Weimar, life in Nazi Germany

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Women

Nazis had traditional views of women.

1934 Gertrud Scholtz-Klink appointed Reich Women’s Leader

German Women’s Enterprise (DFW) set up, all women’s groups had to become affiliated

By 1939, 1.7 million attended DFW courses.

Propaganda encourages women to focus on the 3 Ks: Kinder Kuche Kirche (children kitchen church).

New policies tried to reduce women in the workplace, 1933 women banned from professional posts (teachers, doctors, etc.)

Many women accepted and supported Nazi policies but many women also criticised restrictions placed on them and the role of the DFW, 1937 women with marriage loans were allowed to return to work because of growth in German industry

Marriage and the family

Law For Encouragement of Marriage 1933: Newly weds given 1000 mark loan, only given if women gave up work, each child born, ¼ of loan written off.

Husbands could divorce wives on the grounds of not being able to have children or for having an abortion

Mother’s Cross - bronze for 4/5 children, silver for 6/7 and gold for 8. Hitler Youth had to salute gold cross wearers.

From 1936, women would get 10 marks per month for 3rd/4thchildren and 20 marks per month for 5th or more. 10 children would earn more than an average man’s wage and the 10th would be Hitler’s godfather. Lebensborn provided nurseries and financial aid for women who had children with SS men, creating genetically “pure” children.

Youth movements

Nazis wanted young people to be patriotic supporters of Nazi ideas, girls should be future mothers, boys future workers/soldiers, 1933 almost all non-Nazi youth groups were banned, from 1936 all sports facilities taken over by Hitler Youth

Youth groups for boys

6-10 year old Little Fellows, 10-14 German Young People, 14-18 Hitler Youth.

Political training:

Members had to swear loyalty to Hitler, encouraged to report anyone who was disloyal to the Nazis including parents and teachers.

Military training:

Regular camps and hiking trips, regional and national sports competitions

Character training:

Activities stressed need for comradery with harsh punishments e.g. plunging into ice-cold water

Youth groups for girls

10-14 Young Maidens, 14-21 BDM (League of German Maidens), some overlap with Hitler Youth e.g. political activities, camping and marching. Differences were that girls were trained to cook, iron, sew, make beds, etc. Girls taught ‘racial hygiene’ and to only marry and have children with Aryan men.

Successes and failures of youth movements

Many young people took part enthusiastically because most were designed to be fun, many young people and adults had reservations.

Many young people and adults had reservations, some sources suggest that few turned up to Hitler Youth meetings, many resented the military style discipline, some historians argue that the role of the Hitler Youth changed over time and became more militaristic which alienated more young people.

Education

1934, Bernhard Rust made Education Minister, claimed the whole propose of education was to create Nazis.

Controlling teachers: Apr 1933 law passed giving Nazis power to sack teachers they didn’t like, in Prussia, 180 secondary headteachers sacked. All had to swear oath of loyalty and join Nazi Teacher League.

Each lesson started and ended with “Heil Hitler”

Controlling the curriculum:

Race studies - classifying racial groups and how Aryans were superior. Maths adapted to include Nazi ideas. Time spent on PE doubled, by 1939 about 1/6 of class time. Boys and girls were separated, girls did stereotypical activities. From 1935, all textbooks had to be approved by NSDAP, history books covered ToV and Dolchstoss, Mein Kampf made core text, pupils had to listen to speeches in the hall

Dealing with unemployment

Jan 1933, 5 million Germans unemployed (25% of workforce)

Labour Service (RAD): Set up 1933, provided workers for public works - building roads, draining marshes, etc. Became compulsory for all young men from 1935 to serve 6 months, 422,000 members in 1935, organised along military lines - living in camps, military drills, uniforms, poor pay and working conditions.

Autobahns: Nazis planned 700km of motorway, by 1935 there were 125,000 men working on motorways, 3,500km built by 1938. Other similar works included bridges and sports facilities, spending reached 38 billion marks by 1938. Created jobs and boosted construction industry, infrastructure helped German economy more broadly

Rearmament: 1935, conscription introduced, by 1939 1.36 million men in armed forces. Spending on military went from 3.5 billion in 1933 to 26 billion by 1939. By 1935, 72,000 were employed in aircraft industry from 4,000 in 1933.

Hiding unemployment

People in Labour Service didn’t count as unemployed, the rearmament had caused massive amounts of jobs which wouldn’t exist during peace-time, women and Jews who were forced to give up work didn’t appear on unemployment figures, part time employees were counted the same as full-time employees, public works were highly increased in the 1930s, very expensive and couldn’t last for too long so the jobs created weren’t ‘real jobs’, those in concentration camps didn’t count as unemployed, armed forces were high in men which wouldn’t exist during peace-time, the SA, SS and Gestapo all counted as not unemployed, some didn’t count it as a ‘real job’.

Wages in Nazi Germany

PRO: Grew throughout 1933-39, 20% increase overall, some higher earners could afford more luxuries, car ownership trebled.

CON: Large differences between growth in different sectors, food prices also rose by 20%, most lower earners still struggled to afford food.

Working hours in Nazi Germany

Average week 49 hours (1939) from 43 (1933)

Labour Front (DAF) in Nazi Germany

Set up to replace trade unions which were banned in 1933

PRO: Set out rights of workers, maximum length of working week and minimum pay levels

CON: Workers could no longer negotiate with employers, DAF could punish workers who disrupted production

Strength through Joy (KdF)

PRO: Organised sports events, films, theatre shows, holidays fort workers. By 1936 there were 35 million members of the KdF, Volkswagen introduced as a car that workers could pay 5 marks per week into

CON: In 1938, factories shifted into armaments and no workers got their car

Beauty of Labour (SdA)

PRO: Campaigned for employers to provide better facilities for workers - e.g. toilets, showers, canteens, etc. Gave employers tax breaks to provide these. By 1938, Nazis claimed that 34,000 companies had improved their facilities for workers.

CON: Often workers forced to do the work to improve their workplace, and threatened with dismissal if they did not volunteer.

Treatment of minorities - Jews

30th Mar 1933 Nazi Party announced official boycott of Jewish shops and businesses, SA members painted stars to identify these businesses, stood guard outside to discourage people from going in. Apr 1933, Jews banned from inheriting land. 1934 local councils started to ban Jews from parks and swimming pools. 1935 Jews banned from entering army.

1935 Nuremburg Laws: Jews couldn’t hold German passports, forbidden from marrying German citizens and having sexual relations with each other.

Mar 1938 Jews had to register all of their possessions

Jul 1938 Jews had to carry identity cards at all times

Kristallnacht, 9-10 Nov 1938

7th Nov, 17 year old Polish Jew Herschel shot Ernst vom Rath (German Foreign Office diplomat) in the German embassy in Paris. Next day, Goebbels uses this incident to strip trouble against Jews in Germany. He ordered local papers in Hanover to condemn the Jew’s actions. He used the SA, SS and Gestapo to attack synagogues in Hanover.

Day after this, vom Rath died, Hitler and Goebbels agreed to turn Hanover violence into nationwide attack.

Nazi leaders told to arrange attacks on Jews and their property but out of uniform. Police told not to arrest troublemakers. SS told to arrest as many Jews as possible. 9-10th Nov, Jewish property smashed and Jews attached throughout Germany. Official figures say 800 shops, 170 homes and 1990 synagogues destroyed, in reality much high, around 100 Jews killed.

Goebbels blamed Jews and announced they’d be punished, Jews fined 1 billion marks to pay for damage, 20,000 Jews sent to concentration camp

Persecution of Slavs

Considered Untermenschen (subhuman) according to Nazis, threatened to invade Slavic countries, less persecution than other minorities.

Persecution of “Gypsies”

Term used for Roma people, Nazis believed that they didn’t put in enough work or pay enough tax, from 1933 they were put in concentration camps, 1936 put in special camps, from 1938, banned from travelling in groups, 1939, orders given to prepare for deportation similarly to Jews.

Persecution of homosexuals

Nazis believed they lowered moral standards and spoiled purity, laws against homosexuals increased, 1938 8,000 males imprisoned for this “crime“, often released homosexuals into concentration camps immediately after prisons

Persecution of the disabled

Nazis believed they weakened society and could be eliminated, 1933 Law for Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring - compulsory sterilisation, 400,000 people by 1939. T4 programme - 5,000 children with disabilities killed.