KPD + SPD Nazi Opposition (Booklet 7)

what were the KPD and the SPD

the 2 largest groups to resist the Nazi regime

before 1933, how many members supported the SPD

a million

what did these members do

operated with the intention of inspiring workers to take action against the Nazis

how many voters were supporting the SPD before 1933

5 million

when were the SPD forced to disband

June 1933

when were the SPD’s funds seized

may 1933

what did they quickly form as a form of resistance

an underground organisation → e.g. Red Shock Troop

how many members did the red shock troop have by the end of 1933

3000

what was their newspaper like

called ‘The Red Shock Troop’, circulated every 10 days

when were members/leaders of the organisation arrested by gestapo and sent to concentration camps

December 1933

where did the escaping Spd leaders go

went to Prague → Paris → London in exile

what is another newspaper they created and circulated

‘Socialist Action’ (only until January 1935)

how had their motive changed by the end of 1938

no longer trying to inspire revolutionary activity, now they were trying to collect data on views on the regime

what were the reports they produced called

SOPADE reports

what was concluded by the end of 1938 (by SOPADE reports)

underground resistance was too dangerous → Nazi regime became accepted as a ‘fact of life’

overall, what did the Spd come to conclude

the Nazi regime was way too powerful → could only be overthrown by a coup led by the German army

therefore, what type of threat did they pose

persistent + low-level, minor/moderate

how many communists were detained in concentration camps from 1933-1939

150,000

how many further communists were executed between 1933-1939

30,000

what did the SS do in a matter of weeks following Hitler’s rise to power (early 1933)

launched a series of brutal raids on w.c. suburbs in major German cities

what was the aim of these raids

to demoralise communists and deter them from resisting the Nazi regime

what was seized during these raids (3)

1. duplicating machines

2. typewriters

3. propaganda material

where did KPD leaders flee to (to escape persecution)

Prague → Paris → Moscow

in the summer of 1933, how many KPD members continued to pay contributions to the party (in support)

50%

between 1933-1935, how many KPD members were active in the underground network

10% → roughly 36,000

what was the most important communist underground activity

the distribution of anti-Nazi literature → leaflets, newspapers etc.

what was the leading communist newspaper

‘Red Flag’ → distributed from 1933-1935

how many communist anti-Nazi pamphlets were discovered by Nazi officials in 1935

1.67 million

how many months on average did it take the gestapo to find underground KPD activity

6 months

by 1938, how many examples of KPD communist opposition remained

3800

what had happened to the KPD by the late 1930s

a large proportion of the w.c had to be neutralised + accept the regime (despite not favouring/agreeing with it)

what was this the result of

Hitler’s foreign policy success + unemployment decreasing