Saturday, March 15, 2014

Life in Nazi Germany

** Please copy these notes in addition to the rise of hitler notes for monday
I: Facts about Nazism
1. Nazi Germany's regime lasted for a surprisingly short amount of time. Only 12 years (1933-1945)

2. Nazi Germany was a 'totalitarian' state, meaning that the Nazi government recognized no ends to their authority, would restrict public and private life whenever possible, and would create personality cults whenever possible through propaganda and completely biased media.

3. Hitler used the Swastika as the Nazi symbol as a 'symbol of our struggle'. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote, "In red we see the social idea of the movement, in white the nationalistic idea, in the swastika the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man, and, by the same token, the victory of the idea of creative work, which as such always has been and always will be anti-Semitic."
The Swastika was originally meant to symbolize strength, power, sun and good luck, but now is seen as a symbol of hate, Anti-Semitism, prejudice, violence and death.

4. The Nazi Movement arose from many young, angry men, who rejected peace treaties such as the 'Treaty of Versailles', and who rejected democracy in general. They called for a revival of the Aryan race and blamed the Jews for Germany's troubles.

5. While it could've been classified as a fascist state, the Nazi's referred to themselves as 'National Socialists', or a state of Nazism. Nazism has been described as a 'unique variety of fascism that incorporates biological racism and Anti-Semitism.

6. Education under the Nazi regime focused on racial biology, population policy, culture, geography and especially physical fitness. After all, the boys of the Nazi Regime were being specially built up for war, and loyal ones under Hitler, at that.

7. Nazi Germany had arguably the most anti-tobacco movement in the world, in fact, Nazi researchers and scientists were actually the first to find out the real dangers of tobacco and smoking.

8. The animals living in Nazi Germany were actually treated better than the majority of people who lived there. The Nazi's took several measures to ensure their protection. Major Nazist figures including Goring and Himmler were animal lovers.

9. It was estimated that 11 million people were killed during the holocaust, with six million of them being Jews. 2/3 of the entire Jewish population was killed.


10. After World War 2, all Nazi political figures were either executed or given life terms in prison under the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-46. In modern society, Hitler, Nazism and the Holocaust have become symbols of evil

II:Members of the Nazi Party:
A: Chancellor: Fuhrer 
Adolf Hitler

B: Joseph Goebells: Reich Minster in charge of Propaganda

C: Herman Goering: military leader for the Nazi Party

D: Heinrich Himmler: Reichfuhrer in charge of the SS. also a military commander

E: Rudolf  Hess: Deputy Fuhrer to Hitler


Goebells

Goering

Himmler

Hess

III: Indoctrination and Propaganda
A; Hitler Youth 
1.Hitler's belief that the future of Nazi Germany was its children. The Hitler Youth was seen as being as important to a child as school was. 

"The weak must be chiseled away. I want young men and women who can suffer pain. A young German must be as swift as a greyhound, as tough as leather, and as hard as Krupp's steel."

2. In 1936, the figure stood at 4 million members. In 1936, it became mandatory to join the Hitler Youth

3. Boys at 10,  (German Young People) until the age of 13 when they transferred to  (Hitler Youth) until the age of 18

4.Girls, at the age of 10, joined the  (League of Young Girls) and at the age of 14 transferred to the  (League of German Girls). Girls had to be able to run 60 metres in 14 seconds, throw a ball 12 metres, complete a 2 hour march, swim 100 metres and know how to make a bed.


B: use of Propaganda

1. Propaganda is the art of persuasion - persuading others that your 'side of the story' is correct. Propaganda might take the form of persuading others that your military might is too great to be challenged; that your political might within a nation is too great or popular to challenge etc. In Nazi Germany, Dr Joseph Goebbels was in charge of propaganda. Goebbels official title was Minister of Propaganda and National Enlightenment.

2. Two goals of Propaganda: to ensure nobody in Germany could read or see anything that was hostile or damaging to the Nazi Party.

to ensure that the views of the Nazis were put across in the most persuasive manner possible

3. nazi controlled all media, all news was censored 

4. held regular rallies to create greater sense of nationalism

5. anti-semitic (hatred of Jews)

6. Scapegoats (  enemy to hate and blame for all their problems)

III: Women in Nazi Germany: 

Women in Nazi Germany were to have a very specific role. This role was that they should be good mothers bringing up children at home while their husbands worked.  Education taught girls from the earliest of years that this was the lifestyle they should have. From their earliest years, girls were taught in their schools that all good German women married at a young age to a proper German and that the wife’s task was to keep a decent home for her working husband and to have children. many women who had worked in Germany under the Weimar Government no longer held their jobs

A: 1933,
the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage
1. newly married couples would get a government loan of 1000 marks which was about 9 months average income. This loan was not to be simply paid back. The birth of one child meant that 25% of the loan did not have to be paid back. Two children meant that 50% of the loan need not be paid back. Four children meant that the entire loan was cleared.

**Purpose: to encourage newly weds to have as many children as they could. There was also a more long term and sinister aspect to this : as Germany grew she would need more soldiers and mothers; hence a booming population was needed with young boys being groomed into being soldiers and young girls being groomed into being young mothers.

IV Jews In Nazi Germany: ( we will discuss this more during the Holocaust)
A; Anti-semitism hatred and discrimination against jews.
to create a pure Arayan race Hitler sought to destroy all Jews of Europe

1. Nuremberg Laws:  all Germans were stripped of German Citizenship
2. Marriage between Jews and non Jews was illegal
3. new definitions of Jews. having 3 grandparents that were jewish. (even if you  converted to christianity still considered Jewish
4. Jews were unable to maintain political power, not allowed to own business

b. Nuremberg Laws:  
1. passed in 1935 also stated all Germans who wanted to marry had to submit proof of health

V: Hitler and the Economy
1. Drop in unemployment
2. public works projects started
3. workers unions were crushed
4. increased military spending and production
5. factories increased production
6. inflation remained normal



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