The experiences of Germans under the Nazis 1933-45 1 Flashcards
4 main ways that the Nazis controlled opposition
The SS
The Gestapo
The Peoples’ Courts
The Concentration camps
What were the SS and what did they do
Main organisation for enforcing repression and control
Formed in 1925 as an elite bodyguard and from 1929 it came under the leadership of Himmler
After the purge of the SA in 1934 the SS became the Nazi’s main security force
They were loyal to Aryan Nazis
The SS had primary responsibility for destroying opposition to Nazism
The ‘General SS’ were in charge of ‘national security’ while the ‘Waffen SS’ formed special armoured regiments that fought alongside the regular army
Another branch of the SS was the Death’s head units who were responsible for the concentration camps and the slaughter of the Jews
What were the Gestapo and what did they do
The Gestapo was the state secret police
It was set up in 1933 and was led by Reinhard Heydrich
Gestapo agents had sweeping powers and were ruthless in dealing with enemies of the Nazis
They had the power to arrest and detain citizens without trial
Only 10% of ‘political crime’ was discovered by the Gestapo, 10% by the regular police and the remaining 80% was from ordinary Germans informing on each other because they were so scared that the Gestapo would find out anyway and that they would be punished for not informing
What were the Peoples’ Courts and what did they do
The Police and Courts helped to prop up the Nazi dictatorship
From 1933 the Courts were Nazified
Hitler set up a Peoples’ Court to try people who opposed the Nazi regime
Judges had to be loyal Nazis and had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler
This way they could be depended upon to give the ‘right’ verdict
Under this system the numbers of political prisoners increased dramatically
Between 1934 and 1939 534 people were executed
By 1939 there were 162,734 people under ‘protective arrest’
What were the Concentration Camps and what did they do
They were set up in 1933
They were labour camps where ‘enemies of the state’ could be sent
They had a very bad reputation and the thought of being caught and sent to a concentration camp would make the majority of people not oppose Nazism
In the camps food was very limited and discipline harsh
Few survived a stay in the camps
Anybody who criticised the Nazis ended up in these camps
At first most prisoners were Communists, Socialists and trade unionists
Later other ‘undesirable’ groups were sent to the camps - Eastern Europeans, Jews, homosexuals and church men amongst others
Why did the Nazis persecute many groups in German society
Because of their belief in the superiority of the German people who were a ‘master race’
They thought that the Aryans were superior to all other groups
The ideal Nazi was tall with blonde hair and blue eyes and Hitler was often photographed with men and women who fitted this model
The Nazis believed that Jews, Eastern Europeans and Blacks were inferior and not worthy of respect
It was also because some of the groups challenged Nazi ideas
For example homosexuals were persecuted because they did not fit the Nazi view about family life
A family for the Nazis meant there would be a husband and a wife who would then produce the next generation to become mothers and to join the Germany Army
Homosexuals also did not fit the Nazi ideal Aryan masculinity
The Nazis persecuted German people who were mentally ill and physically disabled as they threatened the Nazis ideas about the superiority of the master race
Gypsies were persecuted as they were thought to be inferior people
Why did the Nazis persecute the Jews
Anti-Semitism
Jews were often treated unfairly in courts and forced to live in ghettos
One reason for their persecution was religion as they were blamed for the death of Jesus
They also tended to be well educated and therefore had well-paid professional jobs or ran successful businesses
Hitler was violently anti-Semitic
He thought Jews were an inferior race
He said that they had joined the Communists in undermining Germany’s efforts in WW1
Before WW1 Hitler lived in Vienna and was obsessed by the fact that Jews ran many of the most successful businesses
It offended his idea of the superiority of the Aryans
Hitler also blamed Jewish business men and bankers for Germany’s defeat in WW1
He thought they had forced the surrender of the German Army and successfully portrayed the Jews as scapegoats for all that had gone wrong in Germany between 1918 and 1933
How were the mental and physically disabled persecuted
In families where there were hereditary illnesses, sterilisation was enforced so people would not be able to have children
Over 300,000 men and women were sterilised between 1934 and 1945
Over 500,000 mentally handicapped babies and children were killed between 1939 and 1945 as part of a ‘euthanasia’ programme
72,000 mentally ill patients were killed between 1939 and 1941 by being gasses
This programme was forced to shut down because of public outcry
How were the gypsies persecuted
5 out of 6 gypsies living in Germany in 1939 were killed by the Nazis
There was no public outcry
How were the Asocials persecuted
There was little or no complaint about the treatment of the anti socials
Homosexuals, alcoholics, the homeless, prostitutes, criminals and beggars were rounded up off the streets and sent to concentration camps
How were homosexuals persecuted
From 1936 all homosexuals were included in a national register and were placed under police supervision with a night curfew
Many were castrated which involved the removal of their testicles
Up to 15,000 homosexuals were sent to concentration camps during the 1930s
Some were later used in medical experiments
The persecution of Jews in 1933
Jews were banned from the civil service, broadcasting and teaching
The SA and the SS organised boycotts of Jewish shops and businesses
The persecution of Jews in 1934
All Jewish shops had been marked with a yellow star of David or had the word ‘Juden’ on the shop front
The persecution of Jews in 1935
The Nuremburg laws took away German citizenship from Jews
Jews were forbidden to marry or have sex with pure blooded Germans
The persecution of Jews in 1935-1938
Goebbels’ propaganda experts bombarded German children and families with anti-Jewish messages
Jews were refused jobs and people in shops refused to serve them
In schools, Jewish children were humiliated and then segregated
The persecution of Jews in 1938
The Night of the Broken Glass
In November 1938 a Jew killed a German diplomat in Paris
The Nazis used this as an excuse for a revenge attack on Germany’s Jews
Plain clothed SS men armed with pick axes and hammers visited Jewish businesses where they ran riot
They smashed up Jewish shops and burned down hundreds of synagogues
91 Jews were murdered
200,000 Jews were taken in to concentration camps
The Nazi controlled newspapers presented The Night of the Broken Glass as the spontaneous reaction of ordinary Germans against the Jews - clearly not true
The persecution of the Jews in 1939
After the defeat of Poland the Nazis set about settling Germans in West Poland
This means transporting Poles from their homes
Polish Jews were rounded up and transported to the major cities
Here they were herded into sealed areas called ghettos
The able-bodied Jews were used for slave labour but the young, the old and the sick were simply left to die from hunger and disease
The persecution of the Jews in 1941
Germany invaded Russia and captured 3 million Russian Jews in addition to the Jews from all the other countries they had invaded
There were special SS units called Einsatzgruppen who carried out mass shootings
By 1941 there were mass shootings taking place all over Eastern Europe
Jews in Germany were ordered to wear the Star of David on their clothes to mark them out
The persecution of the Jews in 1942
In January senior Nazis met for the Wannsee Conference
They discussed what they called the ‘Final Solution’ to the ‘Jewish Question’
Himmler head of the SS and Gestapo was put in charge of the systematic killing of all Jews within Germany and German-occupied territories
Slave labour and death camps were built at Auschwitz, Treblinka and other places
The old, the sick and young children were killed immediately
The able bodied were used as slave labour
Six million Jews, 50,000 gypsies and countless political prisoners, homosexuals and prisoners of war were sent to these camps to be worked to death, gassed or shot
What was the purpose of the Hitler youth and League of German Maidens
To win the hearts and minds of the young
The Nazis knew that there would be some adults who rejected their ideas no matter how much propaganda was used
The Nazis thought the young could be indoctrinated into the Nazi way of thinking so then those views would be likely to stay with them for life and they would be loyal to the Nazis
These youth organisations also served the purpose of allowing Nazi leaders to put across Nazi beliefs and at the same time to encourage the young to report any form of opposition to Nazism by parents or teachers
What was the Hitler Youth
An organisation for boys
It had another key purpose and that was to be a training ground for the army and great emphasis was placed on physical activity and military training
Creating a strong army was essential in Hitler’s plans to expand and gain more living space for the German people to live in
What was the BDM
Girls in the BDM were encouraged to keep fit as future preparation for motherhood
The opportunity to contribute to Hitler’s dreams of expansionism as they would have the opportunity to give birth to future soldiers
How did the Nazis get people to join the Hitler Youth and BDM
They were popular with the young
Membership did not become compulsory until 1936 but most young people did join
Young people liked the camping, sporting activities and marches
By 1936 there were over 5 million members of the Hitler Youth
One reason for this was because the Nazis had shut down all Youth clubs connected with the Church and so opportunities for young people were limited
Why were the Hitler Youth popular
The uniforms were smart and treasured by children at a time when they would not have had many clothes
Activities were organised such as camping, hiking and sporting activities like wrestling and boxing that appealed to young boys
At a time when there were few bicycles the Hitler Youth were allowed to borrow Nazi owned bicycles to go on trips
Boys were also taught military drill and were taught how to clean and load a rifle
They often engaged in shooting practice
