The Nazi Experiment (1929-1949)

Question 1

What political factors led to the collapse of the Weimar Republic?

Answer 1

SHORT TERM:
- the political culture of the Republic was not shaped by a belief in democracy, but by the authoritarian heritage of the Wilhelmine Germany.
- the Weimar Republic (WR) was founded in the aftermath of a WW1 defeat, and surrounded by political unrest due to both left and right wing revolutions.
- the Weimar Constitution was extremely democratic and contained loopholes such as Article 48 and there was no restrictions of the amount of minority parties in the Reichstag (led to political fragmentation and proportional representation which created weak, coalition governments).
- WR contained a lack of safeguards within the constitution to prevent the election of extremist and anti-democratic parties.

LONGTERM:
- political betrayal by Germany’s social, political and economic elites.

Question 2

What social factors led to the collapse of the Weimar Republic?

Answer 2

SHORT TERM:
- too few Germans believed in the WR from that start.
- the WR was unable to suppress the myths and lies propagates by right wing enemies (the November Criminals and the Stab in the Back).
- it became commonplace to criticise the Republic for not being able to return Germany to its pre-war levels of prosperity and thus the argument that ‘under the Kaiser, everything was better’.

LONG TERM:
- German elites were able to hold on their pre-1918 levels of authority due to their Egbert-Groener Pact.

Question 3

What economic factors led to the collapse of the Weimar Republic?

Answer 3

SHORT TERM:
- the Treaty of Versailles gave Germany reparations set at a value of 6.6 billion Marks.
- the 1922 French invasion of the Ruhr led to serious economic consequences.
- deep rooted economic difficulties (lost territories, war debts, and reparations) undermined the Republic and constituted a mountain that the Republic could not climb, meaning the WR was unable to generate its own ‘economic miracle’.

LONG TERM:
- the Great Depression as America recalled the loans from the Dawes and Young Plans.

Question 4

How did the USA create an economic depression in Germany?

Answer 4

• Wall Street Crash in October 1929
• recall of US loans and a reduction in investment
• decline in German trade
• fall in demand in German products
• decline in business contracts
• workers were made unemployed
• less money available

Question 5

What was the political impact of the Great Depression?

Answer 5

• the Depression hasted the end of the Weimar Democracy.
• people started to lose faith in the WD who seemed to offer no end to the misery.
• the electorate began to seek salvation in the solutions offered by political extremists; the Communists gained 6 million new voters by 1932 (accelerated the ‘Communist Threat’ and pushed right wing voters to the Nazis who seemed like the only party that were capable of beating the Communsits.)
• Hitler and the Nazis reevaluated their options after their failed Munich Putsch and wanted to gain votes legally to destroy the WD from within.
• there was a lack of confidence in the WD from its foundations which stemmed from the fact that the democratic basis of the WR was not sufficiently well-established (Germans were used to an authoritarian monarchy and plunged into a parliamentary democracy) and this meant that Germany was more susceptible to a wholesale collapse than the USA/Britain/France who had well-established democracies.

Question 6

What were the social impacts of the Great Depression?

Answer 6

• in a country where a culture of orderliness and stability were paramount, the fear of indebtedness and the loss of status and autonomy were immense; the middle-class suffered from a lack of pride and respectively that they lost.
• there was a sense that the Depression might go on forever; feelings of apathy and despair predominated.
• rates of juvenile suicide increased.
• people struggled to survive as there was little demand for their services.
• many industrial workers faced the prospect of longterm unemployment, and there were extensive queues outside of job centres.
• there was widespread rural poverty and tenant farmers were evicted.

Question 7

What were the economic impacts of the Great Depression?

Answer 7

• German production halved (output of 58% of that 1920s)
• industrial production had fallen to 42% of its pre-1929 level
• the German economy suffered from a loss of investment
• small businesses collapsed
• unemployment rose to 6.5 million in 1932
• 17 million people were supported by the government (one third of the population) and the German social security system was overwhelmed
• wages were cut (real wages fell by a third in 1932) and prices increased
• American investment was withdrawn (October 1929; the Wall Street Crash)
• 5 major banks closed in 1931
• economic insecurity did much to alienate people away from the WR and in turn, the economic crisis quickly became a political one because there was a lack of confidence in the WR

Question 8

How did the Nazis gain power in Germany?

Answer 8

• after the Great Depression, the Weimar government became extremely unpopular; many people in Germany (rich and poor) blamed the leaders of the WR for the Depression.
• the political parties that ran the country (Social Democrats/Centre Party/German Democratic Party/People’s Party) argued amongst themselves and the Chancellor, Muller, resigned which made the government look weak and incompetent.
• this culminated in an increase in support for the more extreme political parties, particularly the Nazis and the Communists.
• because support for the Communists rapidly increased between 1930-32, and they were known to have close links with the Soviet Union, there was an increased fear of Communism in Germany and people feared that they would take over Germany (like the Russian Revolution of 1917); thus people voted for the Nazis who seemed to be the only party able to stop the Communists.
• Nazism quickly became a mass movement in which millions identified with.
• Hitler and the Nazis succeeded in appealing to a broad cross section of Germans most likely because they were not limited by regional, religious or class ties.
• Hitler targeted certain demographics where he knew he’d get the most support; northern/eastern, rural and Protestant areas recorded the highest Nazi votes (Schleswig-Holstein), members of the peasantry and middle class (easily toyed with the Communist threat, economic prosperity and an escape from the overwhelming times to return to the former days), and the youth who made up 41.3% of Nazi supporters as 61% of all 20-30 year olds joined the Nazis (despite their qualifications, they couldn’t get jobs but the SA was an opportunity for work and gave them an activity to do) because they saw Nazism as a movement for change.

Question 9

How did propaganda help with the rise of the Nazis?

Answer 9

• right wing elites supported the Nazis and provided them with funding.
• Canvassing; Goebbels understood that the different demographics they were targeting would respond to different social and economic interests and so specific leaflets were produced for specific groups (Nazi speakers would pay attention to the concerns of the people they were targeting; they appealed to the peasants/farmers by offering benefits to offset the collapse in agricultural prices; they appealed to the unemployed by promising to overcome the Depression and offering ‘bread and work’ which was a recurring theme in Nazism).
• Technology; expensive airplanes and cars were exploited by the Nazi Party to project Hitler as a statesman and the saviour of Germany.
• Unifying Themes and Scapegoats; Hitler was portrayed as a messiah-like figure in the Fuhrer Cult, and the Party focuses on several identifiable groups which were denounced and blamed for Germany’s suffering (November Criminals/Jews/Communists).

Question 10

How did SA Violence help with the rise of the Nazis?

Answer 10

• the SA was responsible for violence against the opposition.
• violent activities were encouraged by Nazi leadership as control of the streets was seen as essential to the expansion of Nazi power.
• in the wake of the Presidential Election, the SA was banned for 3 months but was reinstated in 1932 by Papen.

Question 11

How did the Chancellors damage the Weimar Democracy?

Answer 11

• Muller (1928-1930): his ‘Grand Coalition’ was plagued with internal divisions and he resigned.
• Bruning (1930-1932): made no serious effort to explore ways of securing a parliamentary democracy and instead created a new style of leadership that was dependent on the President and the ‘emergency decree’ of Article 48 so much so that he used it 109 times.
• Papen (1932): convinced Hindenburg to fire Bruning and Von Schleicher.
• Von Schleicher (1932-1933): persuaded Hindenburg to fire Papen and place himself as Chancellor in 1932 using Article 48.
• President Hindeburg (1925-1933): was easily manipulated and continuously used Article 48 which shows that the WD was not working.

Question 12

How did the Chancellors help Hitler come into power?

Answer 12

• Bruning (1930-1932): he dissolved the Reichstag in September 1930 and this produced major gains for the extremists for the Nazis (18.3%) and the Communists (13.1%), additionally, his austerity programme (involving higher taxes and a decrease in public spending) proved deeply unpopular, thus driving more votes into the political extremists.
• Papen (1932): in 1933, Papen and Hitler formed a coalition government, and Papen asks Hindenburg to fire Schleicher in January 1933 and place Hitler as Chancellor with himself as Vice-Chancellor.
• Scheicher (1932-1933): in the 1932 electron, the Nazi votes increased from 18.3% to 37% and he indirectly helps Hitler after he fires Papen (who gets revenge by firing him).
• Hindenburg (1925-1933): Hindenburg is fearful of the spread of Communism and concludes that Papen is right so he places Hitler as Chancellor in 1933.

Question 13

How was Hindenburg responsible for turning Germany into a dictatorship by 1934?

Answer 13

• he established a ‘presidential government’ through Articles 23 (dissolve the Reichstag), 46 (bypass the Reichstag) and 53 (appoint the Chancellor) that never allowed a democracy to exist in Germany.
• he was easily manipulated as seen with Papen/Schleicher and was convinced that the Reichstag Fire was a prelude to a Communist revolution which resulted in Hindenburg granting Hitler’s demand of Article 48, effectively putting Hitler above the law.

Question 14

How was Hitler responsible for turning Germany into a dictatorship by 1934?

Answer 14

• was a good orator and understood what the public wanted.
• invented scapegoats; Jews, Allies, and Communsits and convinced the public that they were responsible for Germany’s suffering.
• knew the importance of capitalising on public despair, envy, fear and resentment.
• had an unwavering desire to become Chancellor and would not take nonsense titles such as Vice-Chancellor.
• created an image of himself as a saviour which appealed to the middle classes who craved order and stability; many army leaders saw Hitler as capable of re-establishing military strengths.
• his denunciation of the Treaty of Versailles was popular.
• created a sense of purpose for the youth and unemployed who took up roles in the SA/SS.

Question 15

How did Hitler establish a dictatorship?

Answer 15

• Hitler was named Chancellor in 1933 and had established a dictatorship in 1934.
• January 1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor meaning he was constitutionally superior.
• 27th February 1933: Reichstag Fire broke out and Hitler claimed it was the start of a Communist rebellion, and convinced persuaded Hindenburg to grant him emergency power under Article 48.
• 28th February 1933: ‘Decree For the Protection of the People and the State’ (Reichstag Fire Decree) was granted and it was effectively a law abolishing civil liberities.
• 5th March 1933: saw the Nazis get 43.9% of the vote and Hitler made a deal with the Zentrum (meaning he had to protect the interests of the Chruch), and won backing for a proposal to suspend rule by majority in Parliament and replace it by ‘Chancellor Decree’.
• 24th March 1933: saw the establishment of the ‘Enabling Act’ which gave Hitler the right to vote for 4 years, allowing the government to pass laws without consultation the Reichstag.
• April 1933: by the ‘Law of the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service’ , non-Aryans and Jews were forced to retire and purged from all places of education and work.
• May 1933: the establishment of the ‘German Labour Front’ (DAF) meant that teachers had to join the National Socialist Teacher’s League, and professors joined the Nazi Lecturer’s Association (Nov).
• July 1933: Hitler signed the Concordat with the Pope (protection of Church interests for Zentrum support) and on the 14th of July, the ‘Law Against the Establishment of Parties’ made it illegal to organise a non-Nazi Party.
• December 1933: Hitler’s one-party state was legally consolidated by the ‘Law to Ensure the Unity of Party and State’.
• January 1934: representative assemblies of Lander were abolished ad replaced by Nazi governors.

Question 16

What was the Night of the Long Knives?

Answer 16

• Hitler was concerned about the growing SA (1933 = 2 million members, 1934 = 4 million members) which represented the radical, left wing of the Nazi Party who felt as thought they were vital in consolidating Hitler’s power in 1933, and were disappointed by the lack of personal gain they received from this acquisition of power; such views were epitomised by Rohm who called for ‘National Socialist Revolution’.
• Rohm wanted a more political role for the SA by merging it with the army, who vehemently disliked the idea as it threatened their traditional role and status.
• Rohm’s revolution threatened people’s positions: Hitler wanted to control the army and wanted Germany to look politically stable (violent SA attacks unnerved the German public which was ruining Hitler’s image), Himmler wanted to control the SA and all police forces, and Goering thought that Rohm could destabilise the Nazis.
• Hitler had to chose between the army and the SA, two powerful forces; he ultimately chose the army because, although smaller, had links with the political elites (civil service and Junkers), possessed military skills that would be useful for his foreign policy aims, and could offer him political backing in 1934 when Hindenburg died to ensure that he would stay in power.
• 30th June - 1st July 1934: The Night of the Long Knives saw Hitler eliminate the SA as a political and military force; Rohm and von Schleicher were murdered by the SS.
• the Night of the Long Knives saw; Hitler win the support of the German public and army (who fully endorsed the Nazi regime and now took an oath to Hitler, rather than the State), the emergence of the SS as Germany’s central police force, and Hitler combine the titles of Chancellor and President to become the Fuhrer of Germany after Hindenburg died.

Question 17

what was Nazism as an ideology?

Answer 17

• Nazism revolved around two core ideas: the supremacy of the State, and the superiority of the Aryan race.
• the Fuhrerprinzip and Hitler Myth = Hitler was made out to be Germany’s saviour, and through propaganda, Goebbels prorated Hitler as both an ordinary man and superhuman who was devoted to saving all of Germany’s problems.
• Hitler promised unity and stability opposed to the divisions and instability of the WD.
• Volksgemeinschaft = the belief in a national community where individuals are depersonalised; society was based on racial meritocracy, but at the top was the Fuhrer.
• Nazi ideology was based on eugenics who advocated for action against those considered genetically unfit (Jews, the mentally and physically disbaled) as they were a threat to Hitler’s aim of breeding a pure and healthy ‘master’ race based upon Aryan features.
• Nazi ideology was designed to appeal to the traditional German values of family (Cult of Motherhood), faith and nation (Blood and Soil was the idea that German blood was intrinsically linked with the German fatherland soil).
  -Nazi ideology was created to appeal to Germans who longed for national unity and a revival of Germany (an end to the economic weaknesses and political divisions that plagued the WD).
• Hitler believed in Autarky (economic self-sufficiency) and Lebensraum (foreign policy aim of acquiring more land for Germans).

Question 18

What was the Nazi ‘terror state’?

Answer 18

• the Gestapo: had autonomy above the law and targeted the Nazi’s ideological opponents.
• the SS: controlled all elements of the police system, and the Einsatzgruppen carried out killing expeditions against Jews, Slavs and Communists.
• the Reich Security Main Office (RSHD): controlled the Nazi extermination policy by organised the deportation of Jews to concentration camps (the Gestapo, SD and criminal investigation police).
• the SD: gathered information about the Nazi’s ideological opponents.
• Protective Custody: allowed the Gestapo to detain anyone they determined an enemy of the State, and from 1934, the Gestapo could send prisoners to a concentration camp.
• the police and law courts: Nazis were appointed in all legal professions and the number of crimes punishable by death rose from 3 to 46.

Question 19

What opposition did the Nazis face during peacetime (1933-39)?

Answer 19

SOCIAL DEMOCRATS:
- why: in 1933, the party’s funds were seized and they were forced to disband, and they were ideologically opposed to the Enabling Act.
- how: they organised anti-Nazi demonstrations and established an underground organisation to spread their newspapers the ‘Red Shock Troop’ and ‘Socialist Action’ through Berlin.
- effectiveness: the Gestapo arrested SPD members and the production of anti-Nazi leaflets and newspapers stopped as the SPD accepted there was no way of overthrowing a powerful and repressive totalitarian regime.

COMMUNISTS:
- why: they were ideologically opposed and leaders dubbed Hitler’s regime as a ‘puppet of big business of the army’ and accused it of benefiting the rich and not the working class.
- how: led the largest street demonstrations, spread anti-Nazi literature in working class areas and had their own newspaper, the ‘Red Flag’.
- effectiveness: on the 6th March 1933, the actions of the KPD were declared illegal, they were forced to become an underground organisation, Stalin’s Soviet Union signed a non-aggressive pact with Hitler’s Nazi Germany and 150,000 Communists were sent to concentration camps and 30,00 were executed.

CHURCH:
- why: the Nazis closed down Catholic schools, youth camps and newspapers and the Church did not like the totalitarian regime as it reduced their influence.
- how: the Pope released his encyclical in 1937, and individual clergymen spoke out against Nazi policies such as Bonhoeffer who campaigned against the Nuremberg Laws of 1935.
- effectiveness: priests, nuns, monks and clerics were sent to concentration camps.

ARMY:
- why: didn’t like the pace of rearmament, the growth of the SS and Hitler’s foreign policy aims.
- how: criticised Hitler’s policies.
- effectiveness: Hitler dismissed them in 1938 after accusing them of homosexuality and marrying a prostitute, 16 generals resigned while 44 more transferred and Hitler combined the positions of Supreme Commander and War Minister.

Question 20

What opposition did the Nazis face during wartime (1939-1945)?

Answer 20

YOUTH:
- why: they wanted a freer lifestyle where they were able to dress in American-style clothing and listen to Jazz.
- how: the ‘Edelweiss Pirates’ attacked Hitler Youth Patrols while others sheltered concentration camp escapees; the ‘Munich University’ and the ‘White Rose Movement’ distributed pamphlets that criticised the Nazi’s policies against Jews and Poles and drew anti-Nazi slogans on public buildings.
- effectiveness: those who adopted an Americanised lifestyle were placed into concentration camps, those who killed the Patrols were executed, as were members of the ‘White Rose Movement’.

COMMUNISTS:
- why: invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941; ‘Home Front’ were ideologically opposed; ‘Red Orchastera’ were sympathetic to Communism and the Soviet Union; ‘Baum Group’ were pro-communist Jews who fought against the Facism being displayed.
- how: produced various anti-Nazi propaganda; the ‘Baum Group’ set fire to anti-Soviet exhibits.
- effectiveness: their activities quickly caught the attention of the Gestapo and many were executed.

CHURCH:
- why: ideologically opposed and disagreed with the imprisonment of religious figures.
- how: Bonhoeffer joined a Counter Intelligence Service, the Abwehr, to try and overthrow Hitler, in doing so he helped with ‘Operation 7’ which allowed a small number of Jews to escape; in 1941, the Catholic Bishop, August von Galen, condemned the Nazi policy of euthanasia.
effectiveness: Bonhoeffer was imprisoned in a concentration camp and from 1942, the Nazis placed priests in special barracks at Dachau concentration camp.

ARMY:
- why: the brutality of the SS and their suffering in Russia.
- how: joined anti-Nazi resistant groups and General Beck plotted against Hitler, and planned many attempts on Hitler’s life including the Bomb Plot of 1944 which nearly succeeded.
- effectiveness: when opposition activity was suspected, the Abwehr was absorbed into the SS and 5000 army officers were executed, including Beck, due the Bomb Plot.

Question 21

How did Bruning, Papen and Schleicher deal with the economy after the Great Depression?

Answer 21

BRUNING (1930-1932):
- attempted to balance the budget by implementing a policy of deflation and austerity; he cut government spending and tried to balance outgoings against income from taxation.
- in march 1931, the Weimar government announced the set up of a customs union with Austria.
- tried to negotiate an end to reparations.
- forced to adopt unpopular measures such as cutting the salaries of workers and reduced benefits.

PAPEN (1932):
- introduced measures to halt the mounting unemployment via an emergency decree in September 1923 offering: an end to compulsory arbitration, a relaxation in wage agreements and tax rebates granted to those who took on new staff.

SCHLEICHER (1932-33):
- introduced measures to halt the mounting unemployment.
- November 1932, he attempted to win over the trade unions with a programme of public works, price fixing and a restoration of wages and relief cuts.

Question 22

How successful were Bruning, Papen and Schleicher in handing the economy after the Great Depression?

Answer 22

BRUNING (1930-1932):
- income from taxation decreased as unemployment increased.
- the French withdrew their money from Austrian banks; in May, the Kreditanstalt (Austria’s largest bank) collapsed and in July, the Denatbank (Germany’s largest bank) also collapsed.
- the reflationary measures and agrarian socialism plans were drawn up but never implemented.

PAPEN AND SCHLEICHER (1932-1933):
- unemployment peaked at 6 million in 1932.
- Papen’s relaxation of wage agreements was approved by employers, but opposed by the trade unions and left wing parties.
- Schleicher alienated industrialists, large landowners and President Hindenburg.

Question 23

How successful was Schacht in developing the peacetime eocnomy (1933-1936)?

Answer 23

• June 1933: a law to reduce unemployment was passed, it included; government spending on public works schemes, subsidies for private construction and renovation and income tax rebates and loans to encourage industrial activity.
• September 1933: the law for the construction of the autobahnen forbade the use of machinery if surplus labour was available.
• June 1935: recruitment in the RAD for 18-25 year olds (hit the most by the Great Depression as they could not get a job) and they had to undertake work in either the civil, military or agricultural projects for 6 months.
• mefo bills permitted subsidies and agreements which were helpful in stimulating housing, roads and industries.
• a series of trade agreements with the Balkan and South American States.
• unemployment figures continued to fall until they were neglible in 1939.
• 1933: the development of armament factories and the discouragement of female labour.
• the balance of payments continued to be in deficit.
• the policy of rearmament put a strain on the economy.

Question 24

How successful was Goering in developing the eocnomy (1936-1942)?

Answer 24

• he created a managed economy: a special office was set up to issue regulations controlling foreign exchange, labour and raw material distribution.
• overall targets were not met as the Germans were not self-sufficient in the production of rubber, fuel, fats and light meals.
• by 1939, Germany still imported 1/3 of all its raw materials.
• there was insufficient foreign exchange to buy the necessary imports.
• the plan was impeded by bureaucratic inefficiency and internal rivalries.
• Hitler only intended a short war of blitzkreig rather than a prolonged war (for which the economy was unprepared) and when war broke out in September 1939, the rearmament programmes were incomplete.
• women were still encouraged to stay at home despite the conscription of men to the army and the fact that relatively few POW were sent to work.

Question 25

How successful was Speer in developing the wartime eocnomy (1942-1945)?

Answer 25

• armament production rose by 50%, guns by 72%, tanks by 25% and ammunition by 97% within six months
• in 1940, 3,700 aircrafts were built but in 1944, Speer managed to produce 25,000.
• Speer was impeded in his work by constant military inference and battles with other Nazi leaders (Goering, Himmler and Bormann).
• Saukel prevented female labour and Speer only got agreement to use females in the factories in 1943
• Hitler was reluctant to endorse rationing or cutting consumer production.
• Speer was only able to increase production by using 7 million foreign workers.
• by 1945, transport had broken down, factories lay in ruins and 400,000 civilians had been killed in bombing raids.

Question 26

How did life improve for the working class under the Nazis?

Answer 26

• working conditions improved; the typical day was 8 hours and overtime was generous; wages increased.
• expanded the social welfare programme.
• saw the breaking down of class differences.
• the Reich Food Estate (1933) saw farmer’s wages increase by 41%
• between 1932-1938, food consumption increased by 1/6th, clothing increased by 1/4 and furniture and household goods increased by 50%
• many workers worked more than the typical 8 hours, and the increase in real wages were often the result of overtime earnings
• many young Germans saw the RAD as slave labour
• considerable gap between urban and rural wages
• farmer’s incomes had stagnated by 1937

Question 27

How did life improve for women under the Nazis?

Answer 27

• were to be the bearers of healthy, Aryan babies.
• birth control centres were closed; abortion made illegal
• May 1939: ‘The Honour Cross of German Motherhood’ was given to women who’d had 4 children.
• 1935: couples needed a certificate of ‘fit to marry’ before a marriage license was granted.
• 1938: unproductive marriages could be ended.
• June 1933: ‘Law for the Reduction of Employment’ offered allowances to women who gave up their jobs
• 1934: women were encouraged to leave jobs in the civil service, law and medicine.
• women were not allowed to smoke, wear heels, have loose hair or wear tight clothing as it deemed too sexual.

Question 28

What was the Nazi racial state?

Answer 28

• believed that the Aryan, Germanic race was socially superior because it was pure and socially useful.
• wanted to create a national, people’s community (Volksgemeinschaft) whereby divisions of class and religion were removed.
• putting the community above oneself.

Question 29

How did the Nazis persecute Jews and the mentally and physically disabled?

Answer 29

JEWS:
- April 1933: the boycott of Jewish shops where they were defaced and picketed.
- created a myth that Germans were superior to Jews and that they poisoned the race (Ugly Mushroom book which also taught people how to spot a Jew based on physical stereotypes, such as a big nose); Jewish schools were created as they were sectioned off.
- 1933-1935: decrees outlawed Jews from working in the civil service, law and being doctors.
- the Nuremburg Laws, 1935: forbade relations between a Jew and Germans.
- were humiliated on the street as female Jews were made to clean the streets.
- the Kristallnacht, 1938: saw 300 Jews killed and 30,000 captured, and the burning of 1,000 synagogues.
- 1939-1942: Jews were forced out of their houses and taken to live in Ghettos (estimated 60,000 Jews died); they were starved (183 calories a day) and those who were deemed healthy were used as slave labour.
- Final Solution, 1942-1945: Jews were exterminated; shot in Latvia, transported to concentration camps (no food, water or sanitation so many died on the way) where they would be gassed (estimated 6 million Jews died).

PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY DISABLED:
- threatened the genetic purity of the race and wasted the nation’s money and resources, so they were exterminated using Carbon Monoxide gas in mental institutions’ basements; this later changed to injections and starvation (estimated 10,000 died).
-