The Nazi Regime - Part Four of Germany 1890-1945 Flashcards

Question

How did teachers play a role in indoctrination?

Answer 1

All teacher had to join the German Teachers’ League, and any who refused to teach Nazi beliefs were sacked, students who were seen as potential future Nazi leaders were picked by teachers and sent to Napolas.

Answer 2

Fifteen percent of university professors were sacked due to political or ethnic reasons. Many leading academics like Einstein left the country and his theory of relativity was rejected by the state as he was Jewish in origin. All university students had to train in the army for a month every year.

Answer 3

The Hitler Youth Organisation

Answer 4

Hitler Youth clubs met after school, discussing principles of the regime and Hitler. Boys learned military skills whilst girls were taught how to be wives, reflecting the Nazis' traditionalist views. When Hitler came to power in 1933, he banned all other youth groups (like Cubs or Church groups). As a result, many more young people joined the Hitler Youth.

Answer 5

The Law for the Incorporation of German Youth gave the Hitler Youth 'equal status' to school and home life. The organisation also controlled all sports facilities and youth competitions for children under 14.

Answer 6

He made membership compulsory.

Answer 7

A boy would join a club called the 'Little Fellows' from 6-10. Then he would join the 'Young Folk' from 10-14. Finally, he became a member of the Hitler Youth until he reached adulthood at 18. Boys would go to Hitler Youth meetings several times a week after school and to special weekend camps every month. At meetings, boys learned how to march, fight with knives, fire a gun and keep themselves fit. The emphasis was on competition, struggle, heroism and leadership. The regime wanted to create a generation of strong future soldiers.

Answer 8

Girls normally joined a club called the 'Young Girls' and the 'League of German Girls' from 14 to 17. Girls still went on tough marches and attended weekend camps, but they would mainly learn how to keep fit, cook and look after babies. Both boys and girls were encouraged to report and words of dissent against the regime.

Answer 9

In 1933, there were 7,529,000 children aged 10-18, 2,292,041. By 1936, there were 8,656,000 children aged 10-18, now 5,437,601 of these were members. By 1939, there were 8,870,000 children aged 10-18, but now there were 7,287,470 members.

Answer 10

Not all young Germans liked the Nazi way of life. Some youngsters who refused to join went to parties, listened to American Jazz (banned due to its black origins) and had Jewish friends. They were known as the Swing Youth. Other youngsters formed gangs. The 'Roving Dudes', the 'Edelweiss Pirates', the 'Navajos' - which went camping and sang songs making fun of Hitler. They even physically attacked Hitler Youth groups. These gangs included boys and girls, including Jews.

Answer 11

In the 1920s, women had many rights and freedoms. They had the right to vote and work in government, their pay was equal to men. Many women attended universities and had elite jobs. The nazis had different views. They were worried about the declining population during the Weimar Republic. This is due to women focusing more on careers. In 1900, there had been 2 million births but this dropped to 1 million in 1933. The Nazis felt a low birth rate and population would be detrimental towards their plans to expand Germany. They felt it was their duty to stay at home, have lots of children and support their husbands. Hitler even said to stick to the 3 Ks - Kinder, Kirche and Küche (children, church and cooking). Women were not viewed as equal to men. Within months of Hitler coming to power, many female doctors, teachers, lawyers and judges were sacked. Getting a job was discouraged, as it might get in the way of producing children. Women were even banned from jury service because the Nazis said they were unable to think without emotion.

Answer 12

The Nazis interfered in many aspects of women's lives. In many cities, women were banned from smoking because it was 'unladylike'. Wearing trousers or high heels was also discouraged. The only thing that women were actively encouraged to do was to have children. Loans were given out to newly married couples to encourage them to have children. On the birth of the first child they could keep a quarter of the money. On the birth of another, they could keep the second quater and so on. The Nazis banned contraception and abortion too. Even slimming was discouraged because it was thought it didn't help getting pregnant. Every year, on 12 August, the Motherhood Medal was awarded to women who has the most children. Mothers with eight children recieved the 'Gold Cross'. The Lebensborn movement as an attempt to increase birth rate. An estimated 8000 children were born in Germany as a result. The Nazis promoted their views on women through the organisations they set up. The German Women's League coordinated all women's groups in the country, and representatives travelled around giving advice on cooking, childcare and healthy eating. By March 1939, 1.7 million women had attended one of its motherhood training courses. Another group, The Nazi Women's Organisation, was set up to develop an elite female group dedicated to Nazi beliefs and ideas.

Answer 13

The birth rate in Germany did increase. There were around 970,000 babies born in Germany in 1933 - this had risen to 1,413,000 by 1939. Despite what the Nazis said about a woman's role in the workplace, they had to compromise their views during wartime. Women were needed in the workplace due to men being on the frontlines. Due to many males dying after 1939, women were needed to work and produce materials for the war effort.

Answer 14

Christianity was by far the largest religion in Germany. Around one third of Germans were Catholic and two thirds were Protestant. Religion was an importsnt feature of people's lives and Hitler realised he had to be careful with how he dealt with Christian groups.

Answer 15

-The Nazis said they believed in the importance of marriage, the family and moral values. Most Christians agreed. -Both Nazis and Christians were fervently Anti-Communist, and Hitler promised to eradicate Communism. -Hitler promised to respect the Catholic Church.

Answer 16

At first, Hitler cooperated with Catholic leaders. In 1933, he signed a Concordat with the Pope, so that they would not interfere with each other. Hitler soon broke the agreement, thinking that the Pope, as the Vicar of Christ, was listened to more than him by German Catholics, so he harassed and arrested Catholic priests and closed down Catholic youth clubs and schools. Relations became so bad that in 1937 he issued a statement called 'With Burning Anxiety' sayint that Nazis were 'hostile to Christ and his Church'. This was read out in Catholic churches across Germany, but it had little effec. The Nazis continued to arrest priests. In August 1941, one of Germany's best known leaders - Archbishop Galen - criticised the Nazis use of terror tactics, euthanasia and concentration camps. As a result, he was put under house arrest until the end of the war.

Answer 17

Some Protestants admired Hitler's views on marriage and moral values, and wanted to see their Church under Nazi control. They were known as 'German Christians' and their leader, Ludwig Müller, became the first Reich Bishop in September 1933. German Christians often wore Nazi uniform and used the slogan 'swastika on our chests and the Cross in our hearts'. However, some Protestants hated this as they felt Nazi beliefs opposed Christianity. A new group of Protestants called the Confessional Church was formed, led by Martin Niemöller, and openly criticised the Nazis. However the Nazis arrested 800 pastors. Niemöller was sent to a concentration camp and the Confessional Church was banned.

Answer 18

- Nazis thought strength and violence was glorious whereas Christians believe in love and forgiveness. -Nazis hated weakness and vulnerability whereas Christians help the weak and vulnerable. -Nazis believed in Eugenics (some races were better than others) whereas Christians believe all races are equal under God. -Christians believe there should be no idols but God (to be worshipped) and some Nazis were so devout that it can be argued their devotion to Hitler was idolatry.

Answer 19

About 1/3 of Jehovah Witnesses were killed in concentration camps as they are pacifists and refused to serve in the army. The Salvation Army, Christian Scientists and the Seventh Day Adventist Church all disappeared from Germany.

Answer 20

The Jewish community in Germany at this time was small (less than 1%). Jewish people had been living in German lands for 1600 years and were fully integrated into German society. They tended to be middle class (doctors, lawyes etc) and many were secular. They suffered relentless persecution in Germany. When they wanted to flee, Hitler prevented them from leaving but nearly 80% had fled.

Answer 21

They were obsessed with the idea of the 'superiority' of the Aryan race, and that Germany had the right to dominate 'inferior' races like Jews, Roma and Sinti, Slavs and black people. Hitler said 'the strong must dominate and not blend with the weak'. He didn't want the Aryans to mix with non-Aryans. The Nazis began to persecute and murder the 'inferior' groups. Over half a million gypsies and 6 million Jews from all over Europe were killed by the Nazis.

Answer 22

Hitler had an obsessive hatred of Jews, and as soon as he came to power they began discriminating against them. When war broke out, persecution increased. For example, they were forced to live in ghettos and work in labour camps. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered by mobile execution squads. Later in the war, they were sent to specially built death camps, where they were worked to death or killed by poison gas.

Answer 23

March 1933 - All jewish lawyers and judges are sacked. April 1933 - All jews banned from any sports clubs. All jewish teachers sacked. September 1933 - 'Race Studies' introduced in German schools. January 1934 - All Jewish shops marked with a yellow star of David or the word 'Juden'. Soldiers stood outside shops turning people away.

Answer 24

September 1935 - Jews have their German citizenship removed and are not allowed to vote. Marriages between Jews and non-Jews is banned. These were known as the Nuremburg Laws. January 1936 - No jew allowed to own any electrical equipment, bicycles, typewriters or music records.

Answer 25

July 1938 - Jewish doctors sacked August 1938 - Male jews must add the name 'Israel' and females must add the name 'Sara' to their first names. November 1938 - Jewish children banned from German schools. Jewish homes, synagogues and businesses attacked all over Germany and Austria. About 100 jews killed and 20,000 sent to concentration camps as a retailiation to the killing of a German diplomat in Paris by a Jewish man. This became known as 'Kristallnacht' - Night of the Broken Glass. December 1938 - Jewish and non-Jewish children forbidden to play together. Jews banned from using swimming pools.

Answer 26

April 1939 - Jews can be evicted from their homes without reason. September 1939 - Jews no longer allowed out of their homes between 8:00pm and 6:00am.

Answer 27

The Nazis felt that anyone who didn't fit into their vision of an Aryan, which included a willingness to work hard for Germany was 'undesirable'. The Nazis believed Germany would be stronger without them. As a result, many people were sent to concentration camps, including Jews, other 'inferior' groups, gays, criminals, prostitutes, Jehovah's Witnesses, political opposition, pacifists and the homeless. People with physical disabilities or learning disabilities were also targetted as they supposedly damaged the 'purity' of the Aryan race. This was linked to their view on Eugenics. They thought that by preventing anyone with a physical disability or learning disability from having children, they would 'improve' the race. Around 400,000 people with hereditary illnesses were sterilised and over 200,000 people with physical or learning disabilities were killed.

Answer 28

Antisemitis has been common in Europe for centuries. Jews have been blamed for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the outbreak of the Black Death in the 1300s. From the middle ages, many people associated Jews with wealth, power and corruption. This was widely accepted throughout Europe. They have been kicked out of 109 countries. In 1290, King Edward I expelled all Jews in England, and they were banned from returning for 350 years. They were also expelled from Spain after the Reconquista in 1492. Persecution of Jews continued after the Middle Ages. They were often treated as alien and had few rights. In the late 1800s, German writer Wilhelm Marr wrote that Jews would soon take control of all positions of power in Germany. In Russia, false documents were published telling of a Jewish plot to take over the world. There were several massacres of Jews in the 1880s and 1900s. By the turn of the C20, antisemitism was widespread in Europe.

Answer 29

They were treated as scapegoats for all problems in Germany, and many books were released depicting how supposedly evil Jewish people were and how they were 'damaging' the 'pure' Aryan race.

Answer 30

Many Jews left Germany after antisemitic laws were introduced to nearby countries like The Netherlands and Belgium or Poland, but found themselves under Nazi occupationr after Germany invaded them. As the war went on, Germany invaded more countries, trapping millions of Jews under the Nazi regime. There were 3 million jews in Poland, 3 million in Russia, 1 million in France, Denmark, Norway and the Balkans.

Answer 31

In some countries, Jews were bricked into ghettos, sectioned off from the rest of a city like Warsaw to work in labour camps. Execution squads (Einsatzgruppen) even went out into the countryside and shot or gassed as many Jews as they could find. For some, the genocide of Jewish people was not happening fast enough. By 1941, Nazis were working on plans for the 'final solution to the Jewish question'.

Answer 32

At the Wannsee Conference in 1942, Nazi leaders discussed how to exterminate all Jews in Europe (around 11 million people) - either by working them to death or by killing them in poison gas chambers. Six large death camps were built for this. Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka were the largest. Soon, Jews from all over Europe were being transported to them. At Auschwitz-Birkenau, Jews were joined by thousands of Roma and Sinti, gay people, political opposition, disabled people and other 'undesirables'. Other camps were specifically designed for the extermination of Jewish people.