What were the Nuremberg Laws in Nazi Germany?

The Nuremberg Laws classified anyone with one or more Jewish grandparents as Jewish, and deprived all Jews of citizenship. Scores of Jews left the country, sacrificing everything in order to leave Germany. They were the fortunate ones. After the assassination of a German diplomat in Paris by a young Jewish boy who was trying to strike out at persecution, a well organized night of violence and vandalism erupted, known as Krystallnacht, ("Crystal Night," or "the night of broken glass.") Windows were smashed, shops looted, homes and synagogues destroyed. German Jews were arrested and made to pay for the damage. Although many Germans were opposed to Nazi outrages against Jews, most either went along or looked the other way.

Under the Nuremberg laws, persons determined to be Jewish were not allowed to teach or practice any profession. Sexual relations between Jews and non Jews was unlawful. Jews were prohibited from displaying the national flag, but were required to wear a Judenstern, or Jewish star, indicating their status. This was a major step in the National Socialist plan to eliminate Jewish influence from Germany.

Passed very soon after the Nazis took power, these laws were part of the initial steps of the Holocaust against Jews.  They legally defined a Jew as a person who had at least one Jewish grandparent, even if that person was not a practicing member of the Jewish faith.  This was an attempt by the Nazis to "purify" their national blood, and conform to their own anti-semitism.

In addition, these laws put restrictions on the Jews marrying or having sexual relations with non-Jews in Germany.  It also limited which jobs Jews could not hold, such as medicine and education, and banned Jewish children from attendance in german public schools.

By defining Jews in terms of the law, the Nazis were able to gradually segregate them from society altogether, confine them in ghettos and implement the Final Solution murder of 6 million Jews.

What were the Nuremberg laws?

The best way way to go about writing a thesis for this topic is to first understand what the Nuremburg Laws did, and what effect they had, so let's start with that. The Nazi's Nuremberg Laws stripped German Jews of their citizenship, prevented them from owning property, and excluded them from most professions, many of which they had dominated, such as academia, medicine, law and business. The effect of these laws was to rob German Jews of their possessions and livelihoods, and  deprive them of any legal recourse for such deprivations. Once the Nuremburg Laws passed, non-German Jews could steal from, beat up and even kill German Jews without facing punishment. 

Now, as for devising a thesis to describe the laws, remember that a good thesis consists of two parts: your position plus your "because clause." In this case, your job is quite simple: you need to characterize the Nuremberg laws and then give a brief outline as to why those laws fit your characterization. You could argue, for example, that: "The Nazis passed the Nuremberg Laws in order to dehumanize, terrorize and rob German Jews, and in order to unjustly enrich themselves and their supporters." 

Alternatively, you could try for a more ambitious thesis that makes a more far-reaching claim, such as: "The Nazis passed the Nuremberg Laws not only to persecute the Jews and enrich themselves, but also to demonstrate that they had no regard for the rule of law or any intention of governing in a civilized fashion." Whatever thesis statement you choose, you must be able to back it up with specific examples and analysis of those examples, so don't bite off more than you can chew. Also, before you commit to any thesis, make sure to outline the body paragraphs that thesis would require. Remember that everything in your essay must flow from your thesis. 

What did the Nuremberg Laws decree?

The Nuremberg Laws were established in Germany on September 15, 1935. They were a set of antisemitic laws which severely limited the rights and freedom of Jewish people living in Germany. The Nuremberg laws were broken up into two main sections.

The first section was the Reich Citizenship Law. This established who was considered protected by the German government. The Reich Citizenship Law decreed citizens must be German or of German blood and that nationality was determined by the Reich itself. Only people who were considered to be fully German were granted full political rights and protection.

In November of 1935, the Reich Citizenship Law went one step further and also determined who was considered to be Jewish. Even people who didn't practice Judaism but had a Jewish grandparent were still deemed partially Jewish under the new law and were subject to the punishments and cruelty that came along with it.  

The second section of the Nuremberg Laws was the Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor. This law stated that in order to keep the German bloodlines pure, German citizens were forbidden from marrying people of Jewish descent. Also, people who were currently married to Jewish spouses were encouraged to divorce them and find a more suitable partner. 

Eventually, the Nuremberg Laws grew into what would become the Holocaust.