1. THE CREATION OF VOLKSGEMEINSCHAFT

2. Definition of Volksgemeinschaft
People’s community - ideal German society
Overcome old German divisions of class, religion and politics and bring about a new collective identity built on Nazi ideals of RACE and STRUGGLE
Interests of individuals would be strictly subordinate to those of the nation, or Volk
permanently prepared for war and would accept the discipline that this required
Required that all its members be centred on the same goal, dedicated to hard work and prepared for self-sacrifice
Those who would not fit in – the ‘asocial’, the ‘workshy’, homosexuals, political opponents – and those who could not fit in – ‘aliens (non-aryans)’, the ‘ineducable’, the ‘incurable’ – had to be excluded, even eradicated.

3. AIMS AND DEFINITIONS Aim:
To create a new society based on blood and race. This community would have a shared philosophy and would make Germany a power fit for world domination.
Organisation:
Youth groups
Women
Workers
Church
Weltanschauung - Common Philosophy
Volksgenossen - Fellow German’s
Eintopf - monthly donation to welfare scheme as a sacrifice for Reich
Winterhilfe:
Donations for unemployed in winter
Maintained by….. PROPAGANDA

4. Youth Alien Influences: Parents Church
Foreign entertainment
Friends
Nazis determined to counter these influences through all encompassing system.
“Knowledge is the ruin of my young men.”
Hitler 1939
“When an opponent declares. ‘I will not come over to your side’, I calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already”
Hitler 1933
“We start our work when the child is three… we never let a single soul go.”
Robert Ley

5. Complete indoctrination of German youth
Youth Policy
Complete indoctrination of German youth
Political indoctrination – life and achievement of the Fuhrer, German patriotism, athletics and camping
Social roles: boys – physical military type activities e.g. target shooting
Girls – focus on domestic and maternal tasks e.g. cooking

6. How the Control Develops

7. The History Activities Based on Fun and Fear
Nazi Youth Founded
All Youth Movement Incorporated in Nazi Movement apart from Catholics
% of German Youth within the Movement.
Activities
Based on Fun and Fear
Indoctrination + Intimidation
Comradeship + Outdoors

8. Education
“The chief purpose of the school is to train human beings to realize that the state is more important than the individual.” Bernhard Rust, Nazi Education Minister

9. Traditional Role of Education
The different states had their own independence with regard to education.
The system was traditionally liberal with girls encouraged to progress.
The arts were free and Germany produced some Europe’s greatest talents.
Again Warning against German’s were all obsessed with obeying and strong leader!!!

10. Nazi Policy
Like many areas they simply took over the existing system and Nazified it for their own benefit.
Focus on physical education. German language and literature; history and biology
Why these subjects?

11. Policy in Action
Teachers:
Various policies to
ensure compliance.
Civil Service Law
Formation of the National Socialist Teachers League
University Lecturers Declaration of Support
None of these bodies ever had 100% support
Students:
Co - Educational and Denominational Schools abolished.
Curriculum changed.
Old system built upon with new elite schools - NAPOLAS, ADOLF HITLER SCHOOLS, CASTLES OF ORDER
Fall in number of teachers and educational standards in tradition academic subjects. Education “crude indoctrination” (Layton)

12. Hitler’s policy on women
"In the Germanic nations there has never been anything else than equality of rights for women. Both sexes have their rights, their tasks, and these tasks were in the case of each equal in dignity and value, and therefore man and woman were on an equality."
Hitler in 1935
"The mission of women is to be beautiful and to bring children into the world. This is not at all as unmodern as it sounds. The female bird pretties herself for her mate and hatches eggs for him. In exchange, the male takes care of gathering
food, and stands guard and wards off the enemy."
Joseph Goebbels, writing in 1929.

13. Very specific policy:
25 points published in disapproval of women working
Good mothers bringing up children at home while their husbands worked
1933 Law for the Encouragement of Marriage
Stated that all newly married couples would get a government loan of 1000 marks which was about 9 months average income
800,000 newly weds took up this offer
This loan was not to be simply paid back.
The birth of one child meant that 25% of the loan did not have to be paid back
Two children meant that 50% of the loan need not be paid back
Four children meant that the entire loan was cleared.
REMEMBER – LINK TO AIMS OF VOLKSGEMEINSHAFT:

14. Aim:
Encourage birth of children: future soldiers and mothers of the Reich - Lebensraum
Proposed law of children: extreme
Female professionals sacked
But: by 1937 skills shortage so "Duty Year” - also marriage loans abolished

15. Life for women Discouraged: Kitchen, Children, Church
Make up, trousers, smoking, slimming
August 12th birthday of Hitler’s mother: Motherhood Cross awarded to women who had given birth to the largest number of children
Gold = 8; silver = 6; bronze = 4
Lebensborns - buildings where selected unmarried women could go to get pregnant by a "racially pure" SS man
Identifiable - openly publicised
Women driven to join left wing groups

16. Gertrud Scholtz-Klink
Reich Women's Leader and head of the Nazi Women's League.
Promote male superiority and the importance of child-bearing.
”The mission of woman is to minister in the home and in her profession to the needs of life from the first to last moment of man's existence."
July 1934 Scholtz-Klink appointed as head of the Women's Bureau in the German Labour Front
responsibey for persuading women to work for the good of the Nazi government

17. This poster probably dates to the mid-1930's
This poster probably dates to the mid-1930's. It promotes the Nazi charitable organization (the NSV). The text: "Support the assistance program for mothers and children."

18. Success?
Eliminating women from workplace increased male employment (and decreased unemployment)
Birth rate rose: 1.2 million in 1934 to 1.41 million in 1939
But: Nazi success or better economic circumstances (T.W. Mason)
Practicalities overcame ideology: % of work force (still banned from professions though)

19. Workers in Nazi Germany

20. RAD Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD), a National Labour Service.
The RAD was formed in July 1934 as the official state labor service to find people jobs. Remember unemployment one of main causes of NSDAP election success.
Broke down class barriers and gave men jobs in public work schemes like building Schools and Hospitals
Wore military uniforms and lived in camps. Given only pocket money as wages
For thousands of men it was better than life with no work at all. Free meals were given
In 1935 it was compulsory for men at the age of year old to do 6 months service in RAD.
Work was usually exhausting.

21. Unemployment Many Jews and Women were forced out of their jobs.
In March 1935 a Compulsory Military Service was started for young men and air force was set up.
The army grew quickly from 100, 000 men in 1933 to 1, 400,000 in 1939.
Real wages only rose above 1938 levels in 1938 (workers had to pay extensive taxes and contributions to DAF

22. German Labour Front
(D.A F)
Hitler abolished all trade unions and set up the German Labour Front in their place. Industrial workers c47% populations
Dr Robert Ley, a former chemist, is the leader of the DAF.
Some improvements in the life of the workers, bosses couldn’t sack workers on the spot but workers couldn’t leave the a job without the government’s permission
Abolished the right of the workers to bargain for higher wages, made strikes illegal and got rid of the limitations on the number of hours a worker could be made to work. By 1939 many Germans were working hours a week.
Only one Trade union, the NAZI trade union, to defend workers rights. Remember in Volksgemeinshaft the individual is subservient to the state.

23. KDF (Kraft Durch Freude) - “Strength through Joy”.
Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled every part of people’s lives including their free time.
Leader of KDF was Dr Robert Ley, who was also the leader of the German Labour Front
It did not confine itself to trips and concerts and it also got involved in a scheme to enable German workers to buy their own car, the “Volkswagon Project” (‘people’s car’).
Dr Ley persuaded people to hire purchase the car before the Volkswagon factory goes into production But none of the customers received a car by the time WW2 broke out in 1939 and none of the money paid for the cars was ever refunded.
The Volkswagon plant then had turned into weapons production.
KDF gave them cheap theatre & cinema tickets,& organised courses, trips,& sports events.
STATE ORGANISED YOUR FREE TIME AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES

28. The Nazis and the Churches
Majority of Germans Christians - 2/3 protestants, 1/3 Catholic
“One is either Christain or German. You can’t be both.”
Hitler 1933 (Private conversation)

29. The New Christianity... 100% Aryan Daily Mirror 1941

30. Ideological Tensions
The Nazis tended to see Christianity as tainted by Judaism – a product of Jewish culture
Early radical Nazism was hostile to Christianity – 24 point programme 1920 talked about promoting a new form of ‘positive Christianity’ involving a rejection of Jewish inheritance, rejection of traditional churches and the adoption of ‘Aryan’ and ‘pagan’ rituals
The influence of radical Nazism can be seen in the German Faith Movement which in 1934 became the official religion of Germany

31. The German Faith Movement
Set up and led by Jakob Wilhelm Hauer
Sought to move Germany away from Christianity towards a religion based on "immediate experience" of God
The development of the German Faith Movement revolved around four main themes:
the propagation of the 'blood and soil' ideology
the replacement of Christian ceremonies by pagan equivalents; the most favoured pagan deity being the sun, as can be seen from the flag of the faith movement
the cult of Hitler's personality.
Never caught on – never more 200,000 followers – less than half of 1% of population.
Hitler therefore still had to ‘deal’ with the traditional Roman Catholic and protestant Churches in Germany both of which maintained significant following and loyalty.

32. Relations with the Roman Catholic Church
The Nazis feared the influence of the RC Church . It was the only international and independent organisation operating within Germany – a potential source of opposition.
At first Hitler attempted to compromise with the RC Church buying their compliance with an agreement or Concordat with the Pope in 1933

33. The Terms of the Concordat 1933
The RC Church guaranteed its ‘religious freedom’ and right to conduct its own affairs free from government interference.
RC Church property was guaranteed and the legal status of clergy guaranteed. RC Church to retain the right to appoint its own clergy.
RC Church allowed to continue its role in education.
RC Church not to be subjected to GLEICHSLATUNG.
In return the RC Church promised not to interfere in politics and accepted the disbanding of its own political party The Centre Party.
The Pope thought he had won a great victory whereas Hitler knew he had bought some time

34. Hitler Ignores the Concordat
Very quickly it became apparent that the Concordat meant little to the Nazis ... SA continued to harass Catholic clergy and Youth Groups
By the mid 1930’s the Concordat had broken down completely
In 1937 Pope Pius XI condemned Nazi paganism, condemned the lack of human rights in Germany, condemned the absence of ‘law’, condemned the Nazis racial policies and describe Hitler as ‘arrogant and dangerous’.

35. Hitler’s Response
Hitler told catholic Germans to make a choice between their religion or Nazism
He handed ‘religious affairs’ to the SS to monitor – persecution, harassment increases
Removed all crucifixes from classrooms
All Church youth and voluntary organisations closed down
All this triggered serious opposition in catholic areas such as Bavaria

36. Impact of War on Relations
War intensified the conflict between the Nazis and the RC Church
1941 Cardinal von Galen spoke out against the Nazi euthanasia programme and the programme was dropped quickly
Harassment and arrest of lower clergy intensified
RC Church failed to speak out against the Final solution Why do you think this was?

37. The Nazis and the Protestant Churches
28 protestant churches in Germany with over 45 million members – largest the Lutheran Church with 18 million
Divisions and lack on international dimension arguably made Protestantism easier to ‘Nazify’
In April 1933 Hitler appointed Ludwig Muller as National Bishop or ‘Reich Bishop’ as a first step to ‘coordinating’ Protestantism
Hitler also set up a new GERMAN CHRISTIAN CHURCH headed by Muller in which the Jewish origins of Christ and Christianity were rewritten and an attempt made to marry Nazi ideas to protestant ideas.
Hitler called on all protestant pastors to join the new church – only around 2,000 of 17,000 did so.

38. The Confessional Church
This was a direct response to Hitler’s attempt to Nazify protestant and was a breakaway independent church set up by Martin Niemoller.
7,000 protestant pastors joined the Confessional church
Confessional church openly and publicly criticised the Nazis throughout the period leading to many arrests and executions.
Niemoller himself was arrested and spent 7 years in Sachensenhausen and Dachau concentration camps.
Originally Niemoller had welcomed Nazism because of its opposition to communism – only became a critic when he witnessed Hitler's religious plans in operation.

39. Ministry for Church Affairs
The failure of Muller and the growth of the Confessing Church prompted Hitler to set up the Ministry of Church Affairs in 1935
Its main role was to harass, arrest and imprison critical Christians – Niemoller himself was arrested in 1937
It was partial successful – even the confessing Church remained silent in the face of the Final Solution
Some heroic exceptions e.g. Dietrich Bonhoffer – active resistance fighter and member of the Confessing Church – eventually executed 1945