Impact of war 1939-45 Flashcards
What was the impact of rationing?
- Shortages of food were main causes of growing war-weariness in 1917-8 so Nazis determines not to make same mistake
- Food allocations based of age, occupation and race, manual labour received more, Jews less
- Worked effectively with no shortages between 1939-42
- After invasion of Soviet Union, rations reduced e.g meat cut from 500g per week to 400g
- By end of war, supplies unpredictable, some malnourished in cities
- Farmers had access to food they grew but shortages of animal feed and tools
What was the first phase of war?
Phase 1: Blitzkrieg (Sept 1939 - June 1941
- Quick victories against various countries after defeating Poland
- Public mood volatile but easy victories caused celebrations, Hitler myth boosted morale, propaganda optimistic
What was the second phase of war?
Phase 2: Spreading war (Jun-Dec 1941
- Germany invaded USSR but Red Army launched counter-attack which halted German advance, G declared war on US/faced war against USSR/US/Britain
- Success in causing Red army to retreat boosted optimism, however, SD reports said war would go on for years
- Nazi prop downplayed Soviet success but letters from soldiers talked of harsh conditions and Soviet manpower
- Increase in anti-Semitic prop as Jews had conspiracy to destroy Third Reich and Aryan race
What was the third phase of war?
Phase 3: Turning of the tide (Jan 1942-43)
- German losses in USSR mounted in harsh winter conditions
- Rising casualty figures and letters from soldiers showed realities of war, Goebbels appeal for winter clothing for soldiers deepened mood of disillusionment
- Skepticism in prop, defeat at Stalingrad signalled defeat for Nazis, was a shock to public as Goebbels built unrealistic expectations / hid the truth
- War-weariness was evident, Hitler myth lost potency but still patriotism and willingness to endure hardships
What was the fourth phase of war?
Phase 4: ‘Total war’ and the defeat of Germany (Feb 1943 - May 1945)
- Brits and US sent unrelented bombing against German cities
- D-day landings opened second front and Allies entered Germany itself
- Berlin captured by Soviet forces and Germany surrendered in May 1945
- Early 1943 showed clear struggle for survival, Goebbels ‘total war’ speech called for radical measures but where too late
- Hitler less seen in public, myth declined, downbeat mood
How did bombing impact morale?
- RAF bombed city of Lubeck
- 43 cities attacked between March-July 1943
- All main ports and cities attacked
- Whilst SD reports present a calm and composed reaction, personal reminiscences differ
- Goebbels attempted to keep up morale with talk of retaliation using secret weapons but there was still a growing sense of exhaustion
How did war impact elites?
- Diverse views on Nazi regime, some thought it was evil, some were patriotic but believed Hitler was leading to destruction
- Some were democrats but many traditional/conservative who wanted an authoritarian gov
- Many opposed Nazism as they believed in personal freedom and individual responsibility
How did war impact workers?
- From Sept 1939, Hitler imposed wage reductions and ban on bonuses which caused widespread discontent showed in absenteeism
- August 1944 - ban on holidays and working week increased to 60 hours
- Employers allocated extra rations to those who had good records and imposed fines for absenteeism
- Increasing hours and pressure impacted workers’ health and welfare, accidents increased and health deteriorated
How did the war impact women?
- Obliged to queue for supplies and food, look after children and played increasingly important role in war economy
0 - May 1939 - 6.4 million married women in employment (due to Young plan) and women made up 37.4% of labour force - Tension between Nazi ideology and needs of war economy
- Benefits for families of conscripted soldiers so married women less inclined to work, increasing working hours added more pressure for mothers to give up employment - number of women workers declined between 1939-41
- Defeat at Stalingrad led to decree forcing all women aged 17-45 to register to work, shows Hitler abandoned ideology but exceptions like pregnant, more than 2 kids, older women so only half a million women joined labour force by June 1943
- Auxiliary roles in armed forces - operated searchlights, serviced anti-aircraft guns, Auxiliary Corps for women established (470,000 female auxiliaries by 1945
How did the war impact youth?
- Hitler Youth and League of German Girls had been compulsory since 1939, indoctrination to contribute to war effort, boys prepared as soldiers
- 1940 youth could be called to armed forced at 19, 1941 =18, 1943 = 17, 1945 = 16
- Military training at camps under army and Waffen SS instructors
- Waffen SS sent 16-18yr olds to France in 1944 / fought in Battle of Normandy
How was the German economy mobilised for war?
- Did not reach full mobilisation until 1942, earlier years suffered from shortage of weapons and equipment
- Hitler expected Fra/Brit to accept his invasion of Poland just like they had done with Czech so believed war would begin in 1941 with Operation Barbarossa
- Plans were based on Luftwaffe expansion being completed in 1942, Four year plan allowed increasing iron/steel production but outbreak of war disrupted plans
- Supply of weapons grew very slowly, the military designed different versions of the same weapons making it harder to produce armaments
- Goering lacked economic knowledge and communication with military leaders, weaknesses of his Four year plan became evident by 1941
What did Albert Speer do?
- Became armaments minister and had Hitler’s support to coordinate and control the whole production process with cooperation of private companies
- He coordinated the allocation of labour, equipment and materials to armaments factories, concentrated production in fewer factories and on narrower range of standard products, used mass production techniques, kept factories operating 24 hours a day with shift working
- Described as a ‘production’ miracle’ - between 1941-43, aircraft production increased by 200% and tanks by 250%
How was the labour force mobilised?
- Reduction of workers employed in consumer goods industries / rise in those employed in munitions
- Hitler opposed to use of women in industry so shortage of labour posed threat to plans of increasing production of war materials
- 1943 - Decree for Comprehensive Deployment of Men and Women for Reich Defence Tasks meant men (age 16-65) and women (17-45) had to register for work with local labour office
How was foreign labour used?
- Foreign workers recruited from occupied countries in western Europe
- After invasion of USSR, Russian prisoners used as slave labour
- 1941 - 4 million foreign workers employed in Germany
- 1944 - 7 mil foreign workers and another 7 mil in occupied countries doing work for Germans
- Conditions harsh, wages low, discipline severe, ‘guest workers’ from west paid same as Germans whilst forced labourers from east paid half
- Prisoners and camp inmates used as slave labour with only starvation rations
What was the Wannsee Conference in Jan 1942?
- Supposed to take place in Dec but pushed back due to Soviet counter-offensive at Moscow followed by Pearl Harbour / Japan & USA entering war
- Misinterpreted as meeting where decision to exterminate Jews was taken but was actually to inform senior bureaucrats of their roles in a decision that was already taken
- Decision itself is still matter of debate - genocide? deportations?
- Hitler / Himmler didn’t attend, Heydrich was chairman (SS) who received orders from Goering
- Deportations of Jews was to specific areas with camp system to coordinate mass killings
