(a) How effectively did the
Nazis control Germany, 1933–45?
Focus Points
How much opposition was there
to the Nazi regime?
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There were was many opponents to the Nazi Regime. However they
never were fruitful of getting through. Anyone who opposed the regime, were either
killed or sent to a concentration camp
The Edelweiss pirates
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Barthel Schink, aged 16 was hanged in November 1944
The Swing Kids
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Middle class. Inspired by the music of Britain and the USA.
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Swing clubs were opened where people danced the jitterbug. They
listened to music that had been banned.
The White Rose group
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Students at Munich University
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They distributed anti-Nazi leaflets, displaying posters and
writing graffiti.
How effectively did the Nazis
deal with their political opponents?
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The Nazi’s main weapon for enforcing compliance was intimidation
and terror but the use of persuasion and propaganda was also used.
SS
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It was formed in 1925 as an elite bodyguard and from 1929 came
under the leadership of Heinrich Himmler
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It is split into three 3 main sections:
1) Hitler’s private protection
2) Waffen SS – group of highly skilled and dependable soldiers who
fought alongside the regular army
3) Deaths head unit ran concentration camps and later the death
camps
Gestapo
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The Gestapo was a secret state police force set up by Herman
Goering in 1933. It was ruthless in dealing with opposition to the Nazis
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It’s task was to discover the enemies of the state, watch them and
render them harmless
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The Gestapo had the power to arrest and detain suspects without
trial
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Extensive amount of informers ensured that the authorities quickly
learned of anyone plotting against them.
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A one part state meant that
all over opposing political parties or ideas were illegal, any opposition would
be dealt with harshly
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Any youth group that opposed would be executed
How did the Nazis use culture
and the mass media to control the people?
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Goebbels was in charge of Propaganda who controlled all types of
media
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Goebbels monitored what would be allowed to be broadcasted
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Anti-Nazi newspapers closed and every story had to be “Nazi
approved”. They didn’t close down all the newspapers so that the German public
would not notice the drastic difference
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Loudspeakers would be placed in public places. The Nazis mass
produced the “people’s receiver” which allowed every household to afford one
and could hear Nazi propaganda
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Book burning in universities would take place, this was a form of
Nazi censorship which sends a clear Nazi message
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Jazz music was banned as Black’s were seen as inferior
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Huge rallies would take place to spread Nazi ideology and allow
Hitler to address the German public
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Berlin games 1936 – New stadium used for propaganda, Germany won
most medals.
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Hero of games was Jesse Owens a black American, won 4 Gold medals
Hitler refused to shake hands with him
Why did the Nazis persecute
many groups in German society?
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The Nazis thought the German Aryan race were superior to
minorities. Hitler wanted to continue his foreign policy and continue the
creation a the “Herrenvolk”
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The Nazis believed that only Germans could be citizens and that
non-Germans did not have any right to the rights of citizenship.
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The Nazi’s tried to eliminate all Jews. In 1935 the Nuremberg Law
passed which stated that Jews could not be citizens of Germany. In 1938
Kristallnacht happened all across Germany which saw attacks on Jewish homes,
businesses and synagogues
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The German killed those with disabilities, gypsies, black people, and
those with mental illnesses. These minorities were seen as sub-human “unter mensch”
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Homosexual were tortured and sent to concentrations camps as they didn’t
propagate the species
Was Nazi Germany a
totalitarian state?
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A totalitarian state is one in which the leader, in this case
Hitler, has total control of the Government and the people.
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In Hitler's Germany there were many characteristics of a totalitarian
state. The Government ran and censored the media. All forms of communication
were liable to interference and could be monitored by the Gestapo. This removes
freedom of speech, therefore enabling the government to influence popular
opinion via propaganda
-
In essence Germany under Hitler was a prime example of a totalitarian
sate. People did not question decisions if it was evident that working against
the party a potential threat would lead to prison or death. Through careful
coercion, manipulation and misleading information the authorities could, and
did, do as they pleased as the people were helpless
-
However Germany did not have full control over their economy due
to private sector and they did not have any control over factories
-
The Wehrmacht was run by generals who were not always Nazi’s and
some parts of the army/air force were more loyal then other
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Large majority of the German public were very willing to
collaborate with the party and inform. They were very often persuaded by propaganda
rather forced into obedience
b) What was it like to live in
Nazi Germany?
How did young people react to
the Nazi regime?
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Young people were the targets of the Nazis for they would carry on
Nazi principles over generations and fight for their country.
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At schools the children were learnt to pride in their Fatherland
and Fuhrer, they were also taught to hate Jews and maintain their racial
purity. However, schools were not very effective in bringing these changes.
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It was the youth movements which gained widespread support from
young people. Even children in the countryside joined the Hitler Youth.
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Most of them joined for the excitement and the aspect of leisure.
Girls joined to get away from the boring duties of the home.
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But it is wrong to assume that all young people approved the
Hitler Youth movement.
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In fact, only 50% of the total boys joined the movement. Groups
such as the Edelweiss Pirates were anti-Nazi. They weren't political opponents
of the Nazis but rather radical teenagers who hated being told what to do.
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The Pirates attacked members of the Hitler Youth, the Pirates were
eventually put under control by the authorities as they were seen as an
opponent to the regime.
How successful were Nazi
policies towards women and the family?
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Nazis held very traditional views about women and the family.
Women were to have a passive role of staying at home and looking after their
families, while men were to be the active provider and protector of the home.
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Women were not to take jobs, but instead stay at home. They were
to marry only racially pure Aryans and have as many children as possible. Young
married couples were given incentives.
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The birth rate did rise, although not by the large percentage that
the Nazis were expecting.
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Women were given awards and medals if they had 4 children and
above.
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However, when the war started it created labour shortages in key
industries, the government found themselves in need of factory workers.
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Women refused to abandon their traditional role as home keepers to
work in factories no matter how much advertising the government did.
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Those who did go to work battled to look after their families and
work-related stress.
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So it can be said that the Nazi policies towards women were partly
successful, since an increase in birth rate did occur
Did most people in Germany benefit from Nazi rule?
Those who did:
The Unemployed
-
The effects of the Wall Street Crash on Germany's gradually
improving economy were among the worst in the world and over 6 million people
were out of a job.
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The Nazi's created tones of schemes which got people back to work,
building of the Autobahns
The Patriotic
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The Nazis refused to stick to the Treaty of Versailles and began
to restore national pride.
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People who wanted Germany to become both strong and proud again
were very happy with Hitler for refusing to bow to the international pressures
they were under.
The Army
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Grew significantly and created thousands of more opportunities for
German men. Conscription was also introduced.
Business
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Businesses began to flourish under the improving economy.
Those who didn't:
The Jewish
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Though many German's were not particularly welcome in Germany no
minority was more persecuted than the Jewish.
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The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 were among the first to remove rights
of the Jewish within society.
The Disabled
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Babies were inspected at birth to look for disabilities and if 3
doctors agreed that the baby was disabled it was to be killed.
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This was stopped because it caused outrage and Hitler didn't want
to provoke the public but when WW2 began and administration became chaotic, the
program resumed to actively killing the disabled of all ages and pretending
they had been sick
Political Opposition
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Many were sent to concentration camps early in the Nazi regime to
teach them why they must not speak out, while many were killed.
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Censorship and propaganda made people unable to form their own
opinions
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If you complied with the Nazi regime and weren't seen as a
minority, you would benefit from back to work schemes and economic
opportunities. Those who were seen as minorities would suffer
How did the coming of war
change life in Nazi Germany?
German Economy
-
The full impact of the war was not generally felt until around
1942.
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At first the economy was little affected, but as war grew, it
began to hurt the Nazis.
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Bombing raids damaged or destroyed factories and ways of
transport.
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The large focus on concentration camps also took away from the war
effort.
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Germany did however succeed in strengthening their arms, between
1942 and 1944 due to a Full Time War economy being implemented in 1942
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The economy was no longer stable; there was a shortage of food,
and fuel, which had a hard impression on the people.
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Millions of Germans became homeless because of the bombs being
dropped on Germany’s cities.
Bombing Raids
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Right from the beginning bombing was a popular method used by the
British.
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The main targets were military areas and industrial sites
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By 1942 the RAF was dropping bombs on entire cities and towns as
well.
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Homes, schools, doctors, posts, trains, and people were harmed, or
completely wiped out.
Hitler Youth
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Member did as much as possible to prevent war from reaching the
domestic front.
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Fun and games turned into preparing for battle, which meant that
those signing up for the Hitler Youth massively decreased. By 1936 joining the
Youth was compulsory
Women
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The Nazis previous policy towards women was forced to change after
the war.
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The birth-rate was encouraged to grow even more, while women were
also asked to go back to work.
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The Nazis used the term “Final Solution” to refer to their plan to
annihilate the Jewish people. The genocide, or mass destruction, of the Jews.
