Experiences of Germans under the Nazis 1933 - 1945

• What type of state was Nazi Germany?


  Totalitarian state
• What were the four areas through which Germans experienced control under Nazi Germany?


  • The police state
  • The economy
  • Social policy
  • Persecution
• What were the three weapons Hitler used to control the German people?


  1. The Schutzstaffel (SS)
  2. Control of the legal system
  3. Propaganda and censorship
• What was the role of the Schutzstaffel (SS) in Nazi Germany?


  To ensure the population remained under control and deal with potential threats
• What was the function of the Gestapo?


  To spy on ordinary Germans
• How did the Nazis control the legal system?


  Judges had to swear loyalty to the Führer and lawyers had to join the Nazi Lawyers’ Association
• What was the impact of the death penalty under Nazi rule?


  It was used much more widely than before
• Who ran the Ministry of Propaganda in Nazi Germany?


  Joseph Goebbels
• What methods did the Ministry of Propaganda use to influence the German people?


  Control of the press, radio, arts, rallies, and sporting events
• Why was there limited resistance to the Nazis?

  Because the police state was effective at crushing dissent
• Which groups provided some resistance to Hitler's regime?


  Religious figures, underground members of the SPD, communists, and the young
• How did Hitler achieve virtually full employment?


  Through rearmament, National Service, and marginalizing groups like the Jews
• What was the impact of Nazi Party schemes like Strength Through Joy on workers?


  Workers were expected to give up their trade union rights in exchange for benefits
• What was the Nazis' aspiration regarding the economy?


  To achieve autarky, or economic self-sufficiency
• How did the Nazis' economic policies affect workers' living standards?


  Living standards for working-class Germans did not really improve
• What were the main social policies of the Nazis regarding women and young people?


  • Women: Expected to focus on Kinder, Küche, Kirche (Children, Kitchen, Church) and encouraged to have children.
  • Young people: Targeted by propaganda, altered school curriculum, and expected to join youth organizations.
• What were the '3 Ks' that women were expected to embrace in Nazi Germany?


  Kinder, Küche, Kirche (Children, Kitchen, Church)
• What incentives did the Nazis provide to encourage women to have children?

  Loans and awards for having lots of children
• How did the Nazis influence the education of young people?


  The school curriculum was altered to promote Nazi ideology
• What were the names of the Nazi youth organizations for boys and girls?

  Hitler Youth for boys and Band of German Maidens for girls
• What was the Nazis' approach to Christianity?


  They sought to control or limit its influence
• What was the name of the official state church set up by the Nazis?


  Confessing Church
• What was the Concordat signed by Hitler with the Pope?


  Hitler promised to leave the Catholic Church alone if it stayed out of politics
• What was the Nazi belief regarding the Aryan race?


  It was superior to all others and should be maintained through racial purity
• What methods did the Nazis use for persecution?


  Sterilisation, euthanasia, imprisonment in concentration camps, and loss of civil rights
• Who were the most frequently targeted minority group under Nazi persecution?

  German Jews
• What happened to the rights of German Jews during the Nazi regime?


  Their rights were progressively taken away, including their German citizenship