Why did the Nazis feel threatened by
Christianity?
Germany: Topic 4 - Life in Nazi Germany 1933-1939 - Some Catholics preferred Catholic Youth groups and
Catholic schools to those run by the German state = taught
different values in comparison to Nazi state schools.
- Some of the Nazi's views e.g., racial beliefs conflicted with
Hitler’s steps to becoming dictator, 1933-34 Censorship: Catholic Church: Christianity’s belief in equality. Furthermore, the Nazis
glorified strength, violence and racial superiority. Whereas
The Reichstag Fire 27th Feb 1933 Timeline: 1934 = all radio stations = brought under Reich Radio Company + radios could
Hitler wanted the support of the
Catholics. 1933 = Concordat = signed -
Christianity preached tolerance, peace and respect.
- In Germany the majority of the population were Christian.
not pick up foreign stations + all newspaper owners, editors + journalists had an agreement between the Nazis and ⅔ Protestant (around 40 million) & the rest Catholic (around
Hitler = legally became Chancellor in Jan 1933 = he did have a lot of power, but did not have complete authority in to be a member of the Reich Press Chamber = every np = essentially a Nazi np. the Catholic Church. This was an 22 million).
Germany – Hindenburg was still president, and the Nazi Party did not have a majority in the Reichstag. On the evening Journalists were told what they could not publish + given instructions on what agreement that said that the Church
- Catholics were loyal to the Pope as the head of the
to write by the government. Any newspaper that opposed the Nazis were shut
On next page!
of the 27th February 1933, the Reichstag building was destroyed by a fire. A Dutch communist, van der Lubbe was would not get involved in politics, and Catholic Church. Hitler wanted all Germans to see him as
found at the site with matches and firelighters. He confessed to starting the fire and said that he did this all by himself down. 1935 = 1,600 newspapers closed + no free press allowed. would order German bishops to swear the supreme head of state.
= found guilty and executed. Van der Lubbe = communist and the Nazis used this to their advantage in saying that van loyalty to the Nazi regime. Nazis =
der Lubbe hadn’t been working alone and had actually been part of a larger communist anti-government plot. The Nazis = controlled the supply of books, e.g. millions of books were taken from
allowed the CC to have freedom of worship and to run its own youth groups (the Nazis
Nazis = found more arson material and blueprints of German government buildings at van der Lubbe’s home = alludes libraries and burnt at public bonfires. E.g: May 1933, across 34 different
wouldn’t interfere). Broke agreement:
to a bigger plot. university campuses, 25,000 books were burned. These books mostly had
>Catholic newspapers = censored + propaganda hinted at financial corruption.
Jewish or communist authors. All new books = approved or banned. Nazis =
>The Catholic Youth League was banned + other YG.
On the same night = 4,000 communist leaders arrested and on the 28 th February, Hindenburg introduced a decree controlled + limited academic research, e.g. 3,000 professors = sacked + any
>Catholic priests = harassed and arrested. 400 priests spoke out against the Nazis +
called the Decree for the Protection of People and State (Reichstag Fire Decree), = gave the police the powers to enter, research = directed at Nazi projects, e.g. eugenics, weapons.
imprisoned in Dachau CC.
search and seize property without trial. They could also close down newspapers and radio stations. > Catholic schools = brought into line with state schools or closed.
Nazis = censored music, e.g. jazz was banned = inferior (‘black’ music),
1937 = Pope made a statement (‘With Burning Concern’) which attacked the Nazi’s
Wagner’s music = promoted = heroic.
Dictatorship = Helped eliminate some opposition (KPD) Keywords: criticism of the Church. This statement was read out by priests in all German Catholic
The Enabling Act - March 1933 >Police state = a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' Propaganda: churches. Nazis reacted badly = government funding = cut, property of the Church =
taken + Gestapo began to spy on the Church.
>Goebbels = Minister of People’s Enlightenment and Propaganda in 1933 =
activities. Himmler was in charge of the Nazi Police State organisations.
This law would destroy the Reichstag = increase the power of Hitler. This law would allow Hitler to pass laws without given the task of winning over the hearts and minds of the German people =
>Totalitarian = a system of government that is dictatorial and requires complete unquestionable obedience to Even though the Nazis tried to weaken the influence of the Catholic Church, it still
Reichstag approval. He used the SA and the SS to violently intimidate and bully Reichstag politicians because it would didn’t want people to know they were being indoctrinated.
the government functioned, and attendance remained high.
be hard to pass this law as they were voting the Reichstag out of existence. On March 23rd 1933, the vote was taken,
and the Enabling Act was passed by 444 votes to only 94. The rest of the time, the Reichstag only met 12 times = hitlers
SS:
>Cheap mass-produced radios were sold to the public. 1939 = 70% of German The Protestant Church
speeches. Hitler used the Enabling Bill to eliminate his opposition. E.g Concentration camps: homes.
Some Protestant agreed strongly with Nazi beliefs e.g., being anti-communist and
- May 1933 Hitler passed a law banning trade unions, the KPD (communist party) and the SPD. People suspected Nazi
A new law was passed in SS = controlled carried out the encouraging large families. Some = grateful that Hitler had protected them from
- In July 1933 he passed the Law Against the Formation of Other Parties, making it illegal for any opposition were sent to >Rallies became larger and more frequent. A mass rally was held each year at
March 1933 – the Law on Nazi policy of racial purification, Communists who were anti-religion. These Protestants formed a group called the
new political parties to be formed. The Nazi Party was the only political party left. concentration camps = Nuremberg, to create a sense of unity and advertise the strength of the Nazi
Malicious Gossip. This law e.g., they ran the concentration ‘German Christians’ = combined Nazi symbols, salute + practices with Christian ones.
- In Jan 1934 he passed a law getting rid of state parliaments (there were 18 in total). forced to work under Party + Germany. 1934 Nuremberg Rally = around 200,000 supporters + 20,000
made camps, which imprisoned political The Reich Church:
Establish dictatorship = helped slowly get rid of democracy, meant he was primarily the only party and person in torture and brutality. Nazi flags.
it is illegal to speak wrongly opponents and Jews. The SS had 1936 = Protestant churches that wanted to work with the Nazis joined together to form a
power, July 1933 = only political party with majority in Germany = dictatorship. the power to search people’s Prisoners in concentration
of, or criticise the regime and single Protestant church called the Reich Church. Ludwig Muller = Bishop of the Reich
camps were treated >Mein Kampf = promoted heavily = in every school. Books = focused on
its leaders. For example, it property and send them straight to Church. 18 pastors lost their jobs because they would not join and support Nazi beliefs.
The Night of the Long Knives - June - July 1934 was illegal to tell jokes about prison without trial. 1930s = harshly; they were often glorifying German history + aryan race.
Some protestant pastors = displayed swastika in their Churches. Jews = not a member of
Hitler. 240,000 men. worked to death or died of the RC and the Jewish teachings of the Old Testament (part of the Bible)= gone. 2,000 +/-
Even though Hitler had got rid of a lot of his external opposition, Hitler was worried about challenges from within his disease. The first Nazi
own party = Specifically Ernst Rohm = leader of the SA = had increased the size of the SA to 3 million. Nazis believed Gestapo: concentration camp = Nazi policies towards women & the family PP joined.
SA was more loyal to Rohm than Hitler. The German army = scared of the power of the SA, because of the Treaty of The Gestapo (Nazi secret police) = in charge of state security. job = March 1933,= Dachau. The
Versailles (had only 100,000 men). Hitler wanted complete control = needed to have the support of the army. monitor the German population for signs of opposition to Nazi rule. The prisoners in concentration - Hitler believed women should stick to the 3 Ks - Kinder, Kirche and Kuche Niemoller, the Pastors’ Emergency League (PEL) & the
camps were usually part of (children, church and cooking). The Nazis encouraged women to stick to these Confessing/Confessional Church:
Gestapo spied on German citizens and punished anyone who spoke out
3 areas by stating that every job woman left = job available men when after war. Some resistance by Protestants. 1933 Martin Niemoller set up the Pastors’ Emergency
30th June 1934 = Hitler + SS (elite personal bodyguards), stormed into a hotel with guns = shot and killed +/- 90 leading against the Nazi regime + created fear. Germans were terrified = because the following groups: 1.
‘Asocials’, which included However, some women felt that the domestic status of women was demeaning. League (PEL) to campaign against Nazi actions. Against: The joining of regional
SA members + leader, Ernst Rohm = night of the long knives. Because of this, SA still existed but power = reduced they did not know who its members were. The Gestapo often handed
massively, the SS =leading paramilitary group of the Nazis. The remaining members of the SA were allowed to join the suspects over to the SS to be tortured. The Gestapo had the power to alcoholics, homeless churches into one national Church (the Reich Church) and stopping Jews from being
- In 1933 = Law for the Encouragement of Marriage . Aim = increase Germany's Christians and banning the Old Testament from Church.
normal German army. search anyone’s home + arrest and imprison people without trial. Over people and the ‘work-shy’.
2. Political prisoners such declining birth rate (in 1900 = 2 mil births per year but 1933 = decreased to 1
200,000 = imprisoned for showing Nazi opposition. The Gestapo 30,000 =
as communists, socialists mil). This law gave loans to help young couples marry (only if the woman left A group of PP led by Niemoller and Bonhoeffer set up the Confessing Church in 1934.
Over the next 4 days around 400 people were executed in this way, including Von Kahr and Von Schleicher (& his wife). officers. The German people knew there was a Nazi secret police but since
her job). The loans = 1,000 RM (about 8 months wages!) For each child born Church = 5,000-6,000 members + rival to the Reich Church. Believed church = stay
Hitler proudly published this event + claimed he was defending Germany against a plot that was going to be led by the Gestapo didn’t have a uniform, they blended in with the rest of society and political writers. 3.
religious people including into the family, a ¼ of the loan was written off = if they had 4 children, the loan independent from the Nazis. 1937 = Niemoller = sent to a concentration camp with 100
Rohm. Hitler had shown himself to be determined to get rid of anything that was bad for Germany, even if it was from - so it was hard to recognise. Gestapo= only had 30,000 members +
Jews and eventually would be paid off. other pastors + the PEL = banned. 1945 = Niemoller released & Bonhoeffer hanged.
his own party! Germany = population of 60 million+ = reliant on informers to give them
Death of Hindenburg 2nd Aug 1934 information about what the public were doing. Christians.
- The Nazis set up the Lebensborn movement (Life Springs) = 1935 = increase 1939 = 5% of the German people described themselves as ‘God-believers’. However,
On the 2nd August 1934 Hindenburg, aged 87, died. Hitler took supreme power. He declared himself Germany’s ‘Fuhrer’ the birth rate. Programme = chosen unmarried women who could 'donate a there was still opposition to the Nazis from religious groups, so some argue that the
and declared that he would add all of the President’s powers to those he already had as Chancellor. He forced every Legal system: baby to the Fuhrer' by becoming pregnant by 'racially pure' SS men. 8,000 Nazis never got full control of the Churches in Germany.
Informers: children = born = in 1938-1941 + 540+ mothers gave birth.
member of the army to swear him an oath of loyalty to him. He officially created a new position called the ‘Fuhrer’
● The Nazis created a new central court, called the Within the Gestapo = a huge number of
where he was essentially Chancellor, President and Commander-in-Chief of the army. This signalled the official end of
the Weimar Republic.
People’s Court in 1934 = had no juries, and the judges
were expected to support Nazi policies. There was no
informers = ordinary
Germans who volunteered to inform (spy) on
- 1938 = Nazis changed the divorce law - a divorce was only possible if a wife
would not (or could not) have children, if they had an abortion or for racial
Nazi Policies Against Jews 1933-1939:
Schools & Education Hitler Youth Groups: way to appeal a sentence.
● The number of crimes punishable by the death
other people in their area. For example, every
block of flats had a ‘block leader/warden’. At
reasons. Husband could only do it. 1. April 1933 = Nazi government organised a nationwide boycott of Jewish shops +
businesses. The SA stood outside these shops + prevented entrance. The SA = painted
LESSONS: July 1933 Eugenics = introduced in schools = taught 1936 = Nazis = banned all other youth groups and penalty rose from 3 to 46. least 1/2 of all Gestapo investigations - Annually 12th August, the Motherhood Medal = awarded to women who had the word ‘Jude’ on Jewish businesses = Jewish owned. It was called off after a day =
Aryans = ‘superior’ + how to identify racial groups + told that they passed the Hitler Youth Law. Under this law = all ● Judges - Every judge had to be a member of the happened because of information provided the most children. 8 = 'Gold Cross', 6-7 silver, 4-5 = bronze. The HY = ordered to negative impact it was having on the economy.
should not marry inferior races. Mein Kampf = compulsory school young people had to belong to a Nazi youth group, National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the by neighbours, colleagues, friends. salute wearers of gold medals. 10 children = Hitler as the godfather of the 10 th 2. 1933 = Jews were forced out of jobs in the law, the civil service, journalism and
text + taught students to do the Nazi salute + ended each lesson although there were no punishments for not being Law. Judges = had to put the interests of the Nazis child, boy = named Adolf. farming.
with ‘Heil Hitler’. Textbooks = rewritten to reflect Nazi beliefs. New a member. 1939 = law became stricter + above the law and swore an oath of loyalty. 3. From 1934, local councils banned Jews from public places e.g., parks, cinemas,
history books explained that the TOV was a ‘stab in the back’ + membership = compulsory. 1939 = 8 mil = HYO. HY - The German Women's League (Deutches Frauenwork or DFW) was re-created and swimming pools. Local councils provided separate yellow park benches for
Jews = evil. 1935 = all new books had to be checked and approved members = plunged into ice-cold water to toughen Women in Nazi
Women in Weimar Germany: in 1933. The members travelled around Germany giving advice to women on Jews, to keep ‘normal’ Germans ‘safe’.
by Nazi officials. The focus of subjects changed to make them them up, forced to carry out long exercises in 1933 = Nazis banned all other youth Germany: cooking, childcare, and healthy eating. March 1939 = 1.7 mil women had 4. 15th Sep 1935: Nuremberg Laws = passed. The Reich Law for the Protection of German
more useful for the kind of society the Nazis wanted. In Maths, wintry weather or faced harsh punishments for groups except the Hitler Youth - All women over the age of 20 - Women were to focus on the attended one of the DFW’s motherhood training courses + held radio talks on Blood and Honour stated that Jews + Aryans couldn’t marry. Encouraged to get a divorce
examples often used military problems, History = children learned doing something wrong + taught the members to (1926).1933 = membership of boys n had the right to vote in elections. home and family, not allowed a the skills of motherhood. Eventually = 6 mil members. 1934 = Reich Women’s otherwise they would be treated as Jewish. The Reich Law on Citizenship said only
about the rise of the Nazi Party, Geography = taught about the learn how to obey orders even in hard times + had girls in Nazi youth clubs = 2 mil +. - Female fashions included role in politics, instead they Leader = focused on making German women ‘servants’ of Germany and Hitler. people of German blood could be German citizens = no longer vote in elections or have a
German need for Lebensraum (living space). More time = given to to swear an oath of loyalty to the Fuhrer + attend 1935 = had increased to 4 mil + 1939 shorter skirts, trousers, and were to increase the Some women didn’t like her though. German passport.
PE and sport (it was doubled) so children would remain fit and courses Nazi ideologies. The boy's HY leader, von = 8 mil + boys + girls attending Nazi make-up. population by having lots of 5. 1936 - the professional activities of Jews were banned or restricted by the Nazis,
healthy. 1939, PE = ⅙ of lesson time. Schirach, set out lessons Lesson titles included youth groups + spent evenings and - Many women were employed in babies (motherhood medals). - Women could get monthly payments from the government to help with the including the activities of vets, doctors, dentists, accountants and teachers.
‘The evil of the Jews’. weekends at Hitler Youth meetings jobs such as teachers, doctors, - Expected to wear traditional, cost of bringing up children. 1936 = a woman could get 10 RM per month for 6. In 1938 all Jewish possessions had to be registered with the government. This meant
TEACHERS: All teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler = spent learning about Hitler + how and civil servants. Some women modest clothes, make-up was her 3rd & 4th child + 20 RM for the 5th etc. An average income for a working that the Nazis knew exactly what people owned and could take whatever they wanted
and had to join the Nazi Teachers’ League. The Nazi Teachers’ ● 6–10-year-olds = Little Fellows, 10–14-year-olds = he had saved Germany from even earned as much as men. discouraged, and they weren't father in 1936 was 150 RM per month (also taxed at 20%). 10 children = meant from the Jews.
League ran political education courses for teachers, setting out German Young People, 14–18-year-olds = Hitler communist traitors. - Young women could go out allowed to dye their hair. the wife could become the one who ‘earned’ the biggest monthly income. 7. In 1938, Jews were made to carry identity cards at all times. T
Nazi ideas that teachers should support. 1939 = 200,000+ teachers Jugend (Hitler Youth) (HJ). without an escort, and it was - 1937: grammar schools for 8. Over the 9-10th November 1938 Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) happened.
= attended the courses. April 1933, the Nazis passed a law giving Military training = essential in HY = Practised skills 1936 = all sports facilities taken socially acceptable for women to girls were banned and girls 800 Jewish owned shops were destroyed, 191 synagogues were vandalised or burned,
large family were emphasised.
them the power to fire teachers and headteachers that they didn’t such as map-reading. 1938 = 1.2 mil boys were over by the HY. If young people drink and smoke in public were not encouraged to go to many (171) Jewish homes/property were attacked/damaged/stolen, 100 Jews were killed
- Slimming = discouraged. Larger women = easier to give birth.
approve of. In Prussia, the Nazi Education Minister, Bernhard being trained in small weapons shooting. Military wanted to use the facilities to play places. university. The number of and 3,000 arrested. As a result of Kristallnacht, by 12 th November, 20,000 Jews had been
- Women = removed from paid employment = helped to reduce the
Rust, sacked over 180 secondary headteachers to make sure the drills + discussed political leaflets. + encouraged to sports, they had to join the Hitler - By the end of 1932, 10% of female students starting rounded up and were sent to concentration camps.
unemployment figures and pushed women into their stereotypical domestic
teachers would promote Nazi values. report anyone who they believed was not loyal to Youth. Hitler. Activities = made fun Reichstag members were women university fell from 17,000 in 9. In Jan 1939, The Reich Office for Jewish Emigration was set up , the head of the
roles. About 360,000 women had given up work by 1934.
the Nazis, even their own parents. so that young people would enjoy – advanced in comparison to 1932 to 6,000 in 1939. Gestapo, Heydrich was the head of it, and was responsible for speeding up the
- From 1933: women were banned from being teachers, doctors, and civil
FUTURE ROLES: Nazis = set up extra schools + educated boys for o 10–14-year-olds = Jungmadel (Young Maidens), being part of the Nazi movement. other European countries. - Healthy = produce lots of emigration of Jews. In 1941 the Nazis banned emigration for Jews but by 1941 almost
servants From 1936: women could not become a judge, a lawyer, or even do jury
future leadership in Germany. SS = ran schools designed to train 14–21-year-olds = League of German Maidens - E.g: summer camps = focused on - Women had access to children. Smoking and two-thirds of the Jews had emigrated.
service.
boys to become military leaders = given physical + political emphasized childcare. Girls = taught the the need for loyalty + comradeship contraception, and many chose drinking were ‘unladylike’. 10. April 1939 – Jews were evicted from their homes and collected together to get them
- Women = encouraged back into work = due to the growth of the rearmament
training. Domestic science (Including cookery and sewing) was importance of ‘racial hygiene’ – only marry Aryan + competition + ruthlessness. Fit + to have smaller families. - Contraception + abortion = ready for deportation.
policy (from 1937 onwards) – there were more workers needed as more men
compulsory for female students only - prepare for their future. men. Trained to cook, iron, make beds, sew, and healthy = regular camping and banned + joys of having a joined the army. By 1939, the number of women working was = 50% 📈 than 1933.
prepare to be a housewife. hiking trips + sports competitions.
Christianity?
Germany: Topic 4 - Life in Nazi Germany 1933-1939 - Some Catholics preferred Catholic Youth groups and
Catholic schools to those run by the German state = taught
different values in comparison to Nazi state schools.
- Some of the Nazi's views e.g., racial beliefs conflicted with
Hitler’s steps to becoming dictator, 1933-34 Censorship: Catholic Church: Christianity’s belief in equality. Furthermore, the Nazis
glorified strength, violence and racial superiority. Whereas
The Reichstag Fire 27th Feb 1933 Timeline: 1934 = all radio stations = brought under Reich Radio Company + radios could
Hitler wanted the support of the
Catholics. 1933 = Concordat = signed -
Christianity preached tolerance, peace and respect.
- In Germany the majority of the population were Christian.
not pick up foreign stations + all newspaper owners, editors + journalists had an agreement between the Nazis and ⅔ Protestant (around 40 million) & the rest Catholic (around
Hitler = legally became Chancellor in Jan 1933 = he did have a lot of power, but did not have complete authority in to be a member of the Reich Press Chamber = every np = essentially a Nazi np. the Catholic Church. This was an 22 million).
Germany – Hindenburg was still president, and the Nazi Party did not have a majority in the Reichstag. On the evening Journalists were told what they could not publish + given instructions on what agreement that said that the Church
- Catholics were loyal to the Pope as the head of the
to write by the government. Any newspaper that opposed the Nazis were shut
On next page!
of the 27th February 1933, the Reichstag building was destroyed by a fire. A Dutch communist, van der Lubbe was would not get involved in politics, and Catholic Church. Hitler wanted all Germans to see him as
found at the site with matches and firelighters. He confessed to starting the fire and said that he did this all by himself down. 1935 = 1,600 newspapers closed + no free press allowed. would order German bishops to swear the supreme head of state.
= found guilty and executed. Van der Lubbe = communist and the Nazis used this to their advantage in saying that van loyalty to the Nazi regime. Nazis =
der Lubbe hadn’t been working alone and had actually been part of a larger communist anti-government plot. The Nazis = controlled the supply of books, e.g. millions of books were taken from
allowed the CC to have freedom of worship and to run its own youth groups (the Nazis
Nazis = found more arson material and blueprints of German government buildings at van der Lubbe’s home = alludes libraries and burnt at public bonfires. E.g: May 1933, across 34 different
wouldn’t interfere). Broke agreement:
to a bigger plot. university campuses, 25,000 books were burned. These books mostly had
>Catholic newspapers = censored + propaganda hinted at financial corruption.
Jewish or communist authors. All new books = approved or banned. Nazis =
>The Catholic Youth League was banned + other YG.
On the same night = 4,000 communist leaders arrested and on the 28 th February, Hindenburg introduced a decree controlled + limited academic research, e.g. 3,000 professors = sacked + any
>Catholic priests = harassed and arrested. 400 priests spoke out against the Nazis +
called the Decree for the Protection of People and State (Reichstag Fire Decree), = gave the police the powers to enter, research = directed at Nazi projects, e.g. eugenics, weapons.
imprisoned in Dachau CC.
search and seize property without trial. They could also close down newspapers and radio stations. > Catholic schools = brought into line with state schools or closed.
Nazis = censored music, e.g. jazz was banned = inferior (‘black’ music),
1937 = Pope made a statement (‘With Burning Concern’) which attacked the Nazi’s
Wagner’s music = promoted = heroic.
Dictatorship = Helped eliminate some opposition (KPD) Keywords: criticism of the Church. This statement was read out by priests in all German Catholic
The Enabling Act - March 1933 >Police state = a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' Propaganda: churches. Nazis reacted badly = government funding = cut, property of the Church =
taken + Gestapo began to spy on the Church.
>Goebbels = Minister of People’s Enlightenment and Propaganda in 1933 =
activities. Himmler was in charge of the Nazi Police State organisations.
This law would destroy the Reichstag = increase the power of Hitler. This law would allow Hitler to pass laws without given the task of winning over the hearts and minds of the German people =
>Totalitarian = a system of government that is dictatorial and requires complete unquestionable obedience to Even though the Nazis tried to weaken the influence of the Catholic Church, it still
Reichstag approval. He used the SA and the SS to violently intimidate and bully Reichstag politicians because it would didn’t want people to know they were being indoctrinated.
the government functioned, and attendance remained high.
be hard to pass this law as they were voting the Reichstag out of existence. On March 23rd 1933, the vote was taken,
and the Enabling Act was passed by 444 votes to only 94. The rest of the time, the Reichstag only met 12 times = hitlers
SS:
>Cheap mass-produced radios were sold to the public. 1939 = 70% of German The Protestant Church
speeches. Hitler used the Enabling Bill to eliminate his opposition. E.g Concentration camps: homes.
Some Protestant agreed strongly with Nazi beliefs e.g., being anti-communist and
- May 1933 Hitler passed a law banning trade unions, the KPD (communist party) and the SPD. People suspected Nazi
A new law was passed in SS = controlled carried out the encouraging large families. Some = grateful that Hitler had protected them from
- In July 1933 he passed the Law Against the Formation of Other Parties, making it illegal for any opposition were sent to >Rallies became larger and more frequent. A mass rally was held each year at
March 1933 – the Law on Nazi policy of racial purification, Communists who were anti-religion. These Protestants formed a group called the
new political parties to be formed. The Nazi Party was the only political party left. concentration camps = Nuremberg, to create a sense of unity and advertise the strength of the Nazi
Malicious Gossip. This law e.g., they ran the concentration ‘German Christians’ = combined Nazi symbols, salute + practices with Christian ones.
- In Jan 1934 he passed a law getting rid of state parliaments (there were 18 in total). forced to work under Party + Germany. 1934 Nuremberg Rally = around 200,000 supporters + 20,000
made camps, which imprisoned political The Reich Church:
Establish dictatorship = helped slowly get rid of democracy, meant he was primarily the only party and person in torture and brutality. Nazi flags.
it is illegal to speak wrongly opponents and Jews. The SS had 1936 = Protestant churches that wanted to work with the Nazis joined together to form a
power, July 1933 = only political party with majority in Germany = dictatorship. the power to search people’s Prisoners in concentration
of, or criticise the regime and single Protestant church called the Reich Church. Ludwig Muller = Bishop of the Reich
camps were treated >Mein Kampf = promoted heavily = in every school. Books = focused on
its leaders. For example, it property and send them straight to Church. 18 pastors lost their jobs because they would not join and support Nazi beliefs.
The Night of the Long Knives - June - July 1934 was illegal to tell jokes about prison without trial. 1930s = harshly; they were often glorifying German history + aryan race.
Some protestant pastors = displayed swastika in their Churches. Jews = not a member of
Hitler. 240,000 men. worked to death or died of the RC and the Jewish teachings of the Old Testament (part of the Bible)= gone. 2,000 +/-
Even though Hitler had got rid of a lot of his external opposition, Hitler was worried about challenges from within his disease. The first Nazi
own party = Specifically Ernst Rohm = leader of the SA = had increased the size of the SA to 3 million. Nazis believed Gestapo: concentration camp = Nazi policies towards women & the family PP joined.
SA was more loyal to Rohm than Hitler. The German army = scared of the power of the SA, because of the Treaty of The Gestapo (Nazi secret police) = in charge of state security. job = March 1933,= Dachau. The
Versailles (had only 100,000 men). Hitler wanted complete control = needed to have the support of the army. monitor the German population for signs of opposition to Nazi rule. The prisoners in concentration - Hitler believed women should stick to the 3 Ks - Kinder, Kirche and Kuche Niemoller, the Pastors’ Emergency League (PEL) & the
camps were usually part of (children, church and cooking). The Nazis encouraged women to stick to these Confessing/Confessional Church:
Gestapo spied on German citizens and punished anyone who spoke out
3 areas by stating that every job woman left = job available men when after war. Some resistance by Protestants. 1933 Martin Niemoller set up the Pastors’ Emergency
30th June 1934 = Hitler + SS (elite personal bodyguards), stormed into a hotel with guns = shot and killed +/- 90 leading against the Nazi regime + created fear. Germans were terrified = because the following groups: 1.
‘Asocials’, which included However, some women felt that the domestic status of women was demeaning. League (PEL) to campaign against Nazi actions. Against: The joining of regional
SA members + leader, Ernst Rohm = night of the long knives. Because of this, SA still existed but power = reduced they did not know who its members were. The Gestapo often handed
massively, the SS =leading paramilitary group of the Nazis. The remaining members of the SA were allowed to join the suspects over to the SS to be tortured. The Gestapo had the power to alcoholics, homeless churches into one national Church (the Reich Church) and stopping Jews from being
- In 1933 = Law for the Encouragement of Marriage . Aim = increase Germany's Christians and banning the Old Testament from Church.
normal German army. search anyone’s home + arrest and imprison people without trial. Over people and the ‘work-shy’.
2. Political prisoners such declining birth rate (in 1900 = 2 mil births per year but 1933 = decreased to 1
200,000 = imprisoned for showing Nazi opposition. The Gestapo 30,000 =
as communists, socialists mil). This law gave loans to help young couples marry (only if the woman left A group of PP led by Niemoller and Bonhoeffer set up the Confessing Church in 1934.
Over the next 4 days around 400 people were executed in this way, including Von Kahr and Von Schleicher (& his wife). officers. The German people knew there was a Nazi secret police but since
her job). The loans = 1,000 RM (about 8 months wages!) For each child born Church = 5,000-6,000 members + rival to the Reich Church. Believed church = stay
Hitler proudly published this event + claimed he was defending Germany against a plot that was going to be led by the Gestapo didn’t have a uniform, they blended in with the rest of society and political writers. 3.
religious people including into the family, a ¼ of the loan was written off = if they had 4 children, the loan independent from the Nazis. 1937 = Niemoller = sent to a concentration camp with 100
Rohm. Hitler had shown himself to be determined to get rid of anything that was bad for Germany, even if it was from - so it was hard to recognise. Gestapo= only had 30,000 members +
Jews and eventually would be paid off. other pastors + the PEL = banned. 1945 = Niemoller released & Bonhoeffer hanged.
his own party! Germany = population of 60 million+ = reliant on informers to give them
Death of Hindenburg 2nd Aug 1934 information about what the public were doing. Christians.
- The Nazis set up the Lebensborn movement (Life Springs) = 1935 = increase 1939 = 5% of the German people described themselves as ‘God-believers’. However,
On the 2nd August 1934 Hindenburg, aged 87, died. Hitler took supreme power. He declared himself Germany’s ‘Fuhrer’ the birth rate. Programme = chosen unmarried women who could 'donate a there was still opposition to the Nazis from religious groups, so some argue that the
and declared that he would add all of the President’s powers to those he already had as Chancellor. He forced every Legal system: baby to the Fuhrer' by becoming pregnant by 'racially pure' SS men. 8,000 Nazis never got full control of the Churches in Germany.
Informers: children = born = in 1938-1941 + 540+ mothers gave birth.
member of the army to swear him an oath of loyalty to him. He officially created a new position called the ‘Fuhrer’
● The Nazis created a new central court, called the Within the Gestapo = a huge number of
where he was essentially Chancellor, President and Commander-in-Chief of the army. This signalled the official end of
the Weimar Republic.
People’s Court in 1934 = had no juries, and the judges
were expected to support Nazi policies. There was no
informers = ordinary
Germans who volunteered to inform (spy) on
- 1938 = Nazis changed the divorce law - a divorce was only possible if a wife
would not (or could not) have children, if they had an abortion or for racial
Nazi Policies Against Jews 1933-1939:
Schools & Education Hitler Youth Groups: way to appeal a sentence.
● The number of crimes punishable by the death
other people in their area. For example, every
block of flats had a ‘block leader/warden’. At
reasons. Husband could only do it. 1. April 1933 = Nazi government organised a nationwide boycott of Jewish shops +
businesses. The SA stood outside these shops + prevented entrance. The SA = painted
LESSONS: July 1933 Eugenics = introduced in schools = taught 1936 = Nazis = banned all other youth groups and penalty rose from 3 to 46. least 1/2 of all Gestapo investigations - Annually 12th August, the Motherhood Medal = awarded to women who had the word ‘Jude’ on Jewish businesses = Jewish owned. It was called off after a day =
Aryans = ‘superior’ + how to identify racial groups + told that they passed the Hitler Youth Law. Under this law = all ● Judges - Every judge had to be a member of the happened because of information provided the most children. 8 = 'Gold Cross', 6-7 silver, 4-5 = bronze. The HY = ordered to negative impact it was having on the economy.
should not marry inferior races. Mein Kampf = compulsory school young people had to belong to a Nazi youth group, National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the by neighbours, colleagues, friends. salute wearers of gold medals. 10 children = Hitler as the godfather of the 10 th 2. 1933 = Jews were forced out of jobs in the law, the civil service, journalism and
text + taught students to do the Nazi salute + ended each lesson although there were no punishments for not being Law. Judges = had to put the interests of the Nazis child, boy = named Adolf. farming.
with ‘Heil Hitler’. Textbooks = rewritten to reflect Nazi beliefs. New a member. 1939 = law became stricter + above the law and swore an oath of loyalty. 3. From 1934, local councils banned Jews from public places e.g., parks, cinemas,
history books explained that the TOV was a ‘stab in the back’ + membership = compulsory. 1939 = 8 mil = HYO. HY - The German Women's League (Deutches Frauenwork or DFW) was re-created and swimming pools. Local councils provided separate yellow park benches for
Jews = evil. 1935 = all new books had to be checked and approved members = plunged into ice-cold water to toughen Women in Nazi
Women in Weimar Germany: in 1933. The members travelled around Germany giving advice to women on Jews, to keep ‘normal’ Germans ‘safe’.
by Nazi officials. The focus of subjects changed to make them them up, forced to carry out long exercises in 1933 = Nazis banned all other youth Germany: cooking, childcare, and healthy eating. March 1939 = 1.7 mil women had 4. 15th Sep 1935: Nuremberg Laws = passed. The Reich Law for the Protection of German
more useful for the kind of society the Nazis wanted. In Maths, wintry weather or faced harsh punishments for groups except the Hitler Youth - All women over the age of 20 - Women were to focus on the attended one of the DFW’s motherhood training courses + held radio talks on Blood and Honour stated that Jews + Aryans couldn’t marry. Encouraged to get a divorce
examples often used military problems, History = children learned doing something wrong + taught the members to (1926).1933 = membership of boys n had the right to vote in elections. home and family, not allowed a the skills of motherhood. Eventually = 6 mil members. 1934 = Reich Women’s otherwise they would be treated as Jewish. The Reich Law on Citizenship said only
about the rise of the Nazi Party, Geography = taught about the learn how to obey orders even in hard times + had girls in Nazi youth clubs = 2 mil +. - Female fashions included role in politics, instead they Leader = focused on making German women ‘servants’ of Germany and Hitler. people of German blood could be German citizens = no longer vote in elections or have a
German need for Lebensraum (living space). More time = given to to swear an oath of loyalty to the Fuhrer + attend 1935 = had increased to 4 mil + 1939 shorter skirts, trousers, and were to increase the Some women didn’t like her though. German passport.
PE and sport (it was doubled) so children would remain fit and courses Nazi ideologies. The boy's HY leader, von = 8 mil + boys + girls attending Nazi make-up. population by having lots of 5. 1936 - the professional activities of Jews were banned or restricted by the Nazis,
healthy. 1939, PE = ⅙ of lesson time. Schirach, set out lessons Lesson titles included youth groups + spent evenings and - Many women were employed in babies (motherhood medals). - Women could get monthly payments from the government to help with the including the activities of vets, doctors, dentists, accountants and teachers.
‘The evil of the Jews’. weekends at Hitler Youth meetings jobs such as teachers, doctors, - Expected to wear traditional, cost of bringing up children. 1936 = a woman could get 10 RM per month for 6. In 1938 all Jewish possessions had to be registered with the government. This meant
TEACHERS: All teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler = spent learning about Hitler + how and civil servants. Some women modest clothes, make-up was her 3rd & 4th child + 20 RM for the 5th etc. An average income for a working that the Nazis knew exactly what people owned and could take whatever they wanted
and had to join the Nazi Teachers’ League. The Nazi Teachers’ ● 6–10-year-olds = Little Fellows, 10–14-year-olds = he had saved Germany from even earned as much as men. discouraged, and they weren't father in 1936 was 150 RM per month (also taxed at 20%). 10 children = meant from the Jews.
League ran political education courses for teachers, setting out German Young People, 14–18-year-olds = Hitler communist traitors. - Young women could go out allowed to dye their hair. the wife could become the one who ‘earned’ the biggest monthly income. 7. In 1938, Jews were made to carry identity cards at all times. T
Nazi ideas that teachers should support. 1939 = 200,000+ teachers Jugend (Hitler Youth) (HJ). without an escort, and it was - 1937: grammar schools for 8. Over the 9-10th November 1938 Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) happened.
= attended the courses. April 1933, the Nazis passed a law giving Military training = essential in HY = Practised skills 1936 = all sports facilities taken socially acceptable for women to girls were banned and girls 800 Jewish owned shops were destroyed, 191 synagogues were vandalised or burned,
large family were emphasised.
them the power to fire teachers and headteachers that they didn’t such as map-reading. 1938 = 1.2 mil boys were over by the HY. If young people drink and smoke in public were not encouraged to go to many (171) Jewish homes/property were attacked/damaged/stolen, 100 Jews were killed
- Slimming = discouraged. Larger women = easier to give birth.
approve of. In Prussia, the Nazi Education Minister, Bernhard being trained in small weapons shooting. Military wanted to use the facilities to play places. university. The number of and 3,000 arrested. As a result of Kristallnacht, by 12 th November, 20,000 Jews had been
- Women = removed from paid employment = helped to reduce the
Rust, sacked over 180 secondary headteachers to make sure the drills + discussed political leaflets. + encouraged to sports, they had to join the Hitler - By the end of 1932, 10% of female students starting rounded up and were sent to concentration camps.
unemployment figures and pushed women into their stereotypical domestic
teachers would promote Nazi values. report anyone who they believed was not loyal to Youth. Hitler. Activities = made fun Reichstag members were women university fell from 17,000 in 9. In Jan 1939, The Reich Office for Jewish Emigration was set up , the head of the
roles. About 360,000 women had given up work by 1934.
the Nazis, even their own parents. so that young people would enjoy – advanced in comparison to 1932 to 6,000 in 1939. Gestapo, Heydrich was the head of it, and was responsible for speeding up the
- From 1933: women were banned from being teachers, doctors, and civil
FUTURE ROLES: Nazis = set up extra schools + educated boys for o 10–14-year-olds = Jungmadel (Young Maidens), being part of the Nazi movement. other European countries. - Healthy = produce lots of emigration of Jews. In 1941 the Nazis banned emigration for Jews but by 1941 almost
servants From 1936: women could not become a judge, a lawyer, or even do jury
future leadership in Germany. SS = ran schools designed to train 14–21-year-olds = League of German Maidens - E.g: summer camps = focused on - Women had access to children. Smoking and two-thirds of the Jews had emigrated.
service.
boys to become military leaders = given physical + political emphasized childcare. Girls = taught the the need for loyalty + comradeship contraception, and many chose drinking were ‘unladylike’. 10. April 1939 – Jews were evicted from their homes and collected together to get them
- Women = encouraged back into work = due to the growth of the rearmament
training. Domestic science (Including cookery and sewing) was importance of ‘racial hygiene’ – only marry Aryan + competition + ruthlessness. Fit + to have smaller families. - Contraception + abortion = ready for deportation.
policy (from 1937 onwards) – there were more workers needed as more men
compulsory for female students only - prepare for their future. men. Trained to cook, iron, make beds, sew, and healthy = regular camping and banned + joys of having a joined the army. By 1939, the number of women working was = 50% 📈 than 1933.
prepare to be a housewife. hiking trips + sports competitions.
