1. How did the Nazi Regime attempt to win the loyalty of its workers? Define the following:
a. Strength Through Joy program: The Strength Through Joy program was a way of rewarding workers for their hard work by offering them benefits for their free time. For example, it gave workers cheap theatre and cinema tickets, organized courses, trips, sports events, and price-cuts for luxurious cruise liners. Therefore, the Nazi Regime attempted to win the loyalty of its workers by giving them great free time benefits for all their hard work they do for Germany.
b. Volkswagen Beetle (the people's car): The Volkswagen Beetle was also known as the people's car because a certain amount of the workers' pay check was cut in order to save money for the worker to get a volkswagon beetle. This was an attempt to make the workers and Germans feel like Germany was prospering and becoming stronger. Since it became a symbol of prosperity many workers wanted to continue to work in order to add to the manufacturing of the volkswagon beetles, to make them feel apart of Germany's prosperity; therefore they became loyal to the weekly cuts and the Nazis for this cause.
c. Beauty of Labor movement: The Beauty of Labor movement was a movement where working conditions were improved for workers. Fore example, washing facilities ad low-cost canteens were introduced to workplaces for the first time, which made many workers thankful for better working conditions. Since the Nazis gave them better working conditions they became loyal to the Nazis.
2. Define the following Farming Programs. Be sure to provide the pros and cons of each program:
a. Reich Food Estate: The Reich Food Estate was the distribution of farmers' produce across markets in Germany, which benefited the farmers by guaranteeing them a market for their goods and at guaranteed prices so they would always expect to get money for their goods. A con for the Reich Food Estate is the more efficient farmers had to go through the same processes as the less efficient farmers, which held back the more efficient farmers because now they had more competitors that they couldn't really compete with since the goods were all at the same prices.
b. Reich Entailed Farm Law: The Reich Entailed Farm Law was the protection given to peasant farmers for their farms. The benefit was the banks could not take their land if they weren't paying loans or mortgages, which basically guaranteed that the farms would stay in the peasants hands. A con to the law was that the banks gave out less loans to the farmers for fear that they would never pay off their loans or mortgages, so less farms were made and therefore less production of goods.
3. Define Volksgemeinschaft. (Hint: It is in the reading, plus my notes): Volksgemeinschaft literally means national community. It was the term and movement Hitler made to encourage Germans to think of themselves as part of a "national community," where they would see all of each other as equals. So they would not see each other as workers or as farmers but as Germans. Hitlers' aims for this movement was to make Germans feel superior than any other country and be willing to put Germany before themselves. Also, Volksgemeinschaft was directed solely to pure Aryan Germans, not towards Jewish people or any other race because they were inferior and Hitler wanted to build a strong Germany that consisted only of pure Aryans. Not only was race discriminated in Volksgemeinschaft, but individuality and individual rights were looked down upon because Hitler felt it individual liberty was incompatible with a strong people's community, or volksgemeinschaft.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
How did the Nazis Implement Women's Policies?
Choose TWO of the following areas that the Nazis tried to implement their ideas: Increased Births; Improved welfare; Reduced employment; Reduced education; Involvement in women's organizations.
Using those two areas above, complete the following:
Area 1: Improved Welfare
Key Measures Attempted: One of the key measures attempted towards women was the National Socialist Welfare Organization or the National Socialist People's Welfare (NSV), which supplied milk, groceries, and ohter aid to women. Many of the work the women did, they were either volunteers or were paid.
Successes: The welfare organizations helped women obtain milk, grocery parcels and baby clothes and linen to support their family in a time of help. Also, infant mortality dropped by 7.7% in 1933 and 6.6% in 1936, which the Nazis wanted. They wanted to increase the birth rate in order to have more pure Aryan people and promote it to other regions of the world (where Germany could be a world power). Since the welfare organizations allowed women to work there, there was an improved opportunities for women to find jobs and, overall, supporting their family. As a plus for the Nazis, the improved welfare was closely linked to eugenic policies, which allowed Germans to investigate the pure Aryan race and compare them to other races, such as what makes pure Aryans stronger and better.
Limitations and Failures: Since the welfare was closely linked to eugenics there was a decrease or an imbalance in birth and death rates. There were plenty of babies being born, but many children and habitants were used in eugenics to figure out what made pure aryans stronger compared to other races. This decreased the German population, and if there wasn't a decrease Germany could've been more powerful.
Area 2: Involvement in Women's Organizations
Key Measures Attempted: There were two main organizations for women made, the National Socialist Women's Organization (NSF) and the German Women's Enterprise (DFW). The NSF was an organization the co-ordinated withe existing women's organizations to expand their knowledge of Nazi ideology and make sure they are supporters. The DFW was created to develop a top-notch group of women who would be committed to Nazi ideology.
Successes: One of the successes of women's involvement in organizations is that the organizations supported the war effort. For example, some of the organizations made clothing for the Russian Front, which greatly benefited the soldiers survival in the cold or warm weather and overall supported the war effort. Another success is that it increased femal participation in Nazi bodies. An increase in Nazi body participations means, for the Nazis, that they have support from the women which could mean that Nazi ideology would be carried on to the future. Third, the organizations gave many opportunities for women to participate in public life, which the women appreciated and probably gave a lot of support for the Nazis.
Limitations and Failures: A limitation of women's involvement in organizations is they weren't included in decision-making. Even though women were involved in organizations, their inability to add their opinions and make decisions didn't really involve them in Nazi ideas or the Third Reich. Therefore, women weren't given as much freedom as they could have or could've wanted.
Using those two areas above, complete the following:
Area 1: Improved Welfare
Key Measures Attempted: One of the key measures attempted towards women was the National Socialist Welfare Organization or the National Socialist People's Welfare (NSV), which supplied milk, groceries, and ohter aid to women. Many of the work the women did, they were either volunteers or were paid.
Successes: The welfare organizations helped women obtain milk, grocery parcels and baby clothes and linen to support their family in a time of help. Also, infant mortality dropped by 7.7% in 1933 and 6.6% in 1936, which the Nazis wanted. They wanted to increase the birth rate in order to have more pure Aryan people and promote it to other regions of the world (where Germany could be a world power). Since the welfare organizations allowed women to work there, there was an improved opportunities for women to find jobs and, overall, supporting their family. As a plus for the Nazis, the improved welfare was closely linked to eugenic policies, which allowed Germans to investigate the pure Aryan race and compare them to other races, such as what makes pure Aryans stronger and better.
Limitations and Failures: Since the welfare was closely linked to eugenics there was a decrease or an imbalance in birth and death rates. There were plenty of babies being born, but many children and habitants were used in eugenics to figure out what made pure aryans stronger compared to other races. This decreased the German population, and if there wasn't a decrease Germany could've been more powerful.
Area 2: Involvement in Women's Organizations
Key Measures Attempted: There were two main organizations for women made, the National Socialist Women's Organization (NSF) and the German Women's Enterprise (DFW). The NSF was an organization the co-ordinated withe existing women's organizations to expand their knowledge of Nazi ideology and make sure they are supporters. The DFW was created to develop a top-notch group of women who would be committed to Nazi ideology.
Successes: One of the successes of women's involvement in organizations is that the organizations supported the war effort. For example, some of the organizations made clothing for the Russian Front, which greatly benefited the soldiers survival in the cold or warm weather and overall supported the war effort. Another success is that it increased femal participation in Nazi bodies. An increase in Nazi body participations means, for the Nazis, that they have support from the women which could mean that Nazi ideology would be carried on to the future. Third, the organizations gave many opportunities for women to participate in public life, which the women appreciated and probably gave a lot of support for the Nazis.
Limitations and Failures: A limitation of women's involvement in organizations is they weren't included in decision-making. Even though women were involved in organizations, their inability to add their opinions and make decisions didn't really involve them in Nazi ideas or the Third Reich. Therefore, women weren't given as much freedom as they could have or could've wanted.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Treatment of Women in Nazi Germany
Focus Task p.211
1. Read these two statements:
a. 'Nazi policy for women was confused.'
b. 'Nazi policy for women was a failure.'
For each statement explain whether you agree or disagree with it anduse examples form the text to support your explanation.
a. ‘Nazi policy for women was confused.’
I agree with this statement because at one point in the Third Reich some Germans were confused on whether or not to let women work in industries and the work force when there was a shortage on the amount of workers. In the text it mentions that the crisis period was during 1942 and 1945 when the men were going off to war and there was a shortage in war supplies, there was the possibility to hire women and some women were willing, however, some Nazis were undecided on whether to supply armaments for the soldiers or to keep traditions alive and not allow women in the work force. In Source 56 Albert Speer suggests to Sauckel to allow women to work, but he’s confused on whether or not to allow it so he asks Goering. Goering basically says that the idea of women in the work force is ridiculous, and Sauckel checked with Hitler who agreed with Goering. So there is little confusion, but there still is confusion because Sauckel has to check with two people to make sure the idea was absurd.
b. ‘Nazi policy for women was a failure.’
I disagree with this statement because it seems to me that there was an increase in the birth rate and there were women in the countryside whom agreed with the policies towards women. In the text it mentioned that women were awarded prizes for having four children and a greater award towards those who had eight children, such as the Gold Cross. Also, the birth rate increased from fifteen per thousand in 1933 to twenty per thousand in 1939, which is a major increase if you think on a larger scale of how many babies must’ve been born to increase the birth rate by another five per thousand. Third, the main point of the policies towards women was to keep them at home and care for the children, to be the traditional woman. This part of the policy worked because it was incredibly difficult for women to get jobs as discrimination was encouraged, and women who lived in the countryside agreed with the Nazi policies towards women. This gave the women an immense amount of pressure to conform to being a traditional woman, therefore I disagree that the Nazi policy for woman was a failure.
1. Read these two statements:
a. 'Nazi policy for women was confused.'
b. 'Nazi policy for women was a failure.'
For each statement explain whether you agree or disagree with it anduse examples form the text to support your explanation.
a. ‘Nazi policy for women was confused.’
I agree with this statement because at one point in the Third Reich some Germans were confused on whether or not to let women work in industries and the work force when there was a shortage on the amount of workers. In the text it mentions that the crisis period was during 1942 and 1945 when the men were going off to war and there was a shortage in war supplies, there was the possibility to hire women and some women were willing, however, some Nazis were undecided on whether to supply armaments for the soldiers or to keep traditions alive and not allow women in the work force. In Source 56 Albert Speer suggests to Sauckel to allow women to work, but he’s confused on whether or not to allow it so he asks Goering. Goering basically says that the idea of women in the work force is ridiculous, and Sauckel checked with Hitler who agreed with Goering. So there is little confusion, but there still is confusion because Sauckel has to check with two people to make sure the idea was absurd.
b. ‘Nazi policy for women was a failure.’
I disagree with this statement because it seems to me that there was an increase in the birth rate and there were women in the countryside whom agreed with the policies towards women. In the text it mentioned that women were awarded prizes for having four children and a greater award towards those who had eight children, such as the Gold Cross. Also, the birth rate increased from fifteen per thousand in 1933 to twenty per thousand in 1939, which is a major increase if you think on a larger scale of how many babies must’ve been born to increase the birth rate by another five per thousand. Third, the main point of the policies towards women was to keep them at home and care for the children, to be the traditional woman. This part of the policy worked because it was incredibly difficult for women to get jobs as discrimination was encouraged, and women who lived in the countryside agreed with the Nazi policies towards women. This gave the women an immense amount of pressure to conform to being a traditional woman, therefore I disagree that the Nazi policy for woman was a failure.
Nazi Youth Policies and Education Assessment
Focus Task p. 204
1. Young people were among the most fanatical supporters of the Nazi regime. Use pages 202-204 to write three paragraphs to explain why the Nazis were successful in winning them over. Include the following points:
a. Why the Nazis wanted to control young people
b. How they set about doing it
c. What the attractions of the youth movements were.
2. The Nazi regime was not successful in keeping the loyalty of all young people. Add a fourth paragraph to your essay to explain why some young people rejected the Nazi Youth movements.
First, the Nazis were successful in winning over the youth because they were able to control the youth. The Nazis wanted to control the youth because the children are Germany’s future, so whatever the children learn is what they will bring to the table in the future. Therefore, if the Nazis taught the children Nazi ideology Nazism would continue on into the future and hopefully make that pure Aryan race. The Nazis were able to control the youth because they are easily influenced. The children and young adults were so easily influenced that they would question their parents loyalty to Hitler and rat them out to the Nazis, they fully believed in Hitler, and they didn’t see anything wrong in the Nazi ideas. For example, in Source 32 where Hitler is making a speech in 1939 he said: “It is my great educative work I am beginning with the young. We older ones are used up. We are bearing the burden of a humiliating past. But my magnificent youngsters! Are there finer ones in the world? Look at these young men and boys! What material! With them I can make a new world.” This shows that Hitler and the Nazis new that in order for Germany to continue as Nazi Germany they would have to have control of the youth. Hitler odes this by glorifying them; by making the youth feel really important in Germany. Since the children felt important and were easily influenced the Nazis were able to control the youth in order to carry on Nazi ideology for the future.
Second, the Nazis were successful in winning over the youth because the Nazis surrounded the youth with their ideas and ideology. Since the youth were surrounded by their ideas, the ideas came into what the youth believed in because they’re easily influenced and believed anything that is told to them at school. For example, in Source 28 Dr. Robert Ley shows how controlling the Nazis were over the youth and how the Nazi influence was around them for their entire lives. Source 28 reads: “Our state as an educational state…It does not let a man go free from the cradle to the grave. We begin with the child when he is three years old. As soon as he begins to think, he is made to carry a little flag. Then follows school, the Hitler Youth, the storm troopers and military training. We don’t let him go, and when all that is done, comes the Labor Front, which takes possession of him again, and does not let him go till he dies, even if he does not like it.” Source 28 shows how controlling and influenced the youth were by the youth becoming followers beginning when they can think and until their dead, which shows that the Nazi influence completely surrounded the youth and the youth caved into the influences and sometimes didn’t have a choice. Therefore, the Nazis were successful in winning over the youth by controlling them and surrounding them by Nazi ideas to easily influence them.
Third, the Nazis were able to be successful in winning over the youth because of how attractive the youth movements were to the youth. For many boys and girls they were in awe and praised Hitler and the Nazi movement. Some of the attractions were the youth were promised they would get top ranking jobs once they finished school, but that didn’t happen after more and more generations graduated. However, Hitler was able to attract many youth as shown in Source 34, “Hitler looked over the stand, and I know he looked into my eyes, and he said: ‘You my boys are the standard bearers, you will inherit what we have created.’ From that moment there was not any doubt I was bound to Adolf Hitler and long after our defeat. Afterwards I told my friends that Hitler had looked into my eyes, but they all said: ‘No! It was my eyes he was looking into.’” Therefore, the children praised Hitler because of the supposed connection they had with him, and Hitler, like in Source 34, made them feel extremely special. As if the world, Germany, was in their hands and they had all of the control, which is a lot of power a youth has to deal with and may not fully think through it; which could be one reason why they didn’t question Nazi ideology and why the Nazis were successful in winning over the youth.
Some people rejected the Nazi Youth movements mainly because they didn’t like the Nazi control of their lives. There were two main youth groups that resisted Nazi control over them called the “Swing” Movement and the Edelweiss Pirates. The Swing Movement consisted of working-class teenagers that listened to Jazz, danced, accepted Jews into the club, and talked about and enjoyed sex. All were looked down upon and or banned by the Nazis. The Swing Movement rejected the Nazi Youth Movements because they enjoyed Jazz and dancing, which they couldn’t do under Nazi control. Not only were the Swing Movement resisting Nazi control, so were the Edelweiss Pirates. The Edelweiss Pirates were also mainly working-class teenagers who mocked and taunted Germany and the Hitler Youth. They would take lyrics of songs and change them to make fun of Germany, which the Nazis and the Hitler Youth did not appreciate at all. Their overall attitudes of the Edelweiss Pirates was freer, which the Hitler Youth didn’t like. One aspect the groups have in common against the Nazi Youth is the resistance against Nazi control, which was the main reason why Nazi Youth movements were rejected by some people.
1. Young people were among the most fanatical supporters of the Nazi regime. Use pages 202-204 to write three paragraphs to explain why the Nazis were successful in winning them over. Include the following points:
a. Why the Nazis wanted to control young people
b. How they set about doing it
c. What the attractions of the youth movements were.
2. The Nazi regime was not successful in keeping the loyalty of all young people. Add a fourth paragraph to your essay to explain why some young people rejected the Nazi Youth movements.
First, the Nazis were successful in winning over the youth because they were able to control the youth. The Nazis wanted to control the youth because the children are Germany’s future, so whatever the children learn is what they will bring to the table in the future. Therefore, if the Nazis taught the children Nazi ideology Nazism would continue on into the future and hopefully make that pure Aryan race. The Nazis were able to control the youth because they are easily influenced. The children and young adults were so easily influenced that they would question their parents loyalty to Hitler and rat them out to the Nazis, they fully believed in Hitler, and they didn’t see anything wrong in the Nazi ideas. For example, in Source 32 where Hitler is making a speech in 1939 he said: “It is my great educative work I am beginning with the young. We older ones are used up. We are bearing the burden of a humiliating past. But my magnificent youngsters! Are there finer ones in the world? Look at these young men and boys! What material! With them I can make a new world.” This shows that Hitler and the Nazis new that in order for Germany to continue as Nazi Germany they would have to have control of the youth. Hitler odes this by glorifying them; by making the youth feel really important in Germany. Since the children felt important and were easily influenced the Nazis were able to control the youth in order to carry on Nazi ideology for the future.
Second, the Nazis were successful in winning over the youth because the Nazis surrounded the youth with their ideas and ideology. Since the youth were surrounded by their ideas, the ideas came into what the youth believed in because they’re easily influenced and believed anything that is told to them at school. For example, in Source 28 Dr. Robert Ley shows how controlling the Nazis were over the youth and how the Nazi influence was around them for their entire lives. Source 28 reads: “Our state as an educational state…It does not let a man go free from the cradle to the grave. We begin with the child when he is three years old. As soon as he begins to think, he is made to carry a little flag. Then follows school, the Hitler Youth, the storm troopers and military training. We don’t let him go, and when all that is done, comes the Labor Front, which takes possession of him again, and does not let him go till he dies, even if he does not like it.” Source 28 shows how controlling and influenced the youth were by the youth becoming followers beginning when they can think and until their dead, which shows that the Nazi influence completely surrounded the youth and the youth caved into the influences and sometimes didn’t have a choice. Therefore, the Nazis were successful in winning over the youth by controlling them and surrounding them by Nazi ideas to easily influence them.
Third, the Nazis were able to be successful in winning over the youth because of how attractive the youth movements were to the youth. For many boys and girls they were in awe and praised Hitler and the Nazi movement. Some of the attractions were the youth were promised they would get top ranking jobs once they finished school, but that didn’t happen after more and more generations graduated. However, Hitler was able to attract many youth as shown in Source 34, “Hitler looked over the stand, and I know he looked into my eyes, and he said: ‘You my boys are the standard bearers, you will inherit what we have created.’ From that moment there was not any doubt I was bound to Adolf Hitler and long after our defeat. Afterwards I told my friends that Hitler had looked into my eyes, but they all said: ‘No! It was my eyes he was looking into.’” Therefore, the children praised Hitler because of the supposed connection they had with him, and Hitler, like in Source 34, made them feel extremely special. As if the world, Germany, was in their hands and they had all of the control, which is a lot of power a youth has to deal with and may not fully think through it; which could be one reason why they didn’t question Nazi ideology and why the Nazis were successful in winning over the youth.
Some people rejected the Nazi Youth movements mainly because they didn’t like the Nazi control of their lives. There were two main youth groups that resisted Nazi control over them called the “Swing” Movement and the Edelweiss Pirates. The Swing Movement consisted of working-class teenagers that listened to Jazz, danced, accepted Jews into the club, and talked about and enjoyed sex. All were looked down upon and or banned by the Nazis. The Swing Movement rejected the Nazi Youth Movements because they enjoyed Jazz and dancing, which they couldn’t do under Nazi control. Not only were the Swing Movement resisting Nazi control, so were the Edelweiss Pirates. The Edelweiss Pirates were also mainly working-class teenagers who mocked and taunted Germany and the Hitler Youth. They would take lyrics of songs and change them to make fun of Germany, which the Nazis and the Hitler Youth did not appreciate at all. Their overall attitudes of the Edelweiss Pirates was freer, which the Hitler Youth didn’t like. One aspect the groups have in common against the Nazi Youth is the resistance against Nazi control, which was the main reason why Nazi Youth movements were rejected by some people.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Nazi Education Policies
1. Identify three important changes made by the Nazis to the education system. Explain the purpose of each change.
A. One important change made by the Nazis to the education system was stronger control over the schools, like what the teachers taught and what teachers taught at the schools. The Nazis tried to control the schools by encouraging the teachesrs to join the Nazi Party because they wanted to make sure that what the teachers were teaching were good aspects of the Third Reich and the Nazi ideals. The National Socialist Teachers' League (NSLB) was made by the Nazis for teachers to join voluntarily, but eventually forcefully, so they could learn the Nazi ideals and make sure that the teachers were teaching Nazi ideals in school.
B. Another important change the Nazis made to the educational system was the extinction of co-educational schools. Boys and girls could not longer go to school together to make sure that the boys and girls had the education that they were supposed to get, in other words so the "different sexes received their appropriate education." The Nazis wanted to make sure that girls were taught skills such as needlework and music so they could be good housewives and mothers. The boys went through physical excersize training so they could be prepared to fight for Germany and the Nazi ideals.
C. Third, the Nazis also made an import change in setting up leadership schools called the Adolf Hitler Schools. The purpose of this change was to rival the SS's NAPOLA schools and to avoid Rust's interference of the Adolf Hitler Schools, since he had a lot of control on all the other schools. Rust was the Educational Minister and developed the National Political Institutes of Education (NAPOLAs), where boys aged 10 to 18 were taught to be leaders. The other purpose of the Adolf Hitler Schools was to provide free boarding schools where they would learn how to be leaders withb physical, political and military training.
2. Give specific examples of how the Nazis tried in schools to develop the spirit of Volksgemeinschaft in the following seven goals:
Anti-intellectualism: The Nazis tried to develop the spirit of Volksgemeinschaft in schools by expressing that intellectualism is bad for the state. For example, Bernhard Rust, the Nazi Education Minister, said in Education and Instruction (the official manual for teachers) "The chief prupose of the school is to train human beings to realise that the State is more important than the individual, that individuals must be willing and ready to sacrifice themselves for Nation and Fuhrer.” For example, the one month training courses for teachers that were mandatory were solely about Nazi ideology and physical education. Another example is the leadership schools that were supposed to rival the SS schools and Rust, where there was physical training and Nazi ideas forced upon the children, there was no intellectualism put into the education because the Nazis wanted to have strong boys and young men to fight for them and not be able to challenge the Nazi ideology.
Anti-semitism: Anti-semitism was one of the goals where the Nazis tried to develop the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft by firing Jewish teachers and forcing Nazi ideology in the children. The Law for the Restoration of the Civil Service in April of 1933 fired all the Jewish or racial population of the universities, which was about thirty-three percent of all teachers in universities. Another example, is the children at schools, such as NAPOLAs, were taught Nazi ideas, which was greatly anti-semitic so the children became anti-semitic. Anti-semitism was a big part of Volksgeimenschaft because the Jews and other races weren’t included in the “People’s Community.”
Indifference to the weak: The Nazis tried to show indifference to the weak in schools to develop the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft by focusing all of the boys schools on mostly physical exercise and Nazi ideology. All of the boys schools in Germany had a strict focus on physical exercise because they wanted to prove to other countries that Germans are strong, and above all that Germans are the superior race. The strength of Germans, and in turn superiority over other races, was a huge part of the Volksgeimenschaft because it shows the superiority of Germans.
Nationalism: The Nazis tried to show nationalism in schools to develop the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft by everyone working together and training to be tough. By showing that Germans aren’t weak, like at the NAPOLA schools and Adolf Hitler schools, it brings about nationalism to fight the other countries and prove that Germans aren’t weak. It brings back the humiliation Germans felt when they lost World War I and we forced to take all the blame, by showing that they’re tough it proves that they can fight back and basically aren’t the losers. Also, working together brought about nationalism because it forces you to be with your fellow Germans and bring about a sort of “people’s community,” which was exactly what Volksgeimenschaft was supposed to mean.
Militarism: The Nazis tried to show militarism in schools to develop the spirit of Volksgeimeschaft by enforcing the fitness training on all the boys, young men, and teachers. There was exercise training everywhere in Germany, in the schools like NAPOLAs, and in the teacher training for one whole month. This was meant to prepare the boys, young men, and men professors for war and to fight for Germany. This helped to develop the idea of Volksgeimenschaft because the ideas behind it there was the survival of the fittest, where only the “pure” races would survive, and of course on pure Aryan Germans would survive.
Obedience and discipline: The Nazis tried to show obedience and discipline to develop the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft by enforcing meetings on students and teachers. For example, the Nazi-controlled German Students’ League showed order and discipline by meeting twice weekly and forcing them to go through fitness training, such as marching. Also, the one month training for teachers brought about obedience and discipline because all the teachers had to attend or they would be considered as radicals who were going to challenge the Third Reich. This obedience and discipline brought about the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft because it brought about togetherness and strength, which Volksgeimenschaft was supposed to represent.
Hitler Worship: The Nazis tried to show Hitler Worship in schools to develop the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft by making him seem godlike and he would fix everything, make life easy for everyone. For example, in the Adolf Hitler schools children from ages twelve to eighteen could attend for free, which shows his kindness to make life easier for everyone to let their children get a good education, especially when not everyone could afford it. This brought about the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft because it brought about a people’s community by people being surrounded by Hitler, his ideas, and talking about his kindness to let their kids go to school for free.
3. What methods did the Nazis use to try to ensure schools were teaching correctly? (This is from Friday's in-class work.)
The methods the Nazis used to try to ensure schools were teaching are the creation of the National Socialist Teachers’ League, getting rid of “intellectual freedom” (Source 14.16), Hitler worship, and militarism. The National Teachers’ League was set up to tell the teachers how to teach and what to teach, so the professors knew what they were supposed to be teaching and that there shouldn’t be any excuses on what to teach to the children. Getting rid of the “intellectual freedom” was another method because it was supposed to get rid of “political interference”(14.16) and to make them that only Germany exists (14.16), making Germany seem like the pure race. Also, Hitler worship was another method because, as shown in Source 14.18 and 14.25, Hitler is almighty basically. The children and teachers should be proud to be ruled by Hitler because of all he’s done, which all they saw was good things being done since the Nazis limited what they read and heard form newspapers and other news media. If schools, the children and teachers were praising Hitler than they knew that the students and teachers believed in his ideas and were teaching Nazi ideology correctly. Militarism was used to ensure that schools were teaching correctly by including militarism in school subjects, such as math as shown in Sources 14.20 and 14.21. In Source 14.20 it directly states that all subjects “must concentrate on military subjects – the glorification of military service and of German heroes and leaders and the strength of a regenerated German.” Therefore, students were constantly surrounded by this militarism to make it seem like they had to fight for Germany, and by all the subjects being focused around militarism it ensured that the schools were teaching correctly.
4. Write out a statement that explains the main educational aims of the Nazi Education System. (Reference some of the sources.)
The main educational aims of the Nazi Educational System was to prepare students and professors to fight for Germany if needed and to teach students and teachers that Germans are superior than all other races. The aim to prepare to fight can be seen in Sources 14.20, 14.21, 14.22, and 14.23, where there is a tight focus on “knowledge of chemical warfare, explosives, Buna, (…) artillery calculations, ballistics, etc.”(14.20), The aim for Germans to know that they are the superior race is proven by Sources 14.22 and 14.24, where the struggle in the past to become superior is strongly emphasized.
A. One important change made by the Nazis to the education system was stronger control over the schools, like what the teachers taught and what teachers taught at the schools. The Nazis tried to control the schools by encouraging the teachesrs to join the Nazi Party because they wanted to make sure that what the teachers were teaching were good aspects of the Third Reich and the Nazi ideals. The National Socialist Teachers' League (NSLB) was made by the Nazis for teachers to join voluntarily, but eventually forcefully, so they could learn the Nazi ideals and make sure that the teachers were teaching Nazi ideals in school.
B. Another important change the Nazis made to the educational system was the extinction of co-educational schools. Boys and girls could not longer go to school together to make sure that the boys and girls had the education that they were supposed to get, in other words so the "different sexes received their appropriate education." The Nazis wanted to make sure that girls were taught skills such as needlework and music so they could be good housewives and mothers. The boys went through physical excersize training so they could be prepared to fight for Germany and the Nazi ideals.
C. Third, the Nazis also made an import change in setting up leadership schools called the Adolf Hitler Schools. The purpose of this change was to rival the SS's NAPOLA schools and to avoid Rust's interference of the Adolf Hitler Schools, since he had a lot of control on all the other schools. Rust was the Educational Minister and developed the National Political Institutes of Education (NAPOLAs), where boys aged 10 to 18 were taught to be leaders. The other purpose of the Adolf Hitler Schools was to provide free boarding schools where they would learn how to be leaders withb physical, political and military training.
2. Give specific examples of how the Nazis tried in schools to develop the spirit of Volksgemeinschaft in the following seven goals:
Anti-intellectualism: The Nazis tried to develop the spirit of Volksgemeinschaft in schools by expressing that intellectualism is bad for the state. For example, Bernhard Rust, the Nazi Education Minister, said in Education and Instruction (the official manual for teachers) "The chief prupose of the school is to train human beings to realise that the State is more important than the individual, that individuals must be willing and ready to sacrifice themselves for Nation and Fuhrer.” For example, the one month training courses for teachers that were mandatory were solely about Nazi ideology and physical education. Another example is the leadership schools that were supposed to rival the SS schools and Rust, where there was physical training and Nazi ideas forced upon the children, there was no intellectualism put into the education because the Nazis wanted to have strong boys and young men to fight for them and not be able to challenge the Nazi ideology.
Anti-semitism: Anti-semitism was one of the goals where the Nazis tried to develop the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft by firing Jewish teachers and forcing Nazi ideology in the children. The Law for the Restoration of the Civil Service in April of 1933 fired all the Jewish or racial population of the universities, which was about thirty-three percent of all teachers in universities. Another example, is the children at schools, such as NAPOLAs, were taught Nazi ideas, which was greatly anti-semitic so the children became anti-semitic. Anti-semitism was a big part of Volksgeimenschaft because the Jews and other races weren’t included in the “People’s Community.”
Indifference to the weak: The Nazis tried to show indifference to the weak in schools to develop the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft by focusing all of the boys schools on mostly physical exercise and Nazi ideology. All of the boys schools in Germany had a strict focus on physical exercise because they wanted to prove to other countries that Germans are strong, and above all that Germans are the superior race. The strength of Germans, and in turn superiority over other races, was a huge part of the Volksgeimenschaft because it shows the superiority of Germans.
Nationalism: The Nazis tried to show nationalism in schools to develop the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft by everyone working together and training to be tough. By showing that Germans aren’t weak, like at the NAPOLA schools and Adolf Hitler schools, it brings about nationalism to fight the other countries and prove that Germans aren’t weak. It brings back the humiliation Germans felt when they lost World War I and we forced to take all the blame, by showing that they’re tough it proves that they can fight back and basically aren’t the losers. Also, working together brought about nationalism because it forces you to be with your fellow Germans and bring about a sort of “people’s community,” which was exactly what Volksgeimenschaft was supposed to mean.
Militarism: The Nazis tried to show militarism in schools to develop the spirit of Volksgeimeschaft by enforcing the fitness training on all the boys, young men, and teachers. There was exercise training everywhere in Germany, in the schools like NAPOLAs, and in the teacher training for one whole month. This was meant to prepare the boys, young men, and men professors for war and to fight for Germany. This helped to develop the idea of Volksgeimenschaft because the ideas behind it there was the survival of the fittest, where only the “pure” races would survive, and of course on pure Aryan Germans would survive.
Obedience and discipline: The Nazis tried to show obedience and discipline to develop the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft by enforcing meetings on students and teachers. For example, the Nazi-controlled German Students’ League showed order and discipline by meeting twice weekly and forcing them to go through fitness training, such as marching. Also, the one month training for teachers brought about obedience and discipline because all the teachers had to attend or they would be considered as radicals who were going to challenge the Third Reich. This obedience and discipline brought about the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft because it brought about togetherness and strength, which Volksgeimenschaft was supposed to represent.
Hitler Worship: The Nazis tried to show Hitler Worship in schools to develop the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft by making him seem godlike and he would fix everything, make life easy for everyone. For example, in the Adolf Hitler schools children from ages twelve to eighteen could attend for free, which shows his kindness to make life easier for everyone to let their children get a good education, especially when not everyone could afford it. This brought about the spirit of Volksgeimenschaft because it brought about a people’s community by people being surrounded by Hitler, his ideas, and talking about his kindness to let their kids go to school for free.
3. What methods did the Nazis use to try to ensure schools were teaching correctly? (This is from Friday's in-class work.)
The methods the Nazis used to try to ensure schools were teaching are the creation of the National Socialist Teachers’ League, getting rid of “intellectual freedom” (Source 14.16), Hitler worship, and militarism. The National Teachers’ League was set up to tell the teachers how to teach and what to teach, so the professors knew what they were supposed to be teaching and that there shouldn’t be any excuses on what to teach to the children. Getting rid of the “intellectual freedom” was another method because it was supposed to get rid of “political interference”(14.16) and to make them that only Germany exists (14.16), making Germany seem like the pure race. Also, Hitler worship was another method because, as shown in Source 14.18 and 14.25, Hitler is almighty basically. The children and teachers should be proud to be ruled by Hitler because of all he’s done, which all they saw was good things being done since the Nazis limited what they read and heard form newspapers and other news media. If schools, the children and teachers were praising Hitler than they knew that the students and teachers believed in his ideas and were teaching Nazi ideology correctly. Militarism was used to ensure that schools were teaching correctly by including militarism in school subjects, such as math as shown in Sources 14.20 and 14.21. In Source 14.20 it directly states that all subjects “must concentrate on military subjects – the glorification of military service and of German heroes and leaders and the strength of a regenerated German.” Therefore, students were constantly surrounded by this militarism to make it seem like they had to fight for Germany, and by all the subjects being focused around militarism it ensured that the schools were teaching correctly.
4. Write out a statement that explains the main educational aims of the Nazi Education System. (Reference some of the sources.)
The main educational aims of the Nazi Educational System was to prepare students and professors to fight for Germany if needed and to teach students and teachers that Germans are superior than all other races. The aim to prepare to fight can be seen in Sources 14.20, 14.21, 14.22, and 14.23, where there is a tight focus on “knowledge of chemical warfare, explosives, Buna, (…) artillery calculations, ballistics, etc.”(14.20), The aim for Germans to know that they are the superior race is proven by Sources 14.22 and 14.24, where the struggle in the past to become superior is strongly emphasized.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Nazi Rule in Germany
1. Study document A in Chapter 3. Make a detailed list of the kinds of people who were likely to be arrested as "Enemies of the State" in Nazi Germany.
a. "the politicals," such as the Communist members of the Reichstag and other opponents of Hitler
b. any person who speaks out against Hitler, or has "spoken abusively" towards HItler
c. the "work-shy" group is the largest, and they were people such as "a business employee [who] lost his position and applied for unemployment releif" and he turned down an offer working "as a navvy on the new motor roads." Basically, the "work-shy" group consisted of people who asked for jobs but didn't want to do the jobs offered by the Nazis, which showed the Nazis that he or she weren't willing to work for them or Germany, and therefore wanted Germany to not make progress in the world.
d. "the 'Bibelforscher' was another group that were likely to be arrested because they "refused military service" and were banned by the Gestapo
e. Homosexuals would be arrested as "Enemies of teh State" in Nazi Germany because the secret police just didn't like homosexuals.
f. The "professional criminals" were most likely to be arrested as "Enemies of the State" in Nazi Germany because simply they were criminals and a threat to Germany and the want to be a world power.
2. Provide detailed notes on the following sub-topics in Chapter 4 (Jews in Nazi Germany)
A. Hitler's anti-Semitic ideas
1. Hitler believed that the Jews were responsible for Germany's defeat in World War I
2. He believed that they were contriving to take over the world
3. He also believed that the Jewish race was an inferior race and shouldn't be allowed to mix in with the "superior" Aryan Germans
B. The dismissal of Jews from jobs, 1933
1. The SA (the Storm Troopers) organized a boycott of Jewish shops, they were "sacked from important jobs in the civil service, the law, universities and schools, broadcasting and newspapers"
2. in 1934 all Jewish shops were marked with a yellow star or the word "Juden" to show everyone that it was a Jewish shop and to not shop there
3. Jewish people weren't allowed to sit together in parks, buses, and trains
4. children at school were also taught to "believe in anti-semetic ideas"
C. The Nuremberg Laws, 1935
1. the first took their German citizenship
2. forbid marriage between Jews and non-Jews
3. these laws caused a lot of suffereing for the Jews who stayed in Germany
a. it was difficult to get food, milk for their children, and shopping because grocers and in some stores forbade the admittance of Jews in their stores
b. doctors or chemists wouldn't give them medicine if he or she or someone in their family or knew was sick
c. hotels wouldn't allow Jews to sleep at their hotel
d. some went as far as to make signs saying "Jews Strictly Forbidden To Enter This Town" or "Jews Enter This Place At Their Own Risk"
D. The "Night of Broken Glass"
1. was the result of a Jewish person shooting a Nazi official dead and Hitler ordering Himmler to "begin a week of terror against the Jewish population"
2. November 10, 1938 was the first event (The Night of the Broken Glass)
3. thousands of Jewish shop keepers' shops had the windows destroyed and their merchandise stolen from their shops
4. Jewish homes and synagogues were burnt to the ground
5. dozens of Jewish people were killed and thousands were arrested
E. 1938 Violence against Jews
1. ordered to pay a fine of one billion marks
2. men and women forced to clean the streets with scrubbing brushes on their hands and knees
3. the number of concentration camps expanded
3. Why do you think Hitler and the Nazis put so much effort into organizing the lives of young people? (Chapter 5)
I think Hitler and the Nazis put so much effort into organizing the lives of young people because they can be easily influenced and are the future of Germany. As a child, you believe everything that a teacher tells you and teaches you, therefore the school books they used and the teachers who went through trainig during vacation to put Nazi ideas in their lessons were very influencial on the children. The children were constantly expose to Nazism as well, as a result they din't really see anything wrong with Nazism. Since the children were easily influenced and saw nothing wrong with Nazism, they became the future for Germany. This was very important to Hitler and the Nazis because if the children were the future and were learning to be Nazis they would carry on the pure Aryan German race and Nazi Germany would live on.
4. Study the photographs carefully in Chapter 5. Then, using the information and evidence you have read about young people, write a diary of one day in a Hitler Youth camp.
Dear Mother,
I'm no longer sore anymore because I cannot feel pain anymore. At The German Girls League I have become "swift, tough and very hard," just as Hitler wanted from us. Today we marched for fifty miles in the mud and rain, and at one point we had to walk through a three meter wide river where there were ice chunks flowing past us. We didn't feel a thing. I walked through the river with ease and didn't complain once, it was so easy that I was willing to go swimming in the river. I feel very prepared to serve my country, but unfortunately I can't join the army. But I will serve my country by marrying a pure Aryan and have pure Aryan children to make the pure race for Germany. I hope you are proud of me mother because I never felt so sure of myself until now. Long live Nazism, Heil Hitler!
5. What effect did "the three Ks" have upon women. (Chapter 6)
The effect "the three Ks" have upon women were basically enslavement, the women had really no rights and couldn't do much for themselves. The three Ks are Kinder, Kirche, and Kuche which mean Children, Church and Cooking. A woman's job was simply to bear children, stay at home, and cook. Women weren't allowed to express themselves in any way, they couldn't wear make-up, pants, or be slim. These were looked down upon and to be slim was seen as being less able to birth a child, it was thought that it made a woman weaker. Not only were women put down and treated as almost slaves just meant to be child-bearers, there were homes where single women could go to get pregnant with pure Aryan SS agents. The effect of the three Ks was that the women probable felt like slaves, that their only purpose in life was to produce pure Aryan children and women were inferior to men; like women were only good for birthing children and nothing less. However, from what's written in Chapter 6 there weren't any women who tried to stop from being shut down by the three Ks, which shows that all the women just took the pressure to bear children, attend the National Riech Church, and cook only.
6. Study the photograph in Chapter 6 (2nd page) and read the rules of the National Reich Church. Explain in your own words the kind of religion which the Nazis wanted Germans to follow.
The kind of religion the Nazis wanted Germans to follow was one led by Nazis only, where they expressed Nazism only and emphasized strength (represented by the sword) and the ideas Hitler wrote about in Mein Kampf. Since the National Reich Church was only led by "orators of the Reich" only Nazi ideas were mostly likely talked about, I doubt that there was any sort of God or gods involved at the meetings at the church. The Reich Orators probably just talked about Nazi ideas and emphasized how strong Germany was going and supposed to be and the ideas expressed in Mein Kampf. It's as if the author of Mein Kampf, Hitler, was the "God" for Germans because those are the only ideas and words the people would listen to at these meetings. Therefore, the Nazis wanted the Germans to follow a Nazi religion, full of Nazi ideas.
7. How did Hitler address the massive unemployment situation in Germany when he came to power? (Chapter 7)
Hitler addressed the massive unemployment situation in Germany when he came to power by first making the National Labor Service, which gave men jobs in public works such as digging drainage ditches on farms, planting new forests, building schools and hospitals. The advantage of the National Labor Service was free meals, but the men were only given pocket money, had to wear military uniforms, and lived in camps. So the men in the National Labor Service were under strict control of the Third Reich because they lived in camps, wore military uniforms, and were only given pocket money. Data shows that Hitler's National Labor Service program was working, but what he purposefully failed to include were the hundreds of thousands of Jews who were put in concentration camps and the million men who joined the army. Therefore, the decrease in unemployment can't be proven if Hitler's National Labor Service worked because there were so many other people that weren't included in the number of unemployed.
8. What is the significance of the German Labor Front? (Chapter 7)
The significance of the German Labor Front is that basically, yes, people were able to get jobs, but they lost all of their working rights. The people who had jobs were paid ten times of what they were in 1932 and actually had a job, but they could no longer ask for higher wages, boycott, and they were working for more than when the limitations on the number of hours a person coud be made to work was put into law. There weren't as many freedoms, and therefore it shows the tight control the Nazis put on the people living in Germany no matter where or who you were there was no escaping the control and ideas of the Nazis.
9. In your own words, discuss the significance of the Strength through Joy program. (Chapter 8)
The significance of the Strength through Joy program is that the Nazis knew that people worked better if they were happy, and as a result many leisure time activities were made to make people happy. However, Doctor Robert Ley, the leader of KDF (Strength through Joy program), calculated the amount of hours a person has per year for leisure time, which shows that their leisure time was strictly regulated. Another significance is even though German workers were given leisure time, it was controled by Doctor Robert Ley and the Nazis. The workers could only go to certain places, like Austria, and could only do certain activities. The activities were skiing in Bavaria and sport matches organized by the KDF, so there was no escaping the reigns from the Nazis that controled what the workers did. Therefore, the significance is that the people were meant to be happy to work better and harder, but it just showed how much control the Nazis kept over the people.
10. Describe Dr. Joseph Goebbels propaganda and censorship tactics. What effect did they have upon the German citizen? (Chapter 9).
Dr. Joseph Goebbels was the master at propaganda and censorship tactics. In propaganda he tried to make it so strong so people "in the end succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it." Goebbels used the newspapers, radios, and mass rallies as key ways in propaganda. For example, Goebbels controlled what was printed on the newspapers and sometimes he closed down newspapers because they printed stories that weren't approved. In censorship tactics Goebbels made sure that no information that could "badly" influence the people be accessible to them. For example, jazz music was considered a "bad" influence in the view of Goebbels and the Nazis because the origin of Jazz was from black people in America, which weren't a pure Aryan race. Jazz could give people ideas saying that it was okay to express yourself and to accept different cultures as equal, when they were actually inferior to the pure aryan German race. The effect of propaganda on a German citizen is extreme influence, they couldn't help themselves to become involved. If a German citizen walked into a mass rally, like the Nuremburg rallies, they would see the mass of people, the order and the passion and couldn't help him or herself to get hooked into the rally as well, to what was going on in the rally. The effect of censorship on a German citizen is he or she had less freedom on what he or she could do. A German citizen couldn't even say a joke about Hitler without getting the death penalty, and if there was ever a bad representation of a German or relating to Germany it was banned so he or she wouldn't be able to see certain movies or read some books that had this "bad representation." However, for the youth it was an exciting time because they were already influenced and hooked on Nazism they also saw the "bad reputations" as bad and should be destroyed, so there was no negative effect on the a German youth.
a. "the politicals," such as the Communist members of the Reichstag and other opponents of Hitler
b. any person who speaks out against Hitler, or has "spoken abusively" towards HItler
c. the "work-shy" group is the largest, and they were people such as "a business employee [who] lost his position and applied for unemployment releif" and he turned down an offer working "as a navvy on the new motor roads." Basically, the "work-shy" group consisted of people who asked for jobs but didn't want to do the jobs offered by the Nazis, which showed the Nazis that he or she weren't willing to work for them or Germany, and therefore wanted Germany to not make progress in the world.
d. "the 'Bibelforscher' was another group that were likely to be arrested because they "refused military service" and were banned by the Gestapo
e. Homosexuals would be arrested as "Enemies of teh State" in Nazi Germany because the secret police just didn't like homosexuals.
f. The "professional criminals" were most likely to be arrested as "Enemies of the State" in Nazi Germany because simply they were criminals and a threat to Germany and the want to be a world power.
2. Provide detailed notes on the following sub-topics in Chapter 4 (Jews in Nazi Germany)
A. Hitler's anti-Semitic ideas
1. Hitler believed that the Jews were responsible for Germany's defeat in World War I
2. He believed that they were contriving to take over the world
3. He also believed that the Jewish race was an inferior race and shouldn't be allowed to mix in with the "superior" Aryan Germans
B. The dismissal of Jews from jobs, 1933
1. The SA (the Storm Troopers) organized a boycott of Jewish shops, they were "sacked from important jobs in the civil service, the law, universities and schools, broadcasting and newspapers"
2. in 1934 all Jewish shops were marked with a yellow star or the word "Juden" to show everyone that it was a Jewish shop and to not shop there
3. Jewish people weren't allowed to sit together in parks, buses, and trains
4. children at school were also taught to "believe in anti-semetic ideas"
C. The Nuremberg Laws, 1935
1. the first took their German citizenship
2. forbid marriage between Jews and non-Jews
3. these laws caused a lot of suffereing for the Jews who stayed in Germany
a. it was difficult to get food, milk for their children, and shopping because grocers and in some stores forbade the admittance of Jews in their stores
b. doctors or chemists wouldn't give them medicine if he or she or someone in their family or knew was sick
c. hotels wouldn't allow Jews to sleep at their hotel
d. some went as far as to make signs saying "Jews Strictly Forbidden To Enter This Town" or "Jews Enter This Place At Their Own Risk"
D. The "Night of Broken Glass"
1. was the result of a Jewish person shooting a Nazi official dead and Hitler ordering Himmler to "begin a week of terror against the Jewish population"
2. November 10, 1938 was the first event (The Night of the Broken Glass)
3. thousands of Jewish shop keepers' shops had the windows destroyed and their merchandise stolen from their shops
4. Jewish homes and synagogues were burnt to the ground
5. dozens of Jewish people were killed and thousands were arrested
E. 1938 Violence against Jews
1. ordered to pay a fine of one billion marks
2. men and women forced to clean the streets with scrubbing brushes on their hands and knees
3. the number of concentration camps expanded
3. Why do you think Hitler and the Nazis put so much effort into organizing the lives of young people? (Chapter 5)
I think Hitler and the Nazis put so much effort into organizing the lives of young people because they can be easily influenced and are the future of Germany. As a child, you believe everything that a teacher tells you and teaches you, therefore the school books they used and the teachers who went through trainig during vacation to put Nazi ideas in their lessons were very influencial on the children. The children were constantly expose to Nazism as well, as a result they din't really see anything wrong with Nazism. Since the children were easily influenced and saw nothing wrong with Nazism, they became the future for Germany. This was very important to Hitler and the Nazis because if the children were the future and were learning to be Nazis they would carry on the pure Aryan German race and Nazi Germany would live on.
4. Study the photographs carefully in Chapter 5. Then, using the information and evidence you have read about young people, write a diary of one day in a Hitler Youth camp.
Dear Mother,
I'm no longer sore anymore because I cannot feel pain anymore. At The German Girls League I have become "swift, tough and very hard," just as Hitler wanted from us. Today we marched for fifty miles in the mud and rain, and at one point we had to walk through a three meter wide river where there were ice chunks flowing past us. We didn't feel a thing. I walked through the river with ease and didn't complain once, it was so easy that I was willing to go swimming in the river. I feel very prepared to serve my country, but unfortunately I can't join the army. But I will serve my country by marrying a pure Aryan and have pure Aryan children to make the pure race for Germany. I hope you are proud of me mother because I never felt so sure of myself until now. Long live Nazism, Heil Hitler!
5. What effect did "the three Ks" have upon women. (Chapter 6)
The effect "the three Ks" have upon women were basically enslavement, the women had really no rights and couldn't do much for themselves. The three Ks are Kinder, Kirche, and Kuche which mean Children, Church and Cooking. A woman's job was simply to bear children, stay at home, and cook. Women weren't allowed to express themselves in any way, they couldn't wear make-up, pants, or be slim. These were looked down upon and to be slim was seen as being less able to birth a child, it was thought that it made a woman weaker. Not only were women put down and treated as almost slaves just meant to be child-bearers, there were homes where single women could go to get pregnant with pure Aryan SS agents. The effect of the three Ks was that the women probable felt like slaves, that their only purpose in life was to produce pure Aryan children and women were inferior to men; like women were only good for birthing children and nothing less. However, from what's written in Chapter 6 there weren't any women who tried to stop from being shut down by the three Ks, which shows that all the women just took the pressure to bear children, attend the National Riech Church, and cook only.
6. Study the photograph in Chapter 6 (2nd page) and read the rules of the National Reich Church. Explain in your own words the kind of religion which the Nazis wanted Germans to follow.
The kind of religion the Nazis wanted Germans to follow was one led by Nazis only, where they expressed Nazism only and emphasized strength (represented by the sword) and the ideas Hitler wrote about in Mein Kampf. Since the National Reich Church was only led by "orators of the Reich" only Nazi ideas were mostly likely talked about, I doubt that there was any sort of God or gods involved at the meetings at the church. The Reich Orators probably just talked about Nazi ideas and emphasized how strong Germany was going and supposed to be and the ideas expressed in Mein Kampf. It's as if the author of Mein Kampf, Hitler, was the "God" for Germans because those are the only ideas and words the people would listen to at these meetings. Therefore, the Nazis wanted the Germans to follow a Nazi religion, full of Nazi ideas.
7. How did Hitler address the massive unemployment situation in Germany when he came to power? (Chapter 7)
Hitler addressed the massive unemployment situation in Germany when he came to power by first making the National Labor Service, which gave men jobs in public works such as digging drainage ditches on farms, planting new forests, building schools and hospitals. The advantage of the National Labor Service was free meals, but the men were only given pocket money, had to wear military uniforms, and lived in camps. So the men in the National Labor Service were under strict control of the Third Reich because they lived in camps, wore military uniforms, and were only given pocket money. Data shows that Hitler's National Labor Service program was working, but what he purposefully failed to include were the hundreds of thousands of Jews who were put in concentration camps and the million men who joined the army. Therefore, the decrease in unemployment can't be proven if Hitler's National Labor Service worked because there were so many other people that weren't included in the number of unemployed.
8. What is the significance of the German Labor Front? (Chapter 7)
The significance of the German Labor Front is that basically, yes, people were able to get jobs, but they lost all of their working rights. The people who had jobs were paid ten times of what they were in 1932 and actually had a job, but they could no longer ask for higher wages, boycott, and they were working for more than when the limitations on the number of hours a person coud be made to work was put into law. There weren't as many freedoms, and therefore it shows the tight control the Nazis put on the people living in Germany no matter where or who you were there was no escaping the control and ideas of the Nazis.
9. In your own words, discuss the significance of the Strength through Joy program. (Chapter 8)
The significance of the Strength through Joy program is that the Nazis knew that people worked better if they were happy, and as a result many leisure time activities were made to make people happy. However, Doctor Robert Ley, the leader of KDF (Strength through Joy program), calculated the amount of hours a person has per year for leisure time, which shows that their leisure time was strictly regulated. Another significance is even though German workers were given leisure time, it was controled by Doctor Robert Ley and the Nazis. The workers could only go to certain places, like Austria, and could only do certain activities. The activities were skiing in Bavaria and sport matches organized by the KDF, so there was no escaping the reigns from the Nazis that controled what the workers did. Therefore, the significance is that the people were meant to be happy to work better and harder, but it just showed how much control the Nazis kept over the people.
10. Describe Dr. Joseph Goebbels propaganda and censorship tactics. What effect did they have upon the German citizen? (Chapter 9).
Dr. Joseph Goebbels was the master at propaganda and censorship tactics. In propaganda he tried to make it so strong so people "in the end succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it." Goebbels used the newspapers, radios, and mass rallies as key ways in propaganda. For example, Goebbels controlled what was printed on the newspapers and sometimes he closed down newspapers because they printed stories that weren't approved. In censorship tactics Goebbels made sure that no information that could "badly" influence the people be accessible to them. For example, jazz music was considered a "bad" influence in the view of Goebbels and the Nazis because the origin of Jazz was from black people in America, which weren't a pure Aryan race. Jazz could give people ideas saying that it was okay to express yourself and to accept different cultures as equal, when they were actually inferior to the pure aryan German race. The effect of propaganda on a German citizen is extreme influence, they couldn't help themselves to become involved. If a German citizen walked into a mass rally, like the Nuremburg rallies, they would see the mass of people, the order and the passion and couldn't help him or herself to get hooked into the rally as well, to what was going on in the rally. The effect of censorship on a German citizen is he or she had less freedom on what he or she could do. A German citizen couldn't even say a joke about Hitler without getting the death penalty, and if there was ever a bad representation of a German or relating to Germany it was banned so he or she wouldn't be able to see certain movies or read some books that had this "bad representation." However, for the youth it was an exciting time because they were already influenced and hooked on Nazism they also saw the "bad reputations" as bad and should be destroyed, so there was no negative effect on the a German youth.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
How Hitler Got Away with Murder in NOLK
1. Find the sources on page 178. What reasons can you infer from each source (Sources 10.12 to 10.20) as to why Hitler got away with the Night of the Long Knives?
Source 10.12:
In Source 10.12 the reason inferred as to why HItler got away with the Night of the Long Knives because it was legal. It was legal because a law was passed by the Reichstag, and the section of the phrase that says "are justifiable acts of self-defence by the state," which shows that the "state" or Germany approves Hitler's purge in the Night of the Long Knives.
Source 10.13:
In Source 10.13 the reason inferred that made Hitler’s purge at the Night of the Long Knives justifiable because Hitler is the only judge on the German people that is allowed to determine whether a person is dangerous to Germany or not. Also, Hitler says “I was responsible for the fate of the German people” which could mean that if he didn’t kill those generals of the SA and other threats that German’s fate would’ve been bad, possibly. This can be inferred because in this source it sounds like if Hitler didn’t come to the rescue than it would have been very bad for Gemany, however, we don’t know what was bad from reading this source.
Source 10.14:
In Source 10.14 the reason you can deduce as to why Hitler was able to get away from the crime he did in the Night of the Long Knives is because “Hitler has prevented a much greater bloodbath,” referring to the revolution that SA supposedly was planning. Also, the source says that Hitler was “the cleanser of the Movement,” which if you were a German and heard this you would think that Hitler cleaned Germany of the bad people, the threats; which would be perceived as a good thing.
Source 10.15:
In Source 10.15 the reason that can be assumed why Hitler was able to get away with the Night of the Long Knives is because the people felt relieved and happy that those people were killed, and now they can relax. Also, the reason for the people unrelated that were excited were seen as an accident by the Gestapo and other government reports saying the excesses “took place without the knowledge and against the will of the Fuhrer,” so the people thought that Hitler didn’t want these people dead and that it was an accident or miscommunication.
Source 10.16:
In Source 10.16 the inferred reason as to why Hitler got away with the Night of the Long Knives is because the people killed were “traitors and murderers” which makes it seem like the Night of the Long Knives was a very good thing for Germany as a way to get rid of the bad people in Germany. Basically, Hitler called the generals, people of the SA, and the others traitors and murderers of Germany, as threats to Germany, so it was okay to kill them.
Source 10.17:
In Source 10.17 the reason you can assume why Hitler got away with NOLK is because Hitler struck fear into everyone that they could also be killed under Hitler’s orders. Since they were so afraid to upset Hitler they didn’t question his reasoning because they were afraid of getting killed as well, this can be deduced from Source 10.17 because the German citizen says “After June 30th everyone was frightened,” which shows that everyone was definitely afraid of Hitler and probably too afraid to stand up to him.
Source 10.18:
The reasoning that can be deduced as to why Hitler got away with NOLK in Source 10.18 because Hindenburg says “You have saved the German nation from serious danger and for this I express to you my deeply felt gratitude and my sincere appreciation.” Since Hindenburg calls the murdered people “serious danger” and thanks Hitler it shows that Hitler influenced people so much to make them truly believe that the SA were a serious threat and that they should be thankful that Hitler ordered the army to kill them.
Source 10.19:
What can be assumed from Source 10.19 as to why Hitler was able to get away with NOLK is because everyone stood behind Hitler, nobody challenged him and everyone went with what he did and said. Also, I believe where it says “I don’t see parties, I just see Germans,” shows that the people the army killed at NOLK weren’t Germans, which justifies as NOLK being a good thing because now there’s just “pure Germans” living in Germany.
Source 10.20:
In Source 10.20 what can be deduced as to why Hitler got away with NOLK is because the Saxon businessman says “he has freed us from the Marxists (and has) got rid of the harmful influence (of the) dreadful SA,” which shows that the businessman and possibly many others believed that the SA and the others that were killed were communists and a “harmful influence” to Germany. Many people disliked communists and since Hitler described the SA and these people as communists he was able to get away with NOLK.
2. Read page 179. Why was the Night of the Long Knives so significant in Hitler's consolidation of power? (Be sure to use specific details in your answer.)
The Night of the Long Knives was so significant in Hitler’s consolidation of power because he triumphed over the Left and the Right, tamed the radicals and the SA, and won support of the army. The Left and the Right were huge threats to Hitler’s consolidation of power. If Hitler didn’t get rid of them there was a high chance that Hitler would’ve lost power because from the Left there were three million SA soldiers who were expecting a second revolution and were concerned about Hitler selling out to the right. Therefore, if the SA had their second revolution Hitler would be greatly outnumbered and would most likely lose power. Also, from the Right the army worried about the Nazi radicals, especially the SA, and the growing criticism of Nazi excesses from the army were threats to Hitler’s power. Therefore, getting rid of the SA got rid of the threat of a “second revolution” and possible overthrow, and it gave Hitler more support from the Right for getting rid of the Left, whom the Right were concerned about. Not only was he able to get rid of the Rightist threats and win support of the Left, the army, but he was also able to threaten anybody else who dared to challenge him. People, especially his opponents, became so afraid of Hitler that they were no longer threats for him. They were so afraid that they would be murdered so they no longer were extreme trying to challenge Hitler. In summary, the significance of the Night of the Long Knives was important to Hitler’s consolidation because he was able to get rid of his threats from the SA and also gain support from the powerful army to the Right.
Source 10.12:
In Source 10.12 the reason inferred as to why HItler got away with the Night of the Long Knives because it was legal. It was legal because a law was passed by the Reichstag, and the section of the phrase that says "are justifiable acts of self-defence by the state," which shows that the "state" or Germany approves Hitler's purge in the Night of the Long Knives.
Source 10.13:
In Source 10.13 the reason inferred that made Hitler’s purge at the Night of the Long Knives justifiable because Hitler is the only judge on the German people that is allowed to determine whether a person is dangerous to Germany or not. Also, Hitler says “I was responsible for the fate of the German people” which could mean that if he didn’t kill those generals of the SA and other threats that German’s fate would’ve been bad, possibly. This can be inferred because in this source it sounds like if Hitler didn’t come to the rescue than it would have been very bad for Gemany, however, we don’t know what was bad from reading this source.
Source 10.14:
In Source 10.14 the reason you can deduce as to why Hitler was able to get away from the crime he did in the Night of the Long Knives is because “Hitler has prevented a much greater bloodbath,” referring to the revolution that SA supposedly was planning. Also, the source says that Hitler was “the cleanser of the Movement,” which if you were a German and heard this you would think that Hitler cleaned Germany of the bad people, the threats; which would be perceived as a good thing.
Source 10.15:
In Source 10.15 the reason that can be assumed why Hitler was able to get away with the Night of the Long Knives is because the people felt relieved and happy that those people were killed, and now they can relax. Also, the reason for the people unrelated that were excited were seen as an accident by the Gestapo and other government reports saying the excesses “took place without the knowledge and against the will of the Fuhrer,” so the people thought that Hitler didn’t want these people dead and that it was an accident or miscommunication.
Source 10.16:
In Source 10.16 the inferred reason as to why Hitler got away with the Night of the Long Knives is because the people killed were “traitors and murderers” which makes it seem like the Night of the Long Knives was a very good thing for Germany as a way to get rid of the bad people in Germany. Basically, Hitler called the generals, people of the SA, and the others traitors and murderers of Germany, as threats to Germany, so it was okay to kill them.
Source 10.17:
In Source 10.17 the reason you can assume why Hitler got away with NOLK is because Hitler struck fear into everyone that they could also be killed under Hitler’s orders. Since they were so afraid to upset Hitler they didn’t question his reasoning because they were afraid of getting killed as well, this can be deduced from Source 10.17 because the German citizen says “After June 30th everyone was frightened,” which shows that everyone was definitely afraid of Hitler and probably too afraid to stand up to him.
Source 10.18:
The reasoning that can be deduced as to why Hitler got away with NOLK in Source 10.18 because Hindenburg says “You have saved the German nation from serious danger and for this I express to you my deeply felt gratitude and my sincere appreciation.” Since Hindenburg calls the murdered people “serious danger” and thanks Hitler it shows that Hitler influenced people so much to make them truly believe that the SA were a serious threat and that they should be thankful that Hitler ordered the army to kill them.
Source 10.19:
What can be assumed from Source 10.19 as to why Hitler was able to get away with NOLK is because everyone stood behind Hitler, nobody challenged him and everyone went with what he did and said. Also, I believe where it says “I don’t see parties, I just see Germans,” shows that the people the army killed at NOLK weren’t Germans, which justifies as NOLK being a good thing because now there’s just “pure Germans” living in Germany.
Source 10.20:
In Source 10.20 what can be deduced as to why Hitler got away with NOLK is because the Saxon businessman says “he has freed us from the Marxists (and has) got rid of the harmful influence (of the) dreadful SA,” which shows that the businessman and possibly many others believed that the SA and the others that were killed were communists and a “harmful influence” to Germany. Many people disliked communists and since Hitler described the SA and these people as communists he was able to get away with NOLK.
2. Read page 179. Why was the Night of the Long Knives so significant in Hitler's consolidation of power? (Be sure to use specific details in your answer.)
The Night of the Long Knives was so significant in Hitler’s consolidation of power because he triumphed over the Left and the Right, tamed the radicals and the SA, and won support of the army. The Left and the Right were huge threats to Hitler’s consolidation of power. If Hitler didn’t get rid of them there was a high chance that Hitler would’ve lost power because from the Left there were three million SA soldiers who were expecting a second revolution and were concerned about Hitler selling out to the right. Therefore, if the SA had their second revolution Hitler would be greatly outnumbered and would most likely lose power. Also, from the Right the army worried about the Nazi radicals, especially the SA, and the growing criticism of Nazi excesses from the army were threats to Hitler’s power. Therefore, getting rid of the SA got rid of the threat of a “second revolution” and possible overthrow, and it gave Hitler more support from the Right for getting rid of the Left, whom the Right were concerned about. Not only was he able to get rid of the Rightist threats and win support of the Left, the army, but he was also able to threaten anybody else who dared to challenge him. People, especially his opponents, became so afraid of Hitler that they were no longer threats for him. They were so afraid that they would be murdered so they no longer were extreme trying to challenge Hitler. In summary, the significance of the Night of the Long Knives was important to Hitler’s consolidation because he was able to get rid of his threats from the SA and also gain support from the powerful army to the Right.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Nazi Propaganda
Read Nazi Propaganda - Aims and Methods - Part 1
Using the information and the primary sources describe: (Pgs. 245-247)
a. The chief aims of Nazi propaganda
The chief aims of Nazi propaganda were for the propaganda to seem invisible to the people, to be simplified for even the least intelligent people to understand, to catch the people on a personal basis, to influence people spiritually, to make the government and people correspond, and to get rid of the “Weimer Culture” and foreigners.
In Source 13.2 the chief aim being portrayed is that the “aims of the propagandists” be invisible, but still be able to “penetrate into every cell of life.” In other words, the propaganda had to be subtle with their views so it would be hard for people to figure out exactly what the policies were of NSDAP, but the propaganda had to be powerful enough to effect Germans and to make them vote for NSDAP.
Another example, is Sources 13.3 and 13,5, the chief aim discussed is to simplify the propaganda enough so everyone in Germany can understand. The NSDAP didn’t want to leave Germans out because they couldn’t read the propaganda, so it was a goal of theirs to make the propaganda, like films, posters, newspapers, and radio, as simple as can be.
Also, in Sources 13.4 and 13.5 the chief aim discusses is making the propaganda memorable. The chief aim of making things memorable was to make sure that not just random people were talked to but, workers and specific people were given a personal chat to make them feel the NSDAP really cared about them and to catch their attention.
In Source 13.6 the chief aim of Nazi propaganda described here is for the propaganda to influence the people spiritually, through cultural, economic, propaganda on behalf of the state, and to enlighten people at home an abroad. The key aim emphasized in this source is “to enlighten people at home and abroad,” this tells us that the NSDAP didn’t just want to confine their ideas in Germany, but also spread them in other countries as well through the propaganda, like films, posters, newspapers, and radio.
Another key aim is discussed in Source 13.7, which talks about making the government and people correspond with each other. One of the main goals or policies of NSDAP was to make the government and people communicate and work together in regards to Germany’s stability.
Lastly, in Source 13.8, the chief aim discussed is getting rid of the “Weimer Culture” and foreigners. The Weimer Culture and foreigners were used in Nazi propaganda to show that these people and new traditions are diminishing the old traditions and to make the German race pure of Aryans.
b. The means used to achieve those aims
For the most part the Nazi Party gradually took over the press, radios, film industry, photographs, and posters; some quicker than others. For example, Hitler, the RMVP, and the head of the RMVP, Goebbels, over an extended period of time took over the press. At first Goebbels and the RMVP told the press what they could and couldn’t write about, but the RMVP ended up taking complete control over the press by holding daily conferences to discuss what was going to be published and Clause 14 was made. Clause 14 says “Obliged editors to exclude from their papers everything ‘calculated to weaken the strength of the Reich abroad or at home, the resolution of the community, German defense, culture, or the economy, or to injure the religious sensibilities of others, as well as everything offense to the honor or dignity of a German.” As you can see, the press were in the beginning just told by Goebbels and the RMVP that they couldn’t write about certain topics to the press cant write about anything that would offend “the honor or dignity of a German.” The press was not the only mean the Nazis used to achieve their aims, but they also used the radios.
The radios were taken over by Reich governors in 1933, “and in April 1934 the Nazis established a unified radio system and purged it of hostile elements.” Hitler, Goebbels, and the RMVP planned to put some of Hitler’s speeches on the radio to make it easier to catch people’s attention and so everyone could listen, but they didn’t gain any popularity on the radios so Hitler did more public speaking. The main purpose of the radios, though, was for light entertainment for the Germans. Even though Hitler’s speeches didn’t gain popularity some of the “key speeches were announced by sirens, and work stopped so all could listen to public loudspeakers. Radio wardens organized these important ‘national moments,’ and reported on attendance,” therefore, many Germans listened to some of Hitler’s key speeches, but people at home probably weren’t listening to them. Radios were not the only means used to achieve their aims, films, photographs, and posters were also used.
Film was the most used tool to achieve the aims of catching people’s attention, making the policies seem invisible, and inspiring the people. Goebbels thought that films could be huge propaganda tools because they could make films with Nazism undertones. It turned out that the movies with these Nazism undertones were very popular with the people because it was a source of entertainment and relaxation, the most popular films were “Jud Suss” and “Triumph of the Will.” Some of the unsuccessful films are “Hitlerjunge Queux” (Nazi murdered by Communists) and “Der Ewige Jude”(The Eternal Jew) mostly because the policies of the Nazis were extremely bold and harsh for the people, and they didn’t like it so they didn’t watch these movies. Therefore, in the more successful films Goebbels and the RMVP were able to make the Nazis policies invisible to the people through symbolism in the films, but they were also able to catch the attention of the Germans because the films were such a huge source of entertainment.
Also, photographs were used as a means to achieve the aims. In the photographs Hitler posed to convey that he was kind, gentle-hearted, and that his policies for Germany are great. In the photographs there were Nazism undertones as well that showed Hitler as a gentle being, and made it look like the German people were going to be taken care of. The photographs caught people’s attention because of Hitler looking so kind, so it made him feel welcoming, and there were hints as to what Hitler and the Nazi party planned to do. For example, in Source 13.20 it shows Hitler befriending children, which shows his kindness and that in his policies he might improve education or just the wellbeing of children. However, it is not directly said, so the aim of the policies almost being invisible is achieved because nobody knows exactly if there’s a policy being conveyed in this photograph, but it also catches the attention of Germans most likely because there are children in the photograph.
Lastly, the most used means of achieving their aims was posters. The NMVP used posters the most out of all the means, and they mostly achieved their aims as well. In the posters they depicted Hitler, NSDAP, and everyone else to get attention of the people and possible raise morale, which were their aims to inspire people and get their attention. Also, the posters made Hitler look like he was destined to be a leader, which might’ve inspired people as well, but also kept the policies invisible while still captivating people to vote for the Nazis. For example, in Source 13.22 it shows Hitler leading the German people, there are sunrays almost shining on him, and an eagle soaring above him; which if I saw this poster in the 1930s as a German I would’ve been greatly inspired by it because it shows that someone is going to get Germany out of the chaos from the Weimer Republic and lead Germany. However, I do not know exactly what policies Hitler is going to make if he becomes leader, but I do get the feeling that he’s going to lead Germany; which captivates me and still keeps the policies invisible to Germans.
c. Explain how the Nazis used the press, radio, and film as forms of propaganda. (Pgs. 247-253)
c. The Nazis used the press, radio, and films as forms of propaganda mostly by limiting what the German people could be exposed to. First, Hitler and the RMVP gradually took over the press because they still wanted Germans to have the freedom to somewhat write about and express their ideas, to still have the freedom of speech and some sort of freedom of the press, but eventually Goebbels, Hitler and NMVP took complete control over the press. Before the press were just told what they could and couldn’t write about, but after they were completely taken over the press couldn’t write about anything that “calculated to weaken the strength of the Reich abroad or at home, the resolution of the community, German defense, culture, or the economy, or to injure the religious sensibilities of others, as well as everything offensive to the honor or dignity of a German,” this was Clause 14. The power of the press made the Nazi Party limit what they knew about the NSDAP policies, what they planned to do, and only gave the “good” things about the Nazi Party; which was one of their aims, to make the policies invisible to the public but still captivate them.
The Nazis also used the radio as a form of propaganda by grabbing the attention of the people, making Hitler known around Germany, and inspiring the people with his speeches. In 1933 the Reich governors officially took over the radios, but “in April 1934 the Nazis established a unified radio system and purged it of hostile elements.” The Nazis did this because they wanted to limit what the people heard, Hitler, Goebbels and NMVP didn’t want the people to hear the bad things about NSDAP, they wanted the people to hear only the good things. Some of Hitler’s key speeches were aired on the radio, and at one point workers would stop working to listen to these speeches, it was mandatory that they did so. This way the people could only hear what Hitler wanted them to hear, and it was an attempt to captivate and inspire the people, but evidenced showed that the radio speeches weren’t very popular so Hitler did more public speeches instead.
Films were also used by the NSDAP as a form of propaganda by giving entertainment to the people that they could enjoy, but in the films there were Nazism undertones that were to catch the attention of the people and for the policies to remain relatively invisible. The films were very successful because many people enjoyed watching the films, and another one of the aims was accomplished as well, to make everyone be able to understand what is being said. In the films simple language was used and it was easy to follow. Therefore, the Nazis used films as a form of propaganda by giving entertainment, making the policies silent, catching the attention of the people, and making it comprehendible to everyone.
d. Explain Goebbels' contribution to the creation and development of the Third Reich
Goebbels’ contribution to the creation and development of the Third Reich was key, he oversaw everything that went on in the NMVP and worked extremely hard to catch the attention of the people and get NSDAP and Hitler get control of Germany. Goebbels’ was very close to Hitler, which helped him to make the propaganda that Hitler wanted. Also, Goebbels revolutionized propaganda by using radio and films, which were key components of the propaganda and what made the Nazis successful. For example, Hitler wanted to have strong, bold films that greatly criticized the Jewish population and emphasized the Nazis fiercely, such as Der Ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew), however, films such as The Eternal Jew weren’t very popular because of it’s boldness, and Goebbels saw the popularity dwindling and new exactly what kind of film needed to be made. The Triumph of the Will was one of these films because the people were able to enjoy the film and not feel threatened or disgusted by what the film presented, there were subtle undertones in the film that showed some the NDSAPs’ policies, but it was still enjoyable for the German people to watch so it was a huge success. Without Goebbels running the NMVP and propaganda I don’t think Hitler would’ve been successful in obtaining power because Goebbels mastered the propaganda to get the people’s attention and inspire them to vote for Hitler and the NSDAP.
Read Nazi Propaganda - Other Methods - Part 2
e. Explain how the Nazis used the activities described on pages 254-259 as a form of propaganda.
The Nazis used meetings and rallies, festivals, sports, the autobahns, and social policy as forms of propaganda by inspiring the people, getting everyone involved, and extending the propaganda to foreign countries.
First, the meetings and rallies were the most successful forms of propaganda to gain support. This is true because as Source 13.24 says at the rallies and meetings “There was no casual spectator; everyone played a part. Discipline, obedience, self-sacrificing, loyalty, duty—these were the highest virtues. The individual had to enter the mass…” At the rallies and meetings there was a feeling of “wishing to belong” and then Hitler came in to present his speech and captivated everyone because he was good at manipulating emotions. There was only one thing you could do at these rallies and meetings and that was to join in. The architecture by Speer made the mood very patriotic and inspiring, which captivated people even more. Since the rallies and meetings captivated people and made it easy for everyone to understand, while still keeping the policies “invisible” it was a propaganda method.
Second, the festivals were a means of propaganda because the Nazis used festivals to celebrate key dates in the Nazi year, and if anyone didn’t support it they might have been reported to the Gestapo. Therefore, people had to participate in these festivals, but it brought about patriotism and inspired people.
Sports were also a form of propaganda because it was extended towards foreign countries as well. It was extended towards foreigners by showing that Germany was superior then Germany, and that Germany is a powerful country. The sports wasn’t just towards foreigners it was also to strengthen the support from the people, which was done in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The structure of the building was made out of cement, but on the walls were the names of the soldiers who fought in World War I. This connected sports with militarism, which made the Germans seem stronger and that they should fight as hard as they can against the competition in order to win for Germany.
The autobahns were used as propaganda by the Nazis by Hitler and the NSDAP exaggerating the extremity of the project, which brought newsreel makers, photographers, and painters that helped to sell the message of “a revived German nation working together for the common good, symbolizing the political strength, willpower, and achievement of Hitler’s Germany.” The project was exaggerated to make it seem much more important than it actually was, it did provide about 125,000 jobs during the Depression, but once it was finished only one out of forty-four Germans were driving and using the autobahns. As one can see the autobahns were used as propaganda by over exaggerating the importance of the autobahns.
Lastly, the Nazis used social policy as propaganda by attempting to transform people’s consciousness and not their social position. The Nazis made an idea of a Volksgemeinschaft, which meant working together, where schemes were made to symbolize and bring people together for working together. Some of the other programs or groups were Beauty of Work and Strength, people’s car scheme, Winter Relief Campaign, and Eintopf. These groups attempted to symbolize co-operation and to illustrate the new People’s Community in operation. It was mainly focused on community and working together, which inspired Germans to join these groups and do those acts of unity.
Read Nazi Propaganda - Culture - Part 3 and Part 4
f. Explain how the Third Reich used painting, sculpture and architecture for propaganda purposes (Pgs. 260-270).
The Third Reich used painting, sculpture, and architecture for propaganda purposes by banding the Weimer Republic era of art and having tight control on what was produced as art. First, painting was used in the Third Reich for propaganda purposes by using the Weimer Republic era paintings as a mockery and disgrace for Germany and producing paintings that glorified Germany and showed the true Aryan people as superior. For example, Hitler decided to make two different art buildings, the Exhibition of Great German Art and the Exhibition of Degenerate Art. The Exhibition of Great German Art consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed pure Germans, the bodies of strong people who were German and healthy peasants, to show that German is strong and the superior race. In the Exhibition of Degenerate Art it showed “the disruption of established values under the Weimer Republic,” such as works in distorted forms, unnatural colors, and unsettling subjects. The overall message of the Exhibition of Degenerate Art was the Weimer Republic was a horrible system filled with chaos and ugly people, but the other exhibition emphasized the superiority of the German race over others and their strength. This was how the Third Reich used paintings for propaganda purpose, to show that the Weimer Republic was the inferior and chaotic Germany and the true Germans are Aryan and superior than other nations.
Sculptures were also used for propaganda purposes during the Third Reich; it also showed the purity and strength of pure Aryan Germans. For example, sculptures were made in front of Nazi buildings of huge muscle men to show the “biological pure, vigorous Aryan race.” There is clear evidence that there was a major difference between art before and during the Third Reich, which shows how the Nazis and Hitler wanted to show the vigor and purity of pure German Aryans. For example, in Source 13.37 it shows two sculptures of a woman by Georg Kolbe. The first one (1930) being sculpted with artist imperfections, imperfections that were made on purpose, but the other (1938) was made to look perfect. The texture is smooth like skin and there are no imperfections. These sculptures shows the purity in Germans Hitler was trying to make and show to other countries that they are superior and stronger.
Lastly, architecture was uses for propaganda purposes during the Third Reich by promoting the Thousand Year Reich the Nazis were trying to make because the materials these buildings were being made of were from materials that would last. For example, one of Hitler’s biggest projects was to rebuild the city of Berlin. He planned to make a People’s Hall, a five-kilometer long boulevard, an arch, and a station square. The main purpose of the rebuilding was to “give the regime the appearance of power and permanence,” which coincided with the idea of a Thousand Year Long Reich. The appearance wasn’t the only symbolism Hitler used as propaganda, he and Speer also used different building materials. Speer and Hitler made neo-classical and monumental style for public buildings to show authority and collective effort from the people, a traditional style was used for homes to show the backward-looking and pro-countryside aspect of Nazi ideology, and in some areas modernism stayed because they were already there. In conclusion, the Third Reich used paintings, sculptures, and architecture for propaganda purposes by banding the Weimer Republic era art and having tight control on what was and wasn’t produced by artists and the main architect, Speer.
Using the information and the primary sources describe: (Pgs. 245-247)
a. The chief aims of Nazi propaganda
The chief aims of Nazi propaganda were for the propaganda to seem invisible to the people, to be simplified for even the least intelligent people to understand, to catch the people on a personal basis, to influence people spiritually, to make the government and people correspond, and to get rid of the “Weimer Culture” and foreigners.
In Source 13.2 the chief aim being portrayed is that the “aims of the propagandists” be invisible, but still be able to “penetrate into every cell of life.” In other words, the propaganda had to be subtle with their views so it would be hard for people to figure out exactly what the policies were of NSDAP, but the propaganda had to be powerful enough to effect Germans and to make them vote for NSDAP.
Another example, is Sources 13.3 and 13,5, the chief aim discussed is to simplify the propaganda enough so everyone in Germany can understand. The NSDAP didn’t want to leave Germans out because they couldn’t read the propaganda, so it was a goal of theirs to make the propaganda, like films, posters, newspapers, and radio, as simple as can be.
Also, in Sources 13.4 and 13.5 the chief aim discusses is making the propaganda memorable. The chief aim of making things memorable was to make sure that not just random people were talked to but, workers and specific people were given a personal chat to make them feel the NSDAP really cared about them and to catch their attention.
In Source 13.6 the chief aim of Nazi propaganda described here is for the propaganda to influence the people spiritually, through cultural, economic, propaganda on behalf of the state, and to enlighten people at home an abroad. The key aim emphasized in this source is “to enlighten people at home and abroad,” this tells us that the NSDAP didn’t just want to confine their ideas in Germany, but also spread them in other countries as well through the propaganda, like films, posters, newspapers, and radio.
Another key aim is discussed in Source 13.7, which talks about making the government and people correspond with each other. One of the main goals or policies of NSDAP was to make the government and people communicate and work together in regards to Germany’s stability.
Lastly, in Source 13.8, the chief aim discussed is getting rid of the “Weimer Culture” and foreigners. The Weimer Culture and foreigners were used in Nazi propaganda to show that these people and new traditions are diminishing the old traditions and to make the German race pure of Aryans.
b. The means used to achieve those aims
For the most part the Nazi Party gradually took over the press, radios, film industry, photographs, and posters; some quicker than others. For example, Hitler, the RMVP, and the head of the RMVP, Goebbels, over an extended period of time took over the press. At first Goebbels and the RMVP told the press what they could and couldn’t write about, but the RMVP ended up taking complete control over the press by holding daily conferences to discuss what was going to be published and Clause 14 was made. Clause 14 says “Obliged editors to exclude from their papers everything ‘calculated to weaken the strength of the Reich abroad or at home, the resolution of the community, German defense, culture, or the economy, or to injure the religious sensibilities of others, as well as everything offense to the honor or dignity of a German.” As you can see, the press were in the beginning just told by Goebbels and the RMVP that they couldn’t write about certain topics to the press cant write about anything that would offend “the honor or dignity of a German.” The press was not the only mean the Nazis used to achieve their aims, but they also used the radios.
The radios were taken over by Reich governors in 1933, “and in April 1934 the Nazis established a unified radio system and purged it of hostile elements.” Hitler, Goebbels, and the RMVP planned to put some of Hitler’s speeches on the radio to make it easier to catch people’s attention and so everyone could listen, but they didn’t gain any popularity on the radios so Hitler did more public speaking. The main purpose of the radios, though, was for light entertainment for the Germans. Even though Hitler’s speeches didn’t gain popularity some of the “key speeches were announced by sirens, and work stopped so all could listen to public loudspeakers. Radio wardens organized these important ‘national moments,’ and reported on attendance,” therefore, many Germans listened to some of Hitler’s key speeches, but people at home probably weren’t listening to them. Radios were not the only means used to achieve their aims, films, photographs, and posters were also used.
Film was the most used tool to achieve the aims of catching people’s attention, making the policies seem invisible, and inspiring the people. Goebbels thought that films could be huge propaganda tools because they could make films with Nazism undertones. It turned out that the movies with these Nazism undertones were very popular with the people because it was a source of entertainment and relaxation, the most popular films were “Jud Suss” and “Triumph of the Will.” Some of the unsuccessful films are “Hitlerjunge Queux” (Nazi murdered by Communists) and “Der Ewige Jude”(The Eternal Jew) mostly because the policies of the Nazis were extremely bold and harsh for the people, and they didn’t like it so they didn’t watch these movies. Therefore, in the more successful films Goebbels and the RMVP were able to make the Nazis policies invisible to the people through symbolism in the films, but they were also able to catch the attention of the Germans because the films were such a huge source of entertainment.
Also, photographs were used as a means to achieve the aims. In the photographs Hitler posed to convey that he was kind, gentle-hearted, and that his policies for Germany are great. In the photographs there were Nazism undertones as well that showed Hitler as a gentle being, and made it look like the German people were going to be taken care of. The photographs caught people’s attention because of Hitler looking so kind, so it made him feel welcoming, and there were hints as to what Hitler and the Nazi party planned to do. For example, in Source 13.20 it shows Hitler befriending children, which shows his kindness and that in his policies he might improve education or just the wellbeing of children. However, it is not directly said, so the aim of the policies almost being invisible is achieved because nobody knows exactly if there’s a policy being conveyed in this photograph, but it also catches the attention of Germans most likely because there are children in the photograph.
Lastly, the most used means of achieving their aims was posters. The NMVP used posters the most out of all the means, and they mostly achieved their aims as well. In the posters they depicted Hitler, NSDAP, and everyone else to get attention of the people and possible raise morale, which were their aims to inspire people and get their attention. Also, the posters made Hitler look like he was destined to be a leader, which might’ve inspired people as well, but also kept the policies invisible while still captivating people to vote for the Nazis. For example, in Source 13.22 it shows Hitler leading the German people, there are sunrays almost shining on him, and an eagle soaring above him; which if I saw this poster in the 1930s as a German I would’ve been greatly inspired by it because it shows that someone is going to get Germany out of the chaos from the Weimer Republic and lead Germany. However, I do not know exactly what policies Hitler is going to make if he becomes leader, but I do get the feeling that he’s going to lead Germany; which captivates me and still keeps the policies invisible to Germans.
c. Explain how the Nazis used the press, radio, and film as forms of propaganda. (Pgs. 247-253)
c. The Nazis used the press, radio, and films as forms of propaganda mostly by limiting what the German people could be exposed to. First, Hitler and the RMVP gradually took over the press because they still wanted Germans to have the freedom to somewhat write about and express their ideas, to still have the freedom of speech and some sort of freedom of the press, but eventually Goebbels, Hitler and NMVP took complete control over the press. Before the press were just told what they could and couldn’t write about, but after they were completely taken over the press couldn’t write about anything that “calculated to weaken the strength of the Reich abroad or at home, the resolution of the community, German defense, culture, or the economy, or to injure the religious sensibilities of others, as well as everything offensive to the honor or dignity of a German,” this was Clause 14. The power of the press made the Nazi Party limit what they knew about the NSDAP policies, what they planned to do, and only gave the “good” things about the Nazi Party; which was one of their aims, to make the policies invisible to the public but still captivate them.
The Nazis also used the radio as a form of propaganda by grabbing the attention of the people, making Hitler known around Germany, and inspiring the people with his speeches. In 1933 the Reich governors officially took over the radios, but “in April 1934 the Nazis established a unified radio system and purged it of hostile elements.” The Nazis did this because they wanted to limit what the people heard, Hitler, Goebbels and NMVP didn’t want the people to hear the bad things about NSDAP, they wanted the people to hear only the good things. Some of Hitler’s key speeches were aired on the radio, and at one point workers would stop working to listen to these speeches, it was mandatory that they did so. This way the people could only hear what Hitler wanted them to hear, and it was an attempt to captivate and inspire the people, but evidenced showed that the radio speeches weren’t very popular so Hitler did more public speeches instead.
Films were also used by the NSDAP as a form of propaganda by giving entertainment to the people that they could enjoy, but in the films there were Nazism undertones that were to catch the attention of the people and for the policies to remain relatively invisible. The films were very successful because many people enjoyed watching the films, and another one of the aims was accomplished as well, to make everyone be able to understand what is being said. In the films simple language was used and it was easy to follow. Therefore, the Nazis used films as a form of propaganda by giving entertainment, making the policies silent, catching the attention of the people, and making it comprehendible to everyone.
d. Explain Goebbels' contribution to the creation and development of the Third Reich
Goebbels’ contribution to the creation and development of the Third Reich was key, he oversaw everything that went on in the NMVP and worked extremely hard to catch the attention of the people and get NSDAP and Hitler get control of Germany. Goebbels’ was very close to Hitler, which helped him to make the propaganda that Hitler wanted. Also, Goebbels revolutionized propaganda by using radio and films, which were key components of the propaganda and what made the Nazis successful. For example, Hitler wanted to have strong, bold films that greatly criticized the Jewish population and emphasized the Nazis fiercely, such as Der Ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew), however, films such as The Eternal Jew weren’t very popular because of it’s boldness, and Goebbels saw the popularity dwindling and new exactly what kind of film needed to be made. The Triumph of the Will was one of these films because the people were able to enjoy the film and not feel threatened or disgusted by what the film presented, there were subtle undertones in the film that showed some the NDSAPs’ policies, but it was still enjoyable for the German people to watch so it was a huge success. Without Goebbels running the NMVP and propaganda I don’t think Hitler would’ve been successful in obtaining power because Goebbels mastered the propaganda to get the people’s attention and inspire them to vote for Hitler and the NSDAP.
Read Nazi Propaganda - Other Methods - Part 2
e. Explain how the Nazis used the activities described on pages 254-259 as a form of propaganda.
The Nazis used meetings and rallies, festivals, sports, the autobahns, and social policy as forms of propaganda by inspiring the people, getting everyone involved, and extending the propaganda to foreign countries.
First, the meetings and rallies were the most successful forms of propaganda to gain support. This is true because as Source 13.24 says at the rallies and meetings “There was no casual spectator; everyone played a part. Discipline, obedience, self-sacrificing, loyalty, duty—these were the highest virtues. The individual had to enter the mass…” At the rallies and meetings there was a feeling of “wishing to belong” and then Hitler came in to present his speech and captivated everyone because he was good at manipulating emotions. There was only one thing you could do at these rallies and meetings and that was to join in. The architecture by Speer made the mood very patriotic and inspiring, which captivated people even more. Since the rallies and meetings captivated people and made it easy for everyone to understand, while still keeping the policies “invisible” it was a propaganda method.
Second, the festivals were a means of propaganda because the Nazis used festivals to celebrate key dates in the Nazi year, and if anyone didn’t support it they might have been reported to the Gestapo. Therefore, people had to participate in these festivals, but it brought about patriotism and inspired people.
Sports were also a form of propaganda because it was extended towards foreign countries as well. It was extended towards foreigners by showing that Germany was superior then Germany, and that Germany is a powerful country. The sports wasn’t just towards foreigners it was also to strengthen the support from the people, which was done in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The structure of the building was made out of cement, but on the walls were the names of the soldiers who fought in World War I. This connected sports with militarism, which made the Germans seem stronger and that they should fight as hard as they can against the competition in order to win for Germany.
The autobahns were used as propaganda by the Nazis by Hitler and the NSDAP exaggerating the extremity of the project, which brought newsreel makers, photographers, and painters that helped to sell the message of “a revived German nation working together for the common good, symbolizing the political strength, willpower, and achievement of Hitler’s Germany.” The project was exaggerated to make it seem much more important than it actually was, it did provide about 125,000 jobs during the Depression, but once it was finished only one out of forty-four Germans were driving and using the autobahns. As one can see the autobahns were used as propaganda by over exaggerating the importance of the autobahns.
Lastly, the Nazis used social policy as propaganda by attempting to transform people’s consciousness and not their social position. The Nazis made an idea of a Volksgemeinschaft, which meant working together, where schemes were made to symbolize and bring people together for working together. Some of the other programs or groups were Beauty of Work and Strength, people’s car scheme, Winter Relief Campaign, and Eintopf. These groups attempted to symbolize co-operation and to illustrate the new People’s Community in operation. It was mainly focused on community and working together, which inspired Germans to join these groups and do those acts of unity.
Read Nazi Propaganda - Culture - Part 3 and Part 4
f. Explain how the Third Reich used painting, sculpture and architecture for propaganda purposes (Pgs. 260-270).
The Third Reich used painting, sculpture, and architecture for propaganda purposes by banding the Weimer Republic era of art and having tight control on what was produced as art. First, painting was used in the Third Reich for propaganda purposes by using the Weimer Republic era paintings as a mockery and disgrace for Germany and producing paintings that glorified Germany and showed the true Aryan people as superior. For example, Hitler decided to make two different art buildings, the Exhibition of Great German Art and the Exhibition of Degenerate Art. The Exhibition of Great German Art consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed pure Germans, the bodies of strong people who were German and healthy peasants, to show that German is strong and the superior race. In the Exhibition of Degenerate Art it showed “the disruption of established values under the Weimer Republic,” such as works in distorted forms, unnatural colors, and unsettling subjects. The overall message of the Exhibition of Degenerate Art was the Weimer Republic was a horrible system filled with chaos and ugly people, but the other exhibition emphasized the superiority of the German race over others and their strength. This was how the Third Reich used paintings for propaganda purpose, to show that the Weimer Republic was the inferior and chaotic Germany and the true Germans are Aryan and superior than other nations.
Sculptures were also used for propaganda purposes during the Third Reich; it also showed the purity and strength of pure Aryan Germans. For example, sculptures were made in front of Nazi buildings of huge muscle men to show the “biological pure, vigorous Aryan race.” There is clear evidence that there was a major difference between art before and during the Third Reich, which shows how the Nazis and Hitler wanted to show the vigor and purity of pure German Aryans. For example, in Source 13.37 it shows two sculptures of a woman by Georg Kolbe. The first one (1930) being sculpted with artist imperfections, imperfections that were made on purpose, but the other (1938) was made to look perfect. The texture is smooth like skin and there are no imperfections. These sculptures shows the purity in Germans Hitler was trying to make and show to other countries that they are superior and stronger.
Lastly, architecture was uses for propaganda purposes during the Third Reich by promoting the Thousand Year Reich the Nazis were trying to make because the materials these buildings were being made of were from materials that would last. For example, one of Hitler’s biggest projects was to rebuild the city of Berlin. He planned to make a People’s Hall, a five-kilometer long boulevard, an arch, and a station square. The main purpose of the rebuilding was to “give the regime the appearance of power and permanence,” which coincided with the idea of a Thousand Year Long Reich. The appearance wasn’t the only symbolism Hitler used as propaganda, he and Speer also used different building materials. Speer and Hitler made neo-classical and monumental style for public buildings to show authority and collective effort from the people, a traditional style was used for homes to show the backward-looking and pro-countryside aspect of Nazi ideology, and in some areas modernism stayed because they were already there. In conclusion, the Third Reich used paintings, sculptures, and architecture for propaganda purposes by banding the Weimer Republic era art and having tight control on what was and wasn’t produced by artists and the main architect, Speer.
Monday, February 28, 2011
How did the Depression Help the Nazis?
1a. Source 37: Source 37 could be used to support Goebbels' and Craig's interpretations. Source 37 shows an increase and then a little decrease in popularity, which Goebbels could use to say that the people really want Hitler to be their leader, that it's his destiny shown by all his popularity. Also, it could be used to support Craig's interpretation that the people shared negative opinions about the Weimer Government, reparations, and Communist Party violence shown also by the popularity or votes.
1b. Source 38: Source 38 could be used to support Craig's interpretations because in the quote it talks about "discipline in a time of chaos" and "universal hopelessness," which the German people felt and saw this as a bad thing happening in Germany. This was a shared opinion with the Nazi Party, therefore the German people voted for NSDAP because of shared negative opinions, also known as "negative cohesion" as Craig puts it.
1c. Source 39: I believe Source 39 could support Craig's interpretation that Hitler became in power because of negative cohesion. This is true because the poster says "Against Versailles," which was a common opinion with the NSDAP and the German people, but it was a negative opinion not a positive one coming from the party.
1d. Source 40: I believe Source 40 could definitely be used as evidence for Goebbel's interpretation that Hitler was destined to be Germany's leader. This is true because Source 40 is a photograph of a Nazi Party rally with millions of people, so it makes it look like all those people are there to praise and listen to Hitler and want him to be their leader.
1e. Source 41: I believe that Source 41 fits more as evidence for Craig's interpretation because it depicts negative aspects of the Communist Party, and doesn't focus on the positives that the NSDAP was going to offer. For example, it shows the communists shooting a brown coat, or Nazi, right on the street; which shows their violence and a common opinion of the NSDAP and the Germans.
1f. Source 43: I think that Source 43 supports Craig's interpretation of negative cohesion because the poster talks about the negative aspects of different parties, which the German people don't really want to happen. For example, the poster talks about the other parties "planning to use terror, corruption, lies and other strategies as the basis for their government," which the Germans didn't want because they were already in a similar situation and wanted to get out of it.
2.
Supporting Goebbels' interpretation:
a. Source 37
b. Source 40
c. Source 42
d. Hitler being a great orator
e. Hitler's overall look (a man of the people, a dynamic man of the moment, the leader of a modern party with modern ideas)
Supporting Craig's interpretation (negative cohesion):
a. Source 35
b. Source 36
c. Source 37
d. Source 38
e. Source 39
f. Source 41
g. Source 43
h. Source 44
i. Twenty-Five Points
j. Nazi Propaganda
k. Communist Threat
l. Weimer Culture vs. old, traditional German values
Scale of 1-5 with 5 being you agree fully.
3a. Score: 4 Very few people fully supported the Nazis.
Explain your score: I am giving this statement a four because I think there was a small part of Germany that supported the Nazis, but I strongly believe that a lot of Germans supported the Nazis because of Craig's negative cohesion theory. I think that there were a lot of bad events happening and opinions that the Germans and NSDAP had in common. Maybe the people didn't agree with any other party so all they really had was the Nazi Party. They agreed on what the Nazi Party thought was bad so they thought how bad could the NSDAP be. They most likely didnt' see the Center Party or Socialist Democratic Party as being successful since they were the founders of the Weimer Constitution that basically brought Germany into this chaos, and the people probably saw the Communist Party as a threat from what they saw over in USSR, like collectivization and nationalizing industries.
3b. Score: 5 The key factor was the economic depression. Without it, the Nazis would have remained a minority fringe party.
Explain your score: I strongly agree with this statement because in 1924 to 1928, before the Great Depression, Germany started to improve and people were content with life at that point, but then the Great Depression caused large unemployment rates and made chaos, which the people did not want at all. On top of that no other party, in the Germans' eyes, coud fix the problems especially the SPD and Center Party since they were the ones with majority at that moment and couldn't fix anything. Also, the other parties, before the Depression, had more votes than NSDAP, besides the Communist Party. The NSDAP was still obscure before the Great Depression, between 1918 and 1929, because the people didn't buy or believe in their extreme ideas.
3c. Score: 3.5 The politicians of the Weimar Republic were mainly responsible for the rise of the Nazis.
Explain your score: I partially agree with this statement because the Weimer Republic did struggle to fix the problems and they let Hitler become chancellor of Germany because they thought they could control him by surrounding Hitler with people from the Center Party and SPD; which didn't end up working. On the other hand, there could have been any other party or the Weimer Republic could have become more organized to try to solve these problems and compete against the Nazi Party, which could've stopped the rise of the Nazis. The other political parties could have challenged the Nazis and made their plans better than the Nazis. Even though there were no political parties to the right or on the same side as the NSDAP there could have been one to challenge the Nazis. The negative cohesion Germans who voted for the Nazis because they shared the same dislikes about Germany and the Weimer Republic could have made their own political party with the same dislikes, but different policies that they did not agree with in the NSDAP.
1b. Source 38: Source 38 could be used to support Craig's interpretations because in the quote it talks about "discipline in a time of chaos" and "universal hopelessness," which the German people felt and saw this as a bad thing happening in Germany. This was a shared opinion with the Nazi Party, therefore the German people voted for NSDAP because of shared negative opinions, also known as "negative cohesion" as Craig puts it.
1c. Source 39: I believe Source 39 could support Craig's interpretation that Hitler became in power because of negative cohesion. This is true because the poster says "Against Versailles," which was a common opinion with the NSDAP and the German people, but it was a negative opinion not a positive one coming from the party.
1d. Source 40: I believe Source 40 could definitely be used as evidence for Goebbel's interpretation that Hitler was destined to be Germany's leader. This is true because Source 40 is a photograph of a Nazi Party rally with millions of people, so it makes it look like all those people are there to praise and listen to Hitler and want him to be their leader.
1e. Source 41: I believe that Source 41 fits more as evidence for Craig's interpretation because it depicts negative aspects of the Communist Party, and doesn't focus on the positives that the NSDAP was going to offer. For example, it shows the communists shooting a brown coat, or Nazi, right on the street; which shows their violence and a common opinion of the NSDAP and the Germans.
1f. Source 43: I think that Source 43 supports Craig's interpretation of negative cohesion because the poster talks about the negative aspects of different parties, which the German people don't really want to happen. For example, the poster talks about the other parties "planning to use terror, corruption, lies and other strategies as the basis for their government," which the Germans didn't want because they were already in a similar situation and wanted to get out of it.
2.
Supporting Goebbels' interpretation:
a. Source 37
b. Source 40
c. Source 42
d. Hitler being a great orator
e. Hitler's overall look (a man of the people, a dynamic man of the moment, the leader of a modern party with modern ideas)
Supporting Craig's interpretation (negative cohesion):
a. Source 35
b. Source 36
c. Source 37
d. Source 38
e. Source 39
f. Source 41
g. Source 43
h. Source 44
i. Twenty-Five Points
j. Nazi Propaganda
k. Communist Threat
l. Weimer Culture vs. old, traditional German values
Scale of 1-5 with 5 being you agree fully.
3a. Score: 4 Very few people fully supported the Nazis.
Explain your score: I am giving this statement a four because I think there was a small part of Germany that supported the Nazis, but I strongly believe that a lot of Germans supported the Nazis because of Craig's negative cohesion theory. I think that there were a lot of bad events happening and opinions that the Germans and NSDAP had in common. Maybe the people didn't agree with any other party so all they really had was the Nazi Party. They agreed on what the Nazi Party thought was bad so they thought how bad could the NSDAP be. They most likely didnt' see the Center Party or Socialist Democratic Party as being successful since they were the founders of the Weimer Constitution that basically brought Germany into this chaos, and the people probably saw the Communist Party as a threat from what they saw over in USSR, like collectivization and nationalizing industries.
3b. Score: 5 The key factor was the economic depression. Without it, the Nazis would have remained a minority fringe party.
Explain your score: I strongly agree with this statement because in 1924 to 1928, before the Great Depression, Germany started to improve and people were content with life at that point, but then the Great Depression caused large unemployment rates and made chaos, which the people did not want at all. On top of that no other party, in the Germans' eyes, coud fix the problems especially the SPD and Center Party since they were the ones with majority at that moment and couldn't fix anything. Also, the other parties, before the Depression, had more votes than NSDAP, besides the Communist Party. The NSDAP was still obscure before the Great Depression, between 1918 and 1929, because the people didn't buy or believe in their extreme ideas.
3c. Score: 3.5 The politicians of the Weimar Republic were mainly responsible for the rise of the Nazis.
Explain your score: I partially agree with this statement because the Weimer Republic did struggle to fix the problems and they let Hitler become chancellor of Germany because they thought they could control him by surrounding Hitler with people from the Center Party and SPD; which didn't end up working. On the other hand, there could have been any other party or the Weimer Republic could have become more organized to try to solve these problems and compete against the Nazi Party, which could've stopped the rise of the Nazis. The other political parties could have challenged the Nazis and made their plans better than the Nazis. Even though there were no political parties to the right or on the same side as the NSDAP there could have been one to challenge the Nazis. The negative cohesion Germans who voted for the Nazis because they shared the same dislikes about Germany and the Weimer Republic could have made their own political party with the same dislikes, but different policies that they did not agree with in the NSDAP.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Jan. '33: Hitler is Appointed Chancellor
1. Why did Hindenburg's advisers agree to the appointment of Hitler as chancellor in January 1933?
Hindenburg's advisers agreed to the appointment of Hitler as chancellor in January 1933 because Hindenburg convinced the advisers that they could tame Hitler by surrounding him with responsible conservative ministers. Basically they believed that Hitler couldn't cause any trouble as long as he was out-numbered. Also, they agreed because Hindenburg and his advisers thought that Hitler's supporters would be willing to change the government int a restructured, conservative government. Hindenburg and the adivers wanted a conservative government and thought that they could achieve this with Hitler's supporters because he became so popular.
2. Why is the term "totalitarianism" used to describe Nazi Germany?
"Totalitarianism" is used to describe Nazi Germany because the government was under the control of Hitler and his party, the Nazi Party. Also, Hitler drastically changed Germany within years he became chancellor and then Fuehrer. He changed the restrictions on the military, foreign policies, education, the press, the churches, and the arts. He also made laws saying that he had full power, basically. He made laws that took away people's rights that they recieved under the Weimer Republic, such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. It was very clear that Hitler was taking away many rights from German citizens and that he was trying and obtaining power of Germany.
3. Why did the Enabling Law allow Hitler to overcome the constitutional restraints of the Weimar system?
The Enabling Law of March 24, 1933 allowed Hitler to overcome the constitutional restraints of the Weimer system because it allowed Hitler to make laws and regulations without the interference from the other cabinet members, the Reichstag, National Council, and the President. Hitler could make these regulations so long as it didn't effect the position of the Reichstag and National Council, and it didn't hinder or disturb the President's powers in any way. Now Hitler could make any law he wanted so long as it didn't effect these people.
4. What was the goal of Goebbels' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda?
The goal of Goebbel's Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was to inspire people to follow what he and Hitler were doing and going to do. In other words, the goal was to inspire people and to make them patriotic; Goebbels would go back to how Germany was embarrassed and this would raise patrioticism in citizens because they would want revenge. For example, at the Mass Book Burning on May 10th, 1933 Goebbels describes the burning of the books as forgetting the past and the Weimer Republic being destroyed being a good thing because a new and improved government and Germany is going to better and stronger. This inspired people to serve their country and work for Germany's greatness so they could possibly get revenge and become a strong country.
5. How did Hitler destroy potential sources of opposition?
Hitler destroyed potential sources of opposition by making them look really bad by blaming them for crimes, and by making laws. Hitler when he first became Chancellor blamed the KPD or the Communist Party for setting fire the Reichstag, and right on que the government arrested and communist who supposidly set the fire. Therefore, people believed that the Communist Party really did set the fire and this made them very unpopular, so the party lost votes and therefore seats. The other parties, such as SPD and Center Party, also became unpopular and lost seats. Also, Hitler made the Law Concerning the Formation of New Parties in July 14th, 1933. This law said that there were no other parties to be organized or made except for the National Socialist German Workers' Party, and if parties were to organize or formed they would be sent to jail. Therefore, people were afraid to make or organize parties because they would be sent to jail and probably die, so no new parties were made or organized. So Hitler had no other parties to worry about excpe the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which was probably under his influence anyways.
6. Which laws served as the first steps in Hitler's plan to eliminate Germany's Jewish community?
The laws that served as the first steps in Hitler's plan to eliminate Germany's Jewish community were the Nurember Laws on Citizenship and Race (September 15, 1935), Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor (September 15, 1935), and Supplementary Decree on Citizenship (November 14, 1935). The Nurember Laws on Citizenship and Race said that only pure German blood would have rights, therefore the Jewish people would have no rights because they aren't completely German. The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor said that "pure" German citizens and Jewish people couldn't marry. The law also said that Jews couldn't employ "pure" German people as their servants and they couldn't show the Reich, national flag, or national colors. The Supplementary Decree on Citizenship said that a Jewish person cannot be a citizen of the Reich or Germany, couldn't vote, or be in public office. Jewish officials could only be in an office position until December 31, 1935 where after that they would be retired. It also specifically classified a person as being Jewish by saying that they had to be descendants of at least three grandparents who were both jewish or descendent of two full Jewish grandparents.
Hindenburg's advisers agreed to the appointment of Hitler as chancellor in January 1933 because Hindenburg convinced the advisers that they could tame Hitler by surrounding him with responsible conservative ministers. Basically they believed that Hitler couldn't cause any trouble as long as he was out-numbered. Also, they agreed because Hindenburg and his advisers thought that Hitler's supporters would be willing to change the government int a restructured, conservative government. Hindenburg and the adivers wanted a conservative government and thought that they could achieve this with Hitler's supporters because he became so popular.
2. Why is the term "totalitarianism" used to describe Nazi Germany?
"Totalitarianism" is used to describe Nazi Germany because the government was under the control of Hitler and his party, the Nazi Party. Also, Hitler drastically changed Germany within years he became chancellor and then Fuehrer. He changed the restrictions on the military, foreign policies, education, the press, the churches, and the arts. He also made laws saying that he had full power, basically. He made laws that took away people's rights that they recieved under the Weimer Republic, such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. It was very clear that Hitler was taking away many rights from German citizens and that he was trying and obtaining power of Germany.
3. Why did the Enabling Law allow Hitler to overcome the constitutional restraints of the Weimar system?
The Enabling Law of March 24, 1933 allowed Hitler to overcome the constitutional restraints of the Weimer system because it allowed Hitler to make laws and regulations without the interference from the other cabinet members, the Reichstag, National Council, and the President. Hitler could make these regulations so long as it didn't effect the position of the Reichstag and National Council, and it didn't hinder or disturb the President's powers in any way. Now Hitler could make any law he wanted so long as it didn't effect these people.
4. What was the goal of Goebbels' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda?
The goal of Goebbel's Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was to inspire people to follow what he and Hitler were doing and going to do. In other words, the goal was to inspire people and to make them patriotic; Goebbels would go back to how Germany was embarrassed and this would raise patrioticism in citizens because they would want revenge. For example, at the Mass Book Burning on May 10th, 1933 Goebbels describes the burning of the books as forgetting the past and the Weimer Republic being destroyed being a good thing because a new and improved government and Germany is going to better and stronger. This inspired people to serve their country and work for Germany's greatness so they could possibly get revenge and become a strong country.
5. How did Hitler destroy potential sources of opposition?
Hitler destroyed potential sources of opposition by making them look really bad by blaming them for crimes, and by making laws. Hitler when he first became Chancellor blamed the KPD or the Communist Party for setting fire the Reichstag, and right on que the government arrested and communist who supposidly set the fire. Therefore, people believed that the Communist Party really did set the fire and this made them very unpopular, so the party lost votes and therefore seats. The other parties, such as SPD and Center Party, also became unpopular and lost seats. Also, Hitler made the Law Concerning the Formation of New Parties in July 14th, 1933. This law said that there were no other parties to be organized or made except for the National Socialist German Workers' Party, and if parties were to organize or formed they would be sent to jail. Therefore, people were afraid to make or organize parties because they would be sent to jail and probably die, so no new parties were made or organized. So Hitler had no other parties to worry about excpe the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which was probably under his influence anyways.
6. Which laws served as the first steps in Hitler's plan to eliminate Germany's Jewish community?
The laws that served as the first steps in Hitler's plan to eliminate Germany's Jewish community were the Nurember Laws on Citizenship and Race (September 15, 1935), Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor (September 15, 1935), and Supplementary Decree on Citizenship (November 14, 1935). The Nurember Laws on Citizenship and Race said that only pure German blood would have rights, therefore the Jewish people would have no rights because they aren't completely German. The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor said that "pure" German citizens and Jewish people couldn't marry. The law also said that Jews couldn't employ "pure" German people as their servants and they couldn't show the Reich, national flag, or national colors. The Supplementary Decree on Citizenship said that a Jewish person cannot be a citizen of the Reich or Germany, couldn't vote, or be in public office. Jewish officials could only be in an office position until December 31, 1935 where after that they would be retired. It also specifically classified a person as being Jewish by saying that they had to be descendants of at least three grandparents who were both jewish or descendent of two full Jewish grandparents.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Troubled Infancy of the Weimar Republic
1. Explain why several segments of German society never accepted the legitimacy of the Weimar system.
Several segments of German society never accepted the legitimacy of the Weimer system because the founders of the Weimer Republic didn't even recieve the majority from the founders (the democrats) who originally formed the system. The democratic founders of the Weimer Republic were never able to recieve more than fifty percent of the votes again. Since there wasn't really any majority and the Weimer system was struggling to be democratic and stay alive the German society never reallly believed in the Weimer system. Some of the political parties were the German Communist Party (KPD), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the German Democratic Party (DPP), the Catholic Center, and German National People's Party (DNVP). The democratic parties were DPP, SPD, and the Catholic Center, while the others were either more left or right parties. A major attack on the Weimer Republic was by the German military led by many of Germany's generals, such as Field Marshal Erich von Ludendorff, believed that Germans were bertrayed by the Weimer system and it's government becauase they had signed the Treaty of Versailles, which gave Germany many losses, like reparations and land loss to the allies. Overall, people never accepted the legitimacy of the Weimer system because they signed the Versallies treaty and they just didn't believe in the system at all.
2. How did Hitler use anti-Semitism to further his political aspirations?
Hitler used anti-Semitism to further his political aspirations by putting his views and aspirations in a book called Mein Kampf, where he wrote about how Jews were poisoning Germany's culture and blood of the German people. He wrote about how he thought the German race was the perfect race, the race that was meant to rule the world. He constantly downplayed the Jewish people as poisoning Germany, and it didn't help that the rumor of Jewish people was floating around that they were planning to take over the world, which many people did not want, especially Hitler.
3. How was the French occupation of the Ruhr tied to Germany's hyperinflation?
The French occupation of the Ruhr tied to Germany's hyperinflation by Germany greatly supporting the strikers with money. The workers of the Ruhr went on strike because they did not by no means want to collaborate or work with the French. Germany supported the strikers because they didn't want to support or be okay with France interferring. Therefore, they printed lots of paper money to support the workers, which in the end helped to cause and increase Germany's hyperinflation.
4. Describe "Weimar culture" and explain why many Germans rejected its values.
The "Weimer culture" consisted of jazz, painting, architecture, music, graphic arts, film, and literature; which was said to be influenced by the United States, so Germany was westernizing. Not all of the "culture" aspects were from the west, however, other people believed that the new freedoms for women were a challenge to their traditional, family-centered values, and the new realism in literature offended thos who favored writers that glorified the German past. The Germans, most of them, appreciated and greatly liked literature that glorified Germany, mostly when Germany's military was glorified. The new literature, the westernized literature, did not glorify Germany and this they hated. For example, "All Quiet on the Western Fron" did not glorify Germany, it talked about the horrors of trench warfare in World War I. It was more negative, when Germany wanted a description of World War I as more positive.
5. How did the conflict between the Catholic Center Party and the SPD contribute to the political crisis of the Weimar Republic?
The Catholic Center Party became stronger when previous kaiser, Otto von Bismarck, tried to separate church and state, however, this strengthened the Catholic Center Party. They tried to be more with the state and put religious influences into their decisions and policies. The Catholic Center Party at the time of the Weimer Republic, tried to find coalition partners, mostly from small right-wing parties who wanted the destroy the Weimer system, which made the political crisis of the Weimer Republic. Also, the SPD was strengthened when Otto von Bismarck had suspicion of the labor movement, which made the SPD members who were workers be even more committed. During the Weimer Republic the SPD became the majority, but the Catholic Center Party and SPD were greatly divided because of specific issues where they beleived different things. This made a political criss for the Weimer Republic because now there was no balance, the SPD was the majority and the Catholic Center was off getting more supporters from the right-wing parties.
6. How did the economic depression that began in 1929 create an opportunity for extremist political parties in Weimar Germany?
The economic depression that began in 1929 created and opportunity for extremist political parties in Weimer Germany by allowing different parties to make and offer different ways to solve the problem. For example the SPD and KPD fought against cuts in social programs, but the conservative parties opposed higher taxes. Then in March 1930 the "grand coalition" collapsed and for the next three years there was no leadership, which was an opening for parties to try to get control. There was a poll taken to form a new government, and all the political parties recieved gains as the economic depression worsened, gains as in an increase in popularity. This way the parties were able to protest and try to increase their popularity to the peopel so they could get power. There were demonstrations made and even acts of violence by the Storm Troopers who were apart of NSDAP. Since there was no leadership for three years it opened up a huge opportunity for the parties to try to get power.
Several segments of German society never accepted the legitimacy of the Weimer system because the founders of the Weimer Republic didn't even recieve the majority from the founders (the democrats) who originally formed the system. The democratic founders of the Weimer Republic were never able to recieve more than fifty percent of the votes again. Since there wasn't really any majority and the Weimer system was struggling to be democratic and stay alive the German society never reallly believed in the Weimer system. Some of the political parties were the German Communist Party (KPD), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the German Democratic Party (DPP), the Catholic Center, and German National People's Party (DNVP). The democratic parties were DPP, SPD, and the Catholic Center, while the others were either more left or right parties. A major attack on the Weimer Republic was by the German military led by many of Germany's generals, such as Field Marshal Erich von Ludendorff, believed that Germans were bertrayed by the Weimer system and it's government becauase they had signed the Treaty of Versailles, which gave Germany many losses, like reparations and land loss to the allies. Overall, people never accepted the legitimacy of the Weimer system because they signed the Versallies treaty and they just didn't believe in the system at all.
2. How did Hitler use anti-Semitism to further his political aspirations?
Hitler used anti-Semitism to further his political aspirations by putting his views and aspirations in a book called Mein Kampf, where he wrote about how Jews were poisoning Germany's culture and blood of the German people. He wrote about how he thought the German race was the perfect race, the race that was meant to rule the world. He constantly downplayed the Jewish people as poisoning Germany, and it didn't help that the rumor of Jewish people was floating around that they were planning to take over the world, which many people did not want, especially Hitler.
3. How was the French occupation of the Ruhr tied to Germany's hyperinflation?
The French occupation of the Ruhr tied to Germany's hyperinflation by Germany greatly supporting the strikers with money. The workers of the Ruhr went on strike because they did not by no means want to collaborate or work with the French. Germany supported the strikers because they didn't want to support or be okay with France interferring. Therefore, they printed lots of paper money to support the workers, which in the end helped to cause and increase Germany's hyperinflation.
4. Describe "Weimar culture" and explain why many Germans rejected its values.
The "Weimer culture" consisted of jazz, painting, architecture, music, graphic arts, film, and literature; which was said to be influenced by the United States, so Germany was westernizing. Not all of the "culture" aspects were from the west, however, other people believed that the new freedoms for women were a challenge to their traditional, family-centered values, and the new realism in literature offended thos who favored writers that glorified the German past. The Germans, most of them, appreciated and greatly liked literature that glorified Germany, mostly when Germany's military was glorified. The new literature, the westernized literature, did not glorify Germany and this they hated. For example, "All Quiet on the Western Fron" did not glorify Germany, it talked about the horrors of trench warfare in World War I. It was more negative, when Germany wanted a description of World War I as more positive.
5. How did the conflict between the Catholic Center Party and the SPD contribute to the political crisis of the Weimar Republic?
The Catholic Center Party became stronger when previous kaiser, Otto von Bismarck, tried to separate church and state, however, this strengthened the Catholic Center Party. They tried to be more with the state and put religious influences into their decisions and policies. The Catholic Center Party at the time of the Weimer Republic, tried to find coalition partners, mostly from small right-wing parties who wanted the destroy the Weimer system, which made the political crisis of the Weimer Republic. Also, the SPD was strengthened when Otto von Bismarck had suspicion of the labor movement, which made the SPD members who were workers be even more committed. During the Weimer Republic the SPD became the majority, but the Catholic Center Party and SPD were greatly divided because of specific issues where they beleived different things. This made a political criss for the Weimer Republic because now there was no balance, the SPD was the majority and the Catholic Center was off getting more supporters from the right-wing parties.
6. How did the economic depression that began in 1929 create an opportunity for extremist political parties in Weimar Germany?
The economic depression that began in 1929 created and opportunity for extremist political parties in Weimer Germany by allowing different parties to make and offer different ways to solve the problem. For example the SPD and KPD fought against cuts in social programs, but the conservative parties opposed higher taxes. Then in March 1930 the "grand coalition" collapsed and for the next three years there was no leadership, which was an opening for parties to try to get control. There was a poll taken to form a new government, and all the political parties recieved gains as the economic depression worsened, gains as in an increase in popularity. This way the parties were able to protest and try to increase their popularity to the peopel so they could get power. There were demonstrations made and even acts of violence by the Storm Troopers who were apart of NSDAP. Since there was no leadership for three years it opened up a huge opportunity for the parties to try to get power.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Unrest and the Treaty of Versailles
1. Using the information from Chapter 4, what were the threats to the new Weimar Republic? How did the Free Corps assist the government?
One of the threats to the new Weimer Republic was the Communists who were organizing riots and strikes to seize power in Berlin. This was a threat to the Weimer Republic because it shows a possible threat to the Weimer Republic power, which would be bad for whomever was leading it. The Free Corps was called upon by the Weimer Republic to shoot anyone who had a weapon in their possession (and do it right on the spot), in the end the Free Corps killed over a thousand people including sailors who were just trying to get their pay.
Anohter threat to the new Weimer Republic was the republic set up by the Independent Socialists in Bavaria, with Kurt Eisner as their leader. The republic in Bavaria was barely able to move ahead when a right-wing student shot Eisner in February 1919, but at his funeral over hundreds of thousands of people payed their respects to him by attending the funeral. Since so many people attended the funeral it shows how popular he was, which is a threat to the new Weimer Republic because these people could get mad at the new repubic by revolting, the Weimer Republic could lose a lot of its popularity, and there could be other groups like Communists who are just as popular and therefore a threat to the Weimer Republic. The Free Corps did not assist the government with this threat, and they didn't help with the immediate threat after as a result of Eisner's death.
The resulting threat was who would take power or replace Eisner. There was great debate between the Socialists and the Communists on who should take power. The Communists end up taking power and make Bavaria into a Soviet Republic on Russian lines. The Free Corps did nothing to help the Weimer Government with this threat as well, and which helped to lead to the downfall of the Weimer Republic and being led by Communists for a while, but later the Free Corps was able to put down the Communists in Bavaria and Berlina and restore the Weimer Republic.
2. How did the Germans react to the Treaty of Versailles?
The Germans absolutely hated the Treaty of Versailles, they thought that it was completely unfair. Therefore, they decided to protest as much as possible to not sign the treaty. the captains of the German fleet that were being held by the British sank the British ships in protest, and the German army made plans to defend the country against the possible invasion. The allies had told Germany that if they didn't sign the treaty in five days that they would invade Germany, which was decided after the German government protested agains the peace terms.
3. Who were the "November Criminals"?
The "November Criminals" were the politicians that had signed the armistace in November. These politicians were given this nickname by the citizens because the citizens felt like they were stabbed in the back by making peace with the Allies. The people believed that the politicians would sign what was best for Germany and not agree to the terms that were made in the treaty, such as losing one-tenth of their land.
4. Read chapter 5. Why didn't Field Marshal von Hindenburg and the other generals fight instead of having the Weimar government sign the Treaty of Versailles?
Field Marshal von Hindenburg and the other generals didn't fight instead of having the Weimar government sign the Treaty of Versailles because they all knew that if they fought it would basically be suicide for them. Field Marshal von Hindenburg made the point to President Ebert that they could be successful in defending the east of Germany, but would not be in the west and that "the success of the operation as a whole is very doubtful." Therefore, he and the other generals wanted to fight against the treaty and for Germany, but they saw that if they were to fight it would be very bad and they would lose without a doubt.
5. What were the major aspects of the Treaty that caused Germans to object so strongly to it?
The major aspects of the Treaty that caused Germans to object so strongly to it were the land, arms, war guilt and reparations, and not allowing to unite with Austria along with other minor aspects. The land part fo the Treaty caused the Germans to object so strongly to it because they lost so much land that was very valauble to them, such as losing 48% of the iron production, and the Treaty had cut Germany into two. Since Germany had lost such valuable land, not only in Germany but their colonies as well, they didn't recieve or have as much resources as they needed and left Germany a lot less productive. Also, the arms aspect of the Treaty angered the Germans because they had to greatly decrease their army, navy, and air force. The army could only consist of three divisions of calvary and seven divisions of infantry with a total of one hundred thousand men, the navy could only have six battleships and no submarines, and the air force was completely gone. This basically led Germany defenseless and unable to fight against the Treaty or attack again. The war guilt and reparations also made Germans very angry because the Treaty said Germany had to admit that the war was completely their fault and they had to pay all the damage caused in the war in the other countries (the reparations). Lastly, the minor aspects of the Treaty greatly angered Germans because they couldn't unite with Austria, the Allies would occupy all German land west of the River Rhine for fifteen years, and German had to sign it without and discussion. The Germans wanted to unite with Austria because they were their German-speaking neighbors, and the Germans definitely didn't want the Allies to be in their western land because it was like babysitting and they just didn't want it. The Germans greatly disliked the fact that they couldn't discuss the aspects of the Treaty and they called it a "Diktat," which means a dictated peace because they couldn't really do anything about the Treaty.
One of the threats to the new Weimer Republic was the Communists who were organizing riots and strikes to seize power in Berlin. This was a threat to the Weimer Republic because it shows a possible threat to the Weimer Republic power, which would be bad for whomever was leading it. The Free Corps was called upon by the Weimer Republic to shoot anyone who had a weapon in their possession (and do it right on the spot), in the end the Free Corps killed over a thousand people including sailors who were just trying to get their pay.
Anohter threat to the new Weimer Republic was the republic set up by the Independent Socialists in Bavaria, with Kurt Eisner as their leader. The republic in Bavaria was barely able to move ahead when a right-wing student shot Eisner in February 1919, but at his funeral over hundreds of thousands of people payed their respects to him by attending the funeral. Since so many people attended the funeral it shows how popular he was, which is a threat to the new Weimer Republic because these people could get mad at the new repubic by revolting, the Weimer Republic could lose a lot of its popularity, and there could be other groups like Communists who are just as popular and therefore a threat to the Weimer Republic. The Free Corps did not assist the government with this threat, and they didn't help with the immediate threat after as a result of Eisner's death.
The resulting threat was who would take power or replace Eisner. There was great debate between the Socialists and the Communists on who should take power. The Communists end up taking power and make Bavaria into a Soviet Republic on Russian lines. The Free Corps did nothing to help the Weimer Government with this threat as well, and which helped to lead to the downfall of the Weimer Republic and being led by Communists for a while, but later the Free Corps was able to put down the Communists in Bavaria and Berlina and restore the Weimer Republic.
2. How did the Germans react to the Treaty of Versailles?
The Germans absolutely hated the Treaty of Versailles, they thought that it was completely unfair. Therefore, they decided to protest as much as possible to not sign the treaty. the captains of the German fleet that were being held by the British sank the British ships in protest, and the German army made plans to defend the country against the possible invasion. The allies had told Germany that if they didn't sign the treaty in five days that they would invade Germany, which was decided after the German government protested agains the peace terms.
3. Who were the "November Criminals"?
The "November Criminals" were the politicians that had signed the armistace in November. These politicians were given this nickname by the citizens because the citizens felt like they were stabbed in the back by making peace with the Allies. The people believed that the politicians would sign what was best for Germany and not agree to the terms that were made in the treaty, such as losing one-tenth of their land.
4. Read chapter 5. Why didn't Field Marshal von Hindenburg and the other generals fight instead of having the Weimar government sign the Treaty of Versailles?
Field Marshal von Hindenburg and the other generals didn't fight instead of having the Weimar government sign the Treaty of Versailles because they all knew that if they fought it would basically be suicide for them. Field Marshal von Hindenburg made the point to President Ebert that they could be successful in defending the east of Germany, but would not be in the west and that "the success of the operation as a whole is very doubtful." Therefore, he and the other generals wanted to fight against the treaty and for Germany, but they saw that if they were to fight it would be very bad and they would lose without a doubt.
5. What were the major aspects of the Treaty that caused Germans to object so strongly to it?
The major aspects of the Treaty that caused Germans to object so strongly to it were the land, arms, war guilt and reparations, and not allowing to unite with Austria along with other minor aspects. The land part fo the Treaty caused the Germans to object so strongly to it because they lost so much land that was very valauble to them, such as losing 48% of the iron production, and the Treaty had cut Germany into two. Since Germany had lost such valuable land, not only in Germany but their colonies as well, they didn't recieve or have as much resources as they needed and left Germany a lot less productive. Also, the arms aspect of the Treaty angered the Germans because they had to greatly decrease their army, navy, and air force. The army could only consist of three divisions of calvary and seven divisions of infantry with a total of one hundred thousand men, the navy could only have six battleships and no submarines, and the air force was completely gone. This basically led Germany defenseless and unable to fight against the Treaty or attack again. The war guilt and reparations also made Germans very angry because the Treaty said Germany had to admit that the war was completely their fault and they had to pay all the damage caused in the war in the other countries (the reparations). Lastly, the minor aspects of the Treaty greatly angered Germans because they couldn't unite with Austria, the Allies would occupy all German land west of the River Rhine for fifteen years, and German had to sign it without and discussion. The Germans wanted to unite with Austria because they were their German-speaking neighbors, and the Germans definitely didn't want the Allies to be in their western land because it was like babysitting and they just didn't want it. The Germans greatly disliked the fact that they couldn't discuss the aspects of the Treaty and they called it a "Diktat," which means a dictated peace because they couldn't really do anything about the Treaty.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The German Revotion
1. Using the documents in Chapter 1 as evidence, list the ways in which conditions in Germany worsened during the war.
As shown in the first document, conditions worsened during the war in Germany because in the first document women tried to protested against high food prices and wanting their men to return home from the war, but their protest was not recorded or written about in the newspaper. The document makes it seem like the women in Germany never protested before and if anything major were to happen in Germany it would have been written about in the newspaper, since the opposite happened in the historical account it shows that conditions had worsened for the people. Also, in the second document an even bigger protest occurred, but the police were ready for the arrival of the protesters and even beat a man, Karl Liebknecht, down because the rioters were praising him. This shows the chaotic and hostile environment the Germans had to go through during the war, and this event occurred after the women revolt, so it shows that conditions had worsened for the people because this account is much worse than in the first document. Thirdly, in the "Dear Emmie" letter it is clear that conditions worsened even more because it was a year after the the second documents revolt and now there was barely any food for the people to eat. Conditions continued to get worse during the war as shown in the soldier's letter document to his parents, where Albin Kobes says that he is getting the death penalty for rioting against the government. Since he is getting the death penalty it shows that the government went into chaos to try to control the protesters and keep control.
2. Give two reasons why the war caused such bad conditions for German civilians.
Two reasons why the war had caused such bad conditions for German civilians because the British had made a blockade in the water, which prevented food from coming into Germany's ports, and the soldiers were tired of having the constant threat of being blown up or suffocating from poisonous gases.
3. After reading Chapter 2, give two reasons why Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 1918.
Two reasons Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 19218 are because many of the soldiers and citizens died from Spanish influenza so there was a drastic decrease in the number of soldiers to fight making it more likely to lose the war, and the navy began mutineeing and protesting against fighting in the war, like at Kiel.
4. Using the information you have read in this chapter, give evidence to support the statement that there was "revolution all over Germany."
There was "revolution all over Germany" as shown by the Kiel mutiny and soon after protests in support of the arrested sailors, and after people had suffered from basically starvation and the Spanish influenza the Germans were inspired by the Communist and Socialists to have a revolution to overthrow Kaiser Wilhelm II. In the mutiny in the navy at the Kiel port sailors were ordered to fight against the British, but sailors on two of the ships refused to fight and showed this by putting the fires out in the boiler rooms. After this mutiny 600 soldiers were arrested and eight were found guilty and shot, which made other sailors angry. Not only sailors, but workers and soldiers joined the revolt to try to stop the death penalty and arrest of those 600 sailors, soon cities all over Germany joined in the revolt; which in the end made the final push for Kaiser Wilhelm II's abdication. Also, the major food shortages and Spanish influenza made the people exhausted and angry, which made them want change from the govnernment. The Communists and Socialists tried to make the people revolt as well, which added to the threats Kaiser Wilhelm II saw, which made him want to abdicate.
5. Study the information about the German Socialists in Chapter 2, page 5. What did the three Socialist groups have in common?
The Social Democratic Party, the Independent Socialists, and the Spartacists all had the same aims. The all wanted to improve workers' conditions and they wanted to give democratic rights to all Germans, such as the right to vote.
6. In what ways were the Socialist groups different.
The Socialist groups were different because they all had different methods in mind to achieve their common aims. The Social Democratic Party wanted to support the government and try to make reforms by acts of parliament. There was a slight difference between the Social Democratic Party and the Independent Socialists where the Independent Socialists wanted to oppose the government and force it to make reforms by organizing strikes. However, the Spartacists were the most radical of the Socialist groups because they wanted to completely overthrow the government in a revolution, where then councils of workers or 'soviets' would make reforms.
7. After reading Chapter 3 make a time chart of the events of the German Revolution from Nov. 10, 1918 to Jan. 15, 1919. You should be able to find six events.
November 10, 1918-Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated.
November 12, 1918-Friedrich Ebert issued a statement to the German people about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, censorship ceasing to exist, and steps to improve housing and working conditions were made as new laws for Germany
December 23, 1918-a thousand hungry and underpaid sailors broke into government headquarters where the held Ebert prisoner at gunpoint, to get higher wages
December 31, 1918-The Spartacists renamed to the German Communist Party, they decided to work for a communist revolution, Rosa Luxemburg (one of the leaders of party) wrote in their newspaper about a battle or revolution to reach communism
January 6, 1919-the Spartacists or German Communist Party began their revolution
January 10, 1919-Ebert with the support of the sailors (called the Free Corps), who were against the Spartacists, attacked the Spartacists to try to overthrow them, fighting continued for the next three days
January 15, 1919-Rosa Luzemburg was arrested by the Ebert supporting sailors, where her and Karl Liebknecht (the other leader of the Spartacists) were beaten and murdered by the Free Corps
8. At what time would you say the Communists had their best chance of seizing power? Explain your answer.
The Communists, in my opinion, had their best chance of seizing power before Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated. At that point the people were greatly influenced by the Communists and Socialist groups and there was nothing really drastic done by these groups. Also, the citizens hated the Kaiser the most at this time and were willing to support anyone or do anything to take him down. However, once the Kaiser abdicated there were power struggles and a lot of fighting, while as before there was no physical fighting between the different Communist groups. The people would have been more willing to support the different groups before the fighting.
As shown in the first document, conditions worsened during the war in Germany because in the first document women tried to protested against high food prices and wanting their men to return home from the war, but their protest was not recorded or written about in the newspaper. The document makes it seem like the women in Germany never protested before and if anything major were to happen in Germany it would have been written about in the newspaper, since the opposite happened in the historical account it shows that conditions had worsened for the people. Also, in the second document an even bigger protest occurred, but the police were ready for the arrival of the protesters and even beat a man, Karl Liebknecht, down because the rioters were praising him. This shows the chaotic and hostile environment the Germans had to go through during the war, and this event occurred after the women revolt, so it shows that conditions had worsened for the people because this account is much worse than in the first document. Thirdly, in the "Dear Emmie" letter it is clear that conditions worsened even more because it was a year after the the second documents revolt and now there was barely any food for the people to eat. Conditions continued to get worse during the war as shown in the soldier's letter document to his parents, where Albin Kobes says that he is getting the death penalty for rioting against the government. Since he is getting the death penalty it shows that the government went into chaos to try to control the protesters and keep control.
2. Give two reasons why the war caused such bad conditions for German civilians.
Two reasons why the war had caused such bad conditions for German civilians because the British had made a blockade in the water, which prevented food from coming into Germany's ports, and the soldiers were tired of having the constant threat of being blown up or suffocating from poisonous gases.
3. After reading Chapter 2, give two reasons why Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 1918.
Two reasons Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 19218 are because many of the soldiers and citizens died from Spanish influenza so there was a drastic decrease in the number of soldiers to fight making it more likely to lose the war, and the navy began mutineeing and protesting against fighting in the war, like at Kiel.
4. Using the information you have read in this chapter, give evidence to support the statement that there was "revolution all over Germany."
There was "revolution all over Germany" as shown by the Kiel mutiny and soon after protests in support of the arrested sailors, and after people had suffered from basically starvation and the Spanish influenza the Germans were inspired by the Communist and Socialists to have a revolution to overthrow Kaiser Wilhelm II. In the mutiny in the navy at the Kiel port sailors were ordered to fight against the British, but sailors on two of the ships refused to fight and showed this by putting the fires out in the boiler rooms. After this mutiny 600 soldiers were arrested and eight were found guilty and shot, which made other sailors angry. Not only sailors, but workers and soldiers joined the revolt to try to stop the death penalty and arrest of those 600 sailors, soon cities all over Germany joined in the revolt; which in the end made the final push for Kaiser Wilhelm II's abdication. Also, the major food shortages and Spanish influenza made the people exhausted and angry, which made them want change from the govnernment. The Communists and Socialists tried to make the people revolt as well, which added to the threats Kaiser Wilhelm II saw, which made him want to abdicate.
5. Study the information about the German Socialists in Chapter 2, page 5. What did the three Socialist groups have in common?
The Social Democratic Party, the Independent Socialists, and the Spartacists all had the same aims. The all wanted to improve workers' conditions and they wanted to give democratic rights to all Germans, such as the right to vote.
6. In what ways were the Socialist groups different.
The Socialist groups were different because they all had different methods in mind to achieve their common aims. The Social Democratic Party wanted to support the government and try to make reforms by acts of parliament. There was a slight difference between the Social Democratic Party and the Independent Socialists where the Independent Socialists wanted to oppose the government and force it to make reforms by organizing strikes. However, the Spartacists were the most radical of the Socialist groups because they wanted to completely overthrow the government in a revolution, where then councils of workers or 'soviets' would make reforms.
7. After reading Chapter 3 make a time chart of the events of the German Revolution from Nov. 10, 1918 to Jan. 15, 1919. You should be able to find six events.
November 10, 1918-Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated.
November 12, 1918-Friedrich Ebert issued a statement to the German people about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, censorship ceasing to exist, and steps to improve housing and working conditions were made as new laws for Germany
December 23, 1918-a thousand hungry and underpaid sailors broke into government headquarters where the held Ebert prisoner at gunpoint, to get higher wages
December 31, 1918-The Spartacists renamed to the German Communist Party, they decided to work for a communist revolution, Rosa Luxemburg (one of the leaders of party) wrote in their newspaper about a battle or revolution to reach communism
January 6, 1919-the Spartacists or German Communist Party began their revolution
January 10, 1919-Ebert with the support of the sailors (called the Free Corps), who were against the Spartacists, attacked the Spartacists to try to overthrow them, fighting continued for the next three days
January 15, 1919-Rosa Luzemburg was arrested by the Ebert supporting sailors, where her and Karl Liebknecht (the other leader of the Spartacists) were beaten and murdered by the Free Corps
8. At what time would you say the Communists had their best chance of seizing power? Explain your answer.
The Communists, in my opinion, had their best chance of seizing power before Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated. At that point the people were greatly influenced by the Communists and Socialist groups and there was nothing really drastic done by these groups. Also, the citizens hated the Kaiser the most at this time and were willing to support anyone or do anything to take him down. However, once the Kaiser abdicated there were power struggles and a lot of fighting, while as before there was no physical fighting between the different Communist groups. The people would have been more willing to support the different groups before the fighting.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Stalin's Cult of Personality
1. Does the fact that images of Stalin appeared everywhere, as described by Steinbeck in Source 14.8, prove that Stalin attracted genuine adulation?
The fact that images of Stalin appeared everywhere does not prove that Stalin attracted genuine adulation. I believe this because the "Cult of Personality" occurred after the Great Purges so the people could've still been a little afraid to do something Stalin wouldn't approve because they could be executed. Since they still fear being executed it shows that they wanted to bring the least amount of tension towards themselves, and the only way to do that was to blend in with the crowd, who had Stalin statues and paintings everywhere in his honor. Not only could have the people been afraid of Stalin but their neighbors and co-workers as well. Their neighbors and co-workers could still be in that mode during the Great Purge, where many people were executed and denounced because their neighbors told the NKVD and Stalin that they are Trotskyites. So basically there still could've been fearfulness going around during the "Cult of Personality" because of the Great Purge, therefore some people may have thought that the only way to prove themselves loyal and not get executed was by having statues and paintings of Stalin in their homes.
2. Describe the various devices used to establish and spread the cult of Stalin.
The various devices used to establish and spread the cult of Stalin are as follows: the link between Stalin and Lenin, Stalin's accomplishments in the First Five-Year Plan, Stalin being protrayed as a hero, paintings and other forms of art portrayed Stalin with co-workers, peasants, and other citizens, retrogressing back to Stalin's childhood, and the success in World War II against the Nazis.
First, the link between Stalin and Lenin was one of the devices in the spread by Stalin being protrayed as Lenin's desciple, as he was portrayed at Lenin's funeral. Stalin is shown in some paintings as giving Lenin advice, and in Source 14.6 Lenin is showing Stalin that he can go ahead of him which is supposedly a symbol if Lenin showing Stalin the way to the bright future. Therefore Stalin is shown as still a desciple of Lenin and that Stalin is going to be just a good a leader as Lenin was, giving people hope and almost guarantee that Stalin is and will be a good leader.
Also, Stalin’s accomplishments in the First Five-Year Plan are used because it shows the people what Stalin has accomplished in a positive light, and that more great stuff will occur in the future with Stalin. Basically, Stalin accomplished all the industrialization in USSR and he could do it again in the future.
Third, Stalin was portrayed as a hero amongst all the villains from the Great Purge. The “traitors” were being executed during the Great Purge and confused the citizens because of all the executions and supposed traitors, but Stalin was shown as a leader that would get USSR through the Great Purge, and that he would lead the people out of confusion.
In addition, in paintings and other forms of art like statues Stalin is portrayed as there for the people and that the people are in his best interest. This is true because in some paintings Stalin is with industrial workers talking with them and in others he’s in the fields talking to peasants, which shows that Stalin has the people as his top priority. Since Stalin is shown as keeping the people as a top priority it probably gave people peace almost, that they would be taken care of by Stalin. There were also posters in hospitals saying that without Stalin they wouldn’t have had a happy childhood, which shows that Stalin made the people very happy and without him it wouldn’t have been joyful.
Another device that was used was going back to Stalin’s childhood. They used his childhood to show that he was a natural born leader. Since he’s portrayed as this it gave the people hope that Stalin, a natural born leader, will bring USSR to greatness and possibly become one of the great powers. Also, it gave the people almost guarantee that since he was a natural born leader he must be able to do all good for the country.
Lastly, the success in World War II against the Nazis was used as another device in the Cult of Personality. The success enhanced Stalin’s position and fed the cult because now Stalin wasn’t portrayed as a disciple but as an equal or even the master. Now Stalin was giving Lenin directions, and Stalin was perceived almost like a god. In some paintings he is distant from everyone and even portrayed as the sun, which shows that he was very powerful and very much praised by the people.
3. Account for the relative success of the cult - why do you think it worked with the Russian people?
I believe the “Cult of Personality” worked with the Russian people because of the chaos and uncertainty the Great Purge made and then Stalin being perceived as a great leader who will bring them out of the chaos. The Great Purge caused confusion because nobody trusted anyone anymore, and they didn’t know what was the real purpose of the Great Purge (they were confused on Stalin’s motives with the Great Purge). Since they didn’t know Stalin’s motives and if he was really leading them, they became confused; however, Stalin saw this and tried to fix it with the “Cult of Personality.” The main factor, in my opinion, that made it work with the people was how Stalin was perceived in paintings and other forms of art as being able to lead the people out of the confusion and bring them stability. This is what the people wanted, stability and leadership, since Stalin was portrayed as this they saw hope and certainty that Stalin would and could do this. Stalin being portrayed as leader and bringing stability is similar to when Lenin used the ideology “Peace, Bread, and Land,” which was all the people wanted at that time. In the end the people were content that Lenin became the leader because of his political platform, he planned on bringing what the people wanted most, and this is exactly what Stalin is doing.
4. What conclusions can you reach about whether the adulation Stalin received was genuine? Make notes of your answers.
I can come to two conclusions about whether the adulation Stalin received was genuine, and that is yes and no. Yes in the aspect that Stalin offered the Russian people what they wanted most, and no in that some people were still afraid that they would be executed. Since Stalin planned on being the leader and bring USSR out of the chaos from the Great Purge the people were almost excited or relieved that finally someone was going to lead them and bring them out of this chaos. Since Stalin was going to bring this it made the people praise him more, therefore, the adulation that Stalin received was genuine from this point of view. On the other hand, some people could have still been afraid of being executed by Stalin due to the Great Purge. Since there were so many people executed during the Great Purge for many reasons that weren’t always fair, people could have still been afraid after the Great Purges. If they were still afraid of being executed most likely they would have tried to blend in so they wouldn’t get executed. During this time, the “Cult of Personality,” the only way to blend in was by having paintings of Stalin and giving him adulation. Therefore, the adulation given to Stalin on this side wasn’t genuine because the people on this side were just extremely fearful of being executed, and were solely praising him so that they wouldn’t die not because they really did praise Stalin.
The fact that images of Stalin appeared everywhere does not prove that Stalin attracted genuine adulation. I believe this because the "Cult of Personality" occurred after the Great Purges so the people could've still been a little afraid to do something Stalin wouldn't approve because they could be executed. Since they still fear being executed it shows that they wanted to bring the least amount of tension towards themselves, and the only way to do that was to blend in with the crowd, who had Stalin statues and paintings everywhere in his honor. Not only could have the people been afraid of Stalin but their neighbors and co-workers as well. Their neighbors and co-workers could still be in that mode during the Great Purge, where many people were executed and denounced because their neighbors told the NKVD and Stalin that they are Trotskyites. So basically there still could've been fearfulness going around during the "Cult of Personality" because of the Great Purge, therefore some people may have thought that the only way to prove themselves loyal and not get executed was by having statues and paintings of Stalin in their homes.
2. Describe the various devices used to establish and spread the cult of Stalin.
The various devices used to establish and spread the cult of Stalin are as follows: the link between Stalin and Lenin, Stalin's accomplishments in the First Five-Year Plan, Stalin being protrayed as a hero, paintings and other forms of art portrayed Stalin with co-workers, peasants, and other citizens, retrogressing back to Stalin's childhood, and the success in World War II against the Nazis.
First, the link between Stalin and Lenin was one of the devices in the spread by Stalin being protrayed as Lenin's desciple, as he was portrayed at Lenin's funeral. Stalin is shown in some paintings as giving Lenin advice, and in Source 14.6 Lenin is showing Stalin that he can go ahead of him which is supposedly a symbol if Lenin showing Stalin the way to the bright future. Therefore Stalin is shown as still a desciple of Lenin and that Stalin is going to be just a good a leader as Lenin was, giving people hope and almost guarantee that Stalin is and will be a good leader.
Also, Stalin’s accomplishments in the First Five-Year Plan are used because it shows the people what Stalin has accomplished in a positive light, and that more great stuff will occur in the future with Stalin. Basically, Stalin accomplished all the industrialization in USSR and he could do it again in the future.
Third, Stalin was portrayed as a hero amongst all the villains from the Great Purge. The “traitors” were being executed during the Great Purge and confused the citizens because of all the executions and supposed traitors, but Stalin was shown as a leader that would get USSR through the Great Purge, and that he would lead the people out of confusion.
In addition, in paintings and other forms of art like statues Stalin is portrayed as there for the people and that the people are in his best interest. This is true because in some paintings Stalin is with industrial workers talking with them and in others he’s in the fields talking to peasants, which shows that Stalin has the people as his top priority. Since Stalin is shown as keeping the people as a top priority it probably gave people peace almost, that they would be taken care of by Stalin. There were also posters in hospitals saying that without Stalin they wouldn’t have had a happy childhood, which shows that Stalin made the people very happy and without him it wouldn’t have been joyful.
Another device that was used was going back to Stalin’s childhood. They used his childhood to show that he was a natural born leader. Since he’s portrayed as this it gave the people hope that Stalin, a natural born leader, will bring USSR to greatness and possibly become one of the great powers. Also, it gave the people almost guarantee that since he was a natural born leader he must be able to do all good for the country.
Lastly, the success in World War II against the Nazis was used as another device in the Cult of Personality. The success enhanced Stalin’s position and fed the cult because now Stalin wasn’t portrayed as a disciple but as an equal or even the master. Now Stalin was giving Lenin directions, and Stalin was perceived almost like a god. In some paintings he is distant from everyone and even portrayed as the sun, which shows that he was very powerful and very much praised by the people.
3. Account for the relative success of the cult - why do you think it worked with the Russian people?
I believe the “Cult of Personality” worked with the Russian people because of the chaos and uncertainty the Great Purge made and then Stalin being perceived as a great leader who will bring them out of the chaos. The Great Purge caused confusion because nobody trusted anyone anymore, and they didn’t know what was the real purpose of the Great Purge (they were confused on Stalin’s motives with the Great Purge). Since they didn’t know Stalin’s motives and if he was really leading them, they became confused; however, Stalin saw this and tried to fix it with the “Cult of Personality.” The main factor, in my opinion, that made it work with the people was how Stalin was perceived in paintings and other forms of art as being able to lead the people out of the confusion and bring them stability. This is what the people wanted, stability and leadership, since Stalin was portrayed as this they saw hope and certainty that Stalin would and could do this. Stalin being portrayed as leader and bringing stability is similar to when Lenin used the ideology “Peace, Bread, and Land,” which was all the people wanted at that time. In the end the people were content that Lenin became the leader because of his political platform, he planned on bringing what the people wanted most, and this is exactly what Stalin is doing.
4. What conclusions can you reach about whether the adulation Stalin received was genuine? Make notes of your answers.
I can come to two conclusions about whether the adulation Stalin received was genuine, and that is yes and no. Yes in the aspect that Stalin offered the Russian people what they wanted most, and no in that some people were still afraid that they would be executed. Since Stalin planned on being the leader and bring USSR out of the chaos from the Great Purge the people were almost excited or relieved that finally someone was going to lead them and bring them out of this chaos. Since Stalin was going to bring this it made the people praise him more, therefore, the adulation that Stalin received was genuine from this point of view. On the other hand, some people could have still been afraid of being executed by Stalin due to the Great Purge. Since there were so many people executed during the Great Purge for many reasons that weren’t always fair, people could have still been afraid after the Great Purges. If they were still afraid of being executed most likely they would have tried to blend in so they wouldn’t get executed. During this time, the “Cult of Personality,” the only way to blend in was by having paintings of Stalin and giving him adulation. Therefore, the adulation given to Stalin on this side wasn’t genuine because the people on this side were just extremely fearful of being executed, and were solely praising him so that they wouldn’t die not because they really did praise Stalin.
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