Study Guide for Exam 1
for Students in my First Year Seminar: From Holocaust to German Unification
at McDaniel College, compiled by Dr. Mohamed Esa

Questions &  Some Answers	Terminology
Weimar Republic What does the German word "Reich" mean? How many Reichs did we have? When did they exist? What was the Weimar Republic? Why was the Weimar Republic unsuccessful?	Treaty of Versailles Reich Reichstag Weimar Republic
Nazism Who was Hitler? What was the Nazi party? How was it called? How did Hitler gain control of Germany? When did Hitler become Chancellor and how? What does the term "consolidation of power" mean? How did the Nazis consolidate their power? How did the Nazis misuse Wagner & Nietzsche for their own purposes? What were the main points of Nazi ideology Gleichshaltung (coordination of institutions Politics as spectacle Violence and radical mythology Superiority of the Aryan race vs. Inferiority of other races Scapegoating Describe Hitler as mass communicator. What was the Nazi culture? Use of visual Symbols Mass rallies Use of mass communication Nazi art and literature Nazi architecture Radio and film How did the Nazis language as means of propaganda? Why? Spoken and not written - Why? Use of metaphors - How and Why? Use of exaggerations - How and Why? Use of dualistic patterns - How and Why? Use of rhetorical questions - How and Why? Who made the film "Triumph of the Will"? Why? Where? Why did the Nazis attack modern art? How did the Nazis call modern art?	NSDAP SS SA Führer Mein kampf Aryan Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) Lebensraum Swastika Blut und Boden (Blood and Soil)  Petite Bourgeoisie Appeasement Policy Gleichschaltung Ein Volk, ein reich, ein Führer Arbeitsdienst Der Stürmer Entartete Kunst (Degenerated Art)
World War II What main events did lead to WWII? What were the reasons for the outbreak of WWII? What were the main events of WWII (include month and year)? Who fought against whom and where?	3 Axis Powers Allies Blitzkrieg Der Anschluss (annexation) Stalingrad Kesselschlacht (encircling battle) D-Day Totalkrieg (total war) Surrender A-Bomb
The Holocaust What was the Holocaust? (A short definition) Who were the: Perpetrators Victims Bystanders Collaborators What kind of camps did the Nazis set up? Explain the differences Name a few concentration camps? What was a ghetto? Who lived there and how did they live there?  Name some of the ghettos. Why did the Nazis carry out the Holocaust? How did they carry it out ? How did the world respond to the Holocaust?	Holocaust Genocide Nazis Jews Gypsies anti-Semitism Aryan race or master race racially superior inferior races Concentration Camps Forced labor camps Transit camps Death camps Extermination camps Gas chamber Crematorium Death marches Endlösung (Final solution) Nuremberg Laws Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) Eugenics or “selective breeding” Euthanasia (easy death)
Resistance in Germany Which groups resisted against the Nazis? Why? How did they resist? Were they successful? Why? Why not? What would you do if you lived in Berlin in 1942 and were against the Nazis?	Die Weisse Rose (The White Rose) Rote Kapelle (Red Band) July 20, 1944 Bekennende Kirche (Confessional Church) Grosse Organisation
Expulsion From which areas were the Germans expelled? Why were they expelled and how? How many people were expelled? What happened to them? Where did they find a new home?	Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans)
Exile What kinds of exile are there? Who did leave Germany? Writers (Thomas Mann, Bertolt Brecht) Artists (Marlene Dietrich, Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder) Scientists (Albert Einstein, Johannes von Naumann) Theologians (Paul Tillich) Musicians (Bruno Walter) Jews Cmmunists Socialists, etc. ... Why did they leave? "They feared persecution because of race and political beliefs, or they simply were convinced that independent creative work woul not be possible in a totalitarian system." (p. 59-60)  Where did they go? To: USA, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, GB, France, Holland, Soviet Union, Switzerland, Palestine, etc.	Inner Emigration (stayed in Germany) Outer Emigration (went into exile)