Did the Nazis achieve a social revolution by 1939?/How did war affect Nazi ideology? Flashcards
Describe Germany’s experience during WW2:
- Food supply decreased (failed to be an autarky) ~ rationing.
- Early years were characterised with success ~ Poland and the Netherlands fell quickly ~ but were unsuccessful after 1942.
- Quality of life decreased.
Explain how Nazi policy was affected by the outbreak of war:
- Had to focus on the war so didn’t enforce some of their ideologies.
- Very large Jewish population in Poland ~ more Jews to persecute.
Analyse which groups were most affected by changes to Nazi policy during the war years:
- Women - 1943 ~ all women between the ages of 17 and 45 had to register for work. Working hours increased.
- Children = evacuated to the country ~ Nazis struggled to continue to influence them with Nazi ideals.
- Young people ~ sent to war.
- Soldiers = forced to fight.
Evaluate how the Nazis had to compromise on their principles during WW2:
They had to have more people working ~ women were influenced to go to work.
Which areas of German life were affected by WW2?
- Civilians had to cut back on heating, work longer hours and recycle their rubbish.
- The standard of living fell.
- May 1942 - food shortages ~ reduced the weekly bread and meat ration. But a ration book did not guarantee that people would get food.
Which 4 groups of people were most affected by the war?
- Children - evacuated.
- German soldiers.
- Women.
- Minority groups living in Germany & the land they invaded.
How did the German experience of war change from 1942 onwards?
(6 points)
- Morale fell as the German attack on Russia stalled in 1942.
- 1943 - all women between the ages of 17 and 45 had to register for work.
- Bomber attacks on German cities ~ Hamburg in July 1943 ~ 50 000 German civilians died in one week.
- Country areas had to take evacuees from the cities.
- Support for the Nazis fell - people stayed away from Nazi rallies and refused to give the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute.
- Himmler = contacted the allies to ask about possible peace terms.
Why was censorship introduced?
- Goebbels tried to get people to support the war by involving them in it by asking them to make sacrifices ~ donated 1.5 million fur coats to help clothe the German army in Russia.
- All places of entertainment closed - except cinemas ~ Goebbels needed these to show propaganda films.
How did Goebbels try to get people to support the war and what did this lead to?
Involving them in it by asking them to make sacrifices ~ donated 1.5 million fur coats to help clothe the German army in Russia.
Why did Hitler distance himself from the people of Germany?
- Concentrated on the details of the war and so the German people saw and heard less of Hitler.
- In 1942 the ‘Final Solution’ began.
State Hitler’s attitude towards the Treaty of Versailles:
Unfair and the main reason for Germany’s problems.
Describe why Hitler wanted to launch a war:
Wanted to prove that Germany was strong and reverse the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
What did the Axis Allies want?
- Territorial expansion by military conquest.
- The destruction of communism.
What did Hitler want?
Domination over continental Europe.
What did Mussolini want?
Domination over the Mediterranean.
What did Japan want?
Domination over East Asia and the Pacific.
Between 1939-1941 why were the Germans were successful:
What were the USSR not expecting?
The German attack during Operation Barbarossa.
Between 1939-1941 why were the Germans were successful:
What did the Lebensraum expansion from 1938 allow?
Germany better access to labour and resources.
Between 1939-1941 why were the Germans were successful:
What did the French rely on?
The Maginot Line which was also overwhelmed.
Between 1939-1941 why were the Germans were successful:
What strategy of rapid advances did the Germans use and why was this successful?
Blitzkrieg strategy ~ overwhelmed all of their enemies in the first two years.
What was the Maginot Line?
Defence fortifications on the Franco-German border.
From 1942 German success changed:
What happened by December 1942?
German advance into the USSR had stalled at Stalingrad and losses were also experienced in North Africa.
From 1942 German success changed:
From 1943 onwards what was Germany fighting?
A defensive war and was subject to bombing raids.
From 1942 German success changed:
What did Germans do when Soviet troops marched in from the East?
Retreated westwards.
From 1942 German success changed:
When did Hitler commit suicide?
April 1945.
From 1942 German success changed:
When did Japan surrender after atomic bombs are dropped?
August 1945.
From 1942 German success changed:
What happened in Western Europe in June 1944?
Liberated from D-Day.
From 1942 German success changed:
When did Germany unconditionally surrender?
May 1945.
What led to USA joining the war in 1941?
Japan attack Pearl Harbour.
When did Nazi Germany invade Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa?
1941.
When did Germany invade France?
1940.
What happened in 1942-1943 and what did this lead to?
Battle of Stalingrad ~ Germany defeated in USSR.
When was the German Soviet Nonaggression Pact?
1939 August.
When was the rest of Czechoslovakia taken by German military?
1939.
When was Poland invaded by Germany?
1939.
When do Britain and France declare war?
1939.
What happened in 1938?
- Czechoslovakia forced to surrender Sudetenland.
- Anschluss.
Who does Hitler form Axis Power with in 1936?
Mussolini.
What did Hitler begin the expansion of in the years 1936-1945?
National borders to incorporate ethnic Germans.
By 1941, what percentage of the workforce were working in war-related projects?
55%
How did Germany attempt to overcome the labour shortage faced from 1939?
May 1939 (before the war had started) 24.5 million men were employed in the economy. By 1940, that had fallen to just 20.5 million as some 4 million had been called up to fight in the armed forces.
How had aircrafts increased from 1939-1941?
1939 = 1,290
1941 = 10,780
What was there a 20% decline in?
Civilian consumption of goods.
