Life in Nazi Germany

• Rearmament and Military Expansion:

  • Rearmament: Hitler began rebuilding Germany's military, in violation of the ToV. He expanded the army, navy, and air force, creating a huge demand for jobs in weapons productions, factories, and related.
  • Conscription (1935) The reintroduction of compulsory military service for men aged 18-25 further reduced unemployment as young men joined the armed forces. Increased the army from 100,000 to 1.4 million men.
• Public Work Schemes (RAD):

  • Job creation: Thousands of jobs were created for Germans, especially in construction, helping reduce unemployment figures. In 1935, it became compulsory for all men aged 19-25 to serve for 6 months in the RAD. Included:
  • Autobahns: The Nazi government invested heavily in infrastructure projects, including 2000 miles of motorways.
  • Transport: Railways and Canals were expanded to improve transport connections.
  • Public Buildings: More schools, hospitals, and public buildings were built.
• Invisible Unemployment:

  • Women and Jews who were forced out of jobs were no longer counted as unemployed. Their vacated jobs opened up positions for unemployed non-Jewish men.
  • Men in RAD or conscripted into the army were not counted, even if their wages were low.
  • Political opponents: Comunists, Socialists, and other political dissidents were imprisoned or sent to concentration camps, removing them from the job market.
• Unemployment:

  • The level of uneployment in 1932 was 6.1 million as it was during the Great Depression.
  • The level of unemployment in 1939 was reduced to 400,000.
• German Labour Front (DAF):

  • Abolition of Trade Unions (1933): Trade Unions were banned by Nazis. In their place, the DAF was established. Was state controlled and led by Robert Ley.
  • The DAF was responsible for ensuring workers were loyal to the Nazis and preventing strikes. Ensured industrial harmony for the Nazis.
  • No Negotiation Rights: Workers lost the right to negotiate for better pay or conditions. The DAF's primary goal was to serve the needs of the state, not the workers. Working hours rose to a minimum of 60h per week.
• Beauty of Labour:

  • Workplace Improvements: Another branch of the DAF, this program encouraged employers to improve workplace conditions, such as better lighting, ventilation, and cleaner facilities.
  • Unpaid Labour: In many cases, workers were required to help implement these improvements without recieving aditional pay, despite the program's claims of improbing worker comfort.
• Strength Through Joy (KDF):

  • Leisure Programmes: The KDF was a branch of the DAF that aimed to improve worker's morale by offering leisure activities like cheap holidays, theatre trips, sporting events, or concerts. Helped the regime control worker's free time and promote Nazi propaganda.
  • Affordable Holidays: The KDF made vacations affordable for many Germans who had previously been unable to travel. This was part of the Nazis efforts to create a content, loyal workforce.
• Volkswagen Project (1937)

  • Few Germans owned cars at the time, so Nazis promoted the Volkswagen car scheme.
  • The Volkswagen cost 990 marks, so workers had to pay 5 marks a week through the KDF.
  • The money was actually used to make WW2 weapons.
  • No families got the car, or were refunded.
  • Nazis lost support.
• Self Sufficiency:

  Hitler wanted to make Germany fully self-sufficient. This meant he wanted Germany to be able to produce all the goods they needed without having to rely on trade. Hermann Goering was appointed minister for Economics and given the challenge. Introduced a 4 year plan which intended to make Germany self sufficient before the war broke out.
• Synthetic Materials (self-sufficiency):

  Synthetic Oil and Rubber: To overcome a lack of access to resources like oil and rubber, the Nazis invested in developing synthetic substitutes. For example:

  • Synthetic oil was produced from coal by companies like IG Farben.
  • Synthetic rubber was also created to replace natural rubber.
• Agriculture and Food (self-sufficiency):

  The Nazis sought to increase food production to avoid dependency on imports. This included:

  • Battle for Production: Farmers were encouraged to grow more food, and government policies supported agriculture with price controls and subsides.
  • Land Reclamation Projects: Programs were introduced to bring more land into cultivation, although they had limited success.
  • Food/Drinks that had to be imported (coffee) were replaced with 'malt coffee' made from oats.
• Raw Materials (self-sufficiency):

  The Four-Year Plan focused on increasing production of raw materials such as iron, steel, and coal, essential for the military buildup. Resources like aluminium, which were critical for aircraft production, were prioritised. New mining and refining projects were established to boost production
• The impact of WW2:

  • Bombing: The Allied bombing raids (esp 1942-) devastated Germany's cities and industries. Areas like the Ruhr were targeted, crippling Germany's ability to produce war materials. From 1943, civilians were targeted. 2m people homeless, 350,000 people died.
  • Labour Shortages: Men were conscripted (13m), leading to a shortage in workers. Used foreign workers and prisoners of war. Women were encouraged to return.
  • Rationing: Germany faced severe shortages of food, fuel, and raw materials. Rationing became more intense, civilians suffered from malnutrition.
• Life for Women:

  Children:

  • Nazis wanted to increase birthrate.
  • Motherhood Medals: 4-5 children = bronze, 6-7 children = silver, 8+ = gold.
  • Birthrate initially increased.

  At Home:

  • Believed women needed to cook, clean, kids.
  • The number of university places for women was reduced to 10%.
  • The need for women in the workforce increased.

  Appearence:

  • Women were manipulated into Nazi ideal.
  • Slimming and Smoking were considered against God's intended purpose. Were encouraged to wear traditional clothes and not wear makeup.
  • Resuaturants banned women from smoking.
• Nazi Ideaology:

  • Anti-Semitism: Education was a tool for indoctrination. Schools taught Nazi racial theories. Jewish people portrayed negatively in textbooks and lessons.
  • Cult of Personality: Teachers emphasised loyalty to Hitler, with classrooms displaying portraits of him and children required to start the day with the Nazi salute and a pledge of allegiance to the Führer.
  • Nationalism and Militarism: Students were taught to revere German history, military conquests, and the importance of preparing to fight for their country.
• Curriculum:

  • History: lessons were rewritten to glorify Germany's past, especially focusing on heroic German figures and the injustices of the ToV.
  • Biology: taught students about racial purity and the importance of maintaining a pure Aryan bloodline.
  • Physical Education (PE): Physical fitness was emphasised to prepare students for military service.
  • German Language and Literature: The teaching of German focused on fostering national pride. Literary works by authors who supported Nazi ideas were promoted.
  • Mathematics: Even subjects like maths were used to promote Nazi ideology.
• Nazi policy and the Youth:

  • By 1939, it was compulsory to join the Hitler Youth.
  • by 1939, 7 million people joined the Hitler Youth movement.
  • Nazis successfully ended most rival organizations (catholic youth 1936).
  • Some rival groups were established. (Edelweiss Pirates, Jazz Group, Swing Group.)
• Persecution of minorities:

  • 1933: Roma community are sent to Concentration Camps. Books by Homosexuals are banned. Compulsory sterilisation of the ill, alcoholic, or deformed.
  • 1934: Gestapo create lists of homosexuals and monitor them to ensure they are following 'normal' values.
  • 1935: More than 300 homosexuals were imprisoned.
  • 1936: Roma forced to live in camps. One in berlin had 6000+ people. Homosexual men were castrated.
  • 1938: Roma community put through tests to check races.
  • 1939: T4 programme. 9 babies born with mental/physical disabilities were killed. 5000+ died).
• Persecution of the Jewish Population:

  • Jan 1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor. Passed enabling act. Allowed him to start persecuting Jews.
  • 1933-34: Germans encouraged to boycott Jewish shops. Jews banned from state jobs.
  • 1935: Nuremberg laws passed. Jews lost German citizenship and vote. Germans not allowed to marry Jews.
  • 1938: Kristalnacht.
  • 1940: Jews in poland forced into ghettos. Deportation of German Jews into ghettos.
  • 1941: Mass shootings of Jews in Europe.
  • 1942-: Wannasee Conference (final solution to exterminate Jews). Deportation of Jews into extermination camps.
• Nuremberg Laws:

  In September 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were passed. Reich Citizen Act said that no Jew could vote, Law for the protection of German Blood and Honour banned Jews and (pure) German's marriage.
• Kristallnacht:

  Night of Broken Glass. A campaign of violence against the German Jewish population.

  • 10,000 shops owned by Jews were destroyed and contents stolen.
  • Homes and Synagogues were set on fire and left to burn.
  • Huge amount of damage was done and Jewish community were ordered to pay 1 billion marks to pay for the clean-up.
  • 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps.
• Ghettos:

  Jews were bricked into Ghettos, In major cities, or sent to work in concentration (labour) camps. Execution squads (Einsatzgruppen) went into the countryside to shoot and gas as many Jews as they could.
• Final Solution:

  At the Wannasee conference (1942), Nazi leaders discussed how to kill Jews in Europe (11 million people). Wanted to work them to death or poison them in gas chambers.
• Heinrich Himmler:

  • Architect of the Concentration Camps for the holocaust.
  • The principal overseer of Nazi Germany's genocidal programmes.
  • Himmler directed the murder of 6 million jews, 200,000-500,000 Roma people, and other victims.
  • German Nazi politician, police administrator, and military commander who became the second most powerful man in the 3rd Reich.
• Nazi Control of Religion (Catholic Church):

  • After Hitler came to power, Nazis signed a Concordat with the Catholic Church, promising that they could continue religion if they stayed out of politics.
  • Nazis quickly broke this agreement and persecution of Catholics increased over time.
  • Nazis arrested and imprisoned Catholic priests who spoke against the regime.
  • Catholic youth organizations were banned, Catholic schools closed.
  • Some Catholic leaders openly criticised the Nazis (Bishop von Galen) and opposed euthanasia program in 1941, leading to its temporary halt.
• Nazi Control of Religion (Protestant Church):

  • Hitler attempted to unify Protestant churches under the Reich Church, led by Ludwig Muller.
  • Reich Church promoted Nazi ideology and tried integrating Nazi beliefs into Christianity.
  • Many Protestants opposed the Reich Church leading to the formation of the Confessing Church in 1934.
  • Leaders like Martin Niemoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer were vocal critics of Nazi interference. Bonhoeffer was executed in 1945.
  • Pastors who resisted the Nazi government (Niemoller) were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
• Nazi Propaganda and Censorship:

  • Radio: By 1939, 70% of homes had radios. Designed to be short waved and could not pick up foreign radio.
  • Architecture: Buildings copied Roman and Greek styles.
  • Literature: All books, poems, plays were censored and controlled.
  • Culture: Opposed the culture from Weimar.
  • Films: All films had a 45 minute Nazi 'news' reel to glorify Hitler.
  • Sport: All stadiums were covered with swastikas.
  • Press: Newspapers that opposed Nazis were shutdown. 1600 closed in 1935.
  • Rallies: 1934 Nuremberg rally had 20,000 Nazi flags.
• Nazi propaganda was largely successful in creating a sense of unity and loyalty, especially in the early years of the regime. Effectiveness was uneven, intellectuals, rural Germans, and foreign audiences remained unconvinced. Overexposure to propaganda led to diminishing returns.
• SS

  • Led by Heinrich Himmler, became most feared and loyal force of the regime. Responsible for concentration camps.
  • Excessive brutality alienated sections of the population.
• The Gestapo (secret police):

  • Effective in creating a climate of fear. Had power to arrest anyone suspected of opposing the regime without trial.
  • Gestapo did not have enough personnel to investigate all cases thoroughly and ability to monitor individuals was overestimated.
• Concentration Camps:

  • Political opponents, Jews, Homosexuals, and other 'undesirables' were sent to concentration camps where they were subjected to brutal treatment. Played a key role in silencing opposition and enforcing conformity.
  • As WW2 progressed, camps became overcrowded, leading to inefficiency. Extreme cruelty and mass killings alienated parts of the populating, highlighting the regime's reliance on terror rather than genuine support.
• Law Courts:

  • Nazis ensured the legal system was loyal to them. Judges who didn't support Nazi ideology were removed, people's court was established to try cases of treason, with verdicts often predetermined in favour of the Nazi regime.
  • Completely failed to completely suppress all opposition. Groups like the White Rose, Edelweiss Pirates, and July 20 Plotters contiued to resist the regime.
• Resistance Groups (part 1):

  • White Rose Group: Student-based at University of Munich. Distributed anti-Nazi leaflets condemning regimes and Holocaust. Leaders were executed, groups message spread and are remembered as symbols of intellectual resistance. Efforts had little immediate impact. Regime crushed the group after 6 months.
  • Swing Youth: Embraced American jazz and swing music. Undermined Nazi ideals.
• Resistance Groups (part 2):

  • Edelweiss Pirates: Rejected Nazi control and Hitler Youth discipline. Faced hard reprisal, leaders arrested or executed. 2000+ members executed.
  • July Bomb Plot: Led by high-ranking army officers (Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg). Aimed to assassinate Hitler and overthrow Nazi government. Hitler survived. Resulted in arrest and death of thousands of conspirators and families reinforcing Nazi control.