Life during the Secong World War Flashcards
1
Q
what does Homefront refer to
A
the impact of a war on civilians of the country rather than militiary
2
Q
what was Germany’s foreign policy like in the following years: 1936, 1938, 1938, 1939, 1939
A
- 1936 - remilitarised Rhineland (no opposition given)
- 1938 - united with Austria (in defiance of ToV but no opposition)
- 1938 autumn - took over Sudetenland (an area taken from G in treaty + given to Czechoslovakia
- 1939 spring - took over rest of Czechoslovakia
- 1939 august - G agreed to Nazi Soviet pact with USSR which allowed them to divide Poland between the two
3
Q
what happened in 1940 during WW2
A
- Nazi Germany captured : Denmark, Norway, France, Belgium, Netherland
> only Britain remained at war - they did this capturing with their new military tactic of Blitzkrieg which combined air and tank attack
4
Q
when + why + by whom was war declared on Germany
A
-1939
- Britain + France
- they declared war because Nazi troops failed to withdraw from poland
5
Q
what happened in 1941 of WW2 which was a turning point
A
- Germany invaded USSR but despite initial success in the summer, they found it difficult to fight through hard cold winters
6
Q
what happened in 1942 of WW2
A
- serious setbacks + defeats in North Africa
7
Q
what happened in 1943 of WW2
A
- Germany surrendered at Stalingard in Soviet Union
- G pushed out of N Africa
8
Q
when did Germany officially surrender
A
7th May 1945
9
Q
how far did lives of German people change from 1939 - 45
A
- at first the changes were gradual until 1942 when it deteriorated dramatically
10
Q
give some examples of changed conditions on German homefront
A
- rationing
> from 1939 = 500g meat a weak
> halved by 1945 - German diet was boring + bland:
> mainly rye bread , potatoes, veggies - fresh food + fish were difficult to get hold of
- rationing became severe from 1942 onwards
> severe food shortages
11
Q
describe the differences in morale on German homefront in 1939 and 1945
A
- 1939 = morale is high
> high hopes in winning war, safe, children evacuated + returned (1940), USSR invasion - Germans hopeful - 1945 = low morale
> extreme air raid, Dresden bombing, homelessness, not safe, hunger, defeat
12
Q
give some reasons as to why conditions on German homefront changed 1939-45
A
- things deteriorated on fighting front
- failure in invasion of USSR - now shortages of resources + food for Homefront
- surrender at Stalingrad lowered morale on Homefront
- attack on Normandy proved the propaganda German people had been told was wrong
- failure of Luftwaffe + US and Britain control of skies above Germany allowed for day + night bombing
- demands for war production + need for more soldiers caused conditions for workers on Homefront to change - total war, Albert speer
13
Q
during WW2 what countries were known as Allied Powers and the Axis Powers
A
- Allied = Britain, France, USA, USSR
- Axis = Germany, Italy, Japan
14
Q
reasons of success in ww2 1939-42 for germany
A
- Blitzkrieg tactics
- lack of co-ordination between Britain + France
- poor preparation by USSR
15
Q
what were all the victories 1939-42 for germany
A
- 1939 invasion of Poland
- 1940 invasion of France
- 1941 invasion of USSR
16
Q
What were all the defeats 1942-45 for Germany
A
- 1942 defeat al EL Alamein
- 1943 defeat at Stalingrad
- 1944 defeat in Normandy
- 1945 surrender to Allies at Rheims
17
Q
What were the reasons of defeat for Germany 1942-45
A
- strong resistance from soviet union
- Germany became too overstretched, fighting too many battles on too many fronts
- better military tactics and build-up of weapons by Allies
18
Q
what were the impact of Allied bombing on Germany (stats)
A
- 800,000 civilians killed
- 3.6 million homes destroyed
- 7.5 million homeless
- 2.5 million children evacuated
19
Q
who was the minister for propaganda
A
Joseph Goebbels
20
Q
what was the idea of Total war + who encouraged it
A
- total war was the idea that all Germans had to devote everything they had to achieve victory
- Joseph Goebbels encouraged this idea to try and boost morale
21
Q
what was the most violent raid on Germany in WW2
A
- Feb 1945 Dresden bombing
- death toll of one night bombing exceeded 25,000
22
Q
how many German civilians + soldiers dead at end of WW2
A
- civilians = 3.6 million
- soldiers = 3.25
23
Q
name some of oppositions towards Nazis + Hitler
A
- religious ppl / groups
- youth
- social democrats communists
- jews
- military
23
Q
what was the huge turning point in Germany’s national story known as
A
’ Stunde Nall’ = zero hour
> everything that had been before came to an end
24
describe the opposition from political parties towards Nazis
- communists + socialists: banned from 1933 but worked underground in secret, keeping organisation together + publishing newsletters
- SPD (Social Democratic Party) - smuggled reports out of Germany
- KPD (German Communist Party) set up secret organisation (Red Orchestra) which aimed to weaken Nazis + was never completely eliminated
> KPD controlled from Moscow + discredited by Nazi-Soviet Pact until June 1941
- most working men didn't take either organisation seriously because of the economic benefits of National Socialism
25
Describe the opposition from Youth towards Nazis
- become more widespread among young who opposed activities of Hitler Youth
- most important = Edelweiss Pirates ; helped deserters hide in war + escaped prisoners of war ; attacked military institutions + murdered head of Cologne Gestapo ; anti-Nazi pamphlets
- White Rose Group - set up 1941 - Hans + Sophie Scholl
> gave out anti-Nazi leaflets in Uni 1942-3
> leaders Hans + Sophie arrested, tortured, executed
- swing groups - middle class, rebelled against Nazi ideas, met together + listened to jazz
25
describe the opposition from Religious groups / individuals towards Nazis
- mostly by individuals
- Bishop Von Galen , Catholic Bishop of Munster 'Lion of Munster' , opposed Nazis racial policies , 1941 preached against Gestapo, concentration camps and euthanasia - imprisoned for final yr ww2
- Martin Niemoller - leader of confessional church, opposed Nazi Reich Church
> after no compromise, Nazi declared church illegal + arrested ministers (800 in 1937) + sent to concentration camps
> Niemoller spent 7yrs in prison + died
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, part of confessional church, set up 'operation 7' - helped small number of jews escape to Switzerland
> arrested for plotting to kill Hitler + executed 1945
26
describe the opposition from military towards Nazis
- opposition groups planned attempts on Hitler's life in 1943 but all failed
> one involved bomb on a plane carrying Hitler which failed to explode
- Operation Valkyrie
> 20 July 1944 - July Bomb plot
> organised by Colonel von Stauffenberg
> placed bomb under large oak tree table at a meeting with Hitler
> bomb went off but Hitler saved by leg of table but only injured not killed
> 200 member of plot killed afterwards
27
between 1939 and 1941 by how much did the number of women working in factories increase + why
- 1/3
- because there was more demand for workers in factories producing armaments and all the men were fighting on the front line
28
who was Albert Speer
- the Reich Minister for Armaments and production
> heavy emphasis on war production
> slave labour
> forced prisoners of war + people from Nazi-occupied territories to work
- by end of 1944 war production had improved tremendously but it was too late and Nazi Germany couldn't compete against massive combined war productions of Britain, USA, and USSR
29
give some examples of the Allied bombings 1942-45
- 'thousand bomber' attacks on cities of Cologne, Essen and Bremen (May + June) - widespread destruction
- 1943 - RAF + US air force severe bombing on Ruhr industrial area - disastrous effect on G war production
- July 1943 - RAF switched focus to Hamburg - firestorm - killed 45,000 civilians + more than 900,000 civilians fled city in panic
30
what is the Luftwaffe + how did they respond to bombing of Ruhr in 1943
- Luftwaffe = air force
> Herman Goering = chief in Commander or Luftwaffe
- deployed 70% of its fighter strength at a crucial stage in the war to meet this threat
30
who were the Einsatgruppen
- special action squad made up of SS + police units
> they were to follow the German army + maintain security in newly captured areas
- they were created once Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939
30
how did the outbreak of war change Nazi attitudes towards Jews
- harder for jews to leave - Nazis had more jews to 'deal' with
- actions could be more extreme towards jews as they didn't need to worry about other countries opinions
- as G occupied more territory, the number of Jews under Nazi control increased
- previous solutions to 'Jewish Problem' seemed increasingly inadequate
31
when were all Jews forced to wear star of David
1941
32
when did all Jewish rations have 'J' stamped on + why
- 1939
> so they could receive less ration
33
when + why were jews forced out of their homes
- 1940
- forced out of homes to go live in Jewish areas or 'ghettos' where they were forbidden to ear wage
> many starved to death
34
during invasion of Poland, how many jews were under Nazi control + where were they sent to live + living conditions
- 3 million jews under Nazi control
- forced to live in ghettos, surrounded by walls
> worked as slave labourers
> inadequate food supplies
> famine + disease
- this was a deliberate Nazi policy to ensure that as many Jews would die in the ghetto
35
what was the largest ghetto + how many jews died there
- Warsaw ghetto
> 55,000 Jewish ppl died
36
when was the Wannsee Conference
January 1942
37
38
what happened in the Wannsee Conference
- high-level conference of Nazi leaders where the decision was taken for a 'Final Solution to the Jewish Problem' to remove all the Jewish people in Europe
38
how many European jews were estimated to have been killed by Nazis during WW2
- 6 million European
> this genocide is known as the Holocaust
38
explain what was done to achieve the 'Final Solution to the Jewish Problem'
- camps built in places such as Auschwitz
- Jewish people rounded up and sent there to be gasses
- fit + healthy jews were made to do extensive labour work until they died
- non fit jews were immediately sent to gas chambers to be gassed
38
what were the 'death marches' + when did it happen
- winter 1944-45
> as Russians advanced, SS guards marched Jewish people to concentration camps in west
> many jews dies on the marches
> many killed as they couldn't keep up
> when they reached camps e.g. Bergen-Belsen, they were crammed in such numbers that they died of starvation or disease
39
how many Germans were homeless at end of WW2
around 10 million
40
what were the Nuremberg trials + when
- 1946
- the most senior Nazis were put on trial in Nuremberg 1946
> 12 sentenced to death
> 7 given long prison sentences
- trials of other Nazi prison camp guards + army officers continued for many years
> in British zones between 1945-49, 24,000 trials were held
41
what was the impact of defeat of WW2 on Germany
- many civilians + soldiers dead
- many homeless
- bombed cities in appalling conditions
- millions living in temporary + sub-standard housing
- poor diet, starvation common, food supplies dependent on Allied armies
42
what was denazification
- the process of removing Nazis from positions of power + re-educating the German population
