5.2 Opposition to the Nazis Flashcards
How successful was military opposition?
While there were a number of plots, they ultimately failed to seriously challenge the totalitarian state
What did Ludwig Beck do to oppose the Nazis?
Spoke out against Hiter’s plans to attack Czechoslovakia stating ‘what is this dog doing to our beautiful Germany?’
When was the July Bomb Plot?
1944
Who led the 1944 July Bomb Plot?
Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
What happened during the 1944 July Bomb Plot?
It was detonated in Hitler’s conference room.
It killed four people
It injured Hitler
What happened as a result of the 1944 July Bomb Plot?
- Beck and Stauffenburg was shot.
- Dr Carl Goerdeler was hanged
- Himmler was put in charge of rounding up the plotters and 7,000 people were arrested and 6,000 executed
What resistance did Hans Oster participate in?
In 1938, he advised Britain to stand firm against Germany and remained in contact with resistance groups
What did Admiral Canaris do to participate in resistance?
- Tolerated many resistance groups
- Used his power to allow Jews to escape the country through the Abwehr (military intelligence division)
What was the Kreisau Circle?
A group of middle and upper class resistors that met through 1942-43 to discuss opposition to Nazism
Who did the Kreisau Circle include?
German nobility, lawyers, and politicians
What happened to the Kreisau Circle?
The Gestapo found out about the group and broke it up
Who was the ‘Lion of Munster’?
Bishop Clemens von Galen
Why was Bishop Clemens von Galen called the Lion of Munster?
- Campaigned for the end of ‘mercy killings’
- Actively resisted the Nazis in his sermons
Why did the Nazis not kill Bishop von Galen?
They knew that punishing him would result in uproar in Munich and maybe even revolution
What did the Nazis do in response to Bishop von Galen’s sermons?
Temporarily halt the killings
Who was known as the ‘only effective protestor in the Third Reich’?
Bishop Clemens von Galen
Who led resistance in the anti-Nazi Confessional Church?
Deitrich Bonhoeffer
How did Bonhoeffer resist the Nazis?
- Criticised Nazi Germany claiming it to be hostile to Christianity
What happened to Bonhoeffer?
He was arrested in 1943 and executed
How did the Communist Party resist the Nazis?
- Set up underground cells in factories, sports clubs, and bars.
- Distributed anti-Nazi pamphlets
Why was Communist resistance less effective?
They failed to unite with the Social Democrats which could have helped their cause
Which type of opposition was the most visible?
A - Military
B - Middle/Upper class
C - Youth
D - Religious
C - Youth
What did the youth opposition want?
Greater freedoms to form their own views, dress the way they wanted, and to listen to non-Nazi approved music
Who was the White Rose group formed by?
Hans and Sophie Scholl in 1941
