Germany - 3.2.4 Racial Beliefs & Policies

Question 1

A fundamental (core) principle that shaped Nazi policies was the purity of the ______ race. But this meant that those who did not fit the Aryan ideal were heavily excluded.

Answer 1

Aryan

Question 2

Believed to be the perfect race, the Nazis stressed the _________ (including as many different people as possible) of the Aryans. But this meant that those who did not fit the Aryan ideal were heavily excluded.

Answer 2

Inclusivity

Question 3

How did the perfect Aryan woman look like? (4)

Answer 3

• Athletic and strong (for producing lots of children)
• Blue-eyed
• Tall
• Blond-haired

Question 4

How did the perfect Aryan man look like? (4)

Answer 4

• Athletic and strong (for work or being a soldier)
• Blue-eyed
• Tall
• Blond-haired

Question 5

The Aryans were believed to be the ‘_______ race’

Answer 5

master

Question 6

One of Hitler’s main beliefs that was behind many Nazi policies was his idea of ‘____ Germans’, an ‘Aryan’ race he believed was superior to other people. Many people were excluded from this idea of racial perfection.

Answer 6

pure

Question 7

Who was the key group that expanded the Aryan race?

Answer 7

The SS ‘race farms’

Question 8

What happened in the SS race farms?

Answer 8

SS men would deliberately have children with Aryan women at Lebensborn homes

Question 9

What group was underneath the Aryan race?

Answer 9

White Western Europeans

Question 10

Why were the SS central to the Nazi master race?

Answer 10

As they only recruited Aryans and were only allowed to marry Aryan women

Question 11

What does the German term ‘Untermenschen’ mean?

Answer 11

‘Sub-human’

Question 12

Which groups of people was the term ‘Untermenschen’ used to describe? (4)

Answer 12

Slavs, Roma, black people and Jews

Question 13

Which 2 groups were seen as the worst of the Untermenschen?

Answer 13

Roma and Jews

Question 14

What did Hitler say about Roma and Jews?

Answer 14

He said they were not worthy of life

Question 15

When did the Nazis begin the racial policy of untermenschen to reduce the number of ‘sub-humans’?

Answer 15

1933

Question 16

How were other white western Europeans seen?

Answer 16

Seen as fellow humans but lower than Aryans

Question 17

How were Eastern Europeans seen?

Answer 17

Slavs - seen as ‘sub-human’

Question 18

How were black people and gypsies seen?

Answer 18

Both seen as ‘sub-human’ and ‘work-shy’ (lazy)

Question 19

How were Jews seen?

Answer 19

Seen as lowest of ‘sub-human’ races and blamed for Germany’s problems

Question 20

In 1935, which laws banned marriage or sexual relations between Aryans and non-Aryans?

Answer 20

The Nuremberg Laws

Question 21

What happened to mixed-race children?

Answer 21

They were sterilised (medically operated on so they could not have children)

Question 22

What is the word for sub-humans in German?

Answer 22

Untermenschen

Question 23

Policy towards the Slavs (2)

Answer 23

• The Slavs were made to feel uncomfortable in German society. They were constantly reminded that they were inferior.
• But there were not many policies directed at the Slavs

Question 24

Pre-war policy towards Roma gypsies (2)

Answer 24

• From 1933 onwards, gypsies were arrested and sent to concentration camps
• In 1938, all gypsies had to be registered and medically examined. If they failed this test (which was designed so that most did fail) then German citizenship was removed and they could no longer travel

Question 25

Wartime policy towards Roma gypsies (4)

Answer 25

- From 1939, gypsies were told they would be deported - From 1940, gypsies were deported to labour camps. From there some went to Chelmno death camp - From 1942, the Nazis ordered all gypsies to be deported - By the end of the war, 85% of German gypsies were killed. This was 25% of the whole European Roma population

Question 26

In which year did the Nazis order all gypsies to be deported?

Answer 26

1942

Question 27

Why were Jews hated? (4)

Answer 27

- They were associated with Communism - They were often successful and people were jealous of them - They were seen as alien because of their different religious practices, clothing and beliefs - They were blamed for Germany’s defeat in the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles (some of the Weimar politicians were Jewish)

Question 28

____ ____, the founder of communism, was from a Jewish family, as were some other communists in the USSR.

Answer 28

Karl Marx

Question 29

Who did the ‘undesirables’ include? (5)

Answer 29

- Physically and mentally disabled people - Homosexuals - Tramps and beggars - Socialists - Trade unionists

Question 30

Policy towards homosexuals

Answer 30

Homosexual men were sent to concentration camps to treat their ‘disorder’

Question 31

Policy towards beggars

Answer 31

Beggars were sent to do hard labour

Question 32

Policies towards the disabled (4)

Answer 32

- In 1933, the Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseased Offspring was passed - After this over 300,000 disabled people were sterilised (medically operated on so they could not have children). - By 1939, the Nazis began to use euthanasia (intentionally ending a life) to kill those with mental and physical disabilities - 100,000 people were secretly killed between 1939 and 1941

Question 33

Approximately how many disabled people were secretly killed between 1939 and 1941?

Answer 33

100 000

Question 34

What percentage of German gypsies had been killed by the end of the war?

Answer 34

85%

Question 35

Racial policies affected everyone to differing degrees in Nazi Germany. What did the severity of the persecution depend on?

Answer 35

Where they stood in the Nazi racial hierarchy

Question 36

How did attitudes towards Slavs affect policy during the Second World War?

Answer 36

Slav civilians across eastern Europe and the USSR were very badly treated by the invading German army

Question 37

What happened to Roma people between 1933-1935?

Answer 37

Many were arrested and sent to concentration camps

Question 38

What happened to Roma people in 1936?

Answer 38

Some were sent to special camps

Question 39

What happened to Roma people in 1938?

Answer 39

All had to be registered, were examined and if they ‘failed’ the racial tests they lost they citizenship and were banned from travelling

Question 40

What happened to Roma people in 1939?

Answer 40

They were told they would be deported out of Germany

Question 41

What happened to Roma people between 1940-41?

Answer 41

Some were deported to forced labour camps or Jewish ghettos in Poland. Some were later sent to Chelmno death camp

Question 42

What happened to Roma people in 1942?

Answer 42

Himmler ordered the deportation of all Roma from Germany. Most were sent to Auschwitz

Question 43

What happened to Roma people by 1945?

Answer 43

By the end of the war over 200,000 Roma had been killed - about 25% of the Roma population of Europe

Question 44

What certain privileges were Roma people given at Auschwitz?

Answer 44

They were allowed to stay in family groups

Question 45

Policy for disabled babies

Answer 45

From 1939-45, severely disabled babies and children were killed by starvation or injection

Question 46

Policy for disabled adults

Answer 46

From 1940-41, thousands of mentally ill and disabled adults were killed by gas in the T4 Programme until protests led by a Catholic bishop stopped this

Question 47

What were the 2 Nuremberg Laws? (1945)

Answer 47

- The Reich Law on Citizenship - The Reich Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour

Question 48

What was the Reich Law on Citizenship? (4)

Answer 48

- Only those of German blood can be citizens - Non-Aryans will become subjects not citizens - Jews cannot vote, have a German passport or work for the government - People were defined as ‘Jewish’ if they had 3 or more Jewish grandparents

Question 49

What was the Reich Law for the protection of German Blood and Honour? (2)

Answer 49

- No non-Aryan can marry a German citizen - No non-Aryan is allowed to have sexual relations with a German citizen