LAWS AND DECREES - Ushmm

LAWS AND DECREESUNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

REICHSTAG FIRE DECREE On February 27, 1933, an arsonistburned down the Reichstag, the Germanparliament building. The “Decree of the Reich President forthe Protection of the People and theState,” known as the “Reichstag FireDecree” declared a state of emergency. With Nazi encouragement, Presidentvon Hindenburg suspended freedom ofspeech, freedom of the press, and theright to assemble. The governmentcould arrest political opponents withoutcharge, dissolve political organizations,and censor newspapers.FEBRUARY 28, 1933UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

ENABLING ACT The German parliament passed the“Law for Rectification of the Distressof Nation and Reich,” commonlycalled the “Enabling Act.” The lawallowed Hitler to propose and signlegislation into law withoutconsulting the parliament. This law effectively created adictatorship in Germany. This propaganda flyer exclaims “TheReichstag in Flames!” and urges“Choose Hitler!”MARCH 23, 1933UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

CIVIL SERVICE LAW The German government issued the“Law for the Restoration of theProfessional Civil Service.” The law fired Jews and politicalopponents of the Nazis from civilservice positions, including schools,universities, and government jobs.They were exempt only if they hadbeen in that job before August 1914,had fought in World War I, or hadlost a father or son in the war. Most Jewish lawyers were alsoforbidden from practicing law.APRIL 7, 1933UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

EDUCATION LAW The German government issued the“Law Against Overcrowding in Schoolsand Universities.” The law stated that Jewish studentscould be no more than 5% of thestudent population of any publicschool or university. Many Jewish students had to leavepublic school and start attendingprivate school. German schools taught Nazi racialideas about the superiority of“Aryans” and the inferiority of Jews.APRIL 25, 1933UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

STERILIZATION LAW The German government passedthe “Law for the Prevention ofOffspring with Hereditary Diseases.” The law allowed the government toforcibly sterilize people withphysical or mental disabilities sothey could not have children. This law later expanded to includeRoma (gypsies), “asocials” andAfro-Germans. The caption of this propaganda slidereads “Life only as a Burden.”JULY 14, 1933UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

PRESS CENSORSHIP LAW The “Editors Law” forbid Jews fromworking in journalism. The German Propaganda Ministrykept registries of “racially-pure”editors and journalists. New reportershad to register and show they werenot Jewish. Newspapers could not publish anyinformation which would “weaken thestrength of the Reich abroad or athome.” Journalists who broke this law couldbe sent to concentration camps.OCTOBER 4, 1933UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

LAW AGAINST “CRIMINALS” The German government passes a“Law Against Dangerous HabitualCriminals.” The government was authorized tohold prisoners indefinitely, even ifthey had successfully served aprison term, if Nazi officials decidedthe prisoner was a “dangeroushabitual criminal.” Instead of being released from jail,the prisoner would often betransferred to a concentrationcamp.NOVEMBER 24, 1933UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

MANDATORY MILITARY SERVICE The German government enacted aconscription law, which applied to all menbetween 18-45. After May 1935, drafted soldiers had toshow evidence that they were “Aryan.”Non-Jews were forbidden to serve, andJehovah’s Witnesses refused to join themilitary. Hitler also officially announced thatGermany would begin rebuilding itsmilitary (which it was already secretlydoing). This was a violation of the Treaty ofVersailles, which had limited the size ofGermany’s military after World War I.MARCH 16, 1935UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSORGANIZATION BANNED The German government banned theWatchtower Bible and Tract Society, aJehovah’s Witness publishing house. Local lawshad already banned Jehovah’s Witnesses fromdistributing religious literature. ManyWitnesses violated these laws. Jehovah’s Witnesses also refused to swearallegiance to Hitler or Nazi Germany or toserve in the military. Witnesses faced persecution and arrest. To bereleased from imprisonment, they could sign aform like this one, swearing allegiance to NaziGermany. Few did so.APRIL 1, 1935UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

REVISION OF PARAGRAPH 175 The German government revised anexisting law which already outlawedmale homosexuality. The revision expanded what activitiesqualified as sexual contact andincreased the punishments for theseacts. Gay men were persecuted because theywere seen as corrupting “Germanvalues” and not adding to thepopulation. Since lesbians could stillhave biological children, they wereusually not targeted.JUNE 28, 1935UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

REICH CITIZENSHIP LAW This law defined who the Germangovernment considered “German,” andwho was a “Jew.” The law defined Jews as a race identifiedby blood and genealogy. It did notidentify Judaism as a religion or culture. Under this law, Jews lost their citizenship,and became “subjects of the state.” This law and the “Law for the Protectionof German Blood and German Honor” arecalled the “Nuremberg Race Laws.”SEPTEMBER 15, 1935UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

LAW FOR THE PROTECTION OFGERMAN BLOOD AND HONOR The German government bannedthe marriage between Jews andnon-Jews. It also made sexual relationsbetween these “mixed race” couplesillegal. This crime was calledRassenschande [Race defilement]. This law and the “Reich CitizenshipLaw” are called the “NurembergRace Laws.”SEPTEMBER 15, 1935UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

RACIAL DEFINITIONS EXPLAINED The German government issued the “firstregulation” to the September 15, 1935 ReichCitizenship Law The regulation clarified that Germans who weredescended from one or two Jewish grandparentswould be considered Mischling (mixed race). Mischling were still permitted to vote and holdcivil service jobs. German Jews who served in World War I lost theirexemption from the April 7, 1933 law. They had toretire from civil service jobs by the end of theyear.NOVEMBER 14, 1935UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

NUREMBERG LAWS EXTENDED The Reich Minister of the Interior,Wilhelm Frick announced an expansionof the September 15, 1935 ReichCitizenship Law. Frick stated that the citizenship lawalso applied to Roma and Sinti(gypsies) and to Afro-Germans. Roma, Sinti, and Afro-Germans losttheir citizenship, and were notpermitted to marry “Aryan” Germans. This racial identity card identifiesKonrad Lehman as a Zigeuner (Gypsy).NOVEMBER 26, 1935UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

JEWISH NAME LAW The “Law on the Alteration ofFamily and Personal Names”required Jews who did not have“Jewish first names” to take themiddle names “Israel” (for men)or “Sara” (for women). By January 1, 1939, all Jewsneeded to obtain new passportsor identity cards listing theirnew names. These documentswere marked with the letter ‘J’.AUGUST 17, 1938UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

ANTI-JEWISH ECONOMY LAW The “Decree on the Exclusion of Jews fromEconomic Life” prohibited Jews fromowning businesses or engaging in trade. Jewish-owned businesses had alreadyfaced pressure to “Aryanize,” which meantthat the Jewish owner would be forced tosell his business at a steep discount to anon-Jewish employee or Nazi supporter. This photo was taken at Arthur Lewy’s cigarshop in Berlin in the 1930s. After thisdecree, Arthur was forced to “Aryanize” hisshop and could no longer work.NOVEMBER 12, 1938UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

EUTHANASIA DECREE In October 1939, Hitler wrote this note (backdatedto September 1st) which authorized designateddoctors to carry out “mercy killings.” The doctorswere permitted to murder children and adults withphysical and mental disabilities. The Nazi euthanasia program was called“Operation T-4” because the address where it wasplanned was Tiergartenstrasse 4 in Berlin. Even though Hitler authorized this program,euthanasia was still considered murder underGerman law. Historians estimate 250,000 people weremurdered as part of the Nazi euthanasia program.SEPTEMBER 1, 1939UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

GERMAN MILITARY ISSUESCOMMISSAR ORDER Commissars were officials in the SovietCommunist Party assigned to Sovietmilitary units. They spread patriotic,pro-communist propaganda to Soviettroops. This order authorized and encouragedGerman soldiers to execute commissars. The commissar order sent a message tothe German military that they did nothave to follow the international laws ofwar.JUNE 6, 1941UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

JEWISH BADGE INTRODUCED INGERMANY A “Jewish badge” was not unique to Nazi Germany, buthad a long history. In earlier periods, Jews weresometimes forced to wear badges, patches, medals, orother means of identification. These orders werealmost always accompanied by antisemitic laws. Nazi Germany forced Jews to wear badges—most oftena yellow patch in the shape of a Star of David—as aneasy way to identify them. Geography mattered. Jews in Poland were forced towear a badge beginning in 1939; Jews in theNetherlands didn’t have to wear one until 1942.SEPTEMBER 1, 1941UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATHPENALTY FOR AIDING JEWS Non-Jews were often warned against assisting Jews.Although this poster was issued in Warsaw in September1942, this warning was not new or limited to Poland. The poster warned that Jews in hiding would be subjectedto the death penalty. Anyone caught hiding Jews, orhelping them—transporting them, buying valuables fromthem, or providing them with food—would also besentenced to death. Very few non-Jews were willing to risk their lives to helpJews.SEPTEMBER 5, 1942UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH PENALTY FOR AIDING JEWS Non-Jews were often warned against assisting Jews. Although this poster was issued in Warsaw in September 1942, this warning was not new or limited to Poland. The poster warned that Jews in hiding would be subjected to the