Volksgemeinschaft Racial Doctrine and aims Peoples or Racial

Volksgemeinschaft

Racial Doctrine and aims • People’s or Racial or National community based on INCLUDING all racial Germans but EXCLUDING all racial outsiders esp Jews. • Aryan Master race. • Social class unimportant in new Germany. Religion unimportant. People think only as German. • Different roles for men and women. • Sax says VGS fails due to contradictions. • Kershaw says VGS had impact on young but overall failed due to social and religious divides remaining.

Dealing with outsiders • Creating a perfect race saw in 1933 compulsory sterilisation for mentally and physically disabled. By 1939 programme of euthanasia for severely handicapped. • Treatment of Jews • 1933 Boycott of shops and civil service ban. • 35 – Nuremburg Laws marriage/sex banned between Jews/Germans. • 38 – not own Businesses/Kristallnacht. Growing in severity. • Stephenson “majority was passively acquiescent” • Bergen “routinisation of anti-Semitism”

Women • Traditional peasant look. Breed for Germany/bring up children to be loyal members of VGS. Stay at home and not work. • Marriage loans. Mothers Cross. 4 kids. Family small unit of VGS. • Education and Hitler Youth used to influence women. • Contradictions – employment rate went up. “Life Springs” !!!!! • Mason argues VGS more effective on women.

Workers/Middle class • Many groups did better in new Germany so supported VGS [to a degree] – jobs available, increased small business as new department stores banned, Jews banned from business so more Aryan business opportunities. Big business benefits from rearmament. • Strength Through Joy – Liners are an example of VGS not working. Flagship policy but divided into 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd class. • Winterhilfe [Winter Relief]/Eintopf [Onepot] – families eat a stew once a month rather than roast dinner- to show all same. Give money to Winterhilfe. Much evidence that donations due to public pressure rather than genuine conviction.

Workers/Mittelstand • Mason – VGS failed to fully integrate workers, or stop class division.

Young and VGS • Different for boys/girls. Education shaped to get male strong soldiers and workers and female wives and mothers. • Emphasis on race and Germany in all teaching. • Free time controlled in Hitler Youth. Gender divide. Compulsory by 1936 – diluted? • Peukert by 1939 many young people started to rebel – Eidelweiss Pirates, Swing Kids [non-conformity]. • Mosse limited impact of VGS on young – “success of indoctrination depended on specific teacher and school”

VGS and Churches • German people did not lose their religious belief. Noakes – churches allowed to keep their own ideology and so were an obstacle to VGS. • Concordat with Catholic church allowed Catholic schools and youth groups to continue. When Nazis took crucifixes out of classrooms they were replaced and not taken again. • Confessional church also against Nazi control of life. • Wilt criticises religions response to Nazis as weak and not resisting VGS enough. • Wright suggest churches were interested in their own position rather than standing against VGS and Nazis.