Nazi Opposition Flashcards
What are some early examples of SPD resistance to the Nazis?
(2)
- Mar 1933, SPD voted against the enabling act
- organised some demonstrations as soon as the Nazis gained power
What were barriers to the SPD’s early attempts to oppose the Nazi regime?
(3)
- 1933, no real possibility of a general strike; high unemployment and job instability
- policy of legality; refused to use the Reichsbanner (SPD’s small military force)
- had lost some support to the communists in recent years
How did the Nazis put down the SPD?
(3)
- May 1933, SPD’s funds were cut off
- June 1933, SPD forced to disband
- SPD leaders went into exile; focused on leafletting and collecting information for SOPADE reports
Red Shock Troop
(4)
- 1933, published a newspaper called ‘The Red Shock Troop’ every 10 days
- 3,000 members
- operated in the Berlin area
- Dec 1933, its leasders were arrested and sent to concentration camps, the rest of the group folded
–> ineffective but prevented total political monoculture
Socialist Action
- 1933-1937
- underground socialist newspaper
- Berlin area
How did underground socialist resistance change?
after 1938 (7)
1938, Gestapo had crushed all illicit newspapers; publications were too easy to trace
- tried to operate by word of mouth
- avoided organised groups
- emphasis on collecting information
- believed that only a military coup could get rid of the regime
- believed that SPD’s largest mistakes were made before 1933; division between the SPD and KPD weakened both sides
- –> early 1939, created New Beginning Group; left-wing SPD members and KPD member form a common front (opposed by SPD leaders)
SOPADE
(3)
- SPD abroad
- gathered information on public opinion within Germany, published reports
- provided information to the allies
What were some barriers to the KPD’s attempts to oppose the Nazi regime?
(2)
- not constrained by legality BUT by their loyalty to Moscow
- antagonism towards KPD; Freikorps abuse, legacy of hatred with SPD
How did underground communist opposition change?
(3)
- Jan 1939, supported some degree of cooperation with other anti-fascists; eg. New Beginnings with left-wing SPD
- April 1939, Nazi-Soviet Pact hampered KPD resistance
- June 1941 communist reistance revived after Operation Barbarossa (GR invasion of USSR)
How did the Nazis put down the KPD?
(4)
- targeted after the Reichstag Fire; 4,000 communists arrested that night
- after March 1933 elections, the KPD was banned and became illegal
- KPD membership then infiltrated
- communists bore the brunt of imprisonment and execution; most active resistance
How was underground communist resistance structured?
(3)
Wilhelm Knöchel began forming resistance cells in different cities;
- cell groups didn’t know about each other; if one was infiltrated, the others were still safe
- some cells were not officially connected with the KPD
Uhrig Group
(4)
- by 1941, Robert Uhrig had set up 89 cells in Berlin alone
- aimed to protect the USSR from Nazi aggression
- sent leaflets to factories and put up posters promoting sabotage
- 1942, Uhrig + 200 members arrested
Rota Kapella
(3)
Red Orchestra
- some members were government employees
- espionage; passed on sensetive information about the German war effort to the USSR
- members weren’t necessarily communists
The Baum Group
(6)
- led by Herbert Baum
- pro-communist Jews
- based in Siemens factory in Berlin
- urged soldiers to overthrow the regime
- set fire to and broke into an anti-Soviet exhibition
- were used as an excuse to persecute more Jews; 5,000 unrelated Jews were executed
The White Rose
(5)
- anti-Nazi student group based at the University of Munich
- led by siblings Sophie and Hans Scholl, and Professor Huber
- distributed anti-Nazi material; exposed the mass murder of Jews + atrocities committed on the eastern front (where Hans was stationed)
- promoted non-violent resistance to the regime + sabotage
- spotted and arrested when distributing their last leaflet; 6 members executed (including Hans + Sophie)
What was the early attitude of Trade Unions?
(2)
- traditionally were closely allied to the SPD
- attempted to appease the Nazi regime; March 1933 announced they’d be willing to break with the SPD and cooperate
How did the Nazis deal with the Trade Unions?
(2)
- 1st May 1933, Nazis allowed May Day; traditional day for TU demonstrations
- 2nd May 1933, Nazis supressed the TUs –> replaced them with the German Labour Pact
How did workers oppose the Nazi regime?
(4)
- lightening strikes (lasted a few hours); often motivated by economic discontent, eg. 1936 by autobahn workers –> overall minor threat to the regime
- sabotage; worked slowly, damaged machinery, called in sick –> could be arrested if reported, yet was often overlooked due need for labour in WWII
- WWII, workers’ groups were backed by the Allies; began to blow up bridges and railway lines
- 1944, members of the Anti-Fascist Workers’ Group were arrested
Von Papen
(3)
- Hitler’s Vice Chancellor, persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Hitler
- night before the Night of the Long Knives, gave speech at Marburg University; criticised the extremity of the regime
- –> only public right-wing opposition before WWII
Hindenburg
(3)
- 4th April 1933, wrote a letter to Hitler questioning his proposed law to dismiss non-Aryans from the civil service (many Jews had fought in WWI)
- Hitler responded that the Jewish monopoly of these roles had to be stopped
- 7th April 1933, law was passed
general military attitudes towards Hitler
(3)
- Initially army were in favour of Hitler’s foreign policy
- 1938, some opposition/worry after Hossbach Conference; Blomberg, Fritsch, and Beck dealt with = dies off
- 1939-1942, Hitler had strong support; very successful in the early stages of the war, seemed like a great leader
- 1941, Operation Barbarossa; clear that Hitler was overreaching, problems began (1943, Operation Spark)
Blomberg + Fritsch
(3)
- 1937, Hossbach Conference; Von Blomberg + Von Fritsch grew worried about Germany’s ability to realise Hitler’s foreign policy aims (pragmatic opposition, not principled)
- 1938, Blomberg-Fritsch Affair; forced to resign after rumours that Blomberg was homosexual and Fritsch’s wife was a prostitiute
- Hitler reordered the army; appointed loyal General Keitel as Chief of the Armed Forced High Command
General Ludwig Beck
(7)
- 1937, Hossback Conference; General Beck was also worried about the German army’s ability to realise Hitler’s foreign policy aims
- Beck became nucleus of right-wing military opposition;
- 1938 attempted putsch; tried to organise all chiefs-of-staff to threaten to resign over Hitler’s radical plans but new Commander-in-Chief (von Brauchitsch) refused
- Aug 1938, resigned as Army Chief of Staff
- warned Britain about Czechoslovakia; due to Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement Britian refused to support opposition to Hitler
- Beck-Goerdeler Group; small group who wanted Hitler removed, rather right-wing, nationalistic
- 1944, executed for involvement in the July Bomb Plot
Kreisau Circle
(3)
- civilian based group, but many aristocrats and civil servants
- developed ideas for a democratic post-war Germany; Basic Principles for the New Order
- linked to Goerdeler (mayor of Leipzig until 1937) from the Beck-Goerdeler Group; hoped he would become interim leader if Hitler was removed
Operation Spark/Flash
(3)
- March 1943, attempt to kill Hitler by putting a bomb disguised as a bottle of brandy on his plane
- mechanic problem; bomb did not explode
- orchestrated by the ‘Schwarze Kapelle’ (black orchestra); anti-Nazi conspiracy of German Army officers and political conservatives
July Bomb Plot
(6)
20th July 1944;
- triggered by Allied landing in Normandy (3 weeks earlier)
- named Operation Valkyrie; same as code for an internal uprising within the army to avoid suspicion
- Colonel Von Stauffenberg (leader) planted a briefcase with a hidden bomb (planned 2, but not enough time) in a meeting with Hitler
- thick table shielded Hitler; he survived, 4 others died
- other plotters turned in by Fromme (plotter tried to prove his loyalty); all shot or committed suicide
- investigation launched; arrest, trial, and execution of 200 others (including Fromme)
What was the relationship like between Hitler and the Pope?
(4)
- July 1933, Concordat signed between Hitler and Pope Pius XI; guaranteed RCC religious freedom and a role in education as long as it didn’t interfere in politics
- Catholic youth groups quickly supressed
- March 1937, Pope Pius XI published an encyclical ‘With Burning Grief’; attack on Nazi neopaganism and ban of Old Testament, smuggled in and read on Palm Sunday
- angered Hitler; removed crucifixes etc.
Bishop Von Galen
(5)
- 1934, preached several sermons criticising Nazi policies
- 1941, publicly criticised euthanasia campaign
- too popular to be punished
- main reason why programme officially ended, despite carrying on in secret
- 1944, arrested after July Bomb Plot, released in 1945
Hans Meiser + Theophil Worm
(2)
- Oct 1934, 2 Bishops arrested for speaking out against the Nazis
- public outcry and protests on the streets = released bishops
How did Hitler try to deal with the Protestant church?
(5)
- April 1933, tried to coordinate protestant churches; appointed Ludwig Müller as Reichsbishop of new church ‘German Christians’
- German Christians only attracted 2,000 ministers (not successful)
- Christianity with many Nazi elements; tried to get rid of unGerman sections of testament, hung swastikas in churches
- 1933, demanded the removal of the Old Testament on account of it being Jewish = triggered much opposition (formation of PEL –> Confessional Church)
- 1935, Hitler created the Ministry of Church Affairs to confirm power
Confessional Church
(7)
- Pastor’s Emergency League formed in protest against German Christians
- May 1934, developed into German Confessional Church;
- led by Martin Niemöller
- 7,000/17,000 of protestant clergy in Germany joined
- set up ‘protestant women’s bureau’ for women in the confessional church; 2.5 mil members
- 1936, regime ended Confessional Church
- 1937, Niemöller arrested
Dietrich Banhöffer
(6)
- protestant pastor who joined the confessional church
- 1933, openly broadcast against the Führerprinzip
- taught trainee pastors to resist Nazism
- worked with his brother-in-law to help escapees
- 1940, his college was closed and he was banned from preaching + publishing
- 1943, arrested and executed
General youth opposition
low level dissent
- Dec 1940 (after membership of the Hitler Youth had been mandatory for 1 year) 1 million German minors were still not members; not always active oppostition to regime, dissent
- Swing Youth; many young people wanted to indulge in American culture, listened to jazz (banned) and dressed in western fashion, organised illegal dances (mostly affluent middle-class)
Edelweiss Pirates
(7)
- primarily working class
- wore their own uniform; showed they rejected the Hitler Youth
- level of opposition varied by area
- some distributed leaflets dropped by Allied bombers
- some even created resistance groups
- 1944, Cologne branch executed
- shielded some members of the resistance (particularly communists)
