Changing Life for the German people, 1933-39. How did the Nazis control the economy?

         The Nazis aimed to introduce “Autarky” to make Germany totally self-sufficient, although this was largely unsuccessful.

         Unemployment was reduced as the Nazis fiddled the unemployment figures. Jews were dismissed from their jobs; unmarried men under the age of 25 had to join the RAD; women were dismissed from their jobs; part-time workers were listed as fully employed; opponents of the Nazis were sacked.

         Many men were conscripted into the army, which grew from 100,000 to 1,400,000 by 1939. Many unemployed Germans were also given jobs building autobahns, schools and hospitals.

         The KdF or Strength through Joy controlled workers free time. Loyal workers could go on subsidised cruises, theatre visits and even save up for a VW.

         Trade Unions were replaced by the DAF. Strikes were banned and wages were set by the government.

What was the role of women?          The Nazis had a very traditional view of women. Women should not wear make-up, they should be blonde and athletic, they should not wear heels or smoke, they were not allowed to work, they did all household chores and should not get involved in politics.

         Women were encouraged to have as many children as possible. The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage of 1933 gave loans to young married couples. For every child they had 25% of the loan was cleared. On Hitler’s mother’s birthday, August 12th, medals were awarded to mothers with lots of children.

         Instead of working, women were told to focus on the 3 K’s of Kinder, Kuche, Kirche (children, kitchen, church).

How did the Nazis use education to control the young?

         Teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler and join the Nazi Teachers’ League to promote Nazi ideas in the classroom.

         Textbooks were re-written to fit the Nazi view of History and racial purity. Mein Kampf was studied in all schools.

         The curriculum was changed to prepare pupils for their future roles. Hitler wanted fit young men to join the army so boys spent 15% of their time doing PE. Girls took needlework and cookery to prepare for motherhood. All pupils learned Race Studies, which promoted Anti-Semitism.

         All lessons began and ended with the “Heil Hitler” salute. In Geography, pupils learned about Germany’s hostile neighbours while in History, pupils learned about how unfair the Treaty of Versailles was.

How did the Nazis use youth movements to control the young?

         The Nazis set up the Hitler Youth to control the spare time of young people. All other youth groups were banned. From 1939, membership was compulsory and 7 million children had joined up.

         Boys joined the Jungvolk (German Young People) until they were 14 and then moved up into the Hitler Jungend (Hitler Youth). They learned Nazi songs and ideas, went camping and hiking and learned useful military skills.

         Girls joined the Jungmadel (Young Girls) until they were 14 and then they moved up into the Bund Deutsche Madchen (League of German Maidens). They learned domestic skills in preparation for marriage and motherhood.

What was the Police State?          The Nazi police state operated through the use of force and terror. The SS (Schutzstaffel), the SD (Sicherheitsdienst or Security Service) and the Gestapo (Geheime Staats Polizei or Secret State Police) were the cornerstones of the police state. In 1936, they were brought under the control of Heinrich Himmler.

         The SS were also known as the “Blackshirts” because of the colour of their uniform. By 1934, they had 50,000 members. After the Night of the Long Knives, they worked with the SD to remove all Nazi opposition in Germany.

         The Gestapo was brought under the control of the SS in 1936 and run by Himmler’s deputy, Reinhard Heydrich. It could arrest and imprison people suspected of opposing the Nazis and send them to concentration camps. By 1939, 160,000 people had been arrested for political “crimes.”

         To control the legal system, the Nazis made all judges join the Nationalist Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law and, from 1933, all German Lawyers had to join the German Lawyers Front. In 1934, the People’s Court was set up to try cases of treason. If judges were too soft, Hitler would alter their verdicts.

         The first concentration camp was opened in Dachau near Munich in 1933. They were run by the SS. Political prisoners were sent to concentration camps where they were used as slave labour. Few ever survived.

How were propaganda and          In 1934, Jose Goebbels set up the Ministry for

censorship used? Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda to control the thoughts, beliefs and opinions of the German people.

         Non Nazi newspapers were shut down. Editors were forced to print what the Nazi Party told them to for fear of arrest.

         All radio stations were placed under Nazi control. Cheap mass produced radios were sold so everyone could afford one. Hitler and Goebbels made regular broadcasts.

         Germany made over 100 films every year. Film scripts were shown to Goebbels before they were filmed to ensure they were pro Nazi. Before every film, a 45 minute pro Nazi newsreel was shown.

         There was an annual mass Nazi rally in Nuremburg to advertise the power of the party.

         All books were carefully censored to make sure they were pro Nazi. Books written by Jews, communists or Nazi opponents were publicly burned. Many writers were forced to write books praising Hitler’s leadership.

         Propaganda posters were used to promote the Nazi party and their policies.

         In 1934, a Law Against Malicious Gossip forbade the telling of anti-Nazi jokes.

How did the Nazis control the arts?

         Hitler hated Jazz because Jazz musicians were generally Black. The Nazis encouraged traditional folk music and German classical music like Bach and Beethoven.

         Plays in theatres were forced to concentrate on German history.

         In architecture, new buildings used Greek and Roman styles of architecture to look powerful.

         Hitler hated modern art and encouraged traditional paintings to promote Nazi ideas such as the perfect Aryan and motherhood.

What was Nazi racial policy?          Hitler wanted all Germans to be pure blood blond haired and blue eyed Aryans. Jews and Slavs were seen as sub-human.

         Hitler believed all of Germany could be made Aryan through selective breeding and the destruction of the Jews.

Why and how did the Nazis persecute the Jews?

         Anti-Semitism was not a new idea. It goes back to at least the Middle Ages. Hitler used it to encourage hatred of the Jews. By 1939, 270,000 Jews had left Germany as a result.

         School textbooks and lessons were changed to put across Anti-Semitic views. In 1936, Jewish teachers were banned from teaching. In 1938, all Jewish children were expelled from school.

         In 1935, the Nuremburg Laws were passed. Jews

were no longer classed as full German citizens. They lost the right to vote or be elected themselves. They were banned from marrying or having sexual relationships with non-Jews.

         On November 8th, 1938, a young Polish Jew walked into the German embassy in Paris and shot a Nazi official. As a result, Goebbels organised an attack on Jewish property all over Germany, which became known as Kristallnacht (The Night of the Broken Glass). 7,500 Jewish shops were destroyed, 400 Synagogues were burned down, 100 Jews were killed and 20,000 were sent to concentration camps.

         On April 30th, 1939, Jews were evicted from their homes and forced to live in ghettos. They had their radios confiscated so they could not listen to foreign news.

How did Nazis change relations with the church?

         Although the Nazi Party was opposed to Christianity, Hitler could not get rid of religion completely because Germany was a Christian country.

         Many religious people had actually supported the Nazis as they thought the Nazis would promote traditional family values.

         In 1933, Hitler decided to work with the Catholic Church and signed a Concordat with the Pope promising to stay out of religious issues if the Pope kept out of politics. Within a few months Hitler broke this agreement. Nazis arrested up to 400 priests and closed down Catholic schools, youth groups and monasteries. In 1937, Pope Pius XI criticised the Nazi regime.

         Many Protestants hated Nazism. A vicar, Martin Niemoller set up the Pastor’s Emergency League in 1933 for Protestants who opposed the Nazis and later established the Confessional Church in opposition to the Nazi’s National Reich Church. He was arrested and sent to a concentration camp.

         Some Protestants admired Hitler and called themselves German Christians. They formed the National Reich Church. Their leader was Ludwig Muller. They replaced the Bible and the cross with Mein Kampf and a sword.

How far did the German people benefit from the changes introduced by the Nazis during the period 1933-39? [10 marks]

In some ways people did benefit from the changes introduced by the Nazis during the period 1933-39.

Unemployment reduced from 6,000,000 to virtually nothing.All Germans could afford a radio.The KdF made holidays and cars affordable.

Children enjoyed the Hitler Youth and found it exciting.However, not everyone did benefit from the changes introduced by the Nazis during the period 1933-39.

The SS, SD and Gestapo created an intimidating police state.Political opponents were sent to concentration camps.Women were forced to give up their jobs.Jews were mistreated.

 

Economic and social policies

When Hitler took power, Germany had just gone through three years of depression. Hitler brought in new measures to reduce unemployment and get Germany back on her

feet. Hitler spent millions on job creation schemes. Mefo bills were introduced in 1934 to help boost the economy – these were credit

notes, guaranteed by the government. If you bought some, giving money to the government, they would give you your money back with interest in 5 years. This helped, and by 1937 12 billion Reichsmarks had been paid out.

Hitler ultimately wanted autarky (self sufficiency) so Germany didn’t have to rely on anyone else. In 1936 Goering came up with a four year plan to try to help move towards autarky.

Germany was not able to reduce the amount of foreign imports by much but the Nazis successfully reduced the amount of unemployment and made the economy stronger.

The Nazis did fiddle with the statistics though to show that employment was not as high as it actually was. Jewish people sacked from jobs, unmarried men under 25, most women and anyone in concentration camps were not included.

Hitler began building up the army again – giving people jobs in the army, reducing unemployment further. Conscription was introduced in 1935.

Because of the growing army, more jobs were needed in industries that produced ammunition and supplies, helping again.

How did Hitler reduce unemployment?

In 1933 the Nazis introduced the National Labour Service (RAD). This was a scheme to provide young men with manual labour jobs, such as planting forests or building projects. From 1935 every man ages 18-25 had to serve in the RAD for six months. Workers lived in camps, received very low pay, and practiced military routines.

Hitler spend billions of marks subsidising private firms, especially in construction. They also introduced massive building projects such as the autobahns.

Many people were not counted in employment statistics. For example, Jewish people forced out of their jobs, unmarried men under 25 who were in the RAD, women who gave up work to start a family. Any part time workers were listed as being fully employed.

Hitler introduced conscription in 1935 in preparation for future war. The army was 100,000 in 1933 and had swollen to 1,400,000 by 1939.

Billions were spent on rearmament. This involved producing tanks, aircraft and ships. This had an impact on heavy industry. In the years from 1933 to 1939 coal and chemical usage doubled. Oil, iron and steel usage trebled.

1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 19390

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

3.4

5

6.1 6.1

4

32.5

1.81.1

0.4

millions unemployed

How did life change for workers?

The Strength Through Joy (KdF) organisation gave workers incentives for hard work. Many Germans had never been on holiday and could not afford to spend money or time on leisure activities but the KdF changed this. Incentives such as luxury cruises at very cheap prices were offered to hard workers. They also organised sporting events, evening classes and free shows. They even organised a scheme where workers could pay 5 marks a week to buy their own VW Beetle. However, by the time war broke out in 1939 no one had received a car and no money was ever refunded!

As trade unions had been banned by the Nazis in 1933, they were replaced by the German Labour Front (DAF). This represented both the workers and the employers. The DAF banned all strikes and decided what workers should be paid. Workers were given good wages and job security. Membership was voluntary however it was very hard to get a job in Nazi Germany if you were not a member of DAF. All members were given work books which recorded their employment. You could not work if you did not have a workbook.

What was the role of women in Nazi Germany?

During the time of the Weimar Republic women had made huge strides towards equality. They had the same voting rights as men, were able to have any type of career, (By 1933 there were 3000 female doctors in Germany) and were allowed to socialise without an escort. Women could drink and smoke in public, wear make-up and short skirts. The Nazis believed in a more ‘traditional role’ for women. The ideal woman should not smoke, work, drink or wear make-up. Her focus should be on her home, husband and family. From their earliest years, girls were taught in their schools that all good German women married at a young age to a proper German and that the wife’s task was to keep a decent home for her working husband and to have children. Women were encouraged to focus on the ‘three ks’ – Kinder, kuche, Kirche (children, kitchen, church).

One of the earliest laws passed by Hitler once he came to power in 1933, was the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage. This law 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.

The aim of the law was very simple - to encourage newly-weds to have as many children as they could. There was also a more long term and sinister aspect to this : as Germany grew she would need more soldiers and mothers; hence a booming population was needed with young boys being groomed into being soldiers and young girls being groomed into being young mothers. If "lebensraum" was to be carried out, Hitler needed the population to fill the spaces gained in the eastern Europe. This attitude of deliberately boosting your nation's population was finding favour in western Europe and not just in Nazi Germany. France, in particular, feared that its population was falling too quickly and banned abortions and contraception.

Such was the desire to increase the German population that in 1943, a law was discussed among Nazi leaders that all women - married or single - should have 4 children and that the fathers of these children had to be "racially pure". Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, was particularly keen on this idea. If a family already had four children, the father from that family had to be released to father more children outside of his marriage. This law never came into being as even the Nazi leaders realised that this law would create social anarchy.

August 12th had been the birthday of Hitler’s mother. On this day each year, the Motherhood Cross was awarded to women who had given birth to the largest number of children. The gold cross went to women who had produced 8 children; silver was for 6 children and bronze was for 4 children.

As housewives and mothers, their lives were controlled. Women were not expected to wear make-up or trousers. The dyeing of hair was not allowed nor were perms. Only flat shoes were expected to be worn. Women were discouraged from slimming as this was considered bad for child birth. Women were encouraged to have a well built figure as slim women, so it was taught, would have problems in pregnancy…….Women were also discouraged from smoking - not because it was linked to problems with pregnancies - but because it was considered non-German to do so.

Older women were neglected as they served no purpose in the Nazi plan for women, and women who had children outside of marriage were seen as a social problem.

How were the lives of young people affected by Nazi rule?

Children were educated to think the Nazi way. The Nazis wanted soldiers and so boys were taught military skills. They wanted good mothers of healthy soldiers so girls were taught about looking after the home and family. In schools teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler and promote Nazi ideals in the classroom. Textbooks were rewritten to promote Nazi racial policy and a Nazi view of History. Mein Kampf became a standard text although many did not use it. The curriculum was focused on the future roles of young people with 15% of time in school being dedicated to physical education. Boys education was focused on preparation for the military and girls learned cookery, home crafts and prepared for motherhood.

Movements for youngsters were part of German culture and the Hitler Youth had been created in the 1920's. By 1933 its membership stood at 100,000. After Hitler came to power, all other youth movements were abolished and as a result the Hitler Youth grew quickly. In 1936, the figure stood at 4 million members. In 1936, it became all but compulsory to join the Hitler Youth. Youths could avoid doing any active service if they paid their subscription but this became all but impossible after 1939 by which time there were 7 million members of Hitler Youth. 

BOYS:

1. Pimpfe (Little Fellows) for 6-10 years old — camping and games.

2. Deutsches Jungvolk for 10-14 years old — camping, walking, Nazi ideas and the army.

3. Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth) for 14-18 years old — army training.

GIRLS:

1. Up to 14 years old the Jungmadelbund (Young Maidens) — taught to care for health and get ready to look after a family.

2. 14-2 1 years the League of German Maidens — healthy activities and more learning about looking after a family.

Some youth groups such as the EDELWEISS PIRATES were against the Nazis. Two other gangs were the KITTELBACH PIRATES and the NAVAJO S GANG. Sometimes they beat up members of Hitler Youth.

Nazi police state

In Nazi Germany the police were allowed to arrest people on suspicion that they were about to do wrong. This gave the police huge powers. All local police units had to draw up a list of people in their locality who might be suspected of being "Enemies of the State". This list was given to the Gestapo - the Secret Police. The Gestapo had the power to do as it liked. Its leader - Reinhard Heydrich - was one of the most feared man in Nazi Germany. His immediate chief was Heinrich Himmler. Both men ran their respective branches with ruthless efficiency.

Those arrested by either the police or the Gestapo had less than three minutes to pack clothing and say their goodbyes. Once arrested, they were sent to the nearest police cell. Those in custody were told to sign Form D-11; this was an "Order For Protective Custody". By signing this, you agreed to go to prison. Those who did not sign it were beaten until they did or officers simply forged their signature. Once a D-11 was signed, you were sent to a concentration camp. How long you stayed here depended on the authorities. The usual rule of thumb was whether it was felt that you had learned your lesson (even if there had not been one to learn) and would behave in an acceptable manner once outside of prison.

The concentration camps were deliberately barbaric. Before 1939, deaths in them occurred but they were not common. The idea was that anybody who had been in one, once released, would ‘advertise’ the fact that they were not places where people wanted to go. This was another way of ensuring that people kept their ideas to themselves.

The concentration camps were run by men who could disguise their violent nature simply because they wore a uniform. The flogging of inmates was common -25 strokes was common practice - and the amenities were very basic and sparse. At Buchenwald, 480 men had one water tap between them which could only be used for 15 minutes on getting up. Any abuse of this rule would lead to 25 lashes. Any arrested Jew would get 60 lashes - a personal order from Hitler. Soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes etc were unheard of in camps such as Buchenwald (which held 8000 prisoners) and Dachau. Food and drink were minimal and the Jews had half the rations of other prisoners

Who would get arrested?

The list was intentionally expansive. Anybody considered to be a political threat was arrested;

those who made jokes about the Nazi Party were also arrested (jokes about Hitler were punished with death); the "work shy" were also arrested (this fitted in exactly with Hitler’s plan to reduce unemployment as an unemployed person would be offered work at a Labour Exchange and if they refused it as too menial for them, they would be arrested as work shy. As no-one in concentration camps counted as unemployed, the figures for unemployment had to come down; "Bibelforscher’s" were also arrested (these were people who would only seek guidance from the Bible and rejected all Nazi ideas and they also refused to do military service); homosexuals were also arrested and the SS used this as a common tactic to discredit someone. habitual criminals were also arrested.

In 1936, the Gestapo Law meant that the activities of the Gestapo were free from any review by courts of law. This law effectively meant that the Gestapo became a law unto themselves. This non-uniformed branch of the SS became justifiably feared just as the visible presence of the black uniformed SS men did.

How did the Nazis extend control over central and local government?

Hitler was the head of the Third Reich, and the country was controlled according to the Führer's will. A group of Nazi leaders implemented the government’s policies. The Reichstag rarely met as the Enabling Law had passed the power of making laws onto the Chancellor. The cabinet was also kept but most of its powers had passed to the Reich Chancellery which drew up many of the new laws.

1934 – every province/state was abolished and placed under central control:

32 regions (Gaue), with a Reich governor A Gauleiter, in charge of each Gaue Each Gau included 760 areas - Kreise Each Kreis included 21,354 groups - Orstgruppe Each Orstgruppe included 70,000 cells - Zellen Each Zellen included 400,000 blocks - Blocke Each Blocke included 30–40 houses/flats

Goebbels and propaganda

The Nazis made sure that the German people supported them by using propaganda.

The purpose of propaganda was to condition and convince people, and get them to believe in the values and ideas of the Nazis.

The Nazis' propaganda messages

The purity of the race (Aryan) The greatness of Germany The Führer cult

1933 – The Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was established under Joseph Goebbels.

Misinformation

propaganda based on rumours chain letters rewriting textbooks to containt Nazi ideas

Rallies

Crowds would gather to watch Hitler speaking at the annual rally in Nuremberg. Hitler would express his ideas in a simple way, repeating them over and over.

Between the rallies, local branches of the SA or Hitler Youth groups would campaign to raise money for the party, eg single-dish Sunday. This meant cooking Sunday lunch in one dish and giving the money they save by doing this to collectors, who would come and collect the money in the afternoon.

The radio

Radio sets were being mass-produced, therefore they were cheap. As a result, around 70 per cent of German households had a radio set, namely the 'People's Receiver'.

1932 – 4.5 million radios

1938 – Loudspeakers placed on posts in the streets in many cities

1942 – 16 million radios. There were radios in cafes and in factories so that people could listen to important broadcasts wherever they were.

The cinema

In 1933, 250 million people went to the cinema. 100 films were produced each year. News from the Nazis was broadcast before the films, which were also chosen by

the Nazis.

Censorship of newspapers and the arts

Newspapers were censored.

1935 - 1,600 newspapers were closed down

1938 - 10,000 publications disappear

Around 2,500 textbooks by unreliable authors were burnt in public.

Berlin students burned 20,000 books by Jews and Communists in 1933.

Music was controlled. Jazz was banned, as well as the jitterburg dance, as they had been invented by black people.

1934 – The Malicious Gossip Law – telling an Anti-Nazi joke was a crime, leading to a fine or imprisonment.

Nazi racial policy

The Nazis wanted to create a ‘pure’ German state and as a result many ethnic and religious groups such as the Jews and Gypsies became second class citizens. They were seen as ‘sub humans’. The Nazis believed that the Germans were a pure race of Aryan descent, and ideally fit, tall, strong, blond haired and blue eyed. To make the master race Hitler believed that the Jews needed to be destroyed and encouraged selective breeding.

The Nuremberg Laws (September 1935)

The Nuremburg Laws were anti-Jewish laws.

Jews were not allowed to own radios, typewriters or bicycles.

Jews were not allowed to own their own businesses.

Jews were banned from cinemas, theatres and concert halls.

Jews were not allowed to buy newspapers and magazines.

Jews were not allowed to attend state schools or universities.

Male Jews were forced to add the name “Israel” and female Jews the name “Sarah” to their first names.

Kristallnacht (9 th November 1938)

A massive, coordinated attack on Jews throughout the German Reich on the night of November 9, 1938, into the next day, has come to be known as Kristallnacht or The Night of Broken Glass. The attack came after Herschel Grynszpan, a 17 year old Jew living in Paris, shot and killed a member of the German Embassy staff there in retaliation for the poor treatment his father and his family suffered at the hands of the Nazis in Germany. For Adolf Hitler and Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, the shooting in Paris provided an opportunity to incite Germans to "rise in bloody vengeance against the Jews." On November 9, mob violence broke out as the regular German police stood by and crowds of spectators watched. Nazi storm troopers along with members of the SS and Hitler Youth beat and murdered Jews, broke into and wrecked Jewish homes, and brutalized Jewish women and children. All over Germany, Austria and other Nazi controlled areas, Jewish shops and department stores had their windows smashed and contents destroyed. Synagogues were especially targeted for vandalism, including desecration of sacred Torah scrolls. Hundreds of synagogues were systematically burned while local fire departments stood by or simply prevented the fire from spreading to surrounding buildings. About 25,000 Jewish men were rounded up and later sent to concentration camps where they were often brutalized by SS guards and in some cases randomly chosen to be beaten to death.

How did the Nazis change relations with the Catholic and Protestant Churches?

Catholic ChurchHitler did not immediately persecute Christians because Germany was essentially a Christan country. At first Hitler cooperated with the Catholic church however, when he tried to gain control this led to conflict.In 1933 Hitler said that as Catholics owed their allegiance to the Pope they had divided loyalties. However he signed a ‘concordat’ that stated that Hitler would not interfere with the Church and the Pope would not interfere with politics. It took Hitler only a few months to break this agreement. Priests were arrested and sent to concentration camps, Catholic schools were abolished, and Catholic youth movements were shut down. In 1937 the Pope condemned the Nazi system and this resulted in 400 Priests being sent to Dachau.

Protestant ChurchMany Protestants opposed Nazism as it conflicted with their beliefs. In 1933 Hitler set up the National Reich Church with the slogan ‘The swastika on a chests, and the cross in our hearts’. This Church was Nazified with the bible being replaced by a copy of Mein Kampf. In December 1933 Pastor Martin Niemoller and others set up the Pastors’ Emergency league for those who opposed Hitler, but many including Niemoller were arrested.

Seven Ways to Control Germany (Overdo The Power You Worthless Ranting Rogue)

1 One-Party State

The Enabling Act (23 March 1933) made Hitler was the all-powerful Fuhrer of Germany. The Law against the Formation of Parties (14 July 1933) declared the Nazi Party the only political party in Germany. It was an offence to belong to another Party. All other parties were banned, and their leaders were put in prison. Nazi Party members, however, got the best jobs, better houses and special privileges. Many businessmen joined the Nazi Party purely to get orders.

2 Terror

The Nazis took over local government and the police. On 26 April 1933, Hitler set up the Gestapo (the secret police) and the SS, and encouraged Germans to report opponents and 'grumblers'. Tens of thousands of Jews, Communists, gypsies, homosexuals, alcoholics and prostitutes were arrested and sent to concentration camps for 'crimes' as small as writing anti-Nazi graffiti, possessing a banned book, or saying that business was bad.

On the Night of the Long Knives (13 June 1934) Hitler used his legal power to assassinate all his opponents within the Nazi Party,

3 Propaganda

The German people were subjected to continual propaganda, under the control of Josef Goebbels. It was the cult of personality - everything was organised to make Germans permanently grateful to Adolf Hitler. Germans were made to feel part of a great and successful movement - in this respect the 1936 Olympic Games were a propaganda coup.

The Nazis used the most up-to-date technology to get their message across.

4 Youth

'When an opponent declares, 'I will not come over to your side', I calmly say, 'Your child belongs to us already'. The Nazis replaced anti-Nazi teachers and University professors, and school lessons included hidden indoctrination - requiring children to calculate how much mentally disabled people cost the state, or to criticize the racial features of Jewish people.

German boys were required to attend the Hitler Youth, which mixed exciting activities, war-games and Nazi indoctrination. German girls went to the BDM and learned how to be good mothers, and to love Hitler.

5 Workforce

Hitler banned all Trade Unions on 2 May 1933. Their offices were closed, their money confiscated, and their leaders put in prison. In their place, Hitler put the German Labour Front which reduced workers' pay and took away the right to strike. The National Labour Service sent men on public works programmes.

To keep the workers happy, the Nazis set up the Strength through Joy movement, which offered good workers picnics, free trips to the cinema and (for the very few) free holidays.

6 Religion

Hitler signed a Concordat with the Pope, agreeing to leave the Roman Catholic Church alone if it stayed out of politics - so most Catholics were happy to accept the Nazi regime.

Protestants and Jehovah's Witnesses - if they opposed the Nazis - were sent to concentration camps.

7 Racism

The Nazi regime was from the start based on anti-semitism. The Racial Purity Law (15 September 1935) took away German citizenship from the Jews, and forbade sex between Germans and Jews. Other key dates include Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938) and the Wansee Conference (January 1942).Many Germans approved of this racism.