impact of war on german society Flashcards
What was public reaction in Germany to the start of the war in September 1939?
There were no cheering crowds in German cities, and the invasion of Poland had a mood of reluctant loyalty.
What became a main aim of the Nazis domestic policy once war broke out in 1939?
It was a principal aim of Nazi domestic policy to sustain morale of the home front, and eliminate any elements of weakness in public.
What was one of the critical factors in maintaining civilian morale?
The availability of vital foods and other commodities.
What was a main cause of growing war-weariness in WW1 in which the Nazis were determined not to make the same mistake?
Shortages and inadequacies of the rationing system.
What decrees were issued in August 1939, before the war had even started?
Ones which established a food rationing system.
Why was clothing introduced to the rationing scheme in November 1939?
It wasn’t originally included but permits were needed to buy clothes. This led to panic buying of clothes before regulations took effect and meant it had to be included in rationing.
What was allocation of food rations based on?
Age, occupation and race. Those in manual labour received more than those in office roles.
Jews received smaller rations. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and the sick received more.
How did allocation of food rations change over the war?
Those established at the beginning remained largely unchanged during the first 2 years of the war.
Why were the Nazis reluctant to ask the population to make significant reductions in their consumption in the beginning of the war?
With fear that it would provoke anti-war feelings. However, consumption was cut more in Germany than in Britain at the start of the war.
What were the Nazis enabled to do with their newly occupied territories which helped rationing?
They were able to exploit them for food supplies for the German people.
What benefit was coming from the Nazi-Soviet Pact whilst it was in force that helped rationing?
Grain was being imported from the Soviet Union.
What was the rationing system like overall?
It worked efficiently and there were no serious food shortages between 1939-1941.
However, shortages of coal, soap and washing powder, did cause discontent from time to time.
What happened to food rations after the invasion of Soviet Union?
Some were reduced. Meat was cut from 500g per person per week to 400g, and then was cut again.
What happened to supply of meat in the later years of the war?
It could not be eaten every day and other goods were in very short supply.
What was food supply like by the end of the war?
Food supplies had become unpredictable, especially in industrial cities, and many Germans were experiencing malnutrition.
What was food rations like for farmers?
They had access to food they could grow themselves but experienced shortages of animal feed, fuel and replacement tools which limited their ability to produce food.
What had Goebbels developed to help maintain morale during the war?
A highly sophisticated propaganda system which controlled the flow of information to the German people.
What did the regime use the SS and Gestapo for during the war?
To monitor public mood and effectiveness of propaganda.
SD reports provide valuable information about German morale at different stages of the war.
What 4 phases can the war be divided into?
- Phase 1; Blitzkrieg, September 1939 - June 1941
- Phase 2; The spreading war, June - December 1941
- Phase 3; The turning of the tide, January 1942 - January 1943
- Phase 4; ‘Total War’ and the defeat of Germany, February 1943 - May 1945
What was the Blitzkrieg?
After defeating Poland, German forces achieved a series of quick victories against different European countries.
Is known as the ‘lightning war’.
What was public mood like in Germany for the first 21 months of the war?
It was volatile and propaganda was not always effective in lifting morale.
What helped to bolster morale during 1939-1941?
The quick victories were cause for celebration. Edited newsreels showed German forces sweeping aside inferior opposition. Hitler’s speeches were also key in boosting morale.
What was Hitler presented as during the Blitzkrieg?
As the military genius behind the victories.
How many major speeches did Hitler make between January 1940 and June 1941?
Nine.
What did propaganda during phase 1 of the war lead people to believe?
That the war would be over soon and led people to be optimistic.
What were Britain blamed for in Germany in June 1940?
For prolonging the war when defeat of France by the Germans did not bring immediate peace.
When did Germany invade the USSR?
In June 1941, occupying vast areas.
What halted German advance in USSR in December 1941?
The Red Army launched a counter-attack against the Germans.
When did Germany declare war on the USA? What did this mean?
In December 1941. It meant that hope of a short victorious war was over and that Germany faced world war against Grand Alliance of the USSr, USA and Britain.
How did the Germans present their invasion of the USSR?
As a crusade against ‘Jewish-Bolshevism’ and success of Germans in forcing Red Army to retreat gave feeling of optimism.
What did SD reports say about German peoples’ fears during 1941?
That the war would go on for years.
Why did Nazis fail to downplay Soviet success? What did this do to public morale?
They had tried with propaganda to lessen the extent of Soviet success, but letters home from soldiers on the frontline undermined this.
They talked of the harsh winter conditions and seemingly limitless Soviet supply of manpower and military equipment.
This dissipated hopes of quick and easy victory.
What did the Nazis use as a scapegoat to explain why the war had spread after Germany declared war on USA in 1941?
That behind British, Soviet and American enemies there was a Jewish international conspiracy to destroy the Third Reich and Aryan race.
There was a marked increase in anti-Semetic propaganda during the war.
What was happening in the war during phase 3; turning of the tide 1942-1943?
German losses in USSR were building as harsh winter conditions were imposed.
What gradually awakened the population to the realities of the war 1942-1943?
Rising casualty figures and letters home from soldiers.
Goebbels then broadcast an appeal for people to collect winter clothing for soldiers on the Eastern Front, deepening the disillusionment.
What did an SD report in January 1942 say about public morale? What counteracted this?
That ‘Faith in the Fuhrer is unshakeable’. However, the scepticism in propaganda displays an early sign that confidence in the regime was eroding.
What was a major turning point in the war both military and on the home front for the Nazis between 1942-1943?
The defeat at Stalingrad. It signalled a defeat for Nazi propaganda as much as a defeat for its armed forces.
Why was defeat at Stalingrad a defeat on the home front for the Nazis?
News of defeat was such a shock to public morale as Goebbels had built up unrealistic expectations of Nazi victory and concealed truth about the desperate situation of German forces.
How was war-weariness becoming more evident after the defeat at Stalingrad? However, how did morale seem to keep up?
Criticism of propaganda was increasing and the Hitler myth began to lose some of its strength.
Despite this, there was still a deep well of patriotism and willingness to endure hardship for the regime to gear the nation up for total war.
What did Goebbels declare in February 1943?
That Germany was engaged in a Total War.
How did the British and Americans try to cripple Germany’s war effort?
Through unrelenting bombings against German cities.
When were the D-Day landings and what did this allow for Allied forces to do?
D-Day landings were in Normandy in June 1944.
It allowed for a second front in Western Europe to be opened up and by early 1945 the Allies had entered Germany itself.
When was Berlin captured by Soviet forces? When did Germany concede?
April 1945.
The Germans conceded unconditional surrender to the Allies on 8th May 1945.
What had become clear to Germany in the early months of 1943?
That Germany were involved in a struggle for survival.
Where and when did Goebbels make his important speech on Total War?
In February 1943, he made his speech in Berlin in the Sports Palace. It appeared to strike a chord with many people.
How was Goebbels’ total war speech received?
It was generally welcomed, with the main criticism being that the measures were being introduced too late.
Why did the Hitler myth begin to decline after defeat at Stalingrad?
He began to appear less frequently in public as he could no longer be convincingly portrayed as a military genius.
Why was morale declining further by spring 1944? [3]
- News of almost continuous retreat by German forces on Eastern Front
- Failure of U-boat campaign to bring Britain to its knees
- Heavy Allied bombing raids on German cities
What was a serious blow to Germany in June 1944? Paradoxically how was there a lift in public morale?
Allied landings in Normandy on D-Day.
However there was temporary lift in morale, partly due to feeling that the war was soon to be over but also due to Goebbels trying to counter defeat with talk of plans for retaliation with secret weapons. These weapons could not alter course of defeat though, despite slightly raising spirits.
What did an SD report in August 1944 state?
“Most compatriots, even those whose belief has hitherto been unshakeable, have lost all faith in the Fuhrer”.
How did a new phase in air war begin at the end of March 1942?
The British RAF carried out a major bombing raid on the city of Lubeck.
This was the beginning of the Allied mass bombing campaign where the RAF attacked German cities at night and USAAF by day, often with 1000 aircrafts at a time.
How many German cities were bombed between March and July 1943?
43, as bombing reached greater intensity.
How many times was Hamburg bombed between July 25th and August 3rd 1943?
7.
Where in Germany was there a high concentration of the Allied bombings?
On cities in the Rhineland and the Ruhr areas.
How did official reports display public morale after Allied bombing raids?
They spoke of the resilience of the country and willing of sacrifice. However this can be contested by personal reminiscences of those who’d actually experienced the bombings.
What stance did the Nazi regime take as public morale in Germany began to fall?
They became more repressive with those who displayed ‘defeatist’ remarks. This included being critical of leadership and showing loss of faith in ability to win the war.
How did Goebbels attempt to keep up morale during the air raids?
With talk of retaliation using secret weapons that were being developed.
What was causing German morale to fall as bombing raids continued? [3]
- People were in sheer terror as German cities were consumed by firestorms
- Growing shortages and lengthening queues
- Loss of sleep at night due to continuous air raids
All this led to growing exhaustion.
What was the Allies intentions with their mass bombings on Germany?
To break the will of the civilian population, and stop them supporting the war.
How successful were the Allies in breaking the will of the German people with their raids?
Despite growing war-weariness, workers were still turning up for work and production was maintained until the end of 1944.
Why were the Germans still so willing to turn up for work during bombing raids? [2]
- Needed stability when their lives had been so disrupted
- Pressure from a repressive regime to keep their heads down
Why were millions of Germans in Poland, East Prussia and Czechoslovakia forced to trek westwards in the last few months of the war?
They were driven out by hostile locals and trekked west in advance of Soviet forces.
How many Germans were forced to flee their homes as Soviet forces entered Germany in January 1945?
3.5 million, in order to escape the fighting.
Who were supposed to help the Germans who’d been forced to flee their homes when the Soviets entered the country?
People could not rely on the army for help as they were retreating, and could not find transport on ships and trains as they were dedicated to transporting military supplies.
Responsibility to evacuate laid with local gauleiters, who delayed leaving until the very last minute.
What happened to many Germans on evacuation walks nearing the end of the war?
They were forced to walk hundreds of miles facing cold, hunger, disease and attacks by Allied forces.
What are the estimated number of Germans who died on the marches?
From 500,000 to over a million.
What hardships were western German cities facing during the end of the war? [6]
- At least 1/4 of the civilian population left homeless
- Transport systems ceased to function
- Electricity and gas supplies cut off
- Water and sewage systems seriously damaged
- Epidemic diseases beginning to appear
- Food supplies running low and serious risk of starvation in some areas
