History Module 8: Life in Nazi Germany

Question 1

Describe how the Nazi regime treated minorities other than the Jews.

Answer 1

1. Enforced sterilization, euthanasia on disabled individuals.
2. Persecuted Romani people, leading to deportation, extermination.
3. Discriminated against homosexuals, incarcerating many.
4. Suppressed Slavic peoples, considered racially inferior.

Question 2

What were the main features of Germany’s ‘war economy’?

Answer 2

1. Total mobilization of resources for military use.
2. Rationing of food, materials to prioritize military needs.
3. Forced labor, including prisoners of war, for production.
4. Government control over industry, directing output towards war effort.

Question 3

Describe how the SS controlled German society.

Answer 3

1. Operated concentration camps, detaining enemies of the state.
2. Conducted surveillance, espionage through Gestapo.
3. Enforced racial policies, including Nuremberg Laws.
4. Utilized propaganda to promote Nazi ideology, suppress dissent.

Question 4

What was the League of German Maidens (BDM)

Answer 4

1. Female youth wing of the Nazi Party.
2. Promoted physical fitness, loyalty to Hitler.
3. Taught domestic skills, Nazi ideology.
4. Prepared girls for motherhood, supporting war effort.

Question 5

Describe Nazi use of censorship.

Answer 5

1. Controlled press, publishing only regime-approved content.
2. Burned books conflicting with Nazi ideology.
3. Censored films, art not aligning with state views.
4. Monitored, restricted radio broadcasts to ensure propaganda dissemination.

Question 6

Describe Nazi policies towards the churches in Germany.

Answer 6

1. Initially sought to control, align churches with Nazi ideology.
2. Signed Concordat with Vatican, later violated it.
3. Suppressed dissenting clergy, closed religious institutions.
4. Promoted “Positive Christianity” devoid of Jewish influence.

Question 7

Describe how the Nazis used the radio.

Answer 7

1. Distributed cheap radios, increasing listener reach.
2. Broadcast Nazi propaganda, speeches by Hitler.
3. Censored opposing views, ensuring message control.
4. Used for indoctrination, promoting Nazi ideology.

Question 8

Describe Nazi persecution of any two minority groups in Germany.

Answer 8

Nazi persecution of two minority groups in Germany included:

1. Jews: Subjected to discriminatory Nuremberg Laws, widespread violence, forced into ghettos, and ultimately targeted for extermination in the Holocaust.
2. Homosexuals: Criminalised homosexual acts, arrested, sent to concentration camps. Subjected to medical experiments.

Question 9

Describe what happened at the Nuremberg rallies.

Answer 9

1. Annual mass Nazi Party gatherings in Nuremberg.
2. Featured speeches by Hitler, other Nazi leaders.
3. Demonstrated military power, unity through parades, displays.
4. Propagandized Nazi achievements, ideology to masses.

Question 10

Describe Goebbels’ role in Nazi Germany.

Answer 10

1. Minister of Propaganda, controlled media and cultural output.
2. Orchestrated mass rallies, including Nuremberg.
3. Crafted Hitler’s public image, promoted Nazi ideology.
4. Directed anti-Semitic campaigns, including Kristallnacht.

Question 11

Describe what children were taught in Nazi schools.

Answer 11

1. Racial theories, promoting Aryan superiority.
2. Loyalty to Hitler, glorification of Nazi Party.
3. Military training, physical fitness emphasized.
4. Anti-Semitic content integrated into curriculum.

Question 12

What opposition to the Nazi regime existed in its early years in power?

Answer 12

1. Communist and Socialist parties actively resisted, before suppression.
2. Intellectuals, artists critical of regime fled or were silenced.
3. Some conservative elites privately opposed Hitler’s methods, goals.
4. Youth groups, like the Edelweiss Pirates, defied Hitler Youth norms.

Question 13

Describe the experiences gained from membership of the Hitler Youth.

Answer 13

1. Military training, preparation for future soldier roles.
2. Indoctrination in Nazi ideology, loyalty to Hitler.
3. Participation in sports, physical fitness programs.
4. Engagement in community service, promoting Nazi values.

Question 14

What actions were taken by the Nazis to encourage an increase in the birth rate?

Answer 14

1. Offered marriage loans, incentives for having children.
2. Awarded Cross of Honour for German Mothers.
3. Discouraged women’s employment outside the home.
4. Promoted propaganda glorifying motherhood, large families.

Question 15

In what ways did the curriculum in German schools reflect Nazi ideas?

Answer 15

1. Racial ideology taught as scientific fact.
2. History rewritten to glorify Germany, Nazi achievements.
3. Physical education prioritized for military readiness.
4. Biology emphasized eugenics, racial purity.

Question 16

What was the response of the churches to Nazi rule?

Answer 16

1. Some initially cooperated, hoping to preserve influence.
2. Concordat signed with Catholic Church, later breached by Nazis.
3. Confessing Church emerged, opposing Nazi interference in religion.
4. Individual clergy spoke out, faced persecution, imprisonment.

Question 17

In what ways was agriculture affected by Nazi rule?

Answer 17

1. Implemented “Blood and Soil” ideology, promoting rural life.
2. Established Reich Food Estate, controlling production, prices.
3. Forced collectivization policies resisted by some farmers.
4. Aimed for self-sufficiency through increased production quotas.

Question 18

In what ways were the Berlin Olympics a success for Goebbels?

Answer 18

1. Showcased Nazi Germany as hospitable, powerful nation.
2. Utilized event for massive propaganda, promoting Aryan superiority.
3. Demonstrated technological prowess, including live television broadcast.
4. Temporarily reduced anti-Semitic policies, improving international image.

Question 19

In what ways did the police and the courts contribute to Nazi control of the German people?

Answer 19

1. Police forces integrated into SS, enforcing Nazi policies.
2. Courts disregarded legal norms, prioritized ideological conformity.
3. Political dissenters faced harsh, often fatal, legal consequences.
4. People’s Court established for political offenses, ensuring convictions.

Question 20

In what ways did large businesses benefit from Nazi rule?

Answer 20

1. Received lucrative contracts for rearmament, infrastructure projects.
2. Benefited from suppression of trade unions, wage controls.
3. Profited from Aryanization policies, acquiring Jewish-owned businesses cheaply.
4. Gained increased domestic market share through autarky policies.

Question 21

What actions did the Nazis take against religious opponents?

Answer 21

1. Suppressed dissenting clergy, incarcerating or executing them.
2. Closed religious institutions opposing Nazi ideology.
3. Monitored, controlled church activities through Gestapo surveillance.
4. Promoted “Positive Christianity” to align religious beliefs with Nazism.

Question 22

In what ways did the Nazis discriminate against Jews within German society?

Answer 22

1. Enacted Nuremberg Laws, stripping Jews of citizenship, rights.
2. Barred from public employment, professions.
3. Segregated in schools, public spaces.
4. Subjected to widespread propaganda, violence.

Question 23

Describe the work of the Gestapo.

Answer 23

1. Secret police enforcing Nazi policies, laws.
2. Conducted surveillance, intelligence gathering on citizens.
3. Arrested, interrogated political opponents, dissenters.
4. Operated outside legal constraints, using terror, intimidation.

Question 24

Describe how the Nazi regime used informers.

Answer 24

1. Encouraged citizens to report anti-Nazi activities, sentiments.
2. Employed in workplaces, neighborhoods for surveillance.
3. Used to monitor loyalty within the party, military.
4. Informers contributed to atmosphere of fear, mistrust.

Question 25

What was ‘Strength Through Joy’?

Answer 25

1. Nazi leisure organization, part of the German Labor Front.
2. Offered affordable vacations, cultural activities to workers.
3. Aimed to promote social unity, loyalty to regime.
4. Showcased benefits of Nazi governance, improving worker morale.

Question 26

Describe how women contributed to the German war effort.

Answer 26

1. Worked in armaments factories, essential industries.
2. Served in auxiliary military roles, communications, air defense.
3. Participated in home front activities, rationing, fundraising.
4. Volunteered in nursing, caring for wounded soldiers.

Question 27

What was the impact of the Nuremberg Laws (1935) on the Jews?

Answer 27

1. Stripped of German citizenship, civil rights.
2. Forbidden from marrying, having relations with non-Jewish Germans.
3. Excluded from public employment, professions.
4. Segregated socially, legally institutionalizing anti-Semitism.

Question 28

How did war change life for women in Nazi Germany?

Answer 28

1. Increased employment in armaments, industries due to male conscription.
2. Enrolled in civil defense, auxiliary military services.
3. Took on more family responsibilities, single parenting.
4. Faced shortages, rationing; managed household under war conditions.

Question 29

Describe the Four-Year Plan.

Answer 29

1. Launched in 1936 to prepare Germany for war.
2. Aimed for economic self-sufficiency, autarky.
3. Increased production of raw materials, armaments.
4. Controlled prices, wages; directed state investment in key industries.

Question 30

Describe the activities of the Edelweiss Pirates.

Answer 30

1. Youth group opposing Hitler Youth norms.
2. Engaged in anti-Nazi graffiti, songs.
3. Aided deserters, prisoners; distributed anti-Nazi leaflets.
4. Suffered persecution, execution by Nazi regime.

Question 31

Describe the activities of the ‘Swing’ movement.

Answer 31

1. Youth culture embracing American jazz, swing music.
2. Held illegal dance events, defying Nazi cultural norms.
3. Promoted individuality, freedom in contrast to Nazi ideology.
4. Members harassed by Gestapo, deemed degenerate.

Question 32

Describe Nazi measures to reduce unemployment.

Answer 32

1. Launched public works projects, like autobahns, buildings.
2. Initiated massive rearmament program, creating military industry jobs.
3. Introduced conscription, reducing number of job seekers.
4. Encouraged women to leave workforce, opening positions for men.

Question 33

Describe how Goebbels used the 1936 Olympic Games.

Answer 33

1. Portrayed Germany as peaceful, hospitable nation.
2. Utilized event for extensive Nazi propaganda.
3. Showcased Aryan racial superiority myth.
4. Temporarily softened anti-Semitic policies for international image.

Question 34

Describe Nazi influence on German culture and the arts.

Answer 34

1. Promoted art reflecting Aryan ideals, nationalist themes.
2. Suppressed, labeled modernist works “degenerate.”
3. Controlled film, literature to align with Nazi ideology.
4. Used music, theater for propaganda, indoctrination purposes.

Question 35

What were the Nazis’ views on the role of women in society?

Answer 35

1. Emphasized women’s roles as mothers, homemakers.
2. Advocated for large, racially pure families.
3. Discouraged women’s employment outside the home.
4. Promoted traditional, conservative gender roles.

Question 36

What legal restrictions did the Nazis place on the Jews up to 1939?

Answer 36

1. Nuremberg Laws revoked citizenship, banned intermarriage.
2. Excluded from civil service, professional jobs.
3. Required identification with “Jewish” names, passports.
4. Barred from public schools, universities.