Nazi Germany in Depth [H1.2.1] Flashcards
Posters and Music - Propaganda
Goebbels plastered Germany with Posters
These Posters showed success of Germany
Goebbels banned Jazz, claimed it was “Black” music.
Black people were claimed to be inferior.
Radio? - Propaganda
Goebbels loved new tech and quickly saw the potential of radio broadcasting. He made the peoples radio and many of these were bought. Goebbels repeated the message on the radio of the inferiority of Jews and German expansion which came to be drilled into them.
Books Propaganda and Censorship
No books could be published without Goebbels permission
Bestseller was Mein Kampf (Hitlers Book)
1933 - High Profile Student bookburning
Newspapers and Art Propaganda and Censorship
Only Nazi approved painters could show their work.
Usually paintings of heroic looking Aryans or pictures of traditional Aryan families.
Newspapers could not print out anti Nazi ideas, within months of Nazi takeover. Jewish editors found out of work.
Anti Nazi papers closed down
Newspaper circulation fell by 10%
The SS (Nazi Police)
The SS was formed in 1925 from loyal fanatics
After virtually destroying the SA in 1934, the SS grew from 240,000 strong in 1939 to 1m in 1944.
SS men were trained Aryans, led by Heinrich Himmler
Around 200,000 Germans sent to concentration camps by SS ran courts.
The Army Oath
Soon after the night of the long knives, Hindenburg died and Hitler took over as the supreme leader (Fuhrer) of Germany.
On the 2nd August 1934, the entire army swore an Oath of loyalty to Hitler. The Army agreed to stay out of Politics and serve Hitler. In return, Hitler spent a vast sum on Rearmament, brought back conscription and made plans to restore Germany as a great military power.
Concentration Camps
Concentration Camps were the Nazis ultimate sanction against their own.
The First concentration camps in 1933 were makeshift prisons in disused factories, soon purpose built camps were built. Usually in rural areas.
Ran by SS Deadheads unit and forced to do hard labour.
Food was limited and prisoners suffered harsh discipline, beatings and random executions.
Enabling Act
When Hitler finally got the majority vote and got access to the enabling act, he immediately banned the communist party.
He intimidated the Reichstag into giving him this act.
He could now pass laws without discussion or vote.
This made him a virtual dictator.
Gestapo (Secret Police)
The Gestapo was the secret state police under command of Reinhard Heydrich.
Gestapo agents had sweeping powers, they could arrest citizens and send them to concentration camps without trial or even explanation.
They were reputed to have a network of informers.
Feared by ordinary Germans, believed it was much more powerful than it actually was.
The Police and Courts
Top jobs in the local police forces were given to high ranking Nazis reporting to Himmler. As a result the police added political snooping to their normal law and order rule. They were to ignore crimes committed by Nazis.
Similarly the Nazis controlled magistrates, Judges and the courts. They appointed all the judges and sacked those who they disapproved of. This soon created a form of self imposed control - magistrates knew what they were expected to do.
Night of the Long Knives
SA was starting to oppose Hitler
Army resented SA Activity
SA had 2.9m men where army only had 100,000
On the weekend of June 30th-July 2nd 1934 Hitler arrested and executed Rohm and 400 other SA figures
Many former SA members were absorbed by the army and the SS
Films Propaganda and Censorship
Cinema outings were popular leisure activities in Germany
FIlms had to carry a pro nazi message.
Made sure feature films were full of the greatness of hitler and achievements of Nazi Germany. Evidence that Germans arrived late to miss these ads.
All foreign films censored.
People’s Radio
Small Cheap radios that could be sold.
70% of German households owned these by 1939.
Regional Newspapers
Jewish Editors sacked, Regional Papers went from 4700 in 1933 to 1000 in 1944.
Marriage Loans
£2000 (600 marks) to women who gave up work to get married. 800,000 women took these up.
