Nazi Government in wartime

Question 1

what were changes made in Nazi governance once war broke out?

Answer 1

• women were urged to take up war work
• the SS took greater control over govt administration
• any govt member had to join the Nazi party
• the SS carried out Hitler’s racial policy

Question 2

how was Hitler’s racial policy carried out during wartime?

Answer 2

the SS took full responsibility and arranged expulsions, isolation of Jews, forced labour camps and mass killings

done to get rid of ALL non-Germans

Question 3

what was done to defend the home front during the war?

Answer 3

Germany was split into 13 military districts and their new Gauleiters were appointed by the Reich Defense Commisioners

Question 4

what was the volkssturm?

Answer 4

it was the German home guard

Question 5

what was the Council for defence?

Answer 5

a group of high ranking Nazis who coordinated domestic affairs in order to support the war effort

Question 6

who were the members of the Council for defence?

Answer 6

• Goering was the chairman
• Frick
• Funk
• Keitel
• Hess
• Lammers

Question 7

why was the Council for defence disbanded and when?

Answer 7

November 1939

Hitler had always disliked group meetings so he ordered its disbandment

Question 8

who was the group of three?

Answer 8

Frick, Funk and Keitel met infrequently after the council was disbanded

Question 9

why was the German Reich expanding a problem for Nazi government?

Answer 9

with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, Germany had expanded its borders further which meant more land

this land had to be requisitioned to the German people as it was part of the Lebensraum

Question 10

what was Hitler’s view of Poles?

Answer 10

he saw them as untrustworthy and ordered them to be used for hard labour
he ordered the shooting of most Polish leaders

Question 11

how was Poland split by the Nazis?

Answer 11

Southern Poland was used as a colony in which all the ‘undesirables’ would be kept

The rest of Poland was absorbed into the Third Reich and used as Lebensraum with their Polish population being Germanised

Question 12

how did the progression of war make Gauleiters more powerful?

Answer 12

during British bombing raids from 1942 they were given control of civil defence measures such as:

• firefighting
• bomb damage clearance
• rehousing
• rationing

Question 13

which decree gave Gauleiters control over local business?

Answer 13

the decree for the implementation of Total War mobilisation

in 1944

Question 14

when did Germany invade the USSR?

Answer 14

22 June 1941

Question 15

when did the USA join the war?

Answer 15

December 1941

Question 16

what effect did the prolonging war have on the armed forces?

Answer 16

boys as young as 16 began to be conscripted

by the end of the war boys as young as 12 were involved in fighting

Question 17

what was the declaration of Total War?

Answer 17

by Goebbels

all shops not contributing to the war effort were to be banned
sports events were also banned

Question 18

when were the D-Day landings?

Answer 18

June 1944

Question 19

when did the Nazi government officially collapse?

Answer 19

1 May 1945 with the death of Joseph Goebbels