germany - chapter 8 Flashcards
(91 cards)
1
Q
what did hitler want to use the german school system to do
A
brainwash young germans into loving him and the nazi party
-> he believed that children who learned to idolise him when they were young would continue to admire him for the rest of their lives
2
Q
why did hitler begin to start brainwashing school children
A
he realised that in the future he may have to call on these people to put up with hardships, fight, and perhaps die for him
3
Q
how did hitler ensure the loyalty of children
A
he used every subject in school to put forward nazi propaganda and beliefs
4
Q
what subjects would a young german schoolchild have studied
A
many subjects, including history, geography, PE, science and maths
5
Q
what would students learn about in history
A
mainly about the great Germany military victories and how badly germany was treated at the end of WW1
6
Q
what would students learn about in geography
A
areas in the world that germany would soon conquer
7
Q
what did students learn about in science
A
weapon-making and chemical warfare
8
Q
what did students learn about in maths
A
how much money germany would save if they got rid of disabled people, for example
9
Q
what happened to the amount of time given to PE in the 1930s
A
it trebled
10
Q
what new subject was introduced
A
race studies (‘eugenics’)
11
Q
what did students learn about in eugenics
A
how to improve their race
the nazi belief int he inferiority of black people, eastern europeans, and, in particular, Jews
12
Q
what did the new school system mean
A
a whole generation of young people grew up believing they were better than other races
-> this could help to explain why so many ordinary germans failed to speak out against the way the nazis persecuted other races in the years to come
13
Q
how did the nazis make the changes to the school system
A
textbooks were written so nazi beliefs were taught as accepted facts
teachers were made to put across nazi ideas in their lessons
all teachers had to join an organisation called the German Teachers League, and any who refused to teach the way the nazis wanted were sacked
14
Q
what did teachers have to do
A
look out for students who could be potential future nazi leaders
-> they were sent to special academies known as ‘Napolas’ (National Political Educational Institutions)
15
Q
what were the schools set up by the Hitler Youth Organisation called
A
‘Adolf Hitler Schools’
16
Q
what did students graduate from ‘adolf hitler schools’ be
A
after intense training, including many academic examinations and tough physical exercise, the young people who attended these places graduated as ‘ideal Nazis’ - clever, tough and
17
Q
between 1933 and 1934 what % of uni lecturers were replaced
A
15%
1/3 for racial reasons and half for political reasons
18
Q
by 1939 how many uni lecturers had been dismissed
A
over 3000
19
Q
who left germany
A
many leading academics, including Albert Einstein
20
Q
what did german unis have to do
A
change their courses so they reflected what the nazis believed - for example physics courses did not include Einstein’s Theory of Relativity because he was Jewish
21
Q
what were all uni students required to do
A
had to train as a soldier for a month each year
22
Q
who were the top uni professors hand picked by
A
the nazis
23
Q
what happened to the numbers of uni students during the nazi era
A
they fell
the nazis did not regard uni education as particularly important
24
Q
what did hitler want for young people
A
control of them, in school and in their spare time
25
what speech did hitler give in 1935
a speech outlining what the ideal teenager should be like
-> he wanted to train up a ‘new type’ of disciplined and healthy human beings, ‘young men and women who can suffer pain. They must be as fast as a greyhound, as tough as leather and as hard as steel’
26
when did hitler set up the hitler youth organisation
1922
27
what were hitler youth clubs (1922)
- there were many all over germany at this time
- they met after school to talk about Nazi beliefs and ideas
28
what were boys taught in the nazi youth clubs
military skills
29
what were girls taught in the nazi youth clubs
how to be good wives and mothers
30
when the nazis came to power in 1933, what did hitler do (involving youth clubs) and what happened as a result
- banned all other youth clubs, other than the Hitler Youth Club
- as a result, lots more young people joined the Hitler Youth
31
in 1936, what law was made
a Law for the Incorporation of German Youth gave the Hitler Youth ‘equal status’ to school and home
-> the hitler youth was legally just as important as a child’s school and home life
32
what did the hitler youth organisation control
all sports facilities and youth competitions for children under 14
33
when was membership of the hitler youth made compulsory
1939
34
what different youth clubs did german boys have to go to
typically, a boy would join a Nazi club called the ‘Little Fellows’ from age 6 to age 10
then he joined the ‘Young Folk’ from 10 to 14
finally, he would become a fully-fledged member of the ‘Hitler Youth’ at 14 until he reached 18
35
boys at hitler youth club:
- boys would got o hitler youth meetings several times a week after school, and to special weekend camps every month
- at hitler youth meetings, boys learned how to march, fight with knives, fire a gun, and keep themselves fit
-> the emphasis in all these activities was on competition, struggle, heroism, and leadership
- the nazis wanted to prepare the boys for their future role as soldiers
36
what different youth clubs did german girls have to go to
girls normally joined a club called the ‘Young Girls’ between 10 and 14
and the ‘League of German Girls’ from 14 to 17
37
what did girls do at youth clubs
girls still went on tough marches and attended weekend camps, but they would mainly learn how to keep fit, cook good meals and look after babies, to prepare for motherhood
38
what were german boys and girls encourage to do
report their parents or teachers if they criticised hitler or told jokes about the nazis
39
what did young people who did supporter the hitler youth organisations do
- some who refused to join the Hitler Youth went to parties, listened to American jazz music (banned by nazis because of its black origins) and had Jewish friends
-> they were known as the Swing Youth
- other young people formed gangs - the ‘Roving Dudes’, the ‘Edelweiss Pirates’, the ‘Navajos’ - which went camping and sang songs making fun of hitler
-> they even physically attacked Hitler Youth groups
- these gangs included boys and girls, including Jews
40
what was life for women like in the 1920s, before the nazis took over
- women had many rights and freedoms that women in other countries did not have
-> for example, they had the right to vote and if they work for the government, their pay was equal to men
- many women attended uni and became lawyers and doctors
41
what were the nazis concerned about during the Weimar period
the declining number of births, which was a result of career-driven women having fewer children
-> in 1900 there had been over 2 million births per year but this had dropped to under 1 million by 1933
42
why were the nazis concerned about low birth rate
low birth rate and lower population didn’t fit with their plans to expand germany’s territory and settle germans in other areas of europe
43
what did the nazis think the role of women was
stay at home, have lots of children and support their husbands
44
what did hitler say women should stick to
the three K’s - Kinder, Kirche and Küche (children, church and cooking)
45
within months of hitler coming to power what happened to women
- many female doctors, teachers, lawyers and judges were sacked
- getting a job was discouraged, as it might get in the way of producing children
- women were banned from jury service because the nazis said they were unable to think without emotion
46
what were women not allowed to do
- smoking because it was ‘unladylike’
- wearing trousers or high heels, for the same reason
- the only this women were actively encouraged to do was have children
47
how did the nazis try to increase the birth rates
- loans were given out to newly married couples (the equivalent of a year’s wages) to encourage them to have children
- on the birth of a first child, they could keep a quarter of the money
- on the birth of another, they could keep the second quarter, and so on
- the nazis banned contraception and abortion too
- even slimming was discouraged because it was not thought to be good for getting pregnant
- the nazis set up the Lebensborn movement
-> an estimated 8000 children were born in germany as a result of this
48
what award was given to women
- ever year, on 12th august (the birthday of hitler’s mother) the Motherhood Medal was awarded to women who had the most children
- mothers with 8 children received the ‘Gold Cross’
49
how did nazis promote their views on women
- through the organisations they set up
- the German Women’s League coordinated all adult women’s groups in the country, and representatives travelled around giving advice on cooking, childcare and healthy eating
- by march 1939, 1.7 million women had attended one of its motherhood training courses
- another group, The Nazi Women Organisation, was set up to develop an elite female group dedicated to Nazi beliefs and ideas
50
were the nazi policies on births a success
the birth rate in germany did increase
there were around 970,000 babies born in germany in 1933 - and this had risen to 1,413,000 by 1939
51
despite what the nazis said about a woman’s role and her place in the workplace, the reality was different. why?
- the nazis needed women back at work because more men were joining the army, and workers were needed to run factories
- as more men were killed after WW2 began in 1939, it became vital for thousands of women to take on the role of main wage earner and mother
- unlike britain though, women were still not called up to work
52
what two groups were german christian’s divided into
around 1/3 of germans were catholics (20 million people)
and 2/3 were protestant (40 million)
53
why did some christian’s support the nazis
- the nazis said they believed in the importance of marriage, the family and moral values. most christian’s also believed in the importance of these
- christian’s feared communism because it was anti-religious, and hitler promised to destroy communism
- hitler promised to respect the catholic church
54
how did hitler cooperate with the catholic church leaders at first
in 1933 he signed a Concordat (agreement) with the Pope so that they would not interfere with each other
55
why did hitler break his concordant with the pope
he felt the german catholics listened to the pope more than him, so he harassed and arrested catholic priests and closed down catholic youth clubs and schools
56
what did the pope do because relations between hitler and him became so bad
in 1937 the pope issued a statement called ‘With Burning Anxiety’, saying that the Nazis were ‘hostile to Christ and his Church’
-> this was read in catholic churches across germany, but it had little effect
- the nazis continued to arrest priests
57
what happened in august 1941
- one of germanys best-known religious leaders, Catholic Archbishop Galen, openly criticised the Nazis for their use of terror tactics, euthanasia and concentration camps
- as a result of his protests, Galen was put under house arrest until the end of the war
58
who were known as ‘German Christians’
protestants who admired hitler for his views on marriage and moral values and wanted to see their church under nazi control
59
‘German Christians’:
- their leader, Ludwig Müller, became the first Reich Bishop in september 1933
- they often work nazi uniforms and used the slogan ‘the swastika on our chests and the Cross in our hearts’
60
why did some protestants hate the ‘german christians’
they felt the core nazi beliefs were totally opposed to those of christianity
61
the ‘Confessional Church’:
- led by Pastor Martin Niemöller
- they openly criticised the Nazis
62
how did the nazis strike back against the ‘Confessional Church’
- they arrested around 800 pastors
- Niemöller was sent to a concentration camp
- the confessional church was banned
63
what happened to Jehovah Witnesses
about 1/3 were killed in concentration camps because they were pacifists and refused to serve int he army
64
what religious groups all disappeared from germany
the Salvation Army, Christian Scientists, and the Seventh Day Adventist Church
65
comparison of core nazi and christian beliefs
nazi:
- nazis thought strength and violence were glorious
- hated the weak and vulnerable
- believed some races were superior to others
- hitler was a god-like figure
christian:
- believed in love and forgiveness
- help the weak and vulnerable
- believe all people are equal in god’s eyes
- believe in god and the teachings of Jesus Christs
66
what did hitler believe about different races
- he felt that germans were the master race, the most superior race of all
- he felt that germans had the right to dominate inferior races such as Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, Black and India people
67
what word did hitler use to describe the ‘master race’ of germans
Aryan
68
what would an ideal aryan be
strong, tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and white
69
why did the nazis begin to persecute, and later murder, the so-called ‘inferior’ races
hitler feared that aryans would mix with them
70
in the years up to 1945, how many gypsies and jews, from all over europe, died in death camps
over half a million gypsies
over six million jews
71
what did hitler do to jews
Jews were rounded up and forced to work in areas known as ghettos
some were hunted down and murdered by execution squads
later in they war they were sent to specially built death camps, to be murdered by poison gas
72
what did hitler believe every german should do
- work to make germany a better nation
- there were certain groups, he felt, that were incapable of this and whose existence weakened the nation
-> he called these people ‘undesirable’ and wanted to get rid of them in order to strengthen germany
73
how did hitler get rid of the groups of people he called ‘undesirable’
- around half a million tramps, beggars and alcoholics were sent to concentration camps in 1933. many were worked to death
- thousands of prostitutes, homosexuals and problem families were sent to the camps too
- many people with strong religious beliefs were sent to the camps. some were pacifists who refused to go into the army. others refused to offer total loyalty to anyone other than god
- about 350,000 physically and mentally disabled men and women were forcibly sterilised by the Nazis. they didn’t fit in with hitlers vision of a race of strong and powerful aryans, so he wanted to stop them passing any of their ‘deformities’ onto their children. from 1939 the nazis began to kill them. about 200,000 people, including 5000 children, were murdered in specially built ‘nursing homes’
74
timeline of persecution of Jews
march 1933
- all jewish lawyers and judges were sacked
april 1933
- all jews banned from any sports clubs
- all jewish teachers sacked
september 1933
- ‘race studies’ introduced in german schools
january 1934
- all jewish shops marked with a yellow star of David - a symbol of the Jewish religion - or the word Juden (german for ‘Jew’)
- soldiers to stand outside shops turning people away
september 1935
- jews not allowed to vote
- marriages between jews and non-jews banned
- these were known as the Nuremberg Laws
january 1936
- no Jew allowed to own any electrical equipment (including cameras), bicycles, typewriters or music records
july 1938
- Jewish doctors sacked
august 1938
- male Jews must add the name ‘Israel’ and female Jews must add the name ‘Sara’ to their first names
november 1938
- Jewish children banned from german schools
- jewish homes, synagogues and businesses attacked all over germany and austria
- about 100 jews killed and 20,000 sent to concentration camps
- known as Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass)
december 1938
- jewish and non-jewish children forbidden to play together
- jews banned from using swimming pools
april 1939
- jews can be evicted from their homes for no reason
september 1939
- jews no longer allowed outside their homes between 8pm and 6am
75
what is Anti-Semitism the term for
the discrimination of Jews
76
how and why had anti-semitism been present in europe for many centuries
- jews had been blamed for the death of Jesus Christ and the outbreak of Black Death in the 1300s
- Jews value education very highly and often gain well-paid positions as doctors, lawyers or businessmen
-> this sometimes means that people often become jealous of their ‘privileged’ lives
- at one time or another Jews have been persecuted in nearly all european countries
77
what were some possible reasons for hitlers hatred of jews
- historians are unsure
- some argue it could have been something to do with his jealousy of the richer Jewish population in Vienna when he was living there as a struggling young artist
- he blamed jews for germany’s defeat in the war and thought that jewish bankers and businessmen had not done enough to help
- he believed that jews started the revolution in germany that led to the kaiser leaving germany and then the signing of the hated treaty of versailles
78
what did hitler do as soon as he became leader of germany, because of his hatred of jews
- introduced laws and rules that made jewish lives very difficult
- non-jewish germans were bombarded with speeches, news articles and even films showing how evil, selfish and damaging jews were to the german nation
- one nazi-owned propaganda newspaper in 1934 had a headline that read ‘Jewish Murder Plan Against Non-Jewish Mankind Uncovered’ with a sub-heading that read ‘The Jews Are Our Misfortune’
- jews were banned from having government jobs or careers in medicine, teaching or journalism
- they were banned from public places like swimming pools and cinemas
- Nuremberg Laws: the Reich Citizen Act said that no Jew could vote, whilst the Law for Protection of German Blood and Honour banned marriage between Jews and non-Jews
- ‘Night of Broken Glass’
79
what were the nuremberg laws and when were they introduced
september 1935
the Reich Citizen Act said that no Jew could vote, whilst the Law for Protection of German Blood and Honour banned marriage between Jews and non-Jews
80
when was the night of broken glass
november 1938
81
Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass):
- in november 1938, under orders from Goebbels, SS troops carried out a nationwide campaign of terror against the Jews
- around 10,000 Jewish shops had their windows broken
- around 100 jews were killed
- 20,000 were sent to concentration camps
- nearly 200 synagogues were burned down
82
the impact of the war on jews:
- lots of jews left germany to live in nearby countries such as Holland and belgium, but found themselves back under Nazi rule when germany invaded and occupied those countries during WW2
- as the war went on, hitler invaded more countries, more jews became trapped under hitlers rule all over europe - three million jews in Poland, 2.7 million in western Russia and over 1 million in France, Denmark, Norway and the Balkans
83
ghettos and execution squads:
- in some countries jews were bricked into ghettos int he major cities, or sent to work in labour camps
- execution squads even went out into the countryside and shot or gassed as many jews and they could find
- for some nazis, the destruction of europe’s jews was not happening quickly enough, and by the end of 1941, leading nazis had begun working on plans for what they called ‘a final solution to the Jewish question’
84
when and where did nazi leaders meet to discuss the final solution for the mass murder of every jew in german territory and what did they decide to do
Wannsee Conference
1942
decided to do it by either working them to death or by killing them in poison gas chambers
85
the Final Solution:
- six major death camps were built
- soon, Jews from all over german-occupied Europe were being transported to these camps
- they were joined by thousands of gypsies, homosexuals, political opponents, the disabled and any other groups whom the nazis considered unfit to live
86
Jewish resistance to the Final Solution
- when execution soldiers arrived in some towns and villages, some Jews escaped to the forests and formed resistance groups
- they attacked german soldiers and blew up railway lines that the germans were using
- however, these groups were rare and hunted down ruthlessly
87
what was the Jewish resistance in the ghettos
the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943 lasted 43 days before the Germans finally gained control, arrested and executed all those involved, and burned down the ghetto
88
what was a rebellion in a death camp
- in Treblinka in 1943
- one of the prisoners managed to get into the weapons store where he handed out guns and grenades
- after setting the camp on fire, 150 prisoners managed to escape, killing 15 guards in the process
- however, the nazis spooned regained control and all of the escapees were killed
- around 550 prisoners were then killed by the germans in revenge
89
how may jews were killed by the nazis and how many of these deaths took place in death camps
around 6 million jews were killed by the nazis
around 3 million of these deaths took place in death camps like Auschwitz, Belzec and Treblinka
90
what ordinary people helped with the Final Solution
- some railway workers loaded Jews onto cattle trucks bound for the camps
- office clerks
- typists
- telephone operators
- policemen
- soldiers
- around 150 german companies used Auschwitz prisoners as slaves to build their goods
- other firms competed for the contract to design and build the gas chambers and ovens in which people were murdered and burned
91
how much did foreign governments know about the final solution
- there has been controversy over how much governments in other countries, such as the USA and Britain, knew about the Nazi death camps
- today, most historians agree that they knew something terrible was happening, but not the scale of it
- there were in a difficult position too
-> the camps were deep in the heart of Nazi-occupied Europe and bombing was the only option, but that wasn’t practical or humane
