Germany and West Germany: How far did Hitler succeed in creating a Volksgemainschaft?

What is it meant by Volksgemeinschaft?

Racially and ideologically unified "people's community"

Unite approved "Aryan" Germans while brutally persecuting and excluding everyone else

Why is the concept of Volksgemeinschaft significant?

replaced Germany's fierce social and political divisions with a powerful, manufactured sense of national unity, effectively manipulating ordinary citizens into actively participating in or tolerating the Holocaust

What did Michael Vildt say about the creation of Volksgemeinschaft?

"process of social inclusion" that also meant "dictatorial coercion"

What is it meant by 'natural sphere'?

man naturally fitted to leadership building civilistation and defending the interests of the aryan race through wat

In June 1933, what loan policy was introduced to get women out of the workplace?

interest free 600RM - 1,000RM loan

What were the rewards for women when they had a substantial number of German children?

Medals

8 children = gold

6 children = silver

4 children = bronze

10 = Hitler is godfather

What was the National Socialist Women's Union (NSF)?

Attract female following for nazis

following trad womens role

By 1936 how many mother school were there? How many empolyed?

150 employing 1500

What was a mother school?

Train women in domestic duties, child-rearing, and racial ideology to prepare them for their expected roles as housewives and mothers within the Volksgemeinschaft.

What were Reich Bride Schools?

-Course lasted min. of 6 weeks, Himmler encouraged at least 2 months

-Required students to live in to ensure 'spiritual and physical recovery' from work in the period before marriage

-Cost about a week's wages

-Taught: ironing; interior design; gardening; SS uniform care; childcare

What was the Lebensborn programme?

A state-sponsored program used by the Nazis to increase birth rates

- Only 8000 children born under this programme

- Women were encouraged to have the children of SS men

- Children from other countries were kidnapped, Aryan women were forced to marry, shaming women out of wedlock

How many Lebensborn clinics were established?

13

What did the ideal Nazi woman look like?

Fair-haired, blue-eyed and sturdily built. Broad hips for childbearing and traditional clothes, not fashionable ones. No make up, didn't smoke or drink. Slimming was frowned upon because being slim is considered bad for childbearing

Natural Look: tan, larger breasts

What was the Bureau for Beauty?

-Some senior Nazis, like notorious womaniser Robert Lay, head of the DAF, rejected the ideal of the Hitler Maiden

-publish beauty advice for women, including: charts of ideal shapes for eyelashes, eyebrows and cheek bones; advice on how to achieve perfect features via cosmetics and how to use hair products to heightened blondeness

Who was Irene von Meyendorff?

-Actor and model from aristocratic background

-Represented the ideal of beauty for Goebbels, so he cast her in numerous films like 'Kolberg'

-Based on sale pictures of her image, she was the top pin-up for German soldiers

How many women were imprisoned in Hamburg on reasons based upon sexual deviancy by 1937?

2,130

What was Salon Kitty?

2 PURPOSES

1. sex for high ranking soliders

2. bugged rooms for foreign diplomats

What was the role of Moral Police and Care Officers?

could deny access to welfare

believed prostitutes should be prevented to live/breed for the good of the race

What did a German newspaper in 1937 say stating reasons why women shouldn't be allowed on the jury?

"ruled only by emotion"

"cannot think logically or reason objectively"

What did the NSF publication during war quite bluntly state?

"women's place is the home"

What was the birth rate in 1932? And then 1934?

516k

740k

In 1933-39 what was the restricted enrollment for women set too?

10%

What are two examples of women's roles during WW2?

Farm work increased from 55% in 1939 to 67% in 1944

What did the number of women employment increase to during the period 1933-39?

4.2 - 6.2 million

In result of the Lebensborn programme how many children had been born by 1944?

11,000

What league were teachers required to join in 1933?

National Socialist Teachers League

What did Nazi's believe education should do?

encouragement to act rather than think

value life in according to racial purity

reject compassion

What did children have to prove for enrollement?

Over 13 years of racial purity

What was taught in Biology?

racial miscegenation of eugenics

females should choose racially fit men

What was taught in History?

History of the struggle between Aryans and superiority of Germany

What was taught in PE?

Men- millitary

Women - child bearing

What were names of Youth Groups for boys?

Primpten

Deutsches Jungvolk

Hitler jugend

What were names of Youth Groups for girls?

jung madel

jung madelbund

glaube und schonheit

What did membership become necessary for Hitler Youth Groups?

1939

By 1937 what was the National Socialist Teachers League's membership looking like as a %?

97

What did Dr. Schuster say about the education system of Nazi Germany as an ex student?

"no longer any intellectual freedom"

What did the 1934 report from Social Democratic party (exiled) say about Nazi education?

"believe in nothing but their hitler"

What are some examples of Nazi opposition?

minority of youth described Nazis as "Medals for murder!"

What was the aim of Nazi culture?

humans irrational so moved by beautiful art

persuade obey

sacrifice for good of the race

What was significant about the Neoclassicism style chosen for the third reich?

idealistic yet naturalistic

reject abstraction and portray physical perfection

rebirth of anceint greek and romans

What are two examples of German Nazi architechture?

Reich Chancellery: AH official residence

Berlin Olympic Stadium: modern classical style

What did Frick minister of interior issue a decree about?

any art that didnt portray german values would be destroyed

What was the 1937 'Degenerate 'Art Exhibition do? Amount of visitors?

shown 650 confiscated modern artworks and attracted over 2 million visitors

What were the Catholic protests?

against gov control of newspaper

intergrate catholic groups with nazi ones

Bishop galen protests against T4

What were the Wild Cat protests?

400 illegal strikes 1933-34

What was 'swiss youth'?

Middle-class teenagers who rejected Nazi austerity by embracing American and British jazz culture, fashion, and "degenerate" swing dancing.

What was 'Edelweiss Pirates'?

Working-class youths who dodged the Hitler Youth, beat up Nazi officials, listened to banned music, and actively aided army deserters.

What was 'The White Rose'?

A university-based student group led by Hans and Sophie Scholl that secretly distributed anti-Nazi leaflets urging passive resistance before they were executed by the Gestapo.

What were non-conformist groups?

that refused to fully align with Nazi ideology or participate in mandatory state activities like the Hitler Youth.

What was the Night of Long Knives?

- June 29-30, 1934: Hitler commanded the SS to break into the homes of the leaders of the SA and arrest them

- Hitler accused Rohm of planning to murder him and take power

- 400 people including Rohm were executed over the weekend; 1000 others were arrested

What was significant about the Night of Long Knives?

Hitler purged the leadership of his own paramilitary SA and other political rivals, effectively eliminating all internal opposition, securing the absolute loyalty of the German army, and consolidating his position as the supreme, unchecked dictator of Germany

When was the Night of Long Knives?

30th June 1934

What was the Battle of Stalingrad?

attempt by the Germans to take the city named for Joseph Stalin. Hitler ordered that the city be held at all costs. In the end, 99% of the city was destroyed and the Soviets were victorious.

When was the Battle of Stalingrad?

August 1942 - February 1943

What was signifcant the Battle of Stalingrad?

critical turning point of World War II in Europe because the catastrophic defeat and destruction of the German 6th Army permanently broke Nazi military momentum, forcing Germany into retreat from which it never recovered

What was the July Bomb plot of 1944?

An attempt to murder Hitler himself, led by Von Stauffenburg and other military officials. They thought Hitler was no longer suitable to run and that he was losing them the war. 5000 are executed after the plan fails.

What was significant the July Bomb plot of 1944?

most serious internal attempt to assassinate Hitler, revealing deep disillusionment within the highest echelons of the German military elite, but its failure ultimately triggered a brutal Nazi purge that crushed all remaining domestic resistance

What did the Nazis do as a result of the Rhineland Bastards? How many children were there?

500

proof of german shame

forced streilistation

Why were gypsies targetted?

lived in 'undisciplined' ways

What actions were taken against gypsies? 1936? In 1939?

ghetto camps

forbidden to marry aryan wihtout special permit

What was the Strellisation Law?

death of blind/deaf/eplileptic//schizophrenia/ 'feeble mindedness'/severe alcoholism

How many sterilised from 1933-39?

300k

What was the T4 programme?

Ordered in 1939 it said that babies with severe mental or physical disabilities should be killed by starvation or lethal overdose of drugs

EG. down syndrome / malformed limbs

What was significant about T4?

first program of mass murder, which used involuntary euthanasia to systematically murder

Served as the technological and bureaucratic testing ground for the mass gassing techniques

How many T4 clinics were there? How many had gas chambers in them?

30

6

How many killed in 1941 alone as a result of T4?

80,000

What was the result of homosexualaity in nazi germany?

15k sent to concentration camps

didnt fit into 'normal' families

What were the three categories of race?

What were the Nuremburg Laws?

What was Kristallnacht?

It was a destructive Nazi rampage against the Jews.

When was Kristallnacht?

November 9-10, 1938

How many arrests in the Kristallnacht? Deaths? Damage?

30k

200

1k synagogues

What was the Madagascar Plan?

1938-40 deportations of jews to madagascar

What was the Einsatzgruppen?

mobile killing squads round up jews and shot them

700k killed by 1941

What was the Final Solution?

Holocaust

What did the Wannsee conference do and result in?

Jan 1942

mass murder of as a final solution

over 21k died

What are the origins of german anti semitism?

Centuries of traditional Christian anti-Judaism in Europe cast Jews as "Christ-killers" and outsiders.

Nineteenth-century industrialization led to conspiracy theories blaming Jewish bankers for economic hardships and the rise of predatory capitalism.

The unification of Germany in 1871 fueled an exclusive, nationalistic identity that viewed Jews as an un-assimilable, alien group within the German state.

rise of Social Darwinism and "Volkisch" ideology shifted anti-Semitism from a religious issue to an unchangeable biological trait, popularizing the myth of Aryan racial supremacy.

The "Stab-in-the-Back" Myth

What did Himmler argue about Einsatzgruppen?

too slow ineeficient left SS officiers doing the killings wiht pycological damage

Through the Wansee Conference how were death camps established?

eastern europe and poland death camps

work like factories to look ordinary

built to destroy 11 mil jews

3k/3 million polish jews survived

What are examples of work lives of jews affected by persecution?

1935 Army Law expels jews from army

Nov 1938 jewish not allowed their own business

What are examples of education lives of jews affected by persecution?

Nov 1938 not allowed to enter state schools

What did Jewish population decrease to from 1933 to 1945 due to the holocaust?

503k

20k

What was significant about the nature behind the holocaust?

No clear programem or idea on how to deal with the Jewish Question until 1941

No written order form AH

1941 recommened by top nazi to launch extermination programme

What did Richard evans describe the holocaust with?

"subject to mockery and contempt of the world"

actively mobilizing public humiliation to alienate, devalue, and strip targeted groups of their dignity in the eyes of ordinary citizens.