KQ4 Flashcards
What are the four elements of Gleichschaltung?
- Removing power from local government
- Disbanding of political parties
- Trade Unions
- Civil Service
When was the 1st Law for the Co-ordination of the Federal States and what did it do?
31st March 1933
Dissolved state assemblies and replaced them with Nazi dominated ones
When was the 2nd Law for the Co-ordination of the Federal States and what did it do?
7th April 1933
New post of Reich Governor to oversee states
When was the Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich and what did it do?
30th January 1934
State assemblies abolished and they had to subordinate to the Reich government. Reich Governor post became redundant, not abolished
When was the Reichsrat abolished and why?
14th February 1934
No state assemblies were left to send delegates
Why was KPD disbanded in February 1933, and how much of its membership were killed during 1933?
Banned after Reichstag Fire
10%
Why was SPD disbanded in June 1933?
Labelled as a “party hostile to the nation and the state”
Why was DNVP dissolved in June 1933?
Dissolved themselves
Why was Centre dissolved in July 1933?
Dissolved themselves
When was the Law Against Formation of New Parties passed?
14th July 1933
How did Hitler control Trade Unions into Gleichschaltung?
2nd May- TU premises occupied, funds confiscated and many leaders sent to Dachau
Trade unions banned, so workers had no power to negotiate wages and working conditions
How did Hitler control the Civil Service into Gleichschaltung?
Local officials forced to resign and replaced by Nazis who had no experience in government. SA officials placed in government offices to make sure the CS were carrying out orders of the regime.
When was the Enabling Act passed and by what majority and what did it do?
23rd March 1933
441/94
Gave Hitler the right to make laws without the Reichstag’s approval for 4 years
When was the Night of the Long Knives and what was Hitler’s aim behind it?
30th June 1934
Hitler needed to guarantee support from the army to take on the presidency
What was the plan for the Night of the Long Knives?
The army perceived the SA as a threat, so Hitler wanted to eliminate the SA. He also removed other political threats
What happened in the Night of the Long Knives?
The SS eliminated the SA by shooting Rohm.
84 were killed e.g. Schleicher
What were the effects of the Night of the Long Knives?
Army was now firmly behind the regime. SS were now the main institution of terror. Secured Hitler’s supremacy, legitimised murder and it became clear it was now a personal dictatorship
What was the Concordat and when was it signed?
20th July 1933
Nazis promised not to interfere with the Catholic Church as long as the Catholic Church did not oppose the Nazi Party
When was the death of Hindenburg and what was the impact of this?
2nd August 1934
Within an hour of his death, it was announced the offices of Chancellor and President would be merged. This meant there was no legal way to remove Hitler from power.
What was the % of people in favour for the plebiscite for Hitler as Fuhrer?
89%
How did the SPD oppose the Nazis?
3 points
Campaigned for March 1933 election, resulting in SA violence
Established secret cells of supporters in Prague factories
Smuggled propaganda across the border
How did the KPD oppose the Nazis? 3 points
Made an underground network in some German industrial centres
Revolutionary unions set up in Berlin and Hamburg to recruit and publish newspapers
(All networks broken up by Gestapo)
Factory cells made and contact confined to word of mouth
What are the ways workers opposed the Nazis?
3 things
Strikes
Absenteeism
Deliberately damaging machinery
How many strikes happened in the Rhineland in Sept 1935?
37
How many workers took part in strikes during 1935-36, and how many of them spent time in prison?
25,000
4000
How did the Nazis respond to absenteeism in 1938?
Labour regulation for “slackers”
How many workers did the Gestapo arrest at a munitions plant in 1938 for absenteeism and slow working?
114
How did the regime respond to workers deliberately damaging machinery?
They made “sabotage” a criminal offence
Why did the Protestant Church oppose the Nazis?
3 things
They opposed the coordinated Reich Church, because they were trying to protect the Protestant Church, resist the Aryan Paragraph and defend Lutheran theology
How did the Protestant Church oppose the Nazis?
3 things
Established the Pastor’s Emergency League in 1933 which developed into the Confessional Church in 1934, led by non-Nazi pastors
Pastors spoke against the “Nazified Christ”
Churches refused to show Swastika flags
By the end of 1937, how many Confessional Church pastors were imprisoned? Did the regime silence the Confessional Church?
700
No
Why did the Catholic Church oppose the Nazis?
2 things
Concordat privileges came under attack
Mounting pressure on the Catholic Church in Germany
How did the Catholic Church oppose the Nazis? 2 things
In 1937, the Pope issued the Papal encyclical “With Burning Grief”
Read out from Church pulpits in March 1937
How did the Nazis respond to opposition from the Catholic Church? Did the Catholic Church move beyond a narrow defence of its independence?
Charges against priests for “abuse of the pulpit”
No
Why did young people oppose the Nazi regime?
Compulsory membership of Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens in 1936 made great demands to teenagers’ free time
How did young people oppose the Nazi regime? 3 things
In the late 1930s, many opted out of compulsory youth groups
Hummed banned songs
Formed cliques, some were political e.g. the Communist Meuten gangs
Why did the elites oppose the Nazis?
2 things
Many regarded Hitler as a threat to the old Germany, but the conservative elites supported Hitler
In Autumn 1938, army and civil service felt Hitler was leading an unprepared Germany into war
What was Hitler’s plan in Autumn 1938, and how did the army and civil service oppose?
Hitler planned to invade Czechoslovakia and purged Blomberg and Fritsch from army leadership when they expressed their doubts
Imminent threat of war prompted Head of Army General Staff General Beck and many senior army figures to plot a coup to remove Hitler from power, never actioned
What were Hitler and Goebbels propaganda aims?
2 things
The “Spiritual mobilisation” of the German people
Work on people until they have ceased to resist and become addicted to them
In January 1933 how many privately owned newspapers were there? What did this mean for Nazi newspapers?
4700
Nazis newspapers were limited in circulation
How did the Nazis control newspapers into a source of propaganda?
3 things
Socialist and Communist newspapers closed using powers of Decree for the Protection of the People and State
Nazis began to buy newspapers
Other news agencies were merged into a State controlled organisation
By the end of 1933, how many daily newspapers had the Nazis acquired, and what were their circulation?
27 newspapers
2.4 million circulation
In 1933, how many broadcasts did Hitler make?
50
How did Hitler make sure everyone heard his speeches?
Loudspeakers set up in public places
By 1939, how many German households owned a radio set, and why did this increase?
70% (highest proportion in the world)
Goebbels promoted retail of radio sets
What % of radio staff were dismissed on race or politics?
13%
In April 1934, what changed for radio stations?
They were all under control of the Reich radio company, controlled by the propaganda ministry
How were films controlled as propaganda?
3 things
Goebbel was responsible for approving every film after 1933: foreign films checked for political and racial content, most American films banned
Pacifist films banned
What were common themes in Nazi propagandised films?
3 things
“blood and soil” (race and land)
Leadership was glorified
Demonising of Jews and Communists
What % of the 1000 feature films produced between 1933-45 had overtly political themes?
14%
Between 1933-44, how much did cinema attendances increase?
4 times
How was propaganda used in parades and spectacles?
2 ideas
Theatrically heightened in uniforms, medals, banners, torches, choreographed singing
Householders expected to hang swastika flags
How many people were at the annual 1937 Nuremburg rally?
100,000
On the 6th May 1933, what did Nazi students and Stormtroopers do in Berlin? What was inspired by this on the 10th May?
Made a huge bonfire of 20,000 books that were deemed ‘un-German’
10th May- similar actions in 19 University towns
Give 2 arguments that Nazi propaganda was effective
Effective when messages overlapped traditional values of groups e.g. hostility towards Communism, Socialism anti-Semitism and the Treaty of Versailles
Effective to young people whose opinions not yet strongly formed
Give 3 arguments that Nazi propaganda was not effective
Many were reluctant to swallow radical Nazi elements
Gestapo reported scepticism
Less successful when it challenged deeply held religious beliefs
What was the Hitler myth?
A carefully cultivated image that Hitler was the creator of Germany’s economic miracle, defender of Germany against enemies
Helped cover weaknesses of Nazi government
What was the reality of the Hitler myth?
Hitler was not that involved in decision making, he just supplied a vision to his ministers
By the late 1930s, what % of Germans believed the Hitler myth?
90%
What was the purpose of the SS in the Nazi Terror state?
2 points
Used violence and murder as instruments of power
They were ruthless with no morals
What was the difference between the SA and the SS?
SA- engaged in violent street brawls
SS- operated in a more operated systematic way
What organisation was in control of the Police System and concentration camps after the N of LK?
SS
How were SS concentration camp guards controlled into the terror state?
Brutalised to remove feelings of humanity
In the early months, who were concentration camps primarily for? How did this change after 1936?
Communists, Socialists and Trade Unionists
1936- reoriented to deal with “undesirables”: criminals, asocials and non-Aryans
When did concentration camps come under SS control?
After 1936
What was the first concentration camp called? And how many temporary camps were set up?
Dachau
70
In May 1934, how many prisoners were there compared to the year before? Why was there such a reduction?
1/4
Brutality made prisoners unwilling to continue Nazi resistance
When were all concentration camps under SS control?
After 1934
What was the role of the SD?
Offshoot of the SS to investigate claims that the party had been infiltrated by political enemies
When was the SD established and who was it led by?
1931
Heydrich
After 1933, how many SD officers were there?
50,000
Was was the reputation for the Gestapo? How many officers did they really have in 1939?
Reputation for being all-knowing and that they had agents everywhere
In reality it was a small organisation that only had 20,000 officers
What did the Gestapo do?
Relied on Nazi party activists who spied; every flat/street and had a “block leader” to report suspicious activity
What issue did the Gestapo face?
Overwhelmed, so moved away from investigation and resorted to arbitrary arrest and preventive custody
How was the law changed under the terror state?
3 things
Legal principles on which German law had been based on in Weimar no longer applied
Individuals could be arrested and imprisoned without trial
Introduced new courts police and laws to deal with political opponents
Who was a “man of destiny” and therefore his word was law?
Hitler
How were judges controlled in the terror state?
They were not permitted to operate independently of the government
What were the four elements of the police system in the terror state? And who controlled each of them?
SS- Himmler
SD- Heydrich
SA- Rohm
Gestapo- Goering
What did Himmler create in 1939 for all police organisations?
Reich Security Department
Between 1933-36, who was there competition between? Who had reduced power after the N of LK? How was this issue of competition partially resolved in 1936?
Himmler (SS), Rohm (SA) and Goering (Gestapo)
SA
1936- SS,SD and Gestapo all placed under Himmler’s control
What 2 new courts were introduced in 1933 and 1934, and what were they to deal with? What was the composition of these courts?
1933- Special Courts
1934- People’s Courts
Introduced to deal with political crimes
3 Nazi judges, 2 professionals, no juries, defendants couldn’t appeal
How many were tried at the People’s Court between 1934-39?
3400 (many who were given the death penalty)
Why was the tradition of freedom from political interference for lawyers and judges an issue for the Nazis?
Their violence was illegal
What were the professional associations of lawyers and judges merged into and what did this create in April 1933? What depended of them doing the regime’s bidding?
League of National Socialist lawyers
April 1933- the Front of German Law
Their career aspects
Give 5 ways that Schacht helped the economy recover from the depression
1.Tariffs on imported produce
2.State investment- July 1933: Law to Reduce Unemployment renewed and expanded.
3.The RAD expanded to employ 19-25 year olds
4. Controls on wages and prices
5. Farmers: Reich Food Estate gave subsidies, Reich Entailed Farm Law reduced debts through tax concession and lower interest rates
What did government expenditure rise by after Schacht’s economic policies?
70%
What did unemployment fall down to in 1936 after Schacht’s economic policies?
1.6 million
What was the issue of the balance of trade? And what did they need to do?
Germany was importing more raw materials, but exports were not increasing
Government needed to borrow money, especially for rearmament
What are Mefo Bills?
Credit notes issued by the Reichsbank that could be exchanged for cash, but if kept for 5 years, they would accrue 4% interest
What were Mefo Bills used to do for the government?
Disguise government spending
What did Schacht’s New Plan do?
2 things
Government control over trade, tariffs, capital and currency exchange
Government decided which imports would be allowed e.g. raw cotton and wool were cut, but metals allowed
When was Schacht’s New Plan?
September 1934
What were the aim of Bilateral Trade Treaties?
Promote trade and save foreign exchange
What did Bilateral Trade Treaties do?
Signed with the Balkan states and South American countries
Germany paid in Reichsmarks which could only be spent on German goods
By mid-1936 what had unemployment fallen to?
1.5 million
What had industrial production risen by since 1933?
60%
What had GNP (gross national product) gone up by since 1933?
40%
What was the aim of Goering’s Four Year Plan?
Ensure the economy was fit for war in 4 years
When was Goering’s Four Year Plan?
1936
What did The Four Year Plan do?
4 things
Expanded rearmament
Following a policy of autarky
Regulating imports and exports
Controlling key labour force sectors
What were the outcomes of the Four Year Plan?
4 things
Production of key materials expanded e.g. explosives
Targets for oil and rubber were not met
When war broke out, Germany was still dependent on foreign supplies for 1/3 of its raw materials
To maintain levels of consumption and avoid alienating the population, labour and capital diverted from war
What does Economic Autarky mean?
Become self-sufficient in raw materials and food
Give 4 ways Goering tried to achieve Economic Autarky?
- Propaganda used to make people “buy German” and save more
- Production of raw materials and food increased
- Development of Ersatz products (substitutes) e.g. Buna (artificial rubber) from acetylene, coal used for oil
- Presented as a battle all society was expected to play a part in
Why were Ersatz products (Buna) ineffective?
6 tons of coal were needed to produce 1 ton of oil
What was the main firm that benefited most from the Nazi economic policies? What did their profits increase to and from between 1935-39?
IG Farben
71 million to 240 million RM
Which industrial elites firms were reluctant to some of the Nazi Economic changes? And what were these changes?
Ruhr iron and steel firms
Reluctant to invest in new steelworks to produce steel from poor-quality and expensive German ore rather than cheaper and superior imported ore
What did the regime introduce to bypass reluctancy from Ruhr iron and steel firms to the new economic developments?
Established a state-owned steelworks: Herman Goering Steelworks
Give one piece of evidence for and against reduction of unemployment
FOR- official figures show a dramatic reduction of unemployed by 1934 and a continuing fall after that
AGAINST- increase of employment figures was partly achieved by inflating figures; estimated invisible unemployment was as high as 1.5 million
Give one piece of evidence for and against improvement in living standards
FOR- incomes for many workers did increase during 1933-39; some employers paid bonusses to get around the freeze on wage levels
AGAINST- quest for autarky put strain on the people; longer hours, higher prices and food shortages
What were the two youth groups created?
Hitler Youth
League of German Maidens
What was the purpose of Hitler Youth and what were the activities (3)?
Prepare boys for their future as warriors
1. Constant political doctrination and physical activity
2. Nazi songs and pamphlets
3. Emphasis on competition, heroism and leadership
What was the membership of Hitler Youth like?
Started off successfully with excitement, but in the late 1930s, opposition began
Why was there resistance to Hitler Youth?
Organisation became more rigid
What was the purpose of the League of German Maidens and what were the activities (3)?
Prepare girls for being housewives and mothers
1.Taught that their bodies belonged to the nation
2. Hygiene, healthy eating and gymnastics
3. Sewing and cooking
What was the membership of the League of German Maidens like?
Popular as many found it liberating, but after 1934 girls were expected to do a years work which was unpopular amongst many
How did the regime control teachers (2)?
- Teachers pressurised to join the National Socialist Teacher’s League - by 1937, 97% were part of it
- Law for Re-Establishment of Professional Civil Service (1933): dismissed “politically unreliable” teachers
How was the curriculum Nazified (3)?
PE- 15% of school, promoted “racial health”, military-style drills
Biology- stress on ethnic classification, population increase need and racial purity
History- German nationalism glories
What were the two types of new Nazi Schools made?
- Boys boarding schools to train future elites
- 1937- leadership schools for 12-18 year olds (only 11 made)
How were Universities controlled (2)?
- Law for the Re-Establishment of the Professional Civil Service dismissed 15% of Uni staff
- Students had to do 4 months labour service and 2 in SA camp - prioritised over learning
What did University student numbers decrease from and to in 1933-39?
1933- 113,000
1939- 57,000
What were the expectations of women (3)?
- Kinder- Children
- Kirche- Church
- Kuche- cooking
What was the Nazi aim with birth rate? Give 3 ways they controlled it?
Increase birth rate to expand territory and settle Germans in new lands
1.Marriage loans- reduced by 1/4 for each child born
2. Birth control discouraged and abortion restricted
3. Family allowances improved dramatically
What impact did policies towards women have on marriage, divorce and birth rates?
Marriage- consistent
Divorce- increased between 1933-39
Birth- increased
What were the 4 women’s organisations?
- German Women’s League (DFW)
- National Socialist Women’s Organisation
- Reich Mother’s Service
- National Socialist Welfare Organisation
What did the DFW do?
Coordinated women’s groups under Nazi control. Domestic science department= advice on cooking and healthy eating
How many members did the DFW have in 1939, and how many were non-Nazis?
6 million
70%
What did the National Socialist Women’s organisation do?
Elite organisation to promote that women should be child-rearers and homemakers
What did the Mother’s Service do?
Branch of the DFW for physical and mental motherhood training services
How many had attended the Reich Mother’s services in 1939?
1.7 million
What did the National Socialist Welfare Organisation do?
Vast expansion of health offices, especially in rural areas. Improved childcare facilities
What % of university students could be female?
10%
When and why were the restrictions dropped for how many university students could be female?
In WW2
Greater demand for well-educated workers
Give two examples of how the regime controlled women in employment
- 1933-36= women debarred from jobs in medicine, law and high civil service ranks
- June 1933= interest-free loans of 600 RM made available for women who withdrew from work to get married
What did the % of women in employment change from in 1932-37?
1932= 37%
1937= 31%
What were the 3 workers leagues called?
The German Labour Front (DAF)
Strength Through Joy (KDF)
Beauty of Work (SdA)
What did the DAF do?
4 things
- Replaced trade unions
- Had their own propaganda department
- 1936- vocational training courses to improve workers’ skills
- Built the Volkswagen empire
What did the DAF suggest the reward for work was?
Not material gain, but the knowledge they were serving the community
By 1939, how many paid employees did the DAF have?
44,500
Who introduced the DAF and KDF?
Robert Ley
What did the KDF do?
3 things
- Organised workers leisure time
- Aimed to submerge people in leisure and work so they had no private life
- Offered workers subsidised holidays, sporting activities and cinema visits at reduced prices
What did the KDF encourage with class divides, however what was the reality?
Encouraged social equality, but many couldn’t afford the activities
By 1936, how many belonged to the KDF and DAF?
35 million
What did the SdA do?
Improved working conditions in factories, to support the Nazi ideology of racial health
In 1933, what did the Nazis start to coordinate the Evangelical Church (protestant) into?
A Reich controlled church
Who won in the 1933 Church elections and what did this mean they could do?
The German Christians
They could now nazify the church
Who was appointed Reich Bishop, and then what did they take over?
Muller
Took over administrative headquarters with SA help
What did Muller do to control the Protestant church?
Abolished all elected bodies in the Church and reorganised it on the leadership principle
What did the German Christians do in November 1933?
Held a rally and demanded non-Aryans and non-allegiant pastors should be dismissed
What were the protestants forced to adopt?
The Aryan paragraph
How many pastors were dismissed after the new Church social policies in 1933?
18
By the end of 1933, was the Reich Church fully coordinated?
Yes
How many pastors supported the Confessional Church?
5000
What was created in 1935 to control the Confessional Church, and who was marginalised?
New Ministry for Church Affairs created and Bishop Muller marginalised
How did the regime attempt to weaken the Confessional Church?
Tried to exploit divisions and reduce their influence by abolishing Church schools
How did the regime try to reduce church influence?
2 things
Church Secession Campaign to persuade members to renounce membership
Nazis couldn’t hold any religious office
What did the Nazis do in the Summer of 1933 against the Catholic Church?
Began to seize property of Catholic organisations and force them to close
What were Catholic newspapers forced to do?
Drop the word Catholic from their names
How were Catholic priests controlled?
Under Gestapo and SS surveillance
How were Catholics affected in the N of LK?
Many leading Catholics were executed e.g Fritz Gerlich
What was the Catholic’s response to the Nazi social policies imposed on them?
Made no protest, as they believed supporting the regime would be the best way to protect themselves
What triggered the regime to increase pressure on the Catholic Church in 1935-36?
Some Catholics did speak out e.g. Clemens von Galen
How did the Catholic Church increase pressure after Catholics spoke out in 1935-36?
3 things
- Permission to hold public meeting restricted
- Propaganda campaign against financial corruption loys: many had funds seized and offices closed
- Catholic newspapers censored
What happened in 1937 to make the regime increase pressure against the Catholic Church again?
Pope Pius XI issued “With Burning Grief”
How did the regime increase pressure after Pope Pius XI issued “With Burning Grief”?
3 things
- Gestapo and SS in Catholic organisations
- End of 1939: Church schools shut down
- Propaganda publicised sex scandals on priests
What were the regime careful not to do when opposing the Catholic Church?
Place themselves in outright opposition
In 1951, what % of Germans viewed the years of 1933-39 as a positive experience?
Nearly 50%
Give 3 benefits of Nazi rule
- Closed down political debate and provided the majority of Germans with enough material gain to win their acceptance
- Full employment, guaranteed pay packets and leisure opportunities through the KdF
- After 1933, large corporations did very well
Give 3 drawbacks of Nazi rule
- Living standards for the majority did not improve
- Farmers and Mittlestand did not see much benefit from Nazi policies, despite being promised
- Social policies did not succeed in creating classless national community
