History Grade 11 - Topic 3 Glossary

NSDAP- Stands for Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei and was a national Socialist German Workers’ Party.[1] Communist Party- The Communist party in Germany was a major political party between 1918-1933 which had a resistant underground movement in Nazi Germany.[2] Reichstag Fire- This was an arson attack which occurred on the 27th of February, 1933, which burned the building in which the German parliament was housed.[3] Decree- This was a an order which was passed by Von Hindenburg and it suspended all articles in the constitution that guaranteed peoples key freedoms and liberty.[4] Centre Party- This was a lay Catholic Party in Germany.[5] Sturmabteilung- Nazi Party’s paramilitary wing which aimed to make Germany a full socialistic state.[6] Wehrmacht- unified armed forces of Nazi Germany opposed the Sturmabteilung’s stance.[7] Schutzstaffel (SS)- This was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler who got rid of the Sturmabteilung.[8] Führer- This is a political title which means leader in German and is associated with the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.[9] Gestapo- This was the official secret state police of Nazi Germany.[10] Positive eugenics- Refers to efforts which are directed and expanding desirable traits.[11] Negative eugenics- refers to effort which are directed to eliminate through sterilisation, segregation or other means those who are perceived or deemed to be physically, mentally or morally ‘undesirable’.[12] Nuremburg Laws- These were anti-Semitic and racist laws that were enacted in Germany by the Nazi Party.[13] Annexed- The concept in international law in which one state forcibly acquires another states territory.[14] Kristallnacht- An event where violent, state-mandated actions against Jewish shops, businesses and homes occurred in November 1938.[15] Dissident priests- Catholic resistance to Nazi Germany who denounced Nazi policies.[16] Holocaust- This was the genocide of European Jews during WWII.[17] End Notes [1] Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Nazi Party." Encyclopedia Britannica, January 11, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nazi-Party. [2] Catherine Epstein, The Last Revolutionaries: German Communists and Their Century. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2003. [3] https://www.history.com/topics/germany/reichstag-fire [4] https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/the-nazi-rise-to-power/how-did-the-nazi-gain-power/emergency-powers/ [5] Blackbourn, David. "The Political Alignment of the Centre Party in Wilhelmine Germany: A Study of the Party's Emergence in Nineteenth-Century Württemberg." The Historical Journal 18, no. 4 (1975): 821-850. [6] Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "SA." Encyclopedia Britannica, November 11, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/topic/SA-Nazi-organization [7] Taylor, Telford (1995). Sword and Swastika: Generals and Nazis in the Third Reich. New York: Barnes & Noble [8] Ibid., [9] Bullock, A. , Bullock, . Baron , Knapp, . Wilfrid F. and Lukacs, . John. "Adolf Hitler." Encyclopedia Britannica, April 26, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Adolf-Hitler. [10] Power, Jonathan. "Heinrich Himmler, Hitler’s Deputy–From Boyhood to Chief Murderer of the Jews." In Ending War Crimes, Chasing the War Criminals, pp. 13-18. Brill Nijhoff, 2017. [11] Grodin, Michael A., Erin L. Miller, and Johnathan I. Kelly. "The Nazi physicians as leaders in eugenics and “euthanasia”: Lessons for today." American journal of public health 108, no. 1 (2018): 53-57. [12] Kevles, Daniel J. "Eugenics and human rights." Bmj 319, no. 7207 (1999): 435-438. [13] Kroslak, Daniel. "Nuremberg Laws." The Lawyer Quarterly.-ISSN 8396 (1805): 184-194. [14] Garner, James Wilford. "Questions of state succession raised by the German annexation of Austria." American Journal of International Law 32, no. 3 (1938): 421-438. [15] Steinweis, Alan E. Kristallnacht 1938. Harvard University Press, 2009. [16] Ibid., [17] Breitman, Richard. "Plans for the final solution in early 1941." German Studies Review 17, no. 3 (1994): 483-493 This content was originally produced for the SAHO classroom by Ayabulela Ntwakumba and Thandile Xesi