Social Policy Flashcards
1
Q
What was the German Labour Front (DAF) (policy to workers)
A
- established on 6 May 1933 under Robert Ley to coordinate workers into the National Socialist regime.
- took over assets of trade unions and became the largest organisation in the 3rd Reich.
- Membership grew rapidly as it was the only officially recognised organisation representing workers.
- 2 aims: win workers over to the Volk and encourage workers to increase production.
- replaced trade unions but was not a trade union -> did not bargain over wages and no influence over the regime’s social and economic policies.
- had propaganda department to influence working-class Germans.
- Nazi system heavily weighted in flavour of employer and the state.
-> workers work harder and accept squeezes on wages and living standards. - propaganda proposed a reward for work was not material gain but knowledge that they were serving the community.
2
Q
What was the policy/group of strength through joy (KdF)
A
- Workers ‘gain strength by experiencing joy in their leisure’.
-> workers were refreshed by holidays, sports and cultural activities more efficient when they returned to work. - Other aims:
-> encouraged individuals to see selves as part of the Volk.
-> encourage spirit of social equality -> activities were organised so no distinction between rich and poor. - By 1936, 35 million belonged to it -> was one of the regime’s popular organisation.
- offered opportunities unavailable to ordinary Germans before 1933, helped reconcile people, even former opponents to the Regime.
3
Q
Explain the success of the policies towards workers
A
- Sopade + Gestapo report slow workers’ reactions to Nazi schemes to win their support was mixed.
- Failure: many workers were influenced by socialist and communist ideas before 1933 so resisted Nazi ideas.
-> possible that strength through joy was popular because it was a means of escaping the boredom and pressure of their working lives. - Success: workers had no independent means by which they could voice their grievances.
-> trade unions were abolished, no way to mount resistance.
-> strength through joy was one of the most popular policies -> helped reconcile people to the regime.
4
Q
Explain the development of the Hitler Youth
A
- 1936 -> Law for Incorporation of German Youth gave Hitler Youth the status of an official education movement, equal in status to schools and the home.
- At the same time, Catholic youth organisations were banned and the Hitler Youth became the only officially permitted youth organisation.
- By 1936 -> Hitler youth was granted a monopoly over all sports facilities and competitions for children under the age of 14.
- membership of the Hitler Youth was made compulsory in 1939.
5
Q
Explain the activities and ideas of the Hitler Youth (HJ)
A
- constant diet of political indoctrination and physical activity.
-> Boys from the age of 10 were taught to ‘live faithfully, fight bravely and die laughing’. - emphasis of activities was on competition, struggle and leadership as boys prepared for future as soldiers.
- a set syllabus of political indoctrination which all members followed and emphasis on military drilling.
6
Q
Explain the activities and ideas of the Hitler Youth
A
- constant diet of political indoctrination and physical activity.
-> Boys from the age of 10 were taught to ‘live faithfully, fight bravely and die laughing’. - emphasis of activities was on competition, struggle and leadership as boys prepared for future as soldiers.
- a set syllabus of political indoctrination which all members followed and emphasis on military drilling.
7
Q
Explain the success of the Hitler Youth
A
- opportunity to participate in sports and camping trips away from home was very attractive.
- for many boys -> struggle, loyalty and discipline became accepted as the norm.
- many joined against the wishes of parents who were not Nazi supporters.
-> offered an outlet for teenage rebelliousness. - By late 30s, as the organisation became more bureaucratic and rigid -> there were signs that enthusiasm was beginning to wane.
-> reports of poor attendance at weekly parades.
-> boys resented harsh punishments for minor infringements of rules.
8
Q
Explain the development of the League of German Girls (BDM)
A
- the female equivalent of the Hitler Youth.
- motto: ‘be faithful, be pure, be German’ was part of the process of preparing girls for their future role as housewives and mothers in the Volksgemeinschaft.
- Membership became compulsory in 1939.
9
Q
what were activities / ideologies of the League of German Girls
A
- taught they had a day to be healthy since their bodies belonged to the nation.
- need to be fit for future role as child bearers.
- taught in matters of hygiene, cleanliness and healthy eating.
-> formation dancing and gymnastics served dual purpose of fitness and comradeship. - weekly ‘home evenings’, girls taught sewing and cooking.
- also sessions for political education and racial awareness.
- After 1934, girls were expected to do a year’s work on the land or in domestic service -> made compulsory in 1939.
10
Q
Explain the success of the League of German Girls
A
- many girls found their experiences in the BDM liberating.
-> did things their mothers were not allowed to do and they could escape restraints of the home. - developed a sense of comradeship.
- BDM groups were classless -> bringing girls from a range of backgrounds together.
- racial awareness was a big aspect of education -> Jutta Rudiger (leader of BDM) -> instructed girls on their future partners in marriage -> only the ‘best German soldier is suitable’ -> ‘honour lies in being faithful to the blood of own race.’
- however after 1934 they were expected to do a year work on land or domestic service which was unpopular for girls from the cities.
-> this became compulsory in 1939.
11
Q
Explain how Nazis took control over teachers
A
- Law for Re-establishment of Professional Civil Service (1933), number of teachers were dismissed on the grounds of political unreliability or because they were Jewish.
- Teachers were pressurised into joining the National Socialist Teachers’ League (NSLB), but most teachers were willing to comply.
-> Joachim Fest -> the teaching profession was one of the most politically reliable sections of the population.. - Vetting of textbooks was undertaken by local nazi committees after 1933.
-> from 1935, central directives were issued by the Ministry of Education covering what could be taught and, by 1938, these rules covered every school year and most subjects.
12
Q
Explain how Nazis took over the curriculum
A
- Nazis aim to promote ‘racial health’, led to increasing emphasis on physical education.
-> military-style drills became a feature of P.E lessons. - In German lessons, the aim was to install a ‘consciousness of being German’ through the study of Nordic sagas and other traditional stories.
- Biology stressed race and heredity -> emphasis on evolution and survival of the fittest.
- Geography used to develop awareness of Lebensraum, ‘blood and soil’ and German racial superiority.
-> atlases supported the concept of ‘one people, one Reich.’.
13
Q
Explain the effect that changes in the curriculum had on University attendances
A
- with stress on indoctrination, Nazis downgraded importance of academic education and the number of students attending uni decreased between 1933-1939.
-> access to higher education was strictly rationed -> based on ‘political reliability’. - Women were restricted to 10% of the available university placed.
14
Q
Explain how the Nazis took control of universities
A
- Under Law for Re-establishment of Pro Civil Service -> 1200 uni staff were dismissed on racial or political grounds.
- Nov 1933 -> all university teachers were made to sign a ‘declaration in support of Hitler and the National Socialist State’.
- Students had to join the German Students’ League (DS), although some 25% avoided this.
- Students forced to do 4 months labour service and 2 months in an SA camp -> Labour service would give students experience of real life, considered by Nazis to be more important than academic learning.
15
Q
Explain how the Nazis found it easy to take control of universities
A
- co-ordination was mostly voluntary.
- In W Rep, unis were dominated by nationalist and anti-democratic attitudes and traditional student ‘fraternities’ were a breeding ground for reactionary politics.
- Nazis were therefore able to tap into pre-existing culture of extreme nationalism and infuse it with Nazi ideas.
-> helped by students’ knowledge that their prospects of employment after graduating depended on showing outward support for the regime.
