Germany under the Nazis Flashcards
How many Germans were unemployed from 1933 - 1939 each year?
1933 - 6.1 million, 1934 - 4 million, 1935 - 3 million, 1936 - 2.5 million, 1937 - 1.8 million, 1938 - 1.1 million, 1939 - 0.4 million
Who had to work in the National Labour Service (RAD) for how long?
All men aged between 18 and 25 had to spend 6 months in the RAD
When did the Nazis order the creation of a new network of autobahns (motorways)?
June 1933
How many people did the construction of autobahns in Nazi Germany give work to?
Nearly 100,000
By 1938, how much highway had been built?
Around 3,800 km
When was conscription reintroduced in Nazi Germany?
1935
From 1935, how was conscription enacted in Nazi Germany?
All males aged 18 - 25 had to join the armed forces for at least 2 years
What tactics did the Nazis use to reduce unemployment figures, whilst “invisible unemployment” remained?
Woman who gave up work to have family and Jews forced out of their jobs didn’t count in figures, part-time workers counted as full-time
Who did Hitler appoint as Minister of Economics when he came to power in 1933?
Respected banker, Hjalmar Schacht
How was the economy run under Hjalmar Schacht?
Deals signed with countries to supply Germany with raw materials in return for German-made goods, weapons production increased, unemployment fell, Germany still dependent on foreign raw materials
How was the economy run under Hermann Goering?
Introduced Four Year Plan, jobs created, high production targets met in industries like steel and explosives production, not met in industries like oil production
When was the Four Year Plan introduced?
1936
What was the Four Year Plan?
Scheme by Nazis to get Germany ready for war, attempted to increase agricultural and industrial production, regulate imports and exports, achieve self-sufficiency in raw materials production
What goods and materials did German scientists find ways of making from other materials in the attempt to reach self-sufficiency?
Ways to make petrol from coal, artificial wool and cotton from pulped wood, make-up from flour, coffee from acorns
When was Hjalmar Schacht dismissed from the government?
1943
What percentage of the population was involved in agriculture and forestry?
Around 30%
How did Hitler help farmers?
Cut taxes farmers paid, guaranteed they couldn’t be thrown off land if they got into debt
What Nazi policy did some farmers resent and others welcome?
Laws were introduced preventing farmers from dividing their land and giving a part to each of their children
What two schemes did the German Labour Front (DAF) run?
Beauty of Labour (SDA) and Strength through Joy (KDF)
What did the scheme Beauty of Labour (SDA) do?
Tried to improve working environment, by installing better lighting, safety equipment, new wash rooms, low-cost canteens and sports facilities
What did the scheme Strength through Joy (KDF) do?
Organise leisure activities to encourage work, rewarded cheap holidays, trips to theatre, tickets to football matches if workers met targets
What was the Nazi scheme for workers to save up for their Volkswagen and its true purpose?
Workers were encouraged to save marks each week to save up for their Volkswagen, entire scheme swindle as money was used to make weapons
How were workers’ rights changed under the Nazis?
Workers couldn’t quit without government’s permission, banned from striking, could be forced to work as many hours as Nazis needed
When did Nazi Germany attack the USSR?
1941
In one battle at Stalingrad, how many Germans died?
Over 80,000
How many German soldiers surrendered in the Battle of Stalingrad?
90,000
By which date was food and clothing rationed in Germany?
November 1939
What were some examples of how rationing was introduced in Germany?
People limited to 1 egg per week, hot water rationed to 2 days per week
When was Albert Speer made Armaments Minister?
1942
When Germany was organised for Total War, what were some things which were closed?
Beer houses, dance halls, sweet shops closed
By 1944, how many foreign workers had been brought to Germany to work as slave labour in factories?
Around 7 million
From when did Britain and America begin pounding German cities with bombs?
1942
What went away in Germany due to Allied bombing?
Electricity, water and transport
What subjects would a young German schoolchild have studied?
History, Geography, PE, Science and Maths
Where were students identified by their teachers as potential future Nazi leaders sent to?
Special academies called Napolas (National Political Educational Institutions)
What schools did the Hitler Youth Organisation set up?
Adolf Hitler Schools
Between 1933 and 1934, what percentage of university lecturers or professors were replaced?
15%
Out of university lecturers and professors replaced under Nazi Germany, what proportion was for racial and political reasons?
Third for racial reasons, half for political reasons
By 1939, how many university lecturers and professors had been dismissed?
Over 3,000
What organisation did all teachers have to join under the Nazis?
German Teachers League
How long did all students spend training as soldiers annually?
A month
When did Hitler set up the Hitler Youth Organisation?
1922
When did the Nazis ban all other youth groups apart from the Hitler Youth?
When they came to power in 1933
When did a law give the Hitler Youth equal status to school and home?
1936
What did the Hitler Youth control regarding sports?
All sports facilities and youth competitions for children under 14
When was membership of the Hitler Youth made compulsory?
1939
When would a boy joins a Nazi club called the Little Fellows?
Age 6 - 10
When would a boy join the Nazi Young Folk?
10 - 14
When would a boy become a fully-fledged member of the Hitler Youth?
14 - 18
When did German girls join a club called the Young Girls?
10 - 14
When did German girls join the League of German Girls?
14 - 17
How many people were members of the Hitler Youth clubs in 1933?
2,292,041
How many people were members of the Hitler Youth clubs in 1936?
5,437,601
How many people were members of the Hitler Youth clubs in 1939?
7,287,470
Who were the Swing Youth?
German youngsters who refused to join the Hitler Youth
Who were the Edelweiss Pirates?
Rebel youth gang which made fun of Hitler and physically attacked Hitler Youth groups
What were rebel youth gangs in Nazi Germany?
The Roving Dudes, Edelweiss Pirates, Navajos
What did Hitler say women should stick to?
Three Ks - Kinder, Kirche and Küche (children, church and cooking)
When was the Motherhood Medal awarded?
Every year on 12th August, birthday of Hitler’s mother
Who was the Motherhood Medal awarded to?
Women who had the most children
Which mothers received the Gold Cross?
Mothers with 8 children
What was the Lebensborn (“fountain of life”) movement?
A movement to increase the birth rate and produce “racially pure” children
How many children were born as a result of the Lebensborn movement?
Estimated 8,000 children
What did the German Women’s League do?
Coordinated all adult women’s groups in the country, representatives travelled giving advice on cooking, childcare, healthy eating
By March 1939, how many women had attended one of the German Women’s League’s motherhood training courses?
1.7 million women
What was the Nazi Women’s Organisation set up to do?
Developed an elite female group dedicated to Nazi beliefs
How many babies were born in Germany in 1933?
970,000
How many babies were born in Germany in 1939?
1,413,000
What did the “Law for the Prevention of Diseased Offspring” do?
Women with a history of mental illness, hereditary diseases or anti-social behaviour (like alcoholism) could be forcibly sterilised
What were the numbers and proportions of Protestants and Catholics in Germany?
One third of Germans Catholic (20 million), two thirds Protestant (40 million)
Why did some Christian support the Nazis?
Nazi said they believed in importance of marriage, family and moral values, Hitler promised to destroy communism, promised to respect Catholic Church
When did Hitler sign a Concordat with the Pope, head of the Catholic Church?
1933
When did the Pope issue a statement called “With Burning Anxiety”?
1937
When did Catholic Archbishop Galen openly criticise the Nazis?
August 1941
Who were the German Christians?
A German Protestant group largely under Nazi control whose members wanted their Church under Nazi control
Who was the leader of the German Christians?
Ludwig Müller
Who was the first Reich Bishop?
Ludwig Müller
When did Ludwig Müller become the first Reich Bishop?
September 1933
What was the Confessional Church?
A Protestant group which openly criticised the Nazis
Who was the leader of the Confessional Church?
Pastor Martin Niemöller
How many pastors did the Nazis arrest in response to the Confessional Church?
Around 800 pastors
Which Christian groups disappeared from Germany due to the Nazis?
Salvation Army, Christian Scientists, Seventh Day Adventist Church
What proportion of Jehovah’s Witnesses were killed in concentration camps because they were pacifists?
Around one third
What percentage of Jews had fled Germany by the time Hitler stopped them from leaving the country (1941)?
Nearly 80%
What races did the Nazis see as inferior?
Jews, Roma and Sinti (sometimes known as Gypsies), Slavs, Black people
When were all Jewish lawyers and judges sacked?
March 1933
When were all Jews banned from any sports clubs and all Jewish teachers sacked?
April 1933
When was “Race studies” introduced in German schools?
September 1933
When were all Jewish shops marked with a yellow star of David or the word Juden (Jew), with soldiers standing outside to turn people away?
January 1934
What were the Nuremberg Laws?
Series of laws aimed at excluding German Jews from Reich citizenship and to prevent them from marrying or having sexual relations with persons of “German or related blood”
When were the Nuremberg Laws introduced?
September 1935
When were Jews banned from owning any electrical equipment (including cameras), bicycles, typewriters or music records?
January 1936
When were Jewish doctors sacked?
July 1938
When did male Jews have to add the name “Israel” and female Jews add the name “Sara” to their first names?
August 1938
What was Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass)?
Event where Jews and their shops and businesses were attacked throughout Germany
When did Kristallnacht occur?
November 1938
When were Jewish children banned from German schools?
November 1938
When were Jewish and non-Jewish children forbidden from playing together, and Jews banned from using swimming pools?
December 1938
When could Jews be evicted from their homes for no reason?
April 1939
When were Jews no longer allowed out of their homes between 8:00pm and 6:00am?
September 1939
How many people with hereditary illnesses were made to have operations to sterilise them?
Around 400,000
How many people with physical or leaning disabilities were killed in Nazi Germany?
Over 200,000
How many Roma and Sinti people were killed by the Nazis in the years up to 1945?
Over half a million
How many Jews were there in Germany in 1934?
500,000
When did the Final Solution begin?
1941
When did the Wannsee Conference occur?
January 1942
When did King Edward I expel all Jews from England?
1290
When did a Nazi-owned propaganda newspaper have an antisemitic headline about a Jewish “Murder Plan” and an antisemitic sub-heading?
1934
How many Jewish shops had their windows broken in Kristallnacht?
Around 10,000
How many Jews were sent to concentration camps in Kristallnacht?
20,000
How many Jews were killed in Kristallnacht?
Around 100
How many synagogues were burned down in Kristallnacht?
Nearly 200
How many Jews were in Poland under Nazi occupation?
3 million
How many Jews were in Russia under Nazi occupation?
Up to 3 million
How many Jews were in France, Denmark, Norway and the Balkans?
Over 1 million
What was the Einsatzgruppen?
Mobile SS death squads responsible for murder of those thought by Nazis to be racial or political enemies
In 1940, what was the estimated population of the Warsaw Ghetto?
440,000 Jews
During the Wannsee Conference, how many Jews in Europe did the Nazis plan to murder (the continent’s population of Jews)?
Around 11 million
What was the difference between concentration camps and extermination camps?
In concentration camps inmates were put to work in terrible conditions. Extermination camps’ only purpose was to kill
What were the six extermination camps built by the Nazis?
Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka
Who were sent to concentration camps by the Nazis?
Jews, people from other “inferior” racial groups, gay people, criminals, prostitutes, Jehovah’s Witnesses, political opponents, pacifists and homeless people
When did a rebellion occur in the Warsaw ghetto in Poland?
1943
How long did it take for Germans to regain control over the Warsaw ghetto in Poland?
43 days
In a rebellion in the Treblinka death camp in 1943, how many prisoners managed to escape?
150
How many guards were killed in the Treblinka death camp rebellion in 1943?
15
How many Jews were killed by the Nazis?
Around 6 million
How many of the Jews killed by the Nazis were killed in death camps?
Around 3 million
What were the ways in which Jews were killed by the Nazis throughout their rule?
Ghettos, Einsatzgruppen, concentration camps, extermination camps (also called death camps)
What were some people who helped with the Final Solution?
Railway workers, office clerks, typists, telephone operators, policemen and soldiers
How many German companies used Auschwitz-Birkenau prisoners as slaves to build their goods?
Around 150
What were the main parts of the Nazi police state?
Concentration camps, SS (Schutzstaffel), regular police and law courts, Gestapo
When was the SS set up?
1925
What were the 3 sections of the SS?
SD (Sicherheitsdienst), Waffen SS, Death’s Head Units
What did the Gestapo do?
Spied on people, tapped telephone calls and opened mail; had power to arrest, imprison without trial and torture anyone; established network of informers
What was Joseph Goebbels’ official title?
Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda
When was Joseph Goebbels born?
1897
When did Joseph Goebbels die?
1945
When did Joseph Goebbels join the Nazi Party?
1924
What were areas and ways Goebbels’ controlled what people saw?
Newspapers, Mass rallies, books, theatre, music, radio, films
All musicians, writers, artists and actors in Nazi Germany had to join which organisation?
Chamber of Culture
Which Nazi supporter owned film studios?
Alfred Hugenberg
What music was popular in Nazi Germany?
Marching music, old folk songs, classical music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Wagner
What group about culture did the Nazis establish before they took power?
Militant League for German Culture
What hit musical did the Nazis ban and the work of which playwrights did they allow?
Jewish writer Kurt Weill’s hit musical, The Threepenny Opera, banned, work of older playwrights like Goethe and Schiller allowed
How many writers left Germany between 1933 and 1945?
Around 2,500
In 1936, how many paintings did the Nazis publicly burn that they disapproved of?
5,000
When was an exhibition of unacceptable art opened by the Nazis?
1937
What tactics were used in a degenerate art exhibition to encourage a negative reaction?
Art not displayed properly, graffiti on walls insulting art and artists
When did the Nazis close down the Bauhaus movement?
1933
Who was the founder of the Bauhaus movement?
Walter Gropius
Where did Walter Gropius go in exile and for how long did he remain in exile?
Fled Germany and remained in exile, first in England, later in America, for next 30 years
Where were the Olympic Games held in 1936?
Berlin
How did the Nazis use the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games to their advantage?
Antisemitic posters and newspapers temporarily stopped, German squad coming top of medals table “proof” of superiority, advanced technology used
Who filmed the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games?
World-respected German filmmaker and Nazi-supporter Leni Riefenstahl
How did the Nazis show their technology in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games?
Use of “tracking shots” pioneered by Riefenstahl to follow movements in slow motion, most advanced photo-finished equipment used, main stadium contained largest stop-clock ever made
What were the different levels of resistance against the Nazis?
Moaning or “grumbling” about the Nazis, passive resistance, open opposition, attempts to kill Hitler
When did August Landmesser apply to marry a Jewish woman?
1935
Who did August Landmesser apply to marry?
Jewish woman named Irma Eckler
When did August Landmesser and Irma Eckler try to flee Germany? (failed)
1937
What was the White Rose group?
An Anti-Nazi youth group, made up mainly of university students
Who were two siblings who were leaders of the White Rose group?
Brother and sister Hans and Sophie Scholl
When were Hans and Sophie Scholl caught and how were they executed?
Caught in 1943 and beheaded
How many attempts were there on Hitler’s life?
Around 50
What was the Kreisau Circle?
Group of army officers, university professors and aristocrats shocked by Hitler’s plans for war, brutality of Nazi regime, but didn’t actually do anything
What did the Beck-Goerdeler group do and what happened?
Contacted British about possibility of removing Hitler, but nothing could be agreed
Who led the Beck-Goerdeler group?
Former army general Ludwig Beck and Nazi official Karl Goerdeler
When did the Beck-Goerdeler group make attempts on Hitler’s life?
March and November 1943
How many young rebel groups were there all over Germany?
Approximately 2,000
When did the July Bomb Plot occur?
1944 July
What was the July Bomb Plot?
Attempt by a group of Germans to kill Hitler, take over Germany and end the war
Which colonel agreed to be part of the July Bomb Plot?
Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
What effect did the bomb in the 1944 July Bomb Plot have (failed to kill Hitler)?
Killed 4 men, burned Hitler’s hair, burst his eardrums, blew some of his clothes off
What happened to Ludwig Beck, Karl Goerdeler and Claus von Stauffenberg after the July Bomb Plot?
Stauffenberg and Goerdeler were executed, Beck committed suicide
How many people were executed in revenge for the July Bomb Plot?
About 5,000
