Part Three, Topic Two: Social Policy and Practice

Question 1

Which groups did the Nazis Persecute?

Answer 1

Those deemed ‘work shy’ - criminals, tramps and beggars (500,000 ended up in concentration camps)

Political opposition - banned all other parties in 1933. many socialists and communists ended up in concentration camps

The disabled - seen as a burden to society, Nazi euthanasia programme killed 71,000 people by 1941

Non-Aryans - Aryans only allowed to marry/have children with other Aryans. 500,000 Gypsies murdered by Nazis

Gay people - Arrested and sent to concentration camps. Many used in medical experiments

Question 2

When and what were the Nuremberg Laws?

Answer 2

1935
Stated that only those of German blood were German Citizens. Jews were ‘subjects’ not citizens and forced to wear a yellow star
Jews forbidden from marrying/having sexual relations with German citizens

Question 3

When was the Berlin Olympics and how did the Nazis use it to their advantage?

Answer 3

August 1936
Jewish persecution was removed from public view, but continued outside of Berlin and the routes where visitors did not travel.

Question 4

Why did the Nazis need to take control of the Churches?

Answer 4

• Majority of population was Christian and many Germans attended church regularly
• Hitler knew that the Christian Church would oppose him because they have different views: e.g. Nazis hated the weak and vulnerable but Christians helped the weak and vulnerable

Question 5

Why did Hitler appeal to Christians?

Answer 5

He promised to respect the Catholic church
Shared the view of the importance of traditional family values
He promised to destroy communism. Christians feared communism as it was anti-religious

Question 6

How did the Nazis take control of the Churches?

Answer 6

20th July 1933 - signed the Reichskonkordat with the Pope (head of the Catholic Church) guaranteeing the religious freedom of German Catholics in return for the Church and Catholic clergy staying out of politics
- But Hitler soon broke this agreement, feeling that German Catholics listened to the Pope more than him
- He harassed and arrested Catholic priests and shut down Catholic youth clubs and schools.
- Hitler attempted to unify all of the Protestant Churches in one official Reich Church in September 1933. The Reich Church was headed by the Protestant Bishop Ludwig Müller and followers often wore Nazi uniforms and used the slogan ‘the swastika on our chest and the Cross in our hearts.’

Question 7

What were the effects of the Nazi Party on Women?

Answer 7

• Aimed to increase birth rate, number of marriages and decrease number of women in work (employers encouraged to employ men over women) + Aryan was ideal family
• In 1939, grammar schools for women were banned
• 1934-35 350,000 women (+men) sterilised due to weaknesses/diseases to not harm the birth rate, abortion was restricted for the same reasons
• DFW had 6 million members in keeping with the Nazi slogan (Children, church and cooking)

Question 8

What were the effects of the Nazi Party on Education?

Answer 8

• More PE lessons took place to get the boys ready for war and the girls fit to have children
• In History, Hitler was portrayed as a German hero and the Jews were blamed for Germany’s problems. They focused on the unfairness of Treaty of Versailles
• Biology focused on Aryan race importance
• Curriculum was different focuses for boys and girls

Question 9

When was the Hitler Youth set up?

Answer 9

1926

Question 10

What were boys and girls taught in Hitler Youth Groups?

Answer 10

Boys - Taught to be strong, fit , fearless and ready for war
Girls - Prepared for their lives as mothers