the experience of germany under the nazis

what were some of the economic changes that the nazis imposed on germany?

• rearmament: two-thirds of the government spending went on rearmament. new tanks, planes and battleships were built. producing equipment and uniform produced many job opportunities, particularly in the iron, steel and chemical industry. this boosted national pride after the humiliation of the treaty of versailles. conscription was also introduced in 1935. all males between 18 and 25 had to join the army for at least 2 years. the army grew from 100,000 to 1,400,000, which created even more jobs

• public work programs: 2000 miles of new motorways called autobahns were built. they extended railways and built new canals and bridges. they also built schools, hospitals and houses, which gave work to nearly 100,000 people

• the national labour service (RAD): in 1935 it became compulsory for 19 to 25 year old men to spend 6 months in the RAD. they planted forests, mended hedges and dug drainage on farms. they were given small wages and meals, and was extended to women in 1939

• invisible employment: women were pressured into giving up paid work. the nazis created jobs by sacking people, such as jews, and giving their jobs to non-jewish people. these out-of-work jews were not counted in jobless figures.

in what ways did the nazis control workers and reward high production?

• german labour front: replaced trade unions. by 1939 there were 30 million members, and you would struggle to get a job if you didnt join. strikes were now illegal and workers needed permission to leave their job. it promised to protect workers rights and improve conditions. they could be forced to work as many hours as the nazis required. it ran two schemes to improve workers lives:

  • SDA: tried to improve workplace by installing better lighting, safety equipment, new washrooms, low cost canteens and sports facilities

  • KDF: organised leisure activities to encourage hard work. had a reward scheme with cheap holidays, theatre trips and football match tickets if workers met targets

  • DAF also had a scheme to help workers save for a car, however the money was used to build more weapons

what impact did the economic changes have on the german people

• big businesses benefitted as nazis destroyed the power of trade unions. wages could be kept low whilst keeping working hours high. many companies also benefited from rearmament

• 300,000 small businesses went bankrupt as they struggled to keep up with bigger firms. rearmament meant many producing consumer goods lost out

• initially, farmers benefitted, as their debts were cancelled and food prices increased. later, food prices were strictly controlled and there werent enough workers as people were working in the factories. there was little investment in farm machinery

• by 1939, only 35,000 out of 25 million male workers were unemployed. workers in armament industry got higher wages, but those in other areas were paid at a lower rate, whilst working longer hours. many felt they had a better life under the nazis, as the pay in 1936 was more than in the great depression

what were the economic policies hitler introduced?

• the economy under schacht: he signed deals with countries in south america and south-east europe to supply raw materials in return for german goods. for a short while, things went good, as weapon production increased and unemployment fell. but germany was still dependant on foreign raw materials and hitler was too impatient for the slow change, so he sacked schacht and replaced him with goering

• the economy under goering: he introduced a four year plan in 1936, to increase military production. military spending increased by over 30 million marks from 1933 to 1939. working hours went up by 11 hours and there were fewer consumer goods, because the focus was on munitions and weapons production. high targets were met in industries such as steel and explosives, but not in other industries such as oil. germany still needed foreign raw materials so goering tried to make germany self sufficient. make-up was made from flour, petrol from coal, coffee from acorns and artificial wool from wood pulp.

• farmers: 30% of the population was involved in agriculture and forestry. hitler tried to reward their support by helping them cope with the depression. he reduced their taxes, they wouldnt lose land if they went into debt, and to keep farms large and controlled by the same families, farmers could not divide land between their children. some people liked this idea, because it meant farms would be secure for generations. but some didnt like this law, because it meant their children had to look for jobs in the cities instead

what impact did war have on germany?

• rationing: was introduced at the start of the war. food shortages were caused by large numbers of farm labourers joining the army. clothing shortages also meant that it was hard to get a hold of boots and shoes. fish, egg, milk and cheese were very hard to get, and they could only have a hot bath twice a week. substitutes for soap had to be found (e.g stewed pine). rations were severely cut in 1944, and food supplies had almost run out by 1945

• bombing: hitler had promised that germany wouldnt be bombed, but the allied bombing of germany increased. first, the british targeted military targets, but by 1943 they were targeting civilians in day and night raids. this impacted germany severely - roads, canals and factories were destroyed, and many were left as refugees

• refugees: many people fled bombing raids. there were many in the east as they fled the soviet union. they received little help, and had to walk long distances. half a million people died from disease and hunger, and those who did survive had to deal with the bombing raids in the west

• labour shortages: the economy suffered as many men were drafted into the army. by 1944, 13 million men were serving in the army. the nazis encouraged women to work nd made concentration camp prisoners to work as forced labour. the focus of the industry was on war effort. holidays were banned, hours were longer and all factories were turned into weapons and uniform factories

• total war and moral drop: the main focus of germany was war effort. the four year plan targets were not met and germany was not prepared for war. at the start of the war, germany was doing well, but in 1943, things began to go wrong. german forces were driven back and moral began to drop.

women in nazi germany vs weimar germany

• in the 1920s, german women had many rights and freedom. they could vote and if they worked in the government, their pay was equal to men. many women attended university and became lawyers and doctors. the birth rate fell because more women worked. in 1933 there was over a million less births in comparison to 1900. women also dressed more provocatively

• the nazis were worried about the declining birth rate, and wanted to return to traditional values. a low birth rate didnt fit with their plans to expand germanys territory and settle other germans in other areas of europe. they felt like it was a woman’s patriotic duty to stay at home, have lots of children and support their husbands. they should stick to the three K’s - kirche, kinder and küche.

nazi policies and women

• lebensborn movement: SS members would impregnate ‘racially pure’ women. over 8000 children were born

• jobs and education: no females were able to be part of the reichstag. women employed by the state were sacked, and employers were encouraged to employ men. only 10% of university places went to women.

• lifestyle: slimming, smoking and late nights were frowned upon, and exercise was encouraged. good nazis were encouraged to tell off women who were fashionably dressed. the womens enterprise trained women in domestic duties, and the german womens league coordinated all adult women groups, which travelled around giving advice on cooking, childcare and diet

• abortion and contraception: abortion and the use of contraception was restricted. mentally ill people, those who were colourblind and those with inherited diseases had to be sterilised. 350,000 people were sterilised between 1934 and 1945.

• marriage and divorce: loans were offered to those who got married (1000 marks, which is about half a years pay. if you had 4 children, you didnt have to pay anything back. there was the motherhood award, where you were awarded based on your amount of children

how did the nazis control the lives of the youth in education?

• every subject was used to put forward nazi propaganda and beliefs. for example, the subject eugenics was based on darwins theory of evolution, and taught that some races were naturally superior to others. it imposed the belief that black people, eastern europeans and jews were inferior, and they were taught how to spot different races.

• in history, they were taught about the treaty of versailles, and how it was unfair. they learnt about the rise of the nazis and the wickedness of jews and communism

• in pe, they had 3 double lessons a week to keep them healthy. boys needed to be ready for war and girls had to be able to produce healthy babies

• universities had to change their courses to reflect what the nazis believed, including their antisemitism. top university professors were picked out by the nazis. many lecturers were sacked because of their political beliefs or because they were jewish, and by 1939 over 3000 had been dismissed. all students had to train as a soldier for a month each year. the nazis didnt regard university education as particularly important, and therefore less germans attended university during this era

how did the nazis control the lives of the youth outside of school?

• hitler youth: 50% of youths were in the hitler youth by 1935, but it later became compulsory by 1939. many people joined so they wouldnt feel left out. they learned how to march, fight with knives, fire a gun and keep fit. the nazis were preparing them for their roles as future soldiers

• league of german girls: the emphasis was on how to keep fit, cook good meals and care for babies, to prepare them for motherhood. they could join the young girls league from age 10

who did the nazis persecute and why?

• non aryans: the nazis classed jews, gypsies, slavs, black and indian people as ‘inferior’. hitler wanted to cleanse germany of these people. the nazis began to persecute, and later murder these groups. over half a million gypsies and 6 million jews from across europe died in death camps in the years up to 1945

• the disabled: people with physical or mental disabilities were sterilised. from 1939, the nazis began to kill them. about 200,000 people, including 5,000 children, were murdered in specially built ‘nursing homes’

• undesirables: those who regularly committed crimes, drank excessive alcohol or engaged in other such behaviours were deemed as ‘socially useless’. 500,000 were sent to death camps

• homosexuals: hitler thought that gay people would weaken germany. many were castrated and sent to concentration camps, were they were used in science experiments

in what ways were jewish people persecuted up to 1945?

• economic: in 1933 jewish shops were boycotted and jews were banned from all state jobs. all jewish lawyers, judges, teachers (and later doctors) were sacked. in january 1934, all jewish shops were marked with a yellow star of david or the word jude. soldiers stood outside shops turning people away

• social: jewish children were forced outside of german state schools and ‘eugenics’ was introduced in schools. in 1933, jewish and non-jewish children couldnt play together. signs of persecution were hidden during the berlin olympics. in 1938, jewish people couldnt own radios, typewriters or bicycles. they couldnt go to cinemas or theatres, and were forced to add sarah or israel to their name

• political: in 1935 the nuremberg laws were put in place: jewish people couldnt vote and they lost german citizenship

• violent: in 1938, a jewish student shot a german diplomat in paris. in retaliation, goebbels organised a campaign of violence. homes and synagogues were smashed up, and 91 jewish people died. the jewish people were then fined 1 billion marks for the damage, as insurance companies complained they would loose money

what are some examples of jewish resistance?

• they ran schools, soup kitchens and hospitals in the ghettos. they also celebrated cultural and religious celebrations to lift moral, and led orchestras

• armed uprisings took place in the ghettos. in 1943, in the warsaw ghetto, 15,000 jewish people with just two machine guns and 15 rifles held out for four weeks against fully equipped german forces. there were also uprisings at the concentration camps - in october 1943, 600 prisoners escaped from sobibor camp in poland.

• simple to survive was a form of resistance. chaim lazar said ‘resistance was giving birth to a child in the ghetto, sharing food with others, praying together, singing in a chorus, studying the bible, planting flowers, keeping a diary under the shadow of death’

how did the nazis keep control of the church and religion?

• catholic (33% of pop.): hitler made an agreement with the catholic church, saying that they should not interfere with politics and in return the nazis would leave them alone. however, popes were intimidated and arrested, and youth was forced to merge with the hitler youth

• protestant (66% of pop.): hitler brought all of the churches into the reich church so that they’d be easier to control. they had to start their services with a ‘hail hitler’ salute. 6000 pastors joined a non-nazi church called the confessional church, however in 1936 all youth groups were stopped, and in 1939 all church schools were closed

• the nazis persecuted smaller groups more viciously. one-third of jehovahs witnesses were killed in concentration camps. they refused to give the hitler salute or serve in the army

reasons christians supported the nazis

• the nazis believed in the importance of marraige, the family and moral values. most christians believed in these values as well

• hitler had promised to destroy communism. this appealed to christians because communism was anti-religious

• hitler had promised to protect the church

how did christians react to nazi religious policies?

• the confessional church was set up by martin niemöller, and it openly criticised the nazis. they arrested 800 pastors of the confessional church and niemöller was sent to a concentration camp

• bishop von galen was the catholic bishop of munster and criticised nazi racial policies in his sermons - some priests were executed for handing out copies of his sermons. in 1941 he spoke out against the euthanasia policy which led to it being halted

how did the nazis keep control of the police state?

• the SS: they oversaw all the police and security forces in the country. they were responsible for running concentration camps. they controlled people through fear and violence, were heavily armed, and loyal to hitler. they could arrest people without trial. they feared people into complying with nazi policies and carried out violence against opponents

• concentration camps: dealt with threats to the regime (jews, communists, socialists, trade unionists and anyone who criticised hitler). there were bad conditions and people were beaten to work. ordinary germans didnt know the full details, and it kept most people quiet and loyal

• gestapo: they were hitlers secret police and spied on potential threats. they had the power to arrest without trial and could torture/imprison people in concentration camps. informers gathered information on normal people. people feared them and kept quiet

• police and law courts: continued with regular work, but ignored crimes by nazis, and had trials to punish opposition. a fair trial was impossible. the police had to follow nazi orders

• block leaders and informers: they were local men who watched over groups of homes and reported suspicious information. they wrote reports on everyone and this affected who could get a job and this intimidated people to be loyal to hitler

how did the nazis control propaganda?

• music: jazz music was very popular in the weimar period, but nazis saw it as ‘black’ music and believed that black people were inferior. they promoted german folk music and marching songs, and encouraged people to listen to german composers.

• art: hitler disliked modern art from the weimar period - he thought tht it was peverted and unpatriotic. the nazis burnt over 500 paintings and opened the house of german art in 1937, which depicted paintings of aryan families and heroic military fighters

• films and theatre: goebbles controlled all of the films made in germany. openly pro-nazi films were made, and a newsreel was shown before each film to showcase hitlers achievements. the nazis didnt approve of modern plays, and said they should focus on german politics and history. all cabaret clubs were closed.

• books: over 20,000 books by non-nazi supporters were burnt in berlin. all new books had to be censored and checked by goebbles. anti-war novels were banned. mein kampf became the best selling book in germany

• sport: health and fitness was important to the nazis, so success in sport was used to promote the nazi regime. the olympics in berlin were a propaganda opportunity. famous german filmmaker leni riefenstahl made a ground-breaking film of the games using the latest technology. the german team came at the top of the medals tables, so they claimed that this showed the superiority of the german race. anti semetic posters and newspapers were temporarily stopped to give the world a tolerable impression of germany

in what ways did the german people oppose and resist against hitler?

• open opposition: groups like the white rose group, swing youth and edelweiss pirates were openly against the nazis. the swing youth tended to be from wealthier backgrounds, and they werent involved in politics but were interested in american fashion. they listened to jazz music, boys grew their hair long and girls wore brightly coloured makeup. the white rose group urged germans to get rid of hitler. they handed out anti-nazi leaflets, put up posters and wrote graffiti on walls

• the edelweiss pirated were aged from 14-16. they refused to behave in a way that the nazis wanted. they wore clothes the nazis didnt like, drank, smoked, picked fights with hitler youth members, wrote anti nazi graffiti on walls and helped army deserters. at first they were issued a warning, but when the numbers increased 739 of them were arrested. they were then sent to concentration camps or executed.

• assassination attempts: there were around 50 attempts to try and take hitlers life. one of the most significant ones was orchestrated by the army in the 1944 bomb plot. claus von stauffenberg, an army colonel, thought hitler was the best to stop communists, but was disgusted against his policies against jewish people. he thought hitler was leading germany to defeat. he plotted with other high ranking officers and decided to plant a bomb at the military headquarters where hitler would be. the plot failed for many reasons - the room was too large, the windows were left open and someone moved the bomb further away from hitler. stauffenberg was shot and others who also planned it were executed

• grumbling and passive resistance: these were the lowest forms of opposition. in the privacy of their own homes, people told anti-nazi jokes or complained about the nazi regime. passive resistance was a public show of opposition, often by refusing to do what most of the population were doing. for example, some might refuse to give the ‘heil hitler’ salute or give money to the hitler youth members who were collecting funds