Germany history.
Created | Updated May 19, 2009
Assess the impact of Nazi rule on the people of Germany between 1933 and 1939.
The Nazi party under the leadership of Adolf Hitler had a major impact on the lives of many sectors of Germany society between 1933 and 1939, this essay will discuss this impact on five groups within Germany at the time; the young, the unemployed, women, the working class and the Jewish community.
The Young.
The Nazi party set up the various Hitler Youth organisations in 1926 and by the time Hitler obtained power in 1933 the organisation had around fifty thousand members.
The organisation was split into four smaller sections in accordance with age and sex. For boys aged 10 to 14 there was the Deutches Jungvolk - German young people, for girls of the same age there was the Jungmadelbund - League of young girls. For young men aged 14 to 18 there was the Hitler Jugend - Hitler youth, for young women aged 14 to 18 there was the Bund Deutscher Madel - League of German girls.
These organisations were to create young Nazis and also to create a generation which was disciplined and fit for war. Attendance at Hitler Youth meetings became compulsory in March 1939.
The Hitler Youth was superficially similar to the scout movement in that there were different sections for boys and girls further divided into age groups. Instead of obtaining proficiency badges, new recruits had to pass a series of physical tests before receiving a dagger.
Members were also taught to despise all non Germans especially Jews, Gypsies and Negroes. One former Hitler Youth member was later recorded stating that
“We were politically programmed - to stop thinking when the magical word “Fatherland” was uttered and Germanys honour and greatness were mentioned.”
In 1936, the writer J R Tunus wrote about the activities of the Hitler Jugend. He stated that part of their "military athletics" (Wehrsport) included marching, bayonet drill, grenade throwing, trench digging, map reading, gas defence, use of dugouts, how to get under barbed wire and pistol shooting.
The German education system did not escape Nazi interference, many unsatisfactory teachers were fired and the school curriculum was changed to include more physical training. The textbooks for subjects such as History, German and Biology were rewritten to reflect Nazi party values. School teachers complained that boys and girls were so tired from attending evening meetings of the Hitler Youth, that they could barely stay awake the next day at school. Hitler Youth leaders, who were used to throwing their weight around in that organisation, found it hard to settle down to the discipline of the classroom. Special classes were sometimes organised to help them cram so that they could keep up with their peers. This was symptomatic of the general decline in education standards during this period. Hitler Youth intruded so much that a decline was inevitable. The overall emphasis was on Nazi racial doctrines and physical education with far less emphasis on intellectual pursuits. This had a dramatic effect on standards. Teachers who gave low marks or adverse comments on essays lifted verbatim from articles in the Nazi Press could be denounced and arrested.
University student numbers fell from around 89 000 in 1933 to 41 000 by 1939 this was mostly due to the declining quality of the education system and because entry into university relied on an individuals membership of the Hitler Youth or the Nazi Party. In January 1934, a law was passed limiting the number of female places in universities to 10%. Competition was so intense that sixth formers were prepared to denounce classmates to the Gestapo. This law also had a serious effect on the numbers attending university. Bernhard Rust, minister of education, also purged the universities of Jews.
The Unemployed.
When the Nazi party gained power in 1933 there were around 6 million unemployed workers in Germany this was equal to 25% of the workforce. By 1939 unemployment had been reduced to around 0.5% of the population. Can this dramatic reduction in unemployment be attributed to Hitler alone or were there other factors?
The Nazi party cane into power at the height of the depression. One of the schemes designed to get Germans working again was the Autobahn or Motorway creation scheme. This scheme provided many manual labourers with jobs but the working conditions were poor and the pay was low.
Another way of ensuring a large number of people obtained jobs was that when young men reached a certain age they had to complete a year in the Reich Labour Service working on the land.
A further measure to create jobs was to encourage women to stay at home therefore leaving their jobs open for men. There was an increase in women in office jobs but these were mainly young unmarried women in very menial tasks.
The Nazi party sought to improve the attitudes of workers through initiatives such as Kraft durch Freude - Strength through Joy and by subsidising leisure activities and holidays bringing them within the reach of the working class.
Women.
The Nazi party believed that a woman's place was in the home. There were two Nazi women's organisations giving classes in domestic science and motherhood.
A woman's circle of experience should contain the three K’s kinder, kirche and kuche - Children, Church and Kitchen. The first of which was most important.
The Nazi party believed so strongly that “Slavs” would flood Germany due to their higher birth rate that a special award was created for mothers of large families. A family loan was introduced, the mother must give up her job and a quarter of the loan was cancelled for each child born.
Even in the Hitler Youth, girls had to be able to make a bed. In secondary school girls were put into language or home economics streams and the number of places at universities and the Nazi’s special elite schools was limited for girls.
Although there was little support for the Nazi women's groups there was no organised opposition either.
The Nazi party cannot claim all responsibility for the rise in birth-rate, the recovery of the world economy also played its part.
The Jews.
Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party was extremely anti-Semitic. Life in Germany was made hard for the Jewish community in hope that they would emigrate.
Hitler started expressing his anti-Semitic views almost as soon as he obtained his position as chancellor. In the spring of 1933 a one day boycott of Jewish shops was organised and was enforced by the Nazi’s Stormtroopers. Soon afterwards cards stating “no Jews admitted” or “Jews enter here at their own risk”, Germans were encouraged not to buy from Jewish shops or to mix with Jews. Jews were banned from public parks, swimming pools and restaurants in some parts of Germany.
Hitler wanted to deny the Jews civil rights as had happened to the african slaves in America. In 1935 the Nuremberg laws were introduced, these laws declared that Jews were not German citizens and banned any marriage or sexual relations between Aryans - Germans and Jews.
On the night of the 7th November 1938 what was claimed to be a spontaneous outburst of public opinion towards the Jews took place, Synagogues were burned, Jewish shops were broken into, many shops and other buildings were also set on fire. This was mostly done by the Nazi stormtroopers. This night later became known as “kristallnacht” - The night of the broken glass. As well as destroying Jewish property, the Nazis also rounded up and arrested many Jewish men who were then deported to concentration camps such as Dachau.
The outbreak of the war in 1939 meant that any Jews who had not managed to escape were now trapped in Germany and Poland.
The mass extermination of Jews was for Hitler “The Final Solution” and for the Jews it was “Holocaust”. Either way between four and six million Jews were murdered in extermination camps such as Auschwitz in Poland.
It can safely be argued that Nazi rule had a devastating effect on the Jewish community both in Germany and Poland.
Working Class
The Nazi party seems to have had it’s biggest success in improving the lives of working and lower middle class Germans. The workplace initiatives such as Strength through Joy and Beauty of labour helped to increase the workers morale.
By being able to save for a Volkswagen - Peoples car, or being able to go on a state subsidised holiday workers felt they were more valued.
In the Nazi youth movements children were given opportunities such as hiking and camping that they would not otherwise been able to take part in. The Nazis wished to create a classless society.
Conclusion.
The Nazi party that ruled Germany between 1933 and 1939 had a major impact on all areas of German society.
The young were given the Hitler Youth movements but also lost much of their education system to the rewriting of Nazi propaganda.
The unemployed gained jobs but the conditions were often poor and the wages were low.
Women improved their household skills and were given encouragement to have large families but many women lost their jobs to men.
The Jewish inhabitants of Germany lost their jobs, their possessions and ultimately many millions lost their lives to the beliefs of the Nazi party.
The working class would have potentially gained most from the Nazis ideal of a classless society but apart from opportunities to go on holiday or to buy a car they did not in real terms gain all that much.
The Nazis affected life in Germany. The Nazi rule impacted many groups within Germany but from the evidence shown here it can be concluded that life in Germany was not improved but actually deteriorated under Nazi rule.
The Nazi party under the leadership of Adolf Hitler had a major impact on the lives of many sectors of Germany society between 1933 and 1939, this essay will discuss this impact on five groups within Germany at the time; the young, the unemployed, women, the working class and the Jewish community.
The Young.
The Nazi party set up the various Hitler Youth organisations in 1926 and by the time Hitler obtained power in 1933 the organisation had around fifty thousand members.
The organisation was split into four smaller sections in accordance with age and sex. For boys aged 10 to 14 there was the Deutches Jungvolk - German young people, for girls of the same age there was the Jungmadelbund - League of young girls. For young men aged 14 to 18 there was the Hitler Jugend - Hitler youth, for young women aged 14 to 18 there was the Bund Deutscher Madel - League of German girls.
These organisations were to create young Nazis and also to create a generation which was disciplined and fit for war. Attendance at Hitler Youth meetings became compulsory in March 1939.
The Hitler Youth was superficially similar to the scout movement in that there were different sections for boys and girls further divided into age groups. Instead of obtaining proficiency badges, new recruits had to pass a series of physical tests before receiving a dagger.
Members were also taught to despise all non Germans especially Jews, Gypsies and Negroes. One former Hitler Youth member was later recorded stating that
“We were politically programmed - to stop thinking when the magical word “Fatherland” was uttered and Germanys honour and greatness were mentioned.”
In 1936, the writer J R Tunus wrote about the activities of the Hitler Jugend. He stated that part of their "military athletics" (Wehrsport) included marching, bayonet drill, grenade throwing, trench digging, map reading, gas defence, use of dugouts, how to get under barbed wire and pistol shooting.
The German education system did not escape Nazi interference, many unsatisfactory teachers were fired and the school curriculum was changed to include more physical training. The textbooks for subjects such as History, German and Biology were rewritten to reflect Nazi party values. School teachers complained that boys and girls were so tired from attending evening meetings of the Hitler Youth, that they could barely stay awake the next day at school. Hitler Youth leaders, who were used to throwing their weight around in that organisation, found it hard to settle down to the discipline of the classroom. Special classes were sometimes organised to help them cram so that they could keep up with their peers. This was symptomatic of the general decline in education standards during this period. Hitler Youth intruded so much that a decline was inevitable. The overall emphasis was on Nazi racial doctrines and physical education with far less emphasis on intellectual pursuits. This had a dramatic effect on standards. Teachers who gave low marks or adverse comments on essays lifted verbatim from articles in the Nazi Press could be denounced and arrested.
University student numbers fell from around 89 000 in 1933 to 41 000 by 1939 this was mostly due to the declining quality of the education system and because entry into university relied on an individuals membership of the Hitler Youth or the Nazi Party. In January 1934, a law was passed limiting the number of female places in universities to 10%. Competition was so intense that sixth formers were prepared to denounce classmates to the Gestapo. This law also had a serious effect on the numbers attending university. Bernhard Rust, minister of education, also purged the universities of Jews.
The Unemployed.
When the Nazi party gained power in 1933 there were around 6 million unemployed workers in Germany this was equal to 25% of the workforce. By 1939 unemployment had been reduced to around 0.5% of the population. Can this dramatic reduction in unemployment be attributed to Hitler alone or were there other factors?
The Nazi party cane into power at the height of the depression. One of the schemes designed to get Germans working again was the Autobahn or Motorway creation scheme. This scheme provided many manual labourers with jobs but the working conditions were poor and the pay was low.
Another way of ensuring a large number of people obtained jobs was that when young men reached a certain age they had to complete a year in the Reich Labour Service working on the land.
A further measure to create jobs was to encourage women to stay at home therefore leaving their jobs open for men. There was an increase in women in office jobs but these were mainly young unmarried women in very menial tasks.
The Nazi party sought to improve the attitudes of workers through initiatives such as Kraft durch Freude - Strength through Joy and by subsidising leisure activities and holidays bringing them within the reach of the working class.
Women.
The Nazi party believed that a woman's place was in the home. There were two Nazi women's organisations giving classes in domestic science and motherhood.
A woman's circle of experience should contain the three K’s kinder, kirche and kuche - Children, Church and Kitchen. The first of which was most important.
The Nazi party believed so strongly that “Slavs” would flood Germany due to their higher birth rate that a special award was created for mothers of large families. A family loan was introduced, the mother must give up her job and a quarter of the loan was cancelled for each child born.
Even in the Hitler Youth, girls had to be able to make a bed. In secondary school girls were put into language or home economics streams and the number of places at universities and the Nazi’s special elite schools was limited for girls.
Although there was little support for the Nazi women's groups there was no organised opposition either.
The Nazi party cannot claim all responsibility for the rise in birth-rate, the recovery of the world economy also played its part.
The Jews.
Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party was extremely anti-Semitic. Life in Germany was made hard for the Jewish community in hope that they would emigrate.
Hitler started expressing his anti-Semitic views almost as soon as he obtained his position as chancellor. In the spring of 1933 a one day boycott of Jewish shops was organised and was enforced by the Nazi’s Stormtroopers. Soon afterwards cards stating “no Jews admitted” or “Jews enter here at their own risk”, Germans were encouraged not to buy from Jewish shops or to mix with Jews. Jews were banned from public parks, swimming pools and restaurants in some parts of Germany.
Hitler wanted to deny the Jews civil rights as had happened to the african slaves in America. In 1935 the Nuremberg laws were introduced, these laws declared that Jews were not German citizens and banned any marriage or sexual relations between Aryans - Germans and Jews.
On the night of the 7th November 1938 what was claimed to be a spontaneous outburst of public opinion towards the Jews took place, Synagogues were burned, Jewish shops were broken into, many shops and other buildings were also set on fire. This was mostly done by the Nazi stormtroopers. This night later became known as “kristallnacht” - The night of the broken glass. As well as destroying Jewish property, the Nazis also rounded up and arrested many Jewish men who were then deported to concentration camps such as Dachau.
The outbreak of the war in 1939 meant that any Jews who had not managed to escape were now trapped in Germany and Poland.
The mass extermination of Jews was for Hitler “The Final Solution” and for the Jews it was “Holocaust”. Either way between four and six million Jews were murdered in extermination camps such as Auschwitz in Poland.
It can safely be argued that Nazi rule had a devastating effect on the Jewish community both in Germany and Poland.
Working Class
The Nazi party seems to have had it’s biggest success in improving the lives of working and lower middle class Germans. The workplace initiatives such as Strength through Joy and Beauty of labour helped to increase the workers morale.
By being able to save for a Volkswagen - Peoples car, or being able to go on a state subsidised holiday workers felt they were more valued.
In the Nazi youth movements children were given opportunities such as hiking and camping that they would not otherwise been able to take part in. The Nazis wished to create a classless society.
Conclusion.
The Nazi party that ruled Germany between 1933 and 1939 had a major impact on all areas of German society.
The young were given the Hitler Youth movements but also lost much of their education system to the rewriting of Nazi propaganda.
The unemployed gained jobs but the conditions were often poor and the wages were low.
Women improved their household skills and were given encouragement to have large families but many women lost their jobs to men.
The Jewish inhabitants of Germany lost their jobs, their possessions and ultimately many millions lost their lives to the beliefs of the Nazi party.
The working class would have potentially gained most from the Nazis ideal of a classless society but apart from opportunities to go on holiday or to buy a car they did not in real terms gain all that much.
The Nazis affected life in Germany. The Nazi rule impacted many groups within Germany but from the evidence shown here it can be concluded that life in Germany was not improved but actually deteriorated under Nazi rule.
