1. Life in Nazi Germany

2. The Failure of Weimar
Treaty of Versailles: All Germans hate the Treaty of Versailles and hate the Weimar government for signing it.
Stab in the Back Myth: A myth that the Weimar government, in signing the Treaty of Versailles created a “blemish” on Germany’s proud history. The terms were demeaning and harsh and the Weimar government was blamed for this.
Depression: Germany cannot pay its reparation payments to France and Belgium, so they start printing money at alarming rates. Massive inflation results.
Failure of Democracy: This massive failure at an attempt at democracy causes Germans to look elsewhere to more radical leadership.

3. Hitler’s Strategy
Hitler would come on the scene at a very strategic time. -
-Would use the hatred of the Treaty of Versailles, a fear of communism, fear of continued depression, and the hatred of the Weimar government to his advantage.
-Hitler was said to be “all things to all people.” His tendancy to make things happen, and an ability to make promises and keep them, made him a powerful leader. CHARISMA also made a magnificent difference.

4. Nazi Party Government
Nazi Party rule effectively turned Germany into a dictatorship led by Adolf Hitler, as Der Fuhrer, or the leader.
The Reichstag still existed, however, it was only for show and had the important job of applauding when Hitler made a decision.
All other political parties and ideologies are suppressed by Heinrich Himmler’s Gestapo, or secret police.
Extended government control over every aspect of daily life of German people. TOTALITARIAN STATE.

5. Militarism
Night of the Long Knives 1934 allows Germany to join the Reichswehr, the SS, and the SA.
The Nazi’s create a powerful conscripted army and airforce.
Remilitarizes the Rhineland and and shifts German industry into war production.
Military training is given to children in schools and in the Hitler Jugend, or the Hitler youth.
Remilitarizing and growing the army was a violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

6. Propaganda
The Nazi’s have an elaborate Propaganda Industry with Joseph Goebbels at the helm.
Propaganda infiltrated all aspects of the German media and the German people were constantly bombarded with posters, radio content, bulletins, pamphlets, speeches etc.
The Nazi’s believe that any lie, if stated authoritatively. Repeated incessantly, and guarded from critical analysis – will be accepted eventually.

7. Science and Culture -Science and Culture were completely state run.
-Scientists worked on weapons of war
Anthropologists attempted to “prove” Aryan supremacy
-Writers praise Hitler and Nazism
-Nazis participate in public book burnings and heavily censor content.
-Nazis ban Jewish music and art performances and content and censor any remaining arts.

8. Religion Nazis sought to originally control Christianity.
Fiercely opposed Catholicism and smaller religious groups such as the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Protestant churches were controlled by the Nazi’s and were directed by Hitler's doctrine.
Those ministers who refused to cooperate were sent to concentration camps.
It is suggested that Hitler would have banned all religion completely had WWII ended in Germany’s favor

9. Labor and Industry
-The Nazis determine wages, hours, and working conditions.
-The Nazis control labor unions and prohibit strikes.
-Nazi’s ELIMINATE unemployment by getting rid of people undesirable to the work force. This included homeless people, married women who were taking up a position a man could have, Jewish victims of racist legislation, and other targeted groups.
-The state controlled prices, production, profits, investment, foreign trade, and banking.
-“GUNS NOT BUTTER”: Hermann Goering headed a four-year Nazi plan to prepare the economy for war in 1936.

10. Women
Women were pushed into inferior positions in Nazi Germany but this did not keep them from participating in the Nazi war machine.
Women were to devote their lives to kitchen tasks and child rearing. Propaganda directed towards females highlighted their role as protectors of the next great generation of Nazi’s and of the purity of the Aryan race.
Women’s organizations such as the NS- Frauenschaft and the Frauenwerk. delivered Nazi propaganda to women on the home front and participated in war related efforts.

11. Youth Children were a special target for Nazi propaganda.
If youth were fed propaganda from a young age they would be fiercely loyal Nazis.
Young boys started at six in the Pimpfen (Little fellows) then graduated upon completing a test at the age of 10 to the Jungvolk (Young Folk) before the entered the Hitler Jugend, (Hitler Youth) at 16.
Girls started within the Nazi programming at the age of 10 in the Young Maidens, followed at 14 by the League of German Maidens. They were to stay at home, marry, and give birth to children.

12. Education Nazis used schools to instill blind obedience to the Fuhrer.
Only Nazis were permitted to teach, and the courses to study were changed to foster Nazi ideals. Students learned how to make poison gasses in science, how to calculate bomb distances in math, and about the evils of democracy in Social Studies.
Race studies was also a newly introduced topic.

13. Persecution of “Undesirables”
Although the “Final Solution” or the Nazi Regimes plan to completely exterminate the Jewish race was specifically a Jewish centered policy, the Nazis had pinpointed many groups as “undesirable.” Other groups targeted were communists, socialists, criminals, homosexuals, Sinti and Roma people (Gypsy), Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.
Jewish people in particular were stripped of their citizenship in Germany, had their synagogues burned, were forced out of their jobs, businesses, and homes.
Concentration camps were to be the destination of every Jewish citizen that could be found in Germany. Here they were to be subjected to forced labour, torture, and starvation.

14. 1. What is the mood of this photograph? Happy/Sad etc.
2. What do you see?
3. What do you think is happening in this photo?
Theireisenstadt prisoners having fun and playing games during a period when this concentration camp was made to be a show camp for Red Cross visits.

15. 1. What is the mood of this photograph? Happy/Sad etc.
Female Aushwitz guards smile as they take a break for lunch
1. What is the mood of this photograph? Happy/Sad etc.
2. What do you see?
3. What do you think is happening in this photo?

16. 1. What is the mood of this photograph? Happy/sad etc.
Edita Pollakova. 9 years old. The deportation train arrives at Terezin. Edita died the October 4th of 1944 at Auschwitz.
1. What is the mood of this photograph? Happy/sad etc.
2. What do you see?
3. What do you think is happening in this photo?