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1. Hitler’s Germany In 1933, Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany, and had almost complete control of Germany—only the aged President Hindenburg could stop him. In July of 1934, Hindenburg died and Hitler took over and combined the offices of Chancellor and President. He was then to be known as Fuhrer (leader). On August 2, the German army swore allegience to Hitler as Fuhrer, rather than to Germany. He now had complete control.
2. Unemployment in Millions During the 1930s high employment was an important reason why the Nazis came to power
Hitler promised ‘bread and work’ for the German people
3. Hitler was able to lower employment by introducing 4 strategies: Reparations
Government Spending
Wage and Price control
Rearmament
4. Reparations Stopped paying reparations once president
Money that had been going to France and Belgium could now be invested in German economy to create more jobs
5. Government Spending Hitler created new jobs through government spending on construction
Network of motorways (autobahns)
This network not only created jobs, but created a more efficient Germany; industry goods could be shipped faster
Also increased the speed at which troops could cross the country
6. Huge public buildings
Olympic games were held in Berlin in 1936 in a newly built Olympic Stadium
Created jobs, but also impressed people (a visible sign that Hitler was making Germany great again)
Reich Labour Service
Provided manpower for jobs such as building the autobahns, draining marshes for farmland, building sea walls to protect coastal areas from flooding
Investments in Car Industry
Volkswagen is produced: the people’s car
By cutting imports of foreign cars, jobs were created
Car factories were also useful because they could be easily converted for military needs
7. Wage and Price Control Destroyed trade unions, therefore keeping wages low
This was a reward for industries who supported Hitler—they made big profits
Industrialists would help Hitler stay in power
8. Rearmament Before 1936, Hitler concentrated on providing the ‘bread and work’ he had promised
From 1936 onwards, he changed the aims of the economy—rearmament
More money was spent on weapons construction and more men were recruited into the army When Hitler came to power the army was limited to 100 000 soldiers (Versailles Treaty)
1938 risen to 900 000 men
9. Schacht—Minister of Economics 1936—Hjalamat Schacht made Economics Minister—he was not a Nazi
He had been part of the Weimer Germany and played important roles in the Dawes and Young plans
Made trade deals with less developed countries for raw materials
Focus on ore and iron for war materials
10. Propaganda and Censorship: Strategies Hitler used to gain power Hitler used words—simple slogans—to get his message across
Hugenberg, a owner of many newspapers, supported Hitler after 1929 and spread Hitler’s message
Hitler also benefited form the invention of the microphone and loudspeaker
Hitler was the first German politician to use the aircraft to travel during elections
11. Once In Power Appointed Goebbels as Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda—controlling press, radio, publishing, films, and the arts
No book could be published without the permission of Goebbels
Books were ordered to be burned which disagreed with Nazi views
Newspapers (who were not shut down) got new from the Nazi news agency (DNB)
1939—Nazis owned 67% of newspapers
12. The Radio Gave Hitler access into German homes—those of the ordinary citizen
1939—70% of Germans owned a radio—highest percentage in the world at the time
Radios designed for short range, therefore could not pick up foreign stations, only Nazi views
People who did listen to foreign radio could be executed
13. Public Image Goebbels organized huge marches and rallies at which the SA and Hitler could show off—people would believe that Hitler was making Germany great if they could see it
Every year there was a rally at Nuremberg
Biggest spectacle was the Berlin Olympics of 1936
New stadium built with film cameras to record events and photo-electric timing instead of stop watches
Germany was presented as the most advanced nation
Germany also won more medals than any other country, ‘proving’ the superiority of the German race
14. Art Before the Nazis Modern art becomes popular
Camera invented
Art was not mimicking, it was composing
Artists did not just copy nature, they had to take the images around them they see and put them in a totally different way giving people a new experience
15. Art after the Nazis Since many found modern art difficult to understand (quite different from realism), many hated it—the Nazis exploited this
Called modern art ‘degenerated art’ (meaning sick and twisted)
Blamed it on Jews and other races
The art of Germany was realism—the purpose though was propaganda
16. The Simple Message Nazis had a simple message
—hard work was shown as heroic
Peasant life was glorified
Glorified perfect bodies—the Aryan body
Many artists were arrested and others left Germany
1937 a ‘degenerate’ art exhibition was held in Munich, along side an exhibition of German art
Two million people visited the modern art exhibit (three times more than the German exhibit) to laugh at the ‘degenerate art’.
17. How did Hitler get the German people to obey him? Police State
If people did not respond to the choose to accept Nazi ideas, then they must be forced to accept
The police had the power to do as they wished
German citizens had few rights
Hitler developed a number of agencies to enforce terror
18. The SA and the SS SA (Strum Abteilung)
Formed in 1921 by Hitler to attract more followers
Ex-soldiers, unemployed, men who felt betrayed by the Weimar government; disrupted meetings of Hitler’s opposition
known as ‘brownshirts, hence the brown uniform; by 1934 there were over 2 million
Expected Hitler to take wealth from the rich,
The SA leader believed that they should take over the army and that the SA focus should be a National Socialist Germany
SS (Schutzstaffel)
Formed in 1925 as Hitler’s personal bodyguard
Technically part of the SA, however leader, Heinrich Himmler wanted them to be a separate organization
In 1934 Himmler told Hitler that the SA planned to overthrow him (this is debatable)
Hitler had the leaders arrested and executed
The SS then controlled the Nazi police and were completely loyal to Hitler
They were supposed to be perfect examples of Aryan men
19. Divisions of the SS The SD (Sicherheitdienst)
Responsible for state security
Search out and deal with enemies of the Nazis
The Waffen SS
Units who fought with the army
The Death’s Head Units
Controlled concentration camps (originally controlled by the SA)
20. The Gestapo Geheime Staatspolizei—the secret police
first set up in 1933
1936 given power in the whole of Germany
Like SD, searche dout enemies of Nazis
Could arrest anyone and send them to concentration camps without trial
Informers were used to uncover any opposition orginizations
1939—162 000 Germans imprisoned without trial
1936—Himmler’s deputy, Richard Heydrich becomes head of Gestapo—in effect under SS control
21. The Courts SD and Gestapo could put people in concentration camps without trial so courts could not protect Germans from police—this was not the role of the courts though
Judges were replaced by Nazi reporters—opponents could still be punished if they did have a trial
1934—Hitler sets up People’s Court—this was to try the ‘enemies of the state’
1939—had already sentenced over 500 people to death and sent many to concentration camps
22. The Concentration Camps Set up as prisions for Hitler’s enemies
First one in Dachau, opened in 1933
Were supposed to ‘correct’ opponents so that they stopped opposing Nazis
Many were killed in these camps
During the war many camps became extermination camps
23. How did Hitler get the German people to obey him? Police State
If people did not respond to the choose to accept Nazi ideas, then they must be forced to accept
The police had the power to do as they wished
German citizens had few rights
Hitler developed a number of agencies to enforce terror
24. The SA and the SS SA (Strum Abteilung)
Formed in 1921 by Hitler to attract more followers
Ex-soldiers, unemployed, men who felt betrayed by the Weimar government; disrupted meetings of Hitler’s opposition
known as ‘brownshirts, hence the brown uniform; by 1934 there were over 2 million
Expected Hitler to take wealth from the rich,
The SA leader believed that they should take over the army and that the SA focus should be a National Socialist Germany
SS (Schutzstaffel)
Formed in 1925 as Hitler’s personal bodyguard
Technically part of the SA, however leader, Heinrich Himmler wanted them to be a separate organization
In 1934 Himmler told Hitler that the SA planned to overthrow him (this is debatable)
Hitler had the leaders arrested and executed
The SS then controlled the Nazi police and were completely loyal to Hitler
They were supposed to be perfect examples of Aryan men
25. Divisions of the SS The SD (Sicherheitdienst)
Responsible for state security
Search out and deal with enemies of the Nazis
The Waffen SS
Units who fought with the army
The Death’s Head Units
Controlled concentration camps (originally controlled by the SA)
26. The Gestapo Geheime Staatspolizei—the secret police
first set up in 1933
1936 given power in the whole of Germany
Like SD, searche dout enemies of Nazis
Could arrest anyone and send them to concentration camps without trial
Informers were used to uncover any opposition orginizations
1939—162 000 Germans imprisoned without trial
1936—Himmler’s deputy, Richard Heydrich becomes head of Gestapo—in effect under SS control
27. The Courts SD and Gestapo could put people in concentration camps without trial so courts could not protect Germans from police—this was not the role of the courts though
Judges were replaced by Nazi reporters—opponents could still be punished if they did have a trial
1934—Hitler sets up People’s Court—this was to try the ‘enemies of the state’
1939—had already sentenced over 500 people to death and sent many to concentration camps
28. The Concentration Camps Set up as prisions for Hitler’s enemies
First one in Dachau, opened in 1933
Were supposed to ‘correct’ opponents so that they stopped opposing Nazis
Many were killed in these camps
During the war many camps became extermination camps
29. The Workers Reich Labour Service
This was set up for all school dropouts (after the age of 14) and for unskilled workers
They carried out jobs that required many unskilled workers, such as draining the marshes
The German Labour Front
Set up to replace trade unions, which were considered to be too closely connected to the socialists and communist parties
30. (The German Labour Front con’t)
The concept of ‘Volkgemeinschaft’
the idea of everyone working together for the good of the country
The Nazis wanted the people to return to the spirit of working during the First World War when people sacrificed themselves for the good of the country
The committee was made up of representatives of employers and workers and they could only recommend higher wages and better working conditions
31. Autarky Hitler 1936:
“It is impossible for us, at present, to manufacture certain raw materials which we lack in Germany. The final solution lies in extending out living space, that is to say, extending the sources of raw materials and foodstuffs for our people.”
Hitler wanted Germany to be economically self-sufficient; establishing autarky
32. The Women The place for women was in the home, but this was considered and very important job by the Nazis
Nazi propaganda posters depicted women looking after husbands and children—which they were taught in schools
Girls were told not to smoke and or diet—both might affect their ability to have healthy children
Professional women (doctors, lawyers, etc.) were forced to give up working to have children
33. Women were allowed to teach since teaching children was an important job
Nazi slogans described the role of women as ‘Different, not inferior’
Producing children was vital for the Nazis as they saw children as the first generation who would grow up in a Nazi world
1933—the birth of Germany had dropped by two million (due men being killed in WWI)
34. Babies=money Nazis offered marriage loans of 600 marks and if women had more than 4 children this loan did not have to be paid back
If you had 8 children you were awarded the Honour Cross—it was awarded on the 12 of august every year, Hitler’s mother’s birthday
1933—970 00 babies born
1939—1 413 000 born
35. Anti-abortion laws enforced, contraceptives hard to get
Nazis only wanted healthy, Aryan children,
Jews could not get marriage loans
Women with hereditary disease could be sterilized
1939—women were allowed to work in factories for the war effort
League of German Girls (BDM) was set up to educate girls in family life and to make them healthy so they could produce lots of children
36. Nazi Youth Bernhard Rust, Nazi Minister of Education— “the whole purpose of education is to create Nazis.”
Mandatory schooling up to age of 14
Boys and girls went to separate schools
All subjects stressed Nazi beliefs
In History class students were taught that the German army had been “stabbed the back” by the Weimer government at the end of World War I
Biology taught students that Germans, as members of the Aryan race, were superior to all races
Girls education consisted of how to be the perfect housewife and mother
37. The Church How did the Nazis deal with Christianity?
1933—most Germans were Christians
Belonged to either Roman Catholic Church or Protestant Churches
Protestant church had no head
Roman Catholic very strong in south Germany, especially in Bavaria (Nazis’ home state)
Many Protestant Churches openly supported Nazis, at first so did the Catholic Church
1933—Hitler signed the Concordat with the Pope
An agreement which said the Catholic Church would be left alone by Nazis as long as they stayed out of politics
38. Why did the churches support the Nazis? To many Christians, Weimer Germany seemed to be an immoral country, but the Nazis supported the family and old-fashioned moral standard
Hitler expressed his support for the church in his speeches
Nazis opposed communism.
Communism wanted to destroy Christianity and so the church feared them
Hitler seemed the only hope in the struggle against communism
39. Hitler Youth vs. Catholic Youth Nazis did not leave the Catholic Church alone
Catholic Church had a strong youth base—one which rivalled the Hitler Youth
Many parents preferred to send children to Catholic Youth than to Hitler Youth
Catholic Church ran many schools
These students did not face propaganda, therefore, could grow up as opponents of Nazis
Schools ordered to remove all Christian symbols
Eventually, schools taken from church control
1937—Pope protested to Hitler
1937—Catholic Church made illegal
40. Christian Punishment 1/3 of all Catholic priests were punished by the Nazis
400 put in a special block at Dachau concentration camp
Many Germans went to Catholic Church, and church leaders were applauded when they appeared in public
They rarely opposed Nazis
Protestants were divided between those who supported Nazis and those who did not
41. The Nazi Religion The Nazis set up their own Christian church so they could gain control of Christianity
Some did support the church, but it was not a success
Faith Movement—a pagan set up by the Nazis in a further attempt to remove the influence of the Christian church
Used Norse myths to appeal to feelings of past greatness
42. Treatment of minorities The Jews were not the only group treated as second class citizens
Gypsies, Vagrants, Black people, Mentally ill, and Homosexuals were all treated terribly
43. The Gypsies Gypsies were targeted for 2 reasons:
They were not Aryans—the superior rates
They were ‘asocial’—move from area to area and did not have regular jobs, meaning they could not be part of the Volkgemeinschaft, the idea of self-sacrifice that the Nazis wanted to instil in all Germans
Nazi scientists regarded gypsies as inferior by race and could never be taught to be good Germans
1939—all gypsies were ordered to be sent to concentration camps in the newly conquered Poland
200 000 gypsies were murdered
44. Vagrants People who moved town to town—for example those looking for work, maybe youth, beggars, etc.
Nazi solution was to force these people to work
1938—more than 10 000 vagrants gathered and placed in concentration camps
There they were ‘educated’ in how to work
45. Black People Although few black people were in Germany they were subject to Nuremburg Laws
Germans not allowed to marry blacks
Black music—popular in the 1920s—viewed as ‘degenerate’ and un-German
Children born to German women by black soldiers were sterilized (black soldiers had been stationed in the Rhineland after the First World War)
46. Mentally Ill Mental illness was considered heredity and incurable
Mentally ill (or those considered to be so) were sterilized
1945—300 000 people sterilized
By the time war started the mentally ill were considered of no use so they were killed
The ‘Public Ambulance Service Ltd.’ was set up to carry out this service—by 1941 70 000 people were killed
47. Homosexuals The Weimar republic allowed homosexuals some freedom—there is evidence of a gay club
Some leading Nazis were homosexual, however, the Nazis made homosexuality illegal
The role of adults was to procreate
1943—Himmler ordered the death penalty for all homosexuals found in the SS and police
48. The Treatment of Jews 1933—Jewish people made up 1% of population, however, they made up 16% of lawyers and 10% of doctors
Many Germans were reported to be jealous of their success and suspicious of their religion
1933—Hitler ordered SA to turn customers away from Jewish shops
They also smashed windows
people were ordered to stop using Jewish lawyers and Jewish doctors and nurses were ordered to only attend to Jewish patients
49. 1935 Nuremberg Laws passed
Illegal for Jews to marry non-Jews, or even have sexual intercourse with them
Jews deprived of German citizenship and lost right to vote
Jews were stopped from using swimming pools, restaurants, and other public facilities
Jews were defined as anyone who had at least one Jewish grandparent
In schools, children were taught to hate Jews
1933 to 1938, 30% of all Jews emigrated from Germany
50. Kristallnacht 1938 a German diplomat in Paris was shot and killed by Herschel Grynszpan
Grynszpan had heard that 17 000 Jews, including his family, were deported from Germany to the boarder of Poland and the Poles refused them
The German response was the Night of the Broken Glass when 7500 Jewish businesses were destroyed and 30 000 Jews were sent to concentration camps