Opposition and resistance agianst the Nazis

Who were the initial people who resisted the Nazis

it was from the left

the KPD was younger more radical and wanted to confront the Nazis

the SPD were older and more cautious. they helped maintain a network of information

What was the problem with these resistance groups

to remain safe you have to remain small

if these movements grew, you would get denounced

What about the military/conservative resistance

after Stalingrad the tide was turning against Germany

Old conservatives became more marginalised as the Nazis became more radical

but Hitler shared a vision of German dominated Europe with many

Who were the 2 Generals dismissed by the Nazis

Frich and von Blomburg

Did alot of army officers take part in genocide and what does that imply

yes, and it mean that the camps were not the main reason for them to resist the Nazis

Why did some army officer resist against the Nazi

Most officers did not reject Nazi ideology and shared nationalist or conservative values

but they were concerned for Germany’s survival as the war turned against them

they wanted to preserve Germany

What was the Red Orchestra

anti resistance workers

it referred to a loose network of resistance groups

they printed and distributed leaflets

they Aided jews and resistance to escape the regime

they documented the atrocities of the Nazis

transmitted military intelligence to Allies

Red Orchestra (the Soviet one)

Soviet intelligence networks built up by Leopold Trepper on behalf of the Main Directorate of State Security

used latest tech, in the form of small wireless radios to communicate with Soviet intelligence

the tech allowed the organisation to behave as a network, able to deliver tactical surprise and deliver high quality intelligence including warning of Operation Barbarossa

operated in Belgium, France and the low countries

Ludwig August Theador beck

General Beck was Chief of German Staff durring early years of Nazi regime before WW2

he had grave misgiving about all army people having to swear an oath of loyalty

was became increasingly disillusioned from 1935-38 when he was serving as the Chief of Staff of German Army

he opposed increasing totalitarianism

Due to foreign policy disagreement he resigned in 1938

He was a major leader within the July bomb plot and would have served as head of state if it worked

How many meetings did the Gestapo claim to have broken up in 1936

10000

How many anti Nazi leaflet did the Gestapo claimed to have siezed in 1936

1.6 million

Kreisau Circle

• Group of ~25 German dissidents led by Helmuth James von Moltke

• Members included nobles, Protestants, Catholics, professionals, socialists, conservatives

• Opposed Hitler on moral and religious grounds

• Discussed plans for reorganizing Germany after the Third Reich

• Did not promote violent overthrow, but Nazis saw their planning as treasonous

• Collapsed after Moltke’s arrest in January 1944 and the July 20 plot crackdown}

Carl Friedrich Goerdeler

• Conservative monarchist politician and economist

• Opposed anti‑Jewish policies and the Holocaust

• Would have become Chancellor if the July 20 plot succeeded

• After arrest, revealed names of many co‑conspirators to the Gestapo

• His disclosures led to mass arrests and executions

• Executed by hanging in February 1945}

Henning Hermann Karl Robert von Tresckow

• German Army officer and key resistance organizer

• Attempted to assassinate Hitler on 13 March 1943

• Drafted the Valkyrie plan for a coup

• Called the “prime mover” and “evil spirit” of the July 20 plot by the Gestapo

• Committed suicide on the Eastern Front after the plot failed}

 

Claus Philipp Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg

• German army officer, hereditary titles “Graf” (count) and “Schenk” (cupbearer)

• Central figure in Wehrmacht resistance alongside Tresckow and Oster

• Best known for leading the failed July 20, 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler at the Wolf’s Lair

• Took part in campaigns in Poland, Soviet Union, and Tunisia

• Executed by firing squad after Operation Valkyrie failed}

Friedrich Wilhelm Waldemar Fromm

• German Army officer, Commander in Chief of the Replacement Army (Ersatzheer)

• Oversaw training and personnel replacement for combat divisions

• Recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross

• Executed for failing to act against the July 20 plot to assassinate Hitler}

Hans Fritz Scholl

• Co‑founder of the White Rose resistance movement with Alexander Schmorell

• Principal author of resistance leaflets distributed against the Nazi regime

• Executed in February 1943 after arrest for White Rose activities}

lexander Schmorell

• Russian‑German student at Munich University

• Co‑founder of the White Rose resistance group with Hans Scholl

• Active against the Nazi regime from June 1942 to February 1943

• Glorified as a saint and passion bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in 2012}

White Rose

• Non‑violent, intellectual resistance group led by students at the University of Munich

• Conducted anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaigns calling for opposition to the Nazis

• Active from June 1942 until Gestapo arrests in February 1943

• Members Hans and Sophie Scholl, Christoph Probst executed by guillotine on 22 February 1943

• Authored six leaflets, ~15,000 copies distributed across southern Germany

• Denounced Nazi crimes, openly condemned persecution and mass murder of Jews

• Began establishing contacts with other resistance groups before their arrest

• Today remembered as one of the most famous German resistance movements}

Johann Georg Elser

• German worker who attempted to assassinate Hitler on 8 November 1939 at the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich

• Constructed and placed a bomb that killed 8 and injured 62, but Hitler left earlier than expected

• Arrested and held prisoner for over five years

• Executed at Dachau concentration camp in April 1945, shortly before Germany’s surrender}

Julius Leber

• German politician of the SPD (Social Democratic Party)

• Active member of the German resistance against the Nazi regime

• Executed in January 1945 for his involvement in resistance activities}

What is Hitler seen as in the myth

his is the great defender of the volk

he is above everything, a demagogue

the saviour that is above the dirty work of the regime

by 1944 when things are falling apart, still no one blames him

What are some of the things propaganda tell about Hitler

he is associated with reversing Versailles

he becomes a symbol of this

What are somethings that made him look like a saint

surviving assassination

fixing the economy

what is the timeline of the Hitler myth

in 1938 was strong as it was peace time

but by 1940 it peaks as they conqour Europe, with images of Nazi in Paris

but the myth declines after Stalingrad in 1943

What is the line

the state and Hitler is presented as separate

opposition is so divided

without the support of the millitary it is so hard to have a chance of success

1st paragraph : yes there were some grumbling

2nd paragraph : there was no chance of it working