Nazi Social Policy and Practice

Good learning: Identify key terms from previous sessions Great learning: Explain Nazi social policies on women and young people Even better: Evaluate how much of an impact Nazi social policies had on different groups within society

Flip Learning Complete exam question and bring in for next lesson (4 marks) ‘Describe 2 ways in which the Second World War had an impact on ordinary German citizens’ Revision grids on impact of WW2 on economy & German people

Look at the flip paper on your tables Rationing Total War Labour shortages Bombing and refugees Details/impact Fill in the paper as a group. After swap papers and see what you agree/disagree with and add any extra info Good learning: Identify key terms from previous sessions Great learning: Explain Nazi social policies on women and young people Even better: Evaluate how much of an impact Nazi social policies had on different groups within society

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDFFis0j4JM (4 mins) Hitler wanted all Germans to think of themselves as part of a national community Their first loyalty would be to Germany and the Fuhrer The benefits of Nazi rule made most Germans willing to accept some social control in the interests of making Germany great again

Women in Nazi Germany A painting showing the Nazis’ view of an ideal German family What does this painting suggest? What are key elements of an ideal German family?

Nazis = male dominated organisation Traditional view of the role of the German woman as a wife and a mother Many women = agreed with him Resentment towards working women taking men's jobs Wanted the Aryan population to grow (a person of European descent. Not Jewish. Usually blonde/blue eyed. Superior race) Women’s role in society summed up as 

Women in Weimar Germany Read p. 86-87. How did women in Weimar Germany differ from women in Nazi Germany? Many women attended university and became lawyers and doctors If women worked for the government Their pay was equal to men Birth rate fell as more women worked. In 1900 there had been over two million births per year. In 1933 there were under one million – HALVED

Nazis policies towards women Sterilisation The Nazis thought that some women were unfit to be mothers. The ‘Law for the Prevention of Diseased Offspring’ allowed forcible sterilisation of women with a history of mental illness, hereditary diseases or antisocial behaviour (like alcoholism) Work Many female doctors, teachers, lawyers and judges were sacked. Working was discouraged, as it might hinder producing children Nazis policies towards women Behaviour In many cities, women were banned from smoking because it was ‘unladylike’. Wearing trousers or high heels was also frowned upon. Slimming was discouraged because it might make it harder to get pregnant Family Contraception and abortion were banned. Generous loans were given to newly married couples to encourage them to have children. The Motherhood Medal was awarded to women with the most children. Mothers with eight children received the ‘Gold Cross’ Organisations The German Maidens’ League gave advice on cooking, childcare and diet. It focused on good physical health and housekeeping skills (was reinforced at school)

Impact of the policies Thousands of women were prevented from following their chosen career path The birth rate increased – around 970,000 babies were born in 1933, rising to 1413,000 by 1939 When ww2 started in 1939, there was a labour shortage as men were joining the army. Thousands of women were needed to work in factories for the war effort, taking on the joint role of main wage earner and mother

Write a brief definition on … The three K’s Motherhood Medals German Maiden’s League Sterilisation Policy

Nazi Policies towards young people Nazis wanted to control every aspect of life in Germany Nazi’s reorganised every aspect of the school curriculum to make children loyal to them – believed if they were brought up to believe in Nazi ideas, they would become good Nazi’s and not go against the regime Fill in worksheet with missing words

Source 13 p. 88 – A question from a Nazi maths textbook 1933 ‘The Jews are aliens in Germany. In 1933 there were 66,060,000 inhabitants of the German Reich of whom 499,862 were Jews. What is the percentage of aliens in Germany’ Do you think the real aim of the question in source 13 is to improve mathematical skills?

Universities Universities had to change their courses to reflect what Nazi’s believed Many lecturers were sacked, either for racial or political reasons By 1939, over 3000 lecturers had been dismissed All students had to train as soldiers for a month each year Nazis did not regard university education as particularly important & fewer Germans attended university during the Nazi era

Hitler Youth Organisations Hitler Youth - In 1933, Hitler Youth took over all youth movements in Germany, except Catholic ones (which were eliminated in 1936). Organisations aimed to: - control the activities of young people outside the classroom; make them loyal to Hitler; train boys to be soldiers and prepare girls to be wives and mothers. There were separate organisations for boys and girls, and for different age groups.

There were different activities for boys and girls There were different activities for boys and girls. Boys fired guns and marched, while girls learnt how to look after a family, but all undertook fitness and indoctrination classes. There were many reasons why young people joined the movements: Initially membership was voluntary, but it was made compulsory in 1939. Young people also joined because of peer pressure. They were attracted by the novel activities, such as camping. It was a chance to reject the authority and values of their parents. Membership would help them get a better job in the future. Many joined hoping that by showing loyalty to the Nazis, their families would be safe from the SS.

Flip Learning – Create a mind map that explores how and why the Nazi’s changed the lives of Germany’s women and young people In for Monday!