Resistance

Question 1

What does Bartov believe?

Answer 1

Many army generals shared Hitler’s ideology

Question 2

What military terms of ToV did Hitler break?

Answer 2

He reintroduced conscription, and created a rearmament program

Question 3

Why were some of the army content with the regime?

Answer 3

LW leaders would have dissolved it
Hitler helped Germany expand- eg Sudetenten land 1938, Austria 1938
SA destroyed in 1934

Question 4

Why did some of the army feel it was their duty to protect Hitler?

Answer 4

They made an oath to Hitler by name August 1934

Soldiers served a country rather than a political party, not politicised

Question 5

What effects did NOLK have on the army?

Answer 5

NOLK caused some unease- Von Schliecher had been a general. Hans Ostler was one of them who changed him mind after NOLK
Many impressed by Hitler’s efficiently and were happy the SA were destroyed

Question 6

What did the SS do to the army?

Answer 6

Fear over the growth of the SS
1933- 50,000
1939- 250,000

Question 7

What did the army class change to in Nazi Germany?

Answer 7

Before- 70-80% aristocracy

During- 35%

Question 8

Why did Blomberg, Beck and Fritsch becoming alienated by the regime?

Answer 8

Alarmed that Hitler’s foreign policy would lead to a premature war with the West which Germany would lose

Question 9

What did Collier and Pedly believe?

Answer 9

The army, of all the institutions in the state, had the knowledge and means to Destroy the regime, but simply lacked the resolve to attempt this

Question 10

Who was General Beck?

Answer 10

The army’s chief of staff, when told about Hitler’s plans to invade Czechoslovakia, he opposed the idea and tried to get all the chief’s of staff to resign- none other than him did.
Organised a protest march on Berlin but called it off after Hitler took Sudetenland

Question 11

What was the army purge in 1938?

Answer 11

Both Blomberg and Fritsche were seen to be very hesitant in obeying Hitler’s orders so in 1938, Hitler removed Blomberg ( for having an ex-prostitute wife) and Fritsch (forced too stand down after allegations involving a rent boy)
12 other generals were removed from their post at the start of February

Question 12

Who was General Hans Ostler?

Answer 12

An army general, became alienated after NOLK
In 1938 passed on intelligence to Britain and France about Hitler’s plans to invade Czechoslovakia in the belief they would declare war

Question 13

What was the Czech crisis?

Answer 13

1938- over Hitler’s plans to invade CS
Army generals, including Ostler drew up plans for a coup in the instance that Hitler committed an overt step towards war
Intelligence passed on to Britain
Fell apart- some soldiers worried about their oath to Hitler and allies gave Sudetenland to Germany without a war

Question 14

What was the dutch war scare?

Answer 14

Canaris ensured fake intelligence reached MI6 that detailed Germany’s plans to invade Holland, so that they could bomb Britain
Was hoped that Britain would become more alert to Hitlers activities- successful as Chamberlin sent a large British force to France in 1939.

Question 15

Why might the Dutch war scare not be classed as resistance?

Answer 15

Canaris only wanted to stop a war, not overthrow Hitler

Question 16

Why was army resistance not successful?

Answer 16

Oath to Hitler
Britain and France did not declare war
Army purge
Officer class had been changed
Beck resigned 
Army was content- ToV
Hitler was successfully expanding Germany

Question 17

What did Fullbrook believe?

Answer 17

At first the army shared common aims with the Nazis- only began to break down when the regime became more radical in the late 1930s

Question 18

What did Housden believe?

Answer 18

Most significant resistance came from the establishment sections of German society, eg the army corps

Question 19

What resistance did the SPD take part in?

Answer 19

Voted against the enabling act
Leadership went into exile after they were forced to disband
Established a socialist action newspaper- leaders arrested in 1935

Question 20

What action did the SPD take in 1938?

Answer 20

The exiled leadership decided resistance campaign activities were too dangerous, encouraged information gathering and whispering campaigns instead

Question 21

Who was George Elser?

Answer 21

A socialist who attempted to blow up Hitler in 1939

Did not kill Hitler, who left early but killed 8 others

Question 22

What happened to Ernst Thalman?

Answer 22

Leader of KPD, arrested in March 1933 and spent 11 years in solitary confinement

Question 23

What resistance did the KDP take part in?

Answer 23

1 million leaflets distributed 33-35
By 1939 there were cells in at least 89 Berlin factories
10% of KDP members active in underground resistance activities 1933-35

Question 24

How many communists did the Gestapo believe were active 1935?

Answer 24

5000

Question 25

How many communists were detained and executed in 1933-39?

Answer 25

Detained- 150,000 | Executed- 30,000

Question 26

What was the 'red flag' newspaper?

Answer 26

Organised KDP newspaper distributed illegally

Question 27

What was the potential for resistance from the LW?

Answer 27

In 1933 5 million voted for SPD 1 million were members of SPD 360,000 KDP members

Question 28

What were some of the resistance acts carried out by industrial workers?

Answer 28

Absenteeism, industrial sabotage, strikes by motorway workers, protests in 1935 over food price

Question 29

What happened at some Northern shipyards?

Answer 29

In March 1936, 5000 workers walked out whilst Hitler's speech was playing In another 6000 openly heckled

Question 30

What made resistance hard from the left?

Answer 30

``` Concentration camps Gestapo Lack of leadership SPD encouraged not to resist Political parties banned All active members being resisted Workers being won over ```

Question 31

What does Evans believe about LW resistance?

Answer 31

By the end of 1934 the gestapo had successfully destroyed the organised resistance of the communist party

Question 32

What did McDonough believe about LW resistance?

Answer 32

The 3 largest groups taking part in resistance were the social democrats, the communists and the industrial workers

Question 33

What does Every believe about LW resistance?

Answer 33

Workforce position was subdued and fragmentary

Question 34

What does Hillgruber believe about general resistance?

Answer 34

Germany was an occupied country in which more or less all Germans tried to resist the Nazis

Question 35

What does Namier believe about general resistance?

Answer 35

Remarkably little resistance

Question 36

What does Fest believe about general resistance?

Answer 36

Resistance was persistence but lacked the support of most ordinary Germans

Question 37

What was the emergency league of pastors?

Answer 37

The emergency league of pastors was set up to resist Nazis changing their religion. In 1934 the Covenant counted 7000 members, after 1935 the number sank to 5000

Question 38

What did Barnett believe about the churches?

Answer 38

They had no room for self sacrifice or heroism

Question 39

Who were the leaders of the confessing church?

Answer 39

Martin Niemöller was outspoken against the Nazis and detained at Dachau Bonhöeffer was also a leader, he taught trainee pastors to resist Nazism and tried to get the confessional church to condemn the Nuremberg laws, however didn't work. Sent to Flossenburg

Question 40

What was the confessing church?

Answer 40

Groups broke away from the protestant church in 1934, in protest of state interference. It was the general term for these groups.

Question 41

What Bishop spoke out against Nazi policy?

Answer 41

Galen spoke out in sermons against Nazi policy, including euthanasia. Was too popular to punished

Question 42

What did the Catholic Church do to oppose the regime?

Answer 42

Pope Pius XI issued an encyclical in 1937 called 'with burning grief', 250,000 copies were issued and the encyclical attacked the Nazis for breaking the concordant. However the church took part in no tangible action against the state.

Question 43

What did the Churches do when faith schools got shut down?

Answer 43

They did nothing

Question 44

What did Wilt believe about the churches?

Answer 44

Churches response to Nazism was timid and half-hearted

Question 45

Who was Pope Pius XII and what did he say?

Answer 45

He negotiated the concordant and them became Pope in 1939. During the negotiations he said there was a 'pistol at their head' He was seen as a Nazi sympathiser as he refused to excommunicate Catholics who were participating in genocide.

Question 46

What was the concordant?

Answer 46

Signed between the Nazi party and the Fenians. The church would stay out of politics and the Nazi party would not reorganise the church. It was signed despite sterilisation law being passed. It made the third Reich undemocratic, but did allow the churches to continue

Question 47

What did Wright believe about the churches?

Answer 47

The churches did oppose Nazi aggression, but only to protect their position

Question 48

How many protestant pastors were arrested during the third Reich?

Answer 48

Around 800

Question 49

What happened in May 1934 at Barmen?

Answer 49

10,000s of Lutherns openly condemned the ungodliness of National Socialism

Question 50

What happened in the Saarland in January 1937?

Answer 50

30-40 villagers broke into a school where a crucifix had been removed and put it back The leader was given a custodial sentence

Question 51

Who was Helmut Kern?

Answer 51

A pastor from Nuremberg who wrote an anti-Nazi tract and sold 750,000 copies. Was given a speaking ban and had his writing confiscated

Question 52

Why was church resistance hard?

Answer 52

``` Concordant Wanted to protect their own institution Pastors put into prison More concerned with keep members Protestants not one organisation Leaders arrested ```

Question 53

What did Housden believe about the churches?

Answer 53

Churches wanted to fit themselves into the path of the reich rather than change of the course of it completely