Resistance Flashcards
What does Bartov believe?
Many army generals shared Hitler’s ideology
What military terms of ToV did Hitler break?
He reintroduced conscription, and created a rearmament program
Why were some of the army content with the regime?
LW leaders would have dissolved it
Hitler helped Germany expand- eg Sudetenten land 1938, Austria 1938
SA destroyed in 1934
Why did some of the army feel it was their duty to protect Hitler?
They made an oath to Hitler by name August 1934
Soldiers served a country rather than a political party, not politicised
What effects did NOLK have on the army?
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
What did the SS do to the army?
Fear over the growth of the SS
1933- 50,000
1939- 250,000
What did the army class change to in Nazi Germany?
Before- 70-80% aristocracy
During- 35%
Why did Blomberg, Beck and Fritsch becoming alienated by the regime?
Alarmed that Hitler’s foreign policy would lead to a premature war with the West which Germany would lose
What did Collier and Pedly believe?
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
Who was General Beck?
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
What was the army purge in 1938?
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
Who was General Hans Ostler?
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
What was the Czech crisis?
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
What was the dutch war scare?
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.
Why might the Dutch war scare not be classed as resistance?
Canaris only wanted to stop a war, not overthrow Hitler
Why was army resistance not successful?
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
What did Fullbrook believe?
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
What did Housden believe?
Most significant resistance came from the establishment sections of German society, eg the army corps
What resistance did the SPD take part in?
Voted against the enabling act
Leadership went into exile after they were forced to disband
Established a socialist action newspaper- leaders arrested in 1935
What action did the SPD take in 1938?
The exiled leadership decided resistance campaign activities were too dangerous, encouraged information gathering and whispering campaigns instead
Who was George Elser?
A socialist who attempted to blow up Hitler in 1939
Did not kill Hitler, who left early but killed 8 others
What happened to Ernst Thalman?
Leader of KPD, arrested in March 1933 and spent 11 years in solitary confinement
What resistance did the KDP take part in?
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
How many communists did the Gestapo believe were active 1935?
5000
How many communists were detained and executed in 1933-39?
Detained- 150,000
Executed- 30,000
What was the ‘red flag’ newspaper?
Organised KDP newspaper distributed illegally
What was the potential for resistance from the LW?
In 1933
5 million voted for SPD
1 million were members of SPD
360,000 KDP members
What were some of the resistance acts carried out by industrial workers?
Absenteeism, industrial sabotage, strikes by motorway workers, protests in 1935 over food price
What happened at some Northern shipyards?
In March 1936, 5000 workers walked out whilst Hitler’s speech was playing
In another 6000 openly heckled
What made resistance hard from the left?
Concentration camps Gestapo Lack of leadership SPD encouraged not to resist Political parties banned All active members being resisted Workers being won over
What does Evans believe about LW resistance?
By the end of 1934 the gestapo had successfully destroyed the organised resistance of the communist party
What did McDonough believe about LW resistance?
The 3 largest groups taking part in resistance were the social democrats, the communists and the industrial workers
What does Every believe about LW resistance?
Workforce position was subdued and fragmentary
What does Hillgruber believe about general resistance?
Germany was an occupied country in which more or less all Germans tried to resist the Nazis
What does Namier believe about general resistance?
Remarkably little resistance
What does Fest believe about general resistance?
Resistance was persistence but lacked the support of most ordinary Germans
What was the emergency league of pastors?
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
What did Barnett believe about the churches?
They had no room for self sacrifice or heroism
Who were the leaders of the confessing church?
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
What was the confessing church?
Groups broke away from the protestant church in 1934, in protest of state interference. It was the general term for these groups.
What Bishop spoke out against Nazi policy?
Galen spoke out in sermons against Nazi policy, including euthanasia. Was too popular to punished
What did the Catholic Church do to oppose the regime?
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.
What did the Churches do when faith schools got shut down?
They did nothing
What did Wilt believe about the churches?
Churches response to Nazism was timid and half-hearted
Who was Pope Pius XII and what did he say?
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.
What was the concordant?
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
What did Wright believe about the churches?
The churches did oppose Nazi aggression, but only to protect their position
How many protestant pastors were arrested during the third Reich?
Around 800
What happened in May 1934 at Barmen?
10,000s of Lutherns openly condemned the ungodliness of National Socialism
What happened in the Saarland in January 1937?
30-40 villagers broke into a school where a crucifix had been removed and put it back
The leader was given a custodial sentence
Who was Helmut Kern?
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
Why was church resistance hard?
Concordant Wanted to protect their own institution Pastors put into prison More concerned with keep members Protestants not one organisation Leaders arrested
What did Housden believe about the churches?
Churches wanted to fit themselves into the path of the reich rather than change of the course of it completely
