Ch 3 b | Extra Documents & Tests for Class 9 PDF Download

 Page 1


NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED
Activities
  Q1. Write a one page history of Germany.
 • as a schoolchild in Nazi Germany
 • as a Jewish survivor of a concentration 
camp
 • as a political opponent of the Nazi 
regime
 Ans. • Hitler was fanatically interested 
in the youth of the country. He felt 
that a strong Nazi society could 
be established only by teaching 
children Nazi ideology. This required 
a control over the child both inside 
and outside school. Children were 
segregated. Germans and Jews could 
not sit together or play together. 
Subsequently, undesirable children—
Jews, the physically handicapped, 
Gypsies were thrown out of schools. 
And finally in the 1940s, they 
were taken to gas chambers. ‘Good 
German’ children were subjected to a 
process of Nazi schooling, a prolonged 
period of ideological training. These 
children were taught to be loyal and 
submissive, hate Jews and worship 
Hitler.
 • Nazi Germany was based on extreme 
violence. Hitler hated Jews and called 
them ‘undesirables’. Many Gypsies and 
Blacks living in Nazi Germany were 
considered as racial ‘inferiors’. They 
were widely persecuted. Even Russians 
and Poles were considered sub-humans. 
Jews were the worst sufferers. They 
were often persecuted through periodic 
organised violence, and expulsion from 
the land. They were compelled to leave 
the country. The next phase was too 
brutal. They were concentrated in 
certain areas and eventually killed in 
gas chambers in Poland.
 • Do it yourself.
  Q2. Imagine that you are Helmuth. You 
have had many Jewish friends in 
school and do not believe that Jews 
are bad. Write a paragraph on what 
you would say to your father.
 Ans. I would request my father to change 
his outlook towards Jews and let them 
live peacefully. I would convince him 
that Jews were also human beings 
like them and therefore they must be 
given free environment to live in.
  (Students can expand the answer).
Questions
  Q1. Describe the problems faced by the 
Weimar Republic.
 Ans. (i) After the defeat of Germany in 
the First World War, King Kaiser 
William II, the German emperor, 
abdicated and Weimar Republic 
was proclaimed by the National 
Assembly with a federal structure. 
This republic was never accepted 
whole-heartedly by the Germans who 
made this government responsible for 
accepting the humiliating treaty of 
Versailles. They made this government 
responsible for all their miseries. The 
republic became financially crippled 
by the war compensation imposed 
on Germany.
 (ii) The great economic depression 
worsened the German economy. The 
economic crisis created deep anxiety 
and fears in people. The middle 
classes, small businessmen, the 
self-employed and retailers suffered 
as their business got ruined.
 (iii) The Weimar Republic was politically 
weak. The Weimar Constitution 
had some inherent defects which 
made it unstable and vulnerable to 
dictatorship. One was proportional 
representation which finally brought 
a rule by coalition. Another defect 
Page 2


NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED
Activities
  Q1. Write a one page history of Germany.
 • as a schoolchild in Nazi Germany
 • as a Jewish survivor of a concentration 
camp
 • as a political opponent of the Nazi 
regime
 Ans. • Hitler was fanatically interested 
in the youth of the country. He felt 
that a strong Nazi society could 
be established only by teaching 
children Nazi ideology. This required 
a control over the child both inside 
and outside school. Children were 
segregated. Germans and Jews could 
not sit together or play together. 
Subsequently, undesirable children—
Jews, the physically handicapped, 
Gypsies were thrown out of schools. 
And finally in the 1940s, they 
were taken to gas chambers. ‘Good 
German’ children were subjected to a 
process of Nazi schooling, a prolonged 
period of ideological training. These 
children were taught to be loyal and 
submissive, hate Jews and worship 
Hitler.
 • Nazi Germany was based on extreme 
violence. Hitler hated Jews and called 
them ‘undesirables’. Many Gypsies and 
Blacks living in Nazi Germany were 
considered as racial ‘inferiors’. They 
were widely persecuted. Even Russians 
and Poles were considered sub-humans. 
Jews were the worst sufferers. They 
were often persecuted through periodic 
organised violence, and expulsion from 
the land. They were compelled to leave 
the country. The next phase was too 
brutal. They were concentrated in 
certain areas and eventually killed in 
gas chambers in Poland.
 • Do it yourself.
  Q2. Imagine that you are Helmuth. You 
have had many Jewish friends in 
school and do not believe that Jews 
are bad. Write a paragraph on what 
you would say to your father.
 Ans. I would request my father to change 
his outlook towards Jews and let them 
live peacefully. I would convince him 
that Jews were also human beings 
like them and therefore they must be 
given free environment to live in.
  (Students can expand the answer).
Questions
  Q1. Describe the problems faced by the 
Weimar Republic.
 Ans. (i) After the defeat of Germany in 
the First World War, King Kaiser 
William II, the German emperor, 
abdicated and Weimar Republic 
was proclaimed by the National 
Assembly with a federal structure. 
This republic was never accepted 
whole-heartedly by the Germans who 
made this government responsible for 
accepting the humiliating treaty of 
Versailles. They made this government 
responsible for all their miseries. The 
republic became financially crippled 
by the war compensation imposed 
on Germany.
 (ii) The great economic depression 
worsened the German economy. The 
economic crisis created deep anxiety 
and fears in people. The middle 
classes, small businessmen, the 
self-employed and retailers suffered 
as their business got ruined.
 (iii) The Weimar Republic was politically 
weak. The Weimar Constitution 
had some inherent defects which 
made it unstable and vulnerable to 
dictatorship. One was proportional 
representation which finally brought 
a rule by coalition. Another defect 
was Article 48 which gave the 
President the powers to impose 
emergency, suspend civil rights and 
rule by decree. Within its short life, 
the Weimar Republic saw twenty 
different cabinets lasting on an 
average 239 days.
  Q2. Discuss why Nazism became popular 
in Germany by 1930.
 Ans. (i) The Great Economic Depression 
(1929-1932) badly hit the German 
economy. Banks collapsed and 
businesses shut down. Workers lost 
their jobs and the middle classes 
were threatened with destitution.
 (ii) This crisis in economy prepared 
the background for the popularity 
of Nazism in Germany. Nazism 
became a mass movement during 
the economic depression.
 (iii) Nazi propaganda stirred hopes of 
a better future. In 1928, the Nazi 
Party got no more than 2.6 per cent 
votes in the Reichstag—the German 
Parliament. By 1932, it had become 
the largest party with 37 per cent 
votes.
 (iv) Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, 
influenced the people with his 
personality. He promised to build 
a strong nation, undo the injustice 
of the Versailles Treaty and restore 
the dignity of the German people. 
He promised employment for those 
looking for work and secure future 
for the youth.
 (v) Nazis held massive rallies and 
public meetings to demonstrate 
the support for Hitler and instil a 
sense of unity among the people. 
Nazi propaganda skilfully projected 
Hitler as a messiah, a saviour, as 
someone who had arrived to deliver 
people from their distress. This 
image captured the imagination of 
the people whose sense of dignity 
and pride had been shattered after 
the German defeat in the First World 
War and who were living in a time of 
acute economic and political crisis.
  Q3. What are the peculiar features of Nazi 
thinking?
 Ans. The peculiar features of Nazi thinking 
are given below:
 (i) There was no equality between 
people, but only a racial hierarchy. 
In this view, blonde, blue-eyed, 
Nordic German Aryans were at the 
top while Jews were located at the 
lowest rung. All other coloured people 
were placed in between depending 
upon their external features.
 (ii) The Aryan race was the finest. It had 
to retain its purity, become stronger 
and dominate the world.
 (iii) Nazis glorified war. Their only aim 
was to unite all people of the Aryan 
race under one state, i.e. Germany.
 (iv) Hitler believed that new territories 
had to be acquired for settlement. 
This would enhance the area of the 
mother country, while enabling the 
settlers on new lands to retain an 
intimate link with the place of their 
origin. It would also enhance the 
material resources and power of the 
German Nation.
 (v) Nazis wanted only a society of pure 
and healthy Nordic Aryans. They alone 
were considered ‘desirables’.  Only 
they were seen as worthy of prospering 
and multiplying against all others 
who were classed as ‘desirables’. This 
meant that even those Germans who 
were seen as impure or abnormal had 
no right to exist.
 (vi) Nazis hated Jews. They terrorised, 
pauperised and segregated them and 
compelled them to leave the country.
 (vii) Children were taught to be loyal and 
submissive, hate Jews and worship 
Hitler.
 (viii) While boys were taught to be 
aggressive, masculine and steel-
Page 3


NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED
Activities
  Q1. Write a one page history of Germany.
 • as a schoolchild in Nazi Germany
 • as a Jewish survivor of a concentration 
camp
 • as a political opponent of the Nazi 
regime
 Ans. • Hitler was fanatically interested 
in the youth of the country. He felt 
that a strong Nazi society could 
be established only by teaching 
children Nazi ideology. This required 
a control over the child both inside 
and outside school. Children were 
segregated. Germans and Jews could 
not sit together or play together. 
Subsequently, undesirable children—
Jews, the physically handicapped, 
Gypsies were thrown out of schools. 
And finally in the 1940s, they 
were taken to gas chambers. ‘Good 
German’ children were subjected to a 
process of Nazi schooling, a prolonged 
period of ideological training. These 
children were taught to be loyal and 
submissive, hate Jews and worship 
Hitler.
 • Nazi Germany was based on extreme 
violence. Hitler hated Jews and called 
them ‘undesirables’. Many Gypsies and 
Blacks living in Nazi Germany were 
considered as racial ‘inferiors’. They 
were widely persecuted. Even Russians 
and Poles were considered sub-humans. 
Jews were the worst sufferers. They 
were often persecuted through periodic 
organised violence, and expulsion from 
the land. They were compelled to leave 
the country. The next phase was too 
brutal. They were concentrated in 
certain areas and eventually killed in 
gas chambers in Poland.
 • Do it yourself.
  Q2. Imagine that you are Helmuth. You 
have had many Jewish friends in 
school and do not believe that Jews 
are bad. Write a paragraph on what 
you would say to your father.
 Ans. I would request my father to change 
his outlook towards Jews and let them 
live peacefully. I would convince him 
that Jews were also human beings 
like them and therefore they must be 
given free environment to live in.
  (Students can expand the answer).
Questions
  Q1. Describe the problems faced by the 
Weimar Republic.
 Ans. (i) After the defeat of Germany in 
the First World War, King Kaiser 
William II, the German emperor, 
abdicated and Weimar Republic 
was proclaimed by the National 
Assembly with a federal structure. 
This republic was never accepted 
whole-heartedly by the Germans who 
made this government responsible for 
accepting the humiliating treaty of 
Versailles. They made this government 
responsible for all their miseries. The 
republic became financially crippled 
by the war compensation imposed 
on Germany.
 (ii) The great economic depression 
worsened the German economy. The 
economic crisis created deep anxiety 
and fears in people. The middle 
classes, small businessmen, the 
self-employed and retailers suffered 
as their business got ruined.
 (iii) The Weimar Republic was politically 
weak. The Weimar Constitution 
had some inherent defects which 
made it unstable and vulnerable to 
dictatorship. One was proportional 
representation which finally brought 
a rule by coalition. Another defect 
was Article 48 which gave the 
President the powers to impose 
emergency, suspend civil rights and 
rule by decree. Within its short life, 
the Weimar Republic saw twenty 
different cabinets lasting on an 
average 239 days.
  Q2. Discuss why Nazism became popular 
in Germany by 1930.
 Ans. (i) The Great Economic Depression 
(1929-1932) badly hit the German 
economy. Banks collapsed and 
businesses shut down. Workers lost 
their jobs and the middle classes 
were threatened with destitution.
 (ii) This crisis in economy prepared 
the background for the popularity 
of Nazism in Germany. Nazism 
became a mass movement during 
the economic depression.
 (iii) Nazi propaganda stirred hopes of 
a better future. In 1928, the Nazi 
Party got no more than 2.6 per cent 
votes in the Reichstag—the German 
Parliament. By 1932, it had become 
the largest party with 37 per cent 
votes.
 (iv) Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, 
influenced the people with his 
personality. He promised to build 
a strong nation, undo the injustice 
of the Versailles Treaty and restore 
the dignity of the German people. 
He promised employment for those 
looking for work and secure future 
for the youth.
 (v) Nazis held massive rallies and 
public meetings to demonstrate 
the support for Hitler and instil a 
sense of unity among the people. 
Nazi propaganda skilfully projected 
Hitler as a messiah, a saviour, as 
someone who had arrived to deliver 
people from their distress. This 
image captured the imagination of 
the people whose sense of dignity 
and pride had been shattered after 
the German defeat in the First World 
War and who were living in a time of 
acute economic and political crisis.
  Q3. What are the peculiar features of Nazi 
thinking?
 Ans. The peculiar features of Nazi thinking 
are given below:
 (i) There was no equality between 
people, but only a racial hierarchy. 
In this view, blonde, blue-eyed, 
Nordic German Aryans were at the 
top while Jews were located at the 
lowest rung. All other coloured people 
were placed in between depending 
upon their external features.
 (ii) The Aryan race was the finest. It had 
to retain its purity, become stronger 
and dominate the world.
 (iii) Nazis glorified war. Their only aim 
was to unite all people of the Aryan 
race under one state, i.e. Germany.
 (iv) Hitler believed that new territories 
had to be acquired for settlement. 
This would enhance the area of the 
mother country, while enabling the 
settlers on new lands to retain an 
intimate link with the place of their 
origin. It would also enhance the 
material resources and power of the 
German Nation.
 (v) Nazis wanted only a society of pure 
and healthy Nordic Aryans. They alone 
were considered ‘desirables’.  Only 
they were seen as worthy of prospering 
and multiplying against all others 
who were classed as ‘desirables’. This 
meant that even those Germans who 
were seen as impure or abnormal had 
no right to exist.
 (vi) Nazis hated Jews. They terrorised, 
pauperised and segregated them and 
compelled them to leave the country.
 (vii) Children were taught to be loyal and 
submissive, hate Jews and worship 
Hitler.
 (viii) While boys were taught to be 
aggressive, masculine and steel-
hearted, girls were told that they 
had to become good mothers and 
rear pure-blooded Aryan children.
  Q4. Explain why Nazi propaganda was 
effective in creating a hatred for Jews.
 Ans. As Hitler had a deep hatred for Jews, 
he launched a vicious propaganda 
against them soon after becoming the 
dictator of Germany. The reasons for 
the success of the propaganda against 
Jews are the following:
 (i) Nazi hatred of Jews had a precursor 
in the traditional Christian hostility 
towards Jews. They had been 
stereotyped as killers of Christ and  
usurers.
 (ii) Nazis never used the words 
‘kill’ or ‘murder’ in their official 
communications. Mass killings were 
termed  special treatment, final 
solution (for the Jews), euthanasia 
(for the disabled) selection and 
disinfections. Gas chambers where 
the Jews were deported, were labelled 
‘disinfection areas’ and looked like 
bathrooms equipped with fake 
showerheads.
 (iii) Media was carefully used to win the 
support for the regime and popularise 
its worldview. Nazi ideas were spread 
through visual images, films, radio, 
posters, catchy slogans and leaflets. 
The images of Jews were stereotyped, 
mocked, abused and described as 
evil.
 (iv) Propaganda films were made to create 
hatred for Jews.
 (v) Orthodox Jews were shown with 
flowing beards wearing kaftans, 
whereas in reality it was difficult to 
distinguish German Jews by their 
outward appearance.
 (vi) Jews were referred to as vermin, rats 
and pests. Their movements were 
compared to those of rodents.
 (vii) Even children were taught to hate 
Jews.
  Nazism worked on the minds of the 
people, tapped their emotions and 
turned their hatred and anger at 
those marked as ‘undesirables’, i.e. 
Jews.
  Q5. Explain what role women had in Nazi 
society. Return to Chapter 1 on the 
French Revolution. Write a paragraph 
comparing and contrasting the role of 
women in the two periods.
 Ans. Women had a limited role in Nazi 
society. They were considered radically 
different from men. While boys were 
taught to be aggressive, masculine 
and  steel-hearted, girls were told that 
they had to become good mothers and 
rear pure-blooded Aryan children. 
Girls had to maintain the purity of the 
race, distance themselves from Jews, 
look after the home and teach their 
children Nazi values. They had to be 
the bearers of the Aryan culture and 
race.
  Women formed the unprivileged 
section of society both during the 
French Revolution and Nazi Germany. 
They were deprived of political rights. 
They had no freedom to choose their 
life partners. They had no access to 
education. Their role was very limited. 
They had to look after their families 
and children.
  But French women were more powerful 
than German women. French women 
played a major role in bringing 
the revolution. They were active 
participants in the events which 
brought about so many important 
changes in French society. They could 
start their own political clubs and 
newspapers to voice their interests. 
On the other hand, Nazi women had 
no such freedom. They could not voice 
their interests. They had no freedom 
to form associations. Their role was 
limited to home and hearth. They had 
to teach their children Nazi values. 
Page 4


NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED
Activities
  Q1. Write a one page history of Germany.
 • as a schoolchild in Nazi Germany
 • as a Jewish survivor of a concentration 
camp
 • as a political opponent of the Nazi 
regime
 Ans. • Hitler was fanatically interested 
in the youth of the country. He felt 
that a strong Nazi society could 
be established only by teaching 
children Nazi ideology. This required 
a control over the child both inside 
and outside school. Children were 
segregated. Germans and Jews could 
not sit together or play together. 
Subsequently, undesirable children—
Jews, the physically handicapped, 
Gypsies were thrown out of schools. 
And finally in the 1940s, they 
were taken to gas chambers. ‘Good 
German’ children were subjected to a 
process of Nazi schooling, a prolonged 
period of ideological training. These 
children were taught to be loyal and 
submissive, hate Jews and worship 
Hitler.
 • Nazi Germany was based on extreme 
violence. Hitler hated Jews and called 
them ‘undesirables’. Many Gypsies and 
Blacks living in Nazi Germany were 
considered as racial ‘inferiors’. They 
were widely persecuted. Even Russians 
and Poles were considered sub-humans. 
Jews were the worst sufferers. They 
were often persecuted through periodic 
organised violence, and expulsion from 
the land. They were compelled to leave 
the country. The next phase was too 
brutal. They were concentrated in 
certain areas and eventually killed in 
gas chambers in Poland.
 • Do it yourself.
  Q2. Imagine that you are Helmuth. You 
have had many Jewish friends in 
school and do not believe that Jews 
are bad. Write a paragraph on what 
you would say to your father.
 Ans. I would request my father to change 
his outlook towards Jews and let them 
live peacefully. I would convince him 
that Jews were also human beings 
like them and therefore they must be 
given free environment to live in.
  (Students can expand the answer).
Questions
  Q1. Describe the problems faced by the 
Weimar Republic.
 Ans. (i) After the defeat of Germany in 
the First World War, King Kaiser 
William II, the German emperor, 
abdicated and Weimar Republic 
was proclaimed by the National 
Assembly with a federal structure. 
This republic was never accepted 
whole-heartedly by the Germans who 
made this government responsible for 
accepting the humiliating treaty of 
Versailles. They made this government 
responsible for all their miseries. The 
republic became financially crippled 
by the war compensation imposed 
on Germany.
 (ii) The great economic depression 
worsened the German economy. The 
economic crisis created deep anxiety 
and fears in people. The middle 
classes, small businessmen, the 
self-employed and retailers suffered 
as their business got ruined.
 (iii) The Weimar Republic was politically 
weak. The Weimar Constitution 
had some inherent defects which 
made it unstable and vulnerable to 
dictatorship. One was proportional 
representation which finally brought 
a rule by coalition. Another defect 
was Article 48 which gave the 
President the powers to impose 
emergency, suspend civil rights and 
rule by decree. Within its short life, 
the Weimar Republic saw twenty 
different cabinets lasting on an 
average 239 days.
  Q2. Discuss why Nazism became popular 
in Germany by 1930.
 Ans. (i) The Great Economic Depression 
(1929-1932) badly hit the German 
economy. Banks collapsed and 
businesses shut down. Workers lost 
their jobs and the middle classes 
were threatened with destitution.
 (ii) This crisis in economy prepared 
the background for the popularity 
of Nazism in Germany. Nazism 
became a mass movement during 
the economic depression.
 (iii) Nazi propaganda stirred hopes of 
a better future. In 1928, the Nazi 
Party got no more than 2.6 per cent 
votes in the Reichstag—the German 
Parliament. By 1932, it had become 
the largest party with 37 per cent 
votes.
 (iv) Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, 
influenced the people with his 
personality. He promised to build 
a strong nation, undo the injustice 
of the Versailles Treaty and restore 
the dignity of the German people. 
He promised employment for those 
looking for work and secure future 
for the youth.
 (v) Nazis held massive rallies and 
public meetings to demonstrate 
the support for Hitler and instil a 
sense of unity among the people. 
Nazi propaganda skilfully projected 
Hitler as a messiah, a saviour, as 
someone who had arrived to deliver 
people from their distress. This 
image captured the imagination of 
the people whose sense of dignity 
and pride had been shattered after 
the German defeat in the First World 
War and who were living in a time of 
acute economic and political crisis.
  Q3. What are the peculiar features of Nazi 
thinking?
 Ans. The peculiar features of Nazi thinking 
are given below:
 (i) There was no equality between 
people, but only a racial hierarchy. 
In this view, blonde, blue-eyed, 
Nordic German Aryans were at the 
top while Jews were located at the 
lowest rung. All other coloured people 
were placed in between depending 
upon their external features.
 (ii) The Aryan race was the finest. It had 
to retain its purity, become stronger 
and dominate the world.
 (iii) Nazis glorified war. Their only aim 
was to unite all people of the Aryan 
race under one state, i.e. Germany.
 (iv) Hitler believed that new territories 
had to be acquired for settlement. 
This would enhance the area of the 
mother country, while enabling the 
settlers on new lands to retain an 
intimate link with the place of their 
origin. It would also enhance the 
material resources and power of the 
German Nation.
 (v) Nazis wanted only a society of pure 
and healthy Nordic Aryans. They alone 
were considered ‘desirables’.  Only 
they were seen as worthy of prospering 
and multiplying against all others 
who were classed as ‘desirables’. This 
meant that even those Germans who 
were seen as impure or abnormal had 
no right to exist.
 (vi) Nazis hated Jews. They terrorised, 
pauperised and segregated them and 
compelled them to leave the country.
 (vii) Children were taught to be loyal and 
submissive, hate Jews and worship 
Hitler.
 (viii) While boys were taught to be 
aggressive, masculine and steel-
hearted, girls were told that they 
had to become good mothers and 
rear pure-blooded Aryan children.
  Q4. Explain why Nazi propaganda was 
effective in creating a hatred for Jews.
 Ans. As Hitler had a deep hatred for Jews, 
he launched a vicious propaganda 
against them soon after becoming the 
dictator of Germany. The reasons for 
the success of the propaganda against 
Jews are the following:
 (i) Nazi hatred of Jews had a precursor 
in the traditional Christian hostility 
towards Jews. They had been 
stereotyped as killers of Christ and  
usurers.
 (ii) Nazis never used the words 
‘kill’ or ‘murder’ in their official 
communications. Mass killings were 
termed  special treatment, final 
solution (for the Jews), euthanasia 
(for the disabled) selection and 
disinfections. Gas chambers where 
the Jews were deported, were labelled 
‘disinfection areas’ and looked like 
bathrooms equipped with fake 
showerheads.
 (iii) Media was carefully used to win the 
support for the regime and popularise 
its worldview. Nazi ideas were spread 
through visual images, films, radio, 
posters, catchy slogans and leaflets. 
The images of Jews were stereotyped, 
mocked, abused and described as 
evil.
 (iv) Propaganda films were made to create 
hatred for Jews.
 (v) Orthodox Jews were shown with 
flowing beards wearing kaftans, 
whereas in reality it was difficult to 
distinguish German Jews by their 
outward appearance.
 (vi) Jews were referred to as vermin, rats 
and pests. Their movements were 
compared to those of rodents.
 (vii) Even children were taught to hate 
Jews.
  Nazism worked on the minds of the 
people, tapped their emotions and 
turned their hatred and anger at 
those marked as ‘undesirables’, i.e. 
Jews.
  Q5. Explain what role women had in Nazi 
society. Return to Chapter 1 on the 
French Revolution. Write a paragraph 
comparing and contrasting the role of 
women in the two periods.
 Ans. Women had a limited role in Nazi 
society. They were considered radically 
different from men. While boys were 
taught to be aggressive, masculine 
and  steel-hearted, girls were told that 
they had to become good mothers and 
rear pure-blooded Aryan children. 
Girls had to maintain the purity of the 
race, distance themselves from Jews, 
look after the home and teach their 
children Nazi values. They had to be 
the bearers of the Aryan culture and 
race.
  Women formed the unprivileged 
section of society both during the 
French Revolution and Nazi Germany. 
They were deprived of political rights. 
They had no freedom to choose their 
life partners. They had no access to 
education. Their role was very limited. 
They had to look after their families 
and children.
  But French women were more powerful 
than German women. French women 
played a major role in bringing 
the revolution. They were active 
participants in the events which 
brought about so many important 
changes in French society. They could 
start their own political clubs and 
newspapers to voice their interests. 
On the other hand, Nazi women had 
no such freedom. They could not voice 
their interests. They had no freedom 
to form associations. Their role was 
limited to home and hearth. They had 
to teach their children Nazi values. 
They were viewed as the bearers of 
the Aryan culture and race.
  Q6. In what ways did the Nazi state seek to 
establish total control over its people?
 Ans. The Nazi state came into being 
under the leadership of Hitler on 
30 January, 1953. Having acquired 
power, Hitler took a number of steps 
to establish total contol over the 
people of Germany:
 (i) First of all, the structure of democratic 
rule was dismantled.
 (ii) Civic rights like freedom of speech, 
press and assembly that had 
been guaranteed by the Weimar 
Constitution were suspended for 
indefinite period.
 (iii) Then started the repression of the 
Communists which was too severe.
 (iv) On 3 March 1933, the famous 
Enabling Act was passed. This Act 
established Hitler’s dictatorship in 
Germany. It gave Hitler all power 
to sideline Parliament and rule by 
decree.
 (v) All political parties and trade unions 
were banned except the Nazi party 
and its affiliates.
 (vi) The state established complete 
control over the economy, media, 
army and judiciary.
 (vii) Special surveillance and security forces 
were created to control and order 
society in ways that the Nazis wanted.
 (viii) Apart from the already existing 
regular police in green uniform 
and the SA or the Storm Troopers, 
these included the Gestapo (Secret 
State Police), the SS (the protection 
squads), criminal police and the 
security service (SD). It was the 
extra-constitutional powers of these 
newly organised forces that made the 
Nazi state so dreadful. People could 
now be detained in Gestapo torture 
chambers, rounded up and sent to 
concentration camps.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS SOLVED
I. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. What was the name given to mass 
killings of the Jews under Hitler’s 
regime? 
 (a) Holocaust 
 (b) Special Treatment
 (c) November criminals 
 (d) None of these
2. Germany fought the First World War 
against
 (a) England (b) France 
 (c) Russia (d) All of these
3. Name the incident that started the 
Second World War.
 (a) The Treaty of Versailles 
 (b) Birth of the Weimar Republic
 (c) Genocidal war  
 (d) Germany’s attack on Poland
4. When was the Enabling Act passed in 
Germany? 
 (a) On 12th March 1933 
 (b) On 3rd March 1933
 (c) On 3rd February  1903 
 (d) On 14th March 1932
5. What was Auschwitz famous for?
 (a) Centre for mass killings during Nazi 
Germany
 (b) Centre for educating children during 
Nazi Germany
 (c) Centre for giving military training 
to the youth during Nazi Germany
 (d) None of the above
6. On 30 January 1933 who offered the 
Chancellorship to Hitler?
 (a) Soviet Red Army  
 (b) King Kaiser William II 
 (c) President Hindenburg 
 (d) Hjalmar Schacht 
7. Who was Hjalmar Schacht?
 (a) Economist (b) Chancellor
 (c) German soldier
 (d) None of these