Post War Germany and De-Nazification

Question 1

When did the Germans surrender?

Answer 1

7th May 1945

Question 2

At what conferences did the allies decide what to do with Germany?

Answer 2

• Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam
• They decided it would be set up as 4 zones of control between the allies
• The common enemy was now gone so tensions between the allies revealed themselves

Question 3

What were the 4 steps of unifying Germany outlined at the Potsdam Conference?

Answer 3

• De-Nazification
• Demilitarisation
• Decentralisation
• Democratisation

Question 4

How was Germany decentralised?

Answer 4

• 1952 5 Länder were dissolved
• Allowed free elections to be held
• Allowed parties to be reinstated provided they were consistent with the Basic Law

Question 5

What were the Nuremberg Trials?

Answer 5

• First trail was on 18th October 1945
• Nazis were tried on four counts of war crimes, crimes against peace, crimes against humanity and conspiring to commit
• Made public to show the public the Nazi horrors and truly the type of people they were

Question 6

How many people were put on trial at the Nuremberg trials and what was the outcome?

Answer 6

• 22 on trial with 240 witnesses and this lasted 218 days
• 12 were sentenced to death with 10 executed
• Albert Speer got 20 years in prison
• Some people thought this was not harsh enough as many Nazis got away

Question 7

What was the primary issue with De-Nazification?

Answer 7

• There were 6.5 million Nazis
• A lot of them were part of the party to keep their job etc and not actually indoctrinated
• This made it hard to identify who should actually be punished

Question 8

What did the Government make families do in an attempt to de-nazify?

Answer 8

Made them walk around concentration camps to show the nazi atrocities that took place

Question 9

What was the issue with the questionnaire with Gen Clay put out to identify Nazis?

Answer 9

• Applied differently across all zones
• US zone only had 1.9% exonerated
• British one had 58.4% exonerated and were allowed in office and to enrol into universities etc

Question 10

What did the USSR believe about de-nazification?

Answer 10

• Associated Nazism with Capitalism

- Used this to drive the creation of GDR and a communist society

Question 11

When did the allies ban Nazi schoolbooks, slides and films ?

Answer 11

May 1946

Question 12

What did US opinion polls suggest about the need for de-nazification?

Answer 12

• Between 1945 and 1949 between a half and two thirds thought it was necessary
• 1951 this fell to under a quarter showing how its need declined

Question 13

What were some of the negative reactions to de-nazification?

Answer 13

• Indignation, some people thought the allies committed war crimes through bombing Japan and the USSR’s violence
• Cynicism, 1,600 ex-Nazi doctors and scientists avoided prosecution by working for the US
• Some people avoided it as a whole

Question 14

What was ‘year zero’?

Answer 14

• This suggested to forget the past and treat Germany as a whole new country

Question 15

Was ‘year zero’ a successful movement?

Answer 15

• By 1947 85% of teachers who were ex-Nazis in Bavaria returned to work
• Ex-Nazis applied for work in different zones and often got it without question
• 1961 only 1/3 of students in University of Frankfurt believed in democracy
• Students began to question the allowance of teachers as Nazis, they wanted to know what their parents did
• This even led to right wing students with anti-semitic ideals

Question 16

What was the Basic Law?

Answer 16

Drawn up by the Parliamentary Council on 23 May 1949:

• Promised equal rights for German citizens
• Promised free speech, freedom to create unions, groups, free assembly and no censorship
• A state education for all