigades to defend Berlin in 1945
What activites where solely for girls ?
- Cookery
- Housework
- Needlework and craft
- Learning what to look for in a. good husband
- Learning about babies and childcare
What activites where for both ( girls and boys ) ?
- Hiking and camping
- Learning about Hitler
- Learning about racial superiority
- Singing patriotic songs
- Sport and competitions
- Taking part in Nazi marches and rallies
- Reporting people who made anti-Nazi comments
- Collecting for Winterhilfe ( a charity )
Apart from Nazi youth groups, what was another way the Nazis controlled children ?
Another method of making German children loyal Nazis in preparation for their futures and future roles in the Nazis state was through EDUCATION
Describe Nazi’s control of education through schools ?
- Children had to attend state school until they were 14.
- There were separate schools for girls and boys.
- Optional schools after age 14: National Political Educational
Institutes and Adolf Hitler Schools. - All schools followed a set curriculum - this was different for girls and boys.
Describe Nazi’s control of education in through teachers ?
- It was compulsory for teachers to be
Nazi Party members. - Those who didn’t teach Nazi ideas were dismissed.
- Teachers’ camps taught them how to use Nazi ideas in their teaching.
- Nearly all teachers joined the Nazi
Teachers’ League. - Teachers were forced to attend courses to learn about Nazi ideas.
Describe Nazi’s control of education through propaganda ?
- All lessons began and ended with the Hitler salute.
- Nazi flags and posters decked classrooms.
- From 1935 all textbooks had to be approved by the Nazi Party.
- Traditional subjects
were rewritten to glorify Germany, e.g. an emphasis on German writers and historical figures. - Racial ideas and anti-Semitism were embedded within subjects.
Describe Nazi’s control of education through subjects ?
- 15% of time was spent on PE to ensure a healthy and strong population.
- Girls were taught domestic skills, while boys were taught science and military skills.
- Both sexes were taught the traditional subjects: German, History, Geography and Maths.
- New subjects: Race
Studies and Nazi
Eugenics were taught to both sexes.
What were race studies ?
Race studies was a new subject along side eugenics that involved learning how to classify racial groups and about superiority of the Aryan race.
What were Eugenics ?
A new subject introduced by the Nazi’s that was the science of using selective breeding to attempt to produce the perfect human being
What were the ultimate aims of the Nazi education policy ?
- To prepare girls to be good wives and fertile mothers
- To turn boys into strong soldiers that would fight for Germany
- To create loyal Nazis
- To teach Nazi beliefs about race
- To glorify Germany and the Nazi Party
- To put across key Nazi ideas
Why did Hitler want to minimise unemployment/ get people working ?
The unemployed were:
- Politically dangerous , if they were poor and hungry they may turn to other political parties for help
- believed by the Nazis to be a burden on society and a waste of valuable resources
When did Hitler start making schemes to minimise unemployment ?
1933
What were the various schemes created to minimise unemployment ?
- National Labour Service ( RAD )
- Job creation scheme
- Rearment
What is the RAD ?
The National Labour Service
When was the National Labour Service set up ?
In 1933
When was the National Labour Service made compulsory ?
From July 1935, it was compulsory for all men aged 18-25 to serve for six months on this scheme
What did the National Labour Service do ?
They worked on job creation schemes and the republic work such as draining marshes
Why was the National Labour Service unpopular ?
Many hated the RAD:
- The pay was low
- The hours were long
- The work was boring
- some complained of bad working conditions and bad food
How did Job creation schemes reduce unemployment?
- The Nazis reduced unemployment by putting money into large projects. These benefited the economy and simultaneously reduced unemployment
Name examples of construction projects that were part of the Job creation scheme ?
- 7000 km of autobahns ( motorways ) connecting up the country
- Public buildings
- Sport facilities, e.g. stadia for the Berlin Olympics
How did Rearmament reduce unemployment ?
Nazi provided jobs through building up their stockpile of arms, even though the Treaty of Versailles had stipulated limits.
This provided many jobs. In 1933 the government spent around 4 billion on armaments, in 1939 the government spent around 27 billion
What was invisible unemployment ?
Those who weren’t count as unemployed , therefore drastic decrease in unemployment may be slightly fabricated
Who didn’t count as unemployed according to the Nazis ?
- Jews being forced out of jobs
- Women being dismissed or leaving their jobs
- Unmarried men under 25 doing National Labour Service
- Opponents of the regime who were sent to concentration camps
What were the numbers of unemployed in 1933 and 1939?
Official figures showed that unemployment had dropped from 4.8 million in 1933 to 0.3 million in 1939
This however did not take into account the invisible poor
What were the Nazi workers’ organisations ?
Organisations set up aiming to improve the lives and co dirions of German people so they were satisfied. Hitler realised that he must make sure that German workers were satisfied and avoid losing their support.
Name examples of the various worker’s organisations
- German Labour Front ( DAF )
- Strength through Joy ( KdF )
- Beauty of Labour ( SDA )
- The Volkswagen ( People’s car )
What was the DAF ?
German Labour Front
What does the German Labour Front do ?
- It replaced trade unions
- Workers had to be members
- It ran several schemes
What was the aim of Strength through Joy and what does it do ?
This aimed to increase productivity by making workers happy. It provided low-cost or free activities ( e.g. concerts, holidays ) for hard workers.
It had two schemes :
- Beauty of Labour
- The Volkswagen
What was the aim of the Beauty of Labour ?
They aimed to improve conditions by reducing noise in the workplaces, providing canteens and even building swimming pools
Why was the Beauty of Labour unpopular ?
However, workers had to help construct these in their spare time without extra pay - therefore not very popular
What was the aim of The Volkswagen ( people’s car ) ?
To promote car ownership. Hitler asked Prosche to design a family car and the VW Beetle was the result. Workers paid 5 marks a week towards buying a car but by 1939, no-one had paid in enough so the money went towards rearmement
What does the SdA stand for ?
Beauty of Labour
How have the standards of living improved by 1939?
- more jobs with most men in work
- Average wages rose by 20% compared to 1933
- KdF, provided leisure activities and holidays and SdA improved working conditions
- Call ownership, increased three-fold.
How has the standard of living worsened by 1939?
- ‘ invisible, unemployment’ meant many were still unemployed
- The cost of food rose by an equivalent amount of wages, so this cancelled out the wage rise
- With the banning of trade Unions, workers had fewer rights and worked long hours: 43 hours a week in 1933, up to 49 hours in 1939
- only high owners could afford cars, low owners had to spend money on essentials
What were Hitlers racial beliefs and policies ?
- He believed that the Aryan race was the ‘master race’ / superior
- he was keen to increase the number of ‘pure’ Germans ( Aryans ) who are blonde, haired, blue eyed tool and athletic, and who would work hard, join the army or have children
What was the Nazi racial hierarchy?
- Aryans : the ‘master race’
- other white, western Europeans: seen as fellow humans, but lower than Aryans
- Eastern Europeans: Slavs, viewed as sub-humans
- Black people and ‘gypsies’ : both seen as ‘subhuman’ and ‘work-shy’ / lazy
- Jews: seen as the lowest of ‘sub-human’ races and blamed for Germany’s problems
How did the race grow?
‘Race farms’ was set up where Aryan men and women met to have Aryan children. The SS was central to the Nazi master race, as they only recruited Aryans and we’re only allowed to marry Aryan women
What does Untermenschen mean ?
It meant ‘ inferior people’ or ‘sub-humans’
Who was described by the word Untermenschen ?
Slavs, ‘gypsies’ , black people and Jews
Describe ways in which Nazis controlled other races?
- In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws banned Aryans from marrying gypsies’, black people or Jews.
- Mixed-race children were sterilised.
- After 1933, many
‘gypsies’ were arrested and
sent to concentration camps. From 1938, all ‘gypsies’ had to be registered and were banned from travelling. In 1939, they were told they would be deported. - Slavs were reminded continually that they didn’t fit the Aryan ideal, but were persecuted less than other groups.
Apart from the various ‘inferior races’, who else did the Nazi’s seem as undesirable ?
- Homosexuals
- Deaf, blind, epileptic, deformed and mentally disabled people
- Mentally and physically disabled babies
- Vagrants
What did the Nazis do to homosexuals?
How many sections were sent to prison or concentration camps and subjected to medical experiments to correct their ‘disorder’ after laws against homosexuality, was strengthened
What happened to deaf, blind, epileptic, deformed and mentally disabled people
They were sterilised after a new law ( the law for the prevention of hereditarily diseased offspring, introduced in 1933 )
What happened to mentally and physically disabled babies ?
They were killed
What happened to vagrants?
They were seen as ‘work-shy’ / lazy and were sent to concentration camps
What were the reasons for why Jews were persecuted?
- they were associated with communism ( Karl Marx was Jewish )
- Jealous of their success - many Jews were professional so owned businesses
- Use as scapegoats for Germany’s problems
- Suspicious of a different religion
- Blamed for Germany’s defeat in the First World War, and the treaty of Versailles ( especially as some politicians involved were Jewish )
What were the reasons for why most non-Jewish German people allowed the persecution happen ?
- long-standing distrust of Jewish people - a common belief across Europe
- The influence of Nazi anti-semetic propaganda
- The fear of the gestapo, and SS if they did speak out
Describe the timeline of how Jewish businesses were affected ?
- 1933 - the SA organise a one-day boycott of Jewish shops. They painted a yellow star indoors and discourage people from going inside.
- 1937 - Jewish businesses were taken over by Aryans
- 1938 - Jews had to register the property. Jewish shops were set on fire or vandalised ( Kristnallacht )
- 1939 - Jews were barred from owning businesses
Describe the timeline of how Jewish professions and other aspects of life more effected ?
- 1933 - jewish actors and musicians were banned from performing. Jewish civil servants were sacked. Jews were no longer allowed to join the army. Jews were banned from inheriting land. There was the oak SA one day boycott of Jewish lawyers, and doctors
- 1934 - some Jews were banned from public places like parks and swimming pools, other councils painted park, benches, yellow, specifically for Jewish people
- 1935 - the Nuremberg laws, that place further restrictions on Jewish life, we’re declared
- 1936 - Jews were restricted or banned from working as vets, accountants, teachers, dentists, and nurses
- 1938 - Jewish passports had to be stamped with a ‘J’. The words ‘Israel’ or ‘Sarah’ had to be added to Jewish names
- 1939 - the reich office for Jewish emmigration was set up with the purpose of expelling all Jews from Germany
What two events occurred. During this time That had a major impact on the lives of Jewish communities ?
- The Numeberg laws
- The Kristallnacht
What were the Numeberg laws and when where they passed ?
They were a new set of laws, passed to make it easier to persecute Jews.
They were passed in 1935
What two laws did the Nuremberg laws consist of?
- The reich law of citizenship
The Reich law for the protection of German blood and honour
What did the The reich law of citizenship state ?
- only those of German blood can be citizens
- Jews must become subjects not citizens
- Jews cannot vote for work for the government
- Jews must wear a yellow star shaped patch sewn on clothes for ease of identification
What did The Reich law for the protection of German blood and honour state ?
- no Jew must marry a German citizen
- No due is allowed to have sexual relation with a German citizen
Describe the events of the Keistallnacht ?
- 7 November : A 17-year-old Polish Jew entered the German embassy in Paris and shot a German.
- 8 November : Goebbels used the event to stir up resentment against Jews by attacking homes and synagogues in Hanover.
- 9 November : Goebbels and Hitler decided to increase the violence to a nationwide attack.
- Kristallnacht, 9-10 November : Groups of uniformed and non-uniformed gangs ran amok amongst Jewish communities, destroying and burning homes, shops, businesses and synagogues.
When did the Kristallnacht happen ?
In 1938
What were the statistics for the Kristallnacht ?
- 100 Jews were killed
- 814 shops were destroyed
- 171 homes were destroyed
- 191 Synagogues were destroyed
What were the consequences of the Kristallnacht ?
Goebbels blamed the Jews for starting the trouble on Kristallnacht and ordered them to pay damages, they were fined 1 billion marks
