Nazi Right-wing opposition Flashcards
why was there a lot of right-wing support for Hitler?
- fear of communism meant that extreme right-wing support increased and with the Nazis being the against communism their popularity grew
- at first the right-wing were pleased by the Nazis
- attacking the TofV
what reassured the right-wing in 1934 to support Hitler?
the Night of the Long Knives and the killing of Ernst Rohm
what was the last open defiance against the Nazis?
von Papen’s Marburg University speech
- he called for a return to normal govt
- went against Hitler and Nazi Party
why did the Hossbach conference create opposition?
many generals were concerned that Hitler was going too fast in his aggressive plans for European domination and that if war broke out Germany would collapse
which Generals were sceptical of Hitler’s foreign policy?
- Beck
- Blomberg
- Fritsch
who replaced Blomberg and Fritsch?
Wilhelm Keitel and his OKW
what happened in Beck’s attempted putsch in 1938?
he tried to warn the British of Hitler’s real plan for Czechoslovakia
he hoped that the British would then pull out of the Munich conference and then Hitler could be ousted
why did Beck’s putsch in 1938 fail?
British PM Chamberlain was adopting a policy of appeasement and instead decided to ignore Beck
why was there not a lot of public opposition to Hitler and the Nazis before the war?
the Nazis were doing well economically and socially Hitler's foreign policy was working: - the reclamation of the Rheineland - the Saar - peace!
what was the Beck-Gordeler group?
small group in German Army who wanted Hitler out of power
many were diplomats and army officers who wanted a more democratic Germany
what was the Kreisau circle?
a civillian right wing group made up of aristocrats and civil servants from the foreign office
they developed plans for a post-war democratic Germany:
- wrote up the ‘Basic principles of the New Order’
why was there opposition after Operation Barbarossa in 1941?
was the first unsuccessful military operation
it was a humiliating defeat to the Russians which brought a lot of criticism
many Generals did not see Hitler as the right leader
what was Operation Flash?
in 1943
- attempt to bomb Hitler’s plane with a whiskey flask lined with explosives
why did Operation Flash fail?
the bombs made it on the plane BUT they never worked
what happened to Hitler at an art gallery?
there was a suicide bomber at an art gallery ready to kill Hitler however Hitler went a different direction and missed him
who was Claus von Stauffenberg
a Colonel who was in regular contact with Hitler
he was involved in the Beck-Gordeler group
what was the July bomb plot?
29 July 1944
initial plan was to kill Himmler, Goring and Hitler at the same time but that was never possible
instead the plan was to kill Hitler at Wolf’s Lair
why did the July bomb plot fail?
- not enough time to plant both bombs
- there was a room change which meant the meeting took place in a wooden hut which did not do enough damage
- bomb was not in the right position
what was Hitler’s response to the July bomb plot?
he goes on to purge the army
many conspirators were shot or sent to a concentration camp (around 5,000)
who was Carl Gordeler?
a civil servant who was the Mayor of Leipzig
was a massive anti-Hitler advocate
why did right-wing opposition fail to get rid of Hitler?
- Nazis very much established after 1938 (should have tried earlier)
- could not rely on support on military who had made their oath of allegiance to Hitler
- Hitler had blinded the elite from the growing defeats and the atrocities committed by the SS by his victories before the defeats
- the power of the ‘police state’ meant that they were not far away from being in SS hands and this meant that long term political aims never fruited
