impact of war on social groups Flashcards
What were the diverse views of the Nazis among the Elites? [4]
- Some felt moral conviction that the regime was evil
- Others patriotic but believed Hitler was leading Germany to destruction
- Some were democrats
- Some traditional, aristocratic conservatives who wanted to return to an authoritarian, non-Nazi style of government
What did Hitler’s ‘Decree on the Conversion of the Whole Germany Economy onto a War Footing’ in September 1939 do?
It imposed wage reductions and a ban on bonuses for overtime, Sunday work and night-shift working.
What was the response to the ‘Decree on the Conversion of the Whole Germany Economy onto a War Footing’?
It was met with widespread discontent among the labour force, and led to an increased level of absenteeism.
What did Hitler do in response to the discontent of the ‘Decree on the Conversion of the Whole Germany Economy onto a War Footing’ in October 1939?
He restored wage levels to their pre-war levels and payment of bonuses reintroduced, but wage rates were not allowed to increase.
What changes were made once more to lives of workers in August 1944? [3]
- Total ban on holidays
- Working week increased to 60 hours
- Extra payments on overtime abolished
Why did absenteeism not rise as much in August 1944 after the changes to the work schedule? [3]
- Workers could have their reserved status removed, which could result in conscription into the army
- Employers could allocate extra food rations to employees who had good attendance records
- Employers could also impose fines for absenteeism and bad timekeeping
What was the DAF factory cell system?
Workers were divided into groups under a loyal Nazi Party member who was responsible for the attendance of workers in his cell.
What did many factory plants change their system of payment of workers to?
Instead of an hourly rate, many switched to where workers could earn more if they produced more.
What was the result of increased working hours and pressure to produce more?
Had a negative impact on workers’ health and welfare. Accidents at work increased and health deteriorated.
How did women bear the brunt of hardships on the home front? [3]
- As housewives, they had to queue for supplies of vital foodstuffs when shortages occurred
- As mothers, they had to shoulder even more of the task of childcare when their husbands were away at war
- As workers, they had an increasingly vital role in the German war economy
What was the % change in women in the German workforce between 1939 and 1944?
Went from 37.4% to 51%.
What was the % change in women in the British workforce between 1939 and 1944?
Went from 26.4% and 37.9%.
What had caused for women to make up 37.4% of the industrial labour force?
The four year plan.
Why was there increased pressure to employ more women in the labour force once the war had started?
The need to increase armaments production at a time when many male workers had been conscripted.
How did Hitler respond when he was advised in summer of 1940 that the industry needed more women workers?
He refused to sanction this on the grounds that women should primarily be devoted to child bearing and rearing. It went against Nazi ideology.
How did the regime remove an incentive for married women to seek work?
- They provided generous benefits for families of conscripted soldiers
- Increased working hours further pressured married women to give up work to look after their children
What was the overall result of women in industry between 1939 and 1941?
That the number of women workers in industry actually declined, but there was a growing number working in agriculture.
What did Goering’s decree issued in June 1941 do?
It meant that all female workers who were in receipt of family allowance and had given up paid employment but not had children should be forced to register for work or lose their allowance.
Why did the first step towards conscription of female labour have limited effect?
It only applied to women who had been employed previously, not those who’d never worked outside the home.
Only 130,000 extra women were sent to armaments factories.
Why did Goering’s June 1941 decree cause class resentments?
The group of women who had previously been employed were mainly working class, whereas women in the home were middle class.
What did the defeat at Stalingrad in January 1943 mean for the mobilisation of labour?
It meant it was essential, and a decree in the same month meant all women aged 17-45 were forced to register for work.
What did the decree on labour in January 1943 show about Hitler’s views?
That they had been abandoned his objection of married women in the workforce. However, he had modified his view and had some objections.
Older women, pregnant women, mothers with 2 or more kids, and farmers’ wives were all not obliged to register.
How did the decree on labour in January 1943 do to class resentment?
Deepened it as working-class women resented the number of exemptions and lack of consistency implementing the decree.
How many extra women had joined the industrial labour force by June 1943?
Fewer than half a million.
What was Hitler asked to approve regarding labour in November 1943? How did he respond?
To increase the age limit for women to register for work to 50.
He refused, but his opinion changed in summer of 1944 as the situation of Germany worsened.
How much of the workforce was made up of women by 1945?
60%.
How did women increasingly become more involved with auxiliary roles from 1943?
- 1943 they began to replace men in servicing anti-aircraft guns
- 1944 began to operate searchlights
How many women were involved in anti-aircraft operations by the end of the war? How many worked on searchlights?
50,000 in anti-aircraft, 30,000 in searchlights.
What did the army establish in the summer of 1944?
Auxiliary Corps for women serving with armed forces.
How many female auxiliaries were there by January 1945?
470,000, many had been conscripted.
What were the main duties of female auxiliaries?
Secretarial and working on radio and telephone communications, but in many cases this involved serving on the front line.
How was militarisation of women been taken further in the final stages of the war?
Women’s battalions of the army were established and women were trained for combat roles.
When had membership of the Hitler Youth and the BDM become compulsory?
In 1939.
How did the Nazis treat welfare and indoctrination of the youth?
As a high priority, believing young people could contribute to the war effort.
What was life of the youth like in the early stages of war?
The regime did not consider it necessary for conscription of the young at this stage, and Hitler Youth activities continued as in peace time.
What Hitler Youth activities was there a greater emphasis on in the early stages of war?
There was greater emphasis on preparation of boys for their future roles as soldiers. This meant more training in fieldcraft and shooting practice.
What were Hitler Youth members expected to help with?
The harvest, and all young people were expected to participate in collecting money for the Winter Aid programme.
What was the age of conscription in 1940, 1941 and 1943?
1940: 19
1941: 18
1943: 17
How was there an increase in demands placed on younger teenagers in the transition to total war?
In 1942, 600,000 boys and 1.4 million girls had been organised to help gather harvests.
Hitler Youth had placed more emphasis on military training at camps where 17 year olds would attend 3 week courses under army and Waffen SS instructors.
How many Hitler Youth camps had been set up by November 1942?
120.
What happened to 16 and 17 year old schoolboys in January 1943?
As part of implementation of total war policies, they were conscripted as Luftwaffe and naval auxiliaries and deployed on air defence duties.
What was the age of conscription to armed forces reduced to in 1945?
16.
When was conscription into the Volkssturm introduced? What were the ages?
September 1944.
These were 16-60 year olds who were not fit for active service.
What was the role of Volkssturm?
They were the home guard, and the young men dug anti-tank ditches and were trained to use anti-tank weapons.
What was the age of boys conscripted to the Volkssturm by the end of the war?
As young as 12.
Who was the special Hitler Youth division of the Waffen SS set up for? What did this do?
16-18 year old boys selected by Hitler Youth group leaders. The division was sent to France in 1944 and saw action in the Battle of Normandy.
