Germany in War Flashcards
How did Hitler make Germany a war economy in December 1939?
- All industries focused on supporting the war effort and had targets for production.
- Military expenditure rose dramatically. In 1939, 23% of the goods produced in German factories were related to the military; by 1941 this had risen to 47%.
- By 1941, 55% of the German workforce was in war-related work.
- Despite this effort, production struggled. For example, in 1939, 8920 aircraft were produced, but this had only risen to 10,780 in 1941.
- Inefficiency and a lack of central control stifled innovation.
How did Speer’s appointment in February 1942 lead to an improvement in the economy?
- In February 1942, Albert Speer was made Minister of Armaments and War Production.
- Speer’s plan was to give factories independence (industrial self-responsibility) but at the same time ensure central control (through the Central Planning Board).
- His efforts increased production and made the economy successful. He did this by:
•focusing factories on producing a single product.
•employing more women in factories.
•using concentration camp prisoners as workers.
•excluding skilled workers from compulsory military service.
How did the German people suffer?
- The War economy led to shortages of goods and rationing was introduced. Food, clothing, shoes and coal were strictly controlled.
- The rationing system was very complex. People were allocated points according to their ages and occupations, and were given colour-coded ration cards for different products.
- Rationing ensured that most people were adequately fed during the war, but German civilians spent much time queuing and the quality of products was reduced.
How did the roles of women change?
- Women were never conscripted into factories as the Nazi leadership was split over their role.
- However, more did join the workforce. In 1939, 760,000 women worked in war industries and this had risen to 1.5 million by 1941. But out of a total of 30 million women this number was still small.
- With the restriction on marriage loans lifted for people in work, more women entered the workforce.
- From 1939, women aged under 25 had to complete 6 months of Labour service before being allowed to enter full employment.
What happened to the German cities?
- In the spring of 1940, the RAF began bombing campaigns in Germany. By autumn, most cities faced air raids 3 or 4 nights a week.
- The government began a programme of building air raid shelters.
- In September 1940, the children evacuation programme known as Kinderlandvwrschickung began.
- All children below the age of 14 were eligible for a 6 month stay in a rural area.
- Those below the age of 10 were placed in families and could be accompanied by their mothers.
- Older children were placed in ‘camps’ which were run by the Hitler Youth.
- Conditions in the camps were very strict. As a result not many wanted to send their children. Of the 260,000 eligible children in Berlin, only 40,000 participated.
What was the July Bomb plot?
1) - The plot was led by Colonel Claus Graf von Stauffenberg.
2) - As the war progressed Stauffenberg became convinced Germany was being lead towards disaster and that the only way to stop this was to remove Hitler.
3) - Meeting other resistance leaders, he took charge of planning an assassination attempt.
4) - The plan was to kill Hitler with a suitcase of explosives and initiate Operation Valkyrie, an emergency order which would allow the plotters to use the reserve army to remove the SS and the Gestapo.
5) - Two attempts in early July were aborted, but on 20 July Stauffenberg made another attempt at the Wolfs Lair, Hitlers headquarters in the east.
6) - At 12:30pm he fixed the detonator to the explosives and slid the suitcase next to Hitler and made his escape.
7) - At 12:40pm he heard the explosion and believed he had been successful and flew back to Berlin. The bomb hadn’t killed the target at the table leg had taken the impact, not Hitler.
8) - Back in Berlin, Stauffenberg and the plotters heard that Hitler was alive. They were soon rounded up and executed.
What did Cardinal Galen do?
- In 1941, Galen delivered 3 famous sermons criticising the Nazis. They focused on:
•the use of terror by the Gestapo.
•the taking of Church property.
•the murder of mentally and physically disabled people. - 3 Catholic priests who distributed the sermons were murdered; Galen survived as he was too prominent a figure.
Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer?
- Bonhoeffer was a Protestant pastor who joined the resistance in the late 1930s and publicly criticised the Nazis.
- Hounded by the Gestapo, he was banned from writing or public speaking.
- He joined the Abwehr (military intelligence), where a number of army officers who opposed the Nazis worked.
- There he discovered the atrocities committed by the Nazis.
- He sent secret messages and helped Jewish people to escape Switzerland.
- He was arrested and murdered by the SS.
Who were the White Rose?
- The White Rose was a group at Munich University centred around Hans and Sophie Scholl.
- Influenced by Galen and what they had seen fighting on the Eastern Front, the group wrote anti-Nazi leaflets.
- The first four leaflets were produced between June and July 1943 and were distributed locally.
- The fifth was entitled ‘An appeal to All Germans’ and 6000-9000 copies were distributed to 9 German cities.
- After the Nazi defeat at Stalingrad, a sixth leaflet was produced in February 1943 but the Scholls were caught distributing them. All the members of the group were executed for their actions.
What was passive resistance?
- Saying ‘good morning’ instead of hail Hitler.
- Telling anti-Nazi jokes
- Listening to the BBC
- Hiding Jewish people
- Reading banned literature
Why didn’t people oppose?
- Most people didn’t know of the Nazi atrocities so didn’t oppose them.
- Many people lived in fear of the SS and Gestapo and wouldn’t dade step out of line.
- Nazi propaganda was highly effective in winning over people.
- The Nazis were initially very successful in the War and as a result lots of people supported them.
What was Total War?
- On 18 February 1943, Geobbels addressed the German public at the Sportpalast Berlin and asked them to do anything they could to achieve victory.
- Total War (where everyone is enlisted to support the war effort) had numerous impacts on the German People.
What were the Total War policies and what were there impact?
Policy 1: Women were mobilised into the war effort.
Impact 1: 3 million women between the ages of 17-45 were called to work. Only 1 million took up the call.
Policy 2: Anything that didn’t contribute to the war effort was eliminated.
Impact 2: Professional sport was ended, magazines were closed and non-essential businesses were shut down.
Policy 3: Shortages became even worse.
Impact 3: In August 1943, clothes rationing was suspended as the production of civilian clothes ended.
Policy 4: An increase in propaganda.
Impact 4: People were encouraged to embrace the idea of Total War.
How did the Allied air raids intensify?
- In late July 1943, the Allies bombed Hamburg. Half the city was destroyed and 40,000 people were killed.
- In November 1943, the Allies began an intensive attack on Berlin with 750 planes; 500,000 people were made homeless and nearly 100,000 injured.
- In February 1945, Dresden was bombed by 727 British planes and 527 American planes. Their bombs caused a firestorm that destroyed 1600 acres of Dresden and led to the deaths of around 25,000 people.
How did the Nazi leaders become more paranoid?
- The huge number of refugees from those countries now occupied by the Soviet Union added to the pressures on furl and food in Germany.
- The shock of the July Bomb Plot led to a surge in Hitler’s popularity and an increase in arrests and executions.
- The Gestapo and SS arrested over 7000 people that they managed to connect to the plot and executed 5000 of them.
