part 3: under the nazis

• how did Hitler reduce unemployment?

  by creating new jobs for men: they were employed to work on public construction projects, including the 1936 olympic stadium.
• what was the National Labour Service (RAD)?

  made it compulsory for men aged 18-25 to work on public schemes for 6 months. Most men disliked RAD because they felt exploited: working hours were long and wages were low.
• what did all workers have to join?

  the German Labour Front: it was an organisation used to keep workers loyal to Nazis and disguise the lack of any huge improvement to their standard of living.
• what was the Strength through Joy scheme?

  it gave workers rewards if they worked hard which included going to the theatre or having a holiday.
• what was the Beauty of Labour scheme?

  it planned to improve working conditions but nothing was often done about it.
• what was invisible unemployment?

  Hitler boasted that he made unemployment fall from 5 million in 1933 to 0.3 million in 1939 but these statistics didn't include Jews, women forced out of their jobs or the men conscripted into the National Labour Service.
• who created the 4 year plan and what were the aims?

  Goering in 1936 to prepare Germany for war. Its 2 aims were rearmament and self sufficiency.
• by WW2, how much of their resources were Germany still importing?

  • 20% of its food
  • 1/3 of its raw materials
• what happened if a worker complained about working conditions?

  after 1936, working hours increased, if workers complained, they would be blacklisted. This means they would struggle to find employment.
• how many Germans worked in war industry?

  when WW2 began in 1939, 1/4 of german workers worked in weapons, chemicals, and agriculture, and this reached 3/4 by 1941. Prisoners of war and slaves were needed to increase the economy.
• how much did the average weekly wage increase by from 1932 to 1939?

  25%
• when were rations introduced?

  food rations were introduced in 1939, before the war even began. Clothes, soap, fuel, and petrol were rationed after the war begun. Shortages of some rations only became noticeable in the winter of 1941-1942, as the German army struggled to battle on the Western front against the Soviet Union at the same time.
• what led to the black market?

  as the German army conquered new countries, they would send their loot back home. This led to a black market for luxury goods. 1.5 million fur coats and 67 million woolen garments were sent to German soldiers.
• by 1943, Germany's economy was geared for "total war" what did this mean?

  all businesses were dedicated to the war effort, otherwise, they were closed. Workers were transferred to war work, which helped to improve the situation in Germany. All leisure establishments were shut down. Only cinemas stayed open to show propaganda. Services like the postal services were stopped.
• how many people were affected by air raids by USA and Britain?

  500000 killed, 750000 injured, 1 million homes destroyed, 7 million left homeless.
• how did the shortage of labour in 1943 affect Germany's war efforts?

  • workers in European occupied countries were sent to Germany to work.
  • prisoners of war were forced to work in concentration camps.
  • January 1943, men from 16-65 and women from 17-45 were forced to work or fight.
  • children from Hitler youth worked on farms. by 1945, Hitler youth were helping on the homefront.
• what was women's role in Nazi Germany?

  they were expected to look after the home, and bear children for the Third Reich. They were encouraged to be sturdy in build as this was believed to help childbirth. Kinder (children), Kuche (kitchen), Kirche (church).
• what did Nazis do to encourage all women to marry?

  married couples were given loans of 1000 marks.
• what did Nazis do to encourage women to have children?

  for every child a family had, they were allowed to keep 250 marks of their marriage loan. If you had 4 children, you would not have to pay any money back.
• what was the motherhood cross?

  • bronze medal: 4 children
  • silver medal: 6 children
  • gold medal: 8 children
• why were women discouraged from working?

  to keep them in the home: in 1933 women were banned from having professional jobs. Propaganda stressed that women should not steal jobs from men. But, women were cheap labourers, and female employment rose by 2.4 million between 1933 and 1939.
• when was membership into Nazi youth groups made compulsory?

  1936 for all children above the age of 10.
• what was the aim for boys in Hitler Youth?

  Hitler wanted to prepare the boys to be soliders and political leaders. Boys wore military uniforms and their activities focused on physical exercise and political indoctrination.
• what was the aim for girls in the German League of Maidens?

  Hilter wanted to prepare girls to be mothers. Their activities focused on physical exercise and learning skills like cooking, which are usually associated with "homemakers".
• what were all teachers forced to join?

  Nazi Teacher's Association
• what was the Nazi curriculum?

  by 1935, all textbooks had to be approved by the Nazis to make sure they fit then Nazi message. PE became a priority to make sure children were fit and healthy. History taught children about the rise of Nazis.
• what was the opposition to Hitler Youth?

  (10% of children by 1939 resisted the Nazis) including the Edelweiss pirates and Swing Youth.
• when was the Reich church founded?

  1933: to help create a new Nazi church.
• what church was founded to oppose to Reich Church?

  1934: The Confessional Church
• why did Catholics pose a threat to Hitler?

  German Catholics would send their children to Catholic youth organisations, challenging the authority of the Nazi Party youth movement.
• what was the concordat and when was it signed?

  1933: Hitler and the Pope signed the Concordat.. This promised that Catholics were allowed to worship and keep their Catholic schools in return for not meddling in Nazi politics. But Hitler betrayed the concordat by closing down Catholic schools, banning youth groups, and sending preists to concentration camps.
• in terms of the aryan race, what did the Nuremburg laws in 1935 ban?

  marriage or sexual relations between Aryans and non-Aryans.
• which group of people were arrested and sent to concentration camps in 1933?

  gypsies. In 1938, all gypsies had to be registered and medically examined. If they failed the test (which was designed so that most of them did) then their German citizenship was removed and they could no longer travel.
• by the end of the war, how many gypsies were killed?

  85%
• what was the Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseased Offspring?

  passed in 1933, over 300000 disabled people were sterilised and by 1939, Nazis started using euthanasia to kill those with mental and physical disabilities. 100000 people were secretly killed between 1939 and 1941.
• what happened to working Jews?

  • 1933: made it difficult for Jews to work. Boycotts on Jewish businesses.
  • Nazis drew yellow stars on their doors to stop people going inside.
  • Jews who worked for the government were fired.
  • 1936: forbidden for Jews to be in important professions.
• when was anti-semetism made legal?

  1935: nuremburg laws. Jews were no longer allowed to be German citizens under The Reich Law for Protection of German blood.
• when and what was the Kristellnacht?

  9th November 1938: the SS organised a series of attacks on Jewish communities. They destroyed Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues.
• when were ghettos first introduced?

  1939
• when and where was "the final solution" decided?

  after the Wansee conference in January 1942. 6 death camps with gas chambers were built in Poland. Out of all the Jews killed, 60% were killed after the Wansee conference.