ESSAY Nazi Domestic Policy How Hitler maintained control

ESSAY Nazi Domestic Policy – How Hitler maintained control in Germany

Memory Word = OY JEW O = Opposition Y = Youth J = Jobs E = Economy W = Women

Opposition -30 th January 1933 Hitler was Chancellor; -He was in a position to increase his power EVEN MORE. PERFECT OPPORTUNITY 28 th February 1933 -Reichstag Fire enabled Hitler to scare-monger and convince Hindenburg it was a Communist plot against the country!!! – Emergency Decree was passed. 23 rd March 1933 ENABLING ACT Hitler could pass laws INDEPENDEN TLY of the Reichstag for 4 years. 14 th July 1933 The Law against the Formation of Parties – declared the Nazi Party the ONLY POLITICAL PARTY in Germany. ALL other political parties were BANNED and their leaders put in prison.

Opposition -Using the powers granted to him after the Reichstag Fire, Hitler BANNED his greatest rivals – the COMMUNIST PARTY; -He had their 81 officials arrested and jailed; -All other political parties were banned or dissolved themselves; -LEGALLY no-one could challenge the Nazis, some chose to flee abroad to do so. -http: //www. bbc. co. uk/learningz one/clips/hitler-becomeschancellor/2444. html

One People One Nation One Leader

Opposition -It was almost impossible for political opponents to organise any REAL RESISTANCE to the Nazis; -Any that had not been killed or sent to concentration camps were forced to go underground. -PROBLEM = Opponents were divided and small in numbers and did not work together to produce a real threat.

Opposition REMEMBER CARROT AND STICK!!! Nazi Party members, however, got the best jobs, better houses and special privileges. Many businessmen joined the Nazi Party purely to get orders for their businesses. http: //www. bbc. co. uk/learningzone/clips/norawalns-view-of-pre-war-germany/3256. html

Removal of Opposition from within… Night of the Long Knives 30 th June, 1934 Hitler used his dictatorial powers to eliminate all opposition in the SA. Got rid of ERNST ROHM and 400 of his men. This ensured that the German Army would be loyal to Hitler and showed that even Nazi supporters were not safe if Hitler doubted their ABSOLUTE loyalty.

Opposition -General von Blomberg, the Minister of Defence was delighted – he ensured the army publicly thanked Hitler for his actions; -August 1934 all soldiers signed an oath of loyalty to Hitler – HE NOW HAD CONTROL OF THE ARMY. 2 nd August 1934 -President Hindenburg died; -Rohm (Head of SA) was dead; -Hitler had the oath of loyalty from the army; -His hold on power was secure.

Opposition -“People were too afraid to stand up to the Nazis” -“Speak through a flower” -Estimated 1. 2 million Germans passed through concentration camps. Political prisoners could be held indefinitely in “protective custody” Nazi Storm Trooper – “Everyone is arresting everyone else. Everyone is threatening everyone else with Dachau…” Opponents of the regime would generally spend 1 brutal year in a concentration camp and be released.

Your essay question will relate to the way Hitler maintained power in Germany between 1933 and 1939. We know that he used the CARROT and the STICK methods. This is simply ways he scared the German people into NOT REACTING AGAINST HIM. . . and. . . the ways he ensured German people WANTED HIM TO BE IN CHARGE.

Opposition GESTAPO -In 1934 the Gestapo was brought under control of the SS and HIMMLER. -Gestapo had around 40, 000 members but it has been estimated that there may have been around 160, 000 agents and informers. TERROR PAGE 42 in pink booklet, Take notes on the GESTAPO and how they kept control. What is the most shocking sentence here?

The Cult of the Fuhrer Blomberg, the Minister of Defence used to say the a kind word from the Fuhrer would bring “tears to his eyes” and that a handshake from him could cure him of colds.

GESTAPO • The Nazis took over local government and the police. • The Nazis started to replace anti-Nazi teachers and University professors. • Hitler set up the Gestapo (the secret police) and encouraged Germans to report opponents and 'grumblers'. • Tens of thousands of Jews, Communists, Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, gypsies, homosexuals, alcoholics and prostitutes were arrested and sent to concentration camps for 'crimes' as small as writing anti-Nazi graffiti, possessing a banned book, or saying that business was bad.

The Nazi's used 'fear and horror' against anyone who disapproved of their regime: • Hitler banned all Trade Unions on 2 May 1933. Their offices were closed, their money confiscated, and their leaders put in prison. • Communists were put into concentration camps or killed. • Many Protestant pastors such as Dietrich Bonhoffer were persecuted and executed. • Each block of flats had a 'staircase ruler' who reported grumblers to the police - they were arrested and either murdered, or sent to concentration camps. • Children were encouraged to report their parents to the Gestapo if they criticized Hitler or the Nazi party.

Argument – BALANCED: THINK – Clearly Hitler held control through fear. Are there any alternatives that may have helped Hitler keep control, aside from fear…? IT IS IMPORTANT to remember that while the Gestapo helped keep control through fear, MANY GERMANS welcomed such methods after years of uncertainty and instability under the Weimar Republic.

The Gestapo (German pronunciation: ; abbreviation of Geheime Staatspolizei, "Secret State Police

The law stated that “as long as they were carrying out the will of the Party, they were acting legally”.

IMPORTANT POINT -Even though the Nazis had huge support in Germany in the 1930 s there were still approximately 17 million ______ Germans who had not voted for them. -WHY WOULD THIS GIVE HITLER A CAUSE FOR CONCERN? -Local Police were tasked with creating lists of anyone they felt to be “untrustworthy” and would pass them on to the Gestapo. -DO YOU THINK HITLER’S FEARS JUSTIFY HIS ACTIONS IN CREATING THE GESTAPO?

NAZI JUSTICE DISCUSS - When can police arrest you in this country? DISCUSS - From what you know about Nazi Germany, do you think that local police followed the same rule? IN PAIRS -You are head of the local police in a town in Germany, the year is 1935. -You must come up with a SHORT phrase which explains to your officers their role and duty. REALITY - Police in Nazi Germany could arrest people on suspicion that they were ABOUT TO DO WRONG.

-Hitler could not have ensured control of his opponents and potential opponents with fear of arrest alone. -It was the treatment following arrest that persuaded many to swallow their morals and accept Nazi rule. . . A typical arrest. . . Those arrested by either the police or the Gestapo had less than three minutes to pack clothing and say their goodbyes. Once arrested, they were sent to the nearest police cell. Those in custody were told to sign Form D 11; this was an "Order For Protective Custody". By signing this, you agreed to go to prison. Those who did not sign it were beaten until they did or officers simply forged their signature. Once a D-11 was signed, you were sent to a concentration camp. How long you stayed here depended on the authorities. The usual rule of thumb was whether it was felt that you had learned your lesson (even if there had not been one to learn) and would behave in an acceptable manner once outside of prison.

http: //www. n ationalarchiv es. gov. uk/edu cation/world war 2/theatre s-ofwar/westerneurope/invest igation/occup ation/sources /docs/3/enlar ge. htm

Note taking practice – Read the two paragraphs, make a short heading, note down 3 points you consider important regarding Hitler’s ability to keep control in Germany. The concentration camps were deliberately barbaric. Before 1939, deaths in them occurred but they were not common. The idea was that anybody who had been in one, once released, would ‘advertise’ the fact that they were not places where people wanted to go. This was another way of ensuring that people kept their ideas to themselves. The concentration camps were run by men who could disguise their violent nature simply because they wore a uniform. The flogging of inmates was common - 25 strokes was common practice - and the amenities were very basic and sparse. At Buchenwald, 480 men had one water tap between them which could only be used for 15 minutes on getting up. Any abuse of this rule would lead to 25 lashes. Any arrested Jew would get 60 lashes - a personal order from Hitler. Soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes etc were unheard of in camps such as Buchenwald (which held 8000 prisoners) and Dachau. Food and drink were minimal and the Jews had half the rations of other prisoners

OPPOSITION. . . IMPORTANT NOTE. . . There were SOME individuals and groups that stood up to the Nazis. ETERNAL WAR ON THE HITLER YOUTH. Methods included anti-Nazi graffiti, beating up Hitler Youth, listening to foreign music. Edelweiss Pirates Nazi reaction was typically brutal, public hangings and beheading. The “White Rose” led by Sophie Scholl and her brother, operated out of Munich University – methods included handing out leaflets urging resistance to the Nazis.

NAME: Sophia Magdalena Scholl DOB: 9 May 1921 DIED: 22 February 1943 AGE OF DEATH: 21 CRIME: Handing out anti. Nazi leaflets at Munich University PUNISHMENT: Beheaded by guillotine.

CHAOS AND CONSENT NOT A POPCORN EATING CINEMA OUTING - You must take short, bullet point notes under the heading “Nazis: A Warning from History” DVD – how Hitler maintained power between 1933 and 1936.

'When an opponent declares, 'I will not come over to your side', I calmly say, 'Your child belongs to us already'.

A NAZI EDUCATION • The Nazis replaced anti-Nazi teachers and University professors; • School lessons included hidden indoctrination e. g. requiring children to calculate how much mentally disabled people cost the state, or to criticize the racial features of Jewish people; • German boys were required to attend the Hitler Youth, which mixed exciting activities, war-games and Nazi indoctrination; • German girls went to the BDM and learned how to be good mothers, and to love Hitler. Click pic for Disney Anti-Nazi Education video

- All teachers were examined by Nazis; - Any teacher considered disloyal was sacked. - Many attended classes during school holidays in which the Nazi curriculum was spelled out; - 97% of all teachers joined the Nazi Teachers' Association; - All teachers had to be careful about what they said as children were encouraged to inform the authorities if a teacher said something that did not fit in with the Nazi's curriculum for schools.

Subjects underwent a major change in schools. Some of the most affected were History and Biology. • History was based on the glory of Germany - a nationalistic approach was compulsory; • The German defeat in 1918 was explained as the work of Jewish and Marxist spies who had weakened the system from within; • The Treaty of Versailles was the work of nations jealous of Germany's might and power; • Hyperinflation of 1923 was the work of Jewish saboteurs; • The national resurgence which started was all the work of Hitler.

- Hitler pretended that he loved children; - Children were, after all, the future of the nation; - In reality they were simply another tool to ensure his long-term support in Germany.

HITLER YOUTH Click pic for Hitler Youth flick - 1933 its membership stood at 100, 000; - After Hitler came to power, all other youth movements were abolished and as a result the Hitler Youth grew quickly. - 1936, the figure stood at 4 million members; - 1936, it became all but compulsory to join the Hitler Youth.

HITLER YOUTH FOR GIRLS • The Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM) taught young girls of their future roles in society: to mother more Germans; • They emphasized values of obedience, self-control, and discipline. • They taught women how to be “good” Nazi wives and mothers and how to raise children that will also embody these ideals.

Jobs The Nazi ‘Economic Miracle’ -When Hitler took power in 1933 unemployment stood at 6 million; almost half the total German workforce; -The Nazi propaganda machine under Goebbels led Germany and the world to believe that Hitler had accomplished an unparalleled miracle of economic recovery… Unemployment in Germany Total January 1933 6 million January 1934 3. 3 million January 1935 2. 9 million January 1936 2. 5 million January 1937 1. 8 million January 1938 1. 0 million January 1939 302, 000

Jobs The Nazi ‘Economic Miracle’ Women were not included in the statistics. So any women unemployed during Nazi rule did not exist as far as the statistics were concerned. All was not as it seemed… After the 1935 Nuremburg Laws, Jews lost their citizenship and were not included in the statistics. EVEN THOUGH many lost their jobs when Hitler came to power. The unemployed were given a simple choice – do any work the government gave to you OR be classed as workshy and put in a concentration camp

Getting unemployment figures to be so low was viewed by many as a Nazi book-keeping trick… 1935 – n i t h g u o r was b n o i t p i r off c s n n e k a Co t e r e men w g n u o y y n n they a e h m w s c i t s i nt stat e m y o l p m e army… un e h t n i e m i did their t By 1939 the army wa s 1. 4 million in size…many factorie s were built and weapons made wh ich reduced unemployment figure even more… failed e v a h t o n ld u o c Unemployment asures in e m h c u s h it w ll to fa cared s o o t e r e w le p o place…BUT pe to speak out… BUT THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT JOBS WERE CREATED…!!!

Economy • Hitler banned all Trade Unions on 2 May 1933. • Their offices were closed, their money confiscated, and their leaders put in prison. Robert Ley, PROFILE -WWI Pilot who spent 2 years as a prisoner of war after being shot down in France; -Chemist after WWI but sacked because of a serious drink problem; -Joined the NSDAP in 1925; -1933 was given the task of forming the GERMAN LABOUR FRONT which replaced the outlawed Trade Unions; -He confiscated union funds to pay for the “Strength Through Joy” programme; -Charged with war crimes he hanged himself in his cell 25 th October 1945.

Click here to find out abo ut the INCRED IBLE NAZI PROPAGAN DA!!!

-Set up to ‘protect’ those in work; -Contracts drawn up under the Weimar Republic were ripped up and rewritten; -Employers could demand more of their workers… -…but workers enjoyed increased security at work and benefits; -Membership was voluntary in theory, but anyone not a member would struggle to find a job without being a member. Arbeitsfront (German Labour Front) Flag • In a bid for full employment government spending rose, 1932– 38 from about 5 billion to 30 billion marks.

• The GLF increased the number of hours worked from 60 to 72 per week (including overtime) by 1939. • Strikes were outlawed. • The average factory worker was earning 10 times more than those on dole money and few complained… • …though, as always, to do would put you at risk.

Autarky …to be self-sufficient - In WWI Germany was crippled by the British Naval Blockade; -Hitler was determined that this would not happen again… Autarky means economic self sufficiency. This means that a country produces enough goods of its own so that it doesn’t have to import goods (especially raw materials – coal, oil, iron ore) from other countries. Hitler wanted to achieve autarky so that if war came Germany would not be dependent on imports.

• The New Plan of 1934 stopped imports and subsidised industry; • Production rose, especially of oil, steel, coal and explosives. • In 1936, Goering was put in charge. His Four Year Plan proposed to get the army and industry ready for war in four years. • Employers were happy when workers were well disciplined. • BUT businesses were strictly controlled; they could be told to make something different/ were not allowed to raise wages/ workers could be sent to other factories. • Goering said: ‘Iron makes an empire strong; butter only makes people fat’.

Kraft durch Freude (KDF) -A large, state controlled leisure organisation in Nazi Germany -Wages were decided by the GERMAN LABOUR FRONT; -Compulsory deductions were made for tax and for the Strength Through Joy Programme; -Aimed to provide affordable concerts, plays, libraries, daytrips, holidays to the masses; -Aimed to make middle-class activities affordable to the masses. • In 1938 an estimated 180, 000 people went on cruises to places such as Maderia and the Norweigian fjords; • Others were given free holidays in Germany; • By 1934, over two million Germans had participated on a Kd. F trip; • by 1939 the reported numbers lay around 25 million people.

Sports Stadiums were built Holiday complexes were built (e. g. Prora) Cruise Liners were built to take people to Maderia & Norwegian Fjords The Volkswagon (KDF Wagon / People’s Car) was subsidised by the programme)

Jobs / Economy, What life was like under the Nazis For ordinary people, life was good: • full employment (work programmes/ Strength through Joy) gave prosperity and financial security - many observers stated that there seemed to be no poverty in Germany, • law and order (few people locked their doors), • autobahns improved transport, • frequent ceremonies, rallies, colour and excitement, • Nazi propaganda gave people hope, • Nazi racial philosophy gave people self-belief • Trust in Adolf Hitler gave a sense of security (one German woman told the American reporter Nora Wall: 'He is my mother and my father. He keeps me safe from all harm. ')

There were few drawbacks: Wages fell, and strikers could be shot - the Nazis worked closely with the businessmen to make sure that the workforce were as controlled as possible. Loss of personal freedoms (eg freedom of speech). All culture had to be German - eg music had to be Beethoven or Wagner or German folk songs - or Nazi - eg all actors had to be members of the Nazi party/ only books by approved authors could be read.

http: //www. bbc. co. uk/learningzone/clips/orga nised-opposition-to-the-nazis/3285. html