Life in Nazi Germany summary

What’s the difference between a dictatorship and a democracy?

● During the inter-war years, many European countries became dictatorships e.g. Mussolini’s rule in Italy,
Hitler’s rule in Germany and Stalin’s rule in the Soviet Union.
Dictatorship Democracy

● One ruler/party in power ● Ruler is elected or chosen by the people

● Censorship ● Freedom of speech and media

● Use of violence to maintain control ● respect for the law

● For example Nazi germany, Soviet Union and ● For example Ireland and ancient Greece

fascist Italy

What’s the difference between fascism and communism?

● Hitler’s rule in Germany is an example of a fascist dictatorship.

● Stalin’s rule in the Soviet Union is an example of a communist dictatorship

Fascism Communism

● Dictorships i.e. One person or party is in control ● Dictorships i.e. One person or party is in control

● Control of the press and media ● Control of the press and media

● Propanganda and Censorship ● Propanganda and Censorship

● Extreme nationalism ● Extreme nationalism

● Use of violence ● Extreme nationalism

● Private business and propety ownership ● The government and the state owned

everything. Especially things such as Industry,

agriculture and property

● Anti-communist ● E.g. Soviet Union

Background
● Hitler: born in april 20 1889

● 1919; joined the Nazi party (German Worker`s party)

 ● Became the leader, used the swastika as symbol

● SS=> Hitler’s bodyguards

● SA and Rohm attacked Nazi enemies

How did the Nazis come to power?
● Weimar Republic = unpopular, blamed for Treaty of Versailles

● 1923; failed putsch, Hitler in jail, wrote Mein Kampf

● Unemployment- 1932 = around 6 million people were unemplyed

● Treaty of Versailles – war guilt clause, reparations of £6.6 billion

● Propaganda

● Use of violence

● 1932- Nazi Party = largest in Reichstag

● 1933- President Hindenberg makes Hitler Chancellor

The Nazi Dictatorship
● 1933- Communist party banned after burning of Reichstag

● 1933- Enabling Law = rule by decree (without permission)

● 1934- Knight Of the Long Knives -> executed Rohm and SA

● 1934- Hindenberg died, Hitler created new post => Der Fuhrer
Propaganda Use of Terror

● Goebbels made Minister for Propaganda -> ● Secret police force = Gestapo led by Himmler

‘If you tell a big lie often enough people will

● Concentration camps est. for enemies of the
believe it’- Goebbels
state e.g. Dachau
● Strict Censorship of all media -> mass book

burnings

● ‘Peoples Receiver’ radio, Nazi channels only

● Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl

● Nuremberg rallies

● Nazi party daily paper ‘People’s Observer’ and

Goebbels’ ‘The Attack’ were widely read

Hitler and the Youth Economy

● ‘The battle for the mind starts in the cradle’ ● 1932; 6 million unemployed
 ● At 10 boys joined => Jungvolk ● 1936; 2 million unemployed

● Girls joined Jungnadelbund ● 1939; all Germans employed BUT this figure

is misleading e.g. it didn’t include Jews or

● At 14 boys joined the Hitler Youth =>Blood
woman
and Honour, army drills, hikes with bags full
● Size of the German army increased, violating
of rocks
Treaty of Versailles
● At 14 girls joined the League of German
● Large factories opened that made war materials
Maidens => trained to be good future mothers

● 3 core subjects in school => history, biology ● Public works => autobahen

and sport
● Volkswagen was founded and the ‘People’s
● Teachers had to be members of the Nazi Party
Car’ produced

● Special schools called Napola were set up to ● Special allowances were paid to women with

train future German leaders children to encourage them to stay at home,

Magda Goebbels was used as an example of
the perfect German mother and wife (1st Lady
of Third Reich)

Hitler and the Jews The Holocaust (more on this in a later chapter)

● April 1933: Jewish shops boycotted ● Holocaust = Mass murder of Jews by Nazis

● 1935: Nuremberg Laws for ‘protection of ● Jews forced to live in ghettos in Eastern Europe,

German blood and honour’ => illegal for e.g. Warsaw Ghetto
German to marry Jew, Jews could not vote,
● 1942 onwards => Final Solution
forced to wear Star of David

● 1937: Jews banned from public parks, the ● Eichmann sent Jews to extermination camps

cinema, public benches, could not own pets e.g. Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Treblinka

● 1938: Kristallnacht (night of broken glass); the ● Dr. Wriths carried out experiments

SS smashed the windows of Jewish shops and

● 6 million Jews killed
homes, and burnt synagogues => 90 Jews
were killed

● 1939: 360,000 Jews fled Germany

Women in Nazi Germany Foreign Policy

• Kinder,Kuche,Kirche (children, kitchen,

● 3 aims; break Treaty of Versailles, unite all
 church) = Nazi ideal for women.
• Women encouraged to give up with jobs when
they married.
• Women in state jobs were sacked once married.
• Discouraged from smoking and wearing make-
up
• Magda Goebbels was promoted an ideal to
aspire to.
• Mothers’ Schools trained women in
housework.
• Mother’s Day was made a National holiday
were given to women who had worked for at
least 6 months and then gave up that job when
they got married.
• The Cross of Honour of the German Mother
was given to women who had a certain number
of children e.g. 8 or more children = a gold
medal
• Some women weresterilised to prevent children
from being born with disabilities.
German speaking people, obtain lebensraum
● 1935; planned to increase the army from
100,000 -> 550,000
● 1936; Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland
● 1936; Hitler and Mussolini sent troops to help
General Franco in the Spanish Civil War
● Nov. 1936 Rome-Berlin Axis signed
● 1938; Anschluss
● 1938; Munich Conference and Agreement ->
Hitler given Sudetenland
● March 1939; Hitler took over rest of
Czechoslovakia
● 1939; Pact of Steel signed
● August 1939; Nazi-Soviet pact
● 1, Sept 1939;Germany invaded Poland
● 3, Sept 1939;Britain and France declared war
on Germany