		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Hitlers Consolidation of Power</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="government-changes">Government Changes</h2>

<p>Although the Nazi takeover was the beginning of a National Socialist revolution, there were differences within the party as to the next steps and what needed to happen. Many Nazis, including the SA felt that the political power gain was not the most important step, and this caused deep divisions. Hitler’s view was to gain dictatorial power, eliminate opposition and then a takeover of institutions.</p>

<h2 id="creation-of-a-one-party-state">Creation of a One Party State</h2>

<p>Hitler did not want any other political parties, as he saw the Nazis as the racial core. He wanted to work towards the Volksgemeinschaft - in which there was no party other than the Nazi party. Since the Reichstag fire, the KPD had been essentially disbanded and banned, with members in exile or concentration camps. The SPD continued to voice their opposition to Hitler and the Nazis until they were outlawed as a party hostile to the state in June 1933. The DNVP and the Centre Party dissolved themselves, and a law was passed in July 1933 outlawing the creation of any new political parties.</p>

<h2 id="centralisation-of-power">Centralisation of Power</h2>

<p>Hitler’s next move was to turn the federal republic and make all the institutions run from the centre. It removed the power of the states to run their money, education, police forces etc. and meant that it was all run from the government, giving Hitler and the Nazis more power over everything. The Nazi party introduced their own structure and way of ruling at both the national and state level. At the state level, they had leaders called Gauleiters ensuring policy was stuck to, but the relationship between national and state-run things was never clearly defined.</p>

<h2 id="control-of-civil-service">Control of Civil Service</h2>

<p>Under the Kaiser, the civil service was as important to the running of the state as the soldiers. They were conservative-minded and disliked the Weimar Republic, so welcomed Hitler’s rule, as they believed that the conservative cabinet would keep the civil service powers and ensure the Nazis were restrained. This was not the case, and the Nazis viewed the civil service as another obstacle, so many members were forced to resign, being replaced with SA members instead.</p>

<h2 id="night-of-the-long-knives-1934">Night of the Long Knives 1934</h2>

<p>The Night of the Long Knives involved the violent purge of certain members of the Nazi Party from June 30th to July 2nd in 1934. Called the Nacht der langen Messer in Germany, this event occurred over a series of days and entailed the Nazi regime’s murder of those Hitler considered to be political enemies. In particular, those targeted belonged to the Strasserist, a left-wing faction of the Nazi Party that Hitler distrusted. Those killed during these events included Ernst Rohm, Kurt von Schleicher, Gustav Ritter von Kahr, and Gregor Strasser.</p>

<p>After the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler had eliminated both real and perceived opposition in the Nazi Party. He was able to put his main loyalists in charge of various operations in the German government and further expand his ability to control the government and the populace.</p>

<h2 id="hindenburgs-death-august-1934">Hindenburgs Death August 1934</h2>

<p>Hindenburg knew that he was close to death, as he was very unwell, and had written a political will in which he called for the restoration of the monarchy. Hitler knew that this was his final obstacle and the matter of Hindenburg’s succession was of great importance to him. Hitler knew that as long as Hindenburg was alive he would not have absolute power, as the army owed allegiance to the president and the president could therefore remove Hitler from power. This was something that Hindenburg, supported by Von Papen, considered doing as they were concerned by the excess of the SA and wanted them and Hitler to be bought under control. This is what triggered Hitler to get rid of the SA and therefore there were no objections to Hitler becoming Hindenburg’s successor and he then merged the role of president and chancellor.</p>

		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Hitler's Consolidation of Power</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="government-changes">Government Changes</h2>

	<p>Although the Nazi takeover was the beginning of a National Socialist revolution, there were differences within the party as to the next steps and what needed to happen. Many Nazis, including the SA, felt that the political power gain was not the most important step, which caused deep divisions. Hitler's view was to gain dictatorial power, eliminate opposition, and then take over institutions.</p>

	<h2 id="creation-of-a-one-party-state">Creation of a One-Party State</h2>

	<p>Hitler did not want any other political parties, as he saw the Nazis as the racial core. He wanted to work towards the Volksgemeinschaft, in which there was no party other than the Nazi party. Since the Reichstag fire, the KPD had been essentially disbanded and banned, with members in exile or concentration camps. The SPD continued to voice their opposition to Hitler and the Nazis until they were outlawed as a party hostile to the state in June 1933. The DNVP and the Centre Party dissolved themselves, and a law was passed in July 1933 outlawing the creation of any new political parties.</p>

	<h2 id="centralisation-of-power">Centralisation of Power</h2>

	<p>Hitler's next move was to centralize the federal republic and make all the institutions run from the center. It removed the power of the states to run their money, education, police forces, etc. and meant that everything was run from the government, giving Hitler and the Nazis more power over everything. The Nazi party introduced their own structure and way of ruling at both the national and state level. At the state level, they had leaders called Gauleiters ensuring policy was adhered to, but the relationship between national and state-run things was never clearly defined.</p>

	<h2 id="control-of-civil-service">Control of Civil Service</h2>

	<p>Under the Kaiser, the civil service was as important to the running of the state as the soldiers. They were conservative-minded and disliked the Weimar Republic, so they welcomed Hitler's rule, as they believed that the conservative cabinet would keep the civil service powers and ensure the Nazis were restrained. This was not the case, and the Nazis viewed the civil service as another obstacle, so many members were forced to resign and were replaced with SA members instead.</p>

	<h2 id="night-of-the-long-knives-1934">Night of the Long Knives 1934</h2>

	<p>The Night of the Long Knives involved the violent purge of certain members of the Nazi Party from June 30th to July 2nd in 1934. Called the Nacht der langen Messer in Germany, this event occurred over a series of days and entailed the Nazi regime's murder of those Hitler considered to be political enemies. In particular, those targeted belonged to the Strasserist, a left-wing faction of the Nazi Party that Hitler distrusted. Those killed during these events included Ernst Rohm, Kurt von Schleicher, Gustav Ritter von Kahr, and Gregor Strasser.</p>

	<p>After the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler had eliminated both real and perceived opposition in the Nazi Party. He was able to put his main loyalists in charge of various operations in the German government and further expand his ability to control the government and the populace.</p>

	<h2 id="hindenburgs-death-august-1934">Hindenburg's Death August 1934</h2>

	<p>Hindenburg knew that he was close to death, as he was very unwell, and had written a political will in which he called for the restoration of the monarchy. Hitler knew that this was his final obstacle, and the matter of Hindenburg's succession was of great importance to him. Hitler knew that as long as Hindenburg was alive, he would not have absolute power, as the army owed allegiance to the president, and the president could therefore remove Hitler from power. This was something that Hindenburg, supported by Von Papen, considered doing as they were concerned by the excess of the SA and wanted them and Hitler to be brought under control. This is what triggered Hitler to get rid of the SA, and therefore there were no objections to Hitler becoming Hindenburg's successor, and he then merged the role of president and chancellor.</p>

</main>

history

Hitlers Consolidation of Power

Germany: Nazi Dictatorship (1933-39)

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Resistance</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="political-resistance">Political Resistance</h2>

<p>The SPD and KPD were expected to mount resistance to Hitler. Hitler feared that the unions which were linked the SPD would stage a general strike to stop the Nazi takeover. However, due to divisions within the parties and between the parties, they posed no serious threat. The SPD were unprepared for a Nazi takeover, and although they campaigned against the Nazis, they faced the most action and violence from the SA. The KPD was better prepared, but the Gestapo worked hard to ensure that there was little threat from the Communists. Secret Communist activity was not entirely eradicated by the Gestapo – there were still underground meetings and plots, but there was in effect, little that could be done.</p>

<h2 id="workers">Workers</h2>

<p>Before 1933, Germany was the most unionised country, and the unions held great power over the government. Hitler was worried about strikes getting in the way of his power. Some unions attempted to strike, which did cause problems for the Nazis, but they arrested leaders and put them in prison, meaning people were put off carrying out the same offence again.</p>

<h2 id="churches">Churches</h2>

<p>The Christian churches were the only organisation in Nazi Germany that retained their own ideology. They were aware that they would lose out if they tried to fight the Nazis, but the Nazis were aware that they could not get rid of the churches. The protestant church was split when the Nazi regime attempted to coordinate them in into the Volksgemeinschaft. Many pastors would not accept being a part of this and spoke out about the new regime. Many churches refused to display the swastika flag, and when two priests were arrested there were mass demonstrations. The Nazis failed to silence the confessional church, but it did not form full opposition. The catholic church was more united and retained more independence, however, the catholic church attempted to come to terms with the new regime. When the concordat of 1933 was signed and the privileges granted to the catholic church were under attack, the catholic church condemned the Nazi regime. Although many individual priests and members opposed the regime’s religious policies, the church itself did not move beyond a narrow defence of its independence meaning that resistance was futile.</p>

<h2 id="young-people">Young People</h2>

<p>In the early years of the Nazi regime the Hitler youth were able to channel youthful energy and rebelliousness into officially approved activities. However, there were growing signs of disillusionment, for reasons such as membership was compulsory, it made great demands on their free time, and endless military trails. The response of many young people was to opt-out, either by letting their membership lapse or just not attending. Some young people hummed tunes that had been banned at meetings. Some young people formed gangs to show the independents, such as the Meuten gang, that but they were little more than criminal gangs.</p>

<h2 id="elites">Elites</h2>

<p>Many members of the German elites had serious misgivings about the Nazi party, in particular Hitler. Army generals and senior civil servants regarded Hitler as a threat to the old Germany. However, there is not much they could do to oppose, once Hitler had consolidated his power in an alliance with the army, big business and conservative politicians. Opposition to Hitler within the army and civil service peaked in 1938. They did not agree with his foreign policy, although they did agree with building Germany’s military strength. Hitler’s response was to purge those that opposed from the army.</p>

<dl>
	<dt>What political resistance was there? </dt>
	<dd id="Elites0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Hardly Any /  Political Opponents /  Arrested /  Concentration Camps /  Parties Disbanded</dd>
	<dt>Did the churches resist? </dt>
	<dd id="Elites1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Very Little /  Independent /  Against Regime /  Priests Arrested /  Concordat Signed<br />Explanation: <em>Very little, they got away with staying fairly independent, and although tried to speak out against the regime, they did not get very far, as priests were arrested and the concordat was signed.</em></dd>
	<dt>Why did the unions/workers not pose much threat? </dt>
	<dd id="Elites2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Arrested /  Striked<br />Explanation: <em>Because they were arrested if they striked.</em></dd>
</dl>


		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Resistance</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="political-resistance">Political Resistance</h2>

	<p>The SPD and KPD were expected to mount resistance to Hitler. However, due to divisions within and between the parties, they posed no serious threat. The SPD were unprepared for a Nazi takeover, and although they campaigned against the Nazis, they faced the most action and violence from the SA. The KPD was better prepared, but the Gestapo worked hard to ensure that there was little threat from the Communists. Secret Communist activity was not entirely eradicated by the Gestapo – there were still underground meetings and plots, but there was little that could be done.</p>

	<h2 id="workers">Workers</h2>

	<p>Before 1933, Germany was the most unionized country, and the unions held great power over the government. Hitler was worried about strikes getting in the way of his power. Some unions attempted to strike, which did cause problems for the Nazis, but they arrested leaders and put them in prison, discouraging others from carrying out the same offense again.</p>

	<h2 id="churches">Churches</h2>

	<p>The Christian churches were the only organizations in Nazi Germany that retained their own ideology. They were aware that they would lose out if they tried to fight the Nazis, but the Nazis were aware that they could not get rid of the churches. The Protestant church was split when the Nazi regime attempted to coordinate them into the Volksgemeinschaft. Many pastors would not accept being a part of this and spoke out about the new regime. Many churches refused to display the swastika flag, and when two priests were arrested, there were mass demonstrations. The Nazis failed to silence the confessional church, but it did not form full opposition. The Catholic church was more united and retained more independence, however, the Catholic church attempted to come to terms with the new regime. When the concordat of 1933 was signed and the privileges granted to the Catholic church were under attack, the Catholic church condemned the Nazi regime. Although many individual priests and members opposed the regime’s religious policies, the church itself did not move beyond a narrow defense of its independence, meaning that resistance was futile.</p>

	<h2 id="young-people">Young People</h2>

	<p>In the early years of the Nazi regime, the Hitler Youth were able to channel youthful energy and rebelliousness into officially approved activities. However, there were growing signs of disillusionment, for reasons such as membership being compulsory, it making great demands on their free time, and endless military trials. The response of many young people was to opt-out, either by letting their membership lapse or just not attending. Some young people hummed tunes that had been banned at meetings. Some young people formed gangs to show their independence, such as the Meuten gang, but they were little more than criminal gangs.</p>

	<h2 id="elites">Elites</h2>

	<p>Many members of the German elites had serious misgivings about the Nazi party, in particular Hitler. Army generals and senior civil servants regarded Hitler as a threat to the old Germany. However, there was not much they could do to oppose once Hitler had consolidated his power in an alliance with the army, big business, and conservative politicians. Opposition to Hitler within the army and civil service peaked in 1938. They did not agree with his foreign policy, although they did agree with building Germany’s military strength. Hitler’s response was to purge those who opposed him from the army.</p>

	<dl>
		<dt>What political resistance was there?</dt>
		<dd id="Elites0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Hardly Any / Political Opponents / Arrested / Concentration Camps / Parties Disbanded</dd>
		<dt>Did the churches resist?</dt>
		<dd id="Elites1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Very Little / Independent / Against Regime / Priests Arrested / Concordat Signed<br />Explanation: <em>The churches got away with staying fairly independent, and although they tried to speak out against the regime, they did not get very far, as priests were arrested and the concordat was signed.</em></dd>
		<dt>Why did the unions/workers not pose much threat?</dt>
		<dd id="Elites2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Arrested / Striked<br />Explanation: <em>They were arrested if they went on strike.</em></dd>
	</dl>
</main>

Resistance

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">The Terror State</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="nazis-and-the-law">Nazis and the Law</h2>

<p>Hitler was determined that the Nazis not be bound by the law and legal systems. Hitler's word became law, and they found that they did not need to introduce a new constitution or legal system. They just passed laws to make the justice system work to their will. Citizens were no longer considered equal before the law, and judges were no longer permitted to work independently of the government. People could be arrested, locked up, and sent away without a trial, and the law was very inconsistent.</p>

<h2 id="the-ss">The SS</h2>

<p>Controlled by Himmler, the SS were seen as Hitler’s bodyguard. After the Night of the Long Knives, they became the main police force involved in arresting political prisoners. By 1936 the SS were in charge of the police force and concentration camps. The use of the SS was controlled and systematic and was a key way of keeping Nazi control.</p>

<h2 id="the-sd">The SD</h2>

<p>The SD was established in 1931 as an offshoot of the SS. It was led by Heydrich and was the internal security of the Nazi Party. Once in power, the SD was used to gather intelligence and monitor public opinion, report on dissidents, and report back to Hitler. It worked separately to the Gestapo and was not staffed by police officers, but committed Nazis.</p>

<h2 id="concentration-camps">Concentration Camps</h2>

<p>Concentration camps were essentially prisons in which the prisoners were forced to work in. They are not the same as extermination camps which came in after 1942. The first concentration camp was Dachau, near Munich, and the majority of prisoners were political opponents. The Nazis brutally tortured inmates, which made them less likely to continue resistance once released.  After 1934 all concentration camps were under SS control and the treatment of prisoners became systematised. Once the political opponents were dealt with, they moved on to dealing with undesirables and asocials. Camp guards were given immunity from persecution by Himmler.</p>

<h2 id="the-gestapo">The Gestapo</h2>

<p>The Gestapo were the secret state police, dealing with intelligence, and had a reputation for being all-knowing. Although ordinary Germans believed that there were agents everywhere, it was actually a relatively small organisation. Most agents were based in the office and were professional police rather than Nazi members. They depended on information supplied by informants, people who spied on neighbours and workmates for example. The Gestapo received an overwhelming volume of information from informants so they couldn’t act on all intelligence. People adjusted their behaviour, so criticism was stifled and many lived in an atmosphere of fear and suspicion.</p>

		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">The Terror State</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="nazis-and-the-law">Nazis and the Law</h2>

	<p>Hitler was determined to ensure that the Nazis were not bound by the law and legal systems. Hitler's word became law, and they found that they did not need to introduce a new constitution or legal system. They just passed laws to make the justice system work to their will. Citizens were no longer considered equal before the law, and judges were no longer permitted to work independently of the government. People could be arrested, locked up, and sent away without a trial, and the law was very inconsistent.</p>

	<h2 id="the-ss">The SS</h2>

	<p>Controlled by Himmler, the SS was seen as Hitler’s bodyguard. After the Night of the Long Knives, they became the main police force involved in arresting political prisoners. By 1936, the SS was in charge of the police force and concentration camps. The use of the SS was controlled and systematic and was a key way of maintaining Nazi control.</p>

	<h2 id="the-sd">The SD</h2>

	<p>The SD was established in 1931 as an offshoot of the SS. It was led by Heydrich and was responsible for the internal security of the Nazi Party. Once in power, the SD was used to gather intelligence and monitor public opinion, report on dissidents, and report back to Hitler. It worked separately from the Gestapo and was not staffed by police officers, but committed Nazis.</p>

	<h2 id="concentration-camps">Concentration Camps</h2>

	<p>Concentration camps were essentially prisons in which the prisoners were forced to work. They are not the same as extermination camps, which came after 1942. The first concentration camp was Dachau, near Munich, and the majority of prisoners were political opponents. The Nazis brutally tortured inmates, which made them less likely to continue resistance once released. After 1934, all concentration camps were under SS control, and the treatment of prisoners became systematized. Once the political opponents were dealt with, they moved on to dealing with undesirables and asocials. Camp guards were given immunity from persecution by Himmler.</p>

	<h2 id="the-gestapo">The Gestapo</h2>

	<p>The Gestapo was the secret state police, dealing with intelligence, and had a reputation for being all-knowing. Although ordinary Germans believed that there were agents everywhere, it was actually a relatively small organization. Most agents were based in the office and were professional police rather than Nazi members. They depended on information supplied by informants, people who spied on neighbors and workmates, for example. The Gestapo received an overwhelming volume of information from informants, so they couldn’t act on all intelligence. People adjusted their behavior, so criticism was stifled, and many lived in an atmosphere of fear and suspicion.</p>

</main>

The Terror State

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Nazi Propaganda</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="aims-of-propaganda">Aims of Propaganda</h2>

<p>The main aims of Nazi propaganda were to establish coordination between the government and the population, to abolish resistance and encourage people to support them. Goebbels wanted a spiritual mobilisation of the German people.</p>

<h2 id="propaganda-methods">Propaganda Methods</h2>

<p>Goebbels was given an entire propaganda ministry to oversee the work of organisations covering the press, radio, film, literature, theatre, music and arts. He therefore had enormous power over German cultural life. They limited newspapers, censored articles, and circulation of conformist newspapers declined. They use radio broadcasts to give Hitler the opportunity to talk directly to the German people, they mass-produced cheap radios so that all Germans could access them, and they dismissed many people working in radio in order to bring it under the control of the Reich. They used film and cinema as a key propaganda medium and Goebbels was personally responsible for approving every film made in Germany after 1933. All films to some extent contained political messages. Parades and spectacles were put on and the theatre of these rituals was proof that German people were behind the regime. There were other forms of propaganda, as Hitler believed the arts were an expression of race, and only Aryan art was worthy. This was followed by a book burning in Berlin in 1933 of un-German books written by Jews or Marxists.</p>

<h2 id="effectiveness-of-propaganda">Effectiveness of Propaganda</h2>

<p>The Nazi regime placed great emphasis on the effort to indoctrinate the German population. Hitler and Goebbels were skilled propagandists but it is difficult to gauge the success of their skills as it was total indoctrination. It was more successful when aimed at the young, whose opinions were not fully formed. Where Nazi propaganda was aimed at deeply held beliefs, such as religion, it was less successful.</p>

<h2 id="hitler-myth">Hitler Myth</h2>

<p>Nazi propaganda depicted Hitler as both charismatic superman and man of the people. A veritable industry of paintings and posters showed Hitler in familiar ‘renaissance pose’, alongside the propaganda slogan: Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer (‘One People, One Nation, One Leader’). The slogan was used to great effect in 1938, with the Anschluss (‘union’), when Germany joined in union with Austria. In 1941, Goebbels claimed that the Hitler Myth had been his greatest achievement. The Hitler Myth helped to sustain the regime in power, masking its failings and inconsistencies.</p>

<h2 id="extent-of-totalitarianism">Extent of Totalitarianism</h2>

<p>Through Gleischaltung, the Nazis set out to coordinate every aspect of individual and family life under the Party control. They exercised control over everything, all information including education, newspapers and propaganda and censorship. There were some pockets of resistance and non-conformity but the fear of punishment deterred any open defiance.</p>

<dl>
	<dt>Who was Nazi propaganda most successful on? </dt>
	<dd id="Extent-of-Totalitarianism0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Young /  Young People</dd>
	<dt>What was the Hitler Myth? </dt>
	<dd id="Extent-of-Totalitarianism1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Nazi Propaganda /  Hitler /  Charismatic /  Superman /  Man of the People<br />Explanation: <em>Nazi propaganda depicting Hitler as both charismatic superman and man of the people.</em></dd>
	<dt>To what extent did the Nazis have full control? </dt>
	<dd id="Extent-of-Totalitarianism2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Almost Total /  Resistance /  Non-Conformity /  Fear of Punishment<br />Explanation: <em>Almost total - there were some pockets of resistance and non-conformity but the fear of punishment deterred any open defiance.</em></dd>
</dl>


		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Nazi Propaganda</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="aims-of-propaganda">Aims of Propaganda</h2>

	<p>The main aims of Nazi propaganda were to establish coordination between the government and the population, to abolish resistance, and to encourage people to support them. Goebbels wanted to spiritually mobilize the German people.</p>

	<h2 id="propaganda-methods">Propaganda Methods</h2>

	<p>Goebbels oversaw the work of organizations covering the press, radio, film, literature, theatre, music, and arts through an entire propaganda ministry. He had enormous power over German cultural life. They limited newspapers, censored articles, and the circulation of conformist newspapers declined. They used radio broadcasts to give Hitler the opportunity to talk directly to the German people, mass-produced cheap radios so that all Germans could access them, and dismissed many people working in radio to bring it under the control of the Reich. They used film and cinema as a key propaganda medium, and Goebbels personally approved every film made in Germany after 1933. All films contained political messages to some extent. Parades and spectacles were put on, and the theatre of these rituals was proof that German people were behind the regime. There were other forms of propaganda, as Hitler believed the arts were an expression of race, and only Aryan art was worthy. This was followed by a book burning in Berlin in 1933 of un-German books written by Jews or Marxists.</p>

	<h2 id="effectiveness-of-propaganda">Effectiveness of Propaganda</h2>

	<p>The Nazi regime placed great emphasis on the effort to indoctrinate the German population. Hitler and Goebbels were skilled propagandists, but it is difficult to gauge the success of their skills as it was total indoctrination. It was more successful when aimed at the young, whose opinions were not fully formed. Where Nazi propaganda was aimed at deeply held beliefs, such as religion, it was less successful.</p>

	<h2 id="hitler-myth">Hitler Myth</h2>

	<p>Nazi propaganda depicted Hitler as both a charismatic superman and a man of the people. A veritable industry of paintings and posters showed Hitler in a familiar ‘renaissance pose’, alongside the propaganda slogan: Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer (‘One People, One Nation, One Leader’). The slogan was used to great effect in 1938, with the Anschluss (‘union’), when Germany joined in union with Austria. In 1941, Goebbels claimed that the Hitler Myth had been his greatest achievement. The Hitler Myth helped to sustain the regime in power, masking its failings and inconsistencies.</p>

	<h2 id="extent-of-totalitarianism">Extent of Totalitarianism</h2>

	<p>Through Gleischaltung, the Nazis set out to coordinate every aspect of individual and family life under Party control. They exercised control over everything, including information, education, newspapers, propaganda, and censorship. There were some pockets of resistance and non-conformity, but the fear of punishment deterred any open defiance.</p>

	<dl>
		<dt>Who was Nazi propaganda most successful on?</dt>
		<dd id="Extent-of-Totalitarianism0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Young people</dd>
		<dt>What was the Hitler Myth?</dt>
		<dd id="Extent-of-Totalitarianism1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Nazi propaganda depicting Hitler as both a charismatic superman and a man of the people.</dd>
		<dt>To what extent did the Nazis have full control?</dt>
		<dd id="Extent-of-Totalitarianism2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Almost total - there were some pockets of resistance and non-conformity, but the fear of punishment deterred any open defiance.</dd>
	</dl>
</main>

Nazi Propaganda

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Economic Policies</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="the-roles-of-schacht-and-goering">The Roles of Schacht and Goering</h2>

<p>When Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933, the Nazi party did not have a coherent and carefully thought out economic policy. Hitler did have some clear aims - economic recovery from the depression and the reduction of unemployment were two of them. He knew that achieving these aims would boost the regime’s popularity and help them consolidate power. In order to gear up for a future war, he would need a self-sufficient economy or economic autarky. In order to do this, he used the work of Schacht and Goering.</p>

<h2 id="recovery-from-the-depression">Recovery From the Depression</h2>

<p>Schacht, president of the Reichsbank and Nazi economics minister was the key figure in economic policy. He managed to stimulate economic recovery by pumping money into the economy to build homes and autobahns, giving subsidies to private firms to encourage them to take up more workers and therefore reduce unemployment, introducing the new plan in 1934 and financing the expenditure on rearmament using mefo bills.</p>

<h2 id="rearmament-and-war-economy">Rearmament and War Economy</h2>

<p>Schaht’s measures succeeded in reviving the German economy and reducing unemployment but it also came with new problems. They had a balance of payments problem, shortage of foreign exchange, food shortages and rising prices which leads to lower living standards for ordinary Germans. This led to growing disillusionment with the Nazi regime and lead to a conflict of priorities. This was known as the guns or butter problem. This problem and finding a solution to it was what started the new plan given to Goering to oversee. In order to strive for self-sufficiency, they would have to expand home production of both food and raw materials which would reduce their dependence on imports and foreign currency. The aim of the four-year plan was to make Germany ready for war within four years. It was the first explicit indication that the regime was planning for war, even though it was implicit within the ideology. The result of the four-year plan did not match the propaganda claims, German industry did not meet their targets and Germany still imported 1/3 its raw materials by 1939.</p>

<h2 id="nazi-policy-of-management-and-industrial-elites">Nazi Policy of Management and Industrial Elites</h2>

<p>Most of Germany’s business leaders welcomed the Nazi takeover of power. Hitler was careful to offer reassurance to business leaders that they need not be alarmed by the more socialist elements in their programme. In fact, many of their policies were of benefit to businesses for example suppressing trade unions, political stability, and economic revival. In general, the Nazi regime was able to enlist the cooperation and expertise of big business and management in the implementation of its economic policies. Many businesses could make profits through the four-year plan, for example IG Farben tripled its profits. Many of the Ruhr iron and steel firms were reluctant to invest in new steelworks to produce steel from poor quality and expensive German iron rather than use cheap and superior imported ore. In response, the regime bypassed them altogether and established a large state-owned Steel Works.</p>

<h2 id="reduction-of-unemployment">Reduction of Unemployment</h2>

<p>Official unemployment figures show a dramatic reduction in the number of unemployed by 1934, and a continuing fall after that. This was the basis of the claim that the battle for work had been won due to Nazi economic policies. This was not the case, however, as economic recovery had begun before the Nazis took power. The job creation schemes used by the regime to reduce unemployment were based on policies introduced in the 1930s. Married women were persuaded to give up their jobs, and were not counted in the unemployment figures, this is similar to the re-introduction of conscription in 1935. Invisible unemployment would have doubled Germany’s unemployment figures, but labour shortages did appear by 1939 because of rearmament.</p>

<h2 id="living-standards">Living Standards</h2>

<p>Nazi propaganda emphasised the duty of all German citizens to make sacrifices on behalf of the people’s community by working harder, for longer hours and by accepting a squeeze on wages. At the same time, propaganda also stressed the benefits that the Nazi regime had bestowed on workers for improved working conditions, better social and welfare provision, and access to goods and services that had previously only been available to the privileged few. Wages did increase - some employers were prepared to pay bonuses and other benefits to get around the freeze on wage levels and attract more skilled workers. Living standards depend as much on prices as they do on incomes, and prices rose during the 1930s, and there were some shortages of key commodities. German consumers were able to buy enough food to feed their families but could afford few luxuries. However, the regime did succeed in persuading the population to shoulder the burden of the rearmament programme without triggering a wages explosion or mass opposition.</p>

		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Economic Policies</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="the-roles-of-schacht-and-goering">The Roles of Schacht and Goering</h2>

	<p>When Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933, the Nazi party did not have a coherent and carefully thought-out economic policy. Hitler had clear aims, including economic recovery from the depression and the reduction of unemployment. He knew that achieving these aims would boost the regime’s popularity and help them consolidate power. To gear up for a future war, he would need a self-sufficient economy or economic autarky. To achieve this, he used the work of Schacht and Goering.</p>

	<h2 id="recovery-from-the-depression">Recovery From the Depression</h2>

	<p>Schacht, president of the Reichsbank and Nazi economics minister, was the key figure in economic policy. He managed to stimulate economic recovery by pumping money into the economy to build homes and autobahns, giving subsidies to private firms to encourage them to take on more workers and therefore reduce unemployment, introducing the New Plan in 1934, and financing the expenditure on rearmament using mefo bills.</p>

	<h2 id="rearmament-and-war-economy">Rearmament and War Economy</h2>

	<p>Schacht’s measures succeeded in reviving the German economy and reducing unemployment, but they also came with new problems. Germany had a balance of payments problem, a shortage of foreign exchange, food shortages, and rising prices, which led to lower living standards for ordinary Germans. This led to growing disillusionment with the Nazi regime and a conflict of priorities. This was known as the guns or butter problem. Finding a solution to this problem was what started the New Plan given to Goering to oversee. In order to strive for self-sufficiency, Germany would have to expand home production of both food and raw materials, which would reduce their dependence on imports and foreign currency. The aim of the Four-Year Plan was to make Germany ready for war within four years. It was the first explicit indication that the regime was planning for war, even though it was implicit within the ideology. The result of the Four-Year Plan did not match the propaganda claims; German industry did not meet their targets, and Germany still imported one-third of its raw materials by 1939.</p>

	<h2 id="nazi-policy-of-management-and-industrial-elites">Nazi Policy of Management and Industrial Elites</h2>

	<p>Most of Germany’s business leaders welcomed the Nazi takeover of power. Hitler was careful to offer reassurance to business leaders that they need not be alarmed by the more socialist elements in their program. In fact, many of their policies were of benefit to businesses, for example, suppressing trade unions, political stability, and economic revival. In general, the Nazi regime was able to enlist the cooperation and expertise of big business and management in the implementation of its economic policies. Many businesses could make profits through the Four-Year Plan; for example, IG Farben tripled its profits. Many of the Ruhr iron and steel firms were reluctant to invest in new steelworks to produce steel from poor quality and expensive German iron rather than use cheap and superior imported ore. In response, the regime bypassed them altogether and established a large state-owned Steel Works.</p>

	<h2 id="reduction-of-unemployment">Reduction of Unemployment</h2>

	<p>Official unemployment figures show a dramatic reduction in the number of unemployed by 1934, and a continuing fall after that. This was the basis of the claim that the battle for work had been won due to Nazi economic policies. This was not the case, however, as economic recovery had begun before the Nazis took power. The job creation schemes used by the regime to reduce unemployment were based on policies introduced in the 1930s. Married women were persuaded to give up their jobs and were not counted in the unemployment figures; this is similar to the re-introduction of conscription in 1935. Invisible unemployment would have doubled Germany’s unemployment figures, but labor shortages did appear by 1939 because of rearmament.</p>

	<h2 id="living-standards">Living Standards</h2>

	<p>Nazi propaganda emphasized the duty of all German citizens to make sacrifices on behalf of the people’s community by working harder, for longer hours, and by accepting a squeeze on wages. At the same time, propaganda also stressed the benefits that the Nazi regime had bestowed on workers, such as improved working conditions, better social and welfare provision, and access to goods and services that had previously only been available to the privileged few. Wages did increase; some employers were prepared to pay bonuses and other benefits to get around the freeze on wage levels and attract more skilled workers. Living standards depend as much on prices as they do on incomes, and prices rose during the 1930s, and there were some shortages of key commodities. German consumers were able to buy enough food to feed their families but could afford few luxuries. However, the regime did succeed in persuading the population to shoulder the burden of the rearmament program without triggering a wages explosion or mass opposition.</p>

</main>

Economic Policies

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Social Policies</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="youth">Youth</h2>

<p>The Nazi regime established control over the school system in two main ways – control over the teachers and the curriculum. The Nazi control over the teachers dismissed any teachers for political alliance or for being Jewish. They vetted textbooks and pressured the teachers into joining the regime’s teaching union. Their indoctrination permeated every area of the school curriculum from military drills in PE, to German lessons where they learnt the consciousness of being German, and Geography used to learn about Lebensraum. The Nazis downgraded the importance of academic education, so access to higher education (universities) was severely restricted. Women were restricted to 10% of the places, and Jews 1.5%. Most universities voluntarily followed the regime's new requirements.</p>

<h2 id="youth-boys">Youth: Boys</h2>

<p>The Hitler Jugend was created in 1926 and at first, was unsuccessful. In 1936 a law was passed making it compulsory for all boys to be members of the HJ. There was a constant indoctrination in the HJ, and physical activity and the emphasis was on competition, struggle, heroism and leadership. The opportunities for camping trips, sporting trips and staying away from home made the group attractive to young Germans, but there were reports of poor attendance and resentment once it was compulsory and had become more rigid.</p>

<h2 id="youth-girls">Youth: Girls</h2>

<p>The BDM or League of German Girls was the female equivalent of the Hitler Youth. It was part of the process that prepared girls for their future role as housewives and mothers. They were taught about being healthy as their bodies belonged to the nation, the needed to be fit as a mother and housewife and they were taught handicrafts, sewing and cooking. Many girls enjoyed going to the BDM, and found their experiences liberating.</p>

<h2 id="women">Women</h2>

<p>Hitler had very clear ideas about the role of women in the Nazi state. They were the centre of family life - housewives and mothers. Hitler even introduced a medal for women who had eight or more children! The Nazis had clear ideas of what they wanted from women; Women were expected to stay at home and look after the family. Women doctors, teachers and civil servants were forced to give up their careers. Even at the end of the war, women were never asked to serve in the armed forces. Their job was to keep the home nice for their husband and family - their life should revolve around the three ‘Ks’: kirche, kinder, kuche (church, children, cooking). Hitler wanted a high birth rate, so the population would grow. The Nazis even considered making it law that families should have at least four children. The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage gave newlywed couples a loan of 1,000 marks and allowed them to keep 250 marks for each child they had. Mothers who had more than eight children were given a gold medal. Unmarried women could volunteer to have a baby for an Aryan member of the SS. Women were supposed to emulate traditional German peasant fashions - plain peasant costumes, hair in plaits or buns and flat shoes. They were not expected to wear make-up or trousers, dye their hair or smoke in public.</p>

<h2 id="workers">Workers</h2>

<p>Hitler wanted to control the workers because he wanted to ensure their loyalty and obedience to his regime. Before 1933 the workers had tended to vote for the left-wing parties; he needed to ensure their productivity increased, so he could achieve his ambitious foreign policy. To achieve this, the Nazis set up three groups:</p>

<ul>
<li>The German Labour Front (DAF) was the Nazi organisation that replaced trade unions, which were banned in May 1933 because they could interfere with Hitler’s plans. It was run by Dr Robert Ley. Workers could not strike, bargain for wages or leave their jobs without permission. The DAF nearly always followed the wishes of employers, rather than employees. Twenty million workers joined the DAF within two years.</li>
<li>Strength Through Joy (KdF) was set up in November 1933. Its aims were to make workers support Hitler by offering them rewards and to keep them occupied outside the workplace with organised leisure activities. It was run by Dr Ley. Activities and rewards included: evening classes; theatre trips; picnics; very cheap or free holidays. There were walking holidays in Switzerland and skiing holidays in Bavaria. Two big cruise liners were built to sail people around the Canary Islands for only two weeks’ wages. The KdF also started a savings scheme for workers who wanted to buy the Volkswagen Beetle, known as the “People’s Car”. They were to save 5 marks per week until 750 marks had been paid into the scheme.</li>
<li>Beauty of Labour (SdA) was to help Germans see that work was good and that everyone who could work should do so. It also encouraged factory owners to improve conditions for workers, for example, better lighting and washing facilities.</li>
</ul>

<h2 id="protestant-churches">Protestant Churches</h2>

<p>A state Reich Church under the leadership of the Nazi Bishop, Ludwig Müller was established to unify the different branches of Protestantism. This enabled the Nazis to use a group called the ‘German Christians’ within the Reich Church to promote Nazi ideas. The Reich Church attempted to ban the use of the Old Testament in religious services as it was considered a ‘Jewish book’. Many protestants opposed the Reich Church, and in 1934 Martin Niemöller established the Confessional Church and openly attacked the Nazi regime. He was arrested and sent to a concentration camp in 1937. Eight hundred Pastors of the Confessional Church, a non-conforming Protestant group, were arrested and sent to concentration camps. In 1937, Hitler was forced to return control of the Church to the old Protestant leadership, in return for a promise that the Church would stay out of politics. Both Protestant and Catholic clergy played a large role in opposing Hitler and the Nazis, for which they often paid a high price.</p>

<h2 id="catholic-churches">Catholic Churches</h2>

<p>In 1933 Hitler agreed to a Concordat with the Pope, which said that he would not interfere in the running of the Catholic Church if it stayed out of political matters. Hitler didn’t keep his side of the bargain, however, as the Nazis attempted to infiltrate the Church and spread their propaganda. The Nazis attempted to stop Catholics using the crucifix in church, though this attempt was not successful. Catholic schools and youth organisations were suppressed, with German children being educated in state schools and taught a Nazi curriculum, as well as being expected to join the various branches of the Hitler Youth. Catholic newspapers were banned and Bishop August von Galen of Munich became a leading voice against Nazis policies. In 1937, Pope Pius XI publicly criticised the Nazis and as a result over 400 Catholic priests were sent to Dachau concentration camp. Attendance at Catholic churches increased substantially under the Nazis, especially during World War Two, showing that Hitler’s attempts to reduce the influence of religion in Germany were ultimately unsuccessful. Both Protestant and Catholic clergy played a large role in opposing Hitler and the Nazis, for which they often paid a high price.</p>

<dl>
	<dt>When did the Hitler Youth become compulsory? </dt>
	<dd id="Catholic-Churches0" class="js-click-to-reveal">1936</dd>
	<dt>How did the Nazis control indoctrination in education? </dt>
	<dd id="Catholic-Churches1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Teachers /  Curriculum<br />Explanation: <em>Through teachers and the curriculum.</em></dd>
	<dt>What were the three Ks used to make women follow new social protocol set by the regime? </dt>
	<dd id="Catholic-Churches2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Kinder /  Kuche /  Kirche</dd>
</dl>


		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Social Policies</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="youth">Youth</h2>

	<p>The Nazi regime established control over the school system in two main ways: control over the teachers and the curriculum. The Nazis controlled the teachers by dismissing those who had political alliances or were Jewish. They also vetted textbooks and pressured teachers to join the regime's teaching union. Nazi indoctrination was present in every area of the school curriculum, from military drills in physical education to German lessons focused on German consciousness, and even geography lessons that taught about Lebensraum. The Nazis devalued academic education, severely restricting access to higher education (universities). Women were limited to 10% of university spots, and Jews were limited to 1.5%. Most universities willingly complied with the regime's new requirements.</p>

	<h2 id="youth-boys">Youth: Boys</h2>

	<p>The Hitler Jugend was established in 1926 but initially had little success. In 1936, a law was passed making membership in the HJ compulsory for all boys. The HJ emphasized constant indoctrination, physical activity, competition, struggle, heroism, and leadership. The group became attractive to young Germans due to opportunities for camping trips, sporting events, and staying away from home. However, there were reports of poor attendance and resentment once membership became compulsory and the group became more rigid.</p>

	<h2 id="youth-girls">Youth: Girls</h2>

	<p>The BDM, or League of German Girls, was the female equivalent of the Hitler Youth. It aimed to prepare girls for their future roles as housewives and mothers. Girls were taught about the importance of being healthy, as their bodies belonged to the nation. They were also taught skills such as handicrafts, sewing, and cooking. Many girls enjoyed participating in the BDM and found their experiences liberating.</p>

	<h2 id="women">Women</h2>

	<p>Hitler had clear ideas about the role of women in the Nazi state. Women were expected to be the center of family life, fulfilling the roles of housewives and mothers. Hitler even introduced a medal for women who had eight or more children. The Nazis had specific expectations for women: they were expected to stay at home and take care of the family. Women in professions such as doctors, teachers, and civil servants were forced to give up their careers. Even at the end of the war, women were never asked to serve in the armed forces. Their primary job was to maintain a pleasant home for their husbands and families, with their lives revolving around the three 'Ks': kirche (church), kinder (children), and kuche (cooking). Hitler aimed for a high birth rate to increase the population, and the Nazis even considered making it a law for families to have at least four children. The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage provided newlywed couples with a loan of 1,000 marks and allowed them to keep 250 marks for each child they had. Mothers who had more than eight children were awarded a gold medal. Unmarried women could volunteer to have a baby for an Aryan member of the SS. Women were expected to dress in traditional German peasant fashion, wearing plain peasant costumes, with their hair in plaits or buns and flat shoes. They were discouraged from wearing makeup or trousers, dyeing their hair, or smoking in public.</p>

	<h2 id="workers">Workers</h2>

	<p>Hitler aimed to control the workers to ensure their loyalty and obedience to his regime. Before 1933, workers tended to vote for left-wing parties, so Hitler needed to increase their productivity to achieve his ambitious foreign policy goals. To achieve this, the Nazis established three groups:</p>

	<ul>
		<li>The German Labour Front (DAF) replaced trade unions, which were banned in May 1933 due to their potential interference with Hitler's plans. The DAF, run by Dr. Robert Ley, prohibited workers from striking, bargaining for wages, or leaving their jobs without permission. The DAF usually prioritized employers' wishes over employees'. Within two years, twenty million workers joined the DAF.</li>
		<li>Strength Through Joy (KdF) was established in November 1933. Its aims were to make workers support Hitler by offering them rewards and to keep them occupied outside of work with organized leisure activities. Dr. Ley also ran this group. Activities and rewards included evening classes, theater trips, picnics, and very cheap or free holidays. The KdF organized walking holidays in Switzerland and skiing holidays in Bavaria. Two large cruise liners were built to sail people around the Canary Islands for only two weeks' wages. The KdF also initiated a savings scheme for workers who wanted to buy the Volkswagen Beetle, known as the "People's Car." Workers were required to save 5 marks per week until they had paid 750 marks into the scheme.</li>
		<li>Beauty of Labour (SdA) aimed to help Germans see the value of work and encourage everyone who could work to do so. It also encouraged factory owners to improve conditions for workers, such as providing better lighting and washing facilities.</li>
	</ul>

	<h2 id="protestant-churches">Protestant Churches</h2>

	<p>A state Reich Church, led by the Nazi Bishop Ludwig Müller, was established to unify the different branches of Protestantism. This allowed the Nazis to use a group called the 'German Christians' within the Reich Church to promote Nazi ideas. The Reich Church attempted to ban the use of the Old Testament in religious services, considering it a 'Jewish book.' Many Protestants opposed the Reich Church, and in 1934, Martin Niemöller established the Confessional Church and openly criticized the Nazi regime. He was arrested and sent to a concentration camp in 1937. Eight hundred pastors of the Confessional Church, a non-conforming Protestant group, were also arrested and sent to concentration camps. In 1937, Hitler was forced to return control of the Church to the old Protestant leadership in exchange for a promise that the Church would stay out of politics. Both Protestant and Catholic clergy played significant roles in opposing Hitler and the Nazis, often facing severe consequences.</p>

	<h2 id="catholic-churches">Catholic Churches</h2>

	<p>In 1933, Hitler agreed to a Concordat with the Pope, which stated that he would not interfere in the running of the Catholic Church as long as it stayed out of political matters. However, Hitler did not keep his side of the agreement, as the Nazis attempted to infiltrate the Church and spread their propaganda. The Nazis also tried to prevent Catholics from using the crucifix in church, although this attempt was unsuccessful. Catholic schools and youth organizations were suppressed, and German children were educated in state schools with a Nazi curriculum. They were also expected to join various branches of the Hitler Youth. Catholic newspapers were banned, and Bishop August von Galen of Munich became a prominent voice against Nazi policies. In 1937, Pope Pius XI publicly criticized the Nazis, resulting in over 400 Catholic priests being sent to Dachau concentration camp. Attendance at Catholic churches increased significantly under the Nazis, especially during World War Two, indicating that Hitler's attempts to reduce the influence of religion in Germany were ultimately unsuccessful. Both Protestant and Catholic clergy played significant roles in opposing Hitler and the Nazis, often facing severe consequences.</p>

	<dl>
		<dt>When did the Hitler Youth become compulsory?</dt>
		<dd id="Catholic-Churches0" class="js-click-to-reveal">1936</dd>
		<dt>How did the Nazis control indoctrination in education?</dt>
		<dd id="Catholic-Churches1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Teachers / Curriculum<br />Explanation: <em>Through teachers and the curriculum.</em></dd>
		<dt>What were the three Ks used to make women follow the new social protocol set by the regime?</dt>
		<dd id="Catholic-Churches2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Kinder / Kuche / Kirche</dd>
	</dl>
</main>

Social Policies

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Ideologies Behind Radicalisation</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="three-stages-of-radicalisation">Three Stages of Radicalisation</h2>

<p>The Nazi regime could not act just as it wished in its first years of power. There were three phases in the development of the Nazi regime. One: the legal revolution. This was when Hitler depended on political Allies and consolidated his power by legal means. Two: creating the New Germany. By 1934, the Nazi regime was secure, but Hitler was still worried about public opinion. He avoided confronting powerful groups like the Armenian churches and knew that Germany was not yet ready for war. Three: the radicalisation of the state. By the end of 1937, the Nazi regime was far stronger than it was in 1933. The economy had recovered, the SS were in complete control and Hitler felt that Germany was ready for war. He took control of the army and let loose radical persecution of his racial enemies.</p>

<h2 id="social-darwinism">Social Darwinism</h2>

<p>Social Darwinism was a theory that was widely discussed in 19th century Europe. Darwin’s Scientific principles of natural biological selection were adapted in order to justify racial superiority and the theory of eugenics. It was something that justified European imperialism but Hitler made use of these in his Nazi ideology. He viewed humanity as consisting of a hierarchy of races where the Jews, black people and slaves were inferior. Hitler believed the Aryan race was above all others, and that inferior races such as Jews were a deadly threat to the German Volk and they had to be eliminated.</p>

<h2 id="volksgemeinschaft">Volksgemeinschaft</h2>

<p>The concept of the Volksgemeinschaft or the people’s community was not inclusive of all people living in Germany. The concept of the national community was twisted by anti-Semitism and racial thinking. To qualify as a member it was essential to be a true German, both in terms of loyalty and racial purity.	Membership of the Volk was reserved for those of the Aryan race, those that were genetically healthy, socially efficient and politically reliable.</p>

<h2 id="lebensraum">Lebensraum</h2>

<p>The Nazi idea of lebensraum or living space was another example of an ideological concept being tested by anti-Semitism. It was not new or originated by Hitler and the Nazis. It had been proposed in the late 19th century for opening up space to the expanding populations of the superior white race. In Germany, there was widespread support for the idea that the country was already overpopulated and farmers needed more land. Many argue that Germany’s destiny lay in the east conquering the supposedly inferior Slav peoples of Poland and the former Russian empire to gain access to fertile farmland and more materials. Lebensraum would provide a battleground for a war of racial annihilation, wiping out the inferior Slav races and smashing bolshevism in Russia.</p>

<dl>
	<dt>What is Social Darwinism? </dt>
	<dd id="Lebensraum0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Idea /  Races /  Better /  Others /  Darwin /  Natural Selection<br />Explanation: <em>The idea that certain races were better than others - misusing Darwin’s principles of natural selection.</em></dd>
	<dt>What was the Volksgemeinschaft? </dt>
	<dd id="Lebensraum1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: People's /  Community</dd>
	<dt>What was Lebensraum? </dt>
	<dd id="Lebensraum2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Living Space /  East /  Battleground /  Racial Annihilation /  Slavic Races /  Bolshevism /  Russia<br />Explanation: <em>Living space - going East to provide a battleground for a war of racial annihilation, wiping out the inferior Slav races and smashing bolshevism in Russia.</em></dd>
</dl>


		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Ideologies Behind Radicalization</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="three-stages-of-radicalization">Three Stages of Radicalization</h2>

	<p>The Nazi regime could not act as it wished in its first years of power. There were three phases in the development of the Nazi regime: </p>
	<ol>
		<li>The legal revolution: This was when Hitler depended on political allies and consolidated his power by legal means.</li>
		<li>Creating the New Germany: By 1934, the Nazi regime was secure, but Hitler was still worried about public opinion. He avoided confronting powerful groups like the Armenian churches and knew that Germany was not yet ready for war.</li>
		<li>The radicalization of the state: By the end of 1937, the Nazi regime was far stronger than it was in 1933. The economy had recovered, the SS was in complete control, and Hitler felt that Germany was ready for war. He took control of the army and let loose radical persecution of his racial enemies.</li>
	</ol>

	<h2 id="social-darwinism">Social Darwinism</h2>

	<p>Social Darwinism was a theory widely discussed in 19th century Europe. Darwin's scientific principles of natural biological selection were adapted to justify racial superiority and the theory of eugenics. It justified European imperialism, but Hitler made use of it in his Nazi ideology. He viewed humanity as consisting of a hierarchy of races where Jews, black people, and slaves were inferior. Hitler believed the Aryan race was above all others, and that inferior races such as Jews were a deadly threat to the German Volk and had to be eliminated.</p>

	<h2 id="volksgemeinschaft">Volksgemeinschaft</h2>

	<p>The concept of the Volksgemeinschaft or the people's community was not inclusive of all people living in Germany. The concept of the national community was twisted by anti-Semitism and racial thinking. To qualify as a member, it was essential to be a true German, both in terms of loyalty and racial purity. Membership of the Volk was reserved for those of the Aryan race, those that were genetically healthy, socially efficient, and politically reliable.</p>

	<h2 id="lebensraum">Lebensraum</h2>

	<p>The Nazi idea of Lebensraum or living space was another example of an ideological concept being tested by anti-Semitism. It was not new or originated by Hitler and the Nazis. It had been proposed in the late 19th century to open up space for the expanding populations of the superior white race. In Germany, there was widespread support for the idea that the country was already overpopulated and farmers needed more land. Many argued that Germany's destiny lay in the east, conquering the supposedly inferior Slav peoples of Poland and the former Russian empire to gain access to fertile farmland and more materials. Lebensraum would provide a battleground for a war of racial annihilation, wiping out the inferior Slav races and smashing Bolshevism in Russia.</p>

	<dl>
		<dt>What is Social Darwinism?</dt>
		<dd id="Lebensraum0" class="js-click-to-reveal">The idea that certain races were better than others - misusing Darwin's principles of natural selection.</dd>
		<dt>What was the Volksgemeinschaft?</dt>
		<dd id="Lebensraum1" class="js-click-to-reveal">The people's community.</dd>
		<dt>What was Lebensraum?</dt>
		<dd id="Lebensraum2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Living space - going East to provide a battleground for a war of racial annihilation, wiping out the inferior Slav races and smashing Bolshevism in Russia.</dd>
	</dl>
</main>

Ideologies Behind Radicalisation

Germany: the Racial State (1933-41)

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Policies of Radicalisation</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="sterilisation">Sterilisation</h2>

<p>Before the Nazis came to power, the state government had drawn up a draft law to allow the sterilisation of those with hereditary defects. The Nazis took this further by introducing compulsory sterilisation for certain categories of inferiors. The hereditary diseases listed in the law permitted sterilisation of children over 10 and the use of force after age 14 with no right to legal representation. The law was also amended to permit abortions in cases where those deemed suitable for sterilisation were already pregnant. During the third Reich 400,000 people were sterilised.</p>

<h2 id="euthinasia">Euthinasia</h2>

<p>The Nazis' desire to create their master race did not stop at sterilisation, but also included banning sexual relationships between Aryans and Jews. By October 1939, the regime had authorised euthanasia for the mentally and physically disabled, as they are regarded by the Nazis’ as an unproductive burden on Germany’s resources and as a threat to racial hygiene and the biological strength of the Volk. The euthanasia programme was started by a cast list of one specific case of a badly disabled child in early 1939. The child’s father wrote to Hitler to ask for his child or the creature as he called him to be put to sleep. Medical staff in hospitals and asylums had to report on children suffering from mental and physical illnesses and on the basis of these reports children were sent to special hospitals to be starved to death or given lethal injections. Parents were assured that their child had died in spite of receiving the very best treatment. The programme was rapidly expanded and moved to larger headquarters in Berlin: Tiergarten 4. It became known as the T4 programme.</p>

<h2 id="end-of-t4">End of T4</h2>

<p>By 1941 rumours about the policy of euthanasia were spreading widely and aroused opposition. Although proceedings of complaints and accusations of murder got nowhere, this worried the regime. From July 1940 the churches got involved in protesting and although the leaders of these protests were arrested by the Gestapo, there were still official statements released from Rome about how these killings were against the will of God. The Nazi regime was alarmed by the hostile public reactions and on the 24th of August, 1941 Hitler halted the programme. This did not mean the end of the drive to implement Nazi racial ideology, it was just a tactical pause.</p>

<h2 id="policies-towards-asocials">Policies Towards Asocials</h2>

<p>The term asocial as used by the Nazis, covered a wide range of people who were deemed to be social outcasts. These included criminals, the work-shy, tramps and beggars, alcoholics, prostitutes, homosexuals and juvenile delinquents. Nazi policy introduced tough measures against these groups and gave the police power to enforce them. The approach towards asocials hardened and became more systematic as time went on. Many were sent to concentration camps, cleared from the streets of the city and in one place they created in a social colony with the aim of re-educating asocials so they could be reintegrated into society.</p>

<h2 id="policies-towards-homosexuals">Policies Towards Homosexuals</h2>

<p>Like other European countries, homosexuality was outlawed in Germany before 1933. Homosexuality did flourish in Berlin and other large cities during the liberal climate of the Weimar Republic, but the Nazis viewed homosexuals as degenerates and a threat to the racial health of the German people. In 1933 the Nazis began a purge of homosexual organisations and literature. Clubs were shut, organisations for gay people were banned, gay publications were outlawed and students were attacked. Men were arrested and over 22,000 were imprisoned between 1936 and 1938 for being homosexual. Lesbians did not suffer the same degree of persecution as they were considered to be asocial rather than degenerate.</p>

<h2 id="policies-towards-religious-sects">Policies Towards Religious Sects</h2>

<p>There were a number of Christian sects that had become established in Germany by the time the Nazis came to power. These included Jehovah’s witnesses, Christian scientists, Seventh-day Adventists and members of the New Apostolic church. All of these had international links which made the Nazis suspicions about their loyalties, and most were banned by the regime in 1933. Although many groups had their bans lifted when they showed loyalty to the state, the Jehovah’s witnesses were the only religious group to show uncompromising hostility to the Nazi State. They refused to take a loyalty oath by Hitler and refused to give the Hitler salute. They regarded persecution against them as a test of their faith. When imprisoned they refused to obey orders and did manage to make some converts in the camps through their persistent resistance.</p>

<h2 id="roma-and-sinti">Roma and Sinti</h2>

<p>Jews were not the only victims of the intensification of Nazi race policies after 1935. There was also growing persecution of Germany’s 30,000 gypsies or Roma and Sinti people. Gypsies have been subjected to legal discrimination well before 1933 but the Nazis made the persecution much more systematic. The Nazis warned that the Nuremberg laws apply to gypsies too, and set up a new Reich central office for the fight against the gypsy nuisance.</p>

<dl>
	<dt>Why was the T4 program stopped?</dt>
	<dd id="Roma-and-Sinti0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Opposition /  Germany /  World /  Churches<br />Explanation: <em>Because of the opposition it was getting widely in Germany and across the world, particularly from churches.</em></dd>
	<dt>Who was counted as asocial?</dt>
	<dd id="Roma-and-Sinti1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Criminals /  Work Shy /  Tramps /  Beggars /  Alcoholics /  Prostitutes /  Homosexuals /  Juvenile Delinquents</dd>
	<dt>Which religious sects caused problems and why?</dt>
	<dd id="Roma-and-Sinti2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Jehovah’s Witnesses /  Obey /  Nazi Orders /  Converts<br />Explanation: <em>The Jehovah’s Witnesses refused to obey Nazi orders, kept resisting, once arrested refused to obey orders and even made some converts in the camps.</em></dd>
</dl>


		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Policies of Radicalization</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="sterilization">Sterilization</h2>

	<p>Before the Nazis came to power, the state government had drafted a law to allow the sterilization of those with hereditary defects. The Nazis took this further by introducing compulsory sterilization for certain categories of "inferiors." The hereditary diseases listed in the law permitted sterilization of children over 10 and the use of force after age 14 with no right to legal representation. The law was also amended to permit abortions in cases where those deemed suitable for sterilization were already pregnant. During the Third Reich, 400,000 people were sterilized.</p>

	<h2 id="euthanasia">Euthanasia</h2>

	<p>The Nazis' desire to create their master race did not stop at sterilization but also included banning sexual relationships between Aryans and Jews. By October 1939, the regime had authorized euthanasia for the mentally and physically disabled, as they were regarded by the Nazis as an unproductive burden on Germany’s resources and as a threat to racial hygiene and the biological strength of the Volk. The euthanasia program was started by a specific case of a badly disabled child in early 1939. The child’s father wrote to Hitler to ask for his child, or the "creature" as he called him, to be put to sleep. Medical staff in hospitals and asylums had to report on children suffering from mental and physical illnesses, and on the basis of these reports, children were sent to special hospitals to be starved to death or given lethal injections. Parents were assured that their child had died in spite of receiving the very best treatment. The program was rapidly expanded and moved to larger headquarters in Berlin: Tiergarten 4. It became known as the T4 program.</p>

	<h2 id="end-of-t4">End of T4</h2>

	<p>By 1941, rumors about the policy of euthanasia were spreading widely and aroused opposition. Although proceedings of complaints and accusations of murder got nowhere, this worried the regime. From July 1940, the churches got involved in protesting, and although the leaders of these protests were arrested by the Gestapo, there were still official statements released from Rome about how these killings were against the will of God. The Nazi regime was alarmed by the hostile public reactions, and on the 24th of August 1941, Hitler halted the program. This did not mean the end of the drive to implement Nazi racial ideology; it was just a tactical pause.</p>

	<h2 id="policies-towards-asocials">Policies Towards Asocials</h2>

	<p>The term "asocial," as used by the Nazis, covered a wide range of people who were deemed to be social outcasts. These included criminals, the work-shy, tramps and beggars, alcoholics, prostitutes, homosexuals, and juvenile delinquents. Nazi policy introduced tough measures against these groups and gave the police power to enforce them. The approach towards asocials hardened and became more systematic as time went on. Many were sent to concentration camps, cleared from the streets of the city, and in one place, they created a social colony with the aim of re-educating asocials so they could be reintegrated into society.</p>

	<h2 id="policies-towards-homosexuals">Policies Towards Homosexuals</h2>

	<p>Like other European countries, homosexuality was outlawed in Germany before 1933. Homosexuality did flourish in Berlin and other large cities during the liberal climate of the Weimar Republic, but the Nazis viewed homosexuals as degenerates and a threat to the racial health of the German people. In 1933, the Nazis began a purge of homosexual organizations and literature. Clubs were shut, organizations for gay people were banned, gay publications were outlawed, and students were attacked. Men were arrested, and over 22,000 were imprisoned between 1936 and 1938 for being homosexual. Lesbians did not suffer the same degree of persecution as they were considered to be asocial rather than degenerate.</p>

	<h2 id="policies-towards-religious-sects">Policies Towards Religious Sects</h2>

	<p>There were a number of Christian sects that had become established in Germany by the time the Nazis came to power. These included Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Seventh-day Adventists, and members of the New Apostolic Church. All of these had international links, which made the Nazis suspicious about their loyalties, and most were banned by the regime in 1933. Although many groups had their bans lifted when they showed loyalty to the state, the Jehovah’s Witnesses were the only religious group to show uncompromising hostility to the Nazi State. They refused to take a loyalty oath by Hitler and refused to give the Hitler salute. They regarded persecution against them as a test of their faith. When imprisoned, they refused to obey orders and did manage to make some converts in the camps through their persistent resistance.</p>

	<h2 id="roma-and-sinti">Roma and Sinti</h2>

	<p>Jews were not the only victims of the intensification of Nazi race policies after 1935. There was also growing persecution of Germany’s 30,000 gypsies or Roma and Sinti people. Gypsies had been subjected to legal discrimination well before 1933, but the Nazis made the persecution much more systematic. The Nazis warned that the Nuremberg laws applied to gypsies too and set up a new Reich central office for the fight against the gypsy nuisance.</p>

	<dl>
		<dt>Why was the T4 program stopped?</dt>
		<dd id="Roma-and-Sinti0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Opposition / Germany / World / Churches<br />Explanation: <em>The T4 program was stopped because of the opposition it was getting widely in Germany and across the world, particularly from churches.</em></dd>
		<dt>Who was counted as asocial?</dt>
		<dd id="Roma-and-Sinti1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Criminals / Work-Shy / Tramps / Beggars / Alcoholics / Prostitutes / Homosexuals / Juvenile Delinquents</dd>
		<dt>Which religious sects caused problems and why?</dt>
		<dd id="Roma-and-Sinti2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Jehovah’s Witnesses / Obey / Nazi Orders / Converts<br />Explanation: <em>The Jehovah’s Witnesses refused to obey Nazi orders, kept resisting, once arrested refused to obey orders, and even made some converts in the camps.</em></dd>
	</dl>
</main>

Policies of Radicalisation

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Nazi Policies Towards the Jews 1933-37</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="boycott-of-shops">Boycott of Shops</h2>

<p>In April 1933, the Nazi regime imposed a boycott of Jewish shops and businesses. Hitler claimed that this was retaliation against Jews in Germany and abroad who had called for a boycott of German goods. Goebbels organised an intensive propaganda campaign to maximise the impact, which was manned by SA soldiers. Shops were the main target of the boycott, but it also applied to Jewish professionals. The boycott made a big public impact and featured prominently in news coverage in Germany and foreign countries, but it was not an unqualified success. It was difficult to justify what counted as a Jewish business. The boycott was abandoned after one day.</p>

<h2 id="1933civil-service-laws">1933 Civil Service Laws</h2>

<p>The Nazis introduced laws that dismissed Jews from the civil service. It was more complicated than expected as they had no clear scientific definition of who was racially Jewish. Another difficulty was that President Hindenburg insisted on exemptions for German Jews who had served during world war one and for those whose fathers had been killed in the war. The civil service law had a devastating economic and psychological impact on middle-class Jews in Germany and contributed to the increasing levels of Jewish emigration.</p>

<h2 id="education">Education</h2>

<p>There was further anti-Semitic legislation in 1933 with the law against overcrowding of German schools and universities. This restricted the number of Jewish children who could attend. Nazi propaganda stressed the danger that a well educated Jew would be a greater threat to Germany than an uneducated one. German children were being told that their former friends and classmates were unworthy of being in the same schools of them. However, not all Jewish children were forced out of state schools at this point. The process was not completed until 1938, and Jewish children could also still attend private education and Jewish schools. Jewish schools were also one of the few places where Jewish teachers could find work.</p>

<h2 id="doctors-and-lawyers">Doctors and Lawyers</h2>

<p>More than 10 per cent of German doctors were Jews. They were attacked by propaganda as a danger to German Society, and some local authorities started removing Jewish doctors from their posts. The regime was pushed along by these local initiatives and Jewish doctors were banned in 1933. In theory, Jewish doctors could now only treat Jewish patients, but many carried on their normal practice for several years. The exclusion of lawyers was more gradual.</p>

<h2 id="the-press">The Press</h2>

<p>In October 1933, the press law enabled the regime to apply strict censorship and to close down publications they disliked. Jews had a prominent role in journalism and publishing, and with this law, they were effectively silenced.</p>

<h2 id="1935nuremberg-laws">1935 Nuremberg Laws</h2>

<p>In 1935, the Nazis extended the antisemitic legislation through the Nuremberg laws. Some radicals felt that the persecution of Jews had not gone far enough, and these radicals were the driving force behind the demands for anti-Jewish legislation. The Nuremberg laws were Hitler’s way of dealing once and for all with Jewish Bolshevism, and it made marriage between Aryans and non-Aryans illegal.</p>

		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Nazi Policies Towards Jews from 1933 to 1937</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="boycott-of-shops">Boycott of Shops</h2>

	<p>In April 1933, the Nazi regime imposed a boycott on Jewish shops and businesses. Hitler claimed that this was in retaliation against Jews in Germany and abroad who had called for a boycott of German goods. Goebbels organized an intensive propaganda campaign, which was manned by SA soldiers, to maximize the impact. Shops were the main target of the boycott, but it also applied to Jewish professionals. The boycott made a big public impact and was prominently featured in news coverage in Germany and foreign countries, but it was not an unqualified success. It was difficult to justify what counted as a Jewish business. The boycott was abandoned after one day.</p>

	<h2 id="1933civil-service-laws">1933 Civil Service Laws</h2>

	<p>The Nazis introduced laws that dismissed Jews from the civil service. It was more complicated than expected as they had no clear scientific definition of who was racially Jewish. Another difficulty was that President Hindenburg insisted on exemptions for German Jews who had served during World War I and for those whose fathers had been killed in the war. The civil service law had a devastating economic and psychological impact on middle-class Jews in Germany and contributed to the increasing levels of Jewish emigration.</p>

	<h2 id="education">Education</h2>

	<p>There was further anti-Semitic legislation in 1933 with the law against overcrowding of German schools and universities. This restricted the number of Jewish children who could attend. Nazi propaganda stressed the danger that a well-educated Jew would be a greater threat to Germany than an uneducated one. German children were being told that their former friends and classmates were unworthy of being in the same schools as them. However, not all Jewish children were forced out of state schools at this point. The process was not completed until 1938, and Jewish children could also still attend private education and Jewish schools. Jewish schools were also one of the few places where Jewish teachers could find work.</p>

	<h2 id="doctors-and-lawyers">Doctors and Lawyers</h2>

	<p>More than 10 percent of German doctors were Jews. They were attacked by propaganda as a danger to German society, and some local authorities started removing Jewish doctors from their posts. The regime was pushed along by these local initiatives, and Jewish doctors were banned in 1933. In theory, Jewish doctors could now only treat Jewish patients, but many carried on their normal practice for several years. The exclusion of lawyers was more gradual.</p>

	<h2 id="the-press">The Press</h2>

	<p>In October 1933, the press law enabled the regime to apply strict censorship and to close down publications they disliked. Jews had a prominent role in journalism and publishing, and with this law, they were effectively silenced.</p>

	<h2 id="1935nuremberg-laws">1935 Nuremberg Laws</h2>

	<p>In 1935, the Nazis extended the anti-Semitic legislation through the Nuremberg laws. Some radicals felt that the persecution of Jews had not gone far enough, and these radicals were the driving force behind the demands for anti-Jewish legislation. The Nuremberg laws were Hitler’s way of dealing once and for all with Jewish Bolshevism, and it made marriage between Aryans and non-Aryans illegal.</p>
</main>

Policies Towards the Jews 1933-37

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Development of Antisemitic Policies</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="effect-of-the-anschluss">Effect of the Anschluss</h2>

<p>Although the Anschluss with Austria was banned under the treaty of Versailles, it was a long term ambition of German nationalists and was achieved in March 1938. The German takeover of Austria was achieved without a shot being fired and the Germans were welcomed enthusiastically by the Austrian people. By 1938, Hitler was growing in confidence that Germany was ready for war if necessary. His next target was Czechoslovakia. When the Allies agreed to the German takeover, he had achieved another bloodless victory. When he signed the Nazi-Soviet pact, he invaded Poland in September 1939, which led to war between Germany and Britain and France two days later. The more radical phase of Nazi anti-Semitism was part of the more general radicalising of the regime’s policies which began in winter 1937. The occupation of Austria in March 1938 lead to a rapid acceleration of the economic campaign against Jews as the Nazis in Austria were allowed to act against Jews without constraint.</p>

<h2 id="anti-semitic-decrees-1938">Anti Semitic Decrees 1938</h2>

<p>In April 1938, all Jewish owned property worth more than 5,000 marks was confiscated. This was part of their Aryanisation of Jewish Property and businesses. From the 40,000 Jewish owned businesses that existed before this point, a year later only around 8,000 had avoided being closed down. Further legislation banned Jews from working as travelling salesmen, security guards, travel agents and estate agents and they lost their entitlement to public welfare. From October 1938 the passports of German Jews had to be stamped with a large J in an attempt to make them easily identifiable and stripped them of their individuality. This led to a law in 1939 compelling all Jewish men to have an additional first name of Israel, and all Jewish women to take the name Sarah.</p>

<h2 id="kristallnacht-1938">Kristallnacht 1938</h2>

<p>On the night of the 9th - 10th of November 1938, life for Jews attempting to live a normal existence changed completely. Kristallnacht or the night of the broken glass, was when Jewish Homes and businesses were looted and vandalised, synagogues set on fire and thousands of Jews were arrested, beaten up and killed. This can be viewed as an uncontrolled outpouring of anti-Semitic feeling, and although Nazi leadership attempted to say this was not coordinated, in reality, it was orchestrated by the leadership and those involved in the violence were a majority SA and SS men who were instructed not to wear uniforms. Although some ordinary citizens joined in the violence, many German people were horrified by the destruction. Jews were made to that pay for the repair of premises and loss, and Goering made sure insurance companies did not pay out.</p>

<h2 id="emigration">Emigration</h2>

<p>Hitler had spoken of making Germany Jew free from the beginning. The first method of achieving this was voluntary emigration. As war approached, and the Nazi regime became more radical, the focus moved to force emigration. At first, the regime allowed Jewish emigration to a pair but it was strictly controlled. In 1933, 37,000 Jews left Germany including leading scientists and cultural figures. In total 150,000 Jews left Germany between March 1933 and November 1938. It was complicated as the Nazis were both encouraging the Jews to emigrate and threatening to confiscate some of their assets. They were willing to encourage scientists to emigrate to Palestine although most Jews did not choose this option. After Kristallnacht, this situation became more urgent and many Jews now desperately sought safe refuge from the obvious dangers they faced in Germany. Controlling immigration was a key policy aim of the Nazi regime. By forcing Jews to leave, the Nazis could illegally seize Jewish Property any use it to fund the emigration of poorer Jews.</p>

<h2 id="impact-of-war-against-poland">Impact of War Against Poland</h2>

<p>This situation changed during the outbreak of war in September 1939. The conquest of Poland provided the regime with new territories in which Jews could be settled and brought more Jews under Nazi rule. The emphasis now moved from forced emigration to deportations and resettlement. Nazi anti-Semitism had become more blatant and extreme but it was war that brought about the final radicalisation of race policies. Between November 1939 and February 1940, the SS attempted to deport one million people eastwards, of which 550,000 were Jews.</p>

<h2 id="madagascar-plan">Madagascar Plan</h2>

<p>At the idea of moving to the island of Madagascar was first promoted by French antisemites in the late 1930s, but was picked up by the Nazis during their takeover of France. They felt they should take the island of Madagascar from the French to be a German and send four million Jews there, financed by the sale of British Property in Europe. Although Palestine was considered, there were practical problems with it as it was a small territory under British rule and not so far from Europe. Madagascar had vastly more space and there were no serious political problems to get around. By October 1940, Hitler was planning to take over the USSR and the Madagascar plan was shelved in favour of the plan to send Europe’s Jews deep into Siberia.</p>

<dl>
	<dt>When was the Anschluss?</dt>
	<dd id="Madagascar-Plan0" class="js-click-to-reveal">March 1938</dd>
	<dt>When was Kristallnacht?</dt>
	<dd id="Madagascar-Plan1" class="js-click-to-reveal">November 1938</dd>
	<dt>When was policy intensified because of war with Poland?</dt>
	<dd id="Madagascar-Plan2" class="js-click-to-reveal">September 1939</dd>
</dl>


		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Development of Anti-Semitic Policies</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="effect-of-the-anschluss">Effect of the Anschluss</h2>

	<p>Although the Anschluss with Austria was banned under the Treaty of Versailles, it was a long-term ambition of German nationalists and was achieved in March 1938. The German takeover of Austria was achieved without a shot being fired, and the Germans were welcomed enthusiastically by the Austrian people. By 1938, Hitler was growing in confidence that Germany was ready for war if necessary. His next target was Czechoslovakia. When the Allies agreed to the German takeover, he had achieved another bloodless victory. The more radical phase of Nazi anti-Semitism was part of the more general radicalizing of the regime’s policies, which began in winter 1937. The occupation of Austria in March 1938 led to a rapid acceleration of the economic campaign against Jews as the Nazis in Austria were allowed to act against Jews without constraint.</p>

	<h2 id="anti-semitic-decrees-1938">Anti-Semitic Decrees 1938</h2>

	<p>In April 1938, all Jewish-owned property worth more than 5,000 marks was confiscated. This was part of their Aryanization of Jewish Property and businesses. From the 40,000 Jewish-owned businesses that existed before this point, a year later only around 8,000 had avoided being closed down. Further legislation banned Jews from working as traveling salesmen, security guards, travel agents, and estate agents, and they lost their entitlement to public welfare. From October 1938, the passports of German Jews had to be stamped with a large J in an attempt to make them easily identifiable and stripped them of their individuality. This led to a law in 1939 compelling all Jewish men to have an additional first name of Israel, and all Jewish women to take the name Sarah.</p>

	<h2 id="kristallnacht-1938">Kristallnacht 1938</h2>

	<p>On the night of the 9th - 10th of November 1938, life for Jews attempting to live a normal existence changed completely. Kristallnacht or the night of the broken glass was when Jewish homes and businesses were looted and vandalized, synagogues set on fire, and thousands of Jews were arrested, beaten up, and killed. This can be viewed as an uncontrolled outpouring of anti-Semitic feeling, and although Nazi leadership attempted to say this was not coordinated, in reality, it was orchestrated by the leadership, and those involved in the violence were a majority of SA and SS men who were instructed not to wear uniforms. Although some ordinary citizens joined in the violence, many German people were horrified by the destruction. Jews were made to pay for the repair of premises and loss, and Goering made sure insurance companies did not pay out.</p>

	<h2 id="emigration">Emigration</h2>

	<p>Hitler had spoken of making Germany Jew-free from the beginning. The first method of achieving this was voluntary emigration. As war approached, and the Nazi regime became more radical, the focus moved to force emigration. At first, the regime allowed Jewish emigration to a pair, but it was strictly controlled. In 1933, 37,000 Jews left Germany, including leading scientists and cultural figures. In total, 150,000 Jews left Germany between March 1933 and November 1938. It was complicated as the Nazis were both encouraging the Jews to emigrate and threatening to confiscate some of their assets. They were willing to encourage scientists to emigrate to Palestine, although most Jews did not choose this option. After Kristallnacht, this situation became more urgent, and many Jews now desperately sought safe refuge from the obvious dangers they faced in Germany. Controlling immigration was a key policy aim of the Nazi regime. By forcing Jews to leave, the Nazis could illegally seize Jewish Property and use it to fund the emigration of poorer Jews.</p>

	<h2 id="impact-of-war-against-poland">Impact of War Against Poland</h2>

	<p>This situation changed during the outbreak of war in September 1939. The conquest of Poland provided the regime with new territories in which Jews could be settled and brought more Jews under Nazi rule. The emphasis now moved from forced emigration to deportations and resettlement. Nazi anti-Semitism had become more blatant and extreme, but it was war that brought about the final radicalization of race policies. Between November 1939 and February 1940, the SS attempted to deport one million people eastwards, of which 550,000 were Jews.</p>

	<h2 id="madagascar-plan">Madagascar Plan</h2>

	<p>The idea of moving to the island of Madagascar was first promoted by French anti-Semites in the late 1930s but was picked up by the Nazis during their takeover of France. They felt they should take the island of Madagascar from the French to be a German and send four million Jews there, financed by the sale of British Property in Europe. Although Palestine was considered, there were practical problems with it as it was a small territory under British rule and not so far from Europe. Madagascar had vastly more space, and there were no serious political problems to get around. By October 1940, Hitler was planning to take over the USSR, and the Madagascar plan was shelved in favor of the plan to send Europe’s Jews deep into Siberia.</p>

	<dl>
		<dt>When was the Anschluss?</dt>
		<dd id="Madagascar-Plan0" class="js-click-to-reveal">March 1938</dd>
		<dt>When was Kristallnacht?</dt>
		<dd id="Madagascar-Plan1" class="js-click-to-reveal">November 1938</dd>
		<dt>When was policy intensified because of war with Poland?</dt>
		<dd id="Madagascar-Plan2" class="js-click-to-reveal">September 1939</dd>
	</dl>
</main>

Development of Antisemitic Policies

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Policies Towards the Jews 1940-41</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="spreading-and-development-of-antisemitic-policies">Spreading and Development of Antisemitic Policies</h2>

<p>In August 1939 Hitler and Stalin had concluded the Nazi Soviet pact, which was only ever intended to be a temporary truce. In October 1940 Hitler started planning for the conquest of the USSR, and in June 1941 he launched operation Barbarossa. German armies were sent to control all territories in Poland, the Baltic states, Western Russia and Ukraine. All of these events had an impact on the development of Nazi anti-semitic policy since the war in the east was to be a war of racial annihilation, and it immediately brought more than three million Soviet Jews under German rule. There were no explicit orders given in June 1941 to kill the Jews of the Soviet Union, but the atmosphere in the troops was to kill in order to eliminate the passing of information of the Bolshevik Jewish intelligentsia.  The war with Soviet Russia intensified the pressure on Hitler to deal with the Jewish question in Germany as well as in the occupied territories, and a series of further isolationist measures were implemented on the Jews in German society.</p>

<h2 id="ghettoisation">Ghettoisation</h2>

<p>The Nazi regime needed a clear plan to deal with the huge Jewish populations that were displaced by military conquest and Germanisation. One solution they turned to was the creation of the ghettos.  In February 1940 the first ghetto was set up in Lodz, where 320,000 Jews were living and as the Nazis started they could not evacuate them all so they closed the ghetto and made the Jews build a surrounding wall. Jews sent to the ghetto had their homes confiscated, and most had to sell their valuables to survive. There was further economic exploitation in the form of forced labour. The Nazis’ restricted the amount of food, medical supplies and other goods to the overcrowded ghettos. There was a black market, along with many more ways around these awful conditions. The ghettos had illegal schools and illegal printing presses and although the Elders did their best to relieve suffering, some were accused of corruption or collaboration with the Nazis.</p>

<h2 id="einsatzgruppen">Einsatzgruppen</h2>

<p>Special groups or Einsatzgruppen were sent in to eliminate communist officials, red army commissars, partisans and the Jewish Bolshevik intelligentsia. Their activities went far beyond their original remit as they carried out numerous mass killings. Possibly up to 0.5 million Soviet Jews were killed in this way. There were temporary units made up of police and regular troops. They were commanded by men from the Gestapo, who were used extensively to support military operations. They played an important role in the ethnic cleansing of the territories in Western Poland that were incorporated into greater Germany. It is estimated that 7,000 Jews were killed in Poland in 1939. The Einsatzgruppen were supported by police reserve units, who were made up of many ordinary men conscripted into the police instead of the regular army. Jewish men were routinely being shot, and with the extra Manpower, Jewish women and children were now also to be shot.</p>

		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Policies Towards Jews in 1940-41</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="spreading-and-development-of-antisemitic-policies">Spreading and Development of Anti-Semitic Policies</h2>

	<p>In August 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact, which was intended to be a temporary truce. In October 1940, Hitler began planning for the conquest of the USSR, and in June 1941, he launched Operation Barbarossa. German armies were sent to control all territories in Poland, the Baltic states, Western Russia, and Ukraine. These events had an impact on the development of Nazi anti-Semitic policy since the war in the east was to be a war of racial annihilation, and it immediately brought more than three million Soviet Jews under German rule. Although there were no explicit orders given in June 1941 to kill the Jews of the Soviet Union, the atmosphere in the troops was to kill in order to eliminate the passing of information of the Bolshevik Jewish intelligentsia. The war with Soviet Russia intensified the pressure on Hitler to deal with the Jewish question in Germany as well as in the occupied territories, and a series of further isolationist measures were implemented on the Jews in German society.</p>

	<h2 id="ghettoisation">Ghettoization</h2>

	<p>The Nazi regime needed a clear plan to deal with the huge Jewish populations that were displaced by military conquest and Germanization. One solution they turned to was the creation of ghettos. In February 1940, the first ghetto was set up in Lodz, where 320,000 Jews were living. As the Nazis started, they could not evacuate them all, so they closed the ghetto and made the Jews build a surrounding wall. Jews sent to the ghetto had their homes confiscated, and most had to sell their valuables to survive. There was further economic exploitation in the form of forced labor. The Nazis restricted the amount of food, medical supplies, and other goods to the overcrowded ghettos. There was a black market, along with many more ways around these awful conditions. The ghettos had illegal schools and illegal printing presses, and although the Elders did their best to relieve suffering, some were accused of corruption or collaboration with the Nazis.</p>

	<h2 id="einsatzgruppen">Einsatzgruppen</h2>

	<p>Special groups or Einsatzgruppen were sent in to eliminate communist officials, Red Army commissars, partisans, and the Jewish Bolshevik intelligentsia. Their activities went far beyond their original remit as they carried out numerous mass killings. Possibly up to 0.5 million Soviet Jews were killed in this way. There were temporary units made up of police and regular troops. They were commanded by men from the Gestapo, who were used extensively to support military operations. They played an important role in the ethnic cleansing of the territories in Western Poland that were incorporated into greater Germany. It is estimated that 7,000 Jews were killed in Poland in 1939. The Einsatzgruppen were supported by police reserve units, who were made up of many ordinary men conscripted into the police instead of the regular army. Jewish men were routinely being shot, and with the extra manpower, Jewish women and children were now also to be shot.</p>
</main>

Policies Towards the Jews 1940-41

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Changing Morale</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="impact-of-rationing">Impact of Rationing</h2>

<p>One of the critical factors in maintaining civilian morale is the availability of vital foodstuffs and other commodities. Shortages and inadequacies of the rationing system during the First World War were some of the main causes of growing war-weariness, and the Nazi regime was determined not to make the same mistakes. Rationing began before the war did, and the allocation of food rations was based on age, occupation and race. Those who were employed in manual labour received more than those who had more sedentary occupations and Jews received smaller rations. On the whole, the rationing system worked efficiently and there were no serious food shortages between 1939 and 1941.By the end of the war, particularly in the industrial cities, food supplies had become very scarce and unpredictable.</p>

<h2 id="propaganda-and-indoctrination">Propaganda and Indoctrination</h2>

<p>Maintaining the morale of the Germans was a high priority for the regime. Goebbels had his sophisticated propaganda system which controlled the flow of information to the German people having used its secret police to monitor the public opinion.</p>

<h2 id="blitzkrieg">Blitzkrieg</h2>

<p>In the first stage of the war the public mood in Germany was volatile and propaganda was not effective. Quick and easy victories in the early stages of the war were cause for celebration and Hitler was presented as a military genius responsible for these victories. At this stage, propaganda lead people to feel optimistic and believe that the war would be over soon.</p>

<h2 id="spreading-war">Spreading War</h2>

<p>In the second phase of the war, the invasion of the USSR was presented as a crusade against Jewish Bolshevism, and the success of German forces enforcing the red army to retreat was a huge success. However, there were reports that the public felt that the war would go on for years. Nazi propaganda downplayed the extent of Soviet success but letters home from soldiers undermined the propaganda. The hopes of a quick and easy victory dissipated.</p>

<h2 id="turning-of-the-tide">Turning of the Tide</h2>

<p>In the third phase of the war, rising casualty figures and letters home from soldiers awakened the civilian population to the realities of the war they were engaged in. The mood of disillusionment deepened. There was a high level of scepticism about propaganda and the defeat at Stalingrad signalled a defeat for Nazi propaganda as much as a defeat for its armed forces. War weariness was evident and the Hitler myth began to lose potency. There was, however, a deep well of patriotism and willingness to endure hardship to gear up for total war.</p>

<h2 id="total-war">Total War</h2>

<p>By 1943 it was clear that Germany was involved in a struggle for survival. Goebbels' total war speech struck a chord with many people and his call for radical measures to mobilize the population and economy were generally welcomed. The main criticism was that these were too late. By the end of August 1944, Paris had been liberated and German forces had suffered further reverses in the east. Defeat began to be accepted as inevitable. The final months of the war saw growing cynicism about Nazi propaganda and the Hitler myth crumbled away.</p>

<h2 id="impact-of-bombing">Impact of Bombing</h2>

<p>With an intensity of bombing on German cities by the RAF, reports on civilian morale talked about the resilience of the population that still supported the regime. As morale fell, the regime took an increasingly repressive line with anyone they considered a defeatist. The pressure of the allied bombing did cause war-weariness, but the workers turned up for work and used routine to create stability.</p>

		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Changing Morale</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="impact-of-rationing">Impact of Rationing</h2>

	<p>One critical factor in maintaining civilian morale is the availability of vital foodstuffs and other commodities. Shortages and inadequacies of the rationing system during the First World War were some of the main causes of growing war-weariness, and the Nazi regime was determined not to make the same mistakes. Rationing began before the war, and the allocation of food rations was based on age, occupation, and race. Those employed in manual labor received more than those with more sedentary occupations, and Jews received smaller rations. On the whole, the rationing system worked efficiently, and there were no serious food shortages between 1939 and 1941. However, by the end of the war, particularly in the industrial cities, food supplies had become very scarce and unpredictable.</p>

	<h2 id="propaganda-and-indoctrination">Propaganda and Indoctrination</h2>

	<p>Maintaining the morale of the Germans was a high priority for the regime. Goebbels had a sophisticated propaganda system that controlled the flow of information to the German people, using its secret police to monitor public opinion.</p>

	<h2 id="blitzkrieg">Blitzkrieg</h2>

	<p>In the first stage of the war, the public mood in Germany was volatile, and propaganda was not effective. Quick and easy victories in the early stages of the war were cause for celebration, and Hitler was presented as a military genius responsible for these victories. At this stage, propaganda led people to feel optimistic and believe that the war would be over soon.</p>

	<h2 id="spreading-war">Spreading War</h2>

	<p>In the second phase of the war, the invasion of the USSR was presented as a crusade against Jewish Bolshevism, and the success of German forces enforcing the Red Army to retreat was a huge success. However, there were reports that the public felt that the war would go on for years. Nazi propaganda downplayed the extent of Soviet success, but letters home from soldiers undermined the propaganda. The hopes of a quick and easy victory dissipated.</p>

	<h2 id="turning-of-the-tide">Turning of the Tide</h2>

	<p>In the third phase of the war, rising casualty figures and letters home from soldiers awakened the civilian population to the realities of the war they were engaged in. The mood of disillusionment deepened. There was a high level of skepticism about propaganda, and the defeat at Stalingrad signaled a defeat for Nazi propaganda as much as a defeat for its armed forces. War weariness was evident, and the Hitler myth began to lose potency. However, there was a deep well of patriotism and willingness to endure hardship to gear up for total war.</p>

	<h2 id="total-war">Total War</h2>

	<p>By 1943, it was clear that Germany was involved in a struggle for survival. Goebbels' total war speech struck a chord with many people, and his call for radical measures to mobilize the population and economy was generally welcomed. The main criticism was that these measures were too late. By the end of August 1944, Paris had been liberated, and German forces had suffered further reverses in the east. Defeat began to be accepted as inevitable. The final months of the war saw growing cynicism about Nazi propaganda, and the Hitler myth crumbled away.</p>

	<h2 id="impact-of-bombing">Impact of Bombing</h2>

	<p>With the intensity of bombing on German cities by the RAF, reports on civilian morale talked about the resilience of the population that still supported the regime. As morale fell, the regime took an increasingly repressive line with anyone they considered a defeatist. The pressure of the allied bombing did cause war-weariness, but the workers turned up for work and used routine to create stability.</p>
</main>

Changing Morale

Germany: the Impact of War (1939-45)

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Impact of War on Society</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="elites">Elites</h2>

<p>There were diverse views regarding the Nazi regime and various reasons for opposing it within the elite. Some felt that the regime was evil and others although patriotic, believed that Hitler was leading Germany to destruction. Many of those who opposed Nazism did so because they believed in personal freedom and individual responsibility.</p>

<h2 id="workers">Workers</h2>

<p>When war broke out Hitler imposed wage reductions and a ban on the payment of bonuses for overtime. This caused widespread discontent among the labour force and was reflected in an increased level of absenteeism. This led to the regime backing down and restoring the wage levels to their prewar levels. Total war measures impacted on workers as there was a ban on holidays and an increase to the hours worked in the working week. Although some workers did become absent from work, employers were able to remove their reserve status meaning they would be conscripted into the army. The increase in working hours and the pressure to produce more had an impact on workers’ health and welfare, accidents at work increased and their health deteriorated.</p>

<h2 id="women">Women</h2>

<p>Women bore the brunt of the hardships endured on the home front. They were obliged to spend time queuing for supplies of vital food when shortages occurred and had to shoulder all of the childcare when their husbands were away in the armed forces. As workers, women played an increasingly vital role in the German war economy. In June 1941 Goering issued a decree that if women were in receipt of family allowance and had given up paid employment, but had not produced children, they should be forced to register for work or lose their benefit. When Germany was defeated at Stalingrad in 1943, the mobilisation of labour was essential. It made Hitler abandon his ideological objection to the employment of married women.</p>

<h2 id="youth">Youth</h2>

<p>Membership of the Hitler youth and BDM had become compulsory in 1939 and felt that the young people could contribute to the war effort. The young people were increasingly militarised in the final stages of the war in 1945 and the age at which youths could be conscripted was reduced to 16.</p>

<dl>
	<dt>Why did the Elite oppose Hitler’s regime?</dt>
	<dd id="Youth0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Personal Freedom /  Individual Responsibility<br />Explanation: <em>Because they believed in personal freedom and individual responsibility.</em></dd>
	<dt>How did life change for women during the war?</dt>
	<dd id="Youth1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Housewife /  Childcare /  Conscripted to Work /  Lost Benefits /  Children<br />Explanation: <em>They had to do all of the housewife and childcare duties and were conscripted to work. They also lost benefits if they did not have children.</em></dd>
	<dt>How were workers affected by the war?</dt>
	<dd id="Youth2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Conditions /  Wages /  Hours /  Punishments<br />Explanation: <em>Conditions were worse, wages were lower, hours were increased and punishments were higher.</em></dd>
</dl>


		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">The Impact of War on Society</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="elites">Elites</h2>

	<p>There were diverse views regarding the Nazi regime and various reasons for opposing it within the elite. Some felt that the regime was evil, while others, although patriotic, believed that Hitler was leading Germany to destruction. Many of those who opposed Nazism did so because they believed in personal freedom and individual responsibility.</p>

	<h2 id="workers">Workers</h2>

	<p>When war broke out, Hitler imposed wage reductions and a ban on the payment of bonuses for overtime. This caused widespread discontent among the labor force, which was reflected in an increased level of absenteeism. The regime eventually backed down and restored wage levels to their prewar levels. Total war measures impacted workers as there was a ban on holidays and an increase in the hours worked in the working week. Although some workers did become absent from work, employers were able to remove their reserve status, meaning they would be conscripted into the army. The increase in working hours and the pressure to produce more had an impact on workers’ health and welfare, leading to an increase in accidents at work and a deterioration of their health.</p>

	<h2 id="women">Women</h2>

	<p>Women bore the brunt of the hardships endured on the home front. They were obliged to spend time queuing for supplies of vital food when shortages occurred and had to shoulder all of the childcare when their husbands were away in the armed forces. As workers, women played an increasingly vital role in the German war economy. In June 1941, Goering issued a decree that if women were in receipt of family allowance and had given up paid employment but had not produced children, they should be forced to register for work or lose their benefit. When Germany was defeated at Stalingrad in 1943, the mobilization of labor was essential. It made Hitler abandon his ideological objection to the employment of married women.</p>

	<h2 id="youth">Youth</h2>

	<p>Membership of the Hitler Youth and BDM had become compulsory in 1939, and young people were expected to contribute to the war effort. The young people were increasingly militarized in the final stages of the war in 1945, and the age at which youths could be conscripted was reduced to 16.</p>

	<dl>
		<dt>Why did the Elite oppose Hitler’s regime?</dt>
		<dd id="Youth0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Personal Freedom / Individual Responsibility<br />Explanation: <em>They believed in personal freedom and individual responsibility.</em></dd>
		<dt>How did life change for women during the war?</dt>
		<dd id="Youth1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Housewife / Childcare / Conscripted to Work / Lost Benefits / Children<br />Explanation: <em>Women had to do all of the housewife and childcare duties and were conscripted to work. They also lost benefits if they did not have children.</em></dd>
		<dt>How were workers affected by the war?</dt>
		<dd id="Youth2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Conditions / Wages / Hours / Punishments<br />Explanation: <em>Conditions were worse, wages were lower, hours were increased, and punishments were harsher.</em></dd>
	</dl>
</main>

Impact of War on Society

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Wartime Economy Under Speer</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="mobilisation-of-economy-for-war">Mobilisation of Economy for War</h2>

<p>Germany had been preparing for war since the introduction of the Four-Year Plan but did not reach a full state of mobilisation until 1942. Although the German army had shortages, these did not impact them until 1941 as forces became stretched with the war in the Mediterranean and Operation Barbarossa. Hitler had not anticipated war would begin in 1939 and this was one reason for shortages. Armaments production suffered from structural weaknesses, as production needed for the different weapons for the different branches was expensive and required skilled labour. Goering also lacked the political, economic and technical knowledge to carry out the Four Year Plan effectively. Albert Speer appointed Armaments Minister in 1942 described Goering as incompetent.</p>

<h2 id="work-of-speer">Work of Speer</h2>

<p>Hitler recognised the need for more rationalisation of the industry by 1941. It was only when the Armaments Minister was killed in a plane crash in 1942 and was replaced by Albert Speer, that any effective action was taken to improve German armaments production. Under Speer, they centrally coordinated the allocation of labour, equipment and materials and used fewer factories, with more mass-production techniques, and shift work to ensure 24-hour production.</p>

<h2 id="impact-of-bombing">Impact of Bombing</h2>

<p>Between May 1942 and 1945 the allies carried out a sustained bombing offensive against Germany’s industrial capacity and civilian morale. Speer’s production gains happened despite heavy bombing. Although the bombing did have an impact on production, they managed to keep producing throughout it.</p>

<h2 id="mobilisation-of-labour-force">Mobilisation of Labour Force</h2>

<p>The outbreak of war led to an increase of those conscripted into the army. At the same time, there was a need to increase the production of armaments. With a limited supply of men, they ensured that only non-essential labourers were sent to the frontline and used foreign labour in the factories. Hitler was opposed to using women for labour, so did things like shut small businesses and transferred the employees to factories.</p>

<h2 id="use-of-foreign-labour">Use of Foreign Labour</h2>

<p>From June 1940-1942 foreign workers came mainly from occupied countries in Western Europe. After the invasion of the USSR, there was an increase in the number of prisoners of war, and Hitler agreed that they could be used as slave labour.</p>

<dl>
	<dt>In what ways did Hitler mobilise the labour force without using women?</dt>
	<dd id="Use-of-Foreign-Labour0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Shutting Businesses /  Transferring Employees /  Keeping Workers /  Frontline /  Foreign Labour<br />Explanation: <em>Shutting non-essential businesses and transferring employees, keeping essential workers off the frontline, and using foreign labour.</em></dd>
	<dt>When did slave labour increase?</dt>
	<dd id="Use-of-Foreign-Labour1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Invasion /  USSR<br />Explanation: <em>After the invasion of the USSR.</em></dd>
</dl>


		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Wartime Economy under Speer</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="mobilisation-of-economy-for-war">Mobilization of Economy for War</h2>

	<p>Germany had been preparing for war since the introduction of the Four-Year Plan but did not reach a full state of mobilization until 1942. Although the German army had shortages, these did not impact them until 1941 as forces became stretched with the war in the Mediterranean and Operation Barbarossa. Hitler had not anticipated war would begin in 1939, and this was one reason for shortages. Armaments production suffered from structural weaknesses, as production needed for the different weapons for the different branches was expensive and required skilled labor. Goering also lacked the political, economic, and technical knowledge to carry out the Four-Year Plan effectively. Albert Speer, appointed Armaments Minister in 1942, described Goering as incompetent.</p>

	<h2 id="work-of-speer">Work of Speer</h2>

	<p>Hitler recognized the need for more rationalization of the industry by 1941. It was only when the Armaments Minister was killed in a plane crash in 1942 and was replaced by Albert Speer that any effective action was taken to improve German armaments production. Under Speer, they centrally coordinated the allocation of labor, equipment, and materials and used fewer factories, with more mass-production techniques, and shift work to ensure 24-hour production.</p>

	<h2 id="impact-of-bombing">Impact of Bombing</h2>

	<p>Between May 1942 and 1945, the Allies carried out a sustained bombing offensive against Germany's industrial capacity and civilian morale. Speer's production gains happened despite heavy bombing. Although the bombing did have an impact on production, they managed to keep producing throughout it.</p>

	<h2 id="mobilisation-of-labour-force">Mobilization of Labor Force</h2>

	<p>The outbreak of war led to an increase in those conscripted into the army. At the same time, there was a need to increase the production of armaments. With a limited supply of men, they ensured that only non-essential laborers were sent to the frontline and used foreign labor in the factories. Hitler was opposed to using women for labor, so he shut down small businesses and transferred the employees to factories.</p>

	<h2 id="use-of-foreign-labour">Use of Foreign Labor</h2>

	<p>From June 1940-1942, foreign workers came mainly from occupied countries in Western Europe. After the invasion of the USSR, there was an increase in the number of prisoners of war, and Hitler agreed that they could be used as slave labor.</p>

	<dl>
		<dt>In what ways did Hitler mobilize the labor force without using women?</dt>
		<dd id="Use-of-Foreign-Labour0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Shutting Businesses / Transferring Employees / Keeping Workers off the Frontline / Foreign Labor<br />Explanation: <em>Shutting down non-essential businesses and transferring employees, keeping essential workers off the frontline, and using foreign labor.</em></dd>
		<dt>When did slave labor increase?</dt>
		<dd id="Use-of-Foreign-Labour1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Invasion / USSR<br />Explanation: <em>After the invasion of the USSR.</em></dd>
	</dl>
</main>

Wartime Economy Under Speer

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">The Final Solution</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="origins-of-the-final-solution">Origins of the Final Solution</h2>

<p>Hitler’s ideological goals were fixed before he came to power in 1933, but the original plan was not mass extermination. Kristallnacht opened the way for worse persecution, but it can be argued that without the outbreak of the Second World War there would not have been a Holocaust. When the war turned Eastwards it was clear that it was a war of racial annihilation. The Madagascar Plan was abandoned and it was clear that the number of Jews that had been sent to Poland was too much for the local governments to handle, and as this problem became more urgent, it was clear there needed to be a new plan in place.</p>

<h2 id="wannsee-conference">Wannsee Conference</h2>

<p>The Wannsee Conference took place on the 20th of January 1942. It was not where the decision was made to exterminate Europe’s Jews, but it was more to inform senior bureaucrats of their roles in implementing the decisions. There were 15 top-ranking officials at Wannsee but Hitler and Himmler were not in attendance. The situation after the conference showed that the purpose was to clarify what to do with the Jews. There was now no longer deportation to get them out of Germany, but to transport them to an organised camp system, which opened the way to coordinate and accelerate mass killings. More than half the Jews killed in the Holocaust were killed between January 1942 and 1943.</p>

<h2 id="the-final-solution">The Final Solution</h2>

<p>When the war turned against Germany in 1942 it accelerated the mass killings of Jews. Propaganda became even more hate-filled than before. Each time Germany suffered a military defeat, the anti-Jewish action and propaganda increased. Jewish populations in France, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia and Italy were rounded up for deportation. By Summer 1944 it was clear that Germany faced defeat in the war but it did not cause an end to the final solution. When the Soviets and Allies were headed to Berlin, the Nazis rounded up the prisoners in death camps and forced them on a death march. Once Germany had surrendered and the camps were liberated the allies uncovered the full horror of what had been happening.</p>

<h2 id="the-camp-system">The Camp System</h2>

<p>The death camps of 1942-45 are not the same as the concentration camps that were in action from 1933. Concentration camps were around in many of the main German cities, and housed political prisoners, from homosexuals, political opponents and church dissidents. Most Germans knew about the concentration camps and some even approved of them being used as punishment for social dissidents. The system of camps in operation in Eastern Europe after 1941 were on a much larger scale with a focus on extermination. They were built for the specific purpose of killing untermenschen. Such examples are Auschwitz-Birkenau and Chelmno.</p>

<h2 id="jewish-resistance">Jewish Resistance</h2>

<p>There was a large amount of resistance from Jews during the Holocaust. This ranged from protest to partisans fighting in the forest. There were also a number of uprisings such as the Warsaw ghetto uprising where they tried to fight back, and the sonderkommando rebellion at Auschwitz. There was also small scale resistance such as continuing to pray when it was banned, trying to continue education and trying to smuggle out information to Western embassies to tell them what was happening.</p>

<h2 id="death-marches">Death Marches</h2>

<p>The military defeat of the Third Reich did not end the suffering of the victims of the Holocaust. As German forces pulled back, the Nazis carried out a frantic programme of evacuations and forced marches. Camps were hurriedly closed down and the inmates were sent on long marches Westwards. People died on the marches from the cold, starvation, malnutrition and were shot for not keeping up. If they survived the march to another camp they would often have to repeat the process.</p>

<h2 id="responsibility-for-the-holocaust">Responsibility for the Holocaust</h2>

<p>Responsibility for the Holocaust does not just sit with Hitler. Although it was his ideological plan, it involved much more than one man. Millions of individuals were involved from the decision-making officials to those that were involved in the deportations, persecution and killings. At one extreme it can be argued that the Holocaust was entirely the responsibility of Hitler, but that implied that he was an all power absolute dictator, but this is not the case. Therefore, however central Hitler’s role was he can’t have sole responsibility.</p>

<dl>
	<dt>Who was not present at the Wannsee conference?</dt>
	<dd id="Responsibility-for-the-Holocaust0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Himmler /  Hitler</dd>
	<dt>What was the Wannsee conference for?</dt>
	<dd id="Responsibility-for-the-Holocaust1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Final Solution /  Jewish Question<br />Explanation: <em>To set out the roles in carrying out the final solution to the Jewish question.</em></dd>
	<dt>Give an example of Jewish resistance?</dt>
	<dd id="Responsibility-for-the-Holocaust2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Warsaw Uprising /  Partisans /  Crematoria /  Praying /  Studying</dd>
</dl>


		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">The Final Solution</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="origins-of-the-final-solution">Origins of the Final Solution</h2>

	<p>Hitler's ideological goals were fixed before he came to power in 1933, but the original plan was not mass extermination. Kristallnacht opened the way for worse persecution, but it can be argued that without the outbreak of the Second World War, there would not have been a Holocaust. When the war turned Eastwards, it became clear that it was a war of racial annihilation. The Madagascar Plan was abandoned, and it was clear that the number of Jews sent to Poland was too much for the local governments to handle. As this problem became more urgent, it was clear that there needed to be a new plan in place.</p>

	<h2 id="wannsee-conference">Wannsee Conference</h2>

	<p>The Wannsee Conference took place on the 20th of January 1942. It was not where the decision was made to exterminate Europe's Jews, but it was more to inform senior bureaucrats of their roles in implementing the decisions. There were 15 top-ranking officials at Wannsee, but Hitler and Himmler were not in attendance. The situation after the conference showed that the purpose was to clarify what to do with the Jews. There was no longer deportation to get them out of Germany, but to transport them to an organized camp system, which opened the way to coordinate and accelerate mass killings. More than half the Jews killed in the Holocaust were killed between January 1942 and 1943.</p>

	<h2 id="the-final-solution">The Final Solution</h2>

	<p>When the war turned against Germany in 1942, it accelerated the mass killings of Jews. Propaganda became even more hate-filled than before. Each time Germany suffered a military defeat, the anti-Jewish action and propaganda increased. Jewish populations in France, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, and Italy were rounded up for deportation. By Summer 1944, it was clear that Germany faced defeat in the war, but it did not cause an end to the final solution. When the Soviets and Allies were headed to Berlin, the Nazis rounded up the prisoners in death camps and forced them on a death march. Once Germany had surrendered and the camps were liberated, the Allies uncovered the full horror of what had been happening.</p>

	<h2 id="the-camp-system">The Camp System</h2>

	<p>The death camps of 1942-45 are not the same as the concentration camps that were in action from 1933. Concentration camps were around in many of the main German cities and housed political prisoners, from homosexuals, political opponents, and church dissidents. Most Germans knew about the concentration camps, and some even approved of them being used as punishment for social dissidents. The system of camps in operation in Eastern Europe after 1941 was on a much larger scale with a focus on extermination. They were built for the specific purpose of killing untermenschen. Such examples are Auschwitz-Birkenau and Chelmno.</p>

	<h2 id="jewish-resistance">Jewish Resistance</h2>

	<p>There was a large amount of resistance from Jews during the Holocaust. This ranged from protest to partisans fighting in the forest. There were also a number of uprisings such as the Warsaw ghetto uprising where they tried to fight back, and the Sonderkommando rebellion at Auschwitz. There was also small-scale resistance such as continuing to pray when it was banned, trying to continue education, and trying to smuggle out information to Western embassies to tell them what was happening.</p>

	<h2 id="death-marches">Death Marches</h2>

	<p>The military defeat of the Third Reich did not end the suffering of the victims of the Holocaust. As German forces pulled back, the Nazis carried out a frantic program of evacuations and forced marches. Camps were hurriedly closed down, and the inmates were sent on long marches Westwards. People died on the marches from the cold, starvation, malnutrition, and were shot for not keeping up. If they survived the march to another camp, they would often have to repeat the process.</p>

	<h2 id="responsibility-for-the-holocaust">Responsibility for the Holocaust</h2>

	<p>Responsibility for the Holocaust does not just sit with Hitler. Although it was his ideological plan, it involved much more than one man. Millions of individuals were involved from the decision-making officials to those that were involved in the deportations, persecution, and killings. At one extreme, it can be argued that the Holocaust was entirely the responsibility of Hitler, but that implies that he was an all-powerful absolute dictator, but this is not the case. Therefore, however central Hitler's role was, he can't have sole responsibility.</p>

	<dl>
		<dt>Who was not present at the Wannsee conference?</dt>
		<dd id="Responsibility-for-the-Holocaust0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Himmler / Hitler</dd>
		<dt>What was the Wannsee conference for?</dt>
		<dd id="Responsibility-for-the-Holocaust1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Final Solution / Jewish Question<br />Explanation: <em>To set out the roles in carrying out the final solution to the Jewish question.</em></dd>
		<dt>Give an example of Jewish resistance?</dt>
		<dd id="Responsibility-for-the-Holocaust2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Warsaw Uprising / Partisans / Crematoria / Praying / Studying</dd>
	</dl>
</main>

The Final Solution

		<header>
			<h1 class="blog-post__title">Opposition and Resistance</h1>
		</header>

		<main class="blog-post__content">
			<h2 id="opposition-from-working-class-young-people">Opposition From Working Class Young People</h2>

<p>During the 1930s the Nazis banned all opposition youth groups except the HJ. There were independent youth groups around like the Wandervogel, which was law-abiding but unconventional, or wild cliques that were criminal or semi-criminal in nature such as the Edelweiss Pirates - a group of young working-class youths who rejected the official and militaristic discipline. They often hummed banned songs and were encouraged by the destruction of bombings. The Gestapo and Hitler Youth used their powers to crush the Edelweiss Pirates.</p>

<h2 id="opposition-from-middle-class-young-people">Opposition From Middle Class Young People</h2>

<p>The middle-class youth had their own resistance too, known as the Swing Youth. They were motivated by the desire to have a good time. They rejected Nazi values by listening to swing and jazz, and wearing English style clothes. They placed themselves in opposition to the regime, but were not overtly political or attempting to overthrow the regime. The White Rose group were more political, and their main audience was the educated middle-class. They painted slogans like “Hitler Mass Murderer” on buildings and were eventually caught by the Gestapo.</p>

<h2 id="opposition-from-the-churches">Opposition From the Churches</h2>

<p>The Roman Catholic Church supported the regime at first and supported the invasion of the USSR. It was left to individual churchmen to raise their protests. Bishop Galen spoke out in sermons about the T4 euthanasia programme and although Galen was not persecuted by the regime, other priests that spoke out about the regime were. The Protestant church was the only Christian body in Germany to protest the regime’s treatment of the Jews. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was an outspoken critic of the regime, called for wider resistance to the treatment of the Jews but was banned from speaking out in public from 1940, and was arrested in 1943 by the Gestapo.</p>

<h2 id="communist-opposition">Communist Opposition</h2>

<p>The underground communist resistance had been severely weakened by the Gestapo in the 1930s but had managed to survive in some areas. The Nazi-Soviet Pact undermined any KPD resistance, but the invasion of the USSR in 1941 made communist resistance increase. The main ways they tried to spread their resistance was through leaflets, and there were ways that the Gestapo managed to infiltrate these groups. The movement had no way of gaining wide support as the USSR became their biggest enemy.</p>

<h2 id="kreisau-circle">Kreisau Circle</h2>

<p>Many of the elites who opposed the Nazis were in the Kreisau Circle. The common belief between them was one of personal freedom and individuality. They were the intellectual powerhouse of the non-Communist opposition and they held three resistant meetings between 1942-3 but then were broken up by the Gestapo.</p>

<h2 id="assassination-attempts">Assassination Attempts</h2>

<p>There were a number of attempts on Hitler’s life. In 1938 there was an attempt to get army generals to arrest Hitler, but as this was not to be done, they decided that an assassination attempt would be the only option. The first assassination attempt took place in 1943 when a bomb was placed on Hitler’s plane. This failed to explode. In 1944, there was a second attempt where a bomb was placed in Hitler’s headquarters in East Prussia, to be followed by a military coup after the assassination. The assassination and the coup failed. The bomb plot gained little sympathy amongst Germans as the plotters made no attempt to arouse popular support. The plotters were vilified as traitors, and most Germans seemed to agree.</p>

<dl>
	<dt>Give an example of youth resistance?</dt>
	<dd id="Assassination-Attempts0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Edelweiss Pirates /  Swing Youth /  White Rose</dd>
	<dt>Give an example of church resistance?</dt>
	<dd id="Assassination-Attempts1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Protestant Church /  Bohnhoeffer</dd>
	<dt>Give an example of an assassination attempt?</dt>
	<dd id="Assassination-Attempts2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: July 1944 /  July 1943 /  Operation Valkyrie</dd>
</dl>


		</main>
	

<header>
	<h1 class="blog-post__title">Opposition and Resistance</h1>
</header>

<main class="blog-post__content">
	<h2 id="opposition-from-working-class-young-people">Opposition from Working Class Young People</h2>

	<p>During the 1930s, the Nazis banned all opposition youth groups except for the HJ. There were independent youth groups like the Wandervogel, which was law-abiding but unconventional, or wild cliques that were criminal or semi-criminal in nature, such as the Edelweiss Pirates - a group of young working-class youths who rejected the official and militaristic discipline. They often hummed banned songs and were encouraged by the destruction of bombings. The Gestapo and Hitler Youth used their powers to crush the Edelweiss Pirates.</p>

	<h2 id="opposition-from-middle-class-young-people">Opposition from Middle Class Young People</h2>

	<p>The middle-class youth had their own resistance too, known as the Swing Youth. They were motivated by the desire to have a good time. They rejected Nazi values by listening to swing and jazz and wearing English-style clothes. They placed themselves in opposition to the regime but were not overtly political or attempting to overthrow the regime. The White Rose group was more political, and their main audience was the educated middle-class. They painted slogans like “Hitler Mass Murderer” on buildings and were eventually caught by the Gestapo.</p>

	<h2 id="opposition-from-the-churches">Opposition from the Churches</h2>

	<p>The Roman Catholic Church supported the regime at first and supported the invasion of the USSR. It was left to individual churchmen to raise their protests. Bishop Galen spoke out in sermons about the T4 euthanasia program, and although Galen was not persecuted by the regime, other priests that spoke out about the regime were. The Protestant church was the only Christian body in Germany to protest the regime’s treatment of the Jews. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was an outspoken critic of the regime, called for wider resistance to the treatment of the Jews but was banned from speaking out in public from 1940 and was arrested in 1943 by the Gestapo.</p>

	<h2 id="communist-opposition">Communist Opposition</h2>

	<p>The underground communist resistance had been severely weakened by the Gestapo in the 1930s but had managed to survive in some areas. The Nazi-Soviet Pact undermined any KPD resistance, but the invasion of the USSR in 1941 made communist resistance increase. The main ways they tried to spread their resistance was through leaflets, and there were ways that the Gestapo managed to infiltrate these groups. The movement had no way of gaining wide support as the USSR became their biggest enemy.</p>

	<h2 id="kreisau-circle">Kreisau Circle</h2>

	<p>Many of the elites who opposed the Nazis were in the Kreisau Circle. The common belief between them was one of personal freedom and individuality. They were the intellectual powerhouse of the non-Communist opposition and they held three resistant meetings between 1942-3 but then were broken up by the Gestapo.</p>

	<h2 id="assassination-attempts">Assassination Attempts</h2>

	<p>There were a number of attempts on Hitler’s life. In 1938, there was an attempt to get army generals to arrest Hitler, but as this was not to be done, they decided that an assassination attempt would be the only option. The first assassination attempt took place in 1943 when a bomb was placed on Hitler’s plane. This failed to explode. In 1944, there was a second attempt where a bomb was placed in Hitler’s headquarters in East Prussia, to be followed by a military coup after the assassination. The assassination and the coup failed. The bomb plot gained little sympathy amongst Germans as the plotters made no attempt to arouse popular support. The plotters were vilified as traitors, and most Germans seemed to agree.</p>

	<dl>
		<dt>Give an example of youth resistance?</dt>
		<dd id="Assassination-Attempts0" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Edelweiss Pirates / Swing Youth / White Rose</dd>
		<dt>Give an example of church resistance?</dt>
		<dd id="Assassination-Attempts1" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: Protestant Church / Bonhoeffer</dd>
		<dt>Give an example of an assassination attempt?</dt>
		<dd id="Assassination-Attempts2" class="js-click-to-reveal">Your answer should include: July 1944 / July 1943 / Operation Valkyrie</dd>
	</dl>
</main>

A-Level AQA History - Germany: the Impact of War (1939-45)

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Contents

The Impact of War on Society

Elites

Workers

Women

Youth