Opposition and Resistance in wartime Flashcards
When was made compulsory in 1939?
Membership of the Hitler Youth (although it had been virtually compulsory in 1936)
What did the youth most resent?
The attempts by the Nazis to control their lives. They were not really politically motivated - they just wanted freedom.
Which 3 groups did the Nazis become worried about?
Edelweiss Pirates
Swing Youth
White Rose
Who made up the Swing Youth?
Mostly middle class teenagers 14-21
What were the views of the Swing Youth?
Hated the Hitler Youth
Rejected the Fuhrer Principle and the Volksgemeinshaft
What did these Swing Youth teenagers do?
They went to parties, listened to English and American music, and sang English songs.
How did the Swing movement’s look compare with the Nazi ideal?
Those in the Swing movement often wore their hair long and were unkempt. This was very unlike the smart and well-presented young Nazis.
How did the Nazis deal with the Swing Youth?
Younger members had heads shaved and older members sent to concentration camps which was enough to repress the ineffective movement
Who made up the Edelweiss Pirates?
Working class teenagers aged 14-18
Why did the Edelweiss Pirates oppose Hitler and the Nazis?
They rejected conscription, the indoctrination and militaristic culture of the Hitler youth and wanted freedom and independence
What did the Edelweiss Pirates do?
Violent clashes between them and Hitler Youth groups
Collected British anti-Nazi propaganda leaflets and posted them through letterboxes
Offered shelter to escaped prisoners from concentration camps
Sang and listened to banned music
What might the Edelweiss Pirates do if they saw the Hitler Youth?
Taunt them and possibly even attack them
Nazis approach to the Edelweiss Pirates
When arrested they would shave their heads and send them to labour camps
In November 1944, leaders of the Cologne Edelweiss Pirates were publicly hung
White Rose Group leaders
Hans and Sophie Scholl
What did the white rose group oppose and the actions they took?
Nazi aims and Jewish persecution
Printed and distributed anti-nazi leaflets through secret networks
What led to the White Rose group failing?
A caretaker saw Sophie handing leaflets at Munich Uni and the were executed
What did the Catholic Church oppose?
Euthanasia
Mass killings of Jews, war prisoners as well as mentally and physically disabled people
The idea of a Fuhrer
What did the Catholic Church support?
Anti-Communism war aims and invasion of USSR
How did the Catholic Church oppose the Nazis and the Nazis response
Led protests against euthanasia and denounced the gestapo which temporarily halted the T4 programme
Yet this later continued and 3 priests were executed. Many others were spared due to the threat the RC could potentially have been
Who led Protestant resistance and what happened to them?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was an outspoken critic of the regime but was executed in 1945 due to his role in the bomb plot
Where the protestant church anti-Nazi?
They were the only christian body to protest the treatment of Jews
But many protestants were nationalists so didn’t oppose
What was Operation 7?
Bonhoeffer and other protestants helped smuggle Jews into Switzerland using false papers
How did the Communists oppose the Nazis
They gave Soviets key information
Fought SA in the street
Released leaflets attacking regime
Inspired factory strikes
Nazi response to Communist Oppoition
Many deaths as a result of failed resistance which lacked widespread support
Gestapo infiltrated underground communist links
