Key topic 4: Life in Nazi Germany, 1933–39 - 4 The persecution of…

The idea

Nazi racial ideology categorised humanity into a hierarchy with the 'Aryan' race at the top and 'Untermenschen' (subhumans) at the bottom. This drove the systematic persecution of minority groups. Slavs were viewed as inferior and destined for slave labour. The Roma and Sinti faced severe discrimination, culminating in deportation to concentration camps. Homosexuals were targeted for threatening the traditional family structure and failing to contribute to the Aryan birth rate, facing imprisonment. People with disabilities were deemed a biological threat and a financial burden, leading to forced sterilisation under the 1933 Sterilisation Law and later mass murder through the Aktion T4 programme.

What earns the marks

• Explain the core principles of Nazi racial beliefs, including the concepts of the Aryan master race and Untermenschen.
• Describe the specific persecution faced by the Roma and Sinti, including loss of citizenship and internment.
• Analyse the reasons for the persecution of homosexuals and the methods used against them by the Nazi state.
• Detail the treatment of people with disabilities, from the 1933 Sterilisation Law to the Aktion T4 euthanasia programme.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Focusing exclusively on the persecution of Jewish people when discussing Nazi racial policies.

  Put it right: Ensure answers address the specific treatment of other targeted groups, such as the Roma and Sinti, Slavs, homosexuals, and people with disabilities.

• Treating forced sterilisation and Aktion T4 as the same policy.

  Put it right: Forced sterilisation began under the 1933 law; Aktion T4 later escalated persecution into organised murder.

• Assuming all minority groups were persecuted for the same reasons.

  Put it right: Differentiate between groups persecuted for racial reasons (Roma and Sinti, Slavs) and those targeted for social or biological reasons (homosexuals, people with disabilities).

Exam tips

• Clearly link the treatment of each minority group back to specific Nazi ideological beliefs, such as racial purity or social conformity.
• Use specific legislative examples, like the 1933 Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, to support your points.
• When discussing the Aktion T4 programme, emphasise how it represented an escalation from sterilisation to systematic murder.