Life in Nazi Germany Flashcards
Explain what the SS did and was.
Who?
Led by?
Key role?
Sub-units?
Who: highly trained and completely loyal Aryans.
Led by: Heinrich Himmler.
Key role: destroying opposition, carrying out Nazi racial policies.
Sub-units: ‘Waffen-SS’ fought alongside army, ‘Death’s Head’ responsible for concentration camps.
Explain who and what the Gestapo was.
What?
Led by?
Key role?
Informers?
What: Secret police.
Led by: Reinhardt Heydrich.
Key role: Sweeping powers of arrest= no evidence or trial needed.
Informers: known as blockleiters, 1:100 people.
Explain how the police and courts were part of the Nazi terror state.
Who?
Led by?
Key role?
‘People’s Court’?
Who: high ranking police officers replaced with loyal Nazis.
Led by: Heinrich Himmler.
Key role: act as informers, ignore crimes of Nazi officials.
‘People’s Court’: set up to “try enemies of the state”.
Explain what concentration camps were.
Run by?
Key purpose?
Run by: ‘Death’s Heads’ unit of SS.
Key purpose: to detain political prisoners and ‘subhumans’.
What were the aims of Nazi propoganda?
- Maintain support of people.
- Win support for particular policies.
- Indoctrinate (brainwash) the people.
Who controlled the ‘Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propoganda’?
Josef Goebbels.
How did the Nazis control newspapers, radio and films?
Newspapers: censored October 1933.
Radio: powerful because by 1939 70% households owned one.
Films: controlled content of German made and imported films.
How did religious people oppose the Nazis?
Who?
Why?
What?
Nazi response?
Who: Protestant pastors Neimoller and Bonhoeffer led an anti-Nazi religious organisation.
Why: Against racial policies and violence, especially Aktion T4.
What: Galen led protest against Aktion T4, Bonhoeffer helped Jews escape.
Nazi response: Niemoller arrested, Bonhoeffer murdered.
How did the youth oppose the Nazis?
Who?
Why?
What?
Nazi response?
Who: ‘Edelweiss Pirates’ or for middle class, ‘Swing Youth’.
Why: opposed to being controlled by Nazis.
What: Swing Youth= alternative dress sense, taste in music, Edelweiss Pirates= beat up Hitler Youth member, anti- Nazi graffiti.
Nazi response: Swing Youth largely ignored, Edelweiss Pirates arrested, 12 hanged.
How did the army oppose the Nazis?
Who?
Why?
What?
Nazi response?
Who: opposition group led by Count von Stauffenberg.
Why: Sure WW2 was lost, Hitler leading them into further ruin.
What: Planned to kill Hitler, took bomb but failed.
Nazi response: Stauffenberg executed, in total 5,000 killed.
How did the White Rose Movement oppose the Nazis?
Who?
Why?
What?
Nazi response?
Who: students at Munich Uni.
Why: Christian and didn’t support Nazi anti-Jew ideas.
What: Non violent=anti-Nazi posters, graffiti.
Nazi response: arrested, tortured and beheaded.
What was the ‘Nazi Terror State’ made up of?
- SS.
- Gestapo.
- Police and courts.
- Concentration camps.
How were workers worse off under the Nazis?
❌Many workers never got the Volkswagen.
❌The daily wage was not enough to buy a beer.
❌The day started at 04:45 and finished at 22:00.
❌’Voluntary’ contributions were automatically deducted from wages.
❌Sleeping conditions and food were terrible.
❌Ten days of holiday per year.
How were workers better off under the Nazis?
✅Workers could do many more leisure activites➡️Films, sports.
✅Unemployment went from 5,603,000 to 119,000.
✅Volkswagen were available for workers to start paying towards one.
✅People given hope➡️Off the streets and Germany becoming strong.
Were farmers better or worse off under the Nazis?
✅More profits.
✅Nazis supported them.
❌Nazis were controlling.
Overall: Mixed.
Were unskilled workers better or worse off under the Nazis?
✅Given jobs.
✅Cheap flats.
❌No unemployment benefit.
❌No ‘strength through joy’.
Overall: Negative.
Were small businesses better or worse off under the Nazis?
✅Less competition (Jews shut down).
✅More profits.
✅No large department stores.
❌Taken over by big businesses.
Overall: Positive/ Mixed.
Were big businesses better or worse off under the Nazis?
✅Workers no longer an issue.
✅Made lots of money.
❌Government controlled their business.
Overall: Positive.
How did the Nazi party try to control and gain support of young people?
- Hitler Youth.
- Education.
How did the Nazi party control and gain support using the Hitler Youth?
- Used to indoctrinate young people.
- Other youths groups shut down 1933-6➡️1939 compulsory.
- Separate for boys and girls➡️Girls less important, boy prepared for military service.
How did the Nazi party control and gain support using education?
- Control over teachers➡️Those who didn’t teach Nazi beliefs were sacked.
- Teachers’ camps focussed on indoctrination and physical training➡️97% joined Nazi Teacher’s Association.
- PE=15% school time.
- History concentrated on rise of Nazi, injustice of T.O.V and evils of communism and Jews.
- Biology explained Nazi ideas about race.
- Geography taught about need for lebensraum.
- Girls studied differently➡️Domestic science and eugenics.
What were Nazi attitudes towards women?
- Work➡️Shouldn’t have jobs, women’s role is in the home.
- Appearance➡️Beauty, Aryan, Broad, Plain.
- Fashion➡️No jewellery, flat shoes, simple clothing.
- Public persona➡️Role is confined and committed to home.
- Children➡️A woman’s battlefield, rewards for having children.
Why did the Nazis persecute different groups?
- Aryan race➡️persecuted:gypsies, blacks, A-socials, gays.
- Not committed to Nazi Germany➡️persecuted A-socials, political opposition, gays, gypsies, Jews, religious opposition.
- Jealousy and Suspicion➡️persecuted:Jews.
- Blame➡️persecuted: Jews, political opposition.
How were homosexuals persecuted under the Nazis?
1936: Homosexuality enforced as criminal offence.
In total, 15,000 arrested and sent to concentration camps.
