Nazi Germany - Opposition Flashcards
What were the 3 types of opposition in Nazi Germany
- active-resistance
- protest
- non-conformity
What was meant by ‘active resistance’
- Acts that were intended to overthrow the regime
- Active resistance included acts such as attempts to assassinate Hitler
What was classified as ‘protest’ in NG
- Acts intended to alter specific aspects of Nazi policy.
- They were not designed to end Nazism, or replace Hitler, they were merely designed to lead to specific reforms
- e.g strikes
What was meant by ‘non-conformity’
- Acts in this category could have any motivation, or no clear motivation at all.
- However, non-conformist acts diverged from the standards that the Nazis sought to enforce.
- e.g telling anti-Nazi jokes or listening to American jazz
Active Resistance
What were the early concerns for the army between 1933-34
- Between 1933 and 1934 army leaders were concerned about the influence the SA and radical Nazis had on the govt
Active Resistance
How did the army respond to their growing concerns abut the SA & radical Nazis’ influence in govt
- Senior generals discussed the possibility of a new government with von Papen in the spring of 1934
- They envisaged a government led by von Papen, supported by the army, in which the Nazis played a secondary role.
Active Resistance
Why was the minimal opposition from the army diffused early on, 1933-34
- The Night of the Long Knives persuaded army leaders that Hitler could be trusted and therefore defused opposition
When was the Hossbach Conference
November 1937
What was outlined at the Hossbach Conference
Hitler outlined his plans to seize Lebensraum in Eastern Europe
Active Resistance
Why did senior army officers become worried about the direction of Nazi Policy by 1937
- The Hossbach Conference led to renewed concerns among senior officers
- who feared that such a policy would inevitably result in war with Britain, France and Russia,
- that Germany was unprepared for
Active Resistance
How did Himmler & Goering deal with worries about the Hossback Conference
Himmler and Goering were able to force Blomberg and Fritsch to resign, again defusing opposition to the Nazis
Active Resistance
Why was General Beck in opposition to Hitler
- In 1938 general Beck opposed Hitler’s plans to invade the Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia.
- The apparent success of Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia led Beck to resign in August 1938.
Active Resistance
What was General Beck involved in after the outbreak of war in 1939
He maintained contacts with others within the conservative elites and began plotting an anti-Hitler Putsch
Active Resistance
What was the plan of Beck’s anti-Hitler Putsch
- Beck’s plan was to overthrow Hitler, form a new government with Schacht and negotiate an end to the war with Britain
- He inc. senior Catholics in the plot like the Pope agreed to use his influence to set up peace talks between a new German government and Allied leaders
Active Resistance
What was the most famous example of resistance to the Nazi regime during the war
The Stauffenberg bomb plot
Active Resistance
Why did Stauffenberg oppose the Nazi Regime
- Horrified by the defeats that Germany was suffering in the war
- and by some of the atrocities committed by the SS,
- Stauffenberg initiated Operation Valkyrie,
- a plan to assassinate Hitler.
Active Resistance
Give details of The Stauffenberg bomb plot of June 1944
- In June 1944 he attended a meeting with Hitler and planted a bomb designed to kill him.
- The bomb detonated but Hitler survived and the plot collapsed.
- Stauffenberg was arrested and executed, along with hundreds of suspected conspirators.
________ played a key role in The Stauffenberg bomb plot
General Beck
Actiev resistance
What effect did WW2 have on opposition to the Nazis
- Significant impact on opposition to the Nazis
- From 1942, it became clear that Germany was no longer winning the war
- Consequently, civilian morale declined and opposition began to increase
Active Resistance
The Kreisau Circle began…………………………….. after the Nazis had been defeated.
to plan the future of Germany
Active Resistance
Most members of the Kreisau Circle did not ……………………….., but they did…………………
- plot to overthrow the Nazi regime
- supply information to the Allies about the regime’s weaknesses