Experiences of Germans under the Nazis Flashcards
What were the initials for the National Labour Service?
RAD
Describe what the National Labour service was
All men between 18-25 had to spend 6 months in the RAD. They planted forests, mended hedges and dug drainage ditches in farms. They had to wear uniform and live in camps but they were given free meals. They were paid only pocket money but at least it was a job. Unemployment fell rapidly.
Describe an example of a Public Work Scheme
In June 1933, Nazis announced that they planned to build a new network of autobahns (motorways) to connect Germany’s major towns and cities. Provided work for 100,000 people and by 1928 3800km of motorway had been built. At the same time, new schools and hospitals were being built, providing work for even more people.
Describe rearmament
Hitler was determined to make Germany a strong, military power again so he ordered the building of tanks, battleships, fighter planes and guns.
Thousands of jobs created and huge government contracts made factory owners and business owners very wealthy (these were the people Hitler had promised to help if he came to power)
Describe the conscription that Hitler introduced and what effect it had
From 1935, all males between 18-25 were forced to join the armed forces for at least 2 years. Within 5 years, the army grew from 100,000 to 1,400,000, providing even more people with jobs.
What was invisible unemployment and how did it work?
Nazis used a variety of methods to reduced unemployment figures.
Women who gave up work to have a family didn’t count in the figures
Part-time workers were counted as full-time workers
Nazis created work by sacking people, such as Jews, and giving their jobs to non-Jews. These unemployed Jews were then now counted in unemployment figures
Describe the economy under Schacht
He realised imports of raw materials (wood, iron, steel and rubber) were needed to build more weapons as Germany didn’t have all these goods.
He signed deals with countries in South America and south-east Europe to supply Germany with raw materials in return for German goods (buying goods from countries was usually very expensive)
For a short time it went well, weapon production increased and unemployment decreased.
Germany was still dependent on foreign raw materials and the changes were happening too slowly for impatient Hitler.
Schacht was sacked and replaced by Goering.
Describe the economy under Goering
In 1936, Goering introduced the 4 year plan to increase military production.
Nazis order large amounts of uniform, weapons and equipment creating jobs in steel factories, textile mills and ship building yards.
High targets were set and met in industries such as steel and explosives.
However, targets weren’t met for other = key industries such as oil.
Despite huge number of extra goods and materials produced under the 4 year plan, Germany wasn’t ready for war.
Germany still relied on raw materials from abroad so Goering tried to make Germany self-sufficient
How did Germany become self-sufficient?
They stopped trading with other countries and relied entirely on their own resources. They would find alternatives to things such as acorns to make coffee and petrol made from coal.
What positives did Nazis bring for the farmers?
Cut their taxes to save them from the effects of the depression.
If they got into debt, they couldn’t be thrown off their land.
Farmers couldn’t divide land between their children to try and keep farms large and controlled by the same families. Some farmers liked this as they wanted their farm to be secure in the family for generations.
What negatives did Nazis bring for the farmers?
Some farmers didn’t like the law that prevented the division of farms because their children had to look for jobs in cities instead.
In the late 1930s the Nazis controlled food prices.
Initials of the German labour front
DAF
What did the German Labour Front do?
Replaced trade unions. Promised to protect the rights of workers and improve conditions.
What were the names of the 2 schemes that the German Labour Front ran?
Beauty of Labour (SDA)
Strength through joy (KDF)
Describe what the 2 schemes ran by the German Labour Front did
Beauty of Labour - Tried to improve working environment by installing better lighting, safety equipment, low-cost cantines, sports facilities, new washrooms.
Strength through joy - Organised leisure activities to encourage hard work. Reward scheme that offered cheap holidays, trips to the theatre and tickets to football matches if workers met their targets.
What were the negatives of the German Labour Front?
Workers lost their rights because trade unions were banned. Workers couldn’t quit without government’s permission and were banned from going on strike. People could be forced to work as many hours as the Nazis required.
Some of the holidays the KDF provided such as cruises and ski trips were still too expensive for working-class Germans.
Positives of the German Labour Front?
Nazis fulfilled their promise to provide work.
KDF did provide rewards for Germans including free trips to the cinema and concerts.
Rationing due to WWII
Supplies were needed for soldiers so sacrifices had to be made in Germany. There were severe food shortages. By November 1939, food and clothing were rationed (1 egg per week). Goods like soap and toilet paper were in short supply. Hot water was rationed to 2 days a week.
Severe labour shortages due to WWII
Factories were forced to stay open longer. All the male workers were now soldiers so large numbers of women were drafted in to work in factories. By 1944, 7 million foreign workers had been brought in from countries Germany had conquered to work as slave labour in the factories.
What was total war?
1942 Albert Speer was made Armaments minister and told to organise for Total War. Everything was entirely focused on making weapons and growing food for the soldiers. Anything that didn’t contribute to the war (beer houses, dance halls, sweet shops) was closed down. Factories were forced to stay open longer.
Bombing in Germany due to WWII
By 1942, Britain and America were bombing German cities. This meant that there was no electricity, water or transport. Panicked people left their homes as refugees to search for safer places. There were thousands of deaths and injuries and the medical services were at full stretch. Support for the Nazis began to weaken.
How were the subjects students studied affected by Nazi beliefs?
Students were ‘indoctrinated’ to believe a particular set of ideas.
History - Learnt about key German victories and how badly Germany was treated at the end of WW1.
Geography - Countries that Germany would conquer next
PE - time given to PE trebled.
Eugenics/race studies - Taught students the Nazi belief in inferiority of black people, Jews and Eastern Europeans. Superiority of Aryan races. Mental and physical characteristics could be improved by choosing who could become parents.
Science - Weapon-making and chemical warfare.
How were teachers and the ways they taught affected by Nazi beliefs?
Textbooks were rewritten so Nazi ideas were taught as accepted facts. Teachers were made to put across Nazi beliefs in their lessons. All teachers had to join the German Teachers League and any who refused to teach the way the Nazis wanted were sacked.
Special schools set up by the Nazis
Napolas schools and Adolf Hitler schools.
Teachers identified students who had potential to become future Nazi leaders. They went intense training, lots of academic examinations and physical training. Graduated as ‘Ideal Nazis’ , strong, clever and loyal to Hitler.
Nazis and Universities
Between 1933 and 1934 15% of university professors were replaced, mainly for racial or political reasons. By 1939 over 3000 had been dismissed. Universities had to change courses to reflect Nazi beliefs, including antisemitism.
Einstein’s theory wasn’t included because he was Jewish. All students had to train as a soldier for a month each year. Top University professors were handpicked by the Nazis.
Why did less people attend university under the Nazis?
Nazis didn’t regard university education as particularly important
When was Hitler Youth set up?
1922
Laws that Hitler passed to increase membership of Hitler Youth (1933-1939)
1933 - Banned all other youth groups
1936 - Law for the Incorporation of German Youth. Gave Hitler Youth equal status to home and school.
1939 - Attendance for Hitler Youth became compulsory.
What were boys taught as part of Hitler Youth?
How to march, fight with knives, fire a gun and keep themselves fit. Nazis wanted to prepare boys for their future role as soldiers.
What were girls taught as part of Hitler Youth?
How to keep fit, cook good meals, look after babies and prepare for motherhood. Reflected the Nazi’s traditional views of women.
Age groups and different Hitler Youth groups for boys
Little Fellows: 6-10
Young Folk: 10-14
Hitler Youth: 14-18
Age group and different Hitler Youth groups for girls
Young Girls: 10-14
League of German Girls: 14-17
Examples of youth groups that opposed Hitler Youth
Swing Youth - Listened to Jazz music (banned by the Nazis because of its black origins) and had Jewish friends.
Edelweiss Pirates - Sang songs making fun of Hitler, attacked Hitler Youth groups.
Statistics to show how membership of Hitler Youth increased as different laws were passed
1933 - 3 million
1936 - 5 million
1939 - 7 million
What were the 3 k’s for women to follow?
Kinder, Kirche and Kuche
Children, church and cooking
Decline of birth rates from 1900 to 1933
1900 - 2 million per year
1933 - Under 1 million
What had caused the decline in birth rates from 1900-1933?
Result of career-driven women having fewer children. In the 1920s many women attended university and became lawyers or doctors. They had many rights and freedoms and if they worked for the government, they were paid the same as men.
Why did Nazis want women to have more babies?
A low birth rate and low population didn’t fit with their plans to expand Germany’s territory and settle Germans in other parts of Europe. They also felt that it was the women’s patriotic duty to stay at home and have lots of children. Women were not seen as equal to men.
What did Hitler do to women within a few months of him coming to power?
Many female doctors, teachers, lawyers and judges were sacked. Getting a job was discouraged as it got in the way of producing children. Women were banned from jury service because the Nazis thought they were unable to think without emotion.
How did Hitler encourage women to have more children?
Loans were given out to newly married couples (equivalent of a year’s wages) to encourage them to have children. First child - they could keep a quarter of the money. Second child - They could keep the second quarter of the money and so on.
Nazis banned abortion and contraception.
Every year on 12 August the Motherhood Medal was awarded to women who had the most children. 8 children = Gold Cross
What was Lebensborn and did it work?
A movement that attempted to increase birth rate. 8000 children were born in Germany as a result of this.
What were women banned from wearing and doing and why?
Banned from smoking, it was ‘unladylike’.
Couldn’t wear high heels or trousers.
What were the 2 groups the Nazis set up for women?
German Women’s League - Coordinated all women’s groups in the country. Representatives travelled around and gave advice on cooking, childcare and healthy eating.
Nazi Women’s Organisation - An elite female group dedicated to Nazi beliefs and ideas.
Were the Nazi’s policies on women a success?
Birth rate increased in Germany from under 1 million in 1933 to 1.4 million by 1939.
However, Nazis needed women to go back to work because men were fighting the war and workers were needed in the factories. This went against what Nazi’s said a woman’s role was and her place in the workplace.
Why did some Christians support the Nazis?
Nazis said they believed in the importance of marriage, family and moral values. Most Christians also believed in these.
Christians feared communism because it was anti-religious. Hitler promised to destroy communism.
Hitler promised to respect the Catholic Church.
