Frontsheet 5 Flashcards
Increasingly radical policy
25 point programme (1920)
set out radical policy
↳only members of nation citizens
Jews not members
↳non-citizens may live in Germany only as guests
& subject to laws for aliens
if proves impossible to feed nation
foreign nationals may be deported
↳big department stores should be divided
many owned by jewish families
↳party stands for christianity
but does not commit itself to
particular denomination
Explicitly outlined in Mein Kampf (1924)
foreigners/Jews had no place
in Volksegemeinschaft
Five stages of radicalisation
- Legal revolution
1933-34
restrained policy - Creating new Germany
1934-37
gradual development
still concerned about opinions home/abroad
avoided confrontation w/ army/industrialists/Church - Radicalisation of state
1938-39
policy became bolder
strong economy/control of police state - Impact of foreign policy
1939-41
dramatic escalation
caused by annexation of Austria
& invasions of Czechoslovakia/Poland - Final solution
1942-45
further escalation/radicalisation
death toll/barbarity increased
Racial ideology
Social Darwinism
viewed humanity as hierarchy of races
believed Jews/black people/Slavs inferior
Herrenvolk = Aryans of northern Europe
Racial Hygiene
purify stronger races
by eliminating germs
threatened through inter-marriage
w/ degenerate races
used to justify killings/sterilisation
Groups excluded from Volksgemeinschaft
Political enemies
‘Asocials’
Different races
Those w/ hereditary conditions
Radical policy for Lebensraum
Bring ‘lost Germans’ back into Reich
‘Germanisation’ of eastern lands
Racial annihilation of Slavs & Bolshevism
Law for Prevention of Hereditary Diseased Progeny
July 1933
Introduced compulsory sterilisation
of men/women deemed ‘inferior’
due to hereditary disease
(eg. ‘feeble-mindedness’, epilepsy, ect.)
↳viewed as ‘unproductive burdens’ on resources
∴ not part of Volksgemeinschaft
60% of sterilisations were for ‘feeble-mindedness’
Later extended to allow
sterilisation of girls > 10
& forced operations of girls > 14
Doctors authorised to carry out abortions
of women in above categories
1936 sterilisation by X-ray
permitted all women > 38 (voluntary)
∵ increased risk of diseased children
‘Moral insanity’ justified prevention of birth
among criminal underclass/asocials
Decisions made by
Hereditary Health Courts
often took 10 mins & no appeals
1933-45
400,000 people sterilised
Marital Health Law
Oct 1935
Banned union between
‘hereditary healthy’ & genetically unfit
Euthanasia Programme
Oct 1939
regime authorised euthanasia programme
for mentally ill/physically disabled
Openly stated needed to ensure
‘merciful’ deaths
to relieve burden on national community
policy viewed as extension to sterilisation
↳that had received considerable support
Originated from father writing to Hitler
asking to put to sleep his severely disabled baby
Led by Dr. Bouhler & Dr. Brandt
Medical staff inform authorities
of children w/ mental illnesses/physical deformities
children sent to special hospitals
would be starved or given lethal injections
5,000 killed
considered ‘incurable’ & burdens
Aktion T4 Programme
Oct 1939
Brandt & Bouhler
extend euthanasia programme
to include adults
Assessors never met patients
made decisions based on form filled
by doctors/nurses in clinics/asylums
70,000 killed by 1941
est. 300,000 by 1945
Protests against Aktion T4
Some doctors/nurses objected
other took part - hope further career
Programme remained secret
by 1940 rumours spread
An official filed complaint
w/ Reich Justice Ministry
& accusation of murder made against Bouhler
July 1940
Church began to protest
↳Aug 3
Bishop von Galen preached sermon
making emotional attack
sparked protests/demonstrations across Germany
↳Dec
Pope pronounces killings
against the ‘natural & positive law of God’
Aug 1941
Hitler called end to programme
due to hostile public response
scheme continued secretly until 1945
Policy towards Asocials
Sept 1933
began mass round up of
300,000 - 500,000 tramps/beggars
many young unemployed
↳lacked space in [camps]
split into ‘orderly’ & ‘disorderly’
↳orderly fit/willing to work
w/ no convictions
given permits & forced work for accommodation
↳disorderly sent to [camps]
1936
further round up to remove from Berlin streets
before Olympic Games
gave foreign visitors false sense of success
in Nazi social/economic policies
set up ‘asocial colony’
called Hashude
aim to re-educate for reintegration
1938
even bigger round up
of tramps/beggars/pimps/gypsies
most sent to Buchenwald [camp]
Policy towards LGBTQ
Purge of organisations/literature
clubs shut down & publication banned
May 1933
Nazi students attacked
Institute of Sex Research
& burned its library
seized list of names held by institute
& passed to Gestapo
Gestapo began compiling list gay people
to launch sustained campaign of persecution
Röhm killed in NotLK
1935
law extended to widen definition of homosexuality
& impose harsher penalties for convictions
over 22,000 men arrested & imprisoned 1936-38
1936
Himmler created
Reich Office for the Combatting of Homosexuality and Abortion
Approx. 50,000 men convicted/sent [camps]
immediately returned under
‘protective custody’ once released
forced to wear pink triangles in camps
marked for harsher treatment by guards
some forcibly castrated
est. 60% gay prisoners died in camps
Lesbians not suffer same level persecution
labelled ‘asocials’ not ‘degenerates’
Policy towards Roma & Sinti
1933
approx. 30,000 people Roma/Sinti descent
1935
decided Nuremberg Laws applied to gypsies
1936
SS set up
Reich Central Office for the Fight Against the Gypsy Nuisance
SS began to locate & classify them
& central database of names constructed
those w/ heritage part-Gypsy
labelled Mischlinge
Dec 1938
Himmler issued
Decree for the Struggle Against the Gypsy Plague
instigated more systemic classification
after Sept 1939 those identified
deported to Poland
Policy towards religious sects
Several Christian sects
posed threat to
achievement of Gleischaltung/Volksgemeinschaft
inc.:
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Mormons
Seventh-Day Adventists
Most groups banned by Nov 1933
some bans lifted
when showed cooperation w/ regime
Gestapo attended services
& kept them under surveillance
7th-Day gave positive welcome
quickly agreed to display swastika flag in churches
conclude services w/ ‘Heil Hitler’
& remove ‘Jewish’ language of Old Testament from services
excluded asocials
Jews removed from receiving
food/shelter from charity organisations
Jehovah’s Witnesses only group to
show uncompromising hostility to regime
had around 30,000 members - believed only serve God
refused to take oath of loyalty to Hitler
refused to give Hitler salute
refused attended parades/accept conscription
many arrested & continued show disobedience while imprisoned
by 1945
approx. 10,000 imprisoned & large no. died
Gradualism of policy towards Jews
Propaganda/humiliation
↓
Boycotts
↓
Laws/exclusion/removal of citizenship
↓
Increased violence & forced emigration
↓
Transportation/deportation/ghettos & imprisonment
↓
Mass murder
↓
Organised mass extermination
Causes for gradualist programme
1933-34
still relied on support from non-Nazis
Not ready for war/concerned about foreign opinion
Many voted NSDAP despite anti-Semitic polices
concerned about public backlash
especially pre-economic policy
Needed time for propaganda
to isolate & dehumanise Jews
As dictatorship extended
persecution could expand
Historian’s argue
did not have clearly developed plan
for how to remove Jews
Anschluss/invasions of Poland/invasion of Russia
shaped policy as more Jews
came under control
Reich Press Law
Oct 1933
Applied strict censorship
& silenced large no. Jewish journalists/editors
Closing down of publication
accompanied by violence & intimidation
Discrimination of Jews
1933-36
Banned from using
swimming pools/restaurants/joining local organisations/clubs
Some places continued to serve secretly
Law Against Overcrowding of German Schools
Apr 1933
Restricted no. Jews children in schools
Took until 1938 for exclusion
from all state schools to be achieved
Persecution of Jews through propaganda
Relentless campaign
to educate German people
Message spread through posters/radio/film/newspapers/speeches
1933 Boycott
Apr 1 1933
Hitler called boycott of
all Jewish shops/businesses
SA stood outside businesses
to intimidate Germans into upholding boycott
many defied it
Called off after 1 day
concerned about reaction of conservatives
Nuremberg Laws
Sept 1935
The Reich Citizenship Law
stripped Jews of German citizenship
∴ many legal rights
Law for the Protection of German Blood & German Honour
marriage/sexual relations
between Jews & citizens forbidden
later physical touch
Later decree gave clear definition of ‘Jewish’
2-3 Jewish grandparents
‘Half-Jews’ known as Mischlinge
& could live normal lives
Classifications were difficult
& often inconsistent
Could be failure of Nazification
needed laws to implement ideas/ideology
Law for the Reconstruction of the Professional Civil Service
Apr 1933
Required Jews dismissed from civil service
Hindenburg insisted on exemptions
for Jews who fought in WW1/fathers killed
applied to 2/3 Jews in civil service
Attempts at Aryanisation 1933-36
60% Jewish lawyers continued practice
Many Jewish doctors
continued treat non-Jewish patients
despite legislation banning
propaganda portrayed as danger to patients
Voluntary emigration
Mar 1933 - Nov 1938
c. 150,000 Jews voluntarily emigrated
Low number ∵
People did not want to leave homes/friends/country
People not have financial means/visa/passport requ.
People not realise persecution would become worse
1936 Olympics
Hitler used to showcase success of regime
Order toning down
anti-Semitic propaganda & discrimination
Cause of radicalisation
Hitler more confident in position
Establishment of totalitarian state
Success in foreign policy
Propaganda success
Affect of foreign policy on anti-Semitic policy
March 1938
Anschluss w/ Austria
183,000 Austrian Jews lost
property/employment/rights
over 1,500 sent to [camps]
inconsistent w/ policy (sending isolated incident)
over 500 committed suicide within 1 month
∵ oppression
Sept 1938 - Mar 1939
Takeover of Czechoslovakia
increased Hitler’s confidence
encouraged further radicalisation
justified as at war
Success of policy in Austria
prompted more radical policy in Germany
Apr 1938
Decree for the Registration of Jewish Property
property worth > 5,000 marks confiscated
c. 32,000 Jewish businesses closed down
Oct 1938
Jewish passports stamped w/ ‘J’
Kristallnacht
Causes
Propaganda portrayed as
outpouring of anti-Semitic feeling
led by German people
after 19 yr old Jewish boy
assassinated Nazi official in Paris
↳boy blamed for killing - didn’t actually
Pre-planned organised & led by Nazis
particularly Goebbels & Göring
officials/SA secretly organised violence/vandalism
prevented police/fire services from interfering
Symbolic date for Nazis
15th anniversary of Munich Putsch
Kristallnacht
Impact
9-10 Nov 1938
Severe escalation in policy
Shops/houses/businesses brutally attacked
w/ more violence than anything prev. experienced
91 Jews killed
over 200 synagogues burnt
↳fire brigade only watched
over 30,000 Jewish men sent to [camps]
↳first mass imprisonment
over 1M marks damage done
↳Jews had to pay for clean up
Kristallnacht
Reaction of ordinary citizens
Support/opposition
Support:
Many joined violence led by SA
Looting of businesses common
& many benefitted from Aryanisation of Jewish businesses
No widespread defiance (like 1933 boycott)
& no open condemnation/opposition
Fire brigade/police/local gov
made no attempts stop violence
unless non-Jews targeted
Opposition:
Some SA/local officials defied orders
Berlin police chief
stopped SA burning main synagogue
Many Germans privately horrified
Some talked about it
opening eyes to true nature of regime
police state deterred from speaking out
Further radicalisation of anti-Semitic policy
Göring announced ‘gloves are off’
12 Nov 1938
Decree Excluding Jews from German Economic Life
remaining Jewish businesses
aryanised or shut down
Jews banned from working as
estate agents/security guards/travelling salesman
19 Nov 1938
Jews lost access to public welfare
1939
had to take ‘Sarah’ or ‘Israel’
as additional first name
Hitler turned down suggestion
of wearing yellow star at this point
became German law 1941
Forced emigration
Mar 1938 - onward
Eichmann opened
Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Austria
Nazis used threat of seizure of property
to force Jews to leave
45,000 Austrian Jews forced emigrated
Jan 1939
Goering used Eichmann’s model
to open
Reich Central Office for Jewish Emigration
led by Eichmann & Heydrich
Forced Jews to arrange own emigration
& used confiscation of property
as incentive
Remained hard for Jews to leave
many refused to accept Jewish refugees
1938-40
approx. 9,000 Jewish children
travelled to Britain & lived w/ volunteers
as part of Kindertransport
Jewish population in Germany
Jan 1933: 525,000
June 1933: 505,000
1939: 234,000
Evidence Nazis followed clear & consistent plan
Aryanisation clear
from 25PP -> Nuremberg Laws -> Reich Central Office for Jewish Emigration
Belief in Social Darwinism
Aryans viewed as Herrenvolk
& Jewishness defined as race not religion
Methods got consistently harsher
Propaganda consistently dehumanised Jews
Consistently tried to make Jew leave Germany
Jewish businesses consistently targeted
Legislation consistently segregated Jews
Evidence Nazis did not follow a clear & consistent plan
Austrian Jews treated inconsistently
policy implemented earlier in Austria
Definition of Jewishness inconsistency applied
Policy became increasingly harsh
Mass arrests only began after Kristnallnacht
Policy sometimes confusing & contradictory
eg. confiscation of property made it harder for Jews to leave
Nazis subsidised Jewish businesses
Nazi leaders had different views on how to treat Jews
eg. Schacht wanted to prioritise economy
Impact of invasion of Poland/start of war on anti-Semitic policy
War gave regime greater emergency powers
& cover of greater secrecy
Hitler now worked towards
creation of Judenfrei German Empire
Annexed land in the west to be part of
‘Greater Germany’
as mainly populated by German speakers
Central part of country
named ‘General Government of Poland’
Focus shifted to deportation/resettlement
of Jews from German & western Poland
to General Government area
↳transported to create Lebensraum
↳approx. 2M Polish Jews resettled
(considered untermenschen)
Eichmann began deportation of 70,000 Polish Jews
Hitler demanded 300,000 German Jews deported
& all Viennen Jews removed
Governor of General Government area
reported inability to cope w/ influx
∴ arrived to awful living conditions
Ghettoisation
Feb 1940
Lodz Ghetto set up (first ghetto)
housed most 320,000 Jews from city
↳rest forced into work gangs
& accommodated in temporary barracks
Jewish Council of Elders responsible for
food/housing/finances/security/accommodation
Home confiscated when sent to ghetto
force to sell valuables to buy food
many force to work for no wage
overcrowded - aver. 15 people shared small apartment
disease & infection spread quickly
Can be viewed as failure of regime
to plan in advance using of Jew
forced out of home
by Aryanisation of Western Poland
Can be seen as well-planned scheme
to eliminate Jews
used to increase death rate
Oct 1940
Warsaw ghetto created
> 40,000 Jews lived there
w/ small no. Gypsies
Food at starvation levels
↳aver. 300 calories per day
malnutrition led to disease (eg. typhus)
> 100,000 died (1940-41)
many worked to death carrying out hard labour
Jewish resistance
Food bought on black market
& smuggled into ghettoes
Continued to have prayer meetings
& observe religious festivals
Organised illegal schools
Illegal printing presses
Many avoided confrontation
& were waiting it out
believed fall of regime would come
not predicting worse treatment
Star of David
Mandatory wearing on armbands
introduced in Poland
shortly after invasion
↳introduced in Germany 1941
Aimed to isolate/dehumanise
as different (eg. inferior)
to everyone else
Failure/refusal to wear
risked severe punishment
even death
Madagascar Plan
1940
Relocate French occupants of island
& transport 4M European Jews there
Intended to make conditions deliberately harsh
to help reduction of Jewish population
through ‘natural wastage’
Dominance of British Navy
made transportation by boat unfeasible
& plans for removal to Serbia drafted instead
Anti-Semitic legislation within Germany
To stop Jews colluding w/ Allies & acting against the state
Nov 1939
Jews banned from buying radios
& existing ones confiscated
Regulation requiring Jews obtain travel permits tightened
To help direct rations to non-Jews
Dec 1939
Jew banned from buying chocolate
1940
excluded from entitlement
to war time rations of clothes/shoes
July 1940
order issued limited time Jews could enter shops
eg. Berlin 16.00 - 17.00
To help identification & enforcement of above restrictions
Dec 1941
ordered wearing Star of David
Background of Jews in USSR
Area occupied had 3M Jews
War w/ Russia portrayed as ‘racial’ war
linked to Jewish-Bolshevik conspiracy
& belief in inferiority of Slavic people
justified more radical treatment of Jews
Segregation/deportation less practical
due to nature of war & scale of problem
murder more efficient way of achieving Aryanisation
Einsatzgruppen
Establishment
Special units of SS & SD
assigned to identify/eliminate
possible enemies as they entered countries
eg. Romania & Ukraine
Seized property/prevented sabotage/recruited local collaborators
Shot men/women/children in round-ups of communities
May 1941
Hitler & Himmler directed formation of 4 units
before attack on Russia
units organised by Heydrich
Followed German advances into Russia
came directly into communities & massacred Jews
contrasts later method of deporting to kill centres
Einsatzgruppen
Actions
July 1941
Goering ordered them
to kill communist party officials
& Jewish sympathisers
Killed 1.3M - 2M Jews in mass shootings
Victims inc.:
Jews
Roma
Officials of Soviet state & Soviet Communist Party
Residents of institutions for mentally/physically disabled (thousands)
At first shot primarily Jewish men
By late summer 1941
Himmler noted psychological burden
of mass shooting on his men
requested more convenient mode of killing be developed
resulted in mobile gas chambers
which used CO from truck’s exhaust to kill
made first appearance on eastern front late autumn 1941
By spring 1943
killed over 1M Soviet Jews
tens of thousands of:
political commissars
partisans
Roma
institutionalised disabled people
