This glossary may contain words that are not found in Private Life. They are, however, found in Fear and Misery in the Third Reich, and they are helpful for understanding the time period.
Aryan
The Aryan race as it is understood in this context refers to individuals of Northern European decent, often stressing blonde hair and blue eyes as desirable features. It was also called the Master Race by Hitler and his followers, prompting the title of this play.
Barracks
Barracks are living quarters. Typically, they look something like the image to the left. (The image is not of 1930s Berlin barracks, but an example of the term.)
Beauty of Work
This was a partner of Strength Through Joy that encourage the beautification of work spaces. Like Strength Through Joy, it was intended to appease the public and make them more open to the government of the Third Reich.
Block Warden
In Nazi Germany, these Blockleiters were low ranking officials assigned to "blocks" of civilian residencies. Each block warden was responsible from between 40 and 60 households. The image to the left is a block warden uniform.
Breadline
In this case, it's a kind of unemployment office, where those who are unemployed get their cards stamped. It would be a key place to listen for grumblers, since anyone in the line would be out of work.
Brown House
The Brown House was the Nazi Party's headquarters in Munich, Germany.
Communism
Communism is a leftist political party, one which embraced Marxism. (Karl Marx was, in fact, one of the writers of the Communist manifesto.) Communism is founded on the principle that everything is owned by the community. It differs from Marxism in that the latter is theoretical and communism is a practical application. However, as far as the Nazis are concerned in Private Life, they are one in the same. The symbol of the hammer and sickle is associated with the party, which had its origins in the Soviet Union.
Concentration Camp
A concentration camp is exactly what is sounds like: an encampment built and maintained to concentrate groups of people. In this case, the concentrated groups were a workforce. Typically the people who ended up in these camps were political enemies and criminals. Later, of course, concentration camp became synonymous with death camp, because Hitler's government began using them to imprison non-political prisoners like Jews, homosexuals, and disabled people. The conditions in the concentration camps of the 1930s were still far from appealing - torture and malnutrition were common even as far back as 1933. (The image to the left is of Oraneinburg. Other camps mentioned in Private Life include Esterwegen.)
Four Year Plan
This was an economic plan of the Nazi government implemented in 1936. The idea was to keep unemployment low and to control industry, specifically those which would be working on rearmament. This did involve government monitoring of agriculture, but the focus of Nazi germany was on the industrious future of a self-sufficient Germany.
Fürher
This is the title for the leader of the German government, Adolf Hitler.
General Delivery
General delivery. The post office will hold the mail until the addressee comes to pick it up. Hotel mail service works this way.
Gestapo
The Gestapo from the German Geheime Staatspolizei) was the secret police force of Nazi Germany, similar to an FBI agency. They differ from the SS, in that the SS in a paramilitary group, though it shared the SS's leader, Heinrich Himmler. This oraganization was founded in 1934, after the Nazi party took over power. Until 1939, it was a sub-division of the Sicherheitspolizei, the "Security Police".
"Heil Hitler"
This was a typical greeting and farewell in Nazi Germany. Literally meaning, "Hail Hitler," this mandatory salute showed allegiance to the government its leader. It was accompanied by the seig heil, the Nazi salute, pictured to the left.
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Jungen ( Hitler Youth) program was founded in 1925, although similar organizations dated back to the late 1800s. The program was designed to create a strong youth culture that observed Nazi ideals and produce young Nazi well versed in party doctrines and athletic prowess. Their activities included those similar to Boy Scouts: camping, sports, marching in parades, and providing service. The program was primarily aimed at boys and young men, although there were divisions for girls.
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a military decoration that dates back to the Napoleonic Wars. The Man in Private Life most likely earned his Iron Cross in the First World War. It is awarded to soldiers who showed heroism in combat, but it was a fairly common honour. The one imaged to the right is an Iron Cross, second class. First class medals pin directly onto a soldier's uniform instead of dangling from the striped fabric.
Kraft durch Freude
See Strength Through Joy.
Mein Kampf
The autobiography of Adolf Hitler (English: My Struggle). It also outlines many of the philosophies that came to dominate the Nazi party, including antisemitism and a desire for a New Order. This poster advertises that four million copies of the text have been sold. It dates 1938.
Marks
Unit of German currency in this period. Similar to a dollar in the United States or a euro in the European Union. Like the euro, marks come in bill form and coin form. To the left is a 2-mark coin from the 1930s. See also pfennings.
Marxism
Marxism is named for its founder, Karl Marx (pictured left). It is a philosophy that implements historical materialism, or the idea that history is defined by the things man needs. It emphasizes the struggles of the classes and the life of the proletariat. His work is the basis of communism. In the context of Private Life, Marxists are communists.
Nark(ing)
Spying, informing upon.
National Socialism
National Socialism was intended to blend nationalism (in this case, the determination of and pride in what makes a German German) and socialism (an economic philosophy in which the government controls production and benefits the whole rather than the individual). It also borrowed many ideas from the fascism that was dominant in Italy at the time. Both had an emphasis on military strength, controlled mass media, and a heavy focus on national security. The terms "Nazism" and "Nazis" are derived from the German word for National Socialism, Nationalsozialismus.
Newspaper
See Völkicher Beobachter.
Pfennings
Unit if German currency in this period. As a cent is to a dollar, a pfenning is to a mark.
Proletariat
The lower working class. In Marxism, the proletariat is classified as having no ownership over production. Proletarians instead sell their labour.
Public Relief
Also known as Public Welfare. This is the division that cared for the less fortunate Germans. Winter Relief was a part of this, as was Kraft durche Freude.
Radio Tubes
Radio tubes (also known as valves) were used with wireless radios and televisions to amplify the signal.
Reds
See communism.
the Republic
See Weimar party.
The SA
The SA is an abbreviation for the Sturmabteilung, which translates into the English Storm Detachment. They are known also a Storm Troopers. The SA was a Nazi paramilitaty organization established by Adolf Hitler in 1921. It was notoriously created by attracting "roughneck elements" from society, which led to the SA reputation of violence. They were crucial to the Third Reich because of their ability to induce a state of fear in the people.
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is probably the most famous of Christ's teachings as presented in the Gospels. It contains some of the most widely quoted scripture verses, including "blessed are the peacemakers," something referenced both in The Chalk Cross and in The Sermon on the Mount. You can read the Sermon in its entirety here. Interestingly enough, because his gospel depicts Christ as the Messiah, the book of Matthew, from which the Sermon is drawn, was probably not written by a Jew, but by a follower of Christ.
Siemans
This was (and remains) a major electrical company. During the 1930 and through the Second World War, Siemans supported the industry of the Third Reich, producing materials for its concentration camps and even having a presence in them. The camp factories were run by company officials side by side with the SS.
Social-Democrat
This is a center-left political position, one which was the leading party in the Weimar Republic. It represented the working class, but in later years the left accused the Weimar Republic of forgetting its duty to the people. (The reason for this accusation was that the social democrats had stopped a communist revolution.)
The SS
The SS is an abbreviation for the Schutzstaffel, which translates to the English Defense Corps. The organization was established by Adolf Hitler in 1925, originally as a branch of the SA. It was intended to serve as protection for Hitler and other Nazi-party officials. However, after a year of leadership, Heinrich Himmler obtained permission to break from the SA, and the SS became a powerful paramilitary organization. After the Nazi take-over in 1933, the SS became the force responsible for the internal security of Germany. The SS eventually became responsible for all concentration camps.
Storm Troop(er)
See the SA.
Strength Through Joy
In German, it's known at Kraft durch Freude (KdF). This program was intended to provide entertainment for Germans. It included trips, theatre, and music, and was meant to encourage a bonding of German brotherhood as well as create the illusion of a joyful community. This advertisement is for taking a holiday in a KdF car.
Third Reich
An official name for Nazi Germany. Before it came the First Reich (800 - 1806), the Second Reich (1806 - 1919), and the Weimar Republic (1919 - 1933).
Völkicher Beobachter
This was the newspaper of the Nazi party, beginning in 1920. The page to the left is from January 31, 1933, the day after Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. This was the official news source, and it reported the triumphs of the government while speaking out against political enemies.
Voluntary Labour Service
Coming soon.This organization took over for all of the trade organizations of the Weimar Republic, apparently because those unions were corrupt. In actuality, the Nazi regime was abolishing unions and putting this false-union in its place. The goal was to put Germans to work. Although it wasn't officially mandatory, the government coerced people into signing up for it. Part of the coercion was that it was difficult to get work in the Third Reich without being a member of this "union". It was run by Dr. Robert Ley.
Vorwärts
A Czechoslovakian communist newspaper.
Weimar Republic
This is the name of the government of Germany from 1919 - 1933. It emerged at the end of the First World War, and along with facing reparations for the war, the Weimar party had many internal problems as well. It was a period of liberal democracy, and the Weimar party created a new constitution, but in the early 1930s, their system began to collapse, opening the door for the Nazi party to take control. Their familiar flag, pictured to the left, was re-adopted after the end of Allied occupation of Germany in 1949.
Winter Relief
The Winterhilfswerk, or the Winter Relief, was a system created to provide for the less fortunate during the winter months. People were expected to donate, money or used items, to the Winter Relief program, which is often what is going on in Private Life when we hear there is a "collection" going on. This poster reads: "No one should be hungry! No one should be cold!"
Yellow bastard
A coward.