nazi germany topic 3

Why was the SA purged

• room as leader became a threat to Hitler as he: → merged army veteran group with SA which brought the SA members to 3 million. By 1933 60% of SA became unemployed so they were angry so they became loyal to rohm which gave him the ideal position to challenge Hitler

• Rohm favoured a second revolution and wanted a more socialist approach so planned to replace Hitler and said killings in the best interest of Germany

• Purge was also the outcome of a power struggle between leading Nazis. Leaders of the SS such as Henrich Himmler resented rohm too. They wanted to increase their own power and status of the SS

What were the results of the purge

Hitler now has control over SA as rivals are mostly dead. People generally happy as the SA are now being controlled

What happened on the night of the long knives

• 1934, leaders of SS and the army warned Hitler that Rohm was planning to seize power. As a result, Hitler arranged to remove the threat of Rohm and SA.

• He arranged the meeting with Rohm and 100 other SA leaders at a hotel June 1934.

• When they arrived Rohm and the other senior officers of SA were arrested, imprisoned and shot

How did the head of president Hindenburg help Hitlers great a dictatorship

• he died on the 2nd of August 1934

• Hitler declares himself as fuhrer, chancellor and president

• Makes army take an oath of allegiance to him and not Germany for loyalty. This ensures him they will support him

Why was there a high level of conformity and acceptance among the German people towards Hitler and the nazis

• censorship and propaganda→ Goebbels banned criticism of Nazi and used the media to spread positive messages

• Nazis success → 1930s Hitler reduced unemployment and achieved several successes in foreign policy

In 1930s who did the Nazis face opposition from

• secret trade union → KPD encouraged workers to oppose Nazis e.g undermine Nazis building projects by staying off sick or damaging machinery

• Church opposition → Hitler and Nazis tried to control religion so many religious leaders opposed them, both openly and in secret

• Social political opposition → 1933, SPD printed an opposition newspaper the ‘Red Shock Troop’ which a circulation of 3000 copies. The organisers were arrested and sent to concentration camps. SPD set up SOPADE to comapigne against the Nazis

What did Hitler believe about society

Nazis believed all pays off society would benefit from the German state - a Nazi state that would last a very long time

Nazi policies towards the young we’re not what was best for them; they wanted to strengthen Germany and the Nazi party

What did Nazi party believe was best for Germany

• all young people should be brought up to be proud Germans who supported strong independent Germany

• All boys should be brought up to be strong and healthy, to do productive work for the German armed forces

• All girls should be brought up to be studying and healthy, so they would be strong wives and healthy fertile mothers

What Nazis believe about bugs and girls

They were equal but different, so had different strengths to offer Germany

Hitler knew that if all the young supported the Nazis he would be able to achieve the ‘thousand year reich’

What was a Nazi youth group

• compulsory for all young Germans to join by March 1939 from ages ten

• 14-18 years meant you were apart of the Hitler youth group

• Activities included swearing an oath of allegiance to Hitler, reporting those who disobeyed Nazis and practised skills useful for soldiers like map reading

How did Hitler try and control the church

• created the Reich church → a Protestant church that favoured working with the Nazis

  • Protestant pastors who supported Hitlers views were allowed to continue providing church survives

  • Some Protestant pastors allowed swastika to be displayed

  • Nazis insisted Jews should not be baptised into this church and Jewish techings from old testimony should be excluded

What is PEL

The pastors emergency league

• to campaign against Nazi actions it was set up by Pastor Martin in 1933 however he was letter sent to concentration camps and PEL was banned

How did the Catholic Church oppose the Nazis

Catholic presets spoke out against Nazi ideas and police’s

Around 400 presets were eventually imprisoned

However it was limited:

• opposition the the Nazis amongst ordinary Christian’s was also muted. There wae big attendances at church services and some people applauded church leaders who opposed the Nazis

What your opposition did the Nazis face

• swing youth

• Edelweiss pirates

who we’re the edelweiss pirates

• emerged late 1930s in working class areas of large German cities like Berlin

• Consisted of teenagers of both genders but mainly boys who resented the military discipline of the Nazi youth groups and the general lack of freedom in Nazi Germany

• Boys wore their hair long and copies styles of American clothing

• They would mock and sometimes attack Hitler youth members

Who were the swing youth

• teenagers from wealthy middle class families in larger towns and cities

• Admired American culture such as Mercian clothes films and music

• Often owned record players and played record illegally imported from America

• Would smoke drink and dance and listen in groups

• Organised illegal dances

• Attended up to 6000 young people

You youth opposition rally opposition or just resistance

In 1939 both youth oppositions were limited

• not political opposition

• Lack of numbers there were only 2000 edelweiss pirates compared to 8000 Hitlers youth group