Attempt to create a Volksgemeinschaft Essay

Question 1

Introduction

Background Sentences

Answer 1

Volksgemeinschaft was central to Nazi ideology. Between 1933 and 1939, the Nazis aimed to create a new German society which rejected old regions, ideologies and class divisions, instead forming a united German identity based around ideas of race, struggle and state leadership.

Question 2

Introduction

Factors

Answer 2

The main areas in which the Nazis aimed to do this were in the elimination of Jews from society, youth policies and policies towards women.

Question 3

Introduction

Historiography

Answer 3

Some historians such as Evans and Jenkins believe that the creation of the Volksgemeinschaft was impactful on German society. Other historians such as Stephenson believe that the Volksgemeinschaft was not fully complete as although the idea was there, the commitment to enact this was not successful.

Question 4

Introduction

Line of Argument

Answer 4

Overall, despite some successes in their policies for different groups in Germany, overall the policy of the Volksgemeinschaft was unsuccessful between 1933-39.

Question 5

The elimination of Jews

What was the Nuremburg Laws of September 1935?

Answer 5

The Nazis had one main enemy to them which was the Jews. In order to isolate them and alienate them, they created several laws which were unfair towards the Jewish German citizens. For example, the Nuremburg Laws of September 1935 which forbade marriage between Jews and ‘Aryans’ and deprieved Jews of citizenship.

Question 6

The elimination of Jews

Analysis

Answer 6

This was successful because the Nazis were able to systematically and comprehensively remove Jews from all aspects of German life after 1933.

Question 7

The eliminantion of Jews

Analysis + - the boycott

Answer 7

However, the boycott of April 1, 1933 was stopped quickly when it became clear that people did not want to be involved.

Question 8

The elimination of Jews

What was the Kristallnacht program?

Answer 8

In November 1938, the ‘Kristallnacht’ program occurred where Jewish businesses, synagogues and private residences were attacked over two nights. These attacks were largely led by local police forces and members of the SS.

Question 9

The elimination of Jews

Analysis

Answer 9

This further emphasises the Nazis success in eliminating Jews from German life as thousands of Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps. This then allowed for their businesses and assets to be seized and placed into the ownership of more suitable Aryan citizens.

Question 10

The elimination of Jews

Historiography

Answer 10

Kershaw argues that the Nazis were only fully successful in the removal of Jews from German society.

Question 11

The elimination of Jews

Evaluation

Answer 11

Overall, while the Nazis were able to completely eliminate Jews from almost every aspect of German life, they did not need to rely on laws to do this. However, after awhile, the German public showed that they did not support open and aggressive anti-semitic acts, as the boycott of 1 April 1933 was stopped due to the public becoming uncomfortable with its violent edge.

Question 12

Youth policies

How did the Nazis control the Youth?

What did they offer in the programs?

Answer 12

The youth in Germany were to be controlled through the Hitler Youth (boys) and the League of German Maidens. The Hitler Youth offered a wide range of activities to its male members from outdoor pursuits to music interspersed with lots of drill and PE, which was an attempt to prepare boys for military service later on. The League of German Girls was designed to prepare girls for a purely domestic role later in life and so focused activities related to keeping house and rearing children.

Question 13

Youth policies

What happened with education and teachers?

Answer 13

Education was also drastically changed. Teachers were forced to join the Nationalist Socialist Teachers League and the curriculm was also changed to reflect Nazi values. The content of each subject was used to indoctrinate young people in Nazi ideology.

Question 14

Youth policies

Analysis

Answer 14

This was successful because by 1937, 97% of teachers had joined the Nationalist Socialist Teacers League. Members had to attend one month training courses that stressed Nazi ideology and physical fitness, meaning that the teachers were deemed qualified in the eyes of the Nazis to teach their ideology and prepare the younger generations for Nazi society.

Question 15

Youth policies

Analysis +

Answer 15

Although, in 1937 membership in the Hitler Youth grew to 5.4 million, initial enthusiasm for the youth organisations gave way to youths turning their back on these organisations and their obsession with the military, as they didn’t enjoy the uniformity that came with the Nazi regime which wasn’t something that appealed to the youth.

Question 16

Youth polcies

Evaluation

Answer 16

Overall, despite some successes, much of the progress made by the Nazis in indoctrinating the youth has been overstated and relied on a level of coercion rather than enthusiasm for the youth organisations which gave way to increasing disillusion with Nazi ideology and the repetitive, quasi-military aspects of activities caused an increase in boredom.

Question 17

Women policies

What was the Nazi ideology for women?

Answer 17

Nazi ideology stressed that women should be confined to the home and that their duty was to produce healthy Aryan children, uphold conservative family values and comfort their husbands in their service to the state. These ideas were commonly known as the three K’s of Kinder, Kuche and Kirche (children, kitchen and church).

Question 18

Women policies

Analysis

Answer 18

This was successful as in the early years of the regime, the number of women in employment remained generally quite low with many women deciding to follow the Nazi regime and focus their efforts into the home.

Question 19

Women policies

Analysis + - employment rates

Answer 19

However, between 1933 and 1939 the number of women working actually increased from over 11 million to over 14 million, raising the employment rates that the Nazis wanted to decrease and potentially eliminate the numbers.

Question 20

Women policies

What was the marriage loans?

Answer 20

In 1933 marriage loans of up to 1000RM were offered to newlyweds on the grounds that the wife would not work outside the home. Women were encouraged to have more children by having money taken off of repaying this loan for every child they had.

Question 21

Women policies

Analysis and Analysis +

Answer 21

This was successful as by 1937, 70,000 married couples had received a loan. However the birth rate did not rise dramatically as a result of Nazi policies but in fact remaining fairly constant throughout the 1930s, showing that the marriage loans didn’t have much effect on the Nazis hopes to improve the decreasing birth rate in Germany.

Question 22

Women policies

Historiography

Answer 22

Stephenson argues that the Volksgemeinschaft was not fully complete as although the idea was there, the commitment to enact this was not successful.

Question 23

Women policies

Evaluation

Answer 23

Overall, Nazi policies for women were largely unsuccessful. Their main aims of increasing the birth rate and decreasing the number of women in employment had seen no real impact by 1939. They relied largely on legal means to control women’s lives and were unsuccessful in their other attempts.

Question 24

Conclusion

Line of Argument

Answer 24

Overall, despite some successes in their policies for different groups in Germany’s society, overall the policy of the Volksgemeinschaft was unsuccessful between 1933-39.

Question 25

Conclusion

The elimination of Jews in German society

Answer 25

Through propaganda and laws, the Nazis were able to slowly eliminate Jews from German society by painting them as evil and the enemy in Germany as well as alienating them. However, the cruelty and violence which came with the Nazis didn’t appeal to the public and therefore caused their plans against the Jews to be unsuccessful. This shows that the idea of a Volkgemeinschaft was unsuccessful as the Nazis couldn’t stop ‘Aryans’ from supporting or sympathising with Jews, as they were trying to isolate them from their ideal society which used too much violence for them to gain the public’s support.

Question 26

Conclusion

Youth policies

Answer 26

The Nazis were able to teach their ideology to children from a young age, allowing for children to be educated and supporters of the Nazis from childhood. However, the repetition of the Hitler Youth began to bore children and soon they lost many children from the program as enthusiasm levels decreased. This shows that the Nazis ideology wasn’t something that was important to the younger generation as they didn’t understand what the Nazis were trying to achieve, or understood their ideology causing the Nazis to lose their support for the future.

Question 27

Conclusion

Women policies

Answer 27

At the beginning of the Nazis reign, the number of employed women was significantly low showing that their policies to remove women from the workplace and more focussed on building a family was successful. However, in the years when Hitler was Chancellor, the number of women working had increased, showing that. This shows that the Nazis couldn’t control the attitudes or behaviour that women had towards the Nazis ideology for women, resulting in their idea of a Volsgemeinschaft to be unsuccessful as women did not follow the Nazi regime about how women should be in their community.