Nazi Germany and its people 1933–1939

Welcome to Your Study Journey!

In this chapter, we are going to explore what life was actually like inside Germany between 1933 and 1939. We will look at how the Nazis used a mixture of terror (making people afraid) and propaganda (persuading people to agree) to keep control. We’ll see who "won" under their rule, who "lost," and how they tried to change every part of German life—from what kids learned in school to what women were expected to do at home.

Think of this chapter as a study of a "carrot and stick" approach: the Nazis offered rewards (the carrot) to those who followed them, and used violence (the stick) against those who didn't.

1. The Terror State: The "Stick"

The Nazis didn't just want people to like them; they wanted people to be too afraid to disagree. They built a "Terror State" using several different organisations.

Key Organisations of Terror

The SS (Schutzstaffel): Originally Hitler's private bodyguards (the "Blackshirts"), they became the main tool of terror. Led by Heinrich Himmler, they were the "elite" and were responsible for running concentration camps.
The Gestapo: This was the Secret State Police. They didn't wear uniforms, so you never knew who was watching. They relied on "denunciations"—ordinary people telling on their neighbours.
The SD: The intelligence service of the SS that spied on people to find "enemies."
Concentration Camps: The first one opened at Dachau in 1933. At first, these weren't for "extermination" but were "re-education" camps where political opponents (like Communists) were sent to be punished and worked hard.

Control of the Courts

The Nazis took over the legal system. Judges had to join the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law. If a judge didn't do what the Nazis wanted, they were fired. This meant there was no such thing as a "fair trial."

Quick Review: The Terror State worked because people were afraid that a spy (Gestapo) would catch them, a judge would automatically find them guilty, and the SS would throw them in a camp.

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! Just remember: SS = Elite Soldiers/Camps, Gestapo = Secret Spies, Concentration Camps = Prisons for enemies.

2. Propaganda and Popularity: The "Carrot"

While terror forced people to obey, Propaganda tried to make them want to obey. Joseph Goebbels was the Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda. He wanted to "brainwash" the nation.

Methods of Control

The People's Receiver: The Nazis made cheap radios. By 1939, 70% of households had one. They had a short range so they couldn't pick up foreign stations—you only heard what Hitler wanted you to hear.
Censorship: Any books, music, or art that the Nazis didn't like were banned. They even held "book burnings."
Rallies: Huge, spectacular events like the Nuremberg Rallies used lights, music, and marching to make the Nazis look powerful and organized.
Cult of Personality: This is often called the "Hitler Myth." Propaganda showed Hitler as a lonely, hardworking hero who had sacrificed his life to save Germany. He was incredibly popular personally, even with people who didn't like the Nazi Party.

Did you know? Goebbels famously said that if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually believe it.

Key Takeaway: Propaganda made Hitler look like a hero and made the Nazi regime seem like the only way to make Germany "great" again.

3. The National Community (Volksgemeinschaft)

The Nazis wanted to create a National Community. This meant a society where everyone felt they belonged to one "pure" German race.

Analogy: Imagine a very exclusive club. To make the members inside feel special and united, the club owners pick a group of "outsiders" to bully and exclude. This is exactly what the Nazis did.

Economic Policies: Winners and Losers

To keep people happy, Hitler had to fix the Great Depression and get people back to work.
The "Winners":
1. Unemployed men: They were put into the RAD (National Labour Service) to build motorways (Autobahns) and plant forests.
2. Workers: The DAF (German Labour Front) replaced trade unions. It set up Strength Through Joy (KdF), which provided cheap holidays and theatre tickets. The Beauty of Labour scheme improved workplace conditions (like better lighting).
3. Big Business: Factory owners made huge profits from making weapons (rearmament).
The "Losers":
1. Jews and Minorities: They were fired from their jobs to give them to "Aryan" Germans.
2. Trade Unions: These were banned, so workers couldn't strike for better pay or shorter hours.

Memory Aid: Use the phrase "Jobs and Bread" to remember that most people supported Hitler simply because he gave them work after the misery of the Depression.

4. Nazi Social Policies: Women and Youth

The Nazis wanted to control the future, which meant controlling women (who had the babies) and the youth (who would be the next soldiers).

Policies for Women

The Nazis believed a woman's place was "Kinder, Küche, Kirche" (Children, Kitchen, Church).
• Marriage Loans: Newlyweds were given 1,000 marks if the wife quit her job. For every child they had, they got to keep 250 marks of the loan.
• The Mother’s Cross: Medals given for having many children (Gold for 8!).
• Appearance: Women were discouraged from wearing makeup or trousers and were told to stay healthy for childbearing.

Policies for Youth

Schools were used to "Nazify" children. History was rewritten to praise Germany, and Biology taught that "Aryans" were superior.
• The Hitler Youth (HJ): For boys. It focused on physical fitness and military skills like map reading and rifle practice.
• League of German Maidens (BDM): For girls. It focused on domestic skills (cooking, sewing) and preparing for motherhood.
Analogy: The Hitler Youth was like the Scouts, but with uniforms and weapons training, and you weren't allowed to say no to joining!

Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't think that all women hated these policies. Many felt respected for their role as mothers and liked the financial help from the government.

5. Persecution and Eugenics

Because the Nazis wanted a "pure" race, they persecuted anyone they thought was "untermenschen" (sub-human) or a burden on society.

Eugenics and "Social Undesirables"

• Sterilisation: People with disabilities (physical or mental) were forcibly sterilised so they couldn't have children.
• "T4" Programme: A secret programme to kill those with severe disabilities.
• Homosexuals and Roma: Sent to concentration camps because they didn't fit the "ideal" German family image.

Persecution of the Jews (1933–1939)

This happened in stages:
1. 1933: Boycott of Jewish shops and Jews banned from government jobs.
2. 1935: The Nuremberg Laws: These took away Jewish citizenship and banned marriage/relationships between Jews and "Aryans."
3. 1938: Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass): A state-sponsored riot where Jewish synagogues and businesses were destroyed. Thousands of Jews were sent to camps.
4. 1939: Jews were forced into Ghettos and were banned from owning businesses.

Quick Review: Persecution started with bullying and laws (1933-35) and turned into state-sponsored violence (1938) before the war even started.

6. Lack of Effective Opposition

You might wonder: why didn't people stop them? There were some small groups (like the Edelweiss Pirates who beat up Hitler Youth members), but most people didn't resist.

Why was there so little opposition?

1. Terror: The Gestapo and the fear of concentration camps made it too dangerous.
2. Economic Success: Many people were grateful for their jobs and didn't want to "rock the boat."
3. Propaganda: Many people genuinely believed Hitler was doing a good job.
4. Divided Enemies: The Nazis' biggest rivals (Communists and Socialists) hated each other more than they hated the Nazis, so they didn't work together.

Key Takeaway: Fear kept people quiet, but the fact that life seemed better (economically) for many "Aryan" Germans meant they were willing to ignore the cruelty happening to others.

Summary: The Big Picture

Between 1933 and 1939, the Nazi regime transformed Germany into a Totalitarian State (where the government has total control). They used the SS and Gestapo to crush any enemies, Goebbels to control the news, and economic recovery to win the hearts of the workers. While many "standard" Germans felt life had improved, minorities and political opponents lived in a nightmare of laws, violence, and imprisonment.