How did the Nazis try to reshape German society, and who did they persecute?
The Nazi vision of the 'national community' (Volksgemeinschaft), the policies towards women, young people and workers, the persecution of Jews and other minorities up to 1939, and the experience of those who did and did not fit the Nazi ideal.
A focused answer to Nazi society and persecution in the Eduqas non-British study in depth, covering the Volksgemeinschaft, policies towards women, youth and workers, and the persecution of Jews and other minorities to 1939.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers Nazi society and persecution in Eduqas's Component 1 non-British study in depth. You need to explain the Nazi vision of the "national community" (Volksgemeinschaft), the policies towards women, young people and workers, the persecution of Jews and other minorities up to 1939, and the experience of those who did and did not fit the Nazi ideal. Because the depth study uses source and interpretation questions, learn this well enough to weigh evidence about life under Nazi rule.
The Volksgemeinschaft
Women, youth and workers
The persecution of the Jews to 1939
Other victims and the limits of the community
Try this
Q1. What did the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 do? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. They stripped Jews of German citizenship and banned marriage or relations between Jews and non-Jews, making persecution part of the law.
Q2. Explain how the Nazis tried to win the loyalty of workers. [Short explanation]
- Cue. They banned independent unions but cut unemployment sharply through rearmament and public works such as the autobahns, and offered rewards through Strength Through Joy (cheap leisure) and Beauty of Labour (better workplaces).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas C100 20184 marksDescribe two features of Nazi policy towards women.Show worked answer →
The depth-study opener (4 marks, two features, 2 marks each). Reward two distinct, developed features.
Feature one. Nazi policy pushed women towards the home and motherhood, summed up in the slogan "Kinder, Kuche, Kirche" (children, kitchen, church), and rewarded large families with the Mother's Cross medal.
Feature two. Women were encouraged or pressured to leave paid work, especially the professions, so that jobs went to men and women focused on raising racially "pure" children for the nation.
Top marks. Two separate features, each with a precise supporting detail.
Eduqas C100 20218 marksExplain why the Nazis targeted young people.Show worked answer →
The depth-study "explain why" question (8 marks, AO1 and AO2). Reward a developed analysis of two or three reasons, each with precise support.
Reason one. The Nazis wanted to secure the future of the regime by raising a loyal generation, so they controlled schools (Nazified lessons, racial teaching) and youth groups to indoctrinate children from an early age.
Reason two. They needed soldiers and mothers: boys in the Hitler Youth were prepared for military service through drill and fitness, while girls in the League of German Maidens were trained for motherhood and the home.
Reason three. Controlling the young helped break rival loyalties (to churches, families or other youth groups) and bind children directly to Hitler and the Nazi worldview.
Top band. Connect each reason explicitly to why youth mattered, and finish with the most important factor.
Related dot points
- The creation of the Weimar Republic in 1919, the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, the early threats from left and right (the Spartacist Revolt, the Kapp Putsch and the Munich Putsch), and the crisis of 1923 with the Ruhr occupation and hyperinflation.
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- The steps by which Hitler consolidated power between 1933 and 1934, the Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act, the creation of a one-party state, the Night of the Long Knives, and Hitler becoming Fuhrer on the death of Hindenburg.
A focused answer to Hitler's consolidation of power in the Eduqas non-British study in depth, covering the Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act, the one-party state, the Night of the Long Knives, and Hitler becoming Fuhrer on Hindenburg's death in 1934.
- The Nazi police state (the SS, Gestapo, courts and concentration camps), the use of propaganda and censorship under Goebbels, the Nazi control of culture and the churches, and the methods used to enforce conformity and crush opposition.
A focused answer to Nazi control in the Eduqas non-British study in depth, covering the police state (SS, Gestapo, courts, camps), Goebbels's propaganda and censorship, the control of culture and the churches, and how the regime enforced conformity.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE History (C100) specification — WJEC Eduqas (2016)