Persecution and WW2 Flashcards
Who was Helmuth Hubener?
Executed for listening to a foreign radio show at the age of 17
Who was Karlrobert Kreiten?
executed for making negative remarks about Hilter at the age of 27
Who was Johanna Kirchner?
executed for openly resisting the Nazi regime at the age of 55
What was the Poltzensee Prison Execution Shed?
- Most prominent place for legal execution by the Nazis, who executed hundreds of Germans who broke any laws that went against the state (broadening the definition of treason)
- Germans were not the only ‘legally’ executed, but Czech, French and Poles also executed under Nazi occupation until 1945. Their bodies (usually killed by firing squad) would be used for research
Josef Goebbels on propeganda
Appeal to emotions and instincts, not the intellect. Truth is unimportant and entirely subordinate to tactics ans psychology
How did Nazis control newspapers for propeganda promotion?
- By 1935, the nazis had closed down more than 1600 newspapers and thousands of magazines due to being non-Nazi
- Editors were told by the propeganda ministry what could be printed and any foreign news which was published had to be taken from the Nazi controlled German Press Agency
What was the Reich Press Law?
Passed Oct. 1933 and resulted in the removal of Jewish and left wing journalists
How did Hitler use rallies as propeganda?
- An annual mass rally was held at Nuremburg to advertise the power of the Nazi State and spectacular parades were held on special occaisons
- Local rallies and marches were led by the SA and the Hitler Youth
- The Nuremburg rallies would last for several days and attracted almost 1 million people each year after the Nazis came to power
like Hitler’s birthday on the 20th April
How did Nazis use radio as propeganda?
- All radio stations under Nazi control and cheap mass-production radios were sold and could be bought on instalments
- By 1939, about 70% of German families own a radio
- Sets were installed in cafes, factories, schools and offices and loudspeakers in the street
- The People’s Radio lacked shortwave reception, making it difficult for Germans to listen to foreign broadcasts
Who was Josef Goebbels?
Graduated with a PhD in literature and philosophy 1921 and joined Nazis in 1922 and became Head of Propeganda in 1929
How did Nazis control literature for propeganda and what did this lead to?
- All plays, books and poems were censured and controlled to be pro-Nazi
- May 1933 Goebbels encouraged Berlin students to burn 20000 books written by Jews, communists, and anti-nazi profs.
- There were similar burnings in many cities across Germany that year
- Writers were persuaded/ forced to write to praise Hitler
- Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht went into self-imposed exiles rather than live under the Nazis
- About 2500 writers left Germany in years up to 1939
Why did Goebbels first try to control film for propeganda?
- Goebbels saw the popularity of film with over 100 films made each year and audiences over 250 million in 1933
- Was one of the first to realise its potential for propeganda
What were films like in Nazi Germans?
- All film plots were shown to Goebbels before production
- He realised that many Germans got board of overly political films and so gave films pro-nazi slants
Describe the development of Nazi film.
- Hitlerjunge Quex (1933) which tells the story of a boy who broke away from a communist family to join the Hitler Youth, only to be murdered by communists
- All flims had a 45 minute official news reel glorifying Hitler and Nazi achievements
- Leni Riefenstahl was a Nazi film director and she produced Tirumph of the Will about the Nazi Party Conference and Rally of 1934 and about Berlin Olympics 1936
- Hitler ordered Goebbels to make anit-semetic films but not often popular: most frequently made in 1940s
What is eugenics?
Eugenics is the belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species by encouraging people with ‘positive traits’ to reproduce.
How many physically/ mentally disabled people were forcibly sterilised as thet didn’t fit his idea of the Aryan race?
350000
200000 disabled people were killed by Nazis from 1939 including 5000 children murdered in specially made ‘nursing homes’
Describe the boycott of Jewish shops in April 1933
- Germans were persuaded to boycott Jewish shops but reactions to the international press criticised the new Nazi regime
- Boycott began Saturday 1st April and lasted only a day
- SA stood at the enterances of Jewish businesses to discourage entry
- The Star of David was painted by SA on Jewish shop doors and windows
- Police rarely stopped the SA’s physical violence against Jews
- Most Germans ignored the boycott
- Saturday is Jewish sabbath so most Jewish shops were shut anyway
When and what were the Nuremburg laws?
- 15th Sep 1935 Nazis passed two new racial laws at their annual Reich Party Congress in Nuremberg
- The two laws were Reich Citizenship Law and Law for the Protection of Germans
What was the Reich Citizenship Law?
Stated that only those oof German blood could be German citizens. Jews lost thier citizenship, the right to vote and hold gov. office
What was the Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour?
Forbade marriage or sexual relations between a Jew and a German. Exisiting marriages were still legal ut encouraged divorce. Few did so.
What was Kristallnacht?
The Night of Broken Glass describes the period of destruction of Jewish property between the 8 and 9th Nov 1938
How did Kristallnacht begin?
Began after a Jewish man assassinated the Nazi ambassador in France over the treatment of Jews.
Nazis then used this as an excuse to violently target the Jews in retaliation across Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland
How did Jews respond to Kristallnacht?
Many Jews saw this as a turning point: up until then, there had been a progresive erosion of thir rights, but Jews had not been physically attacked
Many concluded to leave Geramny after this and Kindertransport began after this: a scheme to evacuate Jewish children to Britain
How many Jewish businesses were destoryed during the pogrom?
7500
How many synagogues and prayer houses were destroyed during Kristallancht?
1406
How many Jews emigrated between Nov 1938- Sep 1939?
200 000
How many Jews were arrested between 10-16 the Nov 1938 (aftermath of Kristallnacht)?
30000
May 1933 discrimination against Jews
A new law exclude Jews from gov.
September 1933 discrimination against Jews
Jews banned from inheriting land
1934 law to discriminate against Jews
local councils banned jews from public spaces such as parks and swimming pools
May 1935 discrimination against Jews
Jews no longer allowed in the army
June 1935 discrimination of Jews
Jews no longer allowed in reataurants
1936 persecution of Jews
- April- Jews banned from ‘professional’ jos
- July-Aug Jewish persecution is reduced during the Olympics
September 1937 discrimination of Jews
Hilter publicly attacks Jewish population leading to Jws losing more businesses
1938 discrimination against jews
- March- Jews have to register possessions
- July- Jews have to carry identity cards
- October- Jews have passports marked with ‘J’
- November- Night of Broken Glass (Nov. Pogrom) and Jewish children are no longer alowed to attend school with non-jewish children
- Jews are banned from owning businesses
What happened Sept 1939?
German invasion of Poland, which was completed in less than a month
Spring 1940
German invasion of Holland, Belgium and France with great success
Summer 1940
Start of the Battle of Britain. A loss for Germany, but they didn’t lose anything (land)
Spring 1941
German invasion of Balkans. The Nazi met some fierce resistance but won
June 1941
German invasion of the USSR which initially goes very well
October 1942
German defeat at El-Alamein in North Africa by British and American troops
February 1943
German army surrenders to Russia an Stalingrad losing lots of men and supplies
June 1944
Allied invasion of Europe
(D day) and Hitler no longer controls all of Europe
January 1945
Russian and allied troops move in on Germany. This is the first time there has been foreign troops in Germany since WW1. The economy is in ruins and cities are destoryed
May 1945
End of war in Europe; Hitler commits suicide and Germany surrenders
How were German lifestyles affected by WW2?
- Entire German economy became focussed on the war effort
- All pastoral services were suspended and letter boxes closed
- All places of entertainment were closed, except cinemas (to show propeganda)
What was the effect of WW2 on the SS?
- The SS became virtually a state within Germany
- This SS state had its own armed forces, armaments, industires and labour camps
- It developed a business empire that was worth a fortune
- This caused resentment amoung the German people
How was German attitudes towards the Nazis changed by WW2?
- With defeat looming, support for the Nazis weekened
- Germans stopped declaring food they had and stryed away from Nazi rallies
- They refused to Hail Hitler
- Himmler contacted the Allies to ask about possible peace terms
How was stability in Germany affected by WW2?
- Many people were made homeless by Allied bombings, refugees were fleeing Russian armies in the East
- In eastern Germany, over 3 million Germans were fleeing, but they got no help from the retreating German army
- No transport was easily available as priority was given to retreating German troops and to moving equiptment
- Over half a million died on the journey
When was the bombing od Dresden?
13th Feb 1945
What were the effects of the bombing of Dresden?
- primary victims were civillians
- Dresden had no defences
- 25000 died in a single night
- 4000 tonnes of explosives dropped on Dresden by allies
What was the Final Solution, how did it come to be proposed?
- Became too financially consuming to help and transport Jewish people in concentration camps
- Moved to Getthos in cities, but it was still too time consuming and expensive for Nazis
- From 1941, Nazis proposed the ‘final solution to the Jewish Question’, which was to exterminate the Jews using death camps
What was a ghetto?
Made in large cities, with high Jewish population, these areas would become prisons for all who lived there
These areas were overcrowded and often suffered from disease, starvation and high crime rates, as people tried to survive
Where was the largest ghetto?
Warsaw ghetto in Poland
460 000 Jews in the space of 3.4km squared
What was the purpose of ghettos?
To act as the interim measure before deportation to concentration camps
What was Operation Barbarossa?
After the invasion of Russia, special killing units (Einsatzgruppen) were set up to follow the front line and kill any Jewish people they found
Detials of the encatment of The Final Solution.
- Led by Himmler, a plan was created that would transport, organise, de-humanise and then murder all of the European Jews
- Auschwitz, along with 10 other death camps, led to the death of half a millionJews at Auschwitz alone
How many Jews were killed in Poland during Nazi occupation?
3 million
90% of Jewish population
Who was Dr Mengele?
Infamous doctor at Auschwitz who performed experiments on patients
What gas was used at Auschwitz?
Zyklon B (hydrogen cyanide gas) and these gas chambers (made to look like shower blocks) could hold up to 2000 people, killing everyone between 3-15 minutes
How many Catholics and Protestants were there in 1933 Germany?
40 million German Protestants and 20 million German Catholics
When was the Reich Church founded?
Founded in 1933 to help to create a new Nazi Church.
Ludwig Muller led the effort after being elected the ‘Reichbischof’
What were some of the changes in the Reich Church under Hitler?
- The Reich Church stopped preaching (giving sermons) from the Old Testament (based on the Hebrew Bible).
- Church ministers who were not pure Aryan descent were banned from the Reich Church
What phrase shows the blurring between politics and religion?
‘The Swastika on our chests and the cross in our hearts’
Hitler tried to influence sermons to convey his propeganda messges
What was Protestant opposition to Hitler?
- the Confessional Church was founded in 1934 to oppose the Reich Church
- Led by Martin Niemoller, the Confessional Church was made up by 6,000 churches
Pope’s statement of 1937.
Pope released a statement called ‘with burning anxiety’ to voice his criticism of Hitler and his policies to the world.
James Hawes, 1939, the SS head Office said…
‘one can declare with certainty that the Lutheran part of the population has a better understanding of the struggle and mission of the SS than the Catholic part’
What were race farms?
SS men would deliberately have children with Aryan women
The start of race laws and its emphasis by Nazis.
- 1933: the Nazis began a racial policy to reduce the number of untermenschen (sub-humans)
- 1935: the Nuremburg Laws banned marriage or sexual relations between Aryans and non-Aryans.
- Any mixed race children were sterilised under this law
Who were Untermenschen?
sub-humans
Beneath the Aryans were white Western Europeans and then the ‘untermenschen’
* Slavs were the top ‘sub-human’
* Then black people
* Then Roma-gypsies
* Jews
Nazi policy towards Slavs.
Made to feel uncomfortable in German society. They were constantly reminded that they were inferior
Not many policies directed at the Slavs
Nazi pre-war towards Roma gypsies
- From 1933 onwards, gypsies were arrested and sent to concentration camps
- In 1938, all gypsies had to be registered and medically examined. If they failed this test (which was designed so that most did fail) then German citisenship was removed and they could no longer travel.
War time policies towards Roma gypsies.
- From 1939, gypsies were told they would be deported
- From 1940, gypsies were deported to labour camps. From there some went to Chelmno death camp
- From 1942, the Nazis ordered all gypsies to be deported
- By the end of the war, 85% of German gypsies were killed.
Who were considered ‘undesirables’?
disabled people, homosexuals, beggars, socialists and trade unionists
What were Nazi policies towards the disabled and homosexuals?
- 1933: the Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseased Offspring was passed.
- After this over 300,000 disabled people were sterlilised
- by 1939, the Nazis began to use euthanasia to kill those with mental and physical disabilities
- 100,000 people were secretly killed between 1939-41
- Homosexual men were sent to concentration camps to treat their ‘disorder’
- Beggars were sent to do hard labour
Nazi views on marriage.
- Nazis wanted all women to marry and passed the Law of the Encouragement of Marriage (this gave married couples a loan of 1,000 marks)
- While the number of marriages did increase, we cannot automatically assume it was because of these marriage loans. Wider improvements to the economy could have also affected this.
Nazi Views about women and the family.
- Nazis had a ‘pro-natalist’ policy: they wanted women to have lots of children to increase the Aryan race
- For every child a family had, they were allowed to keep 250 marks of thier marriage loan. If you had 4 children, you would not have to pay any money back
What was the motherhood cross?
Incentive for women to have children:
* A bronze medal was for 4 children
* A silver medal for 6 children
* A gold medal for 8 children
* The birth rate did increase from 15 babies per 1000 in 1932 to 19 babies per 1000 in 1938
Women in the home in Naiz Germany
- To keep women in the home, they were discouraged from working
- From 1933, women were banned from having professional jobs
- Propeganda stressed that women were not to steal jobs from men
- Women were cheap labourers and female employment rose by 2.4 million between 1933 and 1939 (didn’t work)
Female education in Nazi Germany.
- The Nazis wanted to educate women on how to look after their family and home
- The German Women’s Enterprise (DFW) ran classes and radio shows to teach women how to run their home
- Schools began to teach girls domestic skills
- From 1937, girls in grammar schools were forbidden to prepare for university
