chapter seventeen

Question 1

the nazi regime could not act as it wished in the first years in power , nazi ideological aims could only be

Answer 1

implemented when it was politically possible

Question 2

there were three distinct phases in the development of the nazi regime

Answer 2

1. legal revolution 1933-34 , he depended on his political allies , could not prevent SA violence but controlled it as much as possible
2. creating new Germany 1934-37 , by august ‘34 nazi regime was secure , but hitler did not have full control and concerned about public opinion home/abroad ie Berlin olympics ‘36
3. the radicalisation of the state 1938-39 , end of ‘37 the nazi regime was far stronger than in ‘33 , economy had recovered , SS controlled police system , hitler felt Germany was ready for war. ‘38 and ‘39 hitler took bolder steps and took control of army sacking two most important commanders.

Question 3

social darwinism was a theory that was widely discussed in the 19th century Europe , social darwinists adapted darwins scientific principles of natural selection to unscientific theories about

Answer 3

human society to justify racial superiority and eugenics

Question 4

social darwinists also put forward the idea that ‘ advanced ‘ europeans had the right and responsibility to rule over …

Answer 4

’ inferior ‘ or ‘ backward ‘ colonial people

Question 5

in Sweden there was an influential group of scientists seeking to

Answer 5

eliminate disabilities through population planning and birth control
- these ideas were incorporated into nazi ideology

Question 6

hitlers obsession with biological struggle between diffrent races easily filtered with his view of jews , he viewed humanity as

Answer 6

consisting of a hiearahcy of races
the jews , the blacks , the slavs were inferior races
the Herrenvolk (master race) was the aryan people of Northern Europe

Question 7

another key idea of the nazis was the need to ‘ purify ‘ the stronger races by eliminating

Answer 7

the ‘ germs ‘ that threatened to poison them through inter marriage with ‘ degenerate ‘ races

Question 8

hitler believe it wad the destiny of

Answer 8

aryans to rule over the inferior races

Question 9

in order to ensure their success in this racial struggle it was vital for

Answer 9

aryans to maintain their racial purity

Question 10

hitlers own concept of social darwinism therefore on an all or nothing basis , biologically and culturally the jews were to be treated as

Answer 10

a deadly threat to the German Volk
there could be no compromises and no exceptions
the germ had to be eliminated

Question 11

the nazi principles of ‘ racial hygiene ‘ justified the sterilisation of the …

Answer 11

mentally an physically diseased
the Roma and other ‘ racial undesirables ‘ ie homosexuals , pacifists and Jehovahs witnesses

Question 12

hitlers concept of volksgemeinschaft was not inclusive of all people living in Germany , in a way that was typical of many other aspects of nazi ideology :

Answer 12

concept of national community was twisted by anti semitism and racial thinking

Question 13

to qualify as a member of the Volk it was essential to be

Answer 13

a true German both in terms of loyalty and racial purity

Question 14

to protect the Volk , it was essential to

Answer 14

ruthlessly eliminate all un German elements , especially the jews

Question 15

the best way of defining the Volk was through

Answer 15

identifying racial enemies to be excluded for it , rather than people who naturally belonged to it

Question 16

membership of the volksgemeinschaft - known as volksgenossen was reserve for those of

Answer 16

aryan race
members of which were expected to be genetically healthy , socially efficient , and politically reliable

Question 17

the nazi idea of Lebensraum was another example of nazi policy being twisted by anti semitism , later in the 19th century many

Answer 17

European thinkers had proposed opening up space for the expanding populations of the superior white race

Question 18

in Germany there was widespread support for the idea that the country was already overpopulat6ed and that

Answer 18

industrious German farmers needed more land

Question 19

many argued that germanys destiny lay in the east , conquering the supposedly inferior slav peoples of Poland and the former

Answer 19

Russian empire to gain access to fertile farmland and raw materials

Question 20

nazi ideology fitted in smoothly with these ideas about gemrnays expansion east wards , but hitlers Lebensraum had a particular focus on race , and would not allow for

Answer 20

the ‘ germanisation ‘ of the eastern lands and bringing back the ‘ lost germans ‘ back to the reich
- provide a background for a war of annihilation wiping out the inferior slav races and smashing bolshevism win Russia

Question 21

in nazi ideology , the mentally ill and physically disabled were considered to be

Answer 21

’ biological outriders ‘ from the volksgemeinschaft because the hereditary defects made them a threat to the fortune of the aryan race

Question 22

nazi thinking on the issues of mental and physical disabled borrowed much from the science of

Answer 22

eugenics which had become increasingly influential in Europe and the usa , esp after ww1

Question 23

declining birthrates , the loss of millions of health young men in war and improvements in medicine that prolonged the lives of those suffering hereditary conditions all combined to raise concerns about

Answer 23

the long term health of nations

Question 24

eugenicts proposed the involvement of a race through selective breeding , which might involve the use of

Answer 24

birth control and sterilisation of those who had hereditary ‘ defects ‘

Question 25

even before the nazis came to power the state government of Prussia had drawn up a draft law to

Answer 25

allow the voluntary sterilisation of those with hereditary defects

Question 26

in July 1933 , the nazis took it further by introducing the

Answer 26

law for protection of hereditarily diseased progeny (sterilisation law) introduced compulsory sterilisation for certain categories of ' inferiors '

Question 27

the sterilisation ale specified the ' hereditary diseases ' that sterilisation was to be applied to

Answer 27

cogntial feeble-mindedness schizophrenia manic-depressive illnes epilepsy chronic alcoholism hereditary blindness deafness serve physical malfunction

Question 28

later amendments to the sterilisation laws permitted the sterilisation of children over 10 and the use of force to carry it out after

Answer 28

14 years , with no right to legal representation

Question 29

two years later , the sterilisation laws , was amended to permit abortions in cases where those deemed

Answer 29

suitable for sterilisation were already pregnant

Question 30

in 1936 x-ray sterlisation of women over

Answer 30

38 years was introduced

Question 31

in the opposite direction there was a ban on

Answer 31

abortion an contraception for aryan women and girls in an attempt to increase the birth rate

Question 32

decisions about sterilisation were made at hereditary health courts most of the judges were

Answer 32

strongly in favour of the policy , and decisions usually took around 10 minutes

Question 33

the operation took pace by force if necessary within two weeks 60% of those sterilised were

Answer 33

' feebleminded ' categorised as suffering with idiocy (IQ OF 0-19) or imbecility (IQ OF 20-49)

Question 34

the idea of moral insanity was also used as a basis for sterilisation. this was often merely an excuse to

Answer 34

prevent births among the ' criminal underclass ' or ' anti socials '

Question 35

during the third reich x people were sterilised

Answer 35

400,000

Question 36

the nazi desire to create their master race did not stop at sterilisation and banning sexual relationships between aryans and jews - by October 1939 the regime had authorised

Answer 36

euthanasia for the mentally and physically disabled , ' unproductive burden ' on germanys resources and as a threat to ' racial hygiene ' and the ' biological strength of the Volk '

Question 37

a recurrent theme of nazi propaganda was the idea that something had to be done about the ' burden ' of the long term ill and disabled the openly stated solution was to

Answer 37

pass new legislation allowing mentally and physically disabled children to be ' mercifully ' put to death and so ' relive the burden on the national community '

Question 38

the idea of euthanasia was closely linked to the policy of

Answer 38

sterilisation which by 1939 was a well developed policy , and had attracted quite a lot of support

Question 39

the first euthanasia programme for disabled children originated from one speicifc case of a bad disabled child in 1939 - catalyst for the whole euthanasia programme

Answer 39

the Childs father wrote a letter to hitler asking for his child ' this creature ' to be put to sleep Dr Phillip Bouhler chief of the Further party office made sure the letter was bought to hitlers attention hitler sent a senior SS doctor , Karl Brandt to examine the baby Brandts report advised euthanasia for the child Hitler approved the report and issued a directive announcing that he would personally protect the prosecution of doctors who carried out ' mercy killings '

Question 40

Hitler gave Phillip Bouhler authority to deal with similar cases in the future , all petitions were to go through the ' chancellor of the frurher ' Hitler also made it cleat that

Answer 40

any such actions were to be kept a secret

Question 41

medical staff in hospitals and asylums had to report on children suffering from

Answer 41

mental illness or physical ' deformities ' on the basis of these reports , children were sent to special hospitals or starved to death or given lethal injections parents were assured that children died in spite of receiving the very best treatment

Question 42

the technical and administrative methods used to kill more than

Answer 42

5000 innocent children , deemed by the nazis to be ' incurable ' and worthless to society - later applied to the jews who occupied Europe

Question 43

Phillip Bouhler and Karl Brandt than used their authority to extend

Answer 43

euthanasia to adults

Question 44

from October 1939 the programme was rapidly expanded , and moved to Berlin Tiergarten 4 , it was from this address that the name of the

Answer 44

euthanasia programme was best known

Question 45

the basis of T4 was burecraucy and was paperwork , forms about patients were to be filled in at clinics and asylums and passed on to assertors who were paid on a

Answer 45

piecework basis to encourage them to process as many patients as possible

Question 46

several doctors and nurses complained about the T4 programme however

Answer 46

their objections were ignored

Question 47

by 1941 , rumours about the policy of euthanasia were spreading widely and aroused opposition , one public official filed a complaint with hew reich justice ministry and an accusation of

Answer 47

murder against Phillip Bouhler these proceedings got nowhere but they worried the regime

Question 48

from July 1940 there was also a groundswell of protests from churches , protestant pastor Braune wrote a long memorandum protesting about the T4 programme , on the 12th August however

Answer 48

Braune was arrested by the gestapo this led to intevention on behalf of the pope an official statement from Rome on 2 dec 1940 pronounced the direct killings of people with mental or physical defects was against 'the natural and positive law of god ' on 3rd august 1941 catholic archbishop Galen of Munster preached a sermon making an emotive attack on euthanasia backed by specific evidence , thousand of copies of this sermon were printed and distributed - nazi regime alarmed by hostile public reaction

Question 49

24th August 1941

Answer 49

hitler halted the programme

Question 50

this was an isolated success for public protest against nazi race polices , halting the T4 programme did not mean the end of the

Answer 50

drive to implement nazi racial ideology , it was a tactical pause , and in many respects provided the techniques and experience for the ' final solution '

Question 51

the term asocial as used by the nazis covered a wide range of people who were deemed to be

Answer 51

social outcasts these included criminals , the work shy , tramos bad beggars , alcoholics , prostitutes , homosexuals and juvenile delinquents

Question 52

nazi policy was to introduce tough measure agsint these

Answer 52

groups and give police more power to enforce them

Question 53

in September 1933

Answer 53

the regime began mass round up of ' tramps and beggars ' many of whom were homeless , unemployed people since there was not enough space in concentration camsps to house the people (300,000-500,000) they began to differentiate from the orderly and the disorderly homeless orderly = fit able to work , no convictions were given a permit and forced to work for their accom disorderly = habitutal criminals and sent to concentration camps

Question 54

in 1936 before the Berlin olympics

Answer 54

the police rounded up large numbers of ' tramps and beggars ' from the streets of the capital in order to project an image of a hard working and dynamic society to the world

Question 55

in 1936 a further policy was introduced setting up a

Answer 55

asocial colony known as Hashed , in northern Germany the aim of the colony was to re educate the asocials so that they could be integrated into society

Question 56

in 1938 there was an even bigger

Answer 56

round up of ' beggars and tramps , pimps and gypsies ' most of these were sent to buchenwald concentration camps , where few survived the harsh treatment

Question 57

in common with most other European countries at the time homosexuality was outlawed in gemrnay before

Answer 57

1933

Question 58

in the relatively liberal climate of the Weimar Republic , however homesexulaity flourished in

Answer 58

berlin and other large cities

Question 59

most nazis regarded homosexuals as

Answer 59

degenerate perverted threat to racial health of the German people

Question 60

in 1933 the nazis began a purge of homosexual organisations and literature , clubs were close down organisation for gay people were banned and

Answer 60

gay publications were outlaws

Question 61

in may 1933 nazi students attacked the

Answer 61

institute of sex research , a gay organisation , and burned its library they also seized the institute's list of names and addresses of gay people - this was the start of a long sustained attack of gay people

Question 62

in 1934 the gestapo began to

Answer 62

compile lists of gay people in the same year the SS eliminated Rohm and other leaders of the SA who were homosexuals

Question 63

the law on homosexuality was ammended in 1935 to

Answer 63

widen the definition of homosexuality and to impose harsher penalties for those convicted

Question 64

after the law was changed in 1935 over 22,000 men were

Answer 64

arrested and imprisoned between 1936-38

Question 65

in 1936 himmler created the

Answer 65

reich office for the combating of homosexuality and abortion

Question 66

overall , some 100,000 men were arrested for homosexuality of whom

Answer 66

50,000 were convicted even when the men arrested has served their sentences , they were immediately re arrested by the gestapo or SS and held in concentration camps under ' preventive custody '

Question 67

in the camps they had to

Answer 67

- wear a pink triangle ti dustingush them from others - subjected to brutal treatment by guards

Question 68

many of this imprisoned were subjected to

Answer 68

' voluntary castartaion ' to ' cure ' them of their ' perversions '

Question 69

gay men who would not agree to abandon their sexual orientation were

Answer 69

sent to concentration camps who were subjected to unusually harsh treatment many were beaten to death , estimated 60% of gay people died in these camps

Question 70

lesbians did not suffer the same degree of persecutions as they were considered to be

Answer 70

asocial rather than degenerate

Question 71

there were a number of christian sects that had become established in Germany by the time the nazis came to power

Answer 71

Jehovahs witness christian scientists mormons seventh day adventists new apolisitic church

Question 72

all religious sects had international links . which aroused nazi suspicions about their loyalty and in turn

Answer 72

most were banned by the regime in 1933

Question 73

the ban on some sects however was lifted as they demonstrated their willingness to co operate with he regime , where sects were allowed to continue however

Answer 73

gestapo agents attended and reported on their services

Question 74

the Jehovah witnesses were the only religious group to show uncompromising hostility to the the nazi state , with only around 30,000 adherents in Germany in 1933 , they were

Answer 74

a small but closely knit sect their belief that they could only obey god led them to into conflict with the nazi regime as they refused to swear allegiance to hitler they refused to give salutes march in parades etc

Question 75

by 1945 around 10,000 Jehovah witnesses had

Answer 75

been imprisoned and many had died

Question 76

however the regime had failed to break the resistance and the jehovah witnesses had , had some

Answer 76

converts to their beliefs in the camps

Question 77

unlike the Jehovah witnesses the seventh day adventists gave a positive welcome to the nazi regime descibing it as

Answer 77

the beginning of germanys rebirth

Question 78

the ban on the seventh day adventists was removed within two weeks as it agreed to

Answer 78

- display swatsitka flags in churches - finish its services with ' heil hitler ' - remove the jewish language of the Old Testament from it services - its well developed welfare organisation which provided food and shelter agreed to excluded asocials jews and other racial enemies

Question 79

other sects also strove to make the necessary compromises with the regime in order to ensure their survival , the mormons welfare organsiation like that of the seventh day adventists selected its

Answer 79

recipients according to nazi criteria the new apolisitic church incorporated SS and SA flags into its church parades

Question 80

jews were not the only victim of the intensification of nazi race polices after 1935 , there was also growing persecution of

Answer 80

30,000 gypsis roma and sinti people known as Zigeuner

Question 81

gypses had been subjected to

Answer 81

legal discrimination well before 1935 local authorities frequently harassed them into moving away the nazis made the persecution much more problematic

Question 82

in 1935 , nazi legal experts rules that the Numberg laws applied to gypsies even thought

Answer 82

they were not speicficlaly mentioned in these laws

Question 83

in 1936 the SS set up a new reich central office for the

Answer 83

fight against gypsy nuisance

Question 84

A university psychologist Dr Ritter came the expert scientific advisor to the

Answer 84

SS and ministry for health using Ritters criteria the SS began the process of locating and classifying gyspsies

Question 85

Ritter was partially concerned to identify and isolate those whose heritage was part gypsy and who had become

Answer 85

fully integrated into German society since they represented a threat to the aryan racial purity

Question 86

in December 1938 himmler issued a decree for the struggle against the gyspy plague , which led to a

Answer 86

more systematic classification of gyspseis

Question 87

after war broke out in spetmeber 1939 gypsies were deported from

Answer 87

Germany to Poland