Conservative elite opposition - Army

Where did influential active resistance emerge from?

Upper classes, who dominated the civil service and, most importantly, the officer corps.

What was the army as an institution like?

It was not fully co-ordinated (until summer 1944) and therefore enjoyed a degree of freedom from Nazi control.

What did the conservative elites access to army mean?

They had a real capacity to resist.

But they failed in their primary objective.

What occurred from 1939 - 41?

Some army officers and foreign office officials became outraged by the criminality of the massacres and destruction on the Eastern front.

When did organised resistance start to emerge?

Emerged slowly from 1942.

Who were the key members of the Kreisau Circle?

• Helmouth James Graf von Moltke.

• Ulrich von Hassell.

• Carl Friedrich Goerdeler.

• Henning von Tresckow.

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Who was Helmuth James Graf von Moltke?

The Great nephew of field Marshal Moltke.

Who was Ulrich von Hassell?

A lawyer and diplomat,

What was the Kreisau Circle?

A wide-ranging group of officers, aristocrats, academics and churchmen who met at the Kreisau estate of Helmuth von Moltke.

What did the Kreisau Circle discuss?

Plans for a new Germany,

What did the Kreisau Circle do in August 1943?

A programme was drawn up in the ‘Basic Principles for the New Order’.

Were conservative and strongly influenced by christian values.

What did the principles of the programme call for?

• Principle of law.

• Upholding of freedoms and civil rights.

• Democratic integration of Germany into an interdependent Europe.

What elements were there some of in the group?

Pacifist elements who were even opposed to killing Hitler.