The Third Reich - WW2 Morale And Resistance Flashcards
What everyday necessity was in short supply in the War?
Boots and shoes.
How much above the calorific standard were German rations and what was the diet like?
10% - but the diet was boring and restricted.
Many small luxuries were stopped in the war - what were two of the main ones?
Magazines and sweets.
What happened to a lot of businesses in the wartime and why?
They were closed because they were not essential to the war effort.
What year did real widespread hunger become a problem?
1945.
Why did women struggle during the war, particularly from 1943 onwards?
They had the dual burden - working and bringing up children. 1943 - half a million women put to work in factories, so this problem increased.
Which two areas of Germany were bombed relentlessly and why?
The Ruhr and Berlin - they were highly industrialised.
When was the Hamburg fire storm and how many did it leave homeless?
July 1943 - left 1 million homeless.
When was Dresden heavily bombed and how many square miles were destroyed?
February 1945 - 13 square miles.
How many Germans had died due to allied air raids?
300,000.
What percentage of homes were destroyed by bombing?
20%, or one in five.
When did the Hitler Youth become compulsory and what effect did this have?
1939 - it became polarised with fanatics and the disaffected.
Why did the standard of teaching in the hitler youth decline?
Because many of the teachers were made to go on the front line.
How many Edelweiss pirates were there across Germany during the War?
2,000
What happened to over 700 of the Pirates?
They were arrested by the Gestapo, had their heads shaved and were re-educated.
When and where were 12 Edelweiss Pirate leaders hanged?
Cologne, November 1944.
Which organisation posed no active threat but opposed Nazi ideology?
The Church.
What percentage of Catholic clergymen and Protestant pastors were harassed by Nazi’s?
40% of the Catholic clergy, 50% of Protestant pastors.
Who were the Red Orchestra?
A communist spy network.
What did the Red Orchestra do from 1938-42?
They infiltrated the government and transmitted information to Moscow.
What happened to the Red Orchestra?
All members were caught and tortured in 1942.
What did the remaining Communists do after the Orchestra’s capture?
Stayed in hiding and waited for Nazism to end, so that a “soviet liberation” could then take place.
Who were the leaders of the White Rose Group and what did the Group do?
Hans and Sophie Scholl - they handed out leaflets with a clear anti-Nazi stance in Munich university.
When were the White Rose Group arrested, tortured and executed and by who?
February 1943 by the Gestapo.
What was the Kreisau Circle?
A group of officers, aristocrats, academics and churchmen who met to discuss plans for a Germany after Hitler.
When did the Kreisau Circle draw up a program for their “new Germany”?
August 1943.
What was the Stauffenberg Plot and who were the main three individuals involved?
A plot to kill Hitler in a meeting by planing a bomb in his briefcase - conducted by Beck and Tresckow, and headed by Stauffenberg. All army officers.
When did the Plot take place and why did it fail?
July 1944 - because the briefcase was moved a few minutes before the bomb detonated, meaning Hitler got away with just minor injuries.
What happened as a result of the Stauffenberg Plot?
5,000 supposed “supporters of the resistance” were killed.
Who was Borzsat and what was the term he coined in relation to resistance in the Third Reich?
He was a historian who coined the term “resistenz” - unintended passive resistance to the Nazi regime. For example, women wearing makeup was “resistenz” because it was against Nazi ideology but the vast majority weren’t doing it as an act of defiance.
