Download Revision Notes for Year 10 Germany topic File

Germany c.1918-1939: REVISION NOTES
Part 1 - Weimar Germany 1918-1929
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The Treaty of Versailles
Kaiser abdicates November 9th 1918, Armistice (cease-fire) signed November 11th
Treaty of Versailles signed June 1919
It is a DIKTAT – something forced on to Germany. Allies say that they will carry on
the war if Germans do not sign.
For many Germans the defeat in WW1, national humiliation, the Treaty of Versailles,
the Weimar constitution & democracy are all linked – helps explain why democracy is
weak in Germany
Terms of the Treaty –
Germany has to pay REPARATIONS (fixed in 1921 as £6600 million)
Germany loses all its COLONIES (overseas parts of their empire)
German army limited to 100,000 men with no air force & a small navy with only 6
battleships and no submarines
13% of Germany is now transferred to neighbouring countries as the map is redrawn
Germany loses land to France (Alsace-Lorraine), Belgium, Poland (Posen & West
Prussia) & Denmark
15% of German coal mines are lost in map changes
Many Germans blame the defeat in the war on “the stab in the back” (DOLCHSTOSS)
– i.e. the Socialists / Communists / Jews betrayed Germany & the army was never
defeated. This myth makes it harder to accept the Treaty
Treaty weakened democracy in Germany and the German economy
Friedrich Ebert appointed Chancellor in October 1918
The Weimar Constitution
A National Assembly was elected to write this new constitution
It met in Weimar because Berlin was not safe – so we call this whole period in German
history the WEIMAR REPUBLIC, or WEIMAR GERMANY (or just WEIMAR!)
Constitution ready by August 1919
Very democratic = everyone over the age of 20 gets the vote (men and women)
Proportional representation is used in elections – so small, extremist parties find it
easier to get into the Reichstag
The President is the Head of State and elected every 7 years
The Chancellor is the Head of Government. The Chancellor is chosen by the president
but must have more than 50% of the Reichstag supporting him
The Reichstag is the main house of parliament. There are elections every 4 years to
choose the members of the Reichstag (Deputies)
Proportional Representation will mean that the Reichstag will have lots of small parties
in it – difficult to get strong government.
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Article 48 of the Constitution gives the President emergency powers to make laws by
decree.
Friedrich Ebert is chosen as 1st President by the National Assembly.
Ebert gets support for the new constitution by giving promises to powerful groups e.g.
promises to support the army & head of the army (General Gröner) promises to
support the constitution.
Ebert gets support of business leaders by promising their leader (Hugo Stinnes) the
government will not try to take over their firms
Ebert promises the trade unions and their leader (Karl Legien) that there will be a
maximum 8 hour working day
Economic Problems 1918-23
Germany much poorer after Treaty of Versailles – has lost so much land, resources,
industrial areas etc
1923 – Germany refuses to pay its reparations instalment – says it has no money
French occupy the Ruhr region and start to take raw materials and goods as payment
German government orders all German workers to go on strike in the Ruhr
The Ruhr is so important to German economy – German debts & unemployment now get
out of control
Inflation now gets out of hand because the government was printing more money to
pay for goods
Hyperinflation means that cost of loaf of bread goes from 1 mark in 1919 to 200
marks by 1922 to 100,000,000,000 marks by 1923.
Shortages of everything inside Germany as money becomes worthless
People with savings hit hardest – they lose everything as the money becomes worthless
– helps make middle-class people distrust democracy
Sept 1923 – Gustav Stresemann becomes Chancellor.
Stresemann cancels the old mark in November 1923 and has a new currency issued –
the Rentenmark
Numbers of Rentenmarks in circulation is controlled strictly and inflation brought
under control
Political Problems 1918-23
Huge splits in Weimar Germany between LEFT-WING & RIGHT-WING.
Left-wing people / parties want more equality / change in society. Main left-wing
parties = the Communists (KPD), & Socialists (SPD).
Right-wing parties / people want to protect traditions of the country. Main right-wing
parties in Germany in the 1920s = the People’s Party (DVP) and the National Party
(DNVP). After 1928 the Nazis become more and more important (NSDAP)
In between these parties you have the Democratic Party (DDP) and the Centre Party
(ZP)
Some of these parties want to end democracy / voting / elections. They are the
Communists (KPD), National Party (DNVP) and the Nazis (NSDAP)
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The right-wing parties tend to want (a) strong government (b) family values (c) strong
army / nation state (d) to support businesses / capitalism
The left-wing parties tend to (a) want to change society to make it fairer (b) give
power to the workers (c) end capitalism / private ownership of businesses (d) want to
see co-operation between nations (e.g. in the League of Nations)
Parties in the 1920s have their own private armies to protect themselves from the
supporters of other parties – e.g. the KPD has the Red Front Fighters, the Nazis have
the SA
Huge amounts of political violence in this period. 1919-22 there are 376 political
murders, mostly left-wing people being killed by right-wing extremists. E.g. the murder
of Matthias Erzberger (he was one of the people who signed the surrender in 1918),
Walther Rathenau (the Foreign Minister in 1922).
Many attempts to overthrow the government
Most important one from the left is by the Spartacist League.
Spartacists want a Communist revolution like in USSR
Spartacists led by Rosa Luxemburg & Karl Liebknecht.
Jan 1919 – 100,000 Spartacists start to take over central Berlin
Chancellor Ebert calls in FREIKORPS – groups of extreme right-wing ex-soldiers who
hate Communists.
1000s killed including Luxemburg and Liebknecht.
Most important right-wing attempt to take over = the KAPP PUTSCH
1920 – 5000 right-wing extremists led by Dr Wolfgang Kapp march into Berlin to grab
control of the government and overthrow democracy
Army refuses to act – government has to leave city
A general strike by the workers of Berlin (organised by the KPD & SPD) forces Kapp to
give up – transport, water supplies & gas supplies all cut off
Another right-wing attempt to take over is the 1923 MUNICH PUTSCH by the Nazis
(see later)
After 1923 political violence dies down – but 1919-23 the government is very weak in
the face of extremist violence
The Stresemann Era 1924-1929
Gustav Stresemann is Chancellor from August 1923 to 1924, and then Foreign
Minister 1924-1929
1925 – President Ebert dies. Paul von Hindenburg is elected President. Hindenburg was
a WW1 war hero and a supporter of the Kaiser who did not believe in democracy. His
election is a sign that Germans are not enthusiastic for democracy yet.
He was the most talented & successful Weimar politician and supported by moderate
parties on the left and right
As Chancellor he ended hyperinflation by bringing in the new currency & persuading
the French to leave the Ruhr
As Foreign Minister he agreed the DAWES PLAN, YOUNG PLAN, LOCARNO PACT &
German entry into the LEAGUE OF NATIONS
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DAWES PLAN – 1924 – German reparation payments are reduced & loans from
American banks to boost the German economy are arranged
1923-1928 – unemployment drops, industrial output doubles (i.e. the amount of stuff
Germany made in factories) – Germany is doing very well
YOUNG PLAN – 1929 – The overall reparations bill is reduced and the date for final
repayment is put back – so the annual bill is reduced again to only £50 million a year
This would have been very good for Germany – allow them to cut taxes – but the Great
Depression was just around the corner so it didn’t have much effect
LOCARNO PACT – 1925 – an agreement signed with the Western European countries.
Germany agrees that it will never try and change its western borders (which were
forced on it in the Treaty of Versailles)
Last Allied soldiers pull back out of Germany because of this
Germany is saying that they will not fight a war in the future to get back land like
Alsace-Lorraine
Germany now seen as a ‘normal’ country by Britain and France
LEAGUE OF NATIONS – Germany allowed to join in 1926 – Germany now seen as a
‘normal’ country
KELLOG-BRIAND PACT (1928) – an international agreement which Germany signed –
a agreement that countries which sign will not use war to achieve their aims in the
future. Nice idea – but arguably didn’t work out very successfully
Stresemann won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1926
Stresemann died in Oct 1929 suddenly – he had restored German economic stability
and given Germany respect in foreign affairs – but he died just before the Great
Depression – maybe he could have found a way to preserve democracy in Germany if he
had lived?
1929-1932 – Years of Economic Crisis
Wall Street Crash – October 1929 – kick starts the Great Depression
Banks in America and Germany run out of money and start demanding that loans be
repaid – many German businesses can not afford to repay and have to sack workers or
close
Unemployment starts to rise – 1.3 million in 1929, 6 million by January 1933
Middle class losing savings, homes and businesses
Working class becoming poverty-stricken
Chancellor during 1930-32 is Heinrich Brüning. All he can think to do is cut
unemployment benefits to try and save money. Pushes millions into deeper poverty.
The parties in the Reichstag can not co-operate and Brüning can only rule by using the
President’s emergency powers to make new laws – rule by decree
Political violence on the streets starts to rise
Part 2 – Hitler and the Rise of the Nazi Party 1918-1933
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Adolf Hitler – Early Life
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Born in Austria, parents died when he was young, becomes unemployed & homeless in
Vienna
Believed he was destined for greatness
Outbreak of WW1 gives him a purpose in life and he joins the German army in 1914
Brave soldier – wins Iron Cross
Sees armistice in 1918 as a betrayal of German army
Believes Germany has been stabbed in the back by Jews and Communists
Joins the German Workers’ Party (a small group of right-wing extremists) in 1919
The Birth of the Nazi party 1919-23
Hitler is put in charge of propaganda & ideas of German Workers’ Party
1920 the party is renamed the NATIONAL SOCIALIST GERMAN WORKERS’ PARTY
– or NAZIS
1920 – the party puts forward its Twenty Five Point Programme – a summary of its
ideas
This includes – abolishing Treaty of Versailles, uniting Germany & Austria, nationalising
large businesses, increased pensions, a stronger German army & government, exclusion
of Jews from German life
The ideas are a mixture of NATIONALISM, SOCIALISM & RACISM.
1921 Hitler replaces the original leader (Anton Drexler)
His great talent is being able to stir up the emotions of a crowd when speaking
The SA (Sturmabteilung) – also known as Brownshirts or Stormtroopers – is set up in
1921 to protect party meetings
By 1923 the Nazis are the biggest extremist right-wing group in the south of Germany
November 1923 – Hitler leads an attempt to overthrow the Weimar government
He thinks the government needs to be replaced because of hyperinflation and the
Ruhr crisis.
Hitler thinks he has promises of support from the leading Bavarian politician Gustav
von Kahr (who is effectively running Bavaria) – but von Kahr lets him down in the end
Hitler plans to grab control in Munich, then lead a march on Berlin to put war hero
Erich von Ludendorff in power as Chancellor
Hitler announces the start of the uprising in a Munich beer hall during a political
meeting on November 8th
On November 9th the Nazis march into the centre of Bavaria but the police turn out to
stop them – 16 Nazis shot dead in gun battle
Hitler charged with treason
His trial is a joke because the judge is sympathetic to the Nazis
Hitler uses the trial to become a national figure through the reporting of his patriotic
speeches
He is sentenced to five years (should have got life)
He serves 9 months before release in prison at Landsberg Castle
Uses his time in prison to write Mein Kampf (his book explaining his views and life
story)
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The Nazi Party 1924-29
Hitler now focuses on winning power through elections – realises that revolution will
not work
The Nazi party becomes much more organised & sets up local party organisations
across Germany
Hitler chooses people who are efficient administrators – e.g. Philipp Bouhler as
secretary
Hitler Youth set up
Results from elections show they are not going anywhere in this period – 12 seats in
the Reichstag won in 1928
This was the period when Weimar Germany was at its most stable – Nazis do not have
much appeal
SS set up in 1925 as Hitler’s personal bodyguard
Joseph Goebbels put in charge of propaganda – a genius at producing this
They only have the support of less than 3% of Germans
Nazi voters tend to be peasant farmers and shopkeepers / small business people –
groups not sharing in Weimar prosperity
He gets support (and money) from some important companies / businessmen– e.g.
Thyssen, Krupp & Bosch
Uses modern technology – radio, films & gramophone records to get their message
across
Create image of strength & unity through RALLIES
The Rise of the Nazis 1929-32
Wall St Crash in 1929 begins Great Depression and rise of unemployment
Hitler says only Nazis can provide firm leadership & jobs for Germany & blames
Versailles treaty for much of Germany’s problems
The 25 Points are a very attractive message to people suffering in the Depression
As unemployment rises, so does Nazi vote
Nazis get 107 seats in Reichstag in 1930 and almost 200 in November 1932 making
them largest party in Reichstag (but not in the majority yet)
Nazis keep their promises vague in elections – their message is very simple & clear and
their propaganda very effective
The uniforms and sense of order / unity is very appealing in time of crisis
The SA fight street battles with the Communists
By 1930 there are 400,000 SA men
Middle-class Germans are terrified of a Communist revolution & see the Nazis as the
only people willing to fight to stop this
Nazis set up soup kitchens and shelters for the unemployed & homeless
Promise work and bread to the working class
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Nazis have dropped their policies of nationalising industries to show big business that
they can be trusted – Hitler continues to get support from some leading industrialists
/ business people who give money and help
Newspaper tycoon Alfred Hugenberg gives support and allows Nazi propaganda into his
newspapers
Hitler runs for President in 1932 and gets 13 million votes when Hindenburg is reelected with 19 million
Hitler’s speeches are a huge draw with German public – he poses as the strong modern
leader Germany needs
Many people think democracy can not solve Germany’s economic problems and Hitler
appeals to this
Many traditional-minded people are disgusted by the culture of Weimar Germany –
modern art, sexually explicit books and shows etc – and Hitler appeals to these people
with his message
A vote for Hitler is usually a vote against something (democracy / communism /
Weimar culture) – NEGATIVE COHESION
Support for Nazis cuts across all classes and areas but is less strong amongst working
class – who are more likely to vote SPD or KPD.
Hitler has big appeal to women
Part 3 – The Nazi Dictatorship 1933-1939
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The Nazi Seizure of Power
July 1932 – Nazis are strongest party in Reichstag with 230 seats
Franz von Papen becomes new Chancellor when Chancellor Brϋning is forced out in April
1932
November 1932 – Nazi vote falls – they are still strongest party but their vote seems
to be slipping away now
Von Papen loses support of the Reichstag and has to resign in November 1932
Hindenburg does not want Hitler as Chancellor but his preferred man (Kurt von
Schleicher) does not have enough support in the Reichstag
January 1933 – Franz von Papen (who hates Schleicher) arranges a deal between
President Hindenburg and Hitler
Hitler will get to be Chancellor but with limited powers. Papen will be Vice-Chancellor
and pick all but 2 of the government ministers
Hitler uses one of his choices to make his right-hand man at the time (Hermann
Goering) into the Prussian Minister of the Interior – giving a leading Nazi control over
most of the police in Germany
The Creation of the Nazi Dictatorship – Part 1
Hitler organises a new election to be held in March 1933 to try and get the new
government a majority in the Reichstag
Nazis intimidate and attack their enemies with the police doing nothing to prevent this
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27th February – the Reichstag building is set on fire by a Dutch communist called
Marinus van der Lubbe
The Nazis see this as a sign that the Communists are about to launch a revolution
Hindenburg gives permission for Communists to be locked up without trial – using the
emergency powers of the President under article 48 of the constitution
All communist newspapers banned under emergency powers
Mass arrests of Communists and others
70 people die in violence during the election campaign
March 5th – Nazis and Nazi-supporting parties win 52% of the vote
24th March – the new Reichstag (with Communists excluded) passes the Enabling Act –
a law that gives Hitler the right to rule by decree (i.e. to make new laws just by
announcing them)
April 1933 – Civil service, schools and legal system sees the removal of all Jews,
Socialists and Communists
May 1933 – all independent trade unions banned – all workers now have to belong to the
Nazi controlled DAF (German Labour Front)
July 1933 – all other political parties are banned
January 1934 – all local governments (the 18 Länder / States) in Germany are taken
over by the Nazis – their governors are appointed by Hitler from now on.
The Creation of the Nazi Dictatorship – Part 2
Ernst Röhm is head of SA
Röhm wanted to see the Nazi system to become more socialist – he hated Hitler’s links
to rich businesspeople and wanted the state to nationalise big businesses
SA now 3 million strong in 1934
Röhm wants to see the army merged into the SA
The army officers tend to be nobles and are horrified by the suggestion that they
should become part of the working-class, thuggish SA
The SS (led by Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich) want to destroy the SA
power too.
SS leaders and army officers tell Hitler that Röhm wants to grab power
30 June 1934 Hitler orders arrest of Röhm & other SA leaders
Around 400 people are shot without trial during the Night of the Long Knives –
including Röhm, von Kahr and von Schleicher
Hitler is removing any possible threat to him and sending out a message that no
disloyalty will be tolerated
Death of President Hindenburg in August 1934 means that there is no limit on Hitler’s
power
Hitler now has the combined power of the President and the Chancellor and uses the
title of Fϋhrer (Leader)
Every soldier now has to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler
The Terror State / Opposition
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Nazi Germany is a Police State – the police are used to control the lives of everyone
(not just criminals)
SS (Schutzstaffel) become more and more powerful after Night of the Long Knives –
they carried out the murders for Hitler
Led by Heinrich Himmler
SS takes control of all of the police
SS runs the concentration camps (the Death’s Head Units of the SS)
SS only take Aryan men – i.e. those people who are supposed to be racially pure
GESTAPO = the secret police
Gestapo rely on informers – ordinary members of the public giving them information
They arrest people who act against / speak against the Nazis
Concentration Camps – first one set up in 1933 at Dachau
Camps are for political prisoners at first and later for criminals
Prisoners at mercy of guards
By 1939 there are about 20,000 people in concentration camps and 150,000 in prisons
(for political crimes)
Concentration camps are NOT death camps – there are no death camps in the period
you are studying
Law courts – all lawyers who are opponents of the Nazis lose their jobs in 1933
All judges have to be members of the National Socialist League for the Maintenance
of the Law
The People’s Court is set up to hear treason cases
Hitler intervenes in cases to increase punishments whenever he feels like it
Catholic Church signs an agreement with the Nazis – the CONCORDAT in 1933
This supposedly says that Catholics will not be mistreated by Nazis if they stay out of
German politics
Catholic priests are harassed by Nazis, Catholic schools closed and Catholic youth
groups banned
Pope criticises Nazis in 1937, criticising their regime
Protestant churches are smaller than the Catholic Church and divided.
They are merged into one church – the German Christian Movement
This is under the control of Ludwig Mϋller – a Nazi bishop
Some Protestant ministers still speak out against the Nazis and end up in
concentration camps e.g. Martin Niemöller
Religion is hated by Hitler because it is a rival for people’s loyalty
Propaganda
Joseph Goebbels is Minister of People’s Enlightenment and Propaganda – in charge of
all propaganda
Newspapers told what to write by daily briefings from the Propaganda ministry
All disloyal or Jewish journalists sacked in 1933
Sales of newspapers drop 10% because people find them so boring and unconvincing
Universities – 3000 professors / lecturers lose jobs in 1930s
Research has to follow Nazi teachings
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All artists have to be member of the Reich Chamber of Culture or are not allowed to
publish / show work / perform
Books by Jews or Communists are publicly burned in 1933
Music – Jazz is banned (it is African-American in its origin). Works by Jewish
composers are banned (e.g. Mendelssohn).
Wagner, Beethoven, Bach and traditional German folk music is promoted.
Modern art in paintings / sculpture is described as Jewish and disgusting
Plays / films have to reflect Nazi propaganda
Posters pushing Nazi propaganda are everywhere in towns
Rallies are used to show strength and unity of the Nazi movement – esp. the huge
annual rally at Nuremberg
All radio stations are under Nazi control
Cheap mass produced radios are made so everyone can afford them and there are
loudspeakers in the streets and workplaces so everyone can hear Hitler’s speeches
All cinema films have propaganda newsreel in front of them
All films have to be approved by Goebbels
Lots of obvious propaganda films made – e.g. Hitlerjunge Quex
Sport – used to put across the message that the Germans are superior to other
nations
1936 Berlin Olympics is showcase for Germany
Germany wins 3 gold medals and comes top of the medal tables – seen as proof of
Aryan superiority
Star of the show is a black American athlete called Jesse Owens – he wins 4 golds and
is a serious embarrassment to the Nazis
All propaganda is there to show Hitler as the god-like genius who is Germany’s father
figure
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Part 4 – Nazi Domestic Policies 1933-1939
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Education & the Young
Schools are taken over and all opponents of the Nazis who are teachers lose their jobs
Teachers have to join the Nazi Teachers’ League
School subjects are used as propaganda – e.g. History lessons on the role of the Jew in
German History, maths problems that are about military issues
Mein Kampf is a compulsory school book (Hitler’s autobiography)
Education for boys and girls is heavy on PE
Education for boys aims to turn them into soldiers, for girls it aims to turn them into
mothers
Youth groups for both boys and girls are compulsory but many teenagers refuse to go
Boys join the Pimpfen aged 6 and the Hitler Youth aged 14
Lots of outdoor activities, training with weapons and Nazi propaganda
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Girls join the BDM – the League of German Girls – again, lots of physical exercise and
outdoor activities
Some teenagers rebel and join anti-Hitler Youth gangs (the Edelweiss Pirates)
Some join the Swing Movement – a youth subculture that involves listening to Jazz /
swing records, growing hair long and wearing tweed (copying the fashions of the
English upper class)
Women in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany is very male dominated with traditional views on the role of women as
mothers and wives.
Getting women to go back to being housewives seen as way to free up jobs for men.
But after 1937 there were shortages of workers so women began to take more factory
work.
Falling birth-rate in Germany in 1920s and early 1930s – Hitler sees increasing
population as necessary for a strong Germany
Women encouraged to not smoke, wear short skirts or make up.
Ideal woman is blond, athletic with child-bearing hips.
Medals for women with four or more children. 4 kids gets a woman a Bronze
Motherhood Cross, 6 gets Silver, 8 gets Gold. Hitler Youth ordered to salute women
with the medals.
Loans of 1000 marks for newly weds if woman agrees not to take a job – they can pay
back the money or through having kids. 4 kids means the debt to the state is repaid.
Abortion is illegal and so is contraception.
Birth-rate rises – 15 per 1000 in 1933, 20 per 1000 in 1939.
Married professional women sacked after 1933 – doctors, lawyers etc.
V. few prominent women in Nazi Germany. Leni Riefenstahl was film-maker, Gertrude
Scholz-Klink was head of Nazi Women’s Bureau (women’s section of Party), Magda
Goebbels was the closest thing to a ‘first lady’ and had 6 children, Eva Braun was
hidden from public view as Hitler’s girlfriend.
Most famous slogan associated with the Nazis and addressed to women is “Kinder,
Kirche, Küche” –Children, Church and Kitchen.
Lebensborn programme offers nurseries and support for single mums who have a baby
with an Aryan SS man
The Economy / Living Standards
A scheme is set up called KDF (Strength through Joy). It allows workers to get
cheap tickets to cinemas, theatres etc, or cheap holidays, or to save for a cheap
VW Beetle car. KDF was very popular.
All non Nazi trade unions are closed down. Every worker is now a member of the
DAF, the German Labour Front.
Wages are low, people have KDF and DAF contributions taken from their pay
packets.
The working week went from an average 43 hours in 1933 to 47 hours in 1939.
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Unemployed workers are given work through the RAD (National Labour Service) –
the pay here is very low and people are treated very harshly
In 1937 the average worker (compared to 1927) ate less meat, milk, cheese, white
bread, fruit and sugar and drank less beer. They ate more rye bread and potatoes.
All 18-25 year old men had to do 6 months labour service – low paid manual labour.
This was like conscription – which they also had to do.
The Nazis made an effort to get cheap canteens and cleaner conditions in factories
through the Beauty of Labour scheme.
Public Works to create jobs building roads, railways, houses and public buildings
like the new Reich Chancellery (the offices in Berlin where Hitler worked from).
Reduces unemployment but pay is very low.
7000 miles of Autobahns built by 1939
After 1935 conscription is introduced – every man has to do a year of army service
– reduces unemployment.
After 1936 there is a 4 Year Economic Plan to get Germany ready for war, building
up weapons factories.
Spending on the military goes from 3.5 billion marks in 1933 to 26 billion in 1939
German army goes from 100,000 men in 1933 to 900,000 in 1939
Unemployment is virtually gone by 1938. Only ½ million unemployed in 1938 (down
from 6 million in 1932) but this figure does not include women or Jews who were
sacked.
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Treatment of the Jews / Ethnic Minorities
The Germans are believed by Nazis to be the MASTERRACE (Herrenvolk)
They are supposed to be ARYAN – tall, blond, blue-eyed Northern European people
who the Nazis believe are the superior type of human being
All non-Aryans are inferior – especially the UNTERMENSCHEN – ‘subhuman’ people –
Nazis would include Africans, Gypsies and Jews in this list.
Early measures against the Jews (1933-1935) include shop boycotts (1933), banning
them from government jobs (1933) & restaurants (1935)
Nuremberg Laws (Sept 1935) – take away the Jews’ identity as German citizens.
Also in the Nuremberg Laws – banned Jews and Germans from marrying or even having
sex with one another
After 1938 – persecution intensifies. They have to carry ID cards, Jewish doctors can
not treat Germans, all Jewish property has to be registered with the government
Nov 1938 – Kristallnacht – mass attack on Jewish community in Germany
Sparked by murder of a German diplomat in Paris by a Jewish refugee – Herschel
Grynszpan
Idea for the attack is suggested by Goebbels
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SA / SS / police all involved
Around 100 Jews killed on the night, 20,000 taken to concentration camps
191 synagogues burned down, thousands of homes and businesses destroyed
Jews of Germany made to pay a 1 billion mark punishment fine for the murder in Paris
Jews banned from schools or from running businesses after Kristallnacht
April 1939 Jews moved to particular parts of cities / towns – ghettos
BUT – THERE ARE NO DEATH CAMPS OR MASS KILLING OF JEWS IN GERMANY
DURING THE PERIOD YOU STUDY. AUSCHWITZ WAS BUILT AFTER 1939 WHEN
WW2 WAS IN PROGRESS
Gypsies also persecuted
30,000 Gypsies in Germany
They were covered by the Nuremburg Laws in the same way
They were moved to ghettos in 1939
Homosexuals are persecuted – homosexual acts are illegal and will get you sent to a
concentration camp
60% of homosexual prisoners in camps never survive their sentence because of
mistreatment
Camps also used to lock up ASOCIALS – i.e. people who were prostitutes, career
criminals, beggars – or pacifists, Jehovah’s Witnesses etc
1933 – a law is passed allowing people to be forcibly STERILISED – 700,000 people
sterilised in Nazi Germany, usually people who were disabled
1939 – EUTHANASIA programme begins – disabled children being killed by lethal
injection or starvation
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