Chapter 8
A.1. The liner was probably going on a cruise to a place like the Canary Islands.
A.2. The people on the liner were probably all workers who were loyal to the Nazi party.
A.3. About 62 marks, which is 2 weeks' wages.
A.4. The Nazis may have wanted Germans to be able to ignore the war and feel comfortable despite all the terrible things that were happening.
A.5. The photograph was probably taken to encourage people to work hard and be loyal to the Nazis so that they could be rewarded with a vacation like the cruise shown.
B.1. The joke seems to be referring to how quickly the automobile industry was forgotten in favor of war industries.
B.2. The joke suggests that not all Germans completely approved of their government's actions, specifically the decision to go to war.
Chapter 9
A. Propaganda is the advertisement of certain ideas and beliefs to large groups of people. Rallies are massive assemblies that use things like parades, music, and speeches to convey propaganda to the people. Censorship is when ideas are stopped from reaching the public.
B. I think that the second joke would have been permitted, because it does not say anything offensive about the Nazis. The first joke gives a negative portrayal of Hitler, while the third suggests that the SS is bad and could be outwitted by an enemy of the state.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
HW 22
Question 1: How did the Nazis use the education system to: A) Help establish an authoritarian state and B) Achieve one or more of their other aims?
A. Schools indoctrinated children with class assignments, encouraging them to think certain ways about certain things (war, Germany, religion), Teachers had to receive special training and join Nazi teachers unions
B. Children were taught that the state was more important than individuals and spread other propaganda messages (ie. Jews are evil, Germans should join the military)
Question 2: Discuss 3 Social and Religious policies that A) Helped establish an authoritarian regime and B) helped achieve one or more of their other aims?
A. The Hitler Youth gave children training similar to what they would do in the military, encouraging them to fight for their country. Nazis also took people's focus away from religion, making them focus more on Germany.
B. Laws preventing Jews from being or marrying German citizens helped accomplish the goal of creating a pure German race.
Question 3: Complete questions B+C from handout 7
B.1. 1933-1934 - This may have been because Jews were not counted as unemployed, women were removed from the workforce, and many people started to join the military.
B.2. 1935-1936 - This may have been because the largest changes Hitler made to the workforce had already taken place.
C. 6,014,000; 302,000; 5,712,000; enemies of the state; women; pocket money; free meals; unions; 1,400,000
A. Schools indoctrinated children with class assignments, encouraging them to think certain ways about certain things (war, Germany, religion), Teachers had to receive special training and join Nazi teachers unions
B. Children were taught that the state was more important than individuals and spread other propaganda messages (ie. Jews are evil, Germans should join the military)
Question 2: Discuss 3 Social and Religious policies that A) Helped establish an authoritarian regime and B) helped achieve one or more of their other aims?
A. The Hitler Youth gave children training similar to what they would do in the military, encouraging them to fight for their country. Nazis also took people's focus away from religion, making them focus more on Germany.
B. Laws preventing Jews from being or marrying German citizens helped accomplish the goal of creating a pure German race.
Question 3: Complete questions B+C from handout 7
B.1. 1933-1934 - This may have been because Jews were not counted as unemployed, women were removed from the workforce, and many people started to join the military.
B.2. 1935-1936 - This may have been because the largest changes Hitler made to the workforce had already taken place.
C. 6,014,000; 302,000; 5,712,000; enemies of the state; women; pocket money; free meals; unions; 1,400,000
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Journal of an Enemy of the State (HW 20)
Things have not gone well in Germany since the elections of 1932. The Nazi party, having grown immensely since its formation, has become the indisputable authority in my country, despite Hitler having been denied the position of Chancellor by President Hindenburg. I suspect that some amount of political corruption was involved in that man's rise to power. If Germany's Nationalist leaders had the idea that Hitler and his followers could be controlled, they were evidently mistaken. The situation has quickly gotten out of hand. The SA, Hitler's loyal private army of Storm Troopers, has caused endless grief for anyone who dares to oppose the Nazi ideology. My fellow party members of the KPD have been subjected to brutal violence by these thugs, I myself having narrowly escaped death or injury multiple times.
It has been made clear that the National Socialists of Germany do not look fondly upon the Socialists of the Soviet Union, and I recognize that Stalin's methods have not had ideal results. But, having lived under these circumstances, it is difficult not to wonder if Germany is really better off being led by Hitler. My party had expected that this would happen in the event that Hitler rose to power, and I, along with other communists, have publicly spoken my mind on the matter. As such, I fear for my life. I have seen, often in the confusion and excitement of Nazi rallies, close friends being pulled aside and stabbed to death by the SA, while the crowds looked on as if they did not recognize the chaos around them. In fact, it is possible that they are not aware of it, as it is not easy to focus on anything when surrounded by the overwhelming amounts of propaganda employed by the Nazis, ranging from eye-catching banners to blaring loudspeakers.
These days, however, I see most of this from my windows. I am afraid to leave my home, knowing that I now qualify as an "Enemy of the State." I have heard stories of the concentration camps, and the "Deaths Head" units that run them, their uniforms adorned with skulls and crossbones. I am almost beginning to find it amusing how the Nazis seem to go out of their way to portray themselves as hateful villains through the use of such emblems. But they have effectively created a police state that rules with fear as much as propaganda, and I can not pretend to be immune to either of these. Goebbel's efforts have blurred the lines between myth and reality, to the extent where even I am failing to remember what is true. Meanwhile, the threat of the Gestapo has me afraid to sleep at night. At any moment, I could be dragged from my home and forcibly thrown into a prison camp, serving as an example to others who might make the mistake of thinking freely or with morals. I can only remain in hiding for so long, with nobody left to trust. Even now, as I write in this journal, I think that I am growing anxious to hear the police knock on my door, so that I can finally know what my fate will be.
It has been made clear that the National Socialists of Germany do not look fondly upon the Socialists of the Soviet Union, and I recognize that Stalin's methods have not had ideal results. But, having lived under these circumstances, it is difficult not to wonder if Germany is really better off being led by Hitler. My party had expected that this would happen in the event that Hitler rose to power, and I, along with other communists, have publicly spoken my mind on the matter. As such, I fear for my life. I have seen, often in the confusion and excitement of Nazi rallies, close friends being pulled aside and stabbed to death by the SA, while the crowds looked on as if they did not recognize the chaos around them. In fact, it is possible that they are not aware of it, as it is not easy to focus on anything when surrounded by the overwhelming amounts of propaganda employed by the Nazis, ranging from eye-catching banners to blaring loudspeakers.
These days, however, I see most of this from my windows. I am afraid to leave my home, knowing that I now qualify as an "Enemy of the State." I have heard stories of the concentration camps, and the "Deaths Head" units that run them, their uniforms adorned with skulls and crossbones. I am almost beginning to find it amusing how the Nazis seem to go out of their way to portray themselves as hateful villains through the use of such emblems. But they have effectively created a police state that rules with fear as much as propaganda, and I can not pretend to be immune to either of these. Goebbel's efforts have blurred the lines between myth and reality, to the extent where even I am failing to remember what is true. Meanwhile, the threat of the Gestapo has me afraid to sleep at night. At any moment, I could be dragged from my home and forcibly thrown into a prison camp, serving as an example to others who might make the mistake of thinking freely or with morals. I can only remain in hiding for so long, with nobody left to trust. Even now, as I write in this journal, I think that I am growing anxious to hear the police knock on my door, so that I can finally know what my fate will be.
Class Notes 10/7
Major aims of the Nazis:
- Germans want "Lebensraum," or living space (point 3)
- Create a pure German race (point 4)
- Indoctrination through education (point 20)
- Re-militarize Germany (point 22)
- Abolish the treaties of Versailles and Saint Germain (point 2)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
HW 19
A. The Gestapo was the organization that served as Hitler's secret police force. Protective Custody refers to an order by which "enemies of the state" are sent to prison at concentration camps. Deaths Head Units were the branch of the SS that ran these concentration camps.
B. The people who were arrested as "enemies of the state" included Jews, people who opposed Hitler politically to various levels, people who are declared "work shy" (the example given suggests that this refers to people who turn down offers of unemployment relief), people who were part of the "Bibelforscher" (a religious group that refused to military service), homosexuals, and professional criminals.
C.1. Judging from the evidence in document B, the purposes of the concentration camps were to remove people who were potential threats to the Nazis from society and to punish these people for disagreeing with Nazi beliefs.
C.2. The prisoners were probably treated badly because they were members of groups that the Nazis disagreed with and had very little respect for, and because the SS had a large amount of freedom to do what they wanted.
B. The people who were arrested as "enemies of the state" included Jews, people who opposed Hitler politically to various levels, people who are declared "work shy" (the example given suggests that this refers to people who turn down offers of unemployment relief), people who were part of the "Bibelforscher" (a religious group that refused to military service), homosexuals, and professional criminals.
C.1. Judging from the evidence in document B, the purposes of the concentration camps were to remove people who were potential threats to the Nazis from society and to punish these people for disagreeing with Nazi beliefs.
C.2. The prisoners were probably treated badly because they were members of groups that the Nazis disagreed with and had very little respect for, and because the SS had a large amount of freedom to do what they wanted.
Class Notes 10/6
- Hitler liked to have his rallies at night
- he often made a dramatic entrance
- usually stood there for a while before talking, tried to get the crowd anxious
- speeches would start off calm, gradually build up
Enabling Law- Legal method used to maintain power, gave Hitler complete control over laws
Schuzstaffel, or SS, were Hitler's private guards, used to maintain power and deal with opposition
Hitler made people fear that communists would take over Germany (communist plot)
Night of the Long Knives- Hitler had the Shuzstaffel execute his opposition
SA (storm troopers)- Hitler's private army
Monday, October 5, 2009
HW 18
A. 1. Ludecke refers to slogans, posters, symbols (such as the swastika), loudspeakers, music, and radio.
A. 2. The people were probably excited about Hitler's arrival because of the extensive propaganda used by the Nazi party.
B. 1. He says that the SA men were carrying Nazi banners with pointed tips on them, and that the pointed out individuals and attacked them.
B. 2. Isherwood says that the SA moved very quickly in doing these things, and they probably also had a lot of political support.
B. 3. A novel like Goodbye to Berlin may not be entirely reliable, because the writer my have exaggerated certain points of his stories. However, it is valuable as it shows a certain view of contemporary events and gives us a better understanding of what kind of things happened during Hitler's rise to power.
A. 2. The people were probably excited about Hitler's arrival because of the extensive propaganda used by the Nazi party.
B. 1. He says that the SA men were carrying Nazi banners with pointed tips on them, and that the pointed out individuals and attacked them.
B. 2. Isherwood says that the SA moved very quickly in doing these things, and they probably also had a lot of political support.
B. 3. A novel like Goodbye to Berlin may not be entirely reliable, because the writer my have exaggerated certain points of his stories. However, it is valuable as it shows a certain view of contemporary events and gives us a better understanding of what kind of things happened during Hitler's rise to power.
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