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
