Unit 1 - Life in Nazi Germany Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by etait4502

30th January 1933 - Hitler is appointed as Chancellor of Germany

22nd February 1933 - 50,000 SA members appointed as auxiliary officers; given same rights and jobs as official police force

28th February 1933 - 'Law for the protection of the people and the state' passed; gave police emergency rights to search houses, confiscate property and detain people without trial.

24th March 1933 - Hitler wanted to pass an enabling law which would allow for Nazi dictat­orship; Reichstag succumbs to Nazi pressure and intimi­dation and essent­ially votes itself out of existence.

2nd May 1933 - Trade unions are banned.

20th July 1933 - Concordat (agree­ment) between Nazis and church, religious freedom promised if church stays out of political affairs. Hitler does not uphold this deal.

30th January 1934 - 'Law for recons­tru­ction of the state' passed; states reduced to provinces and power is passed to central government

1st August 1934 - 'Law concerning the head of state of the German reich' passed; roles of president and chancellor are merged into 'Fuhrer'

The Schutz­staffel was set up in 1925. After the SA had been virtually destroyed, the SS grew into a huge group that had been led by Heinrich Himmler from 1929.

The SS had many respon­sib­ilities including destroying enemies of the Nazi Party and later, carrying out the anti-J­ewish policies. The SS also had to maintain concen­tration camps.

The Gestapo could arrest Germans under suspicion of them having committed a crime against the Nazi Party and could send them to prison or concen­tration camps without trial or explan­ation.

There were 400,000 'Black Leaders'. There was one of these on every street and in every block of flats in every town and city across Germany. They snooped on neighbours and reported suspicious behaviour.

Similarly, the Nazi party controlled judges and courts which meant enemies of the Nazis rarely received a fair trial.

The Minister of Justice, Roland Freisler, would frequently check in to see if judges had been too lenient and even Hitler would sometimes alter sentences that were 'too soft.'

Even lawyers were put under control. In October 1933 the Nazis establ­ished the German Lawyers' Front and by the end of the year there were over 10,000 members.

Camps were usually built in isolated rural areas and were run by the SS.

Editors of Berlin's newspapers had to meet with Goebbels every morning to be informed on what headlines should be and what should be printed.

24th February - Nazi Party founding annive­rsary

1st May - The 'National Day of Labour'

July (2nd Sunday) - The Day of German Culture

October - Thanks for Harvest

December - Yuletide

Goebbels formed the 'Reich Radio Company' which controlled all radio stations in Germany.

The Nazis had these radios designed a particular way so that foreign programmes couldn't be heard, listening to BBC broadcasts was punishable by death.

People were ordered to listen to Nazi programs at certain times of day. In 1935 the estimated audience for Hitler's speeches reached 56 million.

Admission to cinemas was only allowed at the beginning of the program so Germans would have to sit through Nazi propaganda messages before­hand.

There was heavy censor­ship. eg. Tarzan not being shown due to partial nudity.

Every rally event was staged to perection. Gave Germans a powerful feeling of wishing to belong.

Jazz music banned as it was deemed 'black' music.

**Lite­rature

Hitler was eager to begin an indoct­rin­ation programs in schools. It began with the Ministry of Education having to approve all textbooks from 1935 and all teachers being forced to give up their holidays to attend Nazi training camps and join the German Teachers' League, or otherwise face being sacked. 97% of teachers joined.

Physical Education was given 15% extra time in school time tables as for the Nazis it was important to have fit, healthy, young people. Sports such as boxing became compulsory for boys. Pupils had to pass a sports examin­ation with unsati­sfa­ctory perfor­mance leading to expulsion in some cases.

Biology was used to explain Nazi ideals on race and that Germans were the master Aryan race, with other races being inferior. Pupils were taught how to measure skulls and to classify different races.

Geography taught about the lands which were once part of Germany and had been taken away by the treaty and the need for more 'living space'

Girl-Only Subjects Domestic Science and Child Care taught to girls. 'Eugenics' was also taught which taught girls how to produce the perfect children. Designed to prepare girls for roles of wife and mother.

NAPOLAs - National Political Institutes of Education. Were controlled by SS and educated boys from ages 10-18 to be future chiefs for government and army. 21 NAPOLAs set up by 1938.

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth was formed in the mid 1920s. After the Nazis took over in 1933, young Germans were encouraged to join the Hitler Youth and most other youth organi­sations shut down. By 1936 it was made near impossible not to join, by 1939 there were near 8 million young Germans in the Hitler Youth movement.

'Pimpfen' ('The Little Fellows') for boys aged 6-10.

'Jungm­adel' ('Young Girls') for girls aged 10-14

'Bund Deutsche Madchen' ('The League of German Maidens') for girls aged 14-18.

Annual camps where they learnt to read maps, did gymnas­tics, did sports and were taught Nazi ideas.

'Perfo­rmance books' were kept. Those with the best marks were sent to special schools.

The very best of these pupils were sent to 'Order Castles'. They were stretched to the limits of endurance here.

In Weimar Germany, women had gained much more freedom. From 1919 they were allowed to vote or get new jobs.

The Nazis believed women and men had different roles in life. They believed men had the role of the worker or solider, provider and defender. They also believed a woman's place was in the home having children and caring for the family.

'Volki­scher Beobac­hter' brandished the headline 'No true woman wears trousers' when German film star Marlene Dietrich appeared wearing trousers in public.

The Nazis believed that Germany had been strongest when everyone knew their jobs in society and argued that if every Germany contri­buted in the ways that Nazis expected that the country would be great again.

After 1933 the Nazis encouraged more pregna­ncies in various ways.

Homes for unmarried women with children were set up. These were called 'Leben­sborn' ('The Spring of Life') and could be recognised by a white flag and red dot in the middle. These homes also acted as brothels. Unmarried women could fall pregnant by SS men and could donate a baby to the Fuhrer. Between 1936 and the end of World War II in 1945, between 6,000 and 8,000 babies were born in Lebensborn clinics (though some sources estimated the number was a much higher 20,000).

To improve fertility, women were encouraged to stop smoking, stop slimming and do sport.

As a result, by 1936 there were 30% more births than 1933.

By 1938 the laws for divorce were changed, this became to easy to get if a husband or a wife were unable to have children.

Contra­ception and abortion made illegal.

Women did not oppose this movement. 1000 letters of praise to Hitler per week.

The Nazis could either destroy the churches as a potential threat or use the church for their own benefit.

Hitler was partic­ularly concerned about the Catholic church as they owed their first allegiance to the Pope instead of Hitler. They had divided loyalties.

By destroying the church, any opport­unity for religious rebellion against the Nazi control of Germany was removed.

There was some co-ope­ration between the Nazis and the Church after the Nazis took over in 1933 but it did not last long. Hitler had signed a concordat (an unders­tan­ding) in 1933. As Hitler became more stronger and more secure as Germany's leader, he broke his part of the deal with the Catholic church and did what he wanted. Hitler and the Nazis made it clear who was in charge. Priests were harassed and arrested, Catholic schools interfered with and eventually abolished, Catholic youth movements were shut down and monast­eries were closed.

Hitler also attempted to gain control of all the Protestant churches in Germany. He attempted to bring all the different Protestant groups together in one 'Reich Church'. This was led by a Nazi Bishop called Ludwig Muller. People in this church became known as the 'German Christ­ians' and adopted Nazi-style uniforms, salutes and marches.

However there was also some notable opposi­tion. Such as Cardinal Galen, an important Catholic official. In 1941, he led lots of popular protests against the Nazi policies of euthan­asia. These protests forced the Nazis to tempor­arily stop implem­enting this policy. Galen had such strong support among his followers that the Nazis decided it was too risky to try and silence him because they did not want trouble whilst Germany was at war.

Other religious groups complained about the Nazis too. Germany's 30,000 Jehovah's Witnesses believed they should live according to their religious beliefs and not by the govern­ment. Most ended up in concen­tration camps and 1/3 died.

For the Nazis, the ideal Germans were 'socially useful'. Anyone else was seen as a burden on the community.

Nazis especially disliked 'gypsies'. Not only were they physically unlike Germans but they were also seen as homeless and work-shy. There were only about 30,000 'gypsies' in Germany but the Nazis were determined to prevent them from mixing with Germans. In 1935 marriage between gypsies and Germans was banned. They were also made to give up travelling and settle in homes. In 1938 a law for the 'Struggle against the Gypsy Plague' was issued. All gypsies were registered by Nazis and watched.

The Nazis attempted to stop these people from having children. In July 1933 Nazis passed a steril­isation law which made it legal for them to do as they wished. In September 1933, a massive round up of 'tramps' and 'beggars' began and thousands were steril­ised. Between 1934 and 1945 around 350,000 were steril­ised.

Another way to deal with outsiders was to send them to concen­tration camps. A special camp for youths was set up in 1937. In 1938, another round up of 'outsi­ders' netted another 11,000 to concen­tration camps. Most Germans turned a blind eye to this.

CASE STUDY - Hartheim Castle Hartheim Castle, near Linz in Austria. In 1898 the castle was donated to charity and became a home for physically and mentally handic­apped children. 42 years later, the Nazis were using most of the ground floor of the castle as a huge gas chamber to murder thousands of men, women and children. In September 1939, Hitler gave permission to eradicate physically or mentally handic­apped people. Now, they could be taken from their families legally. There are 20 'hospi­tals' like Hartheim.

When the Nazis took over in 1933 there were around 600,000 Jews (1% of the popula­tion) living in Germany. Jews consisted of 17% of Germany's bankers, 16% of lawyers, 10% of doctors and dentists and 5% of the country's writers, journa­lists, lecturers and department store owners.

Hitler had a strong belief in 'Survival of the Fittest' and 'Natural Select­ion'. He believed Ayrans to be the master race.

In April 1933, Jews were banned from all government jobs - thousands of lawyers, teachers and civil servants lost their jobs. Restri­ctions were placed on who Jewish doctors and dentists could treat.

Jews were banned from joining the German Army after 1935.

By 1938, Jewish doctors, dentists and lawyers were forbidden to treat any 'German' people.

All remaining Jewish­-owned businesses were closed down in December 1938.

Jews were banned from owning farms or inheriting land after September 1933.

From April 1933, all Jews denied membership of any sports club.

Goebbels' propaganda experts bombarded families and children with Anti-J­ewish messages, including candy wrappers warning children not to talk to Jewish strangers.

From 1934, local councils banned Jews from public spaces such as parks, playing fields and swimming pools.

By late 1938, Jews were prohibited from owning precious metals or jewellery. These had to be handed over to Nazis or there would be impris­onment.

In April 1939, it became legal for Jews to be evicted from their homes for no reason. In September 1939 Jews were no longer permitted to be outside their homes between 8pm and 6am.

7500 Jewish shops and homes were smashed. 91 Jews were murdered. Jews were expected to pay for the damageds of synagogues were burnt whilst 20,000 Jews were taken away to concen­tration camps. Jews were expected to pay for damage, fine of 1 billion marks.

After June 1941, groups of SS soliders (the 'Einsa­tzg­ruppen' were sent to murder Jews. By they end of 1941, 500,000 Jews had been shot.

Many Jewish adults and children were used for medical experi­ments, with some of the most infamous being conducted by Heissm­eyer.

In Treblinka there was notable resistance in 1943, leading to the deaths of 15 guards, 550 prisoners and the escape of 150.

Aim 1 - Tackle unempl­oyment

Aim 3 - Make Germany self-s­uff­icient (Autarky)

In the end, Hitler would be successful in lowering unempl­oyment in Germany - Nazis would spend billions on job creation schemes, 18.4 billion marks in 1933 and up to 37.1 billion by 1938. In just 4 years the Nazis created 4 million new jobs.

Public Work Schemes - Creation of motorways, 'autob­ahns' one of biggest public work schemes. Up to 1939, 4000km of motorways were constr­ucted, 20 years before the first motorways in Britain.

Rearmament important in explaining massive fall in numbers of unempl­oyed. Luftwaffe had been restarted under Nazis (after ban) by 1939 it had 8000 aircraft.

Hitler ordered scientists to find artifical substa­nces, 'ersatz' goods, for food and raw materials normally imported from other countries. Wool and cotton made from pulped wood, coffee from acorns, petrol from coal and make up from flour.

One conseq­uence of this was food prices increased during the 1930s. All basic groceries, except fish, cost more in 1939 than in 1933.

Britain initially targeted their bombing raids on industrial and military targets, but in 1942 the RAF switched to a policy of 'area bombing' i.e targeting large cities with incendiary bombs and not distin­gui­shing between military and civilian targets. The purpose of which was to destroy German spirits. 50% of bombs that fell were on reside­ntial areas and only 12% on factories. On 30th May 1942, the first British 'thousand bomber raid' was launched against Cologne. Over the next few years 61 cities were attacked. In Dresden alone, 70% of homes were destroyed and 150,000 people were killed.

Rationing became introduced at the beginning of the war, due to early victories food shortages were initially not a problem. In 1939 a person was entitled to 700g of meat per week, this reduced to 250g by 1945. New recipes developed to make use of unusual ingred­ients such as eggplants and there were additional rations for those working in heavy indust­ries, pregnant women and blood donors. Shortages were felt the most by non-Ayrans who received a lesser ration. Food consum­ption fell by 25% in 1941. Clothing, rationed from November 1939, was in such short supply that Nazis raided houses if they thought there were surplus items. There was a shortage of coal, most serious during the winter of 1939-1940. People were only allowed warm water twice per week. Rationing led to a black market; shops displayed goods for 'decor­ation only' (eg. milk bottles full of salt). There was little opposition to rationing however in the last year of the war ration cards were no longer honoured.

.

Swing Youth - Mostly middle and upper class membership and largely urban based. Not a political movement but enjoyed listening to jazz and attending bars/c­lubs. Nazis responded by closing down frequented club locations.

The White Rose - Non violent movement set up in 1942 (Munich Univer­sity) by Hans and Sophie Scholl. Group distri­buted anti-Nazi leaflets and appealed to Germans not to support war effort. Executed by Gestapo following betrayal by a university caretaker.

Confes­sional Church - Lutheran Pastors Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemoller publicly opposed to Nazis setting up Reich Church, confes­sional church establ­ished. Bonhoeffer went on to pass secrets to allies. Bonhoeffer arrested and executed in 1945.

Emigration and Hiding - More than half of Jews in Germany managed to emigrate or flee (84% under 24). 15,000 German children sent out unacco­mpa­nied. Many Jews went to Palestine where they worked to establish the state of Israel. Many Jews hid, like Anne Frank, others in plain sight pretending to be Christ­ians.

Cooper­ation - Rezso Kasztner (Hungarian lawyer) organised Kasztner train, diverting 1684 Jews from Auschwitz to Switze­rland. 'Jewish Councils' set up to help run Ghettos. In Holland, Jewish council organised deport­ations to death camps but arranged 15,000 exemptions and made sure there were endless delays.