How far did attitudes towards ethnic minorities affect their status in Germany in the years 1918-89?

Question 1

Attitudes towards Ethnic Minorities pre-ww1?

Answer 1

-Poles, Gypies and Jews not regarded as equals.
-There were religious prejudices due to Germanies colonial history e,g, Herero genocide.
-Intermarriage was also common, but they were mostly segregated although not legally.

Question 2

Ethnic Minorities in Weimar Republic: Summary?

Answer 2

They were mostly accepted, but encountered discrimination in wages and in job searching. Elite conservatives were less welcoming.

Question 3

Legal Status:

Answer 3

Article 113
-No discrimination, could speak their own language.
- Although they could not control any law the Lander created.
-Equal rights.
-Couldn’t serve on judiciary.

Question 4

Percentage of Germans who were Jewish in 1933?

Answer 4

0.76%.

(20% of these lived in poverty)

Question 5

Influence of Jews on German culture and government?

Answer 5

They had a massive influence on culture and some became politicians e.g. Walter Rathenau.

Question 6

Attitudes towards Jews in WR?

Answer 6

People were against Jews joining the cabinet e.g. Rathenau assassinated soon after his appointment –> some anti-Semitic organisations banned. Judges were often A-S.
–> more casual view that their Jewish ancestry was less important than them as a German and that they should assimilate.

Question 7

Example of Anti-Semitic group in Germany during WR?

Answer 7

The German Peoples Offensive and Defensive Alliance had around 170k members.
-Blamed Jews for loss of war (main reason for discrimination against jews)
-Protestant church A-S as labelled them “fundamentally selfish”

Question 8

How did TGD affect attitudes to Jews?

Answer 8

People blamed Jews for their economic failures. The Reich Federation of Jewish Front Soldiers was set up to combat this. Increased right wing presence.

Question 9

Which 2 Lander had laws against Gypsies plus examples?

Answer 9

Prussia and Bavaria - controlled their movement and aimed to get children into school and adults into work. 1927 - said they should carry identity cards.

Question 10

Attitudes towards Poles?

Answer 10

After ww1 500k poles were integrated into Germany. Faced significant racism due to them fighting against them in the war.

Question 11

Why did Racism against Black People rise? What was the status of Black people in WR?

Answer 11

Many units who invaded the Ruhr in 1923 were black - mixed race children were seen as ‘Germany’s shame’.]
-Racism against Black people form colonies as Germans viewed that they had “civilized” them
-Therefore they had no right to vote.
-Black musicians e.g. from America treated very differently - needed in Jazz Clubs and treated with curiosity.

Question 12

Nazi Racial Policies: What process began on 1st Jan 1934?

Answer 12

Compulsory sterilisation programme for ethnic minorities.
-Widened in 1935 to allow abortion of the ‘unfit’.
-Around 400k sterilised.

Question 13

5 Examples of early policies towards Jews:

Answer 13

-They were separated from non-Jews in work place
-1937 They banned and boycotted Jewish Businesses (introduced after Goering took over in 1936)
-The SA and Hitler Youth would often organised attacks against Jewish people (e.g. Kristallnacht after German diplomat shot by Jew in Poland - 200 deaths, 30000 arrests which was perpetrated by the people with little resistance.)
- They were banned from working in the media.
-1933 Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil service act (banned from civil service)

Question 14

2 examples of Nuremberg Race laws:

Answer 14

Reich Citizenship Law - removed citizenship rights from all people who had 4 or more non-Aryan grandparents.

Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour: illegal for interrelations between Aryans and non-Aryans

(introduced partly due to Gauleiters who pressured the Gov. to move faster.)

Question 15

What did many Jews attempt during this period?

Answer 15

Emigration - around 450,000 Jews emigrated.

Question 16

What was the Flight Tax?

Answer 16

Nazis took about half of emigrating Jews wealth.
-These policies were also immediately introduced in Austria - including tasks like scrubbing the street.

Question 17

What force was set up in 1939?

Answer 17

Einsatzgruppen. They would find polish leaders and kill them and also mass murder Jews - killed 1/3 of all Jews.

Question 18

Describe Ghettos:

Answer 18

Overcrowded, limited food and medicine. Strength through joy did trips through the Ghettos to show how ‘dirty’ they were. 160k Jews in 1 Ghetto (Lodz).

Question 19

Attitudes to other minorities in Nazi Germany:

Answer 19

Black people - “Rhineland Bastards” about 500 children sterilized.
-As SS radicalized Gypsies were targeted more in the same way that Jews were.
-Aktion T4 Programme against to kill disabled, mentally ill, or elderly people (70000 deaths)

Question 20

Life for guest worker in FRG?

Answer 20

-They were not guaranteed the same rights as Germans.
-They were guaranteed the same wages as non-guest workers (but gave preference to German workers).
-They signed contract they couldn’t leave for 1 year and were provided accommodation which was often cut off from the community.

(by 1970 they were 10% of the workforce)

Question 21

What kind of jobs were guest workers often given?

Answer 21

Heavy manual labour.
-They were often given jobs Germans didn’t want e.g. 1971-71 3 mill workers switched from industry and agriculture to white collar jobs.
-‘Illegal’ guest workers often took worst paying jobs with no accommodation.

Question 22

Negatives of being a guest worker in Germany?

Answer 22

-They were not guaranteed the same rights as citizens. -The 1966 recession caused lots of hostility to guest workers especially towards those who didn’t speak German
–> Many landlords refused guest workers so they often had to live in cramped, poor conditions.
-Ban on recruiting guest workers after 1973.
-Expected to return home after their contract was up (scapegoated after recession and oil crisis)

Question 23

How did things worsen in the 70s and 80s due to the oil crisis?

Answer 23

-Government put a ban on hiring new guest workers and banned permits for families of these workers.
-They fell to under 2 mill.

Question 24

What was done for children of unemployed guest workers?

Answer 24

Children were given same benefits as children of citizens form 1975.
-stereotypes emerged of them being violent and being in gangs (due to failures in education as they didn’t have provisions for diff. languages and more than 50 percent of these teenagers were unemployed)
-faced deportation on 18th birthday (guaranteed if they had a criminal record)

Question 25

When was ban on guest workers removed?

Answer 25

1977.

Question 26

What was the first Federal Commissioner for Foreigners Affairs and when was it set up?

Answer 26

1978 - set up by Helmut Schmidt to improve rights of foreign workers and to promote their integration into society.

Question 27

What was the issue with education of guest workers children?

Answer 27

60% of children starting were Muslim and they were joining mainly catholic schools which caused cultural conflicts.

Question 28

What was the biggest hindrance to Guest workers integration?

Answer 28

The attitudes of people who were suspicious of their religion or culture which was only increased by language divisions.
- far right groups also increased attacks in late 70s: 6 bombings of Jewish memorials and 2 Vietnamese killed in Hamburg.