Social, racial and religious policies in Nazi Germany

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  • Created by: Daisy.
  • Created on: 21-04-12 17:45

Social, racial & religious policies in Nazi Germany:

Volksgemeinschaft ("people's community"):

  • Aryan - "of pure blood." - Nazis thought they were fighting a racial war, they saw everyone from the East as ab inferior race.
  • Genetically healthy - No mental/physical disabilities. "survival of the fittest."
  • Ideologically reliable - Not a communist. Not likely to speak against the Nazi regime.

Hitler Youth:

  • The Hitler youth was a group that the Nazis saw as important as education. 
  • 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. 
  • The Hitler Youth catered for 10 to 18 year olds. There were separate organisations for boys and girls. The task of the boys section was to prepare the boys for military service. For girls, the organisation prepared them for motherhood.
  • Boys at 10, joined the Deutsches Jungvolk (German Young People) until the age of 13 when they transferred to the Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth) until the age of 18.
  • The boys' activities included marching, bayonet drill, grenade throwing, trench digging, map reading, gas defence, use of dugouts, how to get under barbed wire and pistol shooting.
  • Girls, at the age of 10, joined the Jungmadelbund (League of Young Girls) and at the age of 14 transferred to the Bund Deutscher Madel (League of German Girls).
  • Girls had to be able to run 60 metres in 14 seconds, throw a ball 12 metres, complete a 2 hour march, swim 100 metres and know how to make a bed.

Education system:

  • Nazis were aware that education would create loyal Nazis by the time they reached adulthood.
  • Indoctrination and the use of propaganda were to be a common practice in Nazi schools and the education system.
  • All teachers had to be vetted by local Nazi officials. Any teacher considered disloyal was sacked.
  • All teachers had to be careful about what they said as children were encouraged to inform the authorities if a teacher said something that did not fit in with the Nazi's curriculum for schools. 
  • Subjects underwent a major change in schools. Some of the most affected were History and Biology.......
  • History was based on the glory of Germany - a nationalistic approach was compulsory.
  • Biology became a study of the different races to 'prove' that the Nazi belief in racial superiority was a sound belief.
  • Geography taught pupils about the land Germany had taken away from her in 1919 and the need for Germany to have living

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