de-Nazification Flashcards
what was the aim of De-Nazification policies?
produce a changed German culture
changed political outlook
remove the radical changes the Nazis made to German identity
when was the first Nuremberg Trial?
18 October 1945
how many senior Nazis were sentenced to death at the Nuremberg Trials?
12 of the 22 defendants
what happened to the Fuhrer myth after the Nuremberg Trials?
the German people understood that Hitler was to blame for Germany’s actions in WW2 and the Holocaust
what was the idea of Stunde Null?
Germans believed that they could get on with rebuilding their lives because the senior Nazis were all dealt with
a new hour for Germany
how many were arrested because of De-Nazification by 1946?
250,000
what was used by the zones to identify who was a Nazi?
a questionnaire
who used the questionnaire?
Britain
France
USA
not the Soviets
what were the US’s plans with De-Nazification?
anyone who was a Nazi Party member before 1937 were immediately dismissed from civil service roles
how many Nazis did the US exonerate?
1.9%
what was Britain’s plan with De-Nazification?
Britain understood that they needed many Nazis to remain in order for government to work
they did not remove Nazi Party members from administrative roles
how many Nazis did Britain exonerate?
58.4%
what did France decide to focus on instead of De-Nazification?
De-Militarisation
how did the Soviets go about De-Nazification?
they were the most harsh
they wanted to prevent any resurgence of capitalism and were not too concerned about justice
instead they wanted to remove any threat to the Soviet system
how was De-Militarisation carried out?
both sides agreed to NO armed forces and NO manufacturing of arms
when were Nazi schoolbooks, films and slides on Nazi racial theory banned?
May 1946
how were Nazi sympathisers in schools and universities removed?
all staff were vetted
what were the German reactions to de-Nazification?
resigned acceptance
indignation
avoidance
cynicism
desire to move on
resigned acceptance
Germans realised that they had lost the war and that de-Nazification was necessary to remove Nazi ideology
indignation
many German saw the allies in the same light as the Nazis:
- both were using censorship in both the press and education
- both had committed war crimes which both were responsible for:
- USA with Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Britain with the bombing of Dresden
- USSR with it’s violent occupation in Berlin
avoidance
those who had supported the Nazis wanted to avoid examining the roles of Nazis
cynicism
many Germans saw how ex-Nazis were being rehabilitated in the USA for useful reasons
scientists and doctors avoided prosecution
how many ex-Nazi scientists and doctors moved to the USA?
1,600
Werner von Braun (the man who buil the V2)
concl on de-Nazification
almost TOO successful
many Germans questioned what it mean to be German as many would later feel ashamed for their roles in the Nazi regime
YET
many ex-Nazis were able to carry on with their lives without punishment
most institutions kept ex-Nazis in high positions
most Germans just wanted to move on
