***Government in wartime, support for the government Flashcards
Why was the government in a state of disorganisation and chaos during the war?
- Hitler withdrew further from direct control of much of government: He was primarily focused upon military matters during the war and did not generally concern himself with other areas of government.
- The structure of government continued to lack clear decision-making procedure and lines of accountability, and contained complex and overlapping structures.
What evidence is there that Hitler was a weak leader in wartime?
- Hitler considered himself a military expert, but his interference in areas such as the war with the Soviet Union were not generally constructive.
- He trusted Goering’s decision-making e.g. in relation to the Battle of Britain and supply lines on the Eastern Front (Goering’s judgements turned out to be flawed).
Who was the public face of the Nazi regime from 1943?
Goebbels - Following the defeat at Stalingrad, Goebbels gave and then publicised a speech at the Sportpalast arena in Berlin, calling for all Germans to support an effort for ‘total war.’
It was also Goebbels who orchestrated the response to the 1944 Bomb Plot, who arranged rapidly for Hitler to give a speech on the radio, demonstrating that he had survived and was not badly injured.
Where is there evidence that the Nazi regime had become more lawless by 1944?
The SS were entrusted with running Nazi-occupied territory in Eastern Europe and instituted brutal and exploitative policies in these areas. By 1944, the organisation’s army, the Waffen SS, contained 900,000 people responsible for the mass killings of European Jews and the system of death camps.
What are the 3 main reasons for why morale remained high between 1939-42?
- While meat was rationed, it remained at a reasonable level of 500g per week until April 1942 and increased again in October.
- Early victories in Poland, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, Belgium and France.
- Propaganda
When did criticism of Hitler / non-conformity begin?
After the defeat at Stalingrad could not be covered up.
What are factors which weakened support for the regime and morale?
- Difficult working conditions
- Increasing shortages of food, clothing, footwear and luxury goods. Magazines and sweets were not available at all.
- Allied bombing of German cities weakened morale.
- The Soviet advance from 1943 worried the German people who feared Russian invasion.
- The failure of the V1 and V2 in a 1944 rocket campaign against South Eastern England and Allied ports like Antwerp.
What areas was Allied bombing targeting by 1943?
Civilian areas
How did Allied bombing give them an advantage?
The Germans were forced to redeploy fighter aircraft away from the Eastern Front back to Germany to help with air defence.
How many people did the Allied bombing kill in total?
305,000
How many German homes were destroyed in Allied bombing?
2 million
