Hitler and Nazi Germany
What was the relationship between the Nazis and the Churches within Germany?
*58% of the German population were protestants *Catholics (32%) *Jehovah's witnesses failed to compromise and were deported into concentration camps *The mainstream churches proved much easier to influence *Hitler wanted to restrict Churches to a purely spiritual role, this ran counter to the desire for most churchmen to maintaining the church's role in other activities such as youth groups
Ideology and the nature of the state
*Germany should be the supreme country. *Anti-semitism against the Jews in order to keep the German race pure. *All of human history can be explained by the idea of human struggle. -only the most "Fit" race wins the struggle. *Every human has genes that make them superior and these genes can be passed from generation to generation; only the German race can produce a superhuman (Hitler) and the super race (the German people).
How ready was Germany for war in 1939?
*Germany was not fully prepared for war in 1939. -Hitler was unable to concentrate on rearmament because he needed to keep up consumer production -They were ready for short war, but not total war
How did Hitler consolidate his position and create a one-party state in 1933?
*He made himself believable. An example would be with getting rid of the Jews. People believe it was the right move or they would end up how Hitler looks. *He made things so that everyone and anyone would follow him. He told the people what they wanted to hear. *He created an atmosphere in which everyone wanted to follow the Nazis and only the Nazis because they knew what was right.
Establishment and consolidation of Nazi rule
*He rose in a way that no one would see it coming. -Very similar to the tactics of Joseph Stalin *He made things in such a way that he seemed as a person to admire -Little did many people know he was devising an inhumane plan *The Nazi party then began to push out other parties so that it was just them standing. -This making them the main group in power *Consolidation began to take full effect when Hitler had the youth involved. It brought everyone to be involved *The enabling act allowed Hitler to create basically any law possible as a chancellor. This giving him the power needed to push out outside sources
What did Hitler himself contribute to the Nazi ideology?
*Hitler helped the German believe that they were indeed the superior race, by him writing the mein kamf. *This book helps restate that Germany is superior and they should fight to claim the throne as the superior race. *The book also prompts people to want to kill and hate the jews, create anti semitism, because it was the steps needed to be taken in order to destroy them all.
How important was the role of ideology in Nazi Germany?
*Ideology helped shape Germany and progress it from what it was after WW1 to a massive killing machine. It helped to move Germany back into massive production and the mode of antisemitism and death to all the Jews and the destruction of Britain and France in order for Germany to take over the world. It also started the war against Russia because Communism is a product of the the Jews.
How successful were the Nazis in bringing about economic recovery in the years 1933-39?
*In June 1933, a law to reduce employment was passed. This included: -government spending on public works schemes -subsidies for private construction/renovation -income tax rebates/loans to encourage industrial activity *Unemployment fell from 6 million to 2.5 million within 18 months of Hitler's coming to power. -By 1936 it stood at 1.6 million -By 1939 it has fallen bellow 200,000
Was Nazi Germany a totalitarian state and was Hitler 'Master of the Third Reich'?
*Nazi Germany was a one party state. *Nazi Germany used terror as a political tool. *Hitler had total control over his subordinates, even ordering their executions if they appeared to threaten him - like Röhm and Rommel. *The Nazis tried to control all aspects of the economy. Even though they maintained a capitalist system, the Nazis co-opted big businesses into the Nazi regime, and copied Soviet style economic planning for the agricultural sector. *The regime tried to control all aspects of life, from cradle to grave, with Nazi organisations for women, children and even Nazi official styles of art.
To what extent was Nazi ideology rooted in the past?
*Nazi ideology is rooted in the past because the Germans had Philosophers who argued that the German race was the most superior and that they should not co-exist with any other race. In order to create the perfect super-human then the super-race must be pure. The Jews are evil and impure and so it is necessary to kill them all and teach the children to hate them. -This ideal was present long before Hitler came to power. *Mein Kamf, my struggle, written by Hitler when he was in jail simply restates the ideology that the German race is the best and prompt people to support his idea.
How far did the circumstances of 1929-1933 open the way for Hitler's rise to power?
*Nazi party had expanded by now and is one of the largest political party in Germany *Hitler's popular view on what Germany should be like was welcomed by many of the German people. *In an attempt to control him President Hindenburg elects him as chancellor hoping that surrounding him with conservative people would change his mindset. -This backfired by giving Hitler more power and his voice won over the government as well -Hitler enacted new laws that gave him power like the enabling act.
How did Nazism affect the arts and cultural life?
*Nazism was the standard unopposed ideology in Nazi Germany. This ideology affected the arts and cultural life because propaganda was used to boost support for hitler and turn away from opposing the crimes he was committing. It also shaped cultural life because it made people turn against the Jews and claim them as impure and being parasites, and it practically shaped what it meant to be a man and a woman in Germany. Men were supposed to work and women were supposed to have as much babies as they can.
What part did propaganda and repression play in Hitler's consolidation of power?
*Played a significant role *Hitler wanted his legacy and the Nazi movement to go on so he targeted kids and adults. *The target of kids was very simple, he made his movement out to be a cool thing. It was something that many kids wanted to take part in because it was somewhat of a trend. Everyone wanted to be officer like. *He also began to silence others. The freedom of speech was something that was no longer. -You were to speak good about the Nazi movement or you were to not say anything at all.
What factors influenced Nazi economic policy?
*The Nazi economic policy was influenced by Hitler forcing businesses to be at a certain level of production or they would be taken over by the government. Also, Hitler was concerned with lowering the unemployment at home, that way he raised money to help with his wars. *All people of germany were to contribute in one way or another. -Jewish prisoners were forced to work at labor camps to increase production -Anti semitism is seen as a factor by forcing people who were different to work or die
What part played by the economic conditions of 1919-29 period?
*The costs of war and the impact of the wartime blockade, compounded by the Treaty of Versailles, undermined the German economy. *Agriculture never shared in the boom. -Prices remained low as farmers faced competition from Canada and the USA.
How did the political circumstances of Germany after 1918 contribute to the rise of Nazism?
*The defeat of Germany at the hands of the allies left Germany in economic shambles -The formation of the Weimar republic and constitution was only a short term fix *Trust in the government had collapsed after their acceptance of the strict Treaty of Versailles. *The Nazi party fed on this distrust by promising the people what they wanted regardless is the promise was actually possible at the time -The people needed something to look up to and/or a scapegoat to put their blames on -The Nazi party gave them both
How did the Nazi movement develop between 1919 and 1929?
*The party started of small with minimal support. -However the Nazi ideals were already present but dormant in Germany -Hitler used this to his advantage by giving them a stronger voice *The party grew when Hitlers plan of scapegoating the Jews was successful -This gave the german people someone to look up to and someone to place their blames upon -Hitler gave the people what they wanted to hear and thus his popularity expanded along with that of the Nazi party
Was there any organized opposition to Nazi rule?
*There wasn't any large scale opposition to Nazi rule prior to WWII *However there were small groups that rejected Nazi teachings such as anti semitism. -Many of the people that opposed Nazi rule where sympathetic to the Jewish people. The complete opposite of Nazi Germany teachings. -These groups and people often housed jews to protect them from Nazi soldiers. *Other forms of opposition were cultural opposition where the Jewish people practiced their faith regardless of the threat of punishment *Jewish youths also formed small militias to combat Nazi rule, but often they failed.
How extensive was the persecution of minorities within the Nazi state?
*Those who failed to meet Volksgenossen (person who is racially pure and considered worthy of German citizenship) were subject to intimidation and persecution 1)asocials such as habitual criminals, the work shy, tramps and beggars, alcoholics and prostitutes, gay men - lesbians and juvenile delinquents 2)biological outsiders, including those suffering hereditary defects that were considered a threat o the future of the German race and those who were regarded as a threat because of their race, such as gypsies and Jews.
Origins and rise, 1918-33
*Weimar republic struggles to maintain control of Germany after defeat during WWI *Treaty of Versailles further weakens Weimar republic's relationship with the German people opening room for other ideals to take its place: -among these ideals is an extreme nationalist and antiseminist group called the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party) -led by charismatic leader Adolf Hitler *Multiple political parties vied for control of Germany but poll results were always inconclusive, resulting in multiple attempts at a re-vote *Hitler used the disheartened German people to his advantage with promises of economic prosperity and the return of German lands -he also publicly opposed the Treaty of Versailles saying that the Nazi party would reject it --This was a widely approved ideal at the time because of the suffering it had put the German people through. *Through Hitlers maneuvering the Nazi party grew to become the largest party in Germany -President Hindenburg appointed Hitler as chancellor to control him, which backfires.
How effectively did Speer manage the wartime German economy?
*When war started, Nazi rearmament programs were only half completed *Early German victories were more of a result of their enemies weaknesses, then German armaments *Resources were not used efficiently, the army could call up on any worker, regardless of their training *Hitler's failure to defeat Britain in 1940 and the soviet union in 1941, created a terrible situation for the German economy, *Rather than a short blitzkrieg, it had to sustain a long war *Fritz Todt was made minister of armaments and munitions in march 1940. *He died in 1942 and was replaced by Speer. *Todt had laid the foundations for Speer by setting up a series of committees with chairmen from industries to rationalize production *Erhard Milch also organized aircraft production through committees linking producers and contractors but suffered the same level of any bureaucracy
What was the position of women in the Nazi state?
*Women in Nazi Germany practically had no important role. Their role was to simply be good mothers and have lots of babies. Also, the government gave loans to newly married couples, and the more babies the couple have, the less loans they had to pay back. -Women in nazi germany were prevented from having roles of responsibility in Nazi germany as they were seen only as mothers and wives. -They were excluded from roles of political or educational jobs the most.
Why did it take until 1938 for Hitler's power to be fully consolidated?
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Strength of Hitler's Ruling
A far-reaching propaganda machine: *press *radio *all forms of art and culture
Strength of Hitler's Ruling
Absolute control over: *ideology *education *the economy *the army
Strength of Hitler's Ruling
Control of power security system: *police *Gestapo *SS
Weakness of Hitler's Ruling
Hitler's personality: *lazy *erratic *easily bored and uninterested in detail (especially economics)
Strength of Hitler's Ruling
Lack of opposition from 1934: *no unions *control over the media *one-party state *control over courts *control over Civil Service *bargains with army, church and big business
Weakness of Hitler's Ruling
Nazi programmes were left unfinished: *plans for economic recovery not carried through fully *suggested Germany might be ready for war in 1942-43, in the 1937 Hossbach memorandum rearmament narrowly based and no war economy until 1942
Weakness of Hitler's Ruling
Opted out of government: *set ministers against one another with overlapping duties *allowed ministers/Gauleiters and mayors to give different decisions and compete for influence *permanent confusion over planning, especially in war years
How did Nazis try to ensure the support of youth?
Schools *Napolas: fell under the influence of the SS. They produced highly trained youngsters for the armed forces. Classes known as platoons and the routine of the school was based on that of a military camp with a communal style of living and sporting drills before breakfast. *Adolf Hitler Schools: were strongly influenced by the Hitler Youth. *Ordensburgen: were party controlled Nazi colleges, set up 1937, with an emphasis on physical training. Importance *Very important to the Nazis *Hans Schemm leader of the Nazi Teacher League 'those who have youth on their side control the future' July 1933 *Baldur von Schirach appointed as 'youth leader of the German Reich', by the end of 1933 he had control over all youth organisations and by 1939 also the catholic ones. -Boys: Pimpfen (6-10 years), Deutsches Jungvolk (DJ, 10-14 years) and Hitlerjugend (HJ 14-18) -Girls: Junge Madel (JM 10-14), Bund Deutscher Mader (BDM-18) and Glaube und Schonheit (league of feith and beauty 18-21) *These organisations had two aims: 1)to train boys for war 2)to train girls for motherhood
Domestic policies and their impact
Social policies *Women work in camps in order to treat the injured soldiers. *Minority groups, the jews, were forced to leave their home, Germany. *Many could not leave so concentration camps grew in numbers. *Nazi train children to be soldiers, train them to have no feelings for the Jews. *Used the arts to promote racism, pure German blood was the ideal. *Had a 4 year plan where businesses had to beat a certain level in production or they would be taken over by the Government. Economic policies *Hitler promised to strengthen small farms, but once given power he only cared about big businesses that could help him. *Reduce unemployment in order to make the Germans happier and make the economy stronger. *The army was the top priority for Nazi Germany, its ability to fight, everything else was secondary.
