Year 8 History Home Learning Summer Term Life in Nazi Germany In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. For the next 12 years, Hitler and his Nazi party ruled the country. During this time, millions of people across the world died as a result of World War Two. In this booklet, you will be looking at what life was like in Germany at this time. You will also be looking to understand how Hitler managed to keep control of Germany, and keep the German people doing exactly as he wanted. This booklet is split into seven sections. Each section contains some information, and a page with questions for you to answer. Within the booklet, you will look at different changes that Hitler and the Nazi party made, and methods they used to control Germany. By the end of this booklet, you should be able to answer the question ‘How did the Nazis manage to control Germany?’ 1. Who were the Nazis? Key words: Adolf Hitler = Leader of the Nazi Party. Leader of Germany from 1933 to 1945. Nazi = A member of the German ‘Nationalist Socialist’ party. They were the German government from 1933 – 1945. Dictator = A ruler with total control of a country. They are typically not elected by the public, and prevent any other person from being elected. Adolf Hitler was a dictator in Germany. Aryan = A typical ‘German’ person, usually with blond hair and blue eyes. Hitler and the Nazis believed that Aryans were the superior race, and anybody who was not Aryan was inferior. The ‘swastika’. The Nazis adopted this symbol as their own. Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party. 1. Who were the Nazis? Timeline of Hitler and Nazi Germany: 1923: The ‘Munich Putsch’. Hitler takes part in a rebellion to attempt to overthrow the government, but it fails and Hitler is arrested. 1924: Hitler is sentenced to 5 years in prison for his role in the Munich Putsch – however, he only serves a few months. While in prison, he writes the bestselling book ‘Mein Kampf’. 1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany, despite the Nazi Party only having 43.9% of the vote. President Hindenburg is still ultimately in control. 1934: President Hindenburg dies. Hitler becomes head of state, giving himself the name ‘Fuhrer’. This means he was the ultimate leader and had total control of Germany. 1939: Germany invades Poland. Two days later, France and Britain declare war on Germany. World War two begins. 1945: Hitler commits suicide. A week later, Germany surrenders and the Allies (including Britain) accept victory of World War Two. 1. Questions a) Who was Adolf Hitler? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ b) What percentage of the vote did the Nazis have in 1933? _________________________________________________ c) Who was the leader of Germany before Hitler became Fuhrer? _________________________________________________ d) When did Hitler become a dictator? _________________________________________________ e) Who did Germany invade in 1939, leading to World War Two? _________________________________________________ a) What happened in 1945? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 2. How did the Nazis use fear and terror to control people? The Nazi party wanted the German public to fear them, to know that there were consequences if anybody went against what the Nazis wanted. Here are four ways that the Nazis used fear and terror to control the German people, and to make sure that the Nazis got what they wanted: The police and courts Top jobs in local police forces were given to high-ranking Nazis. The police maintained law and order, dealing with criminals. They also spied on people who acted suspiciously or were deemed a political threat. Policemen were under strict instructions to ignore crimes committed by Nazi agents and did so out of loyalty and fear. The Nazis also controlled how people were tried and punished in the courts. Judges had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler and many lawyers did so too. This meant that Nazi opponents rarely received a fair trial as the judges simply followed the Nazis’ orders and punished them. By 1939, the courts had imprisoned 225,000 Germans for political crimes. The Gestapo The Gestapo (secret state police) was the force which was most feared by the ordinary German citizen. At its peak, there were 30,000 Gestapo agents. Gestapo agents decided what the law was themselves. They spied on people and could arrest citizens who were considered suspicious. They could even send people to concentration camps without a trial or explanation. It had a reputation for treating people brutally. By 1939, 162,000 Germans were held in custody by the Gestapo. The German people thought the Gestapo was much more powerful than it actually was. Consequently, many ordinary Germans informed on each other (told the Gestapo about others’ actions) because they thought the Gestapo would find out about people’s actions anyway. 2. How did the Nazis use fear and terror to control people? The SS The SS was formed in 1925 to act as Hitler’s personal bodyguard. The SS was led by Heinrich Himmler. SS men were Aryans, very highly trained and totally loyal to Hitler. Under Himmler, the SS had primary responsibility for destroying opposition to Nazism and carrying out the racial policies of the Nazis, including the Holocaust. Concentration camps The concentration camps were run by SS Death’s Head units. They were initially set up to deal with political opponents such as the Communists and Socialists. The first concentration camps were makeshift prisons in disused factories and warehouses. After 1936, the Nazis built huge, purpose-built concentration camps in isolated rural areas. They were designed to punish anyone who allegedly opposed, criticised or threatened the Nazis. This included Jews, Socialists, Communists, trade unionists and churchmen. The number of prisoners rose rapidly after 1936, reaching 21,000 by 1939. These numbers grew enormously during World War Two. Prisoners were forced to do hard labour. Food was very limited and prisoners suffered harsh discipline, beatings and random executions. By the late 1930s, deaths in the camps became increasingly common and very few people emerged alive from them. Some camps were established mainly as ‘death camps’. People were killed in huge numbers in gas chambers. Millions of people died, including 6 million Jewish people. 2. Questions a) Who were the gestapo, and what did they do? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ b) Who were the SS, and what did they do? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ c) What were concentration camps? What types of people suffered there? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ d) What do you think was the most important way that fear and terror helped the Nazis to control German people? Why? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 3. How did life change for women? Before the Nazis In the years before the Nazis took control, women had become more modern. Women were given the vote and enjoyed more employment opportunities. The Nazis felt that the ‘modern woman’ was a degenerate threat to racial purity and could lead to a lower birth rate. It is worth remembering that many women agreed with him. In the traditional rural areas and small towns, many women felt that the proper role of a woman was to support her husband. There was also resentment towards working women in the early 1930s since they were seen as keeping men out of jobs. Nazi beliefs Women should not wear trousers Nazis believed that woman had a biological purpose. Women should not wear makeup Hitler encouraged unmarried women to have Women should not wear high-heeled shoes children via Lebensborn where women impregnated by racially pure SS officers. The Nazis banned Women should not dye or perm their hair contraception and abortion and sterilised the racially Women should not go on slimming diets ‘unpure‘ to make sure women were breeding more soldiers. Women should not work for a living Posters, radio broadcasts and newsreels all ‘Rules for women’ celebrated ideas of motherhood and homebuilding. A woman’s focus was at home: they were taken out of the labour market; in 1934 most women were dismissed from their professions. Some women did keep their jobs (especially teachers) and many women were employed (and became powerful) by the Nazis standards. Some German women (non-professional, non-academic) were positive about the changes made as they enjoyed the increased status of motherhood and the domestic role. 3. How did life change for women? Nazi incentives The Nazis offered tempting financial incentives for married couples to have at least four children. In 1933, the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage gave newlyweds a government loan of 1000 marks. The Mothers Cross was Hitler’s idea to encourage Aryan population growth. The crosses were:
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