Life: Treatment of Ethnic Minorities Flashcards
What assumption underpinned colonial policy in Africa by 1900? - W
White Europeans were ‘racially superior’ to other ‘races’.
This belief justified the taking of land and property from indigenous people.
What extreme action did settlers take against indigenous people in German colonies? - W
Extreme violence, based on the belief they were not fully human.
This included genocidal policies, particularly in German East Africa.
What was the death toll of the Herero people in German East Africa? - W
80% of the indigenous Herero died due to a genocidal policy.
This reflects the extreme racial violence enacted by the German army.
What did some German nationalists demand regarding the colonies’ racial policies? - W
They should be used in Germany to solve the ‘Jewish problem’.
What was Frantz Fanon’s argument regarding Nazism? - N
Nazism was a form of government where colonial policies were applied to Germany itself.
What percentage of the German population were German Jews?
1% of the population.
A significant portion, ⅓, lived in Berlin.
What did most Germans believe integration meant for Jews? - W
Assimilation: abandoning Jewish religion, customs, and cultures.
This often required embracing Christianity and German traditions.
What was the legal status of Jews prior to 1914? - W
They were legally equal but largely excluded from the judiciary.
What was the economic status of Jewish men from 1918-1932? - W
75% had professional jobs or their own businesses compared to 25% of the rest of the population.
What happened to middle-class Jews during hyperinflation in 1923? - W
They lost all of their savings.
What were the civil rights milestones for German Jews? - W
1869 - Civil rights recognized in Prussia
1871 - Jewish civil rights were recognized across Germany.
What was problematic about the Jews’ increase in civil rights? - W
They were barred from entering the civil service and although they could join the army, they couldn’t get promoted to higher ranks.
Why was the Jews’ inclusivity into German society short term? - W
Their involvement within the war effort meant that they were blamed for the Germans’ defeat.
What stereotype was associated with the ‘Kurfurstendamm Jew’? - W
An extremely well-dressed, exceptionally wealthy Jew in Berlin.
What was the stereotype of ‘the Polack’? - W
It was an offensive term used for Jews who had arrived in Germany from Poland or another Eastern European country.
They arrived after WW1 and therefore were culturally distant and seen as untrustworthy, lazy and unwilling to assimilate into German society.
What was the stereotype of the ‘Radical Jew’? - W
Nationalists and anti-Semites seized on this to claim that Jews played the leading role in destroying the monarchy and Germany itself through a communist revolution.
Associated with famous Jewish radicals such as Karl Marx.
In 1918 and 1919, a number of leaders of the Spartacists and a number of senior members of the SPD were Jews.
How did racial stereotypes spread? What is an example of this? - W
Pamphlets circulated by racist groups like The League of German Defence and Defiance spread stereotypes that argued that Jews envied the Germans and worked to destroy their homeland by 1st betraying Germany in WW1 then enforcing acceptance of democracy. This appealed to the stereotype of the radical Jew.
What was the Protestant Church’s view on Jews? - W
Argued that Jews were selfish and prioritized personal wealth over the German nation.
What was the Catholic Church’s view on the Jews? - W
Vast majority of Catholics were not interested in overcoming racism however in the mid-1920s, a number of Catholic bishops spoke out against racism and initiated interfaith activities for Catholics, Jews and the minority of the Protestant clergy that rejected racism.
How many Afro-Germans were present in Germany during the Weimar period?
Approximately 3,000.
What was the perception of black Americans in Berlin compared to the USA? - W
They had more freedom and higher status in Berlin. They were treated mostly with curiosity and enthusiasm rather than hostility according to black musicians who had travelled from America to Germany.
What was the ‘Black Horror’ narrative? - W
This was a narrative created by German Nationalists during the 1920s Rhineland occupation who accused French black troops of being sent to humiliate Germany. This was emphasised by their marrying to white German women.
Nationalist propaganda accused black soldiers of raping German women in order to “pollute the Aryan race” by creating “Rhineland bastards” in spite of the fact that there was no evidence of rape.
Plan this question: How accurate is it to say that minorities under the Weimar Republic were equal in theory, but not in practice?
Intro:
- Criteria:
- Judgement:
P1:
P2:
P3:
Conclusion:
- Judgement:
What 3 races did the Nazis argue that humanity was divisible by? (3 C’s) - N
Culture-creating - Aryan race created all culture and established civilisation
Culture-bearing - ‘orientals’ could not create new culture, but copied that of the Aryans. Without Aryan influence, their culture would stagnate or degenerate.
Culture-destroying - Jews and Roma Gypsies were incapable of creating or even sustaining culture according to Hitler, and is why they were considered to be like a ‘cancer’ which destroyed cultures from the inside. Consequently, Nazis argued that Jews and Gypsies would work to destroy Aryan culture.
What did the Reich Citizenship Law of September 1935 entail? - N
Removed citizenship rights from those with four or more ‘non-Aryan’ grandparents.
What did The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour (September 1935) entail? - N
It made it illegal for ‘Aryans’ to marry or have sex with non-Aryans. Designed to stop miscegenation.
How did the Nazis first begin to exclude the Jews from German society? (4 things)
April 1933: One-day boycott of Jewish businesses.
May 1933: Mass burning of 25,000 non-Aryan books, including many books by Jewish writers, philosophers and scientists.
Goebbels’ media control banned Jewish editors and journalists from working in the German press.
Goebbels’ film, theatre and radio controls banned Jews from involvement in German culture more generally.
How were Jews economically excluded? - N
1937 - Goering reduced the access of Jewish-owned firms to imported raw materials. He also authorised takeovers of Jewish-owned firms by Aryan-owned firms.
1938 - Goering outlawed the issuing of government contracts to Jewish-owned firms. He also banned Jews from selling or leasing property worth more than RM5,000 - he aimed to stop Jews leaving Germany and taking their money with them.
What is cumulative radicalisation? - N
The idea that persecution against Jews became increasingly more extreme throughout the 1930s, as a response to the functioning of the Nazi regime.
When was Kristallnacht?
8th November 1938
What was the significance of Kristallnacht?
Mass violence against Jewish homes, synagogues, and businesses; over 200 deaths and 30,000 arrests.
How did Kristallnacht economically cripple the Jews?
Goering imposed a fine on German Jews for the destruction of property that had taken place during the violence. The fine was so large that it justified the immediate confiscation of all Jewish property and wealth.
Jews were immediately plunged into poverty as a result of the fine.
