Life in Nazi Germany 1933-39

• Hitler created a slogan describing the roles for women in Nazi Germany; Kinder, Kirche, Kuche (Children, Church, Kitchen).
• Newly-wed couples were offered loans of 1,000 marks by the Nazi state. For every child the married couples had, they were allowed to keep 250 marks of their loan, this encouraged people to have more children. In 1932 the birth rate in Germany was 15 per 1,000. In 1938 the birth rate was 19 per 1,000.
• Female employment in Germany rose between 1933 and 1939 by 2.4 million.
• In 1936, membership for the Hitler Youth became compulsory for children aged 10 and over. In 1939, 90% of children were in the Hitler Youth.
• In the Nazi curriculum, Race Studies taught 'eugenics' and the Nazi beliefs about the Aryan race, and the superiority of the Germans.
• The National Labour Service (RAD) was a programme that made it compulsory for men aged 18-25 to work on public schemes for 6 months.
• The Nazi Scheme 'Strength Through Joy' gave workers rewards if they worked hard.
• The Beauty of Labour was a scheme which planned to improve working conditions.
• In 1933, unemployment levels were at 5 million, in 1939 these levels were at only 0.3 million.
• Groups that weren't included in official Nazi employment statistics were;

  • Jews forced out of their jobs
  • Women forced out of their jobs
  • Men in the RAD
• In 1937, Hjalmar Schact lost his job as a teacher because he was a homosexual
• Hermann Goering created the Four Year Plan in 1936 to increase Germany's industrial output.
• By WW2, one third of raw materials were being imported.
• 1/4 of Germans were working in the war industry in 1939 compared to 3/4 in 1941.
• The average weekly wage rose by 25% in Germany between 1932 and 1939
• The 'master' race according to the Nazis was the Aryan race
• In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were passed, which made it illegal for Jews to marry non-Jews.
• Jewish people were described by Nazis as 'sub-human' and 'parasites'.
• The hierarchy of 'sub-humans':

  • Slavs
  • Black People
  • Roma (Gypsies)
  • Jews
• In 1938, all gypsies had to be registered and medically examined.
• By the end of WW2, 85% of German gypsies had been killed.
• Nazis used the term 'undesirables' to describe disabled people, homosexuals, beggars, socialists, and trade unionists.
• 300,000 disabled people were sterilised under the Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseased Offspring.
• 100,000 disabled people were secretly killed between 1939 and 1941.
• The Nazis drew yellow stars on the doors of Jewish businesses.
• In 1936, it was forbidden for Jews to be professionals, such as doctors, vets, accountants, teachers, or nurses.
• In 1939, J's were stamped on Jewish passports in Germany.
• Kristallnacht occurred on the 9th November 1938.
• The first ghetto built in WW2 was built in Poland.
• The Wannsee Conference happened in January 1942.
• 60% of Jews were killed during WW2 after the Wannsee Conference