Nazi Germany Flashcards
Hitler did not put Germany back to work between 1933 and 1939 - opposition and women
• women were discouraged to work. Gov encouraged women to be housewives/mothers instead of paid employment. Loans were offered for women who stayed home (250 Reich marks taken off marriage loan for each child)
• Nazis subjected millions of people, e.g. Jews, to forced labour under brutal conditions. Often pointless and humiliating - without proper equipment and clothing
• just three months after Hitler became chancellor, all Jewish teachers and teachers with undesirable political beliefs (such as communists) were dismissed
Hitler put women back to work between 1933 and 1939
• number of women in employment increased between 1933 and 1939. In agriculture, 4.6 million women were employed in 1933, and this figure rose to 4.9 million by 1939
Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF)
• DAF set uo ‘Strength through joy’ programme which organised affordable leisure activities for workers. In 1938, 131000 workers went on cruises and 22 million took part in sports - indoctrinated whine participating in these activities
• workers were cheated by a car-saving scheme which never delivered a promised Volkswagen car
• all employers and workers had to join the DAF. DAF replaced trade unions, banned strikes, prevented pay negotiations and punished workers - Nazis reduced opposition
• DAF set minimum pay. Wages slowly rose until 1936, and quicker after that - this would have shown the Nazis successfully fulfilled the work and bread promise
• working week increase under the DAF from 60 to 72 hours - meant that Nazis increased production of Autobahn
• led by Dr Robert Ley - the DAF stopped employers sacking workers on the spot - reduced unemployment
Industrial workers
• industrial workers were a large and growing group, about 46% of the population - making weapons, number was rising due to the requirement of tanks and ammunition
• Nazis obsession with rearmament and preparation for war made industrial jobs plentiful - not a surprise because in Mein Kampf, Hitler wanted to ‘scrap the Treaty of Versailles’
• by 1936 - average wage was 35 marks per week, ten times more than dole money that the unemployed had received in 1932- encourage people not to be reliant on the state
• small craftsmen struggled to compete with big businesses even though the gov increased taxes on large stores. By 1939, number of artisans dropped by 100,000 people - didn’t put everyone back to work, because industrial jobs taking over
RAD (Reich Labour Service)
• compulsory labour service for men ages 18-25. By 1935, the RAD created 422,000 paid jobs - 3800 km of autobahns were built by the RAD (increased trade, helps invading other countries like annexing Austria, transport of tanks was easier to achieve)
• RAD - indoctrinates men with Nazi ideology and prepare for military service. Men’s freedoms were restricted, and they were often given a poor diet.
• compulsory service was only for 6 months, meaning unemployment numbers looked better than the reality.
• didn’t put Germany back to work - often involved exhausting manual labour and unpopular and unpopular activities. Work was paid low and harsh disciplines were put in place.
Nazi Myth - Germany was dominated by Jews who controlled the country
• in 1933, there were only 505,000 Jews out of a population of 67 million. Their influence was very limited. Only 0.75% of the population was Jewish
Nazi myth - Jews were Communists. They had led the revolution in Russia in 1917 and would lead a revolution in Germany
Although some leading Communists were Jews, German Jews belonged to the full spectrum of political parties.
Nazi myth - Jews were cowards and pacifists. Their refusal to fight for Germany helped to cause its defeat in 1918
Jews fought in the German army in the same way as other citizens. Some received the Iron Cross for bravery
Nazi myth - Jews owned the big businesses in Germany and profited from the economic problems of the 1920s and early 1930s
Some Jews did own big businesses, but they did not own all of them. Jews belonged to all classes of society from the workers to the upper class
Nazi myth - there was a long, continuous history of widespread anti-semitism in Germany
Although the roots of anti-semitism went back to the Middle Ages, by 1933 Jews were more fully integrated into German society. Marriages with non-Jews, for example, were quite common
Nazi myth - Jews were racially inferior
There is no scientific evidence to support this. There is a single ‘race’ of humans
Opposition to Nazi rule between 1933-1939 - the swing kids
• came together to listen to Jazz and dance
• swing was banned by the Nazis
• had long hair and wore special clothes (long, oversized and checked sports jackets)
• Himmler wrote to Heydrich and asked Gestapo to deal with them
• arrested and sent to concentration camps
Opposition to Nazi rule between 1933-1939 - Christian Youth Groups
• in 1933 there were 2.5 million members of youth organisations
• Christian groups were banned, met in secret and went on illegal pilgrimages
How did Young communists provide opposition?
• communist youth federation was banned in Germany
• met in secret
• disguised as unpolitical meetings, such as hikes into the countryside
• Leipzig - 1500 young people joined gangs
• some wrote anti-Nazi flyers
• 20 gangs - short leather trousers
Opposition 1933-1939 - Edelweiss pirates
• formed the Rhine Ruhr region around 1938
Opposition to Nazi Rule - 1933-1939
Jehovah’s Witnesses
• unwilling to comply to the Nazi state
• refused to salute/do compulsory military work
• wrote Anti-Nazi leaflets
• by 1939 - 6000 imprisoned in conc. camps due to special unit in the Gestapo
How did Cardinal Galen oppose the Nazis between 1933-1939?
• catholic bishop of Münster - initially welcomed Nazis
• 1934 - sermons began to criticise the Nazi regime over racial policy
• Gestapo sent to question but he was too high profile
How did Pope Pius XI oppose the Nazis between 1933-1939?
• by 1937 - Pope had enough
• wrote a letter called, ‘With Burning Anxiety’ which was smuggled into Germany and was read on Palm Sunday
• letter condemned Nazi belief and methods
• Gestapo raided every Catholic Church, seized all copies of the letter
• Nazis intensified action against the church
Opposition to Nazi rule 1933-1939 - Why was Martin Niemoller sent to Sachsenhausen?
• Protestant, refused to join the Reich church - founded confessional church
• 1934 - 6000 pastors joined, only 2000 were in the Reich
• preached against Nazi racial policy.
• over 800 pastors were arrested and sent to concentration camps
• Niemöller was sent to Sachsenhausen and then Dachau, but survived
How did Nazis try to control both churches during opposition between 1933-1939?
• In July 1933, made an agreement called the ‘Concordat’ with the Pope - Pope promised that German Catholics would stay out of politics if Nazis left them alone
• Protestants - new Reich church set up in which pastors had to swear an oath to Hitler
• Hitler interfered with both churches - 1936, all Church youth groups were stopped
• 1939 - nearly all church schools had been closed, arrests of priests who spoke out against the Nazis began to increase, led to more resistance
• some pastors criticised Nazi regime
How did communists oppose the Nazis between 1933-1939?
• aimed to provide visible resistance with meetings, propaganda and newsletters
• The Red Flag - produced 10,000 copies at least once a month (communist publication)
• meant communists were easily identified and arrested by the Gestapo
• Georg Esler was appalled at the conditions of German workers and fearful of war - he attempted to kill Hitler in 1939
• locked in Dachau for 5 years and arrested
How did the Social Democrats oppose the Nazis between 1933-1939?
• leaders of the Social Dems fled the country
• those in Germany formed small resistance groups
• largest had 250
• produced anti-Nazi leaflets and posters
• Gestapo arrested 1200 in the Rhine Ruhr region
How and why did Hitler rise to power? - Treaty of Versailles
• 1919
• 32 countries were involved
• 2 German delegates signed it
• LAMB
• land - boarders changed and German territory was reduced. Germany was not allowed an army in Rhineland
• Army - only six battleships, 100,000 men - not only soldiers
• Money - pay reparations (£6.6 billion and was only paid back recently)
• Blame - accept fault for WWI, because Germany were the first to help Austria
• signed in France at the Palace of Versailles
• idea was that it was a peace treaty
• Nazis want to scrap the treaty
• leads to poverty in 1923 - hyperinflation, Germany was devastated, Jews became scapegoats
• an extreme situation so people voted extremely
How and why did Hitler rise to power - propoganda
• right wing population looked for a scapegoat
• shock to Germany that they had lost the war because of positive propaganda
• editing posters
• Hitler was a powerful speaker
• victim of Mussolini’s propoganda
• changed design of swastika, made it white black and red
How and why did Hitler rise to power - the German Worker’s Party
• national/socialist ideology
• named National Socialist German workers party
• Hitler did not found the party
• racist/hated Jews
• events in Italy inspired Hitler
• Hitler started speaking at these meetings - gifted speaker
• brought in around 2000 viewers at meetings
• was named president in 1921
