Discuss The Affect Of The Nazi Rule On The German People?
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Discuss the affect of the Nazi rule on the German people?
Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933, that same year the �Enabling Act’ was passed and Germany transformed from a Democracy into a Dictatorship. Hitler had three main plans in his vision of Germany. Firstly he was to rebuild Germany’s economy, secondly he was to make Germany a powerful nation again and thirdly he was to create a �pure German’ society by getting rid of racial minority groups, especially Jews. When the Nazi party came to power in 1933, Germany was changed forever. These three main aims dramatically impacted the German people in many ways; they lost their right to freedom of speech, were forced to live as Hitler ordered and they were forced to agree with the Nazi policies, the consequence of not doing so was death. During 1933 and 1945 Hitler and his Nazi Party tried to re-build Germany by enforcing policies on issues such as unemployment, youth, Untermensch, women and the destruction of the opposition. Overall these policies had a positive affect on Germany; however there were many negative effects that contributed to the downfall of Germany, Hitler and the Nazi Party in 1945.
Hitler deemed employment an important factor in re-building Germany. When Hitler became chancellor in 1933, six million Germans were unemployed and in 1939 three-hundred thousand were left unemployed. The reason for this huge decrease was Hitler’s setting up of The National Labour Service, which was an organisation that gave men jobs to complete projects. In addition many men gained jobs through the rearmament of Germany. The pay was poor, however the men were given free meals which as a result made them feel proud as they were helping Germany re-build through their projects. The re-armament in the army helped it grow from 100,000 men in 1933 to 1,400,00 men in 1939, which meant more Germans were unemployed when the war came. Furthermore, Hitler set up industries to make Germany self sufficient. Hitler banned riots, workers from leaving a job without government permission, abolished Trade Unions and increased working hours. This meant the government had complete control over the industries, which stopped workers from complaining, as they were too afraid of the consequences. As a result the Nazi Party could get away with any rules they established that affected workers.
The Nazis made great efforts to win the support of the young as they were Germanys future and particularly vulnerable to propaganda. Until 1933 schools in Germany were run by the local state, when Hitler came into power this all changed. The Nazis took power and sacked all Jewish teachers. Teachers were sworn to allegiance to Hitler and were made to join a Nazi Teachers League. The youth of Germany were indoctrinated in school about Nazi Life. The Nazi culture was very youth-orientated and Hitler used schools to prepare for the future. Adolf Hitler Schools were intended as training grounds for future political leaders. Pupils were selected on a basis of leadership quality, race (Aryan), and even looks. Emphasis was taken away from academia and focused more on physicality, Hitler’s ideas were written in His book Mein Kampf:
“The whole education by a national state must aim primarily not at the stuffing of mere knowledge, but at building bodies which are physically healthy to the core.”
Out of school, German children were encouraged to join the Hitler Youth; it was here that boys learned soldiering as well as camping and athletics. From March 1939 boys were conscripted into the Hitler Youth. Girls had to be prepared for childbearing, to arrange for this emphasis was laid on physical fitness to prepare them for motherhood. At 14 years of age German girls were made to attend The League of German Maidens where this training took place. Some Girls of true Aryan decent were chosen to go to special camps where they were bred with selected �Aryan’ boys. The organisations most importantly taught the children loyalty to Hitler. The Hitler Youth movement by 1936 was almost impossible to join, which showed Hitler he had the future of Germany on his side. Furthermore, the Hitler Youth organisation showed children they were important and gave them the right to report their parents to the Gestapo if they said anything bad about Hitler or The Nazi Party. The results were punishable by death or prison. This meant Nazi rule affected children as they were given special powers, which persuaded them to obey Hitler more than their parents.
Women were considered an important factor in the rebuilding of Germany as they were needed to have children who would ultimately support the future of Nazism. When Adolf Hitler came to power he introduced a �Law for the Encouragement of Marriage’, which the government gave newly weds a loan of 1000 marks. In addition, when the couple had a child, they kept a quarter of the loan, second child; they kept a second quarter, third child; third quarter and fourth child, the couple was rewarded with the entire loan to keep. As a result this meant a housewife would stay at home, looking after and cooking for the children, but at the same time she still did show her loyalty to Hitler. In 1943, a further law was considered but never introduced.
This proposed law stated that:
“All single and married women up to the age of thirty five who do not already have four children should be obliged to produce four children by racially pure …German men. Whether these men are married is without significance. Every family that already has four children must set the husband free for this action.”
*The Nazis assumed there was a natural distinction between men and women. They a stated that men were productive and creative in the world of politics and war whereas women were reproductive, and had their important role in the family home. The Nazis used the phrase “Kinder, Kirche und KДјche.” This meant вЂ?children, church and cooking’ and is what the Nazi’s believed women should be limited to.
The Nazi government even set up homes for unmarried mothers. These homes were called Lebensborn- Spring of Life. These maternity