Racial policy of Nazi Germany: Difference between revisions

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	== 1933 to 1939 ==		== 1933 to 1939 ==
	Nazi racial policy changed extensively in the years between ] and ]. The ] became increasingly extreme in its treatment of the minorities of ], particularly ]s.		Nazi racial policy changed extensively in the years between 1933 and 1939. The ] became increasingly extreme in its treatment of the minorities of ], particularly ]s.

	Between ] and ], Nazi policy was fairly moderate, not wishing to scare off voters or moderately-minded politicians. Jews had been disliked for years before, and the Nazi Party used this anger to gain votes. They blamed poverty, unemployment, and the loss of ] all on the Jews. German woes were largely due to the effects of the ] designed to secure the position of Britain and France as Europe's only imperial powers. In 1933, persecution of the Jews became active Nazi policy, but laws were not as rigorously obeyed and were not as devastating as in later years.		Between 1933 and 1934, Nazi policy was fairly moderate, not wishing to scare off voters or moderately-minded politicians. Jews had been disliked for years before, and the Nazi Party used this anger to gain votes. They blamed poverty, unemployment, and the loss of ] all on the Jews. German woes were largely due to the effects of the ] designed to secure the position of Britain and France as Europe's only imperial powers. In 1933, persecution of the Jews became active Nazi policy, but laws were not as rigorously obeyed and were not as devastating as in later years.

	On ], ], Jewish doctors, lawyers, and stores were boycotted. Only six days later, the ] was passed, banning Jews from government jobs. These laws meant that Jews were now indirectly and directly dissuaded or banned from privileged and superior positions reserved for "Aryan" Germans. From then on, Jews were forced to work at more menial positions, beneath other non-Jews.		On ], ], Jewish doctors, lawyers, and stores were boycotted. Only six days later, the ] was passed, banning Jews from government jobs. These laws meant that Jews were now indirectly and directly dissuaded or banned from privileged and superior positions reserved for "Aryan" Germans. From then on, Jews were forced to work at more menial positions, beneath other non-Jews.
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	{{main\|Nazi Nuremberg Laws}}		{{main\|Nazi Nuremberg Laws}}
	] used to explain the Nuremberg Laws)]]		] used to explain the Nuremberg Laws)]]
	However, between 1935 and 1936, persecution of the Jews increased apace. In ] ], Jews were forbidden to join the ] (the army), and in the summer of the same year, anti-Jewish propaganda appeared in Nazi-German shops and restaurants. The Nuremberg Laws were passed around the time of the great Nazi rallies at Nuremberg; on ] ] the "Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor" was passed, preventing marriage between any Jew and non-Jew. At the same time, the "Reich Citizenship Law" was passed and was reinforced in November by a decree, stating that all Jews, even quarter- and half-Jews, were no longer citizens of their own country (their official title became "subjects of the state"). This meant that they had no basic citizens' rights, e.g., the right to vote. This removal of basic citizens' rights allowed harsher laws to be passed in the future against Jews. The drafting of the Nuremberg Laws is often attributed to ]. Globke had studied British attempts to 'order' its empire by creating hierarchical social orders.		However, between 1935 and 1936, persecution of the Jews increased apace. In May 1935, Jews were forbidden to join the ] (the army), and in the summer of the same year, anti-Jewish propaganda appeared in Nazi-German shops and restaurants. The Nuremberg Laws were passed around the time of the great Nazi rallies at Nuremberg; on ] ] the "Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor" was passed, preventing marriage between any Jew and non-Jew. At the same time, the "Reich Citizenship Law" was passed and was reinforced in November by a decree, stating that all Jews, even quarter- and half-Jews, were no longer citizens of their own country (their official title became "subjects of the state"). This meant that they had no basic citizens' rights, e.g., the right to vote. This removal of basic citizens' rights allowed harsher laws to be passed in the future against Jews. The drafting of the Nuremberg Laws is often attributed to ]. Globke had studied British attempts to 'order' its empire by creating hierarchical social orders.

	In 1936, Jews were banned from all professional jobs, effectively preventing them having any influence in education, politics, higher education, and industry. There was now nothing to stop the anti-Jewish actions that spread across the Nazi-German economy.		In 1936, Jews were banned from all professional jobs, effectively preventing them having any influence in education, politics, higher education, and industry. There was now nothing to stop the anti-Jewish actions that spread across the Nazi-German economy.
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	After the "]," the ] became the dominant policing power in Germany. ] was eager to please Hitler, and so willingly obeyed his orders. Since the SS had been Hitler's personal bodyguard, they were even more brutal and obedient to Hitler than the ] had been. They were also supported by the army, which was now more willing to comply with Hitler's decisions than when the SA had still existed.		After the "]," the ] became the dominant policing power in Germany. ] was eager to please Hitler, and so willingly obeyed his orders. Since the SS had been Hitler's personal bodyguard, they were even more brutal and obedient to Hitler than the ] had been. They were also supported by the army, which was now more willing to comply with Hitler's decisions than when the SA had still existed.

	Hitler now had more direct control over the government and political attitude to Jews in ]. In the period ] to ], harsh new laws were implemented, and the segregation of Jews from the German "Aryan" population began. In particular, Jews were punished financially for their "race."		Hitler now had more direct control over the government and political attitude to Jews in ]. In the period 1937 to 1938, harsh new laws were implemented, and the segregation of Jews from the German "Aryan" population began. In particular, Jews were punished financially for their "race."

	On ], ], government contracts could not be awarded to Jewish businesses. On ] of the same year, "Aryan" doctors could only treat "Aryan" patients. Provision of medical care to Jews was already hampered by the fact that Jews were banned from being doctors or having any professional jobs.		On ], ], government contracts could not be awarded to Jewish businesses. On ] of the same year, "Aryan" doctors could only treat "Aryan" patients. Provision of medical care to Jews was already hampered by the fact that Jews were banned from being doctors or having any professional jobs.

	On ], Jews had to add "Israel" (males) or "Sarah" (females) to their names, and a large letter "J" was to be imprinted on their passports on ]. On ], Jewish children were banned from going to public schools. By ] ], nearly all Jewish companies had either collapsed under financial pressure and declining profits, or had been persuaded to sell out to the Nazi-German government, further reducing their rights as human beings; they were, in many ways, effectively separated from the German populace.		On ], Jews had to add "Israel" (males) or "Sarah" (females) to their names, and a large letter "J" was to be imprinted on their passports on ]. On ], Jewish children were banned from going to public schools. By April 1939, nearly all Jewish companies had either collapsed under financial pressure and declining profits, or had been persuaded to sell out to the Nazi-German government, further reducing their rights as human beings; they were, in many ways, effectively separated from the German populace.

	The increasingly ], ] regime that Hitler imposed on Germany allowed him to control the actions of the SS and the army. On ], ], a young Polish Jew named Herschel Grynzspan attacked and shot two German officials in the Nazi-German embassy in ] over the treatment of his parents by the Nazi-Germans. Goebbels took the opportunity to impress Hitler, and ordered retaliation. That night the SS conducted ''the Night of Broken Glass'' ("]"), in which the storefronts of Jewish shops and offices were smashed and vandalized. Approximately 100 Jews were killed, and another 20,000 sent to the newly formed ]s. Many Germans were disgusted by this action when the full extent of the damage was discovered, so Hitler ordered it to be blamed on the Jews. Collectively, the Jews were made to pay back one billion RM in damages; the fine was collected by confiscating 20% of every Jew's property. Hitler in effect had made his policy of "The Third Reich" more effective for every nation he ruled.		The increasingly ], ] regime that Hitler imposed on Germany allowed him to control the actions of the SS and the army. On ], ], a young Polish Jew named Herschel Grynzspan attacked and shot two German officials in the Nazi-German embassy in ] over the treatment of his parents by the Nazi-Germans. Goebbels took the opportunity to impress Hitler, and ordered retaliation. That night the SS conducted ''the Night of Broken Glass'' ("]"), in which the storefronts of Jewish shops and offices were smashed and vandalized. Approximately 100 Jews were killed, and another 20,000 sent to the newly formed ]s. Many Germans were disgusted by this action when the full extent of the damage was discovered, so Hitler ordered it to be blamed on the Jews. Collectively, the Jews were made to pay back one billion RM in damages; the fine was collected by confiscating 20% of every Jew's property. Hitler in effect had made his policy of "The Third Reich" more effective for every nation he ruled.

	== Jewish response to the Nuremberg Laws ==		== Jewish response to the Nuremberg Laws ==

	The Reichsvertretung* der Juden in Deutschland (Representation of the German Jews) announced the following:		The Reichsvertretung* der Juden in Deutschland (Representation of the German Jews) announced the following:

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	== 1939 to 1945 ==		== 1939 to 1945 ==
		⚫	In the ] in 1940 the population was divided on different groups. Each group had different rights, food rations, allowed strips in the cities, public transportation and restricted restaurants. Listed from the most privileged to the least:

⚫	In the ] in ] the population was divided on different groups. Each group had different rights, food rations, allowed strips in the cities, public transportation and restricted restaurants. Listed from the most privileged to the least:
	*Germans from Germany (''Reichdeutsche'')		*Germans from Germany (''Reichdeutsche'')
	*Germans from outside, active ethnic Germans, Volksliste category 1 and 2 (see ])		*Germans from outside, active ethnic Germans, Volksliste category 1 and 2 (see ])
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	*Jews (eventually sentenced to extermination as a category).		*Jews (eventually sentenced to extermination as a category).
	{{see also\|General Government}}		{{see also\|General Government}}

⚫	]
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⚫	]
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	== See also ==		== See also ==
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Revision as of 17:37, 1 January 2006

The Holocaust

By territory	Albania Austria Belgium Bulgaria Czechoslovakia Bohemia and Moravia Slovakia Sudetenland Denmark Estonia France Germany Greece Bulgarian-occupied Greece Hungary Italy and colonies Libya Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Romania Soviet Union Belarus Russia Ukraine Yugoslavia Croatia Serbia
Overview	Evidence and documentation Contemporary knowledge Hidden children Timeline
Response	International response Japan Philippines Portugal Spain Sweden Turkey United States Vatican Rescue of Jews by Catholics by Poles Righteous Among the Nations

Camps and ghettos

Concentration

Extermination

Transit

Methods

Nazi units

Ghettos (list)

Poland	Białystok Kraków Łódź Lublin Lwów Radom Warsaw
Elsewhere	Budapest Kovno Minsk Riga Theresienstadt Vilna
Judenrat	Jewish Ghetto Police Reich Association of Jews in Germany Ústredňa Židov

Victims

Jews

Roundups	Izieu Marseille Vel' d'Hiv
Pogroms	Kristallnacht Bucharest Dorohoi Iași 1941 pogroms in eastern Poland Jedwabne Lviv in Lithuania Kaunas
"Final Solution"	Wannsee Conference Operation Reinhard Holocaust trains
Mass executions	Einsatzgruppen Babi Yar Harvest Festival Kamianets-Podilskyi Maly Trostenets Ninth Fort Odesa Piaśnica Ponary Rumbula
Resistance	Jewish partisans Bielski partisans Ghetto uprisings Warsaw Białystok Częstochowa
Rescue	Aid and Rescue Committee Attack on the twentieth convoy Kastner train Le Chambon-sur-Lignon Danish underground Working Group Żegota

Others

Responsibility

List of major perpetrators of the Holocaust

Organizations	Nazi Party Schutzstaffel (SS) Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) Referat IV B4 Sicherheitsdienst (SD) Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) Waffen-SS Wehrmacht
Units	Einsatzgruppen Police Regiments Order Police battalions
Collaborators	Arajs Kommando Lithuanian Security Police Nederlandsche SS Rollkommando Hamann Special Brigades Topf and Sons Trawnikis Ukrainian Auxiliary Police Ypatingasis būrys

Early elements
Aftermath
Remembrance

Early elements	Nazi racial policy Nazi eugenics Nuremberg Laws Haavara Agreement Hitler's prophecy Jewish war conspiracy theory Jewish emigration Kindertransport Madagascar Plan Nisko Plan Forced euthanasia (Action T4)
Aftermath	Depopulated shtetls Holocaust survivors Sh'erit ha-Pletah Bricha List Postwar violence Nazis and Nazi Collaborators (Punishment) Law Nuremberg trials Eichmann trial Holocaust restitution Reparations Agreement Holocaust denial trivialization
History and memory	Academia Books and other resources Days of remembrance Education Films Lessons Memorials and museums Uniqueness Armenian genocide and the Holocaust Humor Righteous Among the Nations Yad Vashem Yizkor books "Never again"

The racial policy of Nazi Germany was the set of racist policies and laws implemented by Nazi Germany primarily against Jews.

The origins of the policy lay with the Dolchstoßlegende ("betrayal legend"), whereby disgruntled German nationalists blamed non-Germans for the loss of World War I. The Nazis exploited these sentiments and later developed them into the "Nuremberg laws".

1933 to 1939

Nazi racial policy changed extensively in the years between 1933 and 1939. The Nazi Party became increasingly extreme in its treatment of the minorities of Germany, particularly Jews.

Between 1933 and 1934, Nazi policy was fairly moderate, not wishing to scare off voters or moderately-minded politicians. Jews had been disliked for years before, and the Nazi Party used this anger to gain votes. They blamed poverty, unemployment, and the loss of World War I all on the Jews. German woes were largely due to the effects of the Treaty of Versailles designed to secure the position of Britain and France as Europe's only imperial powers. In 1933, persecution of the Jews became active Nazi policy, but laws were not as rigorously obeyed and were not as devastating as in later years.

On April 1, 1933, Jewish doctors, lawyers, and stores were boycotted. Only six days later, the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service was passed, banning Jews from government jobs. These laws meant that Jews were now indirectly and directly dissuaded or banned from privileged and superior positions reserved for "Aryan" Germans. From then on, Jews were forced to work at more menial positions, beneath other non-Jews.

On August 2, 1934, President Paul von Hindenburg died. No new President was selected; instead the powers of the Chancellor and President were combined. This change, and a tame government with no opposition parties, allowed Hitler totalitarian control of law-making. The army also swore an oath of loyalty personally to the Führer, giving Hitler complete power over the army.

The Nuremberg Laws

It has been suggested that Nazi Nuremberg Laws be merged into this article. (Discuss)

Main article: Nazi Nuremberg Laws

However, between 1935 and 1936, persecution of the Jews increased apace. In May 1935, Jews were forbidden to join the Wehrmacht (the army), and in the summer of the same year, anti-Jewish propaganda appeared in Nazi-German shops and restaurants. The Nuremberg Laws were passed around the time of the great Nazi rallies at Nuremberg; on September 15 1935 the "Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor" was passed, preventing marriage between any Jew and non-Jew. At the same time, the "Reich Citizenship Law" was passed and was reinforced in November by a decree, stating that all Jews, even quarter- and half-Jews, were no longer citizens of their own country (their official title became "subjects of the state"). This meant that they had no basic citizens' rights, e.g., the right to vote. This removal of basic citizens' rights allowed harsher laws to be passed in the future against Jews. The drafting of the Nuremberg Laws is often attributed to Hans Globke. Globke had studied British attempts to 'order' its empire by creating hierarchical social orders.

In 1936, Jews were banned from all professional jobs, effectively preventing them having any influence in education, politics, higher education, and industry. There was now nothing to stop the anti-Jewish actions that spread across the Nazi-German economy.

After the "Night of the Long Knives," the SS became the dominant policing power in Germany. Hermann Göring was eager to please Hitler, and so willingly obeyed his orders. Since the SS had been Hitler's personal bodyguard, they were even more brutal and obedient to Hitler than the SA had been. They were also supported by the army, which was now more willing to comply with Hitler's decisions than when the SA had still existed.

Hitler now had more direct control over the government and political attitude to Jews in Nazi Germany. In the period 1937 to 1938, harsh new laws were implemented, and the segregation of Jews from the German "Aryan" population began. In particular, Jews were punished financially for their "race."

On March 1, 1938, government contracts could not be awarded to Jewish businesses. On September 30 of the same year, "Aryan" doctors could only treat "Aryan" patients. Provision of medical care to Jews was already hampered by the fact that Jews were banned from being doctors or having any professional jobs.

On August 17, Jews had to add "Israel" (males) or "Sarah" (females) to their names, and a large letter "J" was to be imprinted on their passports on October 5. On November 15, Jewish children were banned from going to public schools. By April 1939, nearly all Jewish companies had either collapsed under financial pressure and declining profits, or had been persuaded to sell out to the Nazi-German government, further reducing their rights as human beings; they were, in many ways, effectively separated from the German populace.

The increasingly totalitarian, militaristic regime that Hitler imposed on Germany allowed him to control the actions of the SS and the army. On November 17, 1938, a young Polish Jew named Herschel Grynzspan attacked and shot two German officials in the Nazi-German embassy in Paris over the treatment of his parents by the Nazi-Germans. Goebbels took the opportunity to impress Hitler, and ordered retaliation. That night the SS conducted the Night of Broken Glass ("Kristallnacht"), in which the storefronts of Jewish shops and offices were smashed and vandalized. Approximately 100 Jews were killed, and another 20,000 sent to the newly formed concentration camps. Many Germans were disgusted by this action when the full extent of the damage was discovered, so Hitler ordered it to be blamed on the Jews. Collectively, the Jews were made to pay back one billion RM in damages; the fine was collected by confiscating 20% of every Jew's property. Hitler in effect had made his policy of "The Third Reich" more effective for every nation he ruled.

Jewish response to the Nuremberg Laws

The Reichsvertretung* der Juden in Deutschland (Representation of the German Jews) announced the following:

The Laws decided upon by the Reichstag in Nuremberg have come as the heaviest of blows for the Jews in Germany. But they must create a basis on which a tolerable relationship becomes possible between the German and the Jewish people. The Reichsvertretung der Juden in Deutschland is willing to contribute to this end with all its powers. A precondition for such a tolerable relationship is the hope that the Jews and Jewish communities of Germany will be enabled to keep a moral and economic means of existence by the halting of defamation and boycott.

The organization of the life of the Jews in Germany requires governmental recognition of an autonomous Jewish leadership. The Reichsvertretung der Juden in Deutschland is the agency competent to undertake this.

The most urgent tasks for the Reichsvertretung, which it will press energetically and with full commitment, following the avenues it has previously taken, are:

1. Our own Jewish educational system must serve to prepare the youth to be upright Jews, secure in their faith, who will draw the strength to face the onerous demands which life will make on them from conscious solidarity with the Jewish community, from work for the Jewish present and faith in the Jewish future. In addition to transmitting knowledge, the Jewish schools must also serve in the systematic preparation for future occupations. With regard to preparation for emigration, particularly to Palestine, emphasis will be placed on guidance toward manual work and the study of the Hebrew language. The education and vocational training of girls must be directed to preparing them to carry out their responsibilities as upholders of the family and mothers of the next generation.

1939 to 1945

In the General Government in 1940 the population was divided on different groups. Each group had different rights, food rations, allowed strips in the cities, public transportation and restricted restaurants. Listed from the most privileged to the least:

Germans from Germany (Reichdeutsche)
Germans from outside, active ethnic Germans, Volksliste category 1 and 2 (see Volksdeutsche)
Germans from outside, passive Germans and members of families, handicapped (this group included also many ethnic Poles), Volksliste category 3 and 4,
Ukrainians,
Highlanders (Goralenvolk): an attempt to split Polish nation by using local collaborators
Poles,
Jews (eventually sentenced to extermination as a category).

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