Section D: the persecution of minorities

What was eugenics?

The mistaken science of selective breeding developed from Darwin's theories to produce 'better' humans.

How did the Nazis apply eugenics?

By encouraging 'suitable' people to have children and sterilising those deemed 'unsuitable'.

Which race did the Nazis believe was superior?

The Aryan race.

What was racial hygiene?

The belief that Aryans should only reproduce with other Aryans to maintain racial purity.

How was racial hygiene promoted in Germany?

It was taught in schools.

Which law banned mixed-race marriages?

The Nuremberg Laws (1935).

What did Hitler claim about Aryans in Mein Kampf?

They were the master race.

What did the Nazis call Slavs?

Untermenschen (sub-human).

Which groups were at the bottom of Hitler's racial hierarchy?

Jewish people and Roma/Sinti people.

What does Lebensunwertes mean?

'Unworthy of life'.

What is anti-Semitism?

Hatred of Jewish people.

Why had anti-Semitism existed in Europe for centuries?

Religious prejudice, accusations over Christ's death, and jealousy of Jewish success in banking and business.

Why was anti-Semitism already strong in Germany before the Nazis?

German nationalism after 1871 portrayed Jewish people as enemies.

What was the 'stab in the back' myth?

The false belief that Jews and Communists caused Germany's defeat in World War I.

Why did anti-Semitism increase during the Great Depression?

Jewish people were scapegoated for Germany's economic problems.

Why did the Nazis target Slavic people?

They believed Slavs were Untermenschen and wanted their land for Lebensraum.

How many Roma and Sinti people lived in Germany in 1933?

About 26,000.

What happened to Roma and Sinti people from 1938 onwards?

They were registered, tested for racial purity, and later deported.

Why did the Nazis persecute homosexuals?

They believed homosexuality weakened moral standards and racial purity.

How did Nazi laws against homosexuality change in 1935?

They were strengthened, leading to more arrests and imprisonment.

How many people were imprisoned for homosexuality by 1938?

About 8,000 (up from 766 in 1934).

How many homosexuals died in concentration camps?

About 5,000.

Why did the Nazis persecute people with disabilities?

They believed they weakened racial purity and were a burden on society.

What was the 1933 Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring?

A law introducing compulsory sterilisation for people with certain disabilities and illnesses.

How many people were sterilised under the 1933 law?

About 400,000.

What was the T4 Programme?

A secret programme begun in 1939 to murder children with physical and mental disabilities.

How many children were killed under the T4 Programme?

Over 5,000.

Approximately how many Jewish people lived in Germany in 1933?

437,000 (0.6% of the population).

What happened during the boycott of 1 April 1933?

SA men stopped people entering Jewish businesses.

What was Kristallnacht?

A nationwide attack on Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues on 9–10 November 1938; over 100 Jews were killed and 20,000 sent to concentration camps.