German Society under Nazi rule

Introduction

As a totalitarian state, Nazi Germany strove to impose its rule over all facets of society. This was felt by Germans in four places −

• The police state

• The economy

• Social policy

• Persecution.

The Police State

Hitler utilised three methods to keep the German people under his thumb. They are as follows −

• Security Forces (SS) − This group was in charge of keeping the populace under control and dealing with any dangers the Nazis could face. It operated concentration camps where enemies of the state were transferred and managed the Gestapo (secret police), which spied on common Germans.

• Control over the justice system − All judges were required to take the Führer's allegiance oath, and all attorneys were required to join the Nazi Lawyers Association. Trials for alleged crimes were more difficult to defend, and the death sentence was used considerably more frequently than before.

• Filtering and propaganda − The Ministry of Propaganda, headed by Joseph Goebbels, was tasked with persuading the German populace to support Nazi dictatorship. This was accomplished by exercising control over the press, radio, the arts, rallies, and athletic events.

The police regime was so good at quashing opposition that there was little resistance to the Nazis. Although religious leaders, Social Democratic Party (SPD) undercover members, communists, and young people did offer some resistance to Hitler and his government, it is difficult to establish with certainty how much there was.

The Economy

When Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany in January 1933, the country's economy was in shambles. Hitler and Nazi propaganda took advantage of people's dread of the future. During the closing months of the Weimar Republic, there were 6 million unemployed people, or around 33 percent of the country's working population. Now that everyone in Nazi Germany was required to work, Hitler continually emphasized the country's remarkable economic success.

This "economic miracle" was founded on the fact that by 1939, unemployment had all but vanished.

Was this indeed the case, or did the Nazi propaganda machine go into overdrive to convince the people of Germany and the rest of Europe that, in spite of the economic slump, she had accomplished something that other European countries had not?

• The number of unemployed people decreased as a result of several new initiatives. Any women who remained unemployed throughout the Nazi era were not counted in the statistics since women were no longer included in them. A fairly straightforward option was presented to the unemployed: either work at whatever the government assigned or risk being labelled "work-shy" and sent to a detention camp. Jews lost their citizenship in 1935, hence they were excluded from the unemployment statistics even though many of them lost their jobs at the beginning of Hitler's rule.

• Through rearmament, National Service, and marginalising groups like the Jews, Hitler almost attained full employment. However, the standard of living for Germans from the working class did not much improve, and employees were required to participate in Nazi Party programmes like Strength Through Joy in exchange for discounted vacations.

Although the Nazis sought autarky, or economic self-sufficiency, the economy was primarily focused on preparing for a coming conflict. As a result, workers were expected to put in long hours for little compensation while maintaining their allegiance to the Nazi authority.

Social Policy

Women and young people were especially impacted by the social policies of the Nazis −

• Women were required to adopt a lifestyle centred on the "3 Ks": Kinder, Küche, and Kirche (Children, Kitchen and Church). In order to ensure the survival of the Reich, it was their responsibility to conceive and nurture children. For having several children, they were rewarded with loans and prizes and urged to quit their jobs.

• The propaganda of the Nazis specifically targeted young people since they were seen as the future. All young people were obliged to join a Nazi youth organization—the Hitler Youth for males and the Band of German Maidens for girls—and the school curriculum was changed to promote Nazi ideology.

• The Nazis also aimed to suppress or reduce Christianity's influence. They established the Confessing Church, an official state institution that fused protestant doctrine with Nazi ideology.

• Additionally, the Nazis sought to infiltrate it and imposed limits on worship despite establishing a Concordat with the Pope in which Hitler vowed to leave the Catholic Church alone if it kept out of politics.

Persecution

Nazi ideology was based on the notions that some races were inferior to others and that the northern European Aryan race was superior to all others. Nazis also held the view that any flaws in the Aryan race, such as those with disabilities, should be eliminated in order to preserve racial purity. As a result, both the political opponents of the Nazis and several organisations were persecuted in Nazi Germany. Sterilization, "euthanasia," detention in concentration camps, and the loss of civil rights were all part of this persecution.

The minority group that was most commonly attacked was German Jews. Their citizenship in Germany as well as their privileges were gradually taken away. Racist violence changed in type and frequency once the war broke out in 1939. The chaos of war provided the Nazis the chance to plot and almost succeed in exterminating the Jewish people of Europe. Along with 6 million others, around 1 million other opponents of the Nazi regime died in camps.

Conclusion: Ending of Second World War

For the German people, the period came to a disastrous conclusion. Despite early victories, World War Two brought rationing, bombing attacks, and labour shortages after 1942. From 1943 onward, when the war's tide began to shift, these challenges became more pressing. The Allied bombing campaign, in particular, had a terrible effect on the civilian population, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, injuries, and displacements.

During the war, anti-Nazi sentiment intensified, culminating in a 1944 unsuccessful assassination attempt on Hitler by army officers. After the USSR's invasion from the east and the United Kingdom, United States, and France's invasion from the west in 1945, Germany eventually submitted unconditionally and came under occupation.

FAQs

Qns 1. How did German citizens live during World War Two?

Ans. People from the conquered nations and prisoners of war were coerced by the Nazis to labour in Germany. Many people perished as a result of poor living circumstances, cruelty, and hunger. In the end, Germany welcomed more than five million civilian employees and over two million war prisoners to work in crucial sectors and on the land.

Qns 2. What three goals did Hitler have for Germany?

Ans. With the intention of creating a new racial order in Europe controlled by the German "master race," Adolf Hitler rose to power. This objective guided Nazi foreign policy, which sought to: circumvent the Treaty of Versailles' limitations; incorporate ethnically German territories into the Reich; seize a sizable new empire in Eastern Europe; forge alliances; and, during the war, convince other states to take part in the "final solution."

Qns 3. Describe the place that women held in Nazi culture.

Ans. The role of women in Nazi culture was predominantly patriarchal or male- dominated. Hitler praised women and referred to them as "the most important citizens" in his Germany, but this only applied to Aryan women who had pure-blooded Aryan offspring. The only thing they were encouraged to strive towards, other from carrying out the conventional duties of running the home and being excellent spouses, was motherhood

Qns 4. What was Hitler's method for creating concentration camps?

Ans. Hitler built concentration camps primarily using two techniques. He started by creating the Enabling Act to give cruelty a "legal" foundation. To dehumanise Jews and legitimise their extermination, Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels built a massive propaganda apparatus. Dachau was the first concentration camp. At first, the camp housed political Catholics, socialists, and communists who opposed Hitler. Later, it was transformed into a Jewish concentration camp.

Qns 5. Which groups in Germany were targeted for persecution by the Nazis because they were deemed enemies of the state?

Ans. Jews, Gypsies, Social Democrats, other opposing politicians, Nazi opponents, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, habitual criminals, "anti-socials" (such as beggars, vagrants, and hawkers), and the mentally ill were among the groups of people who were persecuted by the Nazi regime because they were seen as enemies of the Third Reich. Any person who the Nazis deemed to be a threat would likely face persecution.