Nazi Germany Flashcards

SS role

The SS was created in 1925 to act as personal bodyguards to Hitler. Members had to be both ‘racially pure’ and radically loyal to the NSDAP. Heinrich Himmler became leader of the SS from 1929.

The SS wore black uniforms to be easily identifiable from the SA.

roles:

• Protect Hitler and other Nazi leaders

• Provide security during political meetings

• Manage and control other police forces, including the SD and Gestapo

• Marry ‘racially pure’ wives to create ‘racially pure’ children

• The SS were responsible for carrying out the arrests and murders of SA members during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934

Role of the Gestapo

• Goering initially created the Gestapo to “investigate and combat all attempts to threaten the state”

• in 1936 it came under the control of Himmler and the SS

• it could arrest and imprison those suspected of opposing the state: the most likely destination would be a concentration camp run by the SS.

• by 1939, around 160,000 people has been arrested for political crimes

• They were infamous for wearing plain clothes so they could not be easily identifiable

• Released information about concentration camp conditions to spread fear

• arrested, questioned & tortured suspects

• tapped phones and spied on opponents.

The SD

The Development of Concentration Camps

• Most arrests made by the police services were related to ‘political crimes’, which involved speaking out against the Nazi Party

• Dachau was opened in 1933 and became the first concentration camp in Nazi Germany:

• Concentration camps were created to imprison many groups: Minority groups such as Jewish people and Jehovah’s Witnesses, Political opponents, including journalists, writers, intellectuals and communists

• Conditions in concentration camps were awful and inmates were forced to do hard labour

Controlling the Legal System

• Judges and lawyers were required to prioritise the interests of the Nazi Party above all else:

• Judges joined the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law & were dismissed if they did not join.

• Lawyers joined the German Lawyers Front

• Judges had to wear the swastika & Nazi eagle from 1936

Trial by jury was removed so that judges could decide the outcome of the case

The People’s Court was introduced to hear cases of treason:

• Judges loyal to the Nazi Party were selected

• Trials were held in secret

• The right to appeal was removed

Sometimes Hitler would alter sentences if he felt that they were too soft

Propaganda and censorship  

Propaganda and censorship controlled what people saw, heard and read. The Nazis aimed to influence people’s attitudes.

The Nazi use of Media: newspapers

Censorship of the press. All newspapers were controlled by the government and could only print stories favourable to the Nazi regime.

Journalists were briefed on what they could and could not publish

By 1935, the Nazis had closed down more than 1,600 newspapers and thousands of magazines. The Reich Press law was passed in October 1933 and it resulted in the removal of Jewish and left-wing journalists.

The Nazi use of Media: radio

Control of radio broadcasts. Radios were sold very cheaply so that most Germans could afford one. All radio output was controlled by Goebbels’ ministry.

After 1933, Goebbels censored most radio stations. The stations were used to spread Nazi beliefs and messaging

The People’s Receiver

• short range so foreign stations could not be picked up

• cheap

The Nazi use of Media: rallies

The declaration of Hitler as Führer in 1934 allowed him to merge the identity of the Nazi Party with that of Germany:

• Rallies became more frequent and created a sense of unity

• Used to advertise the strength of the German army, the rallies were held despite the military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles

These public displays of support for Nazism involved music, speeches and demonstrations of German strength. The biggest one was held each year in August at Nuremberg. Nuremberg rallies attracted almost one million people each year after the Nazis came to power.

The 1936 Berlin Olympics

Germany hosted the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. They used sport to show Aryan “superiority" and hide the reality of the regime.

Hitler and Goebbels believed that success in sport was essential: To “strengthen the character of the German people”, and to promote the Nazi belief that Aryans were superior.

Jesse Owens angered Hitler and the Nazis by winning four gold medals and becoming the most successful athlete at the games.

Nazi Control of Culture and the Arts

 Hitler encouraged ‘Aryan art’ instead of the modern art that was popular in the Weimar period, which showed the physical and military power of Germany and the Aryan race.

In classical music, works by Jewish composers like Mendelssohn and Mahler were banned and the works of the German composer Wagner were promoted, gaining huge popularity.

Nazis ceremonially burned thousands of books in 1933 that were viewed as being opposed to Nazism. These included books written by Jewish, pacifist, classical, liberal, anarchist, socialist, and communist authors

• Nazi Cinema: Goebbels realised the popularity of the cinema. Film was used by the Nazis to spread messages using ‘modern’ technology. Film plots had to be approved before they were made

Newsreels showing Germany’s achievements were played before the start of films.

What appeared on every government and public building?

the swastika

Who were people encouraged to denounce their family and friends to?

the Gestapo

 Why might Hitler consider Christianity to be a threat?

Majority of Germany’s population was either Catholic or Protestant

Hitler saw Christianity as a threat and a potential source of opposition to Nazism because it emphasised peace.

It also threatened Hitler’s complete control of Germany.

Pope also may be threat - someone on earth above Hitler

Should Hitler destroy or keep Christianity?

Concordat

• In 1933 Hitler agreed a Concordat (agreement) with the Pope, which said that he would not interfere in the running of the Catholic Church if it stayed out of political matters.

• Hitler didn’t keep his side of the bargain, however, as the Nazis attempted to infiltrate the Church and spread their propaganda.

Reich Church

• A state Reich Church under the leadership of the Nazi Bishop Ludwig Müller was established to unify the different branches of Protestantism.

• This enabled the Nazis to use a group called the ‘German Christians’ within the Reich Church to promote Nazi ideas.

Martin Niemoller

• publicly disagreed with Hitler’s choice to make Ludwig Müller the head (Reich Bishop) of the Protestant Church.

• Niemöller also strongly disagreed with Hitler’s idea that Jewish people should be removed from the Church, even if they had converted to Christianity. He believed that once someone had become Christian, they should be allowed to stay in the Church.

• He was also a prominent figure in the Confessing Church, which actively resisted the Nazi’s ‘Nazification’ of German Protestant churches

Bonhoeffer

• Although many Germans, including parts of the Church, supported Hitler becoming Chancellor in 1933, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Protestant Church leader, did not. Just two days after Hitler was elected, Bonhoeffer gave a radio broadcast where he warned people about treating Hitler like a god (this is called a cult of the Führer). The Nazis cut off his broadcast halfway through.

• In April 1933, Bonhoeffer spoke out against the persecution of Jews. He said the Church had a duty to stand up to this kind of treatment. He tried to bring other Protestants together to stop Nazi ideas from taking over the Church.

• Because of his views, Bonhoeffer was seen as an enemy. In 1936, the Nazis stopped him from teaching. They called him a pacifist (someone who refuses to support violence or war) and a threat to the state.
  
  

What were Hitler’s attitudes towards women?

• Nazi policies towards women reflected Hitler’s own personal views. He hated the changes in the position of women in society which had occurred in the 1920s, and wanted to create a society where woman had a precise and specific domestic role.

• He did not want women to be involved in the world of work and saw their task as bearing and rearing children while their husbands worked.

• Hitler believed that education for women should be focused on their future role in society and hence that it should prepare them for marriage and motherhood.

Hitler believed that women’s role should revolve around the 3 ‘Ks’:

Kinder – children 

Kirche – church (Reich church)

Kuche – cooking

1935 - The Lebensborn Programme

Started by SS leader, Heinrich Himmler

• Paired SS men with single women to create ‘genetically pure’ children

• Only women and men with a clear ‘Aryan’ ancestry were allowed to join

Marriage loans were given to couples as long as women agreed to…

Keep out of the employment market. A quarter of the debt was written off every time the woman gave birth.

What were women who produced four or more children awarded with?

The Mother’s Cross.

Hitler was named the godfather of the tenth child in any family

Why were women sacked from government employment?

Work was for men, motherhood was for women.

Economic changes to women

• marriage loans: Marriage loans were given out to women who left their jobs and got married. The more children they had, the less money they had to pay back.

• Women were asked to stay at home and not work: teachers and doctors had to leave their jobs, and schoolgirls were taught skills to be housewives.
  
  

social changes to women

• The Nazis Women’s Organisation spread their ideas. There were roles for women of all ages: girls aged 14-18 could join the League of German Maidens and there were groups for adult women too.

• Women were encouraged to be healthy so that they could have lots of healthy children. 

• In 1933, the Sterilisation Act was passed to sterilise anyone who had a mental disability to stop them from passing it to their children.

• Not all women agreed with Nazi ideas for women, and in 1933, the first concentration camp for women was opened. Women who criticised Nazi ideas or broke Nazi rules could be sent there.

• Women were given training on being housewives and looking after children.

changes in women’s appearance

• Women were discouraged from going on diets as people thought this made it harder to have children.

• Women were told to wear their hair in a bun or plaits and not to dye it. They were told not to wear makeup, high-heels or coloured nail polish.

changes to marriage and family

• In 1938, a law was passed allowing couples to divorce if they couldn’t have children.

• In 1935, the Marriage Health Law was passed so that German women could only marry German men.

  
  
  

However, after 1937…

at the outbreak of the Second World War, many women had to work in factories and other industries to replace men who had gone away to fight

How successful were Nazi policies towards women?

•  The German Women’s Enterprise Organisation had 6 million members. It organised ‘Mother’s Schools’ to train women in household skills. However, many women disliked Scholz-Klink and felt that the organisation was demeaning

•  many German women did not agree with the ideas and policies of the Nazis. In 1933, the Nazis opened the first concentration camp for women. Those sent included communists, Jehovah’s witnesses, breakers of the Nuremberg Laws, abortionists, those who had made derogatory remarks about the Nazi regime, and Jews.

• the number of marriages and the birth rate did increase slightly

  
  
  

Localised meaning

Restricted to a limited area

The Youth Opposition

Edelweiss Pirates:

• Working-class teenagers who dropped out of school early. They grew their hair long, wore checked shirts, camped in the woods, sang banned songs, and actively ambushed Hitler Youth patrols to beat them up

• There were only around 2,000 Edelweiss Pirates compared to 7 million members of Hitler Youth by 1939

Swing Youth:

• Middle-class teens who preferred American jazz, long hair, oversized jackets, and jitterbug dancing

• they presented more cultural opposition rather than a genuine threat to the Nazi regime

To the Nazis, they were a massive annoyance and a sign that future generation wasn’t fully brainwashed. However, they were localised anti-social rebels rather than an organised political movement trying to overthrow Hitler.

Opposition: The Political Left

• Before Hitler took power, the Communists (KPD) and Socialists (SPD) were the Nazis' biggest rivals. Once banned, they went underground.

• They formed secret networks, printed illegal anti-Nazi pamphlets abroad and smuggled them into Germany, and encouraged workers in factories to slow down production or sabotage machinery.

They were the most politically organized threat, which is exactly why the Nazis targeted them ruthlessly.

The Gestapo used a huge network of informants to infiltrate these groups.

By 1935, most of their leadership had been arrested and sent to early concentration camps (like Dachau), removing their ability to launch a revolution.

Opposition: the Churches

• Germany was a deeply religious country, and Hitler knew he couldn't just lock up every Christian. While many church leaders cooperated with the regime out of fear, some stood up.

• Protestant pastor Martin Niemöller set up the "Confessing Church" to object to Nazi interference in religion. Later, Catholic bishops like Galen openly preached against Nazi policies, including the secret murder of disabled people (the T4 Euthanasia program)

• After the Concordat failed, the Nazis targeted Catholic priests and shut down Catholic schools. The Reich Church was created to ‘Nazify’ the Protestant Church.

They commanded the loyalty of millions of ordinary Germans. When Bishop Galen exposed the T4 program, public anger forced Hitler to temporarily stop it. However, church opposition was usually focused on protecting religion, not stopping Hitler’s wider political or aggressive foreign policies.

Passive/Everyday Resistance

• small, daily acts of non-cooperation

• refusing to give the obligatory "Heil Hitler" salute

• telling whispered anti-Nazi jokes

• listening to banned foreign radio stations like the BBC

• continuing to shop at Jewish-owned businesses

Individually, these acts were small. But collectively, they showed the Nazis that they did not have total control over people's minds. To combat this, the Nazis relied on block wardens—local Nazi loyalists who spied on every apartment block to catch people slipping up

Why didn’t opposition succeed?

• The Terror Machine: The sheer efficiency of the SS, the Gestapo, and concentration camps meant people lived in constant fear. You never knew if your neighbour, your coworker, or even your own child was an informant.

• Division: The opposition was totally fragmented. The Communists and Socialists famously hated each other too much to join forces, and the youth groups had no interest in collaborating with church leaders. Without a united front, the Nazis could easily crush them one piece at a time.

Nazi Beliefs Toward the Young

• Adults were more difficult to influence and change than the young

• wanted to ensure the indoctrination of their ideology

• Control of the youth and creating loyal future generations would ensure that the Nazi Party would always be supported

Believed that all boys should be brought up fit and healthy to support Germany’s economy and fight in wars.

Believed that all girls should be brought up fit and healthy so they could be good wives and healthy mothers.

• all young people should be supporters of the Nazi Party who saw Hitler as a father figure

• all young people should be proud Germans who support a free, independent Germany

the Hitler Youth

• boys were eligible to join the Hitler Youth when they turned 14

• all other youth organisations were banned.

• from 1936 membership was compulsory, though many did not join.

• Many enjoyed the comradeship.

• membership reached 7 million by 1939

• Included military training, character training, physical training, and political training

Character training in the Hitler Youth

• embrace competition and be ruthless

• built up resilience through harsh punishments and tough training

• must be willing to give up their life to protect Hitler

political training in the Hitler Youth

• oath of loyalty to Hitler

• reported disloyal Germans

• learnt about Nazi ideas

The League of German Maidens

• female equivalent of the Hitler Youth

• emphasis was on training girls to be good wives and mothers

• cookery, housework, childcare, taught about ‘racial hygiene’,

The Impact of Youth Groups

• many were enthusiastic and enjoyed the activities

• many felt a sense of comradeship and belonging in the groups

• many felt they were creating a stronger Germany

however

• many disliked the physical activities and military training

• many disliked the regimental attitude and strict rules

• parents felt their own authority was undermined by youth groups

Nazi Education

Alongside attendance of one of the Nazi youth groups, children were still required to attend school for education

• Hitler knew that control of children’s education would allow him to create a generation of Nazis loyal to him 

• children were exposed to Nazi beliefs through education

Most teachers joined the National Socialist Teachers League. 97% of all public school teachers, some 300,000 persons, had joined the League by 1936. They swore an oath of loyalty to Hitler

Teachers taught students the Nazi salute, began and ended each lesson with ‘Heil Hitler’, and posters, Nazi flags and a picture of Hitler to be placed in each classroom

• ‘Race Science’ was introduced, teaching racial hierarchy and antisemitism

• Geography became geopolitics, emphasising German expansion

• physical education was expanded to prepare boys for military service

• textbooks promoted antisemitic stereotypes

• domestic science: girls learned to sew, cook and organise their home

Mein Kampf became a compulsory text

Events like the First World War were reworded to blame Jewish people and the November Criminals

Why was reducing unemployment a key focus for the Nazi Party?

• Unemployed workers could support other groups such as the communists if not properly helped by the Nazis

• People not in work were not contributing to society or the economy

how much did the Nazis reduce unemployment to?

• 6 million unemployed in 1936

• claimed to have full employment by 1939 (although many groups were not included in this measure, including Jews and women who had to give up their jobs to men)

Reich Labour Service (RAD).

The RAD used unemployed men between the ages of 18 and 25 to build government-funded autobahns (motorways), hospitals, schools and other public buildings (such as the 1936 Olympic stadium!)

• The pay was poor and many workers complained about the food, having to wear uniforms and working conditions

autobahn system

The Nazis planned to build thousands of miles of new roads across Germany. This would improve the country, help to move troops, and provide more jobs.

construction of the autobahns created work for thousands of men

Rearmament 

making weapons and increasing the size of the army

• responsible for the bulk of economic growth between 1933 and 1938

• Rearmament started almost as soon as Hitler came to power but was announced publicly in 1935

• This created millions of jobs for German workers, although many of these jobs were very dangerous.

The terms of the Treaty of Versailles limited the army to 100,000 soldiers: Hitler ignored this and announced conscription in 1935.

Invisible Unemployment

• Although Nazi Germany claimed to have a low level of unemployment by 1939, many groups of people were not included and were therefore ‘invisible’

• Many of the policies intended to reduce unemployment were simply too expensive and not sustainable in the long term

• While rearmament did provide jobs in the military and armaments industry, these jobs would not be required if Germany was not preparing for war

Changes to Wages 

Most workers did earn more money under the Nazi regime:

Skilled workers such as those in the armaments industry earned higher wages

Unskilled workers such as those in the National Labour Service did not earn as much

However, wage increases were not as impactful due to higher food prices:

• By 1939, food prices had increased by 20%

• some workers could afford the higher food prices and used their extra wages to purchase luxury goods like cars

• others struggled to pay the increased food prices and were worse of

The living standards of German workers in the non-armaments industries did not really improve.

changes to working hours

• Although workers were earning higher wages overall, they worked more hours than before the Nazis took control

• The maximum working hours per week increased from 60 to 72

The Labour Front (DAF)

• Hitler banned Trade Unions in May 1933 and replaced them with the DAF (German Labour Front)

• To keep workers happy without unions, the Nazis introduced two main schemes: KdF (Strength through Joy) and SDA (Beauty of Labour).

• workers lost the right to negotiate improvements such as pay and working conditions and were no longer allowed to go on strike. Instead, those who disrupted production were punished.

Strength Through Joy

The Strength Through Joy (KdF) programme was set up in 1933 as a division of the DAF

• The KdF aimed to make work seem more enjoyable and prevent unrest

• It provided out-of-work leisure activities, trips, and holidays

The KdF ran a scheme so workers could purchase a new car: the Volkswagen: the average German could afford

however, when war broke out in 1939, car production was axed and replaced with the making of tanks. Workers never received their Volkswagens.

Beauty of Labour

The Beauty of Labour (SdA) programme was set up in 1934 as a division of the KdF

The SdA aimed to provide better facilities for workers to improve their working environment

It provided facilities such as toilets, changing rooms, showers and canteens

Many workers were expected to build and decorate the new facilities themselves, for no extra pay and outside of their typical working hours

Persecution vs discrimination

Persecution: Active, often violent suppression of a group.

Discrimination: Passive, generally non-violent suppression of a group.

Aryan Race

Hitler’s ideal race whom he believed were naturally superior.

Final Solution meaning

The Nazi policy to exterminate all of the Jews in Europe.

Why did Hitler hate the Jews? & history in Europe

• Hitler believed that the Jews were communists and war profiteers who had ‘stabbed Germany in the back’ at the end of WW1.

• Anti-semitism had been common throughout Europe for many centuries.

  Some Christians hated Jews as they blamed them for the execution of Christ.

• Jews were therefore often denied many basic rights in many Christian countries and were also excluded from many professions (jobs).

• This led to many Jews becoming poor and being attracted to communism, which scared the wealthy, and many Jews becoming rich through becoming moneylenders (a profession closed to Christians), which made the poor resent them

• he blamed the Jews for Germany’s defeat in World War One (the Stab in the Back myth)

• many Nazis believed that Jews were responsible for taking German people’s jobs

• Hitler thought Jews were involved in communism, which he hated

• Hitler and the Nazis used Jews as a scapegoat for Germany’s problems

• Some Nazis believed Jews controlled big banks and global money

• Hitler claimed that Jews were not real Germans, but aliens in Germany

The Boycott of Jewish Shops

• In April 1933, the Nazis launched a boycott of Jewish shops.

• Members of the SA stood outside Jewish-owned businesses and told people not to enter.

• The aim was to hurt Jews economically and isolate them from German society.

• Although the boycott only lasted one day and was not popular with many Germans, it marked the beginning of public anti-Jewish actions under Nazi rule.

actions that made it harder for Jewish people to live normal daily lives

• In May 1933, Jews were banned from government jobs

• Jewish books started to be burned in public to reject Jewish culture around this time (May 1933)

• In 1934, local councils banned Jews from public spaces such as parks, benches, and swimming pools

Nuremberg Laws

• September 1935

• Reich Citizenship Law said that only people of German blood were citizens, so Jews lost their citizenship.

• Jewish children were banned from state schools

• The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour banned marriage and sexual relationships between Jews and non-Jews.

• These laws gave legal support to the separation and isolation of Jewish people.

Kristallnacht

 9 November 1938

• known as the Night Broken Glass

•  This began after a Jewish teenager killed a German diplomat in Paris

• The Nazis used this as an excuse for violence

• They burned over 250 synagogues, smashed 7,500 Jewish shops, and killed 91 Jewish people

•  Around 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps

• This was a turning point from discrimination to violent persecution.

After Kristallnacht

• Jews were fined 1 billion marks to pay for the damage caused by the Nazis

• Many Jewish families fled Germany, fearing for their safety

• It was clear that Jews had no legal protection and that violence against them was supported by the Nazi government

How did People React to Jewish Persecution?

The treatment of Jewish people was known by most German people from 1933−39:

• Many people were horrified at the acts of violence and discrimination towards Jewish people but were scared to help because of groups like the SS and Gestapo

• Other people took part in acts of persecution, like during the boycotts in 1933 and ‘Kristallnacht’ in 1938

• Some chose simply to ignore the acts of violence or believed them to be justified

Why did the Nazis say the Romani people were a problem?

The Nazis said the Romani were unhygienic, antisocial, and beggars. They claimed that they bothered ‘decent’ Germans in the street and needed to be controlled.

What did Nazi scientists do to try to ‘study’ minority groups?

They collected information like family trees, eye and hair colour, skull size, and ancestry. They graded people into categories and kept records of were they lived.

What happened to people who were mentally ill under Nazi rule?

They were seen as a danger to the health of the nation. To stop them from having children, they were forcibly sterilised.

How did the Nazis treat Slavs?

The Nazis taught that the Slavs were Untermenschen (sub-humans) and were not part of the Aryan race. They were treated as racially different.

The Nazis planned to invade Slavic countries to gain Lebensraum (extra living space for Germans).

How did the Nazis treat Roma people?

The Nazis called the Roma people ‘Gypsies’ and saw them as a problem. Many Roma travelled from place to place and lived outside of regular society. There were about 26,000 Roma in Germany in the 1930s.

The Nazis believed the Roma didn’t work enough or pay enough taxes. They also said Roma were a threat to racial purity. After 1933, many Roma were arrested and sent to concentration camps. From 1936, some were forced to live in poor, overcrowded camps with very little water or sanitation, and no electricity. 

In 1938, Roma were banned from travelling in groups. They were put on a register and tested for racial features. If they failed, they lost their citizenship and rights.

In 1939, the Nazis gave orders to deport all Roma, meaning they would be removed from Germany by force.

How did the Nazis treat people with disabilities?

• The Nazis believed that people with disabilities were a burden on society and didn’t fit their ideas of a ‘pure’ and ‘strong’ German race

•  In 1933, they passed the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring

• This law said that people with certain health conditions (such as being blind, deaf, mentally ill, alcoholic or epileptic) could be forcibly sterilised

• By 1939, around people had been sterilised

• In 1939, the Nazis started the T4 Programme where babies and children with severe disabilities were secretly killed, often by starvation or drug overdose.

• Over 5,000 children were killed through this programme.

How did the Nazis treat homosexuals?

• The Nazis believed that homosexuals lowered moral standards and spoiled the purity of the German race.

• In 1935, the Nazis strengthened the laws against homosexuality. As a result, 766 males were imprisoned for homosexuality. In 1936, this number was over 4,000 and in 1938 it was 8,000.

• Released homosexual prisoners were often sent to concentration camps. 5,000 German homosexuals died there. Nazi laws also encouraged the voluntary castration of homosexuals.