The Nazi regime 1934-

• The birth rate in Germany had been falling since 1900 due to the rise of women in employment

  • during Weimar = women gained new freedoms such as the right to vote, enter professions such as medicine & law, and gain equal pay
  • the Nazis were determined to reverse this
• the Nazis wanted to increase the birth rate due to:

  • the new focus on war = if men were conscripted, more men would be needed to take up their posts at home so the economy would survive
  • there had to be enough of the ‘master race’ to occupy & populate territories and areas of conquest
  • to tackle unemployment = get women to leave their jobs so men could take over
• The nazis saw women as having a vitally important role in society

  • to be good german mothers & have lots of children in order to increase the population
  • they were in no way equal to men
• the Nazis launched a propaganda campaign to promote motherhood & large families to increase the birth rate

  • special interest-free loans were offered to new brides who agreed not to work
  • this was a further way for the Nazis to ‘solve’ the unemployment issue = removing women from jobs so unemployed men could take over
• Women were encouraged to increase fertility by giving up smoking, not dieting & taking up sport

  • women could also attend motherhood & homecraft classes
  • by 1936 = 30% more births than pre-1933
• the Nazis used the slogan ‘kinder, kuche, kirche’ = meaning ‘children, kitchen, church’

  • women were therefore expected to take up a traditional role in Nazi germany = being a supportive wife & good mother
• Nazis also wanted to improve the German race as well as increasing the birth rate = racial & eugenic policies allowed the sterilisation of people with hereditary diseases, mental health issues & those displaying anti-social behaviour eg alcoholism

  • by 1939 = 375,000 Germans had been forcibly sterilised
• the Nazis promoted the idea of the perfect aryan family through propaganda such as posters

  • these included portraits of large families with the man protecting the family & the woman nurturing her children and newborns
• 15% of all teachers as well as female doctors & civil servants were sacked

  • this sent the message that women should not work
• women were expected by the Nazis to look & dress a certain way

  • to use only German-made materials & nothing imported
  • ideally be blonde, large hipped & athletic
• women should not wear make-up, trousers or high heels

  • they should always use leftovers when cooking food to avoid food waste = once a month the SA would come and check their one-dish leftover meal
• mothers were awarded the honour cross of the German mother depending on how many children they had

  • bronze = 4 children
  • silver = 6 children
  • gold = 8 children
• all children should be brought up loyal Nazis who idolised Hitler & joined the Hitler youth
• The Nazis’ policies were contradictory & chaotic as there were no set ideologies = they were instead formulated in response to new crises
• in 1937 = the Nazis realised they needed women to work in order for the German economy to survive

  • this was due to the pursuit of rearmament & conscription in the run up to war in the 1930s
  • women were therefore needed to take over jobs
• the Nazis still wanted the birth rate to continue to rise despite the realisation of how important it was for women to work

  • therefore marriage loans were abolished & a compulsory ‘duty year’ was introduced for all women to enter the labour market
• the lebensborn programme (‘spring of life’) was created

  • specially chosen unmarried German women could ‘donate a baby to the fuhrer’ by becoming pregnant by aryan SS men
  • the organisation also looked after orphaned or illegitimate children
  • this increased the birth rate whilst also allowing women to work
• 1938 = the divorce law was changed to encourage an increase in the birth rate

  • couples now allowed to get a divorce if either spouse is infertile
  • men could still divorce their wives even if they had infected them with a disease making them infertile
• Many women felt that men only viewed them as a tool for children; they were seen as servants even by their own children
• despite propaganda, women’s employment did increase

  • employers often preferred female workers as they were cheaper
  • those with jobs often found their wages rose faster than prices, despite a woman’s wage being two-thirds of a man‘s
• many of those who experienced the depression were better off by 1935
• many women who were keen supporters of the Nazis remember a feeling of general safety

  • they felt they could leave doors unlocked at night, keys could be left in cars without threats
• opposition in Nazi Germany:

  • coup d’etat = opposition & attacks from within
  • underground resistance = secret, hidden resistance
  • open opposition = public opposition & dismissal
  • passive resistance = non-cooperation
  • private grumbling
• private grumbling did not become open opposition due to:

  • terror
  • many were pleased with the effects of nazi policies
  • Nazi propaganda was so controlled that many did not know what was really happening
  • there was no organised opposition left in Germany by this point = trade unions & political parties had been banned
• Germans were afraid of the SS & gestapo = major opponents had already been banned, imprisoned or worse

  • many believed the Nazis had the legal authority to do whatever they wanted = therefore believed opposition could lead to punishment of both them & their families, or concentration camp imprisonment
  • many also feared they could lose their jobs & face bankruptcy if they opposed the Nazi regime
• the Nazis wanted the hearts & minds of the German people, however were willing to use terror, violence & force to prevent open opposition
• many Germans were actually pleased with the nazis policies = these had been effective in overcoming unemployment & achieving economic recovery

  • terms of the ToV were being overturned, pleasing many Germans
  • therefore the Nazis were actually improving much of what had angered Germans & therefore opposition surrounding the nazis was divided
• The Nazis felt threatened by the control of the church within germany as it undermined the authority & complete worship and idolisation of Hitler that the Nazi party desired
• should the Nazis destroy churches as a part of gleichschaltung?

  the Nazis saw churches as a threat = they stood in the way of them having total control over all life in Germany

  • religious beliefs were powerful = people who believed in god were less likely to worship or idolise Hitler and more likely to question him. the church had clear values which often conflicted with the Nazi values
  • church values could also be used for spreading anti-Nazi ideas
• should the Nazis keep churches & use them to their advantage?

  in 1933 = almost all germans were Christians (approx one third were Roman Catholic & two thirds were Protestants)

  • many church members had voted for Hitler especially Protestants = church pastors were often popular & effective Nazi election speakers
  • churches were used as local power bases for the Nazis = if they could build this, their support would grow stronger
  • there was common ground on many issues, eg the importance of family life = the church also largely supported the Nazis’ emphasis on the military
• due to the popularity & importance of the church in the everyday lives of Germans, Hitler decided not to provoke conflict with the church until he was sure he could win against them
• 1933 = the concordat was signed with the Catholic Church

  • Hitler promised Catholic Churches would not be interfered with and that schools & youth groups would also be left alone
  • in return, pope pius XI promised that the Vatican would stay out of politics
  • the Nazis largely succeeded in controlling the catholic church
• between 1933-35 = hitler united all Protestant churches together into one reich church under a pro-Nazi bishop (Muller)

  • they adopted Nazi-style uniforms, salutes & marches
• Hitler encourages an alternative religion to churches = the nazi alternative was the pagan German faith movement

  • this involved a pagan-style worship of nature, based on worship of the sun (with a Nazi swastika attached to its flag)
• opposition to Nazis within the church?

  catholic bishop galen

  • Protestant pastor martin niemoller
  • Protestant minister Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• catholic bishop galen?

  criticised the Nazis throughout 1930s & led a popular protest against the policy of euthanasia

  • had such strong support that the Nazis could not silence him as was too risky
• Protestant pastor martin niemoller?

  one of the most high profile critics of the Nazi regime

  • formed an alternative Protestant church = the confessing church
  • spent 1943-45 in a concentration camp however survived the war
• protestant minister Dietrich Bonhoeffer?

  preached & published views against the Nazis

  • joined underground resistance & secretly gathered evidence of Nazi crimes
  • joined the German army counter intelligence service (abwehr) = within it a secret group was working to assassinate Hitler
  • assisted in devising a plan to help Jews escape from Germany
  • arrested in 1942 & sentenced to death in a concentration camp in April 1945
• once the Nazis felt more secure in their control of Germany, they became bolder in their attempts to control the churches despite the concordat

  • they limited its influence in school, banning nativity plays etc
  • however ultimately religion was too large of an influence in society to be completely overruled & its influence remained predominant
• youth opposition to the nazis was seen in groups such as the Edelweiss Pirates, the White Rose Group & the Swing movement which pushed back against the Nazi regime & the Hitler youth