2.6: The Impact of War (1933-1945) Flashcards
2.6.1: Rationing, indoctrination, propaganda and morale 2.6.2: The wartime economy and the work of Speer 2.6.3: Policies towards the Jews and the ‘untermenschen’ during wartime 2.6.4: Opposition and resistance in wartime including students, churchmen, the army and civilian critics (22 cards)
State the 4 stages of war and describe public morale during that stage
Blitzkrieg: Sep 1939-June 1941: Victories were used as propaganda to display Hitler as a military genius so morale was very high
The Spreading War: June 1941-Dec 1941: Nazi propaganda downplayed soviet success but letters from soldiers revealed true harsh conditions and damaged morale.
The Tide Turning: Jan 1942-Jan1943: Goebbels couldn’t spin off propaganda as defeat was visible to the people however they were willing to endure hard time so morale remained high
Total War: Feb 1943-May 1945: May 1943 major allied bombings on Germany. Failure of U-boats due to improved US technology reduced morale. Also used of V1 + V2 missile 1944-5 temporarily raised spirits.
How did Albert Speer rationalise production
He centrally coordinated production to armaments factories also he made a range of standardised products so that mass production was possible e.g: 1944 number of tank models reduced from 18 to 7 and vehicles from 55 to 14.
Name two examples of a production miracle
Aircraft production increased from 180% to 1000% per month and between 1941 – 1943 aircraft production increased 200% tank increased 250%
How did the German economy mobilise for war
September 1939 ‘decree for the conversion of the
whole German economy onto a war fitting. Didn’t reach full mobilisation till 1942. Albert Speer appointed Armaments minister 1942
How was foreign labour used by the Nazis
Massive increase in foreign workers from occupied countries. By December 1941 4 million foreign workers employed in Germany. But on average foreign workers 60-80% less productive than German workers. This meant all men 16-65 and woman 17-45 had to register for work.
What was the economic impact of allied bombing
Jan 1945 bombing resulted in 35% less tanks, 31% less aircrafts + 45% less lorries being produced. Also output per worker rose 60% from
1939-44. Nevertheless, it damaged morale and work ethic.
What was the Wannsee Conference
On the 20th January 1942 15 high ranking Nazi officials met however Hitler and Himmler didn’t attend. Reinhard Heydrich was chairman who was told by Goering to organise ‘final solution’. Meeting only lasted 90 minutes suggesting plan was already predetermined.
What did the Camp System entail
Chelmno was first to be established Dec 1941 – 145,000 died
Auschwitz: 1 million murdered, Triblinka: 800,000 murdered, Sobibor 300,000 murdered. October 1943 800 prisoners escaped Sobibor leading to camp being shut down.
What were the Death marches
The military defeat of death marches didn’t bring an end to suffering. Many died of illness and exhaustion or being shot by guards. Between 250,000 – 400,000 died as result – many being woman
What was the extent of Jewish resistance
In Belarus from Autumn 1941 – Jewish resistance group led by Bielski Brothers had 1200 partisans and provided refuge for those escaping ghettos. At Auschwitz-Birkenau 1944 Jewish prisoners blew
up crematorium 4.
How far was Hitler responsible for the Holocaust
During Nuremburg trials – numerous Nazis said Hitler authorized killings · Also, whole state acted on Fuhrers will so impossible he didn’t know about it. However there was no official signed document from Hitler ordering death of Jews and Nazis tried to keep holocaust secret so no real documenting of it + things deliberately destroyed from 1944
How far were the German people responsible for the Holocaust
Unlikely they wouldn’t have known – e.g. Hanover newspaper headline 1942 ‘the Jews to be exterminated’. Alternative view is most Germans were unaware of what was going on, They were unable to prevent it as Nazi Germany was a terror state, Extermination camps were far away in the east and Nazis used euphemisms to disguise holocaust.
How far was the War responsible for the Holocaust
War disrupted Nazi’s plan for mass emigration, War accustomed those to killing, Intensified paranoia about enemy within, Removed concern of international opinion and Distracted people from problems within war.
How far were the allies responsible for the Holocaust
The large camps near Auschwitz were surveyed by plane in April 1944. While all important German cities and production centres were bombed by Allied forces until the end of the war, no attempt was made to interdict the system of mass annihilation by destroying pertinent structures or train tracks and The US State Department was aware of the use and the location of the gas chambers of extermination camps, but refused to bomb them.
What Youth opposition was there
White rose group based in Munich led by Hans and Sophie Scholl targeted middle-class – handed out 6 pamphlets in Munich + painted anti-Nazi slogans on buildings such as ‘Hitler mass murderer’. – eventually caught and executed.
What was the opposition from the Church
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH: Dissent was individual not institutional – e.g. Bishop Galen 1941 speech condemning euthanasia led to temporary halt in programme. Archbishop Frings of Cologne also spoke out
PROTESTANT CHURCH: · Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke openly against regime 1933 but was banned from public speaking 1940 thus couldn’t reach wide audience + he was executed 1945.
What was the opposition from Communists
1939 Nazi-Soviet pact undermined communist resistance as KPD couldn’t explain + justify it. USSR invasion June 1941 increased it – by time KPD had 89 underground cells in Berlin. But gestapo was good at infiltrating these – with 22 in berlin destroyed by 1943.
What was the opposition from the Army and Civilians
The Kreisau circle: started 1941 with Helmut von Moltke + Von Wartenburg as leading figures. Wanted restoration of human rights · Gestapo discovered Kreisau circle 1944 but both circles still met during year. By 1939 army was fully integrated into regime + Blitzkrieg undermined doubters
What were the assassination attempts
March 1943 Operation Flash placed bomb on Hitler’s plane but failed to explode. July 1944 Bomb plot led by Stauffenburg who was linked to Kreisau circle was done mainly to show allies that not all Germans were involved in Nazism. Operation Valkyrie (military coup) failed as bomb plot wasn’t successful – this led to huge backlash from Hitler with 7000 arrested and 5746 killed. The failure also led to the army loosing independence from regime and thus became placed under SS control.
Give the position of the Nazi state by 1945
Nazis didn’t succeed in remoulding German society, Gleichschaltung didn’t survive Germanys military defeat, DAF collapsed and trade unions quickly replaced. But still millions of deaths were concrete.
State the views of Intenationalists
Hitler had a clear view of the world and the aims of it were defined in Mein Kampf, Hitler was central to events from 1933-1945: all political decisions were made by Hitler; There was political infighting and chaos but this was a deliberate policy of divide and rule
State the views of Structuralists
That the policies got more radical as they went along due to failures and roadblocks in other policies such as the Madagascar plan, there was no clear direction to how annihilation was going to be acheived
