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Chapter 3 Nazism and the rise of Hitler

Class 9thSocial Science- Chapter 3 Nazism and the rise of Hitler


Questions
Question 1.

Describe the problems faced by the Weimar Republic.


Answer:
These are the following problems which were faced by the Weimer Republic:
1. After the loss of the first World War, the people of Germany were angry with harsh treaty imposed on them.
2. A huge amount of money was paid by Germany as reparations to the Allied powers so Germany fell into the economic crises which were worsened by the Great Depression of 1929.
3. Inflation and unemployment were rising.
4. The political situation was also disturbed in Germany and Hitler emerged as a new leader and this finally led to the death of the Weimer Republic.

Question 2.

Discuss why Nazism become popular in Germany by 1930.


Answer:
Nazism became popular in Germany because of the following reasons:
1. Treaty of Versailles, a harsh treaty was imposed on Germany by the victorious powers of WW I. According to this treaty, Germany had to pay a large amount as reparations and all the natural resources were taken away from the Germans.
2. Other parties with different ideologies like socialist, democrats, communists were fighting among themselves.
3. The great depression of 1929 had a significant impact on Germany's economy.
4. People were not satisfied with the working of the Weimar Republic.
5. Democracy was new in Germany for which people were not prepared.
6. Oratory and political skill of the people was one of the most important reasons for Nazis coming to power in Germany.

Question 3.

What are the peculiar features of Nazi thinking?


Answer:

Nazi propaganda skillfully projected Hitler as a messiah, a saviour, as someone who had arrived to deliver people from their distress. Having acquired Chancellorship in 1933, Hitler set out to dismantle the structures of democratic rule. The Fire Decree of 28 February 1933 indefinitely suspended civic rights like freedom of speech, press and assembly that had been guaranteed by the Weimar constitution. Then he turned on his arch enemies, the communists most of whom were hurriedly packed off to the newly established concentration camps. The repression of communists was severe.
On 3rd March 1933, the famous Enabling Act was passed. This Act established the dictatorship in Germany. It gave Hitler all the powers to sideline Parliament and rule by decree. All political parties and trade unions were banned except for the Nazi Party and its affiliates. Special surveillance and security forces were created to control and order society in the ways that the Nazis wanted.


Question 4.

Explain why Nazi propaganda was effective in creating a hatred for Jews.


Answer:

1. Nazi ideology was synonymous with Hitler’s worldview. Jews remained the worst sufferers in Nazi Germany. They had been stereotyped as killers of Christ and ursurers.
2. Until medieval times Jews were barred from owning land. Hitler’s hatred of Jews was based on pseudoscientific theories of race, which held that conversion was no solution to the ‘Jewish Problem’. It could be solved through their total elimination.
3. The Nazi regime used language and media with care, and often to great effect. The terms they coined to describe their various practices were not only deceptive but were chilling.
4. Nazis never used the words ‘kill’ or ‘murder’ in their official communications. Mass killings for the Jews were termed as special treatment, final solution.
5. Propaganda films were made to create hatred for Jews. Nazism worked on the minds of the people, tapped their emotions and their hatred and anger at those marked as ‘undesirable’.


Question 5.

Explain what role women had in Nazi society?


Answer:

1. From childhood, girls were told that they had to become good mothers and rear pure-blooded Aryan children.
2. They were taught about health, beauty, cooking, needle-work, etc.
3. They were supposed to be homemakers of society.
4. All ‘Aryan’ women who deviated from the prescribed code of conduct were publicly condemned and severely punished.


Question 6.

In what ways did the Nazi state seek to establish total control over its people?


Answer:

Following are the ways in which the Nazi state tried to establish total control over its people:

● On March 3, 1933, the famous Enabling Act was passed. It gave Hitler all the powers to sideline Parliament and rule by decree. All political parties and trade unions were banned except for the Nazi party and its affiliates.


Super surveillance and security forces were created to control and order society in ways that the Nazis wanted.


● Apart from already existing regular police in green uniform and the SA or the Storm Troopers, some new forces were included: the Gestapo, the SS, criminal police and the Security Service. It was the extra-constitutional powers of these newly organized forces that gave the Nazi state its reputation as the most dreaded criminal state. The police forces acquired powers to rule with impunity.


● The Nazi party used the media carefully to win the support for the regime and popularize its worldview. Nazi ideas were spread through visual images, films, radios, posters, catchy slogans and leaflets.


● The Nazis made equal efforts to appeal to different sections of the population. They sought to win their support by suggesting that the Nazis alone could solve all their problems.