Germany past paper 10 markers

Which of the following had a greater impact on German civilians in the years 1939-1945
I) the policy of total war
II) allied bombing

I)

→total war transformed the German home front after 1943

→with 20 million men conscripted, labour shortages were critical - gov turned to women and POWs; by 1945, women made 60% of workforce - nazi ideology ‘3 K’s’ restricted women’s roles

→consumer goods collapsed in first 2 years of war - clothing sales fell by 25% - mattered because civilians experience falling living standards (longer hours)

→impact was gradual and indirect, demanded sacrifice for war effort but did not destroy civilians

→many germans initially accepted rationing and labour as necessary so little impact

→the economy’s problems were much due to Nazi inefficiencies as to total war

Which of the following had a greater impact on German civilians in the years 1939-1945
I) the policy of total war
II) allied bombing

II)

→ brought direct/ immediate

→blanket bombing destroyed 3.6 million homes and killed 400,000 civillians, difference is that bombing was not a plead but inflicted - so no adaptation

→air raid sirens, firestorms (Hamburg 1943, Dresden 1945) brought terror and fear

→damaged factories and reduced consumer goods (this economic impact may exaggerated until late war)

→undermined regimes core promise of security, whereas total war only asked for harder work compared to no rationale except survival

→bombing created the conditions in which total war became unbearable, as total war worst effects (food riots) came after bombing had already broken morale

With which social group did the Nazis have greater success in imposing their ideals in the years 1933-39?
I) youth
II) women

I) Hitler youth collective idea, over 70% of boys invited, also 1 set up for girls, youth free from influence from parents, easier than to impose on women, eradicated ruthlessly

With which social group did the Nazis have greater success in imposing their ideals in the years 1933-39?
I) youth
II) women

II) aryan values, some women saw it as a relief, happy to go back to normal family life, rise in birth rate, less welcome contraceptive advice, over 1 million fatherless, Hitler wanted strong youth for army, makeup & sensible dress easy to impose, perfect family household harder to impose, Hitler gave money to families to have more children

Which of the following had greater consequences for the lives of German civilians in the years 1939-1949?
I) the impact of WW2
II) the impact of the Cold War 1949

II) immediate and brutal impact of WW2 ruptured lives of germans greatly

→policy of total war after 1943, mobilised the entire population, labour shortages due to conscription of 13.7 million men forced women into workforce - contradicting their ‘3 Ks’ ideology

→allied bombing inflicted the widespread trauma, 3.6 million homes destroyed, 400,000 killed, 7.5 homeless - engendered a disaffection that grew as defeat became inevitable

→war did not bring relief but instead the finality was a violent collapse of the state

→widespread scale of death, and long-term repair

Which of the following had greater consequences for the lives of German civilians in the years 1939-1949?
I) the impact of WW2
II) the impact of the Cold War 1949

→while consequences of WW2 were immediate, the Cold War evolved over time making it less severe, and stimulated from WW2

→division of germany, directly inflicted suffering and created new crises

→ideological clash between east and West Berlin led to berlin blockade which cut off all land routes other than West Berlin, leaving its 2 million citizens facing starvation (consequence was immediate and terrifying directly threatening the survival of millions (exacerbated the post-war economic crisis)

→the currency reform in June 1948, deutsche mark in the west, created an economic split, while it helped end the black market it deepened tensions

→most of the post-1945 suffering - the ‘hunger winter’ of 1946-47 which caused at least 100,000 deaths from cold and malnutrition was a direct legacy of the war’s devastation

Which of the following was of greater importance in the establishment of the Nazi Dictatorship in the period from 1933 to 1939?

(i) Censorship and propaganda
(ii) The SS

→played a vital role in creating public acceptance

→Goebbels’ controlled all media: newspapers, radios and 1933 burning books removing ‘un-german ideas’

→trump of the will film (cinema was popular) ritualised Hitler as a divine leader

→without public consent, the regime would have faced constant protest

→however it was fundamentally limited as it could only persuade, not coerce

→only worked best where there was already sympathy, for committed opponents such as church, communists etc, it was ineffective

→impact of propaganda was hard to measure; many germans may have outwardly conformed while inwardly opposed the regime

Which of the following was of greater importance in the establishment of the Nazi Dictatorship in the period from 1933 to 1939?

(i) Censorship and propaganda
(ii) The SS

→SS, in contrast was the coercive backbone, eliminating opposition

→under Himmler, SS ran the gestapo and concentration camps such as Dachau

→after night of long knives, the SS crushed the SA and became answerable only to Hitler

→SS systematically destroyed organised resistance: KPD was banned, trade unions broke and political opponents arrested W/O trial

→terror did not require consent - it required fear

→SS created an atmosphere where eventhe most committed opposition was suppressed through brutal tactics, enabling Hitler to consolidate power unchallenged. →thus, while propaganda sought to manipulate public perception, it was the SS's violent enforcement that ultimately secured Nazi control over Germany.

which of the following was the most important cause of tension over germany during the period 1945-1949? Bizonia or berlin blockade

→british and American merged - deliberately excluded the soviet zone showing that Germany would not be treated as a single economic unit

→meant 3 out of 4 occupation zones were now operating as a capitalist bloc soviets saw it as a violation of the Potsdam agreement, promising a unified German economy

→bizonia also enabled distinction separation of human and industrial resources: introduction of Marshall plan and currency reform later (1948)

→sovits interpreted it as the west abandoning any intention of a unified, socialist-leaning germany

→bizonias impact was gradual economic policy rather than immediate military threat, did not risk war

→economic misuse of Germany’s industrial capacity was already making division salient and bizonia merely accelerated a process than had begun with the breakdown of allied cooperation in 1946

which of the following was the most important cause of tension over germany during the period 1945-1949? Bizonia or berlin blockade

→most important cause of tension as it turned economic disagreement into a direct military crisis

→following the creation of bizonia and currency reform, Stalin cut all access routes to West Berlin, leaving 2 million without food or fuel.

→unlike Bizonia, which was a policy decision by the west, the blockade was a suddent act from the soviets requiring a response - berlin airlift

→made cold war international, american and british planes supplying the city for 11 months

→blockade weakened the USSR's influence over the east, as the german population in the west saw the airlift as a humanitarian gesture

→blockade directly led to creation of two separate german states: federal republic and the german democratic republic making it irreversible