Full set of notes on the German Depth Study KQ3 - the Nazi Regime. Includes fully evaluation of their policies and their effects on different groups, as well as context for the opposition they faced. This document helped me achieve a Grade 9 at GCSE.
DSKQ3 The Nazi Regime: How Effectively did the
Nazi’s control Germany 1933-45 and What was life
like in Nazi Germany
What Sort of Germany did Hitler want to Create
A Strong Germany:
- Strong Government – no opposition
- Every aspect of life controlled
- Destroy the ToV
- Re-Build the army
- Prepare to invade Eastern Europe
- Remove ‘burdens on society’
- This was Supported by:
o The Elderly – reminds them of the old Germany
o Army – creates a strong military
o Middle Class – creates stable Germany
- Opposed by:
o The Young – disliked having their lives controlled
o Political opponents (Communists)
A Racial Germany
- Eugenics programmes to selectively breed Germans
- Create a pure ‘Aryan’ race – blonde hair, blue eyes, strong
- Remove “undesirable” races from Germany
- Remove Jews from German, then Europe
- This was supported by:
o Very Young – as they were taught it in school
o Some Aryan looking people
- Opposed by:
o Teenagers – have friends that are now considered ‘undesirable’
o Families – many had Jewish relatives
, Volksgemeinschaft (the Peoples Community)
- Volksgemeinschaft was the Nazi idea that every part of German life should
have something to do with the Nazi Party
- No German should have more than a few moments per day when they
aren’t under Nazi influence
- Clubs, Societies, Leisure activities and groups were taken over by the Nazi’s
- Supported by:
o The Party – increases their control
o Families – they were given more money under Volksgemeinschaft
policies
- Opposed by:
o The Church – Church activities were taken over by the Nazis
o Working Class – many traditional societies and clubs were taken
over
Opposition to the Nazi Regime
Former Political Opponents
- Hitler had banned all political parties – meaning the old social democrats,
Centre Party etc. - who had all been in charge during the Weimar Republic
- no longer existed
- People wanted an alternative to the Nazi’s, to vote for – these former
politicians were aiming for a return to democracy
- Methods of Opposition included:
o Leaflets and secret meetings were held
o They defied the Nazi’s just by existing and trying to appeal to people
who used to vote for them
- Their danger rating is about 4/5
- The Nazi’s response:
o Political opponents were serious because millions had voted for
these parties before Hitler took power
o the SS would break up meetings, seize leaflets and sent members to
the camps
The Church
- Volksgemeinschaft involved the closing down of Church groups to make
way for Nazi controlled ones
- Hitler wanted Nazism to be followed like a religion, making it difficult for
people to support the church
, - Methods of Opposition Included:
o Disobedience – carrying out baptisms and marriages against Nazi
Law, encouraging people to ignore Volksgemeinschaft and to follow
the bible
- Danger rating 3/5
- The Nazi’s Response:
o Hitler cannot compete with the promise of God and heaven – after
death, especially in wartime
o Hitler has to turn a blind eye and compromise with the Church
Army Officers
- By 1944 the war was going badly, and defeat was becoming inevitable
- Many army officers lost faith in Hitler’s ability to command the country
and sought to remove him and take power
- Methods of Opposition Included:
o Several senior army leaders tried to assassinate Hitler with a bomb
o They narrowly failed
- Danger Rating 5/5
- The Nazi’s Response:
o The first (and last) time anyone tried to overthrow Hitler
o The leaders were rounded up and executed
Young People – Edelweiss Pirates
- Young People who don’t want their lives mapped out by the Nazi’s and
wanted to rebel and live their own lives
- Many opposed the Nazi’s racial policies as well, as it meant friends were
singled out as ‘superior’ or ‘inferior’
- Methods of Opposition Included:
o Defiance
o Drinking, smoking, dancing in groups, drugs, telling anti-Nazi stories
and jokes, beating up Hitler Youth members, having sex
- Danger Rating 2/5
- The Nazi’s Response:
o The Pirates had no intention of overthrowing Hitler – they were
teenagers who wanted to rebel against a controlling government
o They survived until 1944, when the Nazi’s clamped down and
arrested many of them
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