Unit 5: The radicalisation of the state

Question 1

how did social Darwinism influence Hitler?

Answer 1

• 19th Century, used Dawins theory of survival of the fittest in humans
• superior race (Herrenvolk) would survive
• justified European imperialism by arguing advanced european has the right + responsibility to rule over the inferior/backward colonial people
• all or nothing, Jews had to be killed incl women and children

Question 1

what were the three phases of Nazi planning?

Answer 1

1. the legal revolution (H still had to use legal means + allies to get power)
2. creating the new Germany (33-37) regime was secured but H worried of international opinion
3. the radicalisation of the state 38-39, increase in racial purification and eliminating ‘racial enemies’

Question 2

what was Hitler’s race theory?

Answer 2

• H obssesed with hierarchy of races and struggle between them
  inferior races
• purify the stronger race by eliminating the inferior races so they don’t ‘poisin’ them
• racial hygiene ➡️ justify killing of disabled, Roma and other undesirables

Question 3

how did the idea of volksgemeinschaft change?

Answer 3

• racially pure peoples community
• aryan people work for good of the nation
• racially pure, healthy, socially useful and dedicated to the regime
• traditional values (working soil)
• had to be true german (political enemies, asocials, racial enemies were not)

Question 4

how did the idea of lebensraum change?

Answer 4

• living space (not made by Nazis) ➡️need more land for white german population
• 19th C idea of opening space for superior white race
• widespread support as G overpopualted + farmers needed more land
• needed to conquer land from inferior slavs from Poland + bring back lost Germans (racially focused_

Question 5

what were the social aims?

Answer 5

• racial purity
• traditional values
• the common good (nation above self)

Question 6

Mentally & physically disabled?

Answer 6

• before Nazis, Prussia legalised voluntary euthanasia
• 1933 sterilisation law, compulsory sterilisation of certain groups
• 60% of sterilised for mental feebleness
• long run prop about burden of disabled
• 5000 children killed
• 400,000 sterilised in third reich
• T4 programme removed humanity from killing
• 1940, Protesetant Pastor Braune wrote a memorandum protesting about T4
• 1940 statement from the Catholic Pope said killing of disabled children was against Gods will
• 1941, Catholic Archbishop of Winsler preached a sermon making emotive attack on euthanasia
• August 1941, halting of the T4 programme

Question 7

homosexuals?

Answer 7

• outlawed before 1933
• 1933: purge of homo organisations (clubs closed, organisations banned)
• May 1933: attack on Institute of Sex research ➡️library burned, list of names + addresses of homos seized
• 1934 ➡️ Gestapo made lists of homos
• 1934 Rohm and other leaders of SA killed
• 1935: Law on homosexuality amended to widen definition and imposed tighter penalties
• 36-39 over 22,000 men arrestes
• 1936: Himler created Reich Office for the combatting of Homosexuality and abortion ➡️ 50,000 convicted + once released re-arrested and held in preventative custody
• in concentration camps wore pink triangles ➡️ 60% gay prisoners died in camps

Question 8

religious sects?

Answer 8

• 30,000 JW
• whole familes were arrested
• around 1/3 of JW died in concentration camps
• 10,000 JW had been taken to concentration camps by 1945
• refused to obey orders, to attend parades or remove their caps
• some JW converted others in camps

Question 9

Roma and Sinti?

Answer 9

• 30,000 in Germany
• 1935 Nuremberg laws applied to them
• Dr Ritter concerned and wanted to isolate those whose heritage was part-Gyspy
• 1938, Himmler issued a decree for the struggle against the Gypsy Plague (a more systematic classification of Roma and Sinti)
• 1939, large numbers sent to camps then expelled to Auschwtiz
• 1942 11,000 gassed
• 500,000 died in total

Question 10

most extreme treatment?

Answer 10

• T4 programme, first example of systematic killings
• systematic killing of Roma and Sinti in death camps
• racial outsiders treated more extremely (social outsiders punished but given more opp to conform)

Question 11

less extreme treatment?

Answer 11

• believed they could re-educate/ force change on asocials
• homosexuality seen as something that should be ‘cured’

Question 12

things that suggest importance of Volsgemeinschaft?

Answer 12

• Nazis willing to take extreme actions to ensure racial purity (suggesting racial aims take precedence)
• increasing radicalisation late 1930s shows focus on achieving aims