What was life like for different groups of people in Nazi Germany? Flashcards
What did the Nazis believe society should look like?
The Nazis believed Race was crucial to a person’s destiny. Hitler and the Nazi Party wanted a pure master German Race (Aryan), destined for expansion and conquest.
In terms of resources, what did Hitler and the Nazis want?
- State would have total control over how resources would be built up and supplied.
- They thought this would allow little waste & maximise how Germany’s supplies could directly benefit its growth.
What did Hitler believe made a country strong and what kind of influence did Hitler want for Nazism to have on Germany?
- Leader must command complete loyalty; had to be an unquestioning following of leader from the people- Fuhrerprinzip, seen as a way of stirring national pride in Germany.
- Wanted Nazism to be all-consuming.
What did the Nazis want to do to improve the economy?
- Free Germany from reparations, reducing debt burden on Germany.
- Reduce unemployment to 0%
How did Hitler reinforce the influence of Nazism on Germany and its people?
- Banned organisations like choirs, churches, swimming clubs, etc.
- Freedom of speech was stopped- all conversations monitored in case of anti-Nazi talk.
Did Hitler think that the military was important in helping him and Nazism to dominate Germany?
Military organisation = crucial to Germany restoration as a world leader and for securing Lebensraum. Hitler believed only war could bring this restoration about.
What was Lebensraum?
Hitler wanted a strong Germany with living space for all German Speaking people.
What was a way of life that everyone had to adhere to?
The Nazis wanted Germans to feel strong in their pride. They wanted to abolish all ‘classes in society’.
Why was Hitler so interested in taking over Russia?
Hitler saw taking over land to the east of Germany, Russia, as Germany’s destiny.
Why did Hitler and the Nazis hate Jewish people?
The opposite to the Aryan Race was, to Hitler and the Nazis, the Jewish “Race”, from the beginning, they sought marginalisation of Jews in Germany.
What did the Nazis want overall in terms of people?
The purity and excellence of the “Volk” (people)
Overall, what did the Nazis expect of women?
Women should have a traditional role of raising a family and building a home- instead of employment- and follow Kinder, Kuche, Kirche (Children, Kitchen, Church).
The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage (1933)
Women were provided up to 1,000 marks (8 months wages) for getting married and with each birth, a quarter of the loan was wiped out (hence 4 being seen as ideal)
The 1938 Divorce Law
A woman could be divorced if she could not have a child.
How did the Nazis ensure that women were ‘prepared’ for their ‘ideal’ role?
From a young age in school, women were given specific lessons to train them for motherhood.
What was the name of the award given to women for having children?
The Mother’s Cross:
- Bronze- 4 (4 kids was ideal)
- Silver- 6
- Gold- 8
What programme did the Nazis introduce to persuade women to have children?
The Lebensborn (Fountain of Life) programme was introduced to encourage women to earn money by having children with strong, Aryan, SS soldiers.
What lessons were taught to everyone in school?
- History (focused on greatness of Germany + injustice of TOV).
- Race Studies (focus on identifying Aryan race).
- Geography (taught about land that was “rightfully Germany’s”)
What types of lessons were only taught to schoolboys?
- Maths focusing on war strategy/military education
- PE involving lots of sprinting and lifting.
- How to report anti-Nazis.
What types of lessons were only taught to schoolgirls?
- Domestic (Home) Science (focused on cooking and cleaning).
- PE with focus on staying strong for motherhood.
- Further education in Race Studies (how to identify perfect husband)
Outside of schools, what did girls and boys have to join?
- Boys would join the Hitler Youth.
- Girls would join the League of Maidens.
What did the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD) provide?
Workers for repairing roads and draining marshes.
How did the Reichsarbeitsdienst gain employees?
From 1935, it was made compulsory for all young men to serve in the RAD for six months.
What was one example of a public building scheme in Nazi Germany?
Autobahn building began in 1933. One of many public building schemes designed to create jobs in construction industry. Much too expensive to afford for long; jobs it created were not real.
How did the Nazis expand the German military?
- Many employed in making army much bigger than before the TOV’s terms
- By 1939 many jobs depended on rearmament orders, in peace-time, these jobs wouldn’t exist.
- By 1939, over 1.3 million in armed forces, in peace-time, most of these men would need jobs.
How many people were involved in solely building aircraft for the military?
72,000 by 1935.
Who was Gertrud Scholtz-Klink?
Reich Women’s Leader from 1934 onwards:
- Set out to make women servants of State
- Insisted all women’s orgs should amalgamate as the German Women’s Enterprise - through activities of group, Nazi message for women could be easily spread.
Nazi ideal appearance for women
- Natural look - no makeup, no hair dye
- Wear long skirts.
- Perfect hairstyle: tied back hair or simple plaited hair.
- Should endeavour to stay strong so hips would be strong enough to sustain lots of births.
Women in Employment 1933
- Banned from professional jobs- 1933
- End of 1934: ~360,000 women had given up work.
- 1936- No woman could become a judge, lawyer or even do jury service.
- 1937- Female grammar schools banned; no. female students in h.education= 6,000 in 1939, 17,000 in 1932.
