De-nazification Policies Of Western Allies Flashcards
Outlook after the end of the war
The allies all agreed to the process of denazifciation - didn’t just want the German people to reconcile with the horrors of the Nazi regime or prosecute those who took part in the holocaust ; but also change their culture and Nazi outlook that had been hammered into them
Ways in which denazification occurred?
Nuremberg trials
Different policies
Nuremberg trials
War crime trials of Nazi leaders who had neither committed suicide nor escaped ; 18th October 1945 where out of the 22 defendants, 12 were sentenced to death
Trials were accepted by Germans as a part of losing the war ; the fuhrer myth changed for many people and Hitler became the person many blamed
Now that he was gone - many people thought they should rebuild their lives without constant surveillance ; 1945 should be year zero. This was supported by many right wing politicians like Adenauer and people who’d lived through the war as adults
Was the process of denazification correct?
Different policies in different zones
Problems with classifying who was a Nazi and who had just joined to protect their job - no Nazi sympathies
Sheer scale of the process
More involved Nazis could remove themselves from the record
Process looked corrupt and this did not encourage people to welcome democracy set up in Allied authorities
How did Western zones re educate?
May 1946 they banned all Nazi schoolbooks and films etc teaching children Nazi eugenics
Teachers and libraries as had to go through the same screening process ; nazification had been so thorough that denazification meant there were not enough people to do many of the key jobs, not only in education but in government as well thus the FRG had to adapt to this and there was no single uniform policy
Differences in denazification between zones?
USSRZ WAS MOST RUTHLESS
BRITISH WERE PRAGMATIC
How did Germans react to denazification?
1) resigned acceptance - many thought it was necessary as they had lost the war and were bound to be punished
2) Indignation ; allies had dropped atomic bombs in Hiroshima Nagasaki and bombing of Dresden why should only Nazis be punished for their war crimes ; allies were using censorship just like the Nazis
3) avoidance - wanted to avoid a close examination into who did what during the war
4) Cynicism - many pointed out that the prosecution of actual Nazis was patchy and many of them had left to start a new life elsewhere (1600 ex-Nazi scientists avoided prosecution for agreeing to work with the USA)
Desire to move on? Reaction to denazification
Many people believed in the year zero policy and wanted to move on and follow this pragmatic course ; to rebuild country’s structure they had to move on and not get too hung up over the past
By 1947 more than 85% of school teachers in Bavaria who had lost their work through de nazification were back
Plus teachers moved different zones - dodgy
The education system that was meant to distribute democrat did ideas was very slow only 1/3rd believed in the future of democracy in University of Frankfurt 1961
By 1960s what was reaction
Young people were impatient with nulle student ; they dismissed it and wanted to know what their families had done during the war
Angry at sloppy denazification
Unhappy that prominent Nazis allowed to take government jobs
Many were unhappy at nazism spreading ideas if anti-semitism in schools
Was de-nazification too successful?
Whole idea of separation of FRG, basic law etc was meant to be temporary expedient
Contributed to uncertainty about national identity which carried on after unification
No sense of national pride
4 stages
Denazification
Demilitarisation
Decentralisation
Democratisation
Denazification
Nuremberg trials - sense of justices d public ally shown and televised to reveal Nazi horrors
Fusion of party and the state meant difficult to take Nazis out of office
Allies used a screening process in 1945 with general Lucius clay’s questionnaire
Way in which it was applied varied considerable : Britain were very comatose and laid back allowing them to enrol in unis etc (Palestinian mandate etc)
French main concern threat and security
Persilschein ; sense of injustice many Germans able to produce testimonies etc
Truman doctrine and soviet expansion became more important than denazification
Demilitarisation
No arms manufacturing ; Krupps were renowned firm before
Germany wants to set up army and join NATO but this helped their economy too
Decentralisation
Soviets distrusted federal system and centralised authorities created in 1945
Due to financial costs Britain led towards decentralisation too
Clear contrast between Soviet and western zones
Democratisation
Party politics revived quickly and even Soviets permitted them and free unions in June 1945
