The Radicalisation Of The State

Test yourself

Policies Towards Undesirables 1933-1945

The Nazis wanted to remove all ‘undesirable’ or ‘impure’ elements from the German Volk.

Illustrative background for Categories ?? "content

Dealing with undesirables

Political:
- Concentration camps, re-education, long term imprisonment, execution.
Asocial:
- Imprisonment, directed to employment, sterilisation, euthanasia, concentration camps, extermination.
Biological:
- Economic persecution (e.g. Law for the Restoration of the Civil Service), social segregation (e.g. marriage laws, ghettoes), violence and intimidation (e.g. Kristallnacht); imprisonment usually leading to death; genocide.

Policies for asocials

Vagrants:
- In 1933 half a million vagrants were either given work (the orderly) or imprisoned (the disorderly) and marked out by black triangles.
Later in the decade thousands were sent to concentration camps where they died. As labour shortages developed their ‘crime’ seemed more serious.
Religious sects:
- Unable to make much impact on Christianity, the Nazis persecuted Minority religious sects.

Policies for homosexuals

1934: The Gestapo ordered to local police forces to keep lists of homosexuals.
1935: Legal definition of criminal homosexual acts now covered intent or thought.
1936: Reich Central Office for Combatting Homosexuality and Abortion formed.
1937: All homosexual SS officers were sent to concentration camps and shot.
1938: The Gestapo ordered convicted homosexuals be sent to concentration camps.
100,000 men were arrested 1933-45, about half imprisoned, up to 15,000 sent to concentration camps.

Policies for the Roma (gypsies)

Germany’s 30,000 gypsies were not threats unless they ‘infected’ the German blood pool, but their persecution worsened with the radicalisation of the regime.
1938: The Decree for the Struggle against the Gypsy Plague.
1939: Gypsies were sent to camps before being expelled to Poland.
- 11,000 of the 20,000 gypsies in outfits were gassed.
1940: 2,800 gypsies joined Jews transported to Auschwitz.
In 1941-2 gypsies and mixed-race gypsies were included in measures drawn up against Jews.

Complusory sterilisation and euthanasia

The 1933 Law on the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring listed diseases, infirmities and handicaps could be compulsorily sterilised.
About 350,000 were sterilised 1933-45. By 1939 the policy included forced ‘euthanasia,’ i.e. murder. These policies were not widely publicised until 1939.
1939: T4 was established to murder disabled children. It was extended to adults.
200,000 were murdered by 1944.

Historical assessment

Peter Longerich (2010): The decision by the Nazis to put the policy of euthanasia into practice was 'intimately linked' to war.
- The brutal environment 'normalized death and killing.'
- The Nazis were obsessed with the idea of the gene pool. They thought that the deaths of "good aryans" in the war would "dilute" the gene pool so wanted to counteract this.
- The war also provided them with stories and excuses they could use to cover their actions. For example, they might say they needed to empty hospitals to use them as barracks.

1The Weimar Republic 1918-1933

1.1Establishment Of The Weimar Republic 1918-1924

1.1.1Post WW1

1.1.2Weimar Constitution

1.1.3Peace Settlement

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Germany Post WW1

1.1.5Economic Issues

1.1.6Economic Issues 2

1.1.7Social Issues

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Economic & Social Issues

1.1.9Extremist Threats

1.1.10Extremist Threats 2

1.1.11End of Topic Test - Extremist Threats

1.1.12Political Instability & The Invasion of the Ruhr

1.1.13Weimar Government by 1924

1.1.14End of Topic Test - Weimar Government by 1924

1.1.15A-A* (AO3/4) - Germany Post WW1

1.2The 'Golden Age' Of The Weimar Republic 1924-1928

1.2.1Economic Developments

1.2.2Industry & Agriculture

1.2.3End of Topic Test - Economic Developments

1.2.4Social Developments

1.2.5Social Developments 2

1.2.6End of Topic Test - Social Developments

1.2.7Political Parties

1.2.8Political Stability

1.2.9End of Topic Test - Weimar Politics

1.2.10Germany's International Position

1.2.11Germany's International Position 2

1.2.12End of Topic Test - International Position

1.2.13A-A* (AO3/4) - The Weimar 'Golden Age'

1.3The Collapse of Democracy 1928-1933

1.3.1The Impact Of The Depression

1.3.2Politics After The Depression

1.3.3The Appeal Of Extremism

1.3.4End of Topic Test - The Depression & Politics

1.3.5'Backstairs Intrigue'

1.3.6'Backstairs Intrigue' 2

1.3.7End of Topic Test - Backstairs Intrigue

1.3.8Political Developments

1.3.9The State by March 1933

1.3.10End of Topic Test - Political Developments

1.3.11A-A* (AO3/4) - The Collapse of Democracy

2Nazi Germany 1933-1945

2.1The Nazi Dictatorship 1933-1939

2.1.1Hitler's Consolidation Of Power

2.1.2The Terror State

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Consolidation of Power

2.1.4Opposition

2.1.5Propaganda

2.1.6A-A* (AO3/4) - Terror State & Propaganda

2.1.7End of Topic Test - Propaganda

2.1.8Economic Policies

2.1.9Economic Policies 2

2.1.10Impact Of Economic Policies

2.1.11Impact Of Economic Policies 2

2.1.12End of Topic Test - Economic Policies

2.1.13Social Policies

2.1.14Social Policies 2

2.1.15Volksgemeinschaft

2.1.16End of Topic Test - Social Policies

2.1.17A-A* (AO3/4) - Economic & Social Policies

2.2The Racial State 1933-1941

2.2.1The Radicalisation Of The State

2.2.2Anti-Semitism

2.2.3Development Of Anti-Semitic Policies

2.2.4Development Of Anti-Semitic Policies 2

2.2.5End of Topic Test - Anti-Semitism

2.2.6Treatment of the Jews in the Early Years of War

2.2.7Deportation & Anti-Semitism Evaluation

2.2.8End of Topic Test - Early Treatment of the Jews

2.2.9A-A* (AO3/4) - The Racial State

2.3The Impact Of War 1939-1945

2.3.1Home Front

2.3.2Impact On Society

2.3.3Impact On Society 2

2.3.4End of Topic Test - Impact of the War

2.3.5War Economy

2.3.6War Economy 2

2.3.7Policies Towards The Jews & Untermenschen

2.3.8A-A* (AO3/4) - Impact of the War

2.3.9End of Topic Test - War Economy

2.3.10Opposition

2.3.11Opposition 2

2.3.12Nazi State by 1945

2.3.13End of Topic Test - Opposition

2.3.14A-A* (AO3/4) - Opposition & The State in 1945

Jump to other topics