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History - Germany 1945-1991 > The End of War 1 > Flashcards

The End of War 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

Events nearing the end of the war

A
  • Collapse of West German resistance when Western forces had crossed the rhine in February
  • Soviets reached Berlin first in April
  • Surrender document signed 8th/05/1945
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2
Q

Fall of Berlin

A
  • Battle for Berlin, Soviet advance
  • Hitler commits suicide on the 30th of April
  • 75% of buildings uninhabitable
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3
Q

Why did the fighting carry on so long after it was clear the war was lost?

A
  • Hitler’s stubbornness and insistence to keep fighting
  • Allies wanted unconditional surrender
  • Series of partial surrenders starting with surrender of army in Italy
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4
Q

In the aftermath of WW2 - Death

A

-6.5 million Germans killed, many in fire storms and Eastern advance

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5
Q

In the aftermath of WW2 - Rape

A

-Soviet army, systematic rape of 90 000. 150 000 - 2000 Russian Babes would be born

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6
Q

In the aftermath of WW2 - Shelter

A
  • 20 million living in ruins

- homeless children, 53 000 in Berlin

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7
Q

In the aftermath of WW2 - Food

A
  • Food/medicine in short supply

- Av. calorie intake in American zone 860 per day

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8
Q

In the aftermath of WW2 - Disease

A
  • Infant mortality rate up 66/100 in July 45

- British zone dec 45 1/4 kids under 1 dying

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9
Q

In the aftermath of WW2 - refugees

A
  • Eastern Germans running from Soviet advance
  • Refugees from East German lands like East Prussia
  • People of Eastern European background escaping Communist domination
  • Released POWs, German and English
  • Millions for forced labour
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10
Q

Differing views on Germany’s future

A
  • Some wanted separate states, no heavy industry

- Others favoured WR style centralised federal state

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11
Q

Yalta conference - February 1945

A
  • Britain, America and USSR attending
  • Each get an occupation zone of equal population density, USSR zone larger, rural and less concentrated
  • French zone allocated from previously Western lands
  • USSR gets Northern-East Prussia
  • 4 Ds were decided
  • Disagreement on reparations, and Stalin wanted 80% of all German factories
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12
Q

Demilitarisation

A

-Makes Germany a neutral or non-aligned disarmed country

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13
Q

Decentralisation

A
  • Strong central government removed
  • Power with local states/lander
  • Breaking up international conglomerates
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14
Q

Denazification

A
  • Removal of all nazi influence from society
  • Force civilians to break from nazi bast
  • Punish nazis responsible for the horrors of WW2
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15
Q

Democratisation

A
  • Restored freedom to choose between political parties and be ruled by an elected government
  • Reliant on consent from people, debate over issues and essential majority support
  • DEMOCRACY
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16
Q

Development of the occupation zones

A
  • Allied Control Council established in June to rule

- Russians acted fastest setting up SMAD working in Berlin. 5 lander (local state governments) in Soviet zone by July

17
Q

Potsdam conference - August 1945

A
  • Aimed to settle disagreements between allies
  • Agreed Germany should pay $20 Billion, each power taking reparations from occupation zone
  • Russia receives extra 10% and further 15% for food/materials from their zone from Western allies
  • Little progress made on how to implement 4 Ds. Consequentially all powers adopted different systems
  • German Polish border was fait accompli, Polish border pushed west by soviets and poles resettled
18
Q

Nuremberg trials - Nov/45-Oct/46

A
  • Denazification
  • Tried on Crimes against Peace, Humanity, War Crimes and conspiracy to commit the above
  • 13 sentenced to death includin Goring (suicide 2 weeks later)
  • 2 life sentences
  • 2 acquitted
  • 4 Shorter sentences of 10-20 years
19
Q

Overview of denazification

A
  • Initial policy of non fratenisation with Germans but dropped by September 1945
  • Germany army disbanded, Nazi leaders tried at Nuremberg, Nazi party dissolved
  • However denazification of Germany as a whole would be very complex
20
Q

Denazification in the Russian zone

A
  • Nazis purged from positions in society
  • -> 520 000 purged from Government by 1948
  • Medical profession less thoroughly denazified as medics were essential to clean up operation
  • Denazification where it suited them

BERLIN

  • All nazi teachers in schools dismissed
  • Ex nazis/employees only employable as reconstruction workers
  • 1400 nazi businesses closed
  • Nazis regain full citizenship by 1952 except war criminals,
  • Reeducation programme to promote socialism
21
Q

Denazification in the Western Zones

A
  • SS, generals, induistrialists (nazi supporters) rounded up
  • Directive to remove all showing more than nominal support
  • -> taken differently, 117 000 removed in US zone but only half that in British zone
  • June 45: those dismissed could appeal to tribunal, presenting others to plead for them (persil certificates)
  • Questionnaires introduced by the Americans, adopted
  • –> as a result of responses, major offenders were imprisoned, general offenders were imprisoned and reeducated, lesser offenders were fined and re educated, followers were restricted and re educated, or they were acquitted
  • March 1946, Law for liberalisation from national socialism. Tribunals
  • -> 90% exhonerated in British zone, 1/3 in US, 1/2 in French
22
Q

Abandonment of denazification by Western Allies

A
  • Early 1950s
  • Practical issues, so many people to address
  • 1951 former civil servants offered jobs again or allowed to retire on full pension
23
Q

Effects of the denazification and re education programme in the west

A

Successes:

  • 870 000 lost jobs in West
  • 230 000 detained, some for a long time
  • Protestant church issued statement of guilt
  • No resurgence of nazism
  • New economic revival and political freedoms meant no desire to return to past
  • Influences of press which discredited nazism. Films of concentration camps shocked audiences

Failures:
Re-education was confused. No major restructuring of schools, university academics kept posts on whole,
-Many tried in 1945-7 regained similar positions to before as no alternative. In this sense FAILURE

History - Germany 1945-1991 (13 decks)

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