SL Nazi Domestic Policy (P2)

Domestic policy

1. Volksgemeinschaft

2. Economic

3. Youth

4. Religious

5. Arts

6. Racial policy

7. Women

8. Special needs

9. Extent of success

10. Control

Theory of Volksgemeinschaft

1. Racism

2. Nationalism

3. Authoritarianism

Racism

1. Social Darwinism

   1. Creation of a strong German race by exclusion of the weak or the corrupt influence of other races

   2. Targeted most specifically Jews, Eastern Europeans

   3. Very prevalent

While it was a major focus of the Nazi regime, collusion of the German people is debatable

Nationalism

1. GroBdeutschland

   1. The return of Germany to strength and power following the actions of the November Criminals

   2. Rearmament

   3. End of the league

   4. Extension of territory

A lot of propaganda pushed on this theme

Authoritarianism

1. Führerprinzip

   1. One leader in charge of the hierarchy

   2. Loyalty sworn to the leader

   3. Development of the cult of the leader

Many Germans kept loyalty and belief in Hitler even when complaining about the Nazi regime

Autarky

self sufficiency in resources and economy (no more imported goods basically)

Nazi economic policy

Aims:

• overcome the Great Depression

• Achieve “autarky” to have a sufficient war economy

1. Public works

2. New plan 1934

3. Use of MeFo

4. Goring’s 4 year plan

Public works

1. Jobs from government-inspired public works projects and in heavy industries (arms production)

   1. Autobahn constructions, building houses, schools, hospitals, canals, bridges, railways

2. Establishment of RAD (State Labour Service) which gave cheap and regimented labour to promote Germany’s recovery

   1. Labour battalions and work camps ensured authoritarian control over the recruits, who worked mainly on the land but also on building projects and were subject to Party political indoctrination in the camps

   2. Service became compulsory in 1935

New Plan 1934

1. Schacht introduced controls on imports which now had to be approved by the government.

2. Initiated a series of bilateral trade agreements through which Germany paid for food and raw materials with German Reichmarks which could only then be used to buy German goods.

3. Aimed at improving Germany’s trade deficit

Use of MeFo

1. MeFo = dummy cor

2. To finance rearmament.

   1. Companies that supplied goods or services to the government were given these Mefo bills which they could then exchange for cash at the Reichsbank.

3. However, there was an incentive to delay asking for this cash as there was a 4% per annum interest on the bills if they kept them for five years.

4. Impacts

   1. Prevented the danger of inflation by reducing the cost of government expenditure.

   2. Allowed the rearmament program to go unnoticed as the expenditure did not show up in government accounts.

Goring’s 4 year plan

The plan heralded a major expansion in war-related industrial production.

Impacts

1. The projected goals of the plan were not reached, although in specific areas such as aluminium production, explosives, coal, and mineral oil the increases were impressive.

2. The failure to produce a strong war economy capable of withstanding any long-term conflict helped shape the Blitzkrieg military tactics

3. Relied on quick victories in the hope of gaining much-needed resources before committing to subsequent campaigns, rather than a war of attrition for which Germany was unprepared.

4. Noakes and Pridham estimate that by 1939 Germany was still reliant on external sources for around one-third of its raw materials.

The revival of the economy in the field of war production took place at the expense of consumer goods production.

Youth policy

1. Education led by Bernhard Rust

2. Hitler Youth

Education policy

1. Control of teachers

2. Control of curriculum

Control of teachers

1. Those that spoke out and any Jewish teachers were quickly removed

2. All teachers had to join the National Socialist Teachers’ League (NSLB)

3. Members had to be aryan and were vetted for signs of disloyalty

4. By 1937, 97% of all teachers were members

5. All teachers were examined by Nazis and had to pass Fascist loyalty tests

Control of curriculum

1. All subjects were controlled and there was an emphasis on military subjects 

2. Military service was glorified —was 15% of a school’s weekly timetable

3. German heroes and the strength of a rebuilt Germany was emphasised

4. Maths textbooks had questions tailored to attack the mentally ill, Jews, minorities

5. Biology: Designed to focus on eugenics and Aryan race; Phrenology 

6. Less emphasis on academics, higher value on Nazi Youth

Hitler Youth membership

1932: 108,000, 1939: 7.3 million (1939 membership became compulsory)

Aims of Hitler Youth

NSDAP aimed to monopolise the life of the young and wean them off of parental control over to the party in order to maximise indoctrination 

Hitler Youth for boys

Hitlerjugend for boys

a.     Activities included camping, hiking, sports, music, attendance at rallies, military training specific to air and naval

Hitler Youth for Girls

Bund Deustcher Made for girls

• Emphasis on physical fitness and domestic science in preparation for marriage and childbearing 

Religious policy

1. Initially compromised with Catholic Church

2. Reich Church

3. Elimination

 Initially compromised with Catholic Church

 1.    Hitler signed the Concordat in 1933 in which he promised not to interfere with the Catholic Church and allow it to run its own youth programmes and schools, and in turn the Church promised not to interfere in politics.

2.     State funding for the Church was cut.

3.     The property of some monasteries was seized.

Gestapo and SS agents began to spy on Church leaders.

 Reich Church

1.     In 1933, Hitler organised the entire Protestant Church into a single organisation known as the Reich Church, led by Ludwig Müller.

18 pastors lost their jobs as a result because they would not declare their support for Nazi views.

Elimination

1.     By 1939, only 5% of Germans described themselves as ‘God-believers’.

2.     In 1933 Hitler spoke of “stamping out Christianity” in Germany and in the 25 point programme point 24 spoke of promoting “positive Christianity”

a.     Which was a religion based on racial values and the Aryan people

2.     Eventually this became the state religion known as the German Faith Movement in 1934

All in authority and civil service expected to join

The arts

Theme of blood and toil, anti-feminism and Judaism, traditionalism, superiority of Nazi state

1. Goebbels

2. Reich Chamber of Commerce

3. 1933 Book burning

4. Expulsion of artists and works

5. Radios

Goebbels

1.     The Minister of Propaganda and Popular enlightenment

2.     He imposed rigorous censorship on all forms of art, and commissioned those that were more propagandaey

 Reich Chamber of Commerce

1938 — Membership was only given to those whose work was approved by the Nazis, and those denied membership found it impossible to get their work published or performed in Germany

 1933 Book burning

 burnt anything to do with Jews, Bolsheviks and anything deemed “un-German” or “decadent” 

 Expulsion of artists & works

 1.     Many composers, artists fled like Schoenberg & Hindemith

2.     Jewish composers like Mahler and Mendelssohn banned

Films made like “The Eternal Jew”

Radios

1.     Mass-produced radios

2.     By 1939 radios were in 70% of German houses

Only broadcast German classical music like Wagner which was fit for Nazis

Racial policy

1. Jews

2. Non-Jews

Jews

1.     1933 — couldn’t work in government

2.     1935 Nuremberg Laws:

3.     1938 — All Jewish women had Sarah put in front of their names, and men had David in front of their names 

4.     1939 — Reich Office of Jewish Emigration set up

5.     1941 — yellow star rule

1942 — couldn’t keep pets or attend schools

Nuremberg Laws

1. Reich Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour — Jewish people couldn’t marry non-Jewish people

2. Reich Law on Citizenship — Jewish people lost the right to German citizenship

Racial policy

1. In 1933, a Sterilisation Law was passed

2. From September onwards, tramps and beggars were also sterilised; up to 700,000 people were sterilised by the Nazis.

3. From 1936, juvenile delinquents, tramps, homosexuals, beggars and Jews were sent to concentration camps. gypsies were also sent from 1938 onwards.

4. 1938, the ‘Struggle against the Gypsy Plague’ decree

Intermarriage between gypsies and Germans

1935, intermarriage between gypsies and Germans was banned.

Sterilisation Law

 In 1933, allowed Nazis to sterilise people with illnesses like mental disability (which they referred to as ‘simple-mindedness’).

Struggle against Gypsy Plague decree

forced gipsies to register with the state.

Policy for women

Kinder, kuche, kirche

1. Stay at home

2. No academia

3. Encourage motherhood

4. Lebensborn

Women staying at home

1. interest-free loans to encourage women to resign from work

2. Employment of women fell from 37% in 1933 to 31% in 1937

No academia

Only 10% uni entrants could be female

Encourage motherhood

1.     Birth control centres were closed

2.     Abortion was made illegal unless necessary for birth defects

3.     Large families enjoyed concessions on school fees and railway fares

Prolific mothers were given medals — 8 kids = gold, 5 kids = silver

Lebensborn

1.     State run program where aryan women were impregnated by SS men

Goal was to raise the birth rate of aryan children

T4 Programme

1.     From 1939 under cover of the outbreak of the war doctors at hospitals like Aplerbeck started to secretly kill patients they judged “unworthy of life” — lebensunwert 

2.     Injected patients with poison or killed with CO

3.     In 1941 Hitler cancelled the killing of the mentally ill and disabled

4.     Hospitals held competitions over how many patients they could kill - in one hospital they held a special ceremony to mark their 10,000th cremation

5. Many of the people who set up these killing centers' would later be instrumental in helping set up the death camps at Treblinka, Sobibor Belzec and Auschwitz

Extent of success of Hitler Youth

1. The Hitler Youth was generally well received but the regimentation of it was disliked by some

2. While the extra youth activities sapped energy and educational performance, when war broke out millions of youth were eager to fight, which suggests some degree of success

Social opposition to Hitler

1.     50 attempts made on Hitler’s life

2.     Overall, the 3rd Reich collapsed due to military defeat, not opposition

3. Private grumbling, passive resistance (not doing salute), Swing Youth, Edelweiss Pirates

Extent of success of economic policy

1.     By 1938 the Nazis had devoted 53% of government spending to rearmament

2.     The German economy was never prepared for a long war and there would come to be food rationing

3.     40% of German production was under monopoly control in 1933 → 70% in 1937

4.     Deficit of 432 million marks meant the government was bankrupt

5. Excessive rearmament meant the economy went overhead and the government was forced to go to war to alleviate the economic problems and fear of social unrest (distract people from internal issues)

Did autarky succeed?

Autarky as a concept failed as Germany still had to import 20% of its food and more than 30% of its raw materials 

Control

1. The judiciary

2. Gestapo

3. Police

4. SS

5. Concentration camps

The judiciary

• People could be arrested and imprisoned without trial

• Created the People’s Court and Special Court

• No juries and Nazi judges, no right of appeal

• Many political opponents were executed through this

Gestapo

• State secret police which monitored citizens for misbehaviour.

• They tapped phones, opened mail and collected information from informers on local people.

• They arrested many people without trial and tortured or imprisoned them.

• They had 30,000 officers by 1942

Police

• They continued their regular work, but their bosses were now Nazis.

• Thus they became part of the network of informers who collected information on local people.

• They ignored crimes committed by Nazis (because they had to).

SS

• They were originally Hitler’s bodyguards (protection squad).

• By 1939 they had 240,000 members.

• All were ruthless and fiercely loyal to Hitler.

• They would often search houses and arrest without trial.

• Ran concentration camps in Germany

Concentration camps

• People in opposition to the Nazis, even by joking, could be thrown into concentration camps

• 200,000 people are estimated to have been sent to concentration camps for opposition

• Hard manual labour, torture and brutality were common

• Less opposition to Nazis

• More indoctrination into Nazism