GCSE History - Nazi Germany 2

57 practice flashcards covering Nazi economic policies, employment, women, youth, education, religion, racial persecution, wartime impact, and opposition groups based on the lecture material.

What happened to unemployment under the Nazis?

Official unemployment fell dramatically, from around 6 million in 1933 to under 1 million by 1937, although Nazi policies and changes in how unemployment was counted contributed to the fall.

How did public works reduce unemployment?

The Nazis spent money on projects such as roads, housing and autobahns, creating jobs and stimulating industries such as construction.

What was the RAD?

The Reich Labour Service (RAD) provided work on public projects. From 1935, young men had to complete six months of labour service.

How did rearmament reduce unemployment?

Germany expanded weapons production and the armed forces, creating industrial jobs and increasing demand for materials such as steel and coal.

How did conscription affect unemployment?

Conscription was reintroduced in 1935, taking large numbers of young men into the armed forces and therefore reducing the number officially unemployed.

What was autarky?

Nazi Germany's policy of trying to become economically self-sufficient, reducing dependence on imported goods and preparing Germany for war.

Did all German workers benefit from Nazi economic policies?

No. Employment increased, but independent trade unions were banned, workers had less freedom to change jobs or campaign for better conditions, and working hours increased.

What was the German Labour Front (DAF)?

The Nazi organisation that replaced independent trade unions. It controlled workers but could not be used by workers to strike against employers.

What was Strength Through Joy (KdF)?

A DAF organisation providing workers with organised leisure activities such as holidays, sport, theatre and trips, intended partly to increase support for the regime.

What was Beauty of Labour?

A Nazi programme designed to improve workplace conditions, such as better lighting, ventilation, washing facilities and canteens.

What did the Nazis believe a woman's main role should be?

Women were encouraged to be wives and mothers, producing and raising children the Nazis considered racially desirable.

How did the Nazis encourage marriage and childbirth?

Marriage loans were offered to some newly married couples, with part of the loan cancelled for each child they had.

What was the Mother's Cross?

An award given to women who had large numbers of children, reflecting the Nazi aim of increasing the birth rate among those they considered racially desirable.

How did Nazi policies initially affect women's employment?

The Nazis encouraged many women to leave some professions and prioritise marriage and motherhood, although women continued to form an important part of the workforce.

How did Nazi policies towards women change?

As Germany rearmed and later went to war, labour shortages meant the regime increasingly needed women to work, conflicting with its earlier emphasis on keeping women in the home.

Why were Nazi policies towards women contradictory?

Nazi ideology promoted motherhood and domestic life, but Germany's growing economy and wartime labour shortages required increasing numbers of women workers.

Why did the Nazis want to control young people?

Hitler wanted future generations to accept Nazi beliefs, obey the regime and be prepared for their expected adult roles.

What was the Hitler Youth?

The main Nazi youth organisation for boys, which emphasised physical fitness, discipline, military-style activities and Nazi beliefs.

What was the League of German Maidens (BDM)?

The main Nazi organisation for girls, promoting physical fitness, domestic skills, Nazi beliefs and preparation for motherhood.

When did membership of Nazi youth organisations become compulsory?

Nazi control over youth organisations increased after 1933, and membership requirements were strengthened until participation became effectively compulsory for eligible young Germans.

Why did some young people enjoy Nazi youth organisations?

Activities could include sport, camping, hiking and meeting other young people, which some found exciting.

Why did some young people dislike Nazi youth organisations?

They involved strict discipline, political indoctrination and increasing interference in young people's free time.

Why did the Nazis change education?

Schools could be used to indoctrinate children with Nazi ideas and prepare them for the roles the regime expected them to perform.

How did the school curriculum change under the Nazis?

Subjects were altered to promote Nazi ideas; history emphasised German nationalism, biology taught Nazi racial theories and physical education became increasingly important.

How were boys and girls educated differently?

Boys were increasingly prepared for military service, while girls received greater emphasis on domestic skills, motherhood and physical health.

How did the Nazis control teachers?

Teachers were expected to support Nazi ideas and could join the National Socialist Teachers' League; politically or racially unacceptable teachers could lose their positions.

How did education and youth organisations work together?

Schools taught Nazi ideas during lessons while organisations such as the Hitler Youth and BDM reinforced them during young people's free time.

Why was Christianity potentially difficult for the Nazis?

Germany had millions of Christians whose religious loyalties and beliefs could conflict with the Nazis' demand for loyalty to Hitler and Nazi ideology.

What was the Concordat of 1933?

An agreement between Hitler and the Catholic Church: the Church agreed to stay out of politics while the Nazis promised to respect its religious freedoms.

Did Hitler keep the Concordat?

Nazi authorities increasingly interfered with Catholic organisations and schools and targeted some clergy, causing tensions with the Church.

How did the Nazis try to control Protestant churches?

They supported attempts to unite Protestant churches into a Nazi-influenced Reich Church.

What was the Confessing Church?

A Protestant movement that resisted Nazi attempts to control the churches and rejected some Nazi interference in Christianity.

Who was Martin Niemöller?

A Protestant pastor and important figure in the Confessing Church who criticised aspects of Nazi control and was eventually imprisoned.

Did the Nazis completely control Christianity in Germany?

No. They restricted and interfered with churches, but Christianity remained important and some clergy and Christians resisted aspects of Nazi policy.

What did the Nazis mean by an 'Aryan' racial ideal?

Nazi ideology falsely claimed that a supposedly superior 'Aryan' Germanic race should dominate German society and be protected from groups they considered inferior.

Which groups were persecuted under Nazi racial and social policies?

Jews were the main target of Nazi racial persecution, while Roma and Sinti, disabled people and other groups the Nazis considered racially or socially undesirable were also persecuted.

What happened during the boycott of Jewish businesses in April 1933?

The Nazis organised a nationwide boycott of Jewish-owned shops and businesses, an early example of state-backed antisemitic persecution.

What were the Nuremberg Laws of 1935?

Laws that stripped German Jews of citizenship and prohibited marriage and sexual relationships between Jews and people the Nazis classified as German.

What was Kristallnacht, 9-10 November 1938?

A major Nazi-organised attack on Jewish communities in which synagogues and businesses were destroyed and thousands of Jewish men were arrested.

Why was Kristallnacht a turning point?

Persecution became much more openly violent and organised by the state, demonstrating a major escalation of Nazi antisemitic policy.

How did persecution of Jews develop between 1933 and 1945?

It escalated from discrimination and exclusion → loss of legal rights → organised violence → wartime ghettos and mass killings → the Final Solution.

How did WWII affect rationing in Germany?

Food, clothing and other goods were rationed as resources were increasingly directed towards the war effort.

Why did Germany experience labour shortages during WWII?

Millions of German men entered the armed forces, leaving fewer workers available for factories, farms and other essential jobs.

How were labour shortages dealt with?

Women increasingly worked and the Nazi regime made extensive use of foreign and forced labour from occupied Europe.

How did Allied bombing affect German civilians?

Bombing destroyed homes, factories and infrastructure, killed civilians and forced many people to evacuate or become homeless.

How did the war affect German living standards?

Shortages, rationing, longer working hours, bombing and disruption made everyday life increasingly difficult as the war continued.

How did refugees affect Germany towards the end of the war?

Large numbers of people fled or were displaced by fighting, particularly as Soviet forces advanced from the east, increasing pressure on food, housing and transport.

What was the White Rose group?

A student resistance group associated with Hans and Sophie Saboll that distributed leaflets criticising the Nazi regime and the war.

What happened to Hans and Sophie Scholl?

They were arrested in 1943 for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, tried and executed.

Who were the Swing Youth?

Young Germans who rejected aspects of Nazi youth culture and expressed non-conformity through interests such as American and British swing music and different fashions.

Who were the Edelweiss Pirates?

Groups of working-class young people who rejected Hitler Youth control and took part in independent activities; some groups later engaged in more active resistance.

Why were the Edelweiss Pirates a threat to Nazi control?

They demonstrated that not all young Germans accepted Nazi youth organisations, and some challenged Nazi authority directly.

What was the July 1944 bomb plot?

An attempt by German army officers and other conspirators to assassinate Hitler and overthrow the Nazi government on 20 July 1944.

Who was Claus von Stauffenborg?

The German army officer who placed a bomb near Hitler during the July 1944 assassination attempt.

Why did the July 1944 bomb plot fail?

Hitler survived the explosion, allowing the regime to regain control and arrest the conspirators.

What happened after the July 1944 plot?

Soker and other conspirators were executed, and the Nazis carried out a wider crackdown against suspected opponents.

What do the White Rose, Swing Youth, Edelweiss Pirates and July Bomb Plot show?

Opposition came from different groups—students, young people and members of the military—but Nazi repression made successful organised resistance extremely difficult.