War and it’s legacy (1939-1955) Flashcards
1
Q
what was the impact of the war on German society?
A
- cut back on heating, work long hours and recycle rubbish
- goebbels increased censorship. asked germans to make sacrifices to help them feel ‘involved’. 1.5 mill fur coats donated
- postal service suspended. all entertainment shut down except cinema = propaganda films. HY compulsory
- accommodations and food in short supply
- greater control of SD and gestapo
2
Q
how far were the German people committed to the war effort?
A
- civilians found their lives increasingly disrupted
- morale at the start is high as supplies of luxury goods flooded into Germany from conquered countries + aryans encouraged to settle in the east
- fur coats donated = support
- people were arrested for grumbling = lack of enthusiasm
- grief = high casualties rates
- in some areas, bombing intensified hatred towards enemy. in others led to Nazis being targeted
- HY made compulsory and growth of groups like Edelweiss pirates indicated a lack of support from young people
3
Q
how did the Nazis use Ghettos to persecute Poles?
A
- the Nazis set about ‘Germanising’ western poland after invading it in 1939.
- meant transporting Poles from their homes + replacing them with german settlers
- 1 in 5 poles died as a result of fighting / racial policies
- polish jews were rounded up and transferred to big cities. herded into sealed areas = ghettos.
- able bodied used for slave labour but young old + sick left to die
4
Q
what was the Einzatzgruppen?
A
- when ussr was invaded the nazis came in control of 3 mil. soviet Jews as well as jews from other countries they’d conquered
- german forces had orders to round them up and shoot them. executions were carried out by special SS units called Einzatzgruppen
- by 1941 mass shootings were taken place all over occupied eastern europe + all jews ordered to wear star of david
5
Q
what was the ‘final solution’?
A
- Himmler was put in charge of the systematic killing of all jews within german occupied territory
- slave labour + death camps were built at auschwitz, treblinka and chelmno in poland.
- the old sick and young children were killed immediately. rest were sent to work at labour camps. some used for medical experiments
- 6 million Jews, 500000 european gypsies + countless political prisoners and homosexuals were sent to these camps where they were worked to death, gassed or shot
6
Q
what resistance happened to the Holocaust?
A
- some jews joined resistance groups
- Gad Beck lead the Jewish resistance in poland. was captured. on day of execution was saved
- warsaw Ghetto uprising- rose up against nazis for 4 weeks in hand to hand fighting. 20000 died.
- Oskar Schindler - smuggled jews away and hid them. mascaraed them as his workers to save them. later honoured
- increasing resistance to Nazis in general as war turned bad.
7
Q
who was responsible for the final solution?
A
- Hitler
- civil service bureaucracy collected and stored information on who was jewish
- the police handed jews over to SS
- the Wehrmacht - army leaders knew what was going on but did nothing
- industry - large companies benefited from slave labour
- german people- antisemitism was wide spread + contributed to Nazis getting away with policies. too many people turned a blind eye
8
Q
why did the Nazi leaders not admit defeat even when it was clear they would lose?
A
BLIND COMMITMENT TO HITLER
- nothing else to lose
- tried + were executed for war crimes
- felt they would receive no mercy at end of war
9
Q
what did the allies agree would happen to germany at the end of the war?
A
- they agreed the country should be divided up into 4 zones
- also agreed that germany would be demilitarised, denazified and democratised.
10
Q
who were the Trümmerfrauen?
A
- women known as Trümmerfrauen (rubble women) working individually or in groups started clearing the remains of bombed buildings, brick by brick, laying them in piles waiting for rebuilding to start
- as time went on work became more organised and they were given equipment to use
11
Q
what was the refugee crisis after the war?
A
- germans in eastern europe fled or were forced to leave their homes
- an estimated 12-14 million german speakers became refugees. there were no vehicles available so refugees walked the hundreds of kilometres across eastern europe towards germany
- for many germany had never been their home and they were not welcomed when they arrived
12
Q
why did denazification pose problems for the Soviets and western powers?
A
- difficult to establish the impact of Nazi propaganda on ordinary people
- thousands of government officials military commanders + teachers had been a part of the nazi party
- had to appoint german officials to carry this out in the east, they often sympathetic with the people they were investigating , similar to german review boards established in western zones
13
Q
how did the western powers carry out denazification?
A
- intelligence units began gathering info on Nazis in 1944
- leading Nazis were arrested
- all germans over 18 had to complete a questionnaire detailing past political activity and beliefs + jobs they had
- allied intelligence officers investigated all senior public officials + around 50000 were dismissed
- also investigated teachers and members of the health profession, then leaders of business+ worker organisation
14
Q
what were german review boards?
A
- in september 1945 they created german review boards, ran by appointed germans.
- by 1948 these boards had investigated around 3.5 million cases.
- out of 5000 trials, 4000 found guilty. 500 executed.
15
Q
what was the reeducation program?
A
- they wanted to expose germans to the full horror of what the nazis had done.
- german citizens were forced to view pamphlets, photographs and newsreels
16
Q
how did the USSR carry out denazification?
A
- determined to stamp out nazism as effectively as possible
- tore down evidence of nazis in street eg. flags and banners
- high ranking nazis were imprisoned in soviet run camps. thousands of gov officials also sent
- soviets removed 1/3 of german teachers + scrapped the nazi school curriculum and textbooks. sacked large numbers of public servants
- soviet military administration set up commissions that investigated the thousands who had been members of nazi party. took a long time and were often sympathetic as some german officials had to be appointed
- 300,000 convicted of low level involvement
- by 1948 the USSR had reinstated elected government run by communist east german leader Walter Ulbricht
17
Q
which side was more effective at denazification?
A
- both sides found german officials were often sympathetic to those who had been Nazi party members
- western zones turned a blind eye to wrong doing as they needed germans that had desirable skills
- western zones divided - french americans and british had slightly different approaches
- soviets could be more repressive - therefore denazified better?
- both sides wound down denazification programmes in 1948
18
Q
what was the federal republic?
A
- british, US and French zones merged.
- founded on constitution ‘Basic Law’. west germany still divided and relied on coalition but the new constitution and watchful allies made sure a new Nazi or communist threat could not emerge.
- Adnauer formed Christian Democratic party. coalition with other parties. became chancellor 1949- 1963
- banned socialist Reich Party in 1952 and communists in 1956
19
Q
what was Betriebsunfall?
A
- WHITEWASHING HISTORY.
- many struggled to come to terms with what happened in the war.
- 1 response was the Nazi period had been a 12 year aberration. it was effectively written out of history.
- it helped some feel loyal to the state and brought stability
20
Q
what was the economic miracle after the war?
A
- won the german peoples support.
- economy grew by 8% every year 1948-1954.
- unemployment 8%-4% even with rise in refugee population.
- west germans began to associate economic successes with democracy.
- it was helped by Marshall aid but also east german immigrants had useful skills = boosted economy
21
Q
what was the co-determination law?
A
- large businesses had to allow trade union officials to sit on their board of directors to represent workers.
- work councils = compulsory for companies to keep workers informed about management plans (undermined communist support)
22
Q
European coal and steel community….
A
- convinced neighbours Germany was peaceful.
- beginnings of EU.
- by 1954 West Germany was stable, democratic and trustworthy
23
Q
what happened in the German Democratic Republic (east)
A
- soviets introduced elected assemblies in the eastern sector quite early on.
- in theory the GDR was a multiparty democracy but in reality Moscow ensured the communist party was always dominant
- Walter Ulbrecht was dominant figure - scrapped democratic constitution in 1950 and reorganised the SED on the same lines as the USSR
- purged political opponents
- formation of the Stasi
- compulsory state control of agriculture
- food, industrial equipment (including 1400 entire factories) were shipped from east germany to the USSR. looting and rape were common
- 1948 onwards = confiscation of 7000 landowners estates and redistributed to peasants.
- private schools abolished
- 1952 - the Building of Socialism program introduced = no economic miracle. more focus on engineering + industry than consumer goods
- increased focus on military led to shortages of butter and sugar
- protests eg 1953 dealt with harshly by Stasi and police
