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Life in Germany under Hitler, Appraisal of Nazi Regime - Coggle Diagram

- - - - removed many peoples' civil rights
      - Anyone suspected of plotting against the government could be arrested & imprisoned w/o trial
      - Hitler used this to disrupt the election campaigns of his rivals by putting the leaders in prison, confiscating their literature and using the SA to break up meetings
    - - Hitler needed the Reichstag to vote for the Act (>66% of votes)
      - Joined up with Catholic centre party to get the votes
    - - He could introduce any law he wanted for 4 years w/o getting through Reichstag
      - Gave him dictatorial powers
      - In July 1933, all political parties except Nazis were banned
  - - - Hitler's SA were very important to Hitler getting power in 1933 and securing the enabling act
      - But they wanted societal change and Hitler was afraid their left-wing ideas will alienate his supporters (middle-class, businessmen)
      - The SA had 2mil members and wanted to take over the much smaller German army. But Hitler wanted their support because it could overthrow him and he needed the army for his foreign policy
      - Hitler was scared the SA would overthrow him and thought they were the only group preventing him from achieving a dictatorship
      - in June 1934, he ordered his SS (personal bodyguard) to murder 400 people
      - Hitler betrayed the SA to gain the trust of the German Army
    - - Destroy all opposition to Hitler within Nazi Party
      - Gave more power to brutal SS (became more important than Nazi party in running dictatorship)
      - discourage political opponents because they knew they would be dealt with severely
    - - accomplices:
        
        Hermann Goering
        
        Heinrich Himmler
        
        Joseph Goebbels
      - victims
        
        Von Schleicher (previous chancellor)
        
        Ernst Rohm (leader of SA)
  - - - propaganda disseminated through state-controlled mass media
      - single party marked by personality cultism
      - control over economy
      - regulation and restriction of speech
    - - state has no limit to authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life
      - usually has a well-defined state ideology that guides its policies
    - - state is no limits to authority and strives to regulate most aspects of public and private life
      - usually does not have a well-defined state ideology that guides its policies
      - some leeway in social aspects
- - - - employed an army of spies who would inform on people
      - tapped phones, intercepted mail and received denunciations from informers
      - had strong local structure: 'Gauleiters' (leaders) responsible for 'Gaus' (teams) divided into towns, streets and blocks
      - activists were 'eyes and ears' of party
      - reporters compiled on any form of opposition - telling anti-Hitler jokes, not doing Nazi salute, not flying Nazi flag
      - commanded by hermann goering at first, then himmler was given control
    - - grew from personal protection force for Hitler to huge organisation in charge of concentration camps, spying, army regiments and foreign soldiers
      - secret police (can be anyone) --> people did not trust each other
      - both the Gestapo and the SS were run by Heinrich Himmler
    - - began as temporary prisons in disused warehouses for Hitler opposition
      - political opponents and asocials were imprisoned
      - slave labour used to manufacture weapons / work on public works schemes
      - number of camps quadrupled from 1939-1942 to 300+, as many enemies of the state were incarcerated
      - some became 'death camps' as part of the Final Solution
      - everyone was scared of being arrested by Gestapo and put in a concentration camp
      - but the camps were kept secret in the beginning
        
        because Hitler did not want the German peoples' conscience to resist the movement of Jews into concentration camps
        
        he knew Germans would feel bad when they saw their Jewish neighbours being dragged off and killed, so he told them the Jews were just being deported back to their home country
        
        he convinced them of this through coercion (police state) and persuasion (propaganda)
  - - - persuade people that the state was good
      - so people overlooked / supported mass deportment of Jews and establishment of police state
      - 'path of least resistance' --> once brainwashing done, it is an easier form of regulation
      - 'monopoly on violence --> use of violence (police state) to force people to accept radical ideas
      - 'monopoly on truth --> convince ppl that radical ideas are true, so less resistance (propaganda)
    - - joseph goebbels, one of Hitler's most trusted ministers, was put in charge of propaganda
      - Goebbels played an important role in spreading propaganda to gain peoples' support for the 'Fuhrer and the fatherland
      - Nazis bought all radio stations under their control and encouraged ppl to buy radios. When Hitler gave speeches, everyone was ordered to turn on their radios and listen
    - - Nazis controlled cinemas, a popular form of entertainment
      - only movies approved by nazis could be shown (censorship)
      - short films which highlighted achievements of Nazis and contained nazi beliefs were screened at start of all movies
      - movies usually praised Nazis and showed Jews as enemies of Germans
      - In movies, Jews were dehumanised and portrayed as dirty and lazy
      - Ministry of Propaganda made sure the only info the Germans got was what the government wanted them to see, hear and read
      - These were even shown to children to tell them not to pity the Jews
- - - - 'lebensraum' --> need more living space (for future when they have more kids)
      - intended to achieve this through rearmament
  - - - gave men jobs in public works schemes
      - all young men between 18-25 had to join RAD for 6 months
      - paid work to help Germany (given free meals and pocket money)
      - built schools, hospitals, planted trees and repaired roads
      - conditions not great --> lived in camps, wore uniforms, had to parade
      - many complained of low pay and poor food
    - - in 1935 conscription was introduced for 18-25 y/o. army grew to 1.4mil in 1939
      - spending on arms and equipment rose from 3.6mil to 26mil marks, causing big need for workers
      - by 1935, over 72 000 workers were involved in aircraft construction
    - - cheated unemployment statistics to show that it had dropped
      - women and Jews forced out of their jobs which were given to men
      - women and Jews (now unemployed) also not included in unemployment statistics
      - those in prisons and concentration camps taken off unemployment lists
      - part time workers classed as full time, soldiers also listed as workers
    - - 'autobahn' (motorway) project was key to reducing unemployment
      - Nazis planned to build 7000 miles of motorway to improve transport
      - by 1935, 125 000 men were involved in building motorways
      - Nazis spent over 38mil marks a year on public works like schools, hospitals and bridges to benefit Germany
      - these created jobs which helped the German economy, and in turn created more jobs in agriculture and trade
  - - - when Hitler took power in 1935, he banned all trade unions as he viewed them as a threat
      - unions were replaced with German Labour Front to protect workers' rights. workers had to join or they could not work
      - changes introduced by DAF
        
        strikes made illegal, offenders sent to concentration camps
        
        workers cannot leave job without permission
        
        workers cannot ask for higher wages
        
        working hours increased to 60+ a week
      - DAF effectively took away freedom of workers and their rights
      - this caused depression among workers as they had no 'voice' whatsoever
    - - set up by Nazis to provide leisure activities everyone could afford. aimed to keep workers happy so they would not complain
      - workers could go on luxury holidays cheap
        
        over 7mil ppl took part on KdF sports events
        
        while over 10mil went on holiday in 1938, the
        most loyal went on the best trips
        
        free evening classes offered in cookery
        
        culture nights like plays and films were popular
      - savings scheme (5marks /week) introduced to help workers buy a Volkswagen. but no cars were ever made as factories focused on rearmament
    - - campaigned to get better facilities for workers (better toilets, changing rooms, canteens and showers)
      - gave companies financial help to improve their safety (eg, reduce noise levels & improve lighting)
      - but really it aimed to get people to stay in office longer and be more productive --> better economy
  - - - Germany's army size grew by vast amounts and farms had been made to supply them
      - Germany's population grew larger than Germany could sustain
    - - yes
        
        unemployment dropped quickly from 4.8mil in 1933 to 0.5mil in 1938
        
        Goering managed to give ppl jobs by getting them to help in rearmament of Germany
        
        which gave ppl jobs and helped Hitler with his regime
        
        wages increased by 20%
      - no
        
        working hours went up from 49h/week in 1933 to 60+/week in 1945
        
        people felt they were being overworked considering the amount they were being paid
        
        price of good rose 20% from 1933-1939 so increase in wages were cancelled out
        
        lower-income workers (like in the RAD) struggled to buy food with increased prices
- - - - all Jews sacked from government jobs and jobs involving the media
      - boycott of Jewish shops called for
      - Jews could not own farms
    - - Jews banned from joining army
      - Jewish authors cannot publish their works
      - Jews not allowed to own radios, typewriters, not allowed to buy newspapers or magazines
      - Jews stripped of citizenship
      - Jews not allowed to marry Germans
      - Jewish doctors and lawyers not allowed to have German clients
      - Jews banned from state schools and universities
      - Jews banned from owning business
      - Nuremberg Laws passed
        
        Segregate population by 'German', 'mixed blood' and 'Jew'
        
        Prohibit marriage and sexual relationship between Jews and non-Jews
        
        so german race remained pure
- - - - These medals (Mother's Cross) were to be saluted
      - Hitler's idea to encourage Aryan population growth
      - bronze - 4, silver - 6, gold - 8, gold + diamonds - 12-14
      - crosses awarded annually on 12/8 (Hitler's mother's bday) and 2nd Sun in May (Mothering Sunday)
- - - - lack freedom, education system is closing / restrictive
    - - not given rights
    - - increase in working hours, pay stagnated; conditions were controlled
    - - persecuted, restricted life
    - - persecuted
  - - - youths
      - Jews
      - women
      - workers
    - - women
      - Jews
    - - Jews
      - opposition