Nazi Germany Flashcards
Name the 4 groups that made up the Nazis Police State
Gestapo
SIPO - security police
SD - security service
ORPO - regular police
What was the role of the Gestapo?
'all-seeing/all knowing' small organisation (20,000 to 40,000 agents) that acted as the secret police and would arrest people that would oppose the 3rd Reich, sometimes they even sent people to concentration camps. They acted as surveillance and relied on informers (snitches)
How did the Police & Courts help the Nazis?
Police encouraged to spy on Germans in ordinary clothes & then report back to the Gestapo. Backed up the Gestapo’s & SS actions.
Courts ensured that no Nazi members were convicted but the opposition was guaranteed to be found guilty.
People avoided getting into trouble as they knew they wouldn’t be able to get a fair trial as the Courts & Police were completely controlled by the Nazis.
What was the role of the SS?
Acted as Hitler’s personal bodyguards and were solely loyal to him. They destroyed all opposition that Hitler & the Nazis would face - searched for traitors & mercilessly removed them.
Had 2 Sections -
1) Death’s Head Unit: controlled the concentration camps & the extermination of Jewish people.
2) Waffen SS: soldiers that fought alongside the army.
Who was in charge of the SS?
Heinrich Himmler
How did concentration camps help the Nazis?
The ultimate weapon against the opposition, prisoners faced harsh forms of punishment & poor conditions.
In the early days, people were sent home after a few days to tell people about their experiences in order to scare them. As time progressed fewer people came home.
Who was the Propaganda Minister?
Goebbels
What Propaganda methods were used in Nazi Germany? Name 4
Posters Films Press Rallies/Meetings/Festivals Symbolism Architecture/Art Autobahns
When were the Nuremberg rallies?
1933 to 1938
What happened at the Nuremberg rallies?
Showed off the Regime and the Volksgemeinschaft - lasted up to 8 days at a time & aimed to gain enthusiasm for war.
When were the Berlin Olympics?
Summer 1936
How did the Olympics help the Nazis?
Acted as Propaganda of the Nazi Regime, showed how powerful Germany was now (physical superiority, master race, organisation).
How did the Nazis take control of the media in Germany?
The Enabling Act, 1933 & The Editors Law, Oct 1933
Name 2 ways the Nazis used to solve unemployment.
Conscription - employed lots of young people
Voluntary Labour Service - Employed 500,000 men
How many people were still unemployed in Germany in 1938?
There was virtually full employment
What did the Nazis do about Trade Unions?
Trade Unions were dismantled and replaced by a mandatory organisation that was controlled by the Nazis to ensure them with more control.
What organisation did workers have to join instead of trade unions?
The German Labour Front aka DAF - arranged wages & worker conditions
What was the Reich food estate?
Regulated food production. E.G. a hen should lay 65 eggs a year
What was the Reich Entailed Farm Law?
Banned the division of farms
Secured medium-sized farms.
What happened on Kristallnacht and when was it?
November 9th-10th, 1938
A violent attack on Jewish homes, businesses & synagogues. Over 100 Jews died and over 20,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps.
Wanted to confiscate Jewish assets to help pay for rearmament, the Jewish people were seen as ‘the enemy within’
What were the Nazi policies for education? (2)
Teachers had to be members of the Nazi party & the National Socialists Teachers’ League.
Curriculum imposed Nazi ideology - greater focus on PE to ensure strong future soldiers, more German History that stressed German nationalism and heroism, biology reinforced the idea of an Aryan race, RE removed.
What was the role of women in Nazi Germany?
Stay at home mothers who had lots of children, this ideology was taught to girls from a young age as Hitler saw no reason for women to work.
What was the ‘Strength Through Joy’ Programme?
State Welfare Organisation to gain the support of workers, increase morale and improve conditions. Offered benefits like holidays, cultural visits & sports facilities.
Only offered to loyal workers.
What was ‘Beauty of Labour’?
Programme to improve workers facilities.
Helped with employers costs for making change.
