Life In Nazi Germany Flashcards
What was the SS?
Highly trained and very loyal Must be Aryan Unlimited powers Organised concentration camps Intimidation and violence Hitlers personal bodyguards Had their own courts e.g. Waffen SS and Deaths Head Division
What were the concentration camps like in 1933?
Crude and makeshift but backs more purpose built in rural areas
Anyone sent there at first mainly political prisoners e.g. KPD
Re-education programmes
Hard labour
Limited food
Slaves
When were the first concentration camps set up?
February 1933
How were the police and courts controlled?
Chief of police supported the Munich putsch
Police always liked the nazis
All lawyers and judges nazi controlled
No hope for a fair trial
Name 4 stick methods used by the Nazis to control the people of Germany
SS
Concentration camps
Informers/Gestapo
Police and Courts sworn oath to Hitler
When is conscription re introduced by the nazis?
1935
Who is in charge of the Gestapo?
Heydrich
Who are the Gestapo?
Secret police
Use informers
Climate of fear
Root out potential enemies (anyone who doesn’t conform to the regime)
Germany subdivided into into blocks of 30-40 houses each block has a nazi who keeps an eye on any anti nazi behaviour
How many concentration camps are there by 1939?
Six
Who ran the SS?
Himmler
Give 5 examples of crimes punishable by death in nazi Germany
Breaking into the house of a soldier during the war
A mugging committed by someone with a criminal record or from a family of criminals
Stealing things from an air raid depot
Having a sexual relationship with a Jew
Telling anti nazi jokes
How did the nazis help the economy?
Rearmament and conscription gave employment to many
Agricultural production increased and imports decreased
Public works projects e.g. Autobahn provided employment
Volkswagens
What had happened to unemployment by 1939?
It had fallen to 100 000
What was the German labour front?
Replaced trade unions Strikes illegal Wages low Working day longer Persuaded employers to improve working conditions in factories
When is rearmament carried out openly (it was started in 1933)?
1935
What incentives are there for the farmers in nazi Germany?
Reich food estate - guaranteed food prices and markets
Reich entailed farm law - protected farmers form being shut down by banks
What were the problems for farmers in nazi Germany?
Shortage of workers
Nazis more interested in industry
Nazis meddled endlessly
What incentives were there for the working class?
Kraft Durch Freude - strength through joy - provided Volkswagens, cheap holidays - discount from cruises, cheap theatre tickets, skiing holidays
“Beauty of labour” improved working conditions in factories and industry
What were the incentives for the middle classes and big businesses?
Management salaries on the rise No trade unions causing trouble No more ToV Communist threat gone Lots of cash
What was the four year plan and when was it?
Goering ordered to get Germany ready for war
1936
Name 7 examples of propaganda used by the nazis to control the German public
Cheap Nazi produced radios
Nuremberg Rallies
1936 Olympics
Book burnings
Pro nazi messages and newsreels played before the film at cinema
Newspapers banned or censored
Loudspeakers in public areas playing nazi views
How were cheap nazi produced radios used to control German citizens?
Foreign radio stations banned (BBC)
Hitler and other Nazi speeches broadcasted over and over
No foreign influence
Only access nazi radio channels
How did the Nuremberg Rallies help control the German citizens?
Brought colour and excitement into people’s lives
Sense of belonging
Order and sense of greatness
Fun
How were the 1936 Munich Olympics used by the Nazis as propaganda?
International propaganda opportunity to show the superiority of the aryan race
Shows Germany to be modern, civilised and strong
Pride
How did book burning help the nazis control German citizens?
Any unacceptable ideas burnt
Sense of community
Getting rid of foreign influences
Only access to nazi ideas
How many people were in the SS by 1935?
Over 200 000
What is nazi ideology (give 7 examples)?
Volksgemeinschaft - national community of racially pure aryans
Lebensraum - “living space” for expansion of Germany
Strong Germany
Fuhrer
Social Darwinism - aryan superiority
Autarky - self sufficiency
Germany in danger from communists and Jews
Name 3 groups important to the nazis
Factory workers
Children/ young people
Women
Why are factory workers important to the nazis?
Highly value because of industrial production
Make weapons for rearmament
Why are children important to the Nazis?
The next generation of committed nazis and loyal soldiers