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
-30th January 1933 Hitler was Chancellor;
-He was in a position to increase his power
EVEN MORE.
PERFECT OPPORTUNITY 28th February 1933
-Reichstag Fire enabled Hitler to scare-monger and
convince Hindenburg it was a Communist plot against the
country!!! – Emergency Decree was passed.
23rd March 1933 ENABLING ACT
Hitler could
pass laws
INDEPENDEN
TLY of the
Reichstag for
4 years.
14th 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.
One People
One Nation
One Leader
Removing other opposition
Trade Unions – Nazi’s broke in to their offices and
arrested them. Ban on all Trade Unions, strikes were
now illegal.
Political Parties – In July 1933 all other parties were
made illegal except NSDAP.
Local government – Each part of Germany was ran by a
smaller government, this was removed in 1934 so Hitler
could appoint governors to replace them who would all
answer to Hitler himself.
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Removal of Opposition from
within… Night of the Long
Knives 30th 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.
2nd 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.
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
The Gestapo, SS, SD and
concentration camps.
SS – Protection squad. Heinrich Himmler. Black Uniform.
240,00 men. Controlled all of Germany’s police and
security.
SD – Security service. Reinhard Heydrich. Green
Uniform. Spied on all opponents and critics of Hitler.
Gestapo – Secret state police. No Uniform. Very much
feared by the public. Prosecuted anyone who did anything
to oppose the party. Given official permission to torture.
30,000 men.
Concentration Camps – By 1939, 150,000 people were in
‘protective arrest’. Not for typical crime but for being
against the Nazi Party. The first camp, Dachau was
opened in 1933. Camps were in rural areas. Inmates were
homosexual, Jews, Political prisoners, prostitutes,
gypsies etc.
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Controlling the legal system
The legal system was in favour of the Nazi
Party
Judges – All judges were made to be
members of the National Socialist League
for the Maintenance of the Law. If the
Nazi’s didn’t like them, they were denied
membership so could not be a judge.
Law courts – Trials by jury were abolished.
Hitler set up ‘The People’s Court’ for acts
of treason. The Judges were hand picked
and often trials were done in secret. The
sentence was often death. There was no
right to appeal. 1934-39 534 political
opponents sentenced to death.
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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.
-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 D11; 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
war2/theatre
s-ofwar/westerneurope/invest
igation/occup
ation/sources
/docs/3/enlar
ge.htm
Controlling religious Views
In the beginning, Hitler wanted to work with Christians. However,
Christian leaders would not tolerate the violence and racism of the
Nazi’s.
Catholics
Protestants
Catholics held the Pope as their
leader, not Hitler.
Catholics had their own schools, not
Nazi schools.
Catholic priests were harassed.
Schools were forced to close.
Youth activities were banned.
Protestants linked with the Nazi’s
and created The Reich Church
(1936)
Protestants who supported Hitler
were able to continue.
Some allowed the Swastika in church.
Jewish teachings had to be excluded
from the Bible.
Those who spoke out about Hitler
were taken to a concentration camp.
PEL- Pastors’ Emergency League set
up to oppose Hitler
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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 antiNazi leaflets at Munich
University
PUNISHMENT: Beheaded
by guillotine.
'When an opponent declares, 'I will not
come over to your side', I calmly say,
'Your child belongs to us already'.
A NAZI
EDUCATION
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.
Women and the family
Women should adopt a traditional mother
role and not work but serve husband.
Women were seen as important to German
life.
Women should have a ‘natural’ and modest
look. No make up, long skirts, hair tied back.
Women were encouraged to have children
with a large amount of money.
If a woman could not have children, or had an
abortion men were encouraged to divorce.
Medals were given to women who had had
many children (bronze/silver/gold). Children
were made to salute gold mothers.
Money was given to women who had children
with SS men for an Aryan race.
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- 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
- 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 6million;
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…
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 25th October 1945.
-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.
•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 KdF 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)
The Treatment of
Minorities
Racial beliefs
Eugenics – Science of selective breeding, those unsuitable were sterilised.
Racial Hygiene – Selecting the ‘best’ parents e.g. SS soldiers
Anti-Semitism – Anti-Jewish views/Scapegoat/Anti-Jewish views ignored
by the public so were seen as acceptable, this was due to propaganda.
Minorities
Slavs – Emigrated to Europe from the east. Teachings – Slavs were subhuman.
Gypsies (Roma) – Named as social disruptors 26,000 in Germany. Banned
from travelling in groups. Posed a threat to purity of Germans. Sent to
camps in 1933.
Homosexuals – 1935 a strong law was introduced against homosexuals. Nazi
laws encouraged castration of homosexuals. 5,000 German homosexuals
died in concentration camps.
Disabilities – 1933- Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased
Offspring- If people were mentally ill, alcoholic, deaf, blind, deformed or
epileptic they were forced to be sterilised. In 1935 if you had a baby with
a mental or physical disability they would be starved to death or a lethal
overdose of drugs- this was known as the T4 programme. 5,000 children
with disabilities were killed.
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