Life during the war (CH4) Flashcards
Describe how the Germans felt about war in 1939
- The Germans feared the worst
- Many of them still have vivid memories of the TOV and their humiliating loss
- They started food rationing - controlling food
Describe how war goes between 1939-1941
- War goes surprisingly well for Germany
- He invaded France, Denmark, and Belgium in 1940
- He swept through eastern and western Europe, meeting very little resistance
- He brought back extra food and riches to Germany
What was the term used for ‘lightning war’
Blitzkrieg
What was the policy of Autarky?
- Germany needed to produce as many things as they could at home
- They did not rely on imports
- Self-sufficiency
- Didn’t want to depend on imports from other countries especially raw materials and weapons
What happened in 1942?
Germany’s ally, Japan, attacked the USA at pearl harbour.
Obvious war wasn’t going to go well for Germany
Describe what made war turn against Germany between 1941-1943.
- In June 1941, Germany broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact and invaded the USSR
- He had hoped for a lighting war
- It was going well at first but the winter weather held the German army back, right outside Moscow
- Russian soldiers were used to it so they pushed the Nazis out
- By the end of 1942, war was going really bad as
1. The Russians pushed them out
2. USA had joined the war
What was life like in Germany between 1941-1943?
- Propaganda encouraged people to keep up their spirit and support the war effort
- Germans were encouraged to save fuel and work harder
- Rationing was tightened
- Tabacco became a substitute for money
What happens by 1943?
Russia had pushed the German army out (If Germany invaded Russia, Britain had to surrender)
USA joins the war
Britain and USA invaded Italy
At this point, Germany can’t win
How did the government prepare for ‘total war’ between 1943-1944
- Professional sport was banned
- Non-essential businesses were closed
- Stopped making non-army clothing
How did they deal with labour shortages (1943-1944)
- Women were called back to the workforce more and more as there was a severe shortage of workers
- Jews and minorities worked to their death in camps to supply the demands of war
What happened in 1943 to the city of Hamburg?
They were bombed by the allies and it killed 30,000 people.
Emergency services collapsed under pressure
Where did Germans go when Air raids worsened?
Rural areas like Northeim
1945 (Failure and Defeat)
By early 1945, the British and Americans began to invade Germany from the west
The Russians were pushing through Poland towards Berlin
How did bombing intensify?
150,000 people were killed in the bombing of Dresden
Northeim was bombed
Berlin was bombed in 1945
When did Hitler commit suicide?
1945
