The Impact of War and Defeat on Germany Flashcards
1
Q
In what ways was the Nazi war economy effective 1939-1942?
A
- Food rationing for certain items was introduced from the start of the war
- German Labour Force was rapidly mobilised, 55% of the workforce was involved in war-related projects by the summer of 1941
- Total arms production increased by 59%
- German military expenditure doubled 1939-1941
2
Q
In what ways was the Nazi war economy ineffective 1939-1942?
A
- Workforce involved in war-related projects only reached a high of 61% in 1944
- In the first 2 years of war there was a 20% decline in civilian consumption of goods
- The premature outbreak of war caused problems which could not be overcome because too many different agencies worked in their own way and at odds with each other eg. ministries of Armaments under Todt, Finance, Economics and Labour all competed
- Leading Nazi figures fought amongst themselves eg. Gauleiters tried to control their local areas against the plans of the state
- Major projects were due to be ready by 1942, weren’t ready for the outbreak of war
- British military expenditure tripled 1939-1941
- Armed forces had very specific requirements for munitions so quantity suffered because of focus on quality
3
Q
In what ways was the Nazi war economy effective 1942-1945?
A
- Speer replaced Todt after his death in 1942, he had excellent relations with Hitler and implemented “industrial self-responsibility”
- In the first 6 months ammunition production increased by 97%, tank production by 25%, and total arms production by 59%
- In 1944 production was triple its 1942 level
- Controls and constraints previously placed on business were relaxed so industrialists had more freedom while Speer maintained overall control of the war economy
- Central Planning Board was established in April 1942 and supported by a number of committees which represented one vital sector of the economy each
- Industrialists and engineers were encouraged to join Speer’s ministerial team while military personnel were excluded from the production process
- Women were employed in arms production
- Foreign workers forced to work, made up nearly 25% of the workforce by 1944
- Speer prevented skilled workers from being lost to military conscription
4
Q
In what ways was the Nazi war economy ineffective 1942-1945?
A
- German arms production peaked in 1944 at well below full potential
- Foreign workers were poorly treated and malnourished so did not contribute much to production or solve Germany’s economic problems
- Speer wasn’t always able to counter the power of Gauleiters on a local level and the SS remained a law in themselves
- Territories occupied by the Third Reich were not exploited with economic efficiency
5
Q
What was the impact of Allied blanket bombing on the Nazi economy?
A
- Allied blanket bombing failed to break the German war economy
- Germany couldn’t increase arms production further as resources had to be diverted towards construction of anti-aircraft installations and underground industrial sites after allied bombing
- Last months of war allies could bomb Germany with little resistance
6
Q
How did racial war develop in Poland?
A
- 3 million Jews brought under Nazi control when Poland was occupied in 1939
- Soldiers were encouraged to degrade, humiliate and torture Jews
- Initially wanted to resettle Jews but proved to be too much of a strain on food supplies and transport, so plans for resettlement were abandoned in 1940
- Established Jewish ghettos in Lodz, Warsaw, Krakow and Lublin as temporary holding bays but lasted much longer than planned
- Jewish councils called Judenrat were created and used as a means of control by the German authorities
- From 1940 ghettos were sealed and anyone caught trying to escape was punished by death
- People died of malnutrition, disease from poor sanitation, and lack of heating during the winter
- Half a million Polish Jews died by 1941
7
Q
How did racial war develop in Russia?
A
- Germany invaded in 1941 with the Army followed by SS Einsatzgruppen
- Einsatzgruppen were responsible for rounding up local Jews and Communist Party officials and murdering them in a series of mass shootings in the Baltic states, western Russia and Ukraine
- 30,000 people were killed in two days in a ravine near Kiev
- 600,000 Russian Jews had been killed by the end of 1941
8
Q
What was agreed at the Wannsee Conference?
A
- Took place on 20 January 1944
- The “decisive” meeting for the Final Solution
- Coordinated the logistics, clarified German law and secured the agreement of the police, finance, labour and transport agencies
- Outlined the details of the plan to gas Europe’s 11 million Jews to death
9
Q
What was the Final Solution?
A
- Himmler announced the “total solution to the Jewish question” in January 1944
- In October 1944 Eichmann began the process of transporting German Jews east to resettle them
- Locally Jews were being gassed in vans at Belzec and Lodz
- Camps in Poland were developed into mass extermination centres in 1942 eg. Auschwitz, Sobibor, Treblinka
- Jews were cleared from ghettos and transported by train to be killed in gas chambers
- Only 4000 out of 3 million Polish Jews survived the war
- 6 million European Jews had been murdered in the Holocaust by 1945
- 225,000-500,000 gypsies were exterminated 1943-1944
10
Q
In what ways did the war improve living standards for German people?
A
Rationing of food, clothes and basics like soap meant that the population was well fed up to 1944
11
Q
In what ways did the war worsen living standards for German people?
A
- Diet was mostly bread and potatoes
- Food shortages started in 1944 and were extreme by 1945
- Fuel shortages, coal was prioritised for industry
- Black market flourished
12
Q
In what ways did the war have a positive impact on workers?
A
Bonuses and overtime payments were introduced
13
Q
In what ways did the war have a negative impact on workers?
A
- Ban on holidays
- Demands for labour were high
- High taxes on beer, tobacco, cinemas and travel
- Working hours increased from 50 in 1940 to 60 in 1944
- Non-essential businesses closed in 1943
- 16-65-year-olds had to register for vital work
14
Q
In what ways did the war have a positive impact on women?
A
- Conscription introduced in 1943 for women aged 17-45
- Benefits were available if husbands were at war
- Women made up 60% of the workforce in 1945
- Government was unable to take on an anti-feminist stance
15
Q
In what ways did the war have a negative impact on women?
A
- Women had auxiliary roles
- Worked long hours, difficult to take care of family
16
Q
In what ways did the war have a negative impact on youth?
A
- Decline in education and academic standards continued from the 1930s
- Teaching staff were conscripted, teaching hardly existed by 1944
- Formal exams ceased in 1943
- HY and schools focused on militarism and discipline over learning
- Military age reduced to 17 in 1943 and 16 in 1945, teenagers were used for defence work
- Groups outside the HY were rounded up by Gestapo and had their heads shaved, were sometimes sent to camps, the Edelweiss Pirates were publicly hanged and in 1943 the White Rose group were tortured and executed
- Youth were polarised and disaffected
17
Q
In what ways did the war have a positive impact on peasantry?
A
- Became self-sufficient
- Didn’t suffer from bombing as much as the cities
18
Q
In what ways did the war have a negative impact on peasantry?
A
Shortage of animals, supplies and machinery was especially bad in rural areas
19
Q
In what ways did the war have a positive impact on the Church?
A
- Church attendance increased
- Church protested against euthanasia policy
- Pope expressed opposition to the Nazis
- Galen, Niemoller and Bonhoeffer openly opposed Nazism
20
Q
In what ways did the war have a negative impact on the Church?
A
40% of the Catholic clergy and 50% of Protestant pastors were harassed by the Nazis
