Nazi Germany 1929-45 Flashcards
(82 cards)
1
Q
Who were the übermensch?
A
The Aryan race, the ideal race
- Blonde
- Blue eyes
- White
- Athletic and strong
2
Q
Who were the untermensch?
A
The undesirables
- Jews
- The disabled (physically + mentally)
- Criminals
- Homosexuals
- Black people
- Gypsies
3
Q
What is ‘mein kampf’?
A
‘My struggle’ - written in 1925
Hitlers autobiography in wrote in prison which outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany
4
Q
Why did people vote for the Nazis?
A
- People were poor and desperate
- People were looking for a strong leader
- People were looking for a strong party
- People wanted someone to blame
- People were fed up of other political parties
5
Q
When did Hitler become chancellor?
A
1933
6
Q
How did Hitler’s own actions help him to become chancellor?
A
- Propaganda
- Leadership
- Organisation
- Nazi promises
7
Q
How did other events help Hitler become chancellor?
A
- Wall Street Crash
- Great Depression
- Political Deal
- Divided and weak opposition
- Fear of communism
8
Q
What was the political deal?
A
- President Hindenburg made Papen chancellor after refusing Hitler in 1932 when the Nazis won 37% of the votes
- General von Schlucher persuaded President Hindenburg to remove Papen from power then Schlucher became chancellor
- Papen wanted power again so he made a deal with Hitler, the new government, Hitler as chancellor and Papen as vice chancellor
- Papen persuaded Hindenburg to agree to the plan and Hitler became chancellor in 1933
- People thought they could control Hitler
9
Q
In 1932 how many people were unemployed?
A
6 million
10
Q
When was the Reichstag Fire?
A
Feb 1933
11
Q
What was the Reichstag Fire?
A
- A Dutch communist is found guilty of burning the Reichstag
- The building was completely destroyed
- The Nazis claimed this was part of the communist plot to take over Germany
12
Q
How did the Reichstag Fire help Hitler destroy democracy?
A
- Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to pass emergency laws to arrest communists
- Other political opponents were put in prison without trial
- This cut down the number of political parties and opponents
13
Q
What were the 1933 March Elections?
A
- The Nazis used the police and the SA to put pressure on political opponents
- More than 50 opponents of the Nazis were killed and many more were injured
- The Nazis used radios to broadcast the anti-communist message
- This helped the Nazis to achieve 44% of the votes
14
Q
When was the Enabling Act?
A
March 1933
15
Q
What was the Enabling Act?
A
- This law gave Hitler the power to pass laws without going through the Reichstag
- Passed by 444 votes to 94
- Communist party banned from voting
16
Q
How did the Enabling Act help Hitter to destroy democracy?
A
The Reichstag voted itself out of existence
17
Q
When were Trade Unions and Parties banned?
A
May 1933
18
Q
What was the banning of Trade Unions and Parties?
A
- Trade Union officers were taken over and leaders arrested
- All Trade Unions were merged into one organisation, the new German Labour Front
19
Q
When was The Night of the Long Knives?
A
June 1934
20
Q
What was The Night of the Long Knives?
A
- SA leaders dragged from their beds and taken to Nazi headquarters
- Shot dead
- Röhm was arrested when he refused to commit suicide then he was shot in prison
21
Q
What were the effects of The Night of the Long Knives?
A
- This sent a warning to Germany how ruthless Hitler was in pursuit to power
- Gained army support
22
Q
When did Hindenburg die?
A
August 1934
23
Q
What did Hitler do after Hindenburg’s death?
A
Made himself president as well as chancellor and took the title Führer
24
Q
What was the army oath to Hitler?
A
- The army took an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler
- He was now supreme commander of the armed forces
- All German soldiers swore to obey Hitler and to risk their lives for him at any time
25
Who was the leader of the SA?
Ernst Röhm
26
How many members did the SA have by 1934?
Over 3 million members
27
Why did the increasing number of members of the SA and its leader concern Hitler?
- Röhm was a potential rival for Hitler
- Hitler thought the SA was bigger than the army
- Hitler was concerned of the increasing power of the SA and worried that Röhm would overthrow him
28
Who was Heinrich Himmler?
- Joined the Nazis in 1923
- Head of SS in 1929
- Head of all police in 1936
IN CHARGE OF TERROR
29
What was the SS?
Black uniformed and originally Hitler'a personal protection squad
30
How many members did the SS have by 1939?
24,0000 members
31
What could the SS do?
Arrest people without trial and search houses
32
What is the Gestapo?
State secret police
33
When were concentration camps introduced?
1933
34
How did concentration camps help the Nazis?
- SS arrested opposition of the Nazis
- At first inmates were held for short periods of time for questioning and torture
- But by the 1930s they were run by a section of the SS
- Some inmates were forced to work for Nazi businesses
- Himmler controlled 150 companies who used slave labour
35
Who did concentration camps hold?
- Communists
- Jews
- Socialists
- Trade unionists
36
What was the role of a local warden?
Visited every home in the block collecting donations
37
What was the role of a block warden?
Wrote a report in everyone in their block
38
Why was the church a threat to the Nazis?
- Churches preached tolerance and peace
| - Churches could spread the anti-Nazi message
39
How many Germans were catholic?
1/3
40
Who owned the loyalty of the catholic Germans?
The Pope, not Hitler
41
When was the Concordat?
July 1933
42
What was the Concordat?
- Nazis would allow catholic freedom of worship and catholic schools
- The Pope agreed that German Catholics would stay out of politics
43
Did Hitler keep his word of the Concordat?
NO
- He shut down Catholic schools
- Harassed Catholic priests by charging them with made up offences and sending some to concentration camps
44
How did Hitler try to suppress Protestantism?
He creates the Department of Church Affairs
45
When did Hitler create the Department of Church Affairs?
1935
46
Who was the most famous Protestant that opposed Hitler?
Martin Niemöller
47
What did Niemöller do in 1934?
- Set up the Confessional Church
| - It was made up of Protestants who opposed Nazi interference
48
What happened to Niemöller?
- Sent to a concentration camp in 1938
| - Along with 800 of his fellow ministers
49
Who was the leader of the Reich Church?
Ludwig Müller
50
What was the Reich Church?
Protestants who collaborated with Hitler, allowing him to display propaganda and promoted Nazism in exchange for carrying out church services as normal
51
Why did Von Stauffenberg want to kill Hitler?
- He didn't agree with Hitler's decision to go to war
| - The mistreatment of the German army in Russia encouraged him to plot against Hitler
52
What is another name for the July Bomb Plot?
Operation Valkyrie
53
What was the July Bomb Plot?
A plan to use a bomb in a briefcase to kill Hitler and seize control of Berlin using the army
54
When was the July Bomb Plot attempted?
- December 1943
- June 1944
- 4 times throughout July 1944
55
When did the July Bomb Plot finally take place?
20th July 1944
56
Why did the July Bomb Plot fail?
- Colonel Brandt moved the briefcase
- Hitler was not killed
- Von Stauffenberg's fellow plotters in Berlin failed to act quickly to seize Berlin
57
How did the Nazis attempt to control young people through schools?
- Curriculum was used to teach Nazi ideology
- Textbooks rewritten with Nazi beliefs
- Used the school system to brainwash young Germans into loving the Nazi party
58
What was the Hitler Youth?
- Members spent time doing physical activities such as hiking, running, nazi charity work
- All members swore a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler
59
How many young Germans were members of the Hitler Youth by 1939?
Over 80%
60
When was the Hitler Youth formed?
1926
61
In 1933 how many members did the Hitler Youth have?
50,000
62
Why was the Hitler Youth popular?
Boys were taken on camp which for many was their first taste of a holiday
63
Why was the Hitler Youth opposed by 1939?
- Boys started to resent the propaganda
| - They didn't like to be bossed around and being told what to believe
64
What was the League of German Maidens?
- Girls joined at age 14
| - Trained to be a good wife and mother by learning practical and domestic skills
65
What are the 3 Ks?
Kinder - Children
Kirche - Church
Küche - Cooking
These were the roles of women
66
What were the Nazi expectations of women?
- Virgin until marriage
- Aryan
- Dependent on men
- Not skinny, very healthy
- Hair plaited
- No makeup
- No smoking
67
What was the Women's Honour Cross of German Mothers?
It was awarded to mothers with 4 or more children
- Gold for 8
- Silver for 6
- Bronze for 4
Youth must salute women who wore it
68
What were Hitler's 4 economic aims?
- Self sufficiency
- Reducing unemployment
- Prepared for war
- Controlling the workers
69
When was the boycott of Jewish shops?
1933
70
What was the boycott of Jewish shops?
- Anti Jewish graffiti on shop windows
| - SA stood outside Jewish businesses to threaten shoppers
71
When were the Nuremburg Laws?
1935
72
What were the Nuremburg Laws?
Laws to exclude Jews from German life
- Jews could not be a German citizen
- Jews could not marry or have sex with non Jews
73
In what year did Jews have to have their passports stamped with a "J"?
1938
74
When did the Star of David need to be worn by Jews?
1938
75
When was the Night of the Broken Glass?
1938
76
What was the Night of the Broken Glass?
- Young Jewish student, angry at the treatment of Jews, shot a German diplomat in Paris
- Nazi leaders encouraged their supporters to smash up their homes and shops
- The police were instructed not to intervene
- 2 nights of violence
- 91 Jews dead
- Streets filled with 'broken glass'
77
What happened within the following months after 'The Night of the Broken Glass'?
- 30,000 Jews were arrested and taken to concentration camps
- It was a turning point in the Nazi treatment of Jews
78
In 1939, what were Jews not allowed to do?
- Be dentists, chemists, nurses
| - To leave their houses after 8pm in the winter and 9pm in the summer
79
When were Ghettos introduced?
1939
80
What were Ghettos?
- Jews forced into special sections of the city
- Shut off from the rest of the city
- Crowded
- Food, water and power were cut off
- Hundreds of Jews died there each day
- Anyone who tried to leave was shot
81
What was the Einsatzgrüppen?
- Special SS Squads
- They rounded up Jews in each town and took them to the countryside
- They were ordered to dig a trench
- The Jews were shot and fell into the trench
- This because a mass grave
82
When was The Final Solution?
1941
