Hitler and Nazi Germany National 5 revision slides

Alternative transcript:

a lot of money- 170 billion marks ($45 billion) money spent on weapons, war ships, planes,wages and supplies for soldier- medical care. Businesses couldn't run effectively with lack of men and outside buying and selling goods Government printed more paper money- currency value fell worth 25% less of what it had been in 1914 Why did the Kaiser abdicate To save Germany from civil war Majority of people held him responsible for the bloodshed of the war Disorder had already occurred May have been possible to put this unrest down with force, but once blood was shed the cries for vengeance would be heard Treaty of Versailles Signed-28th June 1919 Germany lost all overseas colonies- given to allies Lost 13% of their European land-lost the reign of 7 million people- split into mainland germany and East Prussia Was not allowed heavy artillery - left defenseless Rhineland was demilitarised and occupied by troops for 15 years Conscription banned- less people enlisting Had to pay £6.6 billion in compensation- even more bankrupt Had to accept War Guilt Clause- full responsibility for starting the war Joining of Germany and Austria was not allowed Opposition to the treaty of Versailles Did what the allies wanted = got rid of the Kaiser Dictated peace will provoke fresh hatred between nations Forced blame- were side by side with Italy and Austria- hungary If attacked no way to fight back Positive characteristics of the Weimar Republic Choose whichever religion they wished to follow No-one could be jailed without a fair trial Freedom of press Freedom of speech To vote by secret ballot No-one could be arrested unless they were suspected of Breaking the law Every man or women over the age of 20 to vote in Reichstag elections Join a political party or set up their own one Join a trade union to campaign for better working conditions Freedom of speech To hold peaceful meeting Letters and correspondence could not be opened and read Election of Reichstag members were to be held every 4 years and 7 years for the president Negative Characteristics of the Weimar Republic Hatred from the Public The new Constitution Didn't have a good start- violence uprising and riots in Berlin caused Government to go to Weimar Powers given to the president problematic- replacement Kaiser had too much control -Head of armed forces Public still loyal to Kaiser- thought he ruled by divine right and chosen by God Angry with terms of the Treaty of Versailles stabbed in the back for surrendering to the Allies -Appoint and dismiss chancellor -VETO any legislation -Pass legislations without approval in and emergency Germany had no history of parliamentary democracy=politicians lacked experience Negative Characteristics of the Weimar Government Proportional Representation % of votes a party gets = % of seats in Reichstag Coalition Government RESULTS OF FIRST ELECTION SPD-Social Democratic Party--38% DDP- Democratic Party----------18% Zentrum-Catholic Centre Party-20% No party gains 50% of public votes a coalition is formed No minimum number of votes to win a seat = possible to get into Reichstag with as little as 0.4% of the vote 40 different political parties in Reichstag in 1933- all different views difficult to agree Allowed small parties with extreme views to gain seats SPD and DDP formed a coalition- first in weimar republic Problem with coalition government Very difficult to agree-government collapse- another vote 21 early elections between 1919-1931- created appearance of weak government Spartacist Revolt In January 1919 100,000 workers went on strike and demonstrated in the centre of Berlin. The demonstration was taken over by the Spartacist leadership (Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg). They started an armed uprising against the government with the aim to replace the government with communism. They took over public buildings and newspaper offices, built barricades, shouted their favourite slogan 'down, down, down' (with the government). During the revolt Ebert (the president) found the revolt difficult to handle and called in the army and Freikorps (volunteer ex-soldiers who were anti-communist so hated Spartacists) to destroy them and bring peace back to Berlin. The Freikorps turned up with weapons (tanks, guns and grenades) provided by the army to put down the uprising and violent broke out. They quickly defeated the Spartacists and many surrendered. By the end of the week 156 Spartacists had been killed in what is knowns as 'Bloody Week'. Finally, the government put out a bounty of 100,000 German marks on the heads of their leaders for anyone who caught them. Both were eventually arrested and killed. Why did the spartacist revolt fail? The Spartacists were a political party and not an army (not trained to fight). Not a planned event - everything happened quickly and the Spartacists disagreed on what to do (no organised plan for the revolt). It wasn't well planned out the workers at the strike got bored and went home (action did not happen quickly enough). Although they had weapons the Freikorps had much more (tanks, grenades and guns) from the army. The fighting was brutal because the Freikorps thought the Spartacists/communists were an enemy to Germany (determined to kill them). Once the leaders were arrested and killed - their brutal murders put others off revolting. Beer Hall Putsch On the 8th November 1923 Nazis decided to start a revolution in Munich to overthrow the Weimar Government. An important meeting was taking place that evening with 3 important Bavarian leaders whose support Hitler believed would make it easier to take down the government. Ludendorff, Hitler and 600 Brownshirts surrounded the Beer Hall. Hitler stormed the room with 25 Nazis, jumped onto the stage, fired gunshots in the air and called for a March to Berlin', claiming The National Revolution has begun!'. He ordered the 3 important men by gun point into a room but they initially refused to support Hitler, but changed their minds when Ludendorff arrived. Hitler gave a speech in the main beer hall stating the Weimar Republic has led Germany into ruin and gave the impression he had the 3 Bavarian support. Beer Hall Putsch Hitler was called away and left Ludendorff in charge. The 3 important men promised their support and were allowed to leave. However, they immediately told the police when they left. On the 9th November 1932 Ludendorff convinced Hitler to march into the centre of Munich. Ludendorff would lead they march as he believed police would never fire on him because he was a famous war hero. 2-3,000 Nazis marched behind Hitler and Ludendorff. The narrow street was armed with police ready for them, violence broke out. Shots were fired with 16 Nazis killed and 3 policemen. Shooting lasted less than a minute and the Putsch was over. Hitler escaped with a dislocated shoulder but was captures 2 days later and stood trial for trying to overthrow the Weimar Republic (Treason). Ludendorff cut ties with the Nazi party. Impact of the Beer Hall Putsch The trial gave Hitler and the Nazis publicity and now everyone had heard of them. In jail Hitler reorganised the party e.g. Hitler Youth, SS and swastika. Hitler was not seriously punished (in comparison to Spartacist leaders) and only served 9 months in jail - he did however break his shoulder escaping. The Putsch had failed and the Nazi party and their newspaper was banned until 1925 which isolated them from politics. Many people in Germany now sympathised with Hitler's ideas - he was only trying to 'make Germany great again'. The 16 dead Nazis were seen as Martyrs (hero's). General Ludendorff the popular war hero cut ties with the party. Hitler was shown to be a criminal, hot-headed, unplanned and guilty of treason. Being in jail for 9 months gave him the opportunity to write Mein Kampf which put all the Nazi ideas onto paper. Whilst in prison he had time to realise that if he wanted control of Germany he would have to do it through democratic means (e.g. through elections). Financial Problems The war had cost £45 billion - all money that had been borrowed and had to be paid back Many factories destroyed- no longer produced goods Germany had reparations of £6.6 billion to pay to the Allies Lost wealth from former colonies There were 525,000 widows, 1.3 million orphans and 1.5 disbaled veterans to provide for Economic Problems 9th of January- French and Belgian troops invaded the Ruhr- Germany's most valuable industrial area- made 80% Germany's steel and 70% of its coal Ruhr is right next to Rhineland which was demilitarized-No german soldiers to stop them entering Germany Troops took over the iron and steel factories, coal mines and railways as compensation for late payments The workers went on strike - passive resistance- German citizens did not confront soldiers. Relations between Germany and france were just as tense as during the war- led to violence and over the next 8 months of occupation over 150,000 Ruhr Germans were kicked out of their homes and 132 were killed However things got worse for Germany as a strike meant that whilst the workers were not working fewer industrial goods were being produced In Orders to pay striking workers the Government printed more money- caused hyperinflation. Economic Problems Golden years of Weimar 1924 to late 1929-Golden age of Weimar It is the time when the Weimar Republic enjoyed greater stability, economic prosperity, improved living standards in relation to previous years At this time the Nazis were a small, noisy but unimportant party Despite the rise in membership to 10,000 the only Nazis were actually losing ground in the places that mattered- Reichstag As unemployment rose the number of seats the nazis got increased as well. Economic Problems January 1923-Workers go on strike after French and Belgian troops invade Germany's industrial heartland- The Ruhr August 1923-Gustav Stresemann became chancellor September 1923-Stresemann ended passive Resistance in the Ruhr-Kick started German industry October 1923-A new currency called 'Rentenmark' was brought in to replace the old 'Reichsmark' August 1924-Germany signs The Dawes Plan which lowered the reparations and got loans from USA to invest in Germany December 1924-Hitler released from prison by this time Geramny's economy had been revived Economic Problems Early 1925-France and Belgium agreed to leave the Ruhr and accepted the Dawes Plan Late 1925-The Locarno Treaty is signed which reduced tensions in Europe as Germany accepted the blame for ww1 1926-The league of Nations = Germany is allowed to join and allowed back into the the international community 1928-Nazis support was failing and had 12 seats- less than 3% of the population voted for them 1929-Stresemann signs The Young Plan which again reduces reparation payments. Economic Problems Hyperinflation was a big problem Money was worth virtually nothing and many people couldn't pay for bare necessities Many workers were paid two-three times a day as money kept inflating Appeal of Hilter and the Nazis Problems with the current government Blamed for accepting the terms of the treaty of versailles- Hilter promised to ignore it Germans began to lose faith in democracy following economic problems - Hitler promised to end unemployment. Blamed for defeat in the war-Nazis gave the German people a scapegoat for all problems(Jews and communists) A lack of support for democracy and a series of weak, short-lived coalitions governments- Hilter seemed stable, strong and reliable. Unemployment As Nazis gained support in 1932, unemployment rates started to fall. Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis Help from big business People were getting increasingly frustrated with the economic instability and the rise of communism. This meant by 1929 the Nazis had a useful contact. Alfred Hugenberg - powerful businessman who owned most of Germany's cinema industry and local newspapers. Alfred could order Hiltler to be front page on Newspapers everyday and only publish positive stories. Cinemas used differently back then- people went 2-3 times a week to see the news=pro-nazi + anti-communist adverts could be shown =mass publicity across Germany Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis Hitler himself He was seen as a dynamic, energetic, passionate leader who wanted to restore Germany to its rightful position as world leader, his power and self-belief persuaded people to believe him. He was seen as a charismatic speaker, able to put into words the frustration of millions of Germans. He used short phrases and simple language so everyone could understand. The unity of the Brownshirts made Hitler look like a strong leader. Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis Nazi Policies Policies made as vague as possible to appeal to as many people as possible. People of both right and moderate-left wing politics voted for them as they agreed with at least one of their policies. Nazi speakers tailored their speaches to each audience. Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis Use of propaganda Nazi propaganda persuaded the German masses to believe that Hilter was their last hope/ Germany's saviour- known as fuhrers cult Goebbels propaganda campaign targeted specific groups of society with different simple slogans and policies to win support. Brownshirts-appealing to young men that were unemployed this got more people involved in the Nazi party. Coming to Power Why did hitler become chancellor in 1933 Party's popularity in Reichstag- had the highest number of seats, 196, in November 1932 election. Hindenburg appointed him- the growing popularity of the party in Reichstag, Hindenburg wanted to control Hitler and thought he could. Instability within the government Lack of control in Reichstag-Chancellors found it difficult to control and therefore pass laws in Reichstag causing Hindenburg, in 1932, to use Article 48 to pass every law. Weakness in the left-wing- opponents of the Nazis formwd many failed coalitions in Reichstag. Policies appealed to everyone- Vague policies applied to almost every group in German Society. Reichstag Fire What was the Reichstag Fire? The Reichstag fire was an arson attack on the German Parliament Building in Berlin When was the Reichstag Fire? 27th February 1933- one week before the election. Who was blamed for the Reichstag fire? Dutch communist, Marinus Van Der Lubbe, was blamed for the Reichstag fire. He was unemployed, partially sighted and he had previous convictions for fire raising. In a police report he had admitted to the fire in protest of Nazi rule, although it is possible he was tortured in to saying this. What happened to him? Marinus Van der Lubbe was executed on the 10th of January 1934 by beheading Reichstag Fire What was the Reichstag Fire Decree? The 'Decree for the protection of the people and the state' wasa set of laws brought in to take away the basic rights of the German people set out in the 1919 constitution. What was the result of the German March 1933 election? Nazis only won 44.5% of the vote rather than the majority that Hitler had expected. Where was the first Nazi concentration camp and when was it opened? Dachau in southern Germany on March 10th 1933 Who was sent there? Political prisoners- social democrats and communists Why was the Reichstag Fire good for the Nazis? Hitler managed to expel the communists from parliaments and imprisoned many communist leaders- this stopped campaigning prior to March elections and increased Nazi votes as they were seen as anti- communists. Consolidation of Power In January 1933 became Chancellor of Germany. Within 18 months Hitler had made himself Fuhrer. The Reichstag Fire gave Hitler a reason to take more power. The enabling Act gave Hitler the power of dictator for 4 years. In july 1934, the night of the long knives removed Hitlers enemies. Finally, Hitler made himself Fuhrer when Hindenburg died and the army swore an oath of loyalty. Consolidation of Power Reasons why Hitler was able to consolidate his power in 1934 Reichstag Fire Laws-Communist leaders arrested which means there was no left wing opposition within Germany. Fear Tactics-Concentration camps set up- no one opposed the Nazis for fear of being sent to one. The Enabling Act-A new law was passed giving Hitler power to rule by decree for 4 years causing him to have absolute power to make his own laws. Trade Unions-Hitler abolished trade unions which allowed him to destroy groups that might oppose him- gave him control over the German workers. Hindenburg's Death- Hitler combines Chancellor and President to create one position, this was voted in by the public with 90% in favour now Hitler was the sole leader of Germany. Consolidation of Power Reasons why Hitler was able to consolidate his power in 1934 Concordat-Made a deal with the Pope for him to not interfere with politics if Hitler didn't interfere with the running of the Catholic church which caused the Catholic Zentrum Party to disband. The Law Against the Establishment of Political Parties-Law passed stating 'The National Socialist German Workers Party constitutes as the only political party in Germany' meaning Germans could no longer get rid of Hilter in an election. People's Courts-The judge in people's courts had to swear on an oath of loyalty to the Nazis causing any opponent of the Nazis (accused of crimes against the state) were charged and found guilty, this caused Hitler to have greater control over the judgements made in courts. Night Of the Long Knives-Hitler killed those who he feared could rise up against him, this destroyed the opposition within the Nazi party and made it so people would be to scared to rise up against him Characteristics of the Nazi Government Propaganda-Brainwash Nazis. Revenge-German Autarky-Germany other countries. the public into thinking life was better under control of the pride must be restored at any cost. must be self-sufficient and not rely on imported goods from Church-Reduce the power of the church to gain support from the public. Racism-Germans were the 'master race' and all inferior races had to be removed Militarism-Have Germany ready to fight another war. Lebensraum-Germany needed to expand its territories in order to let the master race grow. to workers. Nazification/Gleichschaltung- Established a system of control e.g. from education Intimidation-SS The SS(Black shirts = wore black uniform). Heinrich Himmler took over from 1929 = built the group to 200,000+ members. In charge of internal security (removing opposition to the Nazis). In charge of running the concentration/extermination camps (racial cleansing). Very brutal and violent - exploited inmates of camps as slave labour. Committee to remain faithful to Hitler to the death = most trusted especially after Night of the Long Knives. Intimidation-SA The SA(Brown Shirts) were Hitler's own private army and were violent and often disorderly. Ernst Rohm and Goering were leaders. They were responsible for protecting leading Nazis during meetings, marched during rallies, disrupted meetings of opposing parties, intimidated voters, and attached groups such as Jews, communists and trade unionists. Rounded up communists after the Reichstag fire. Hitler Youth was under SA control until May 1932. Intimidation- Gestapo The Gestapo, Secret police force, started by Hermann Goering in 1933, then ran by Himmler by April 1934 with Reinhard Heydrich as deputy. Job was to discover and arrest communists and others through to be a threat to the Nazis (enemies of the state). Responsible for rounding up Jews throughout Europe deporting them to concentration camps. Investigated cases of treason and could arrest and imprison anyone without evidence or trial. People were so scared of the Gestapo they would report others for opposing the Nazis. Used torture and wore ordinary clothes 'ununiformed law enforcement agency'. Night Of The Long Knives End of 1933 the SA, led by Ernst Rohm, had 3 million members. Often given free rein, seen as violent and difficult to control which was disliked by most Ġerman people. Rohm also opposed some of Hitler's policies - criticised Nazi links with rich industry/businessmen and wanted to help working classes more. Hitler and Nazi leadership disagreed = tension between the SA and the Nazi leadership grew. Röhm and Brownshirts (SA) saw themselves as the new 'people's army' that would replace the traditional Germany Army = Angered the German Generals who Hitler now needed to help maintain control. To deal with the SA problem Hitler held a meeting (end of February 1934), with SA and Army. Hitler informed Röhm that the SA was not going to be a military force in Germany. After the meeting Röhm let his true feelings be known (he did not agree and called Hitler a Traitor which was reported back to Hitler. Himmler, who hoped to benefit from Röhm's downfall, along with Reinhard Heydrich & Hermann Göring began plotting. Spread rumours about Röhm and persuaded Hitler that he had become too powerful, was plotting to overthrow him and take over the Nazi Party. They wrote up the "Reich List of Unwanted Persons" and Rohm was on it. Night Of The Long Knives 30 June 1934 leaders of the SA were ordered to attend a meeting at a hotel in Bad Wiesse, Bavaria. Hitler arrived and placed Röhm and some high ranking SA leaders under arrest. After Rohm's arrest Hitler decided to pardon him because of his past services to the movement. However on Sunday 1st July 1934 - two SS officers were sent to Rohm in prison where they gave him a gun and told him to shoot himself. When they came back he had not done it so the SS officers shot him through the throat then a bullet to the head. Over the next two days, most of the SA leadership were placed under arrest and murdered without trial. Number of victims vary, some estimates as high as 1,000 but most historians now say about 90, including over 50 SA leaders. Nazis also used event to eliminate other political opponents Showed the ruthlessness of the Nazi dictatorship. Hitler was feared throughout Germany and few dared to speak out against him. Made it clear that he was the supreme leader of Germany who had the right to be judge and jury Hitler had an army on his side = they were grateful SA was removed. Every soldier was made to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler instead of the constitution. Goebbels used media coverage to show the attack as a preventative measure in response to the SA's 'plan to overthrow the government'. Treatment of Jews and Other Minority Groups April 1933-Jewish shops boycotted-people encouraged by SA not to buy any goods from jewish shops-put jews out of business and showed strength of SA. Jews lost their jobs in civil services, schools, universities, law, medicine and newspapers. 1935- Nuremberg Laws-stops all Jews and Germans marrying and from havign sex, to make sure german blood was not tainted by mixing with other races. Jews no longer allowed to vote, own property or join the military 1938 Kristallnacht 'crystal night'-Nazis started using violence against the Jews. 10,000 jewish shops and 400 synagogues attacked and set on fire. 20,000 jews arrested and sent to concentrarion camps. Jewish children banned from going to school. 1939 Ghettos-Jews rounded up and forced out of their homes, property confiscated and sent to areas designed only for them. Small space, disease spread, no medicine, relied on Nazis for food, limited to 800 calories a day. Treatment of Jews and Other Minority Groups 1941 concentration camps-Jews moved to concentration camps. Told they were going to 'resettlement areas' in the east. Taken by railway with belongings, forced to work here in worst conditions than ghetto. 1942 the 'final solution'-Death camps set up. All went through a process of 'selection'. Mothers, children, old and sick taken to showers which were gas chambers. Able bodied sent to work. 1937- homosexual SS officers-Sent to concentration camps and forced to wear pink triangles. Some inmates were the object of medical experiments to correct 'unnatural feelings' often castrated. Gypsy prisoners-were experimented on at camp- testing drugs on them, freezing them, attempts to change eye colour by injecting chemicals into children's eyes. Opposition to the Nazis Why was there so little opposition in 1934+ The Nazis aimed to destroy the treaty of versailles and to make Germany strong again. They gave the Germans what they wanted: Money, food and jobs Freedom of speech was banned- difficulties publicising views No political opposition Trade union banned-workers couldn't unit Punishment was severe everyone had heard of and feared concentration camps Name of Group Political Opposition The White Rose The Edelweiss Pirates The Swing Kids Kreisau Circle Jewish Opposition Catholic Church Protestant Church Jehovah's Witness Why did they oppose the Nazis Different Political Views Didn't like that they persecution of the jews Didnt want to join Hitler Youth Rejected Nazi ideals Didn't like Hitler and re- christianise Germany Didn't like the way they were treated Hitler acted like God- Euthanasia Church shouldn't be controlled by a political party Didn't like the way they were treated How did they oppose the Nazis Wrote reports against the Nazis and published them for the world to read Anti-Nazis leaflets, posters and graffiti Attacked Hitler Youth members and murdered a Gestapo chief Listened to swing/jazz and allowed jews to join Attempted assassinations Newspapers 'the way out' and uprising that killed 20 SS officers Used the Pope Created a new church 'confessional church' helped Jews escape. Refused to swear loyalty to Hitler How did the Nazis deal with them Imprisoned/murdered them Charged with treason and executed Publicly hung Forced them into Hitler Youth 7,000 arrested and 4,980 executed Sent to concentration camps and murdered Priests sent to CC and banned religion Banned and sent to CC Concentration Camps Economic Policies Prior to Nazi consolidation of power unempoyment was a big problem in Germany, over 30%. Hitler promised Arbeit und Brot- work and bread the long run he had 3 main aims- 1. Reduce unemployment 2. Rebuild industry 3. Create a self-sufficient Germany Arbeit-Unemployment drops from 6 million in 1932 to 300 in 1939 Brot- bread-Bread consumption in German working class families increased from 310kg in 1927 to 345kg in 1937 Other-All other types of food dropped (veg, potatoes, meat, milk etc.) In Economic Policies Employment-June 1933-unemployment relief act= Autobahn -By 1939- wanted to triple the size of the army=Rearmament -July 1935- Reich Labour Service Act (RAD) Economic-In Germany's strife to be self sufficient (autarky) German business contracts expanded. Production of radios greatly increased- created jobs Hitler stopped paying reparations from the treaty of versailles and invested money into German industry instead. The real picture- Jews were kicked out of their jobs to be replaced by Germans, they were not included in unemployment figures nor were women. concentration camps and conscriptions. Nuremberg Rallies • Every month of the year had its own festival in different location with military parades • A huge stone eagle overlooked the stadium Thousands would salute at the same time and waited in silence for hitler to talk Over 200,000 uniformed SA and SS men were present • Speeches on the radio and shown on the newsreel film in cinemas for those who couldn't attend Rehearsals were held to make sure that everything ran perfectly Every September giant rallies were held • Highlight of this event was Hitlers speech Hundreds of long red banners with swastikas were shown Offered entertainment such as fireworks • Military parades at these events Mock battles were held Militarism At the heart of the Hitler Youth was teaching military skills All organisations used military style uniforms Rearmament involved increasing the amount of weapons germany had The army was increased from 100,000 men to 1,400,000 The 'Reich Labour Service Act' was passed-Every man between 18 and 25 had to complete 6 months national service • Conscription was introduced in 1935 • Military discipline was imposed by fear e.g. concentration camps • P.E. increased to 5 hours per week to ensure that boys would grow up to be athletic Hitler Youth Many enjoyed the weekends away camping with friends -away from parents. Many boys happy wearing the uniforms and being given respect by the public during marches. Many went along with it as did not want their parents arrested as it was compulsory. Hitler Youth banned all other groups which weren't controlled by the Nazis e.g. scouts/girl guides. Girls did not like being treated differently to the boys e.g. aim was to make them be good mothers/ lots of children. Many did not like being told what to do under such a restricted regime e.g. going away every weekend. Swing kids = fights with the Hitler Youth (wore American clothes, allowed Jews into group. Edelweiss Pirates = sang anti-nazi songs and avoided going to Hitler Youth. Education Curriculum changes and re-nazified e.g. PE increased 5 hours per week (fit for war) and in biology they were taught about eugenics (creating a master race). Each classroom had a portrait of Hitler and started lessons with a salute to him. NAPOLAS = Special schools set up to teach the next generation of SS officers. Certain groups banned from education e.g. jews and disabled. Teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler, if they didn't they were fired. Hitler youth became compulsory - with 8 million members - parents would be arrested if they didnt go. Boys would practice military drills and marches as well as using weapons.. Kids were brainwashed into Nazi ideology and to show loyalty was expected to spy on parents/teachers. Role of Women Nazis considered women as 'homemakers' k's-kinder-children kucher-kitchen kirche-church Propaganda was used to show this distinct role of women. Women's roles were to raise many children, look after her family and cook using leftovers (Nazis wanted to be self-sufficient). There was even a 6 week course delivered to train women in cooking, childcare and ironing. Eventually women were forced to leave jobs. 3 Role of Women PREGNANCIES After 1933- NAzis made abortion illegal and restricted the used of contraception- tough punishments if caught. They improved welfare schemes- supported women and their children by increasing maternity benefits, family allowances, childcare facilities and providing goods like milk, grocery parcels and baby clothes. The Nazis wanted to increase the number of babies born but after 1935 jewish women could not marry Aryan men to ensure that babies were not born to 'undesirables'. Nazi policies menat those who had hereditary diseases or mental illnesses could be sterilised. Role of Women Motherhood Women were encouraged to have as many children as possible from an early age. Loans were given to newly married couples to fund having kids and childless couples had to pay higher taxes. Women received medals for the number of kids they had-Bronze=4 kids Silver=6 kids and Gold= 8 kids Controversially Pregnancies outwith marriages were not disapproved of, divorce became easier in order to end marriages that were 'unproductive' and it could also be arranged for unmarried women to go along to meet an SS officer to get impregnated- Lebensborn Birth rates did rise between 1933-1939