Racial State Flashcards
Law of prevention of offspring with hereditary disease
July 1933
Permitted compulsory sterilisation of anyone deemed mentally or physically unfit
Includes people with epilepsy, blindness, alcoholism
Positive eugenics
Financial incentives given to healthy parents to encourage them to have more children and produce future ‘national comrades’
German mother’s who had large families held in high esteem and given Mothers Cross award : gold for 8 kids ; silver for 6 ; bronze for 4
Attempts made to restrict access to contraceptive information and devices
Prep for euthanasia
Hitler keen to introduce euthanasia programme but knew would receive backlash, especially from Catholic Church
Nevertheless: In late 1930s, massive propaganda campaign mounted in popular press
Numerous articles criticised looking after of psychiatric patients, suggesting money better spent elsewhere
The ‘asocial’
Nazi’s took action against anyone they deemed asocial (beggars, alcoholics, homosexuals)
Anyone labelled ‘asocial’ could be taken into custody
Some ‘asocials’ forcibly sterlilised
Was Nazi euthanasia planned
Carefully planned with clear plan of operation
Child euthanasia
1939, team of doctors worked out method of secretly implementing child euthanasia
‘Reich committe’ set up as fake organisation to hide their plans
1939 decree ordered all midwives to report to the Reich committee all infant born with severe medical conditions
These babies were transferred to special clinics where they’re given drug overdose or starved
5000 children killed between 1939-45
Operation T-4
Hitler scared of opposition towards euthanasia law
However, in 1939 signs documents empowering grant of ‘mercy deaths’ to those suffering incurable disease
Operation T-4 was the process of deciding who should die based on information provided by institutions holding medical patients
Most T-4 staff, managers, doctors loyal Nazi’s
Opposition to T4
Despite efforts to keep secrecy, large number of deaths raised suspicion
In 1942, number of church leaders denounced the killings
Fearful of alienating public opinion, Hitler ordered gassing to stop
Hitlers stop order had littler effect as euthanasia continued out of public sight
How many Jews in Germany 1933
500000
Less then 1% of population
Situation with Jews 1933-35
1933 - Nazi mobs beat up Jews and destroyed Jewish property. Officially Hitler opposed such violence as it alienated countries with which Germany hoped to trade with
Hitler dropped anti semetic legislation in 1933, excluding Jews from certain jobs
By making their lives difficult, Nazi’s hoped Jews would emigrate (maybe holocaust not always the desire)
However, many Jews were not allowed to take assets with them and were reluctant to leave, few countries willing to accept them
Nuremberg laws
1935
Marriage and sexual relations between Jews and Germans banned
Jews lost their German citizenship
Situation with Jews 1936-37
Germany staged Olympic Games 1936 and concerned other countries may withdraw due to anitsemitism, Nazi’s adopt a more moderate line
1937, Goering began issuing decreees which shut down many Jewish businesses
Night of broken glass
1938 polish jew murdered German official
Goebbels ordered immediate revenge
Following night 8000 Jewish businesses destroyed
200 synagogues burned
90 Jews killed
30000 herded not concentration camps
Could be evidence to show their policy not clear and consistent but rather rash
Situation in 1938-39
New laws against Jews came into effect, Jews were :
Forbidden to undertake any form of independent business activity
Banned from visiting cinemas, concerts, circuses, theatres
In1939 forced emigration saw 150000 Jews leave Germany
Lebensraum
Many European thinkers had proposed opening up space for the superior white race - in Germany, widespread support that farmers needed more land and their destiny lay in the east
Hitler twisted this belief into an idea that the land eastward would provide battleground for racial annihilation of inferior Slavic race and Germanisation of that land
What did Nazi students do in May 1933
Attacked the institute of sex research (gay organisation)
Burned its library
Seized its list of names and addresses of gay people which marked start of a long and sustained persecution of homosexuals in Germany
What did gestapo begin to do in 1934 in relation to homosexuals
Compile names of them . In that same year, SS eliminated Rohm and other leaders of the SA who were gay
Law made stricter for gays and between 1936-38 20000 arrested
How many homosexuals arrested and what was their treatment like
Some 100,000 arrested
Poor treatment and some subject to ‘voluntary castration’ to cure their perversion
Those who refused to denounce their sexual orientation placed in concentration camps and subject to abuse
60% died in camps
How many Jews died in ghettos and labour camps 1939-41
500000
Madagascar plan
In 1940, Nazi promoted notion of sending Western European Jews to Madagascar
Apparent enthusiasm at every level, from Hitler downwards
Continuation of the war however, ensured plan never put into effect
Functionalist historians on Nazi anti Jewish policy 1933-41
Erratic and improvised
Hitler accepted whatever ‘solution’ was currently in favour
Intentionalist historian on Hitler policy towards Jews 1933-41
Hitler was a strong dictator who was in a position to realise his intentions
Hitler was the driving force of antisemitism
Evidence that Hitler’s extermination of the Jews was unplanned
Hitlers speeches in 1939-40 gave no indication of any genocide plan
Himmler in 1940 regarded extermination as impossible
