Persecution of Minorities (Edexcel GCSE History)

Jewish Persecution Before the Second World War - Timeline & Summary

In pursuit of their aim to establish a Third Reich, Hitler and the Nazis were determined to create a strong and ‘pure’ society that followed Nazi beliefs.

Germany in the 1930s was home to an assortment of minorities, many of whom considered themselves to be German. However, the Nazis believed in a hierarchy of races with the Aryan race at the top. Policy soon became directed towards the persecution of other minorities, to ensure that they did not reproduce or intervene with Hitler’s vision for Germany. Homosexuals and people with disabilities were also targeted.

Jewish people faced increased discrimination and persecution throughout the 1930s in Germany. Beginning with the boycotts of 1933, the Nazis soon stripped away the German citizenship of thousands of Jewish people through the Nuremberg Laws of 1935. Following Kristallnacht in 1938, Jewish communities were attacked and forced into concentration camps

While many German citizens disliked what was happening to Jewish communities and other minorities, the use of censorship and the police forces reduced the level of opposition.

The Treatment of Minorities in Nazi Germany

• The Nazis aimed at making Germany as ‘strong’ as possible:

  • Policies towards women, children, the Church and culture were all to strengthen the state

• Their beliefs in eugenics and racial hygiene showed that they also wanted the German population to be strong:

• Hitler outlined his belief in a racial hierarchy in his book, Mein Kampf. Hitler stated that:

  • Aryans were the superior race - blonde, blue-eyed and athletic

  • Other white Western races were respected, but lower than Aryans

  • Races of Eastern Europe like Slavs were seen as Untermenschen (sub-humans)

  • Jewish people and Roma were considered unworthy of life

The Treatment of Minorities

• The Nazis persecuted a number of minorities throughout the 1930s:

Slavs 

• Described as Untermenschen (sub-human) in schools

• Considered to be of a different origin from Aryan Germans

• The Nazis wanted to invade Slav countries like Russia to acquire Lebensraum (living space) for the German people

Roma 

• There were around 26,000 Roma in Germany in the early 1930s

• The Nazis did not believe they worked enough or contributed enough taxes

• They were not seen as racially pure

• To ‘clean up’ Berlin before the 1936 Olympics, Roma in Berlin were arrested and moved to Berlin-Marzahn concentration camp

Homosexuals 

• The Nazis believed that homosexuals lowered moral standards as they could not procreate or be part of a traditional family unit

• Laws against homosexuals became more severe after 1935

• Around 5,000 German homosexuals died in concentration camps

• Around 400-800 men were threatened with voluntary castration

People with disabilities 

• The Nazis believed that people with disabilities were a burden on society

• The Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring 1933 made it compulsory for people with varying disabilities to be sterilised

• Around 5,000 babies and children with severe disabilities were killed as part of the T4 Programme

Anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany

• Anti-Semitic feelings had been common for centuries:

  • Some Christians blamed them for the execution of Jesus Christ

  • Jewish people were blamed for starting the Black Death by poisoning water wells

  • Many people were jealous of Jewish people for their success in business and finance

• Anti-Semitism was strong in Germany throughout the 1920s and 1930s:

  • They were blamed in part for the surrender of Germany during the First World War

    • Some of the politicians who signed the armistice were Jewish

  • A myth existed that many communists were Jewish

    • Many Germans feared communism and, as a result, feared the Jewish community

  • Germany’s failings during hyperinflation and the Great Depression were often blamed on Jewish people

  • Many people - including Hitler - had been influenced by speakers like Karl Lueger, who spoke about the dangers of Jewish people

The Persecution of Jewish People in 1933

• There were only 437,000 Jewish people in Germany by 1933, less than 1% of the population

• When Hitler became chancellor in 1933, persecution against Jewish people began immediately:

• The Nazis used propaganda and censorship to target Jewish culture

• Children were taught in schools how to identify Jewish people and that they were Lebensunwertes (unworthy of life)

• More restrictions on Jewish people followed:

  • From 1934, some councils banned them from parks and swimming pools

  • From 1935, Jewish people could not join the army

The Nuremberg Laws, 1935

• The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 included two laws that drastically increased the persecution of all Jewish people in Germany:

• Anyone with three or four Jewish grandparents was considered Jewish, regardless of whether they practised Judaism

  • Many people who had converted to Christianity still faced persecution

• From 1938, Jewish people had to register their possessions and also had to carry identity cards

The Events of ‘Kristallnacht’

• Persecution of Jewish people became much worse in November 1938 following an event known as ‘Kristallnacht’ (Night of Broken Glass):

• Jewish people were punished for causing ‘Kristallnacht’:

  • They had to pay a combined total of 1 billion marks to repair the damage

  • By 12 November, around 20,000 Jewish people had been sent to concentration camps like Dachau

How did People React to Jewish Persecution?

• After April 1939, all Jewish people were ordered to leave their homes and prepare to be deported from Germany

• The treatment of Jewish people was known by most German people from 1933-39:

  • Many people were horrified at the acts of violence and discrimination towards Jewish people but were scared to help because of groups like the SS and Gestapo

  • Other people took part in acts of persecution, like during the boycotts in 1933 and ‘Kristallnacht’ in 1938

  • Some chose simply to ignore the acts of violence or believed them to be justified