Discussion of the how successfully the Nazis implemented their social policies including Ao1a (knowledge) and Ao1b (evaluation).

1. Nazi Social Policy
To what extent did the Nazis
successfully develop a
What was
it?
The
creation of
a racially
unified and
hierarchicall
y organized
body in
which the
interests of
individuals
would be
strictly
subordinate
to those of
the nation,
or Volk.
Who was included?
All Germans: men, women, children. All
professions. All regions of Germany. All ages.
Ao1b: How
successfully
was it
created?
Difficult to
assess due
to; nature of
Nazi
propaganda
state;
apparatus
of terror;
lack of
reliable
sources.

2. Racism Nationalism
Authoritarianis
m
Social Darwinism:
creation of a strong
German race by
exclusion of the
weak or corrupt
influence of other
races (most
specifically Jews).
Ao1b: focused on by
Nazi regime-
collusion of German
people debatable.
Ao1b:
foreign
policy
aims
liked
by
people
.
Großdeutschland;
the return of
Germany to strength
following the actions
of the November
Criminals. Return to
strength from 1933;
rearming, end of
League.
Führerprinzip: one
leader in charge of
the hierarchy; loyalty
sworn to the leader;
development of the
cult of the Führer.
Ao1b: Many kept
loyalty/ belief in
Hitler even when
complaining about
Nazi regime.

4. Largest social group
in German society:
removed the Trade
Unions and set up
DAF (Robert Ley).
DAF; set working
hours/ wages; dealt
with strikes/
disobedience/ set
rents.
SdA (Beauty of
Labour): working
conditions/ meals/
exercise.
KdF (Strength
through Joy): cultural
visits, sports, holiday,
transport.
Creation of
employment biggest
ability to win over
the working class.
Workers (Industrial)
Ao1b: Discontent
(before 1939),
wages rose but so
did contributions,
increase in working
hours per week
(from 43 hours in
1933 to 47 hours in
1939 to 60 in 1944),
improvements in
rearmament industry
not consumer
industry.
No-one ever got any
Volkswagens.
Many workers did
grumble and
complain but no

5. Peasants/ Farmers
‘Blood and Soil’;
rural utopia attracted
peasants/ farmers
especially with bad
times under Weimar.
Agricultural policies:
written off farm
debts and
mortgages; tax
breaks; low interest
rates; Reich
Entailed Farm Law;
Reich Food Estate.
Landed classes
worried old estates
would be broken up.
They weren’t. More
cheap land offered.
Ao1b: Darré fell out
of favour with the
Nazi higher ups.
Agricultural reforms
well received at
first; increase in
prices/ agricultural
production BUT
increase in town
economic power
had 3% migrate to
towns.
Regulation and
bureaucracy began
to be resented.
Peasantry
threatened by
cheap labour as

6. Education/ Youth
Aim: to
indoctrinate the
youth with Nazi
ideology to
enable the order
to survive.
Nazi policy:
teachers-
National
Socialist
Teachers’
League (97%),
2/3 on ideology
courses. Syllabi
changed.
Science- race/
eugenics.
History/ RS/
Literature-
German
nationalism.
The Schools: Elite- 21
Napolas (political), 10 Adolf
Hitler Schools,
Ordensburgen (college).
Ao1b : 32% teachers
members of the party
(compared to 17% of the
Reich Civil Service).
Ao1b :
Evidence is
tricky.
Academic
standards
declined-
especially in elite
schools,
emphasis on
physical
standards.
Recruitment of
teachers
declined by 1938
(8000 vacancies
with only 2500
were coming out
of teacher

7. Organisations/ Youth
Boys:
10-14: German
Young People.
14-18: Hitler
Youth.
Indoctrination/
athletics/
weapons
training/ war
games/
Girls:
10-14: League
of Young Girls.
14-18: League
of German
girls.
Indoctrination/
athletics/
domestic
training-
Ao1b: Statistics.
1932: 1.5%
1934: 46.5%
1936: 62.8%
1938: 77.2%
Compulsory 1939.
Parents
under
pressur
e
Ao1b: Some loved the opportunities.
Over rapid expansion/ bad leadership led to
a lot of military drills and resentment.
Many adolescents had not been won over-
youth section of secret police/ youth
concentration camp (Neuwied).
Swing Youth, Edelweiss Pirates- some
attacks on military targets/ Gestapo.

8. The Church
Problem: Church and
Nazi ideals
incompatible.
Church well
established and
powerful in Germany
(both Protestant and
Catholic)
German Faith
Movement: Pagan.
Little take up.
(Rosenberg)
Conciliation: Day of
Potsdam, Concordat.
Conflict: Ministry of
Church Affairs
(undermining, closing
schools, harassing
and discrediting
clergy)
Ao1b. Group opposition: Confessing
Church
Individual opposition: Niemöller,
Bonhoeffer (helping Jews to emigrate),
Bishop Galen (successfully drove Aktion
T4 underground).
Couldn’t withstand the regime.Ao1b: Why were the
Church not more
effective?
•Feared the power of
the Nazi state.
•Distrusted the Left.
•Hoping for the
nationalist revival
promised.
•Offering pastoral/
spiritual comfort
instead.

9. Women/ Family
Aims: opposed to
female
emancipation, stop
paid employment,
Kinde, Küche,
Kirche, increase the
Effects: only 10%
university students
female, women
barred from high
ranking jobs.
Women workers
dropped by 6%
1931-1937. Marriage
loans, women’s
organisations,
restrictions on
contraception,
Lebensborn, honour
cross.
Ao1b: The contradiction between Nazi aims
for war/ the requirements of it’s industry
and Nazi aims for women.
Some women wholeheartedly embraced
the idea – “donating children to the Führer’.
Ao1b:
Birth rate increased
signficantly-
declining in WWII.
Divorce rate
increased.
Marriage figures
consistent.
Policy contradictory
and mostly
incoherent.

10. Don’t forget:
• These can all be helped along with
references to methods: e.g. culture,
propaganda.
• These also aren’t indicative of every group
affected by Nazi policies.
• What else might you need to bring into
these essay questions?

11. Essays
• To what extent did the Nazis achieve the
aims of their social policies?
• How successful were the Nazis in
imposing their ideas about society on the
German people?
• Assess the reasons for the lack of
opposition in Nazi Germany?