Wartime Germany 39-45 Flashcards
1
Q
Causes of ww2
A
-Hitler’s agressive foreign policy and plan for lebensraum
- Weak international system
- USA and USSR were isolationalist
- Britain and France suffering from aftermath of depression
- Feeling the Treaty of Versailles was excessively harsh, Chamberlain followed policy of appeasement (actually encouraged Hitler)
- USSR, France and Britain could have worked together to try and prevent Nazi invasion of Poland, but there was no cooperation and eventually the USSR signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact`
2
Q
1939-41 German successes in the war
A
- After taking Poland in 4 weeks, a period known as the phoney war began
- This was broken by the invasion of scandinavia in March 1940
- Germany had taken control of France by June
- German forces engaged the allies in North Africa and they launched a huge offensive against the Soviet Union and seized large amounts of territory
3
Q
1941-43 tide turning in the war
A
- USA joined war in 1941
- German Army defeated at El Alamein in 1942 in N Africa
- Germans overstretched in Soviet Union, suffered catastrophic defeat at Stalingrad Jan 43
- Red Army began to push Wehrmacht back
- From May 43, Allies started to win battle of the atlantic
4
Q
1944-45 German defeat
A
- June 1944, third front opened in northern France and allies pushed Germans back towards Berlin
- USSR saw a string of successes with Operation Bagration
- By April 1945, Nazi Germany had been defeated
5
Q
Civilian morale early in the war
A
- Though meat was rationed, it remained at a resonable level of 500g until April 42
- Extra rations given at Christmas and to those in strenuous jobs
- Early victories in Poland and western Europe would have helped to boost morale
- Propaganda may also have had an impact
- Hitler resisted Speer’s calls to mobilise women into the work force. He felt that retaining traditional female roles and sticking to the Nazi ideology would be better for morale
6
Q
Declining civilian morale
A
- Working coditions difficult: hours increased, particularly in armaments
- Some young people did not like the militarisation of Hitler Youth in 1939
- The disaster of Stalingrad could not be covered up by the regime due to the number of casualties.
- Military defeat damaged morale and sparked some criticism towards Hitler, who by this point was rarely seen in public. Geobbels had much more become to face fo the party by this point
- Allied bombing reduced morale in certain areas. Bombing raids killed tens of thousands in Hamburg and most famously, Dresden. 2 million homes were destroyed across Germany
- Soviet advance from 1943 and the consequent threat of invasion made many Germans fearful
- V1 and V2 rocket campaigns in 1944 failed to decisively impact the war, caused morale to decline
