German dictatorship and democracy 1919-1963 key issue 3 (the impact of war and defeat on Germany, 1939-1949)

what was the nature of WW2/total war?

-civivilian involvement (consciption/war work)

-new types of warfare (planes and bombing)

-economic changes (nature of production/rationinh/work)

-tighter control of propoganda (morale is essential)

-more terror/repression

-support for regime against a “common enemy”

how did Germany use rationing?

-early introduction, more than britain- diet monotonous but 2/5 germans more healthy. meat and dairy limited

-clothes and soap rationed, toilet paper unavailable, hot water 2x a week

-declaration of total war, sweet shops closed

-people used black market for goods

what was the impact of allied bombing on the german people statistically overall

-overall 400,000 germans killed, 500,000 severely injured or disabled, 3.6 million homes destroyed

describe the main bombing attacks

1940 Hamburg- 70 raids on the city, next 2 years 137. First bomber raid 30th May 1942 killed nearly 500 people, 1350,000 residents fled, 12,500 buildings were damaged

-in 1943 the UK and Us agree to increase air war, the clock bombing of germany

-24th july hamburg causes firestorm, 40,000 civilians killed

-Dresden 13th-15th Feb 1945- 1300 heavy bombers killed 35,000 germans

what changed in total war economy?

-1939-41 military expidenture doubled, 55% workforce relied on war, consumer goods availability low

-Sept 1939 8290 planes produced, only increased to 10,780 in 1941- inefficiency, lack of central control and coordination

-The Office Of The Four Year Plan- SS and armed forces wanted quality>quantity- resulted in failure to achieve levels of armament production when USSR invasion

-Labour shortage, 24.5 million employed 1939 down to 20.5 million 1940

-recruited foreign workers from europe, 1939 women= 37% labour force

explain total war and Albert Speer's impact

-1941 production shortages, armament production lower than Britain

-‘Rationalisation Decree’ issued by Hitler December 1941 to reform economy and eliminate waste

-in feb 1942 albert speer was appointed minister of armaments and he implemented ‘industrial self responsibility’ to ensure mass production

-Central Planning Board established April 1942 , speer introduced 3 policies:

1) using conc camp prisoners as workers

2) employing women in armament factories

3) ending conscription of skilled workers

-eliminated professional sport ect

-first 6 months, tanks increase by 25% , total arms production increase by 59%

-could’ve been more but speer had impact of allied bombing, SS exploiting land ect

what was the impact on jewish people off occupation of land in the East

-1939 occupation of poland caused 3 million jews under nazi control

-war made jewish resettlement difficult, and the ghettos in warsaw and krakow

-by spring 1942, 500,000 jews murdered by SS

explain the end of resettlement within the "final solution"

functionalist opinion— extermination likely after defeat became likely, intentionalist opinion- hitler committed for a long time

-when it became clear war wirh USSR would not end fast, resettlement became impossible

-Wannsee Conference Jan 1942 agreed to conscript jewish people into labour gangs, expecting many to die

-1942 conc camps converted into extermination camps, most immediately killed, or made to work until they couldn’t

-overall 6 million killed, 4000 survived

what was opposition like during WW2?

-Nazi Youth support decreased and people joined SY or EP instead.

-white rose in Munich made leaflets, however were caught and executed

-Bonhoeffer involved in plot to assassinate Hitler, arrested and hung in Oct 1942

-opposition in army. winter 1942/3 and Kreisau Circle was formed- significant opposition because members were influential

-army began to plot against Hitler with individuals such as Ludwig Beck

-July Bomb Plot attempt to assassinate Hitler, he used it to arrest 7000 opponents, nearly 5000 killed

what are the reasons for lack of resistance?

-it was unpopular and treacherous
-repression of regimes, eg Gestapo
-acceptance of Germans??
-too divided

name and describe 5 impacts of WW2 on the German people

STUNDE NULLE

-‘zero hour’ - germanys collapse and desperation

-however, still efficient civil service, local gov ect

FORCED LABOUR

-1939 Stalin proposed millions of germans to rebuild USSR, 111,000 worked in slave labour conditions

-USSR invasion on East, 150,000 germans sent to work in USSR- overall 271000 and 200,000 returned

NUREMBERG TRAILS

-nazi accused of crimes

REFUGEES

-at Yalta it was agreed that Poles and Czechs could remove germans- half a million killed

-1 in 2 germans on the move, 12 million from east, 10 million from camps, 12 million prisoners of war

DESTRUCTION

-last 2 weeks of war, 40,000 tonnes of soviet artillery shells on Berlin left 20 million homeless, 2/3 of men born in 1918 dead by 1945

-may 1945, million livestock killed, rural populations abandoned farms, 1945 950-1100 calories a day

What caused the breakdown of the Grand Alliance?

Yalta- 4th-11th feb 1945, Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill- attempted plans for peace and occupation

Potsdam- July-Aug, 4 Ds, decided on: 4 zones, Alsace and Lorraine given back to France, 1/4 territory lost, USSR take 1/4 of reparations

Currency Reform- In US 1945, made Military mark, USSR printed too much so lost value. 20th June 1948, Erhard makes Deutschmark , but soviets refuse and make their own

Berlin Blockade- June 1948-May 1949, soviets blocked access to west berlin, allies made airlift to fly food, medical supplies, fuels, 16th april 1949, plane landed every minute, overall 394,509 tons and 279,000 flights