Unit 5- Germany and the occupied territories during WWII Flashcards
What did the Nazi policy of persecution change into by 1942?
A policy of genocide.
Which two countries prevented Hitler from dominating europe by 1941?
Britain and the Soviet Union
How many Jews were in Germany by 1940s? Why were they still under Nazi control?
-200,000 Jews in Germany
-millions came under Nazi control as new territories were occupied- e.g in Poland, which Germany occupied in 1939, there were 3 million Jews.
What did ghettoisation entail?
-All jews were forced to move to ghettos in the cities in Poland and crammed into poor housing
-Food was restricted and starvation was common
-Conditions were crowded and diseases such as typhus spread rapidly
How many Jews died between Jan 1941 and July 1942?
An average of almost 4000 jews died each month from disease and starvation
What did the ‘Final solution’ (introduced in July 1942) entail?
-Warsaw Jews were to be resettled in the east of Poland
-Over 250,000 Jews were transported to camps in eastern Poland where most of them were put to death.
What happened in June 1941?
Germany invaded the Soviet Union
They quickly conquered most of the west of the country and thousand more Jews came under Nazi control
Who followed the German army into the Soviet Union?
Special units called Einsaatzgruppen who were ordered to put jews to death.
What did death squads do?
they rounded up all Jewish men, women and children (as well as communist party leaders and gypsies) and confiscated any valuables they owned.
The victims were forced to remove their clothing and march to fields and forests on the outskirts of towns
They were then shot or gassed and their bodies were thrown into mass graves.
How many civilians in the S.U are thought to have been murdered by the Einsatzgruppen?
1.2 million by 1943
What were concentration camps converted into?
extermination camps where Jews would be killed
how many Jews were put to death during the Holocaust? How many non-Jews?
6 million Jews
5 million non-Jews
in concentration camps such as Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sobibor
What two groups were Jews divided into in concentration camps?
People who were fit enough to work - given jobs to do until they were too weak to perform
-Some of these people were forced to take part in medical experiments.
and the rest whom were killed.
How was the extermination of so many people carried out?
-Poison gas- huge showers were built and up to 2000 Jews were sent SUPPOSEDLY for ‘delousings’
-Other prisoners then removed the bodies which were transported and burned
What were extermination camps disguised as? How?
Propaganda films were made showing that the resettlement camps were no more than labour camps.
This stopped German people from reacting negatively
It also meant that Jewish people were willing to help organise the resettlement of fellow Jews
What happened in April 1943?
The Jews came to realise what was happening -there was an uprising in the Warsaw ghetto against transportation to the camps.
What was the outcome of the April 1943 uprisings?
56000 Jews were arrested: 7000 of them were shot and the rest were sent to camps
How did Nazis try to hide what had happened when it became clear that Germany was losing the war?
They dug up railway lines and destroyed some records.
What happened to Rudolph Hoess, the commandant of Auschwitz camp?
Hanged for war crimes in 1947
What were some key events that happened during WW2 for Germany?
Battle of Britain, 1940- lost
Denmark and Norway conquered, 1940
France, Belgium and Netherlands conquered, 1940
Soviet Union invaded,1941
Yugoslavia, Greece conquered,1941
Italy-Fascist ally
How was morale affected until 1942 WWII?
Morale was increased
When did mass evacuations begin?
1942
Why did mass evacuations begin?
Allied bombing attacks became more common
Pearl harbour, 1941
What was allied bombing
Allied bombing refers to the strategic bombing campaigns carried out by the Allies (e.g., Britain and the U.S.) against Germany during World War II.
How many children were evacuated due to bombing raids?
2.5 million
Where were children evacuated to?
Rural areas like Bavaria
What was the evacuation program called?
Kinderlandverschickung
Where did the children who evacuated stay?
Hitler youth camps where they continued to be indoctrinated
What was rationed in 1939?
Bread, meat, dairy, soap, clothes
What were food stamps?
They were exchanged for food and issued to all
Rations had to be _______ for basic _________
sufficient
nutrition
What kinds of shortages were there?
tobacco, toilet paper, coal and shoes
What happened during the early days of war?
Goods were shipped back from German occupied countries to help solve the problems of shortages
What did the government to in May of 1942?
cut rations- bread was restricted to hald a loaf per person, meat 40 grams
What did Germans living in the east do towards the end of the war?
over 3 million Germans living east fled west to escape from the Soviet army. They were met with starvation, food shortages and destruction.
What did Hitler do in 1941?
launched operation Barbarossa- the invasion of the Soviet Union
What did total war entail?
Total war meant mobilizing all of a nation’s resources, economy, and population for the war effort.
In Germany, this included:
Conscription: All able-bodied men were drafted into the military.
Women in the workforce: Women were encouraged or forced to work in factories.
Rationing: Strict limits were placed on food, clothing, and other goods.
From January 1943 what was decided?
Men, 16-65 and women 17-45 had to register for work
Why did German attack on Russia halt?
Harsh winters and lack of supply
What did Hitler decide in October 1941?
The use of prisoners of war as slave labour
What was decided in August 1944?
60hr work weeks
Holiday ban
What other measures were taken for total war?
entertainment stopped (except for cinemas for propaganda)
post is reduced
Volkssturm - home guard- any man 12-65 given weapons to guard
What were tactics of the allied 1940-43?
Strategic bombing- military and industrial areas
Civilian bombing (1942)- lowered morale
43 cities bombed
German response to allied attacks?
-welfare organisations- provided food, drinks
-Propaganda stories
-Impacted morale but people ‘carried on’ with the though that theyd win the war
How did allied tactics change 1944-45?
Bombed strategic targets- railways, bridges, infrastructure this time
Had a big impact on transportation of military goods
Only affected war production by 1%- but the Ruhr up to 40%
What opposition resurfaced?
What was the psychological impact of war on women?
Many lived in constant fear of hearing that husbands of sons had been killed
Others struggled to raise their family alone
As war came to an end, women feared that the soviet army was nearing Germany
Nazi propaganda led Germans to believe theyd treat women brutally- Soviet soldiers did rape millions of German women.
What was Nazi opposition like in the 1930s? How was it dealt with?
-Trade unions
Banned, DAF established
-Different political parties
banned
-Church
Nazified for protestants and concordat for catholics
-Newspapers
Nazified news through RKK
How did communists oppose the Nazis
-Day to day grumblings
-anti-nazi jokes
-secret campaigning against government-100 underground cells established
-partisan attacks
How were the communists dealt with?
They were never really a threat but the Gestapo were able to infiltrate
How did the swing youth oppose Nazis?
Listening to music and dancing
How were the swing youth dealt with?
Arrested
How did the white rose group oppose Nazis?
-founded by sophie and Hans Scholl
-publishing leaflets criticising Nazis
How was the white rose group dealt with?
Executed
How did the Kreisan circle oppose Hitler?
Influential, high ranking people gossiping and talking about how bad Hitler was
How was the kreisan circle dealt with
Gestapo infiltrated
How did the Edelweiss piraten oppose Hitler?
Beat up Nazi Youth members
How were the Edelweiss piraten dealt with?
execution
What was the July bomb plot?
In 1944, Von stauffenburg planted a bomb in a meeting Hitler was involved in
Hitler survived
How was the July bomb plot dealt with?
Execution
What happened towards the end of the war?
-As Germany neared defeat, Allied foreces were advancing on Germany from the west while Soviet red army were approaching from the east.
-Allied bombings increased
-German troops still fought bravely and it is believed that more soldiers died un the last four months of war than in 1942 and 43 put together
-Huge numbers of refugees fled to cities to avoid bombing and the red army
-Up to a million civilians died from hunger, disease and cold
How did the Third Reich officially come to an end?
Hitler shot himself and left the control of Germany to Admiral Doenitz who surrendered to the Allied on May 7th 1945.
