Domestic Germany 1933-1945 Flashcards
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Why did Hitler consider the SA to be a threat
They vastly outnumbered the army and had the potential to take over the country
What did the SA demand prior to the night of the long knives?
- The SA wanted to take control of the army
- Rohm and the SA also wanted to further the Anti-Capitalist part of Nazism
When was the night of the long knives
30th June 1934
What was the night of the long knives?
Hitler ordered the arrest and/or murder of hundreds of members of the SA and political opponents, such as Ernst Rohm, Von Papen, Gregor Strasser, Gustav Von Kahr etc.
How did the Night of the long knives help Hitler?
It consolidated his power more greatly and gathered the support and trust of the armed forces
what was ‘volksgemeinschaft’
The German incentive to create a national community undivided by politics, class, region or religion
What was the Nazi attitude to women?
- Believed they should be at home and caring for the family rather than working
- Many women were removed from jobs
- The marriage loan scheme encouraged women to give up their jobs and get married
- The medal of motherhood encouraged women to have large families
How much impact did Nazi policies towards women have?
- The birth rate stayed relatively constant despite Nazi initiatives
- Many women were removed from jobs
What was glieschaltung?
The Nazi programme of ‘co-ordination’ in which they took control of all organisations and groups in order to create a greater sense of unity and to channel propaganda and nazi policy through these groups
What were the aims of the Nazi education policy?
- To indoctrinate German youth with Nazi beliefs
- To encourage Nazi values such as physical fitness and motherhood (for boys and girls respectively)
- To discourage arguing against Nazism and to build up a greater respect of authority
How did Nazis change education?
- They incorporated Nazi propaganda and indoctrination into lessons
- Far more emphasis on physical education
What was the consequence of Nazi education
- Undereducated but physically fit youth
- Parents angry at the poor standard of education
- Youth that has been indoctrinated towards Nazism
What was the role of Hitler youth and BDM?
- Indoctrination of German youth towards Nazi policies
- To keep youth away from parents who might lead them against Nazism
- To increase the sense of unity
Signs of support of young people for Nazism
- Estimates from surveys show 95% of German youth supported the Nazis
- Had 6 million members in 1936
Signs of lack of support for the Nazis from German youth?
- A number of opposition movements such as Swing Kids and the Eldeweiss Pirates
- As time went on, towards the start of the war, the number of youths attending the BDM and the Hitler Youth was decreasing
How did Nazis treat ‘outsiders’ in the volksgemeinschaft?
They were excluded from society
How were ‘outsiders’ excluded in the volksgemeinschaft?
- Removed from jobs
- Not allowed German citizenship
- Sent to concentration camps
- extradited
eg. sept 1933; 100,000 tramps and vagrants locked up as part of “Beggars week”
What was the Concordat?
It was an agreement between the Church and the Nazis that the Nazis would not become involved in the matters of the church and that the church would not become involved in secular matters.
Why were Germany’s Jews excluded from the National Community?
The Nazis saw them as sub-human and thought they would try to take over the world if they could
How did the Nazis treat Germany’s Jews?
- 1 billion mark fine
- Removal from jobs
- Damage to Jewish property
- Segregation
- Eventually murder
Reasons that the Holocaust was pre-meditated?
- Nazi policy was always extremely anti-semitic
- Jews were already being segregated and killed before the final solution
Reasons that the holocaust came about due to circumstances?
- Large number of Eastern Jews inherited when they took Eastern Europe (German Jewry made up a very small % of population and thus did not need dealing with at the time)
- Working towards the Fuhrer led to increasingly extreme policies
What was Kristallnacht?
- The state supported rioting, destruction and looting of Jewish property, businesses and synagogues
- It started the physical abuse of the Jews whereas previously it had been verbal or political: some argue it was the start of the holocaust
When was Kristallnacht?
Nov 1938
What were the Nuremberg Laws
Anti-semitic laws:
-Forbidding marriage or sexual relationships between Jews and non-Jews
When were the Nuremberg Laws?
1935
What were the Einsatzgruppen?
Paramilitary branch of the SS that worked essentially as a death squad and that executed around 1 million poles, jews, russians, gypsies etc. in mass shootings
What was the ‘battle for work’?
The Nazi initiative when they first came into power to reduce unemployment. Hjalmar Schacht was hired as minister of economics to help improve the economy.
How did the Nazi’s undergo the ‘battle for work’?
- They had a number of public works projects such as the construction of the autobahnen
- The (secret) rearmament programme provided jobs in industry and boosted the economy
- The removal of Jews and Women from jobs were not included in the unemployment register
What was the ‘New Plan”
- It was the plan to reduce Germany’s trade deficit by only allowing foreign imports with state approval
- Set up bilateral trade with baltic states for raw materials
When was the New plan formed
1934
What was the ‘4 Year Plan’?
Hitler’s plan for autarky (self-sufficiency):
- It encouraged use of German raw materials rather than those from abroad
- The development of substitute materials such as artificial rubber and oil
- Increased agriculture to help provide food for the whole of Germany
- Large retraining programmes so Germany had ample workers in each department
How was the ‘4 year plan’ run?
- Schacht didnt want it as he thought it would damage the German economy
- Instead Hermann Goering became the leader of the 4 year plan
- If any industries failed to comply with Goerings plan, he would simply create a larger state run industry in that sector and put the other out of business