One social impact of Hitler’s rule was the setting up of the Hitler Youth

Nazis viewed youth as essential to the future and well-being of Nazi Germany, hence great care was taken to ensure the absolute loyalty for the Nazi regime

Hitler youth, the youth counterpart of the SA, was a paramilitary organisation of the Nazi Party, and aimed to do this

Made up of German youths between 14 and 18 years old, aiming to groom these youths to be future leaders in Nazi organisations like the SS and the army.

In 1923, only had 1000 members when it was formed. By 1933, had 2.3 million members, partially due to the forced merger between the Hitler Youth and other youth groups

By December of 1936, membership in the Hitler Youth was compulsory for alil Aryan German youths, indoctrinating them with anti-Semitism and Nazi Ideaology.

Physical and military training prioritised over academic study

Similar subdivision was formed for boys aged 10 to 14, while girls joined the League of German Girls.

These measures not only ensured complete loyalty of German youths to the Nazis, but also provided manpower for the Nazi military when World War 2 broke out

One social impact of Hitler’s rule was the role of women in Nazi Germany

Previously, under the Weimar Government, women were given privileges such as the right to vote, and hold political positions

When Nazis came into power, they supported the idea that women were only meant to be mothers and spouses, serving their nation by being good mothers and wives and bearing children

Women were excluded from politics and academics, and were discouraged from pursuing university studies. Hitler also banned all women’s assoiciations.

Young German girls were made to undergo training in domestic tasks like sewing, cooking, cleaning

While a few girls got the chance to get an education, it was only for the purpose of brainwashing them

This caused women to hold lower status in Nazi Germany, and hence did not have as many rights or privileges.

One social impact of Hitler’s rule was the Rise of the Secret Police

Also known as SS, founded in April 1925, made up of ‘pure Aryan’ Germans and were Hitler’s personal bodyguard.

Heinrich Himmler was appointed as its leader in 1929, and made the SS powerful in the whole of Germany

In 1934, the SS succeeded in almost destroying the SA, and the SS itself became a huge organisation, responsible for destroying Nazi’s enemies and carrying out racial policies

SS had two important sections. Death’s Head Units and the Special Purpose Troops

The Special Purpose Tropps was the Nazi Party’s personal armed force, and in 1941 was renamed the Waffen SS and fought in WW2

The Deaths Head Units, in March 1933, set up the first concentration camp, punishing those that were not loyal to Nazi Ideals

The conditions at the camps were terrible. Beatings were common, food was scarce, and prisoners were forced to work 11 hours a day

When the Nazis set up more concentration camps, the Death’s Head Units trained and provided staff for those new camps.

The Death’s Head Units were also responsible for carrying out mass extermination of Jews when the Nazis decided on it.

Gestapo was the Nazis’s secret police force, staffed by SS officers.

In 1934, Heinrich Himmler took over as the Head of the Gestapo, and the Gestapo became responsible for finding and removing threats to the Nazi Party and Nazi State

The Gestapo also maintained offices in all Nazi concentration camps.

The Gestapo became feared throughout Germany and Europe as they were responsible to no one, and had power to detain persons without trial

In June 1996, Himmler now in charge of all local police forces throughout Germany

By 1937, the police, especially the Gestapo, had unlimited powers of arrest. Many Germans were arrested and put into concentration camps without trial.

The Gestapo used torture, murder, arrests, and dirty tactics such as blackmail in order to stifle opposition to Hitler

This resulted in a spread of fear, as the German Police could now arrest anyone without trail, and hence opposition against Hitler quickly dropped

One social impact of Hitler’s rule was censorship in Germany

Joseph Gobbels was expected to ensure any anti-Nazi information was to be kept away from the German people

He set up the Reich Chamber of Commerce in 1933, which dealt with literature, art, music, radio, film and newspapers.

In order to produce anything in those categories, the person had to be a member of the Reich Chamber. This meant that the Nazis censored everything the Germans could read, watch, or listen to.

Gobbels also organised a public book-burning event after the Nazis came into power, where the Nazis ransacked libraries and burnt any books deemed unacceptable.

Anti-Nazi newspapers were put out of business

Gobbels also made radios affordable to all Germans, but since the Nazis controlled all the radio stations, the only opinions heard on air were theirs.

Broadcasts of Hitler’s speeches were repeated. In case anyone missed out, loudspeakers were also put iup in public places.

Listening to any foreign stations like the BBC was punishable by death

This caused a lack of freedom of expression and ideas among Germans, and resulted in easier enforcement of the Nazi’s doctrine on the German people and their control of public opinion.

One social impact of Hitler’s rule was Propoganda in Germany

Hitler set up a Reich Ministry of Public Enlightment and Propaganda with Joseph Gobbels in charge

Gobbels used every form of media to ensure people were loyal to Nazi rule and beliefs, using propaganda to appeal to deep-seated German desires for national unity and order

Managed to convince Germans that Nazis would lead them to a bright future.

Stuck up posters and pictures of Hitler all over Germany, and stirred up racist and anti-communist feelings

These took the forms of huge rallies, marches, torch-lit processors and public meetings. They were designed to showcase German might and give Germans a sense of belonging.

Films were closely controlled, and had to carry a pro-Nazi achievements, and attacked opponents

This resulted in a sharp increase in German nationalistic sentiments among the Germans. The success of the Propoganda also led to an increase in the popularity of the Nazis in Germany as well as Ethnic Germans in other countries like Poland

One social impact of Hitler’s rule is Persection of Jewish people and other minority groups

Started with a national boycott of Jewish businesses, aimed to segregate the Jews from the rest of German society and destroy them financially.

By 1934, all Jewish shops were marked with the Star of David.

SA men also stood outside Jewish shops to make sure Germans did not go in. Jews were also only permitted to sit on park benches, bus and train seats marked ‘Juden’.

The Nazis also burned books written by Jews, and had their properties and businesses were taken from them. They were also not allowed to practice their profession.

They were no longer allowed to be German citizens, and not allowed to marry non-Jews

Some wealthy Jews managed to leave Germany for other parts of Europe and Americas.

However, most had their passports restricted or even removed to prevent them from leaving Germany.

While their plight of the German Jews were become obvious to the international community, but no one seemed willing to help.

In 1938, a Nazi diplomat was shot dead by a young Jewish boy in Paris.

Hitler used this as an excuse to order a campaign of terror to be unleashed on Jews in Germany and Austria. Nazis looted and destroyed thousands of Jewish shops.

Jews were beaten and killed, and more than twenty thousand Jews were arreasted and sent to concentration camps

Germany invaded Poland and forced Poland’s three million Jews into ghettos, who were overcrowded and lacked basic necessities

Nazis forced Jews in Germany as well as occupied Europe to wear the Star of David, to ensure easier identification.

Jews were sent to concentration camps, waiting to be sent to death camps to be gassed. At death camps, their possessions were taken, and killed.

Sometimes, crude medical experiments were performed on them

Since Germany needed more labour, many healthy young Jews were sent to factories where they were worked to death

Even though Germany was facing defeat against the Allies at the end of World War 2, the Nazis still forced the Jews to march until they died, causing the deaths of a quarter million Jews.

The Nazis also persecuted other minorities apart from Jews like Gypsies, homosexuals, the handicapped, and the disabled.

These people were viewed as inferior and social parasites, seen as threats to the purity of the Aryan blood

Laws were put in place against these minority groups to control, approve arrests, and even steralise them.

Nazis wanted to use selective breeding to improve the quality of the Aryan Race through euthanasia.

Many were eventually sent to concentration camps and then gassed to death.