The Nazi Party
- Founded in 1919, but rose to power in 1933 under the leadership of Adolf Hitler
- Hated Jews, African-Americans, homosexuals, disabled people, etc.
- Called for the removal of the Jews from Germany
- The Jews were put into concentration camps run by The Nazi Party, and killed by means of starvation and/or gas chambers
- The people in the Nazi party blamed the Jews for the Flaws of Germany
- Hitler was given the position of Chancellor by the president, Paul von Hindenburg
- Had 8.5 million members during WWII
- Sought to develop the perfect race of humans (The Aryans)
- The only legal or accepted political party in 1933-1945
- Symbol for the Nazi Party was the Swastika
Adolph Hitler and Mein Kampf
- Fought in WWI and was shocked that Germany surrendered
- Was sworn in as chancellor of Germany in 1933
- Disliked Jews and other minority groups of people
- Leader of the Nazi Party and was known as "The Fuehrer" which means leader or guide
- Was written by Hitler in the Landsberg Prison in 1925
- Consisted of his future plans for Germany
- Came in 2 volumes, consisting of 12 & 15 chapters-published in 1925 &1926
- Started with slow sales, but then it became a National fixation
- Eventually it became mandatory for every newlywed couple to be given a newlywed's edition of the book
- Editions of the book were given to soldiers
Persecution of the Jews and The Holocaust
- The Holocaust was the mass killing of Jewish people in Germany.
- It started in 1933 when Adolf Hitler came into power.
- 11 million people were killed in The Holocaust (1.1 million kids)
- Only 6 million of the victims were Jewish, the others consisted of Jehovah's Witness, Homosexuals, disabled people, and Gypsies.
- When WWII began, the Jews were ordered to wear a yellow Star Of David so they could be easily identified.
- They were forced to live in areas called Ghettos.
- Up to 1,000 Jews were picked up in the Ghettos and taken to concentration camps where they were put into hard labor, and killed.
- Jewish people were excluded from social life on September 15th, 1935 with the passing of Nuremburg Laws.
- Two thirds of the Jews in Germany were killed by the Nazi's.
- The Holocaust ended in 1945 when the Nazi's were defeated.
Daily life of the German people during the War
- Many teenager join Hitler Scouts and if not, there was a possible chance of going to prison
- Most lived comfortably during the war
- There wereSome shortages in oil and building materials such as metal
- Children were often left to look after themselves
- Many homes were bombed out (blown up or damaged by bombs)
- The neighbors and families often looked after each other in offering each other shelter, clothes, or food after a bombing
- They often listened to the radio to find out what was happening in the war
- Radio was not all news , there were comedies and talk shows on as well
- Many telephones didn't work after air raids (which were often) so they relied on writing letter to communicate back and forth with people who lived far or were in the war
- Telegrams often brought bad news, like a loved one being killed or hurt in war
The Hitler Youth
- An extension of Hitler's beliefs in the Nazi Party geared toward the youth
- Consisted of both boys and girls ages 10-18
- Boys group received military training
- Girls group received training on being a housewife and mother
- It was the only official youth group of the Nazi Party in 1929
- Any parents that did not like this movement were imprisoned
- Children would be placed in orphanages if they were not enrolled
- At the beginning of WWII they had 9 million members
- In 1943 the youth were put into active duty because Hitler needed their help
- Within the first month of battle over half of the youth were injured or killed
Effects of Military Air Strikes
- Germany depended on air forces that were integrated with land and naval forces
- The Luftwaffe was the German Air Force and Hitler saw this as a weapon that he needed
- Developed strategic bombing from air forces
- The first air battle in history was between Britain's and Germany's air crafts
- In 1940 German and British air forces clashed in the sky making it the biggest bombing to that date
- The Battle of Britain ended when Germany's Luftwaffe couldn't gain superiority over The Royal Air Force
- Germany targeted Britain's bases and military post in hopes to gain Great Britain as their own
- The German Air Force was founded in 1956 during the Cold War
- Caused people to have to evacuate homes and their towns
- Many homes had bomb shelters to protect them from incoming enemy air strikes
Culture, Education, and Art in Germany in WWII
- Germans liked group singing; to German officers, the lack of singing showed bad morale
- They followed pagan holidays, not religious ones
- Hitler rejected Christian beliefs; because of this the government introduced its own Reich church
- Private schools were taken over or closed by the goverment
- Classes were separated by gender
- Every school day began with a "Heil Hitler" salute
- Children did not have to wear school uniforms but the Hitler Youth wore theirs on certain days
- Art was stolen by the Nazi's periodically
- There was a group of art detectives known as the Monuments Men
- Art was recovered to preserve European culture