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Germany > Impact of war > Flashcards

Impact of war Flashcards

1
Q

How did Germany prepare its economy for war?

A
  • December 1939 Hitler gives decrees on expansion of war production
  • Military expenditure more than doubles 1939-41
  • Food, clothes and soap rationed. Toilet paper unavailable.
  • workforce mobilized for war and involved in related projects
  • Civilian consumption declined
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2
Q

What were the limitations of the war economy?

A
  • only 2, 000 more planes and 800 more tanks
  • poor co-ordination between agencies such as ministry of Armaments, Economics, Labour and Finance
  • Office of 4 year plan, army and army fought over armament
  • do not achieve expected levels of production
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3
Q

What was the Rationalization decree? When was it?

A
  • In response to Germany’s production being lower than Britain’s
  • 1941 eliminates waste of labour and materials
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4
Q

What was the Speer’s policy of ‘industrial self-responsibility?’

A
  • 1942 in order to ensure mass production
  • 1942 Central Planning Board set up with representatives from parts of economy whilst Speer oversaw them
  • Prisoners in camps used as workers
  • Skilled workers not conscripted
  • Professional sports, magazines and non-essential businesses were cut
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5
Q

What were the successes of Speer’s total war policy?

A
  • Tank production rose by 25%
  • Ammunition production rose by 97%
  • Arms production rose by 59%
  • 1944 saw 3 fold increase in war materials since 1942
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6
Q

What issues were there in the Policy of total war?

A
  • Gauliters hindered policies being enforced on local level
  • SS exploited land for own gain
  • Conquered territories not full exploited
  • Impact of Allied bombing
  • Production peaked in 1944 but was still too low
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7
Q

What was the extent of Allied bombing?

A
  • 1942 they became more frequent and many left to country
  • 1943 Hamburg bombing created firestorm killing 30, 000 and emergency services could not cope
  • 1945 Dresden raids and 70% of properties destroyed
  • Nearly as many citizens killed as soldiers
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8
Q

What was the impact of allied bombing?

A
  • Failed as production levels stayed high
  • caused break-down in communications, industrial production and forced workers to construct batteries and underground cites
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9
Q

What happened to Poland after the German invasion?

A
  • Einzatgrupen murder 16, 000 poles
  • Germany split into areas Germanised, General Govt and Occupied Soviet Area
  • Brings 3 million Jews under German power
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10
Q

What were the 3 racial policies in Poland?

A

Resettlement: strain on food and transport supplies so policy abandoned in 1940
Ghettoisation: 1939-41 Ghettos such as Warsaw established with poor conditions
Final solution

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11
Q

What was the Final Solution?

A
  • 1942 Wanasee Conference agreed on extermination.
  • Establish Auschwitz, Sobidor and Treblinka
  • 1943 Warsaw destroyed and Jews transported to camps on railway lines
  • 1944 Jews from conquered land transported to camps
  • 6 million killed in total
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12
Q

What is the structuralist vs intentionalist debate?

A

Intentionalist: Hitler followed intended policy of extermination
Structuralist: not planned until 1942 due to plans for resettlement and lack of written orders on killing Jews

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13
Q

What were the effects of war on workers?

A
  • Conscription
  • Increased income taxes and working hours
  • Holiday and bonuses stopped
  • Foreign labour used as there was such a shortage in skilled workers
  • Non-essential businesses closed
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14
Q

What were the effects of war on women?

A
  • 1943 conscription of women up to 45
  • more and more women working and taking on dual role
  • 1945 sees women make up 60% of workforce
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15
Q

What were the effects of war on the youth?

A
  • Decline in education and school stops in 1944
  • Compulsory membership in HJ from 1939 and conscription from 16 in 1945
  • Opposition groups like Edelweiss Pirates of which 12 were hanged
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16
Q

How did Communists resist the Nazis?

A
  • Went underground in 1930s
  • ‘Red Orchestra’ infiltrates govt but destroyed by Gestapo in 1942
  • Limited support due to association with Stalin, isolation and preparation for war leads to lack of focus
17
Q

How did Christians resist the Nazis?

A
  • Bonhoffer supports Kriesau Circle and helps Jews emigrate
  • Galen spoke out about Euthanasia policy and avoided arrest due to his power
  • Church more concerned with conserving wealth and power
18
Q

How did the White Rose Group resist the Nazis?

A
  • Scholls distribute leaflets condemning Nazi morals

- Little security and easily stopped by Gestapo in ‘43

19
Q

How did the Kreisau group resist the Nazis?

A
  • Elites such as officers and academics against war and massacres.
  • Active resistance eg Drew up plans for ‘New Order’ in 1944 and meet at Kreisau state
  • He is arrested in 1944
20
Q

What was the Staffenburg Plot?

A
  • Plan to assasinate Hitler after military crisis
  • 1944 Operation Valkyrie
  • Fails as bomb is moved behind table leg
  • Initial confusion over bombing prevents response but 5000 killed afterwards
21
Q

What weaknesses in Germany led to its defeat?

A
  • War on 2 fronts
  • Italians provide little economical or political support
  • Not economically prepared for war in 1939
  • Labour shortage could not be plugged with foreign workers
  • Heavily in debt
  • Operation Bararbossa led by Hitler who was shit at army stuff
  • Declaration on war on USA in 1941
22
Q

What ally strengths led to Germany’s defeat?

A
  • Entry of USA prevents taking over Russia
  • Britain not occupied and could conduct aerial bombs
  • Increased air raids in 1944
  • Strength of US economy
  • Stalin’s ruthless plan of industrialization and limitless supply of men and materials
23
Q

What was the Yalta Conference?

A
  • divides Germany into USA, USSR, French and British zones
  • bring Nazi war criminals to trial
  • Provisional Polish govt with promise to hold elections ASAP
  • help freed people of Europe maintain law and order, emergency relief and set up govts and elections
  • set up commission to look into reparations
24
Q

What was agreed at Potsdam?

A
  • set up 4 occupation zones
  • destroy and denazify the education system and country
  • bring criminals to trial
  • Polish elections
  • Russia could take reparations from there zone and 10% of production from other areas
  • USA’s atomic bomb meant they could intimidate Stalin into their demands
  • Divided, demilitarized, denazified and democratized
25
Q

What were the immediate problems for Germany in ‘zero hour’?

A

Population dislocation: German refugees from East, German soldiers, lost families and displaced people
Urban destruction: accommodation, fuel and food
Economy: infrastructure, debts and inflation, social pressures on women

26
Q

To what extent was de-nazification achieved?

A
  • USA zone has all party members dismissed in 1937 from office. Most severe.
  • Britain allows party members to remain and fill leadership positions. Allowed students barred from Uni in US to apply in British zone
  • French prioritized defense and security over de-nazification
  • Soviets: bring in Communist policies. War criminals imprisoned or executed. Nazi property redistributed and most Nazi members dismissed tho some later recalled. Tool to eliminate opposition.
27
Q

What issues were there in the Soviet Zone?

A
  • Economic policy focused on reparations
  • Firms brought under Soviet control and industrial plants dismantled
  • Skilled workers sent to USSR
  • Banks nationalized to complete nationalization of industry
  • SAGs Soviet State controlled companies to recoup reparations
  • VEPS people owned but state controlled factories
  • Widespread collectivization
  • DWK to administar economy
28
Q

What political changes were there in the Soviet zone?

A
  • SMAD established to administer occupation of zone
  • KPD and SPD merge in 1949 due to USSR pressure to form SED. Not supported by people and advocates democratic centralism
  • 1949 run on Stalin’s model of Dictatorship
29
Q

What issues were the in the Western Zone?

A
  • All 3 zones administered differently and had to provide essentials
  • 25% of homes destroyed by war
  • Collapse in coal production led to fuel crisis and lack of heating. Focus on this sector worthwhile.
  • Average calories 700 a day leading to malnourishment and illness. Food parcels and charity sent and increases compliance.
  • Formation of Bi and trizonia helped administrative unity
  • Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech led to trizonia
  • German Economic Council created to administer zones and encouraged Germans to take more responsibility for area
30
Q

What was the currency reform?

A
  • New currency needed to reform economy and create divergence
  • War had created high inflation of 50% and prospering black market
  • DM introduced in secret in 3 allied zones in 1948 and opposed by Soviets
  • Black market collapsed, stimulated production and trade
  • But led to Berlin Crisis
31
Q

How did the two zones diverge?

A

Western Zones:
- shortages led to bartering and relaxing of zonal boundaries eg bizonia and trizonia
- Capitalist
- Truman and Marshall Plan
- Currency of DM
Eastern Zones:
- Sept 1945 Nazi land redistributed
- 1945-6 banks and factories taken over by state. -
- Equipment dismantled for reparations reducing capability by 26%
- Brain drain due to academics kidnapped to rebuild
- refuse to accept currency and introduce East German Mark

32
Q

What was the Berlin Blockade?

A
  • June 1948 to May 1949
  • Blocked allied access to West Berlin in order to oppose currency reform
  • ‘Berlin Airlft’ provided them with food and fuel
  • Soviets forced to end blockade
  • Short-term success but doesn’t solve long-term issues of Berlin
33
Q

When were Trizonia, FRG and GDR formed?

A

Spring 1948- Trizonia
May 1949- FRG
October 1949- GDR

Germany (4 decks)

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