Life In Nazi Germany Flashcards
What was the nazi ideal woman
To have a natural appearance with long hair tied back and no makeup
Fair hair and blue yes
Marry and have children (kinder kirche kuche)
Stay and home and not go to work or uni
What we’re nazi policies towards women
Women shouldn’t work especially those who were married. Many professional women lost their jobs and replaced by men. During 1933-36 the number of employed married women fell.
Women should get married. The marriage law of 1933 initiated the use of vouchers to newly married couple if the woman agreed to stop working. The number of marriages did increase but it’s not clear if this was due to nazi policy or to other reasons such as a stronger economy
Nazi policies towards women (2)
The league of German maidens spread the nazi idea that it was an honour to produce large families. Women should have at least 4 children. Couples were let off one quarter of their marriage loan repayments for each child they had.
The German womens enterprise gave women medals for having children and ran classes and radio programmes on home based matters. This had 6 million members which suggests that many women welcomed nazi policies
How did the Hitler youth help produce committed nazis
The hitler youth was founded in 1926. Boys aged 14 and over were recruited to the movement. It became all but compulsory in 1936 and lasted until 1945. Boys wore military style uniform and took part in physical exercise preparing for war.
Also went on camping trips and held sports competitions. Some of those who took part said the organisation was fun, made them feel valued and encouraged a sense of responsibility. After 1936 all other youth organisations were banned and it was almost impossible to avoid joining the Hitler Youth. However towards the end of the 1930s attendance actually decreased as activities adopted an increasingly military focus
How did the league of German maidens help produce committed nazis
The female branch of the hitler youth aimed at girls aged between 14 and 18
Girls were trained in domestic skills like sewing and cooking
Sometimes they took part in physical activités like camping and hiking. This gave girls new opportunities that were normally reserved for boys
During the Second World War members of the hitler youth contributed to the war effort-for example helping with air defence work, farm work and collecting donations for nazi charities
Towards the end of the war many hitler youth members ended up fighting alongside adults. They were known for being fierce and fanatical fighters .
How did nazis control education
Education in schools meant learning nazi propaganda. Most teachers joined the nazi teachers association and were trained in nazi methods. Children had to report teachers who didn’t use them
Subjects were rewritten to fit in with nazi ideas. Children were taught to be anti semetic. For example biology courses stated that Jews were biologically inferior to “aryans”. History courses explained that WWI was lost because of Jews and communists
15% of time was spent on PE. PE became more important for boys to prepare them for joining the army. They sometimes even played games with live ammunition
In universities students burned anti nazi and Jewish books and Jewish lecturers were sacked. Jewish teachers were also dismissed from public schools
How was nazi propaganda used in schools
All lessons began and ended with the hitler salute
Nazi flags and posters decker classrooms
From 1935 all textbooks had to be approved by the nazi party
Traditional subjects were rewritten to glorify Germany like an emphasis on German writers and historical figures
What we’re the policies to reduce unemployment
The National labour service was started by the Weimar government and continued by the Nazis
From July 1935 it was compulsory for all men aged 18-25 to serve for six months on this scheme
They worked on job creation schemes and other public works such as draining marshes
Many hated RAD: the pay was low the hours long and the work boring
Rearmament was responsible for the bulk of economic growth between 1933 and 1938. Rearmament started almost as soon as Hitler came to power but was announced publicly in 1935. This created millions of jobs for German workers.
What happened in invisible unemployment
The 1.4 million men in the army at this time. There were also a number of men working on public works schemes.
Jews who were sacked and their jobs given to non-Jews.
Women had to give up their jobs to men.
What were the effects of the standards of living
By 1937 monopolies controlled over 70 per cent of production and the Nazis had links to major companies such as Krupp steel and IG Farben (which produced chemicals). Both of these areas would be important for rearmament, and from 1935 onwards major industrial companies definitely benefited. Profits rose by 50 per cent between 1933 and 1939.
Small business - Rules on opening and running small businesses were tightened, which resulted in 20 per cent of them closing.
The Hereditary Farm Law of 1933 prevented farms from being repossessed from their owners, which gave farming families greater security. By 1937, agricultural prices had increased by 20 per cent and agricultural wages rose more quickly than those in industry
What we’re the organisations the nazis set up for workers
The Labour Front. This was a Nazi organisation that replaced Trades Unions, which were banned. It set wages and nearly always followed the wishes of employers, rather than employees.
Strength Through Joy. This scheme gave workers rewards for their work - evening classes, theatre trips, picnics, and even very cheap or free holidays.
Beauty of Labour. The job of this organisation was to help Germans see that work was good, and that everyone who could work should. It also encouraged factory owners to improve conditions for workers.
The Volkswagen- one of the KdFs schemes was to promote car ownership. Hitler asked Porsche to design a family car and the VW beetle was the result. Workers payed 5 marks a week towards buying a car but by 1939 no one had paid in enough so the money went towards rearmament
What is the Nazi racial hierarchy
1) Aryans- the “master race”
2) other white Western Europeans- seen as fellow humans but lower than aryans
3) Eastern Europeans- Slavs- seen as “sub human”
4) black people and gypsies- both seen as “sub human” and “work shy”
5) Jews- seen as lowest of “subhuman” races and blamed for germanys problems
How did the race grow
“Race farms” were set up where Aryan men and women met to have Aryan children. The SS were central to the Nazi master race as they only recruited Aryans and were only allowed to marry Aryan women
What are examples of nazis persecuted minorities
The nazis murdered or sterilised many people who had mental or physical disabilities
Homosexuals were sent to concentration camps in their thousands.
How did nazis change the law to discriminate against Jews
In 1933 the SA organised a national boycott of Jewish businesses which resulted in Nazi led violence against Jews
The violence wasn’t popular with the German people so the nazis decided to use the legal system to persecute Jews
Overtime the number of jobs that jews were banned from gradually increased
The Nuremberg laws of 1935 were based on the idea that Jews and germans were biologically different. They removed many legal rights from Jews and encouraged “Aryan” germans to see them as inferior
The Nuremberg laws stopped Jews being German citizens
They banned marriage between Jews and non Jews in German as well as sexual relations
Jews were later forced to close or sell their businesses and were banned from all employment
By 1938 all Jewish children had been banned from attending German schools and Jews were no longer allowed in public places including theatres and exhibitions
