The Third Reich

Question 1

COORDINATION

Answer 1

• Goal: Consolidate Nazi control over all aspects of German society.
• Process: Aligning state, federal institutions, and society with Nazi ideology.
• Methods:
  
  • Eliminate opposition (political parties banned).
  • Merge organizations under Nazi control (youth groups, labor unions - DAF).
  • Purge “undesirables” from civil service (Jews, opponents).
  • Centralize state power (abolish state govts, Reich governors).
  • Control information and culture.

Question 2

THE THREAT OF THE SA

Answer 2

• By Apr 1934: Nazis controlled state, institutions, all opposition gone, civil service aligned.
• SA Threat: Large (4.5M), violent, wanted “2nd revolution,” opposed by elites.
• Röhm’s Ambition: Merge SA with army, become leader. Threatened Hitler.
• Hitler’s Action: Planning to remove Röhm & SA by May 1934.

Question 3

THE FÜHRER

Answer 3

• Hindenburg’s Death (Aug 1934): Hitler took over President & Chancellor roles (unconstitutional).
• Army Oath: Swore allegiance to Hitler, not state.
• Plebiscite: Approved Hitler’s new title, but not fully legitimate.
• Nazi Propaganda: Cult of Führer - infallible leader above all, brought stability & recovery.
• Power Source: Derived from perceived German needs.

Question 4

LAW IN THE THIRD REICH

Answer 4

• Dual Legal System: “Normal” laws + Nazi decrees (Reichstag Fire Decree). Fuehrer’s word law.
• Harsher Sentencing: More death sentences (esp. for foreign broadcasts), longer jail terms, worse prison conditions.
• “People’s Courts” (Volksgerichtshof): Political crimes, no presumption of innocence, limited appeals, high execution rate.
• Protective Custody (Schutzhaft): Arrest without warrant/judicial review, indefinite detention in camps. Used against political opponents & “asocials.”

Question 5

THE GESTAPO

Answer 5

• Secret State Police: Led by Himmler, reported to Hitler. Internal security, “protective custody.”
• Denunciation: Encouraged by Nazis, 60-80% of cases started this way. Network of informers.
• Limited Size: ~15,000 agents. Relied on public fear & denunciation.
• Propaganda: Portrayed as ruthless & efficient.
• Fear & Control: Constant surveillance, public displays of loyalty, controlled social life, political prisoners in camps, self-censorship.

Question 6

THE VOLKSGEMEINSCHAFT

Answer 6

• “Racial Community”: Central Nazi idea. Harmonious, united, racially pure Germans. Based on eugenics & social Darwinism.
• “Blood and Soil”: Pure German race linked to rural life/soil. Urban life seen as weakening.
• Divided Society:
  
  • “Racial Comrades”: Pure Aryans, full members.
  • “Community Aliens”: “Racially inferior” (Jews, disabled, etc.), excluded, expelled.
• Social Classes: Supposed to work together for national benefit, not oppose. Abolished class distinctions in some ways (uniforms, greetings).

Question 7

GENDER + SEXUALITY IN THE THIRD REICH

Answer 7

• Traditional Gender Roles: Male = strength, aggression. Female = birth, raise children (strengthen Volksgemeinschaft).
• Marriage Encouraged (1933 Law): Loans for new marriages, incentives for more children. Reduced female workforce participation. Limited female higher education.
• Contraception/Abortion: Restricted. Abortion legal if child disabled/mother non-Aryan. Lebensborn program encouraged births of “Aryan” children.
• LGBTQ+ Persecution: Seen as “degenerate,” threat to “Aryan” race. Laws criminalized male homosexuality, thousands imprisoned/sent to camps.

Question 8

NAZI ECONOMIC REFORMS

Answer 8

• Goal: Address unemployment (6M in 1933), achieve self-sufficiency.
• Early Measures (1933-34): Restricted welfare, replaced private charities with Nazi welfare (NSV). Winter Relief donations collected.
• Increased Spending: Rearmament (army grew to 1.4M), public works (Autobahn - 800k jobs), National Labour Service (RAD) for young Germans.
• Four Year Plan (1936): Autarky (self-sufficiency). Control of food production & prices. Import reduction, synthetic resource development.
• 1939 Recovery: Unemployment down, industrial production up, but still relied on imported raw materials.

Question 9

THE GERMAN LABOUR FRONT (DAF)

Answer 9

• Coordination (1933): Replaced trade unions, incorporated workers & businesses. Hostile to unions.
• Mass Organization: Included workers, middle class, professionals. Aimed to make individuals work for the “maximum of work.” Propaganda used to indoctrinate.
• Worker Conditions (Under DAF):
  
  • Strikes banned, collective bargaining ended.
  • Wages set by Nazi “trustees.”
  • Workbook required for jobs.
  • Employers could refuse workbooks to prevent job changes.
  • Wage increases below national growth.
  • Income from capital rose more than wages.
• Corruption: Organization lacked published details of finances.

Question 10

STRENGTH THROUGH JOY (KdF)

Answer 10

• Nazi Leisure Organization (1933): Set up by DAF. Provided affordable leisure for workers.
• Propaganda Tool: Regulated leisure time to influence workers with Nazi ideology.
• Activities: Organized sports, concerts, theatre, travel (subsidized holidays).
• Volkswagen: Workers could save to buy a “People’s Car.”
• Beauty of Labour (SdA) (1934): Improved workplace environment, facilities, safety. Encouraged worker self-improvement.

Question 11

KIRCHENKAMPF (CHRUCH STRUGGLE)

Answer 11

• Nazi Aim: Subordinate churches to Nazi ideology.
• Methods: Undermine Christian influence, promote “positive Christianity” (Nazi-aligned). Loyalty to God seen as conflicting with loyalty to Hitler.
• Divisions:
  
  • German Christians: Pro-Nazi Protestant movement.
  • Confessing Church: Anti-Nazi Protestant resistance.
  • Catholic Church: Initially sought Concordat, later criticized Nazi actions.
• Nazi Actions: Propaganda against clergy, restrictions on church activities, arrests of priests/pastors, closure of church institutions.
• Limited Success: Churches resisted to some extent, but faced significant pressure.

Question 12

RACIAL HYGIENE & AKTION T4

Answer 12

• Racial Hygiene: Nazi ideology promoting “superior” Aryan race. Encouraged reproduction of “fit,” discouraged “inferior.”
• 1933 Law: Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases - forced sterilization for various conditions (disability, mental illness, etc.). ~400k Germans sterilized.
• Aktion T4 (1939-41): Euthanasia program targeting physically/mentally disabled. Panel of doctors decided who lived/died (no examination needed).
• Methods: Initially starvation/drugs, then gas chambers.
• Scale: Estimated 70,000+ children & adults murdered. Program officially stopped due to public protest, but killings continued secretly.

Question 13

CONTROL
OF THE MEDIA

Answer 13

• Nazi Belief: Media to “spiritually mobilize” Germans, follow Nazi ideology.
• Ministry of Public Enlightenment & Propaganda (1933): Led by Goebbels, controlled media to promote Nazi worldview.
• Press Control: Censored newspapers, forced journalists to join Nazi organizations, only approved news allowed.
• Radio Control: Goebbels promoted radio for propaganda. Affordable radios increased reach. Limited foreign broadcasts. Communal listening encouraged.
• Film/Culture Control: Reich Chamber of Culture controlled art, literature, film, music. Censorship enforced, only Nazi-approved content allowed.

Question 14

THE GREAT GERMAN & DEGENERATE ART EXHIBITIONS

Answer 14

• Nazi “Aryan Art”: Classical styles, idealized subjects (heroism, rural life). Rejected modern art.
• Degenerate Art Exhibition (1937): Showcased confiscated modern art to ridicule it. Aimed to shock and disgust.
• Nazi View of “Degenerate Art”: “Jewish,” “Bolshevik,” “mentally diseased,” “racial impurity.” Included expressionism, Dada, surrealism.
• Contrast: Juxtaposed “healthy” Aryan art with “sick” modern art.
• Outcome: Many “degenerate” artworks sold off or destroyed.