Germany booklet 6: Opposition, control and consent 1933-1945 Flashcards
(47 cards)
What did the white rose group do?
They organised the first public demonstration to the Nazi regine. They distributed leaflets asking the German youth to rise up to stop the disgrace of the German name.
Who were the members of the white rose group?
Students at university in Munich, including Hans and Sophie Scholl, and the group was led by professor Kurt Huber
When was the white rose group around?
1942 till 1943
What was the swing youth?
mainly middle class teenagers who went to parties and listened to banned English and American music. They were deliberately slovenly and accepted Jews They were not overtly political - merely resisted Nazi control of their lives.
When were the Edelweiss pirates around?
from the late 1930s till November 1944 when 12 of their members were publicly hanged
What did the Edelweiss pirates do, and who were they?
They took part in activities similar to the Hitler youth in that they went camping and sang songs. But they mocked Germany and attacked members of the Hitler youth. They caused serious disruptions in some cities
How did the government react to the Edelweiss Pirates?
It varied, sometimes they were ignored and sometimes the meetings were broken up and members were arrested. The authorities got more concerned about them as their actions got more extreme during the war.
What was the Kreisau circle and when was it around?
1940-1944 - Notable scholars, churchmen and politicians became one of the leading anti-Nazi groups. Their opposition was mainly theoretical i.e. planning for a post Nazi regime
What was the Freiburg circle and when was it around?
late 1930s-1945 - led by historian Gerhard Ritter and composed if academics from the university of freiburg. Strongly nationalistic, they were prepared to bring down Hitler but not willing to contribute to Germany’s defeat in the war. Ritter was imprisoned but survived.
What was the army bomb plot?
In July 1944, leading members of the army attempted to assassinate Hitler by planting a bomb in the wolf’s den
What was opposition from the protestants like in the Nazi regime?
in 1934, the confessional church was set up as it refused to be part of the official Reich church. |t sought to defend the protestant church from state interference and ‘false’ theology of German Christians. Martin Niemoller, the founder, was arrested and imprisoned in 1937
What was the catholic opposition to the Nazi regime?
Although Hitler signed the concordat in July 1933, catholic opposition continued. In 1937, the pope published ‘with burning Grief’ which complained abut the government’s breaking of the concordat. In 1937, public protests in Oldenburg following the removal of crucifixes in schools forced the authorities to backdown. In 1941, Cardinal Galen publicly attacked the euthanasia campaign and the regime temporarily suspended it.
What was the Rote kapelle?
The red orchestra, composed of pro-soviet Germans dedicated to replacing Nazisim with communism. Led by Arndt von Harnack. Directed from Moscow, it carried out acts o sabotage until all its leaders were tracked down and executed - 1941-1942
What happened to the SPD after the Nazis took power?
It was banned and many leaders were forced into exile. Many members also remained in Germany and went ‘underground’, forming a resistance group called Roter Strosstrupp
What did the Roter Strosstrupp do?
By late 1933 this group had around 3000 members. They produced a fortnightly newspaper highlighting Nazi abuses of power and calling on a workers’ uprising to overthrow the regime. By mid 1934- the SPD’s underground activities in Germany had been thwarted
Outline KPD opposition to the Nazis
more than 30,000 members were able to continue with underground resistance - the red flag continued to be published and they produced a stream of anti Nazi leaflets and pamphlets between 1933 and 1935
What did the workers do to oppose the Nazis?
They organised campaigns such as strikes or go-slows but were usually against deteriorating working conditions or rising food prices, rather than the Nazi regime.
Who was Georg Elser and what did he do?
He was a factory worker, in 1939 he planted a bomb in a Munich beer hall where the fuhrer was scheduled to speak, however Hitler finished the speech several minutes early and so was not harmed.
What were three examples of repression increasing in severity in the war in response to increasing opposition?
The leaders of the red orchestra were captured and executed. Nearly 5000 people were rounded up and executed in the aftermath of the army bomb plot and the leader of the Koln pirated was hanged in November 1944, aged 16
In what ways did the war help opposition?
Nazis focussed more on the war than opposition, the Nazi popularity decreased as they began to lose the war. the economy decreased
lots of bombing so the people were suffering which increased opposition
In what ways did the war hinder opposition?
Nazis increased repression and while they were winning they were extremely popular. patriotism made it difficult to oppose the Nazis
What were three main reasons opposition to the Nazi regime failed?
Population supported and helped the government
Fear
strength of government vs weak individual opposition
What were the three key reasons for support of the Nazis in the 1930s?
They gave ordinary people a sense of purpose, status and authority
Many saw Nazism as a revival of the spirit of passionate militaristic nationalist that they had experienced during the first world war.
Many people only appeared to support them because of social pressure and the desire for a normal life.
Give some examples of propaganda released while Germany was winning the war
film campaign in Poland (seen by 13.7 million)
over 60,000 radio receivers were provided for serving soldiers
4.3 million Germans attended a slide show evening organised by a gau during the war years
