History WWII

  • Reichstag

    • German legislation

  • Victory Column

    • Commissioned in 1864, inaugurated in 1873

    • Right across from the Reichstag

    • Bronze relieves

    • 3 sections/barrels represent the three different wars before it was made

    • Another barrel was added to commemorate WWI

  • Bismark

    • Faces the Victory Column

  • Hitler wanted to make Berlin a very powerful city

    • Wanted to make architecture that symbolized a strong city

The idea of Germany

  • Charlamagne

    • The first holy Roman emperor

    • Crowned by the Pope

    • Made a huge European empire

    • Referred more to national identity than nationalism

  • Hitler refers to Charlamagne as his inspiration

    • Hitler wants to conquer much of the territory Charlamagne conquered

  • The First Reich

    • Created by Charlamagne

    • Lasted from 800-1870

  • The Second Reich

    • Established by Bismarck

    • 1870-1918

  • The Third Reich

    • Established by Hitler

    • 1933-2933

    • Wanted this to be a “1,000-year Reich”

  • Between the Second and Third Reich    

    • Germany is suffering from WWI

    • The Allies ordered the German emperor to step down

    • Established a democracy in Germany

  • Hitler denounces the Democracy

    • Starts to spread German nationalism

  • Fascism at its core is a radical nationalism!

  • Roman Empire

    • By 1789 it was widely divided into multiple governments/kingdoms

    • Commonly referred to by fascists

  • Napoleon

    • Referred to the one who gave birth to modern nationalism

    • After being appointed to defend France, he extended France into an empire

  • Why was Napoleon’s reign referred to as the birth of modern nationalism?

    • Soldiers could barely even understand each other, and Napoleon’s goal was to unify his soldiers and bring them together

    • French bureaucracy, French law, French way of life is what brought Napoleon’s soldiers together

    • Begins to spread education throughout France

    • Napoleon starts to define what it means to be French

  • People feel the most nationalism when they feel threatened

    • This may come after an attack or wounds from another nation

  • Lord Nelson

    • Greatly spread British nationalism for his heroics

    • Innovated naval warfare

  • Battle of Trafalgar

    • Napoleon really wanted to control Britain because of its riches

    • Napoleon was challenged because he couldn’t fight on land and he had to fight on water

    • Lord Nelson’s idea of “Crossing the T”

      • Lined up his boats parallel to each other perpendicular to the attacking French

    • Lord Nelson was greatly wounded but still issued orders as he was dying

      • This made the British proud and spread British nationalism

  • Nelson’s column

    • Built around 1843 in Trafalgar Square

    • Lions at the base represent British national identity

    • Bronze relieves are at the bottom made out of captured French cannons

  • St. Paul’s Cathedral

    • Consecrated in 1697

    • This is where Lord Nelson is buried

    • Nazis attacked this site with Blitzkrieg, but never destroyed it

      • This spread nationalism during WWII because it’s where Lord Nelson is buried

      • This signifies again how Lord Nelson is such a symbol of Nationalism in Britain

  • Napoleon invades Russia in 1812

    • France’s goal was to be out of Russia by the winter

    • They were unsuccessful in doing this which was a huge disadvantage for France

    • Russia destroyed their own land, but it greatly deprived Napoleon

  • Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo in 1815

  • Congress of Vienna (post-Napoleonic wars)

    • Decides how to get rid of French institutions spread by Napoleon

    • They decide how to stay safe from France and maintain peace in the future

    • Led by Klemens von Metternich

    • Established the German Confederation

  • Klemens von Metternich

    • Leader of the Congress of Vienna

    • Decided that Europe should go back to the pre-Napoleonic ways

    • Wanted to go back to old, traditional Europe    

  • Napoleon sent into exile after defeat    

    • He felt the Napoleonic code was his greatest accomplishment

  • Power politics/Realpolitik tries to strike fear into other countries to keep them from invading each other

    • Parallels Thomas Hobbes

    • Wanted leaders to fear the consequences of conquest

    • Larger countries started building alliances with other countries which balanced out everyone’s power

    • Military strength

    • Economic self-sufficiency

      • Allowed countries to depend on their own economy, and not their alliance countries

      • Tariffs and production/labor policies

    • Concert of Europe

      • Venue of negotiations and discussions about Europe

  • Thomas Hobbes

    • Had the idea that humans seek power and glory, which propels us forward

    • Our fear of death is what limits us

    • Says that a powerful government allows for control to be kept

  • Internationalism/interdependence says that if all countries depend upon each other, they are less likely to invade each other

    • Derives from Immanuel Kant and Adam Smith

    • Free international trade and no tariffs

    • The idea of specialization says that countries should produce what they are best at producing

      • Also called comparative advantage

    • Contracts and trade agreements

    • Common international law

    • These were all ideas that built the League of Nations

Putting Germany on a Map

  • The German Confederation (1815)

    • It was made up of several different states that had close alliances with each other but were separated by different governments

    • There was no central government between the states

    • This was designed by Metternich and the Congress of Vienna

    • Many similarities with the Holy Roman Empire

    • Northern Germany was Protestant and Southern Germany was Catholic

  • German Zollverein

    • Customs union established in 1834

    • Certain areas of the German Confederation made an agreement to make free trade across their borders

    • Starts industrialization and advancements in northern Germany

    • Southern Germany continues to focus on traditional agriculture during the German Zollverein

    • Tensions between north and south Germany

  • Frankfurt Assembly took place May 18-31,1848   

    • New revolutionary, liberal ideas are presented

      • Liberal ideas want to grant people basic rights, get more people to vote, move forward with the economy, and have a common government

    • Establish a Bill of Rights which tries to unify Germany as a state

    • Austria-Hungary is not included because they don’t want to be a part of the liberal government and maintain its own traditions

    • Constitutional monarchy established

  • 1848 is very important

    • Establishes the consensus of the desire of a united German state

    • Germany maintains their identity as a conservative state

      • They did not establish liberal idea

  • Otto von Bismarck

    • Made it his goal to unite Germany

    • Tried to get Prussia to join the new German state

  • Blood and Iron Speech

    • Says that Germany is meant to be a strong centralized state

    • Calls for a strong military

    • Wants to use the military to fight wars of unification

    • He thought this would unify Germany

  • Germany and Austria fight against Denmark in 1863

    • Took over Denmark

    • Bismarck didn’t share territory with Austria

  • Prussia fights against Austria in 1866

    • Prussia defeats Austria

    • Prussia had the military advantage because of their industrialized economy

    • Prussia doesn’t overtake Austria

    • Bismarck implements the constitution created and implements it among north German states, which leads to the unification of north Germany

  • North German Confederation fights France in 1870

    • Spain’s new monarch is from Prussia, which France did not want

    • France feels threatened because of the potential of there being two German leaders

    • Germany doesn’t take over France, but they establish their power in Europe

  • German nation state is formed on the ma in 1871

    • Treaty in Paris is signed on January 18, 1871

    • Treaty is signed in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles

    • France starts to collapse from anarchists

Imperialism, power, expansionism, racism as a background to World War

  • Bismarck was not interested in expanding Germany

    • He felt that his goal was more to unify Germany

    • NOT to EXPAND Germany

  • Berlin Conference in 1884-1885

    • Tensions started to emerge about Africa

    • Bismarck presented himself as a third-party “broker” to help the other European nations split up Africa

    • Bismarck felt the balance of power in Africa should represent the balance of power in Europe

    • Bismarck wanted the tensions to be focused more on Africa than Germany

  • Why did European countries want territory in Africa?

    • Economic argument - They wanted to be self-sufficient take resources found in Africa for themselves. This was a weak argument because Africa didn’t have a lot of resources

    • Nationalism argument - They wanted to make sure the other European countries weren’t getting more territory than them

  • Partition of Africa

    • France had a lot of northwest Africa

    • England had territory in Egypt and South Africa

  • European economics in Africa

    • European countries wanted to take advantage of African resources

    • There weren’t a lot of resources in Africa, so this was a weak argument

  • European nationalism in Africa

    • Europeans wanted to make sure other countries weren’t getting more territory

    • This led to an arms race and nationalistic competition

  • Boer War, 1899-1902

    • English fought against Dutch people who had settled in South Africa

    • The English thought these people were “in the way”

    • The Dutch people fought in guerilla warfare

  • The English people took the women and children and put them in camps to frustrate/worry the Dutch

    • These camps led to the concentration camps we saw in World War II

    • Many people died in the Boer War concentration camps

  • Herero/Namaqua conflict, 1904-19907

    • The Herero and Namaqua people were farmers

    • Germany was trying to take Herero and Namaqua people

    • Germany brutally killed the Herero and Namaqua people and took over the territory

    • This was seen as the first genocide in history

  • Why was empire an important background to war in the 20th century?

    • Empire was the context for arms buildup and nationalistic tensions growing

    • It was the start of propaganda

    • Ideas about hierarchy and racism began

The Great War

  • Geneva Conventions 1864;1906

    • Sought to establish humanitarian standards for the care of the sick and wounded

    • This is where the Red Cross was established

    • Wartime conduct

  • Hague Conventions 1899;1907

    • Sought to limit arms buildup

    • Sought to limit the types of weapons that countries can use

    • There was no meeting in 1914 because that’s when the war started

  • The Hague and Geneva Conventions were important for the trends we’d see in war

  • Willhelm II

    • He wanted to expand Germany’s empire

    • He wanted Germany to “find its place in the sun”

    • This caused tensions between Germany and England

  • Dreadnought

    • A large boat built by England to overpower German ships

  • Alliance systems in World War I    

    • Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey

    • Britain, France, Italy, Russia were driven to stop Germany

  • World War I started in 1914

  • Trench warfare

    • Main type of warfare in World War I

    • Soldiers were attacked by gas even though it was deemed illegal in conventions

  • Tanks were a response to trench warfare

    • Tanks were seen as a land version of “Dreadnought”

  • German U-8/submarine

    • Secretly attacked ships from underneath

  • Lusitania sinking on May 7, 1915

    • Part of the background of the US getting involved in the war

    • The ship was also carrying ammunition

    • Many Americans wanted to go to war after this

    • This got a lot of press and put pressure on the US government to go to war

    • They DID NOT enter the war until 2 years later

  • Zeppelin Raid

    • Were deemed illegal in the Hague Conventions

    • They were deemed as ungentlemanly because they killed women and children

  • Ungentlemanly conduct caused a lot of disputes about humanity

    • Many attacks were deemed illegal in the Hague Conventions

  • Ideas in New Imperialism leading up to World War I (these led to Hitler’s ideas)

    • Balance of power politics

    • Protectionism/economic advantage

      • European countries are trying to monopolize resources

    • Control of territory/living space

    • Nationalism/imperialism

    • Rise of tensions among imperialist nations

    • Military build up

    • Propaganda

    • Hierarchy and Race

    • Concentration camps and genocide

  • Results of New Imperialism

    • Violence, death

    • Destruction of existing social organization

      • Politics

      • Economics

      • Social

      • Cultural

    • Rise of tensions among imperialist nations

    • Military build up

    • Propaganda

    • Racism

  • Main themes of WWI

    • Causes of the war are multi-national

    • New nature of European war dismissed the “gentlemanly conduct” discussed beforehand

    • Development of propaganda

    • Hyper-nationalism which led to genocide

    • Disillusionment to all sides

  • Vladmir Lenin

    • Led Russia into a communist revolution in October 1918

  • Treaty of Brest-Litovsk March 1918

    • Stalin demands getting his land back

  • David Lloyd George

    • England Prime Minister

    • “Enforcer” of peace

    • Made people fear Germany

  • Woodrow Wilson

    • Idea of “peace without victory”

    • Against war

    • Many saw him as weak

  • Aspects of WWI were recorded on film

    • Photographers could sell the photos to newspapers to both sides

    • Newspapers made different captions to fit their propaganda

  • French medallion after Lusitania sinking    

    • The French created a medallion to look like German propaganda involving the Lusitania

    • They wanted to make the US angry with Germany

  • Cons of fake French propaganda

    • This made it hard for people to believe propaganda about the Holocaust

  • Wilson calls for war in 1817

    • Prompts British prime minister to say there will be a “knock-out blow” to Germany

  • Wilson would not accept Germany’s surrender until Willhelm II stepped down

  • General Ludendorff and General Hindenburg

    • Deep discussions involving surrender

    • They decided they had to surrender and that Willhelm II had to step down

  • Armistice was signed on 11/11/1918

  • Peace Conference begins in 1919 in Paris

    • MANY people came to Paris, making it hard for them to have space and food for everyone

      • Leaders

      • Translators

      • Representatives from many countries

  • Wilson and Clemenceu’s desires greatly conflicted

    • Woodrow Wilson’s main desire was the League of Nations

    • Clemenceu’s (France) main desire was to punish Germany

      • Wanted strong reparations

    • Clemenceu said that without German reparations, the League of Nations would not happen

  • Treaty of Versailles in 1919

    • Germany ceded territory to France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Poland, and Lithuania

      • Polish Corridor is Polish land that breaks apart the middle of Germany

      • The League of Nations administered part of the German land as well

    • German military and military equipment is greatly reduced

    • The War Guilt Clause made Germany formally admit that the war was their fault

Post-War Optimism

  • Paris, 1919

    • Lots of optimism, hope now that the war was over

    • People thought there would never be another war

  • League of Nations

    • Meant to make fair policy on trade

    • International science

    • The United States was not a part of the League of Nations

  • Why did the US not join the League of Nations?

    • They wanted to be isolated

    • Monroe Doctrine

      • The US joining the League of Nations would rob its ability to retain control of their hemisphere

  • General Foch, France

    • Did NOT agree with Clemenceu

    • He thought the Treaty of Versailles would lead to another war in 20 years

  • Many disagreed with the Treaty of Versailles

    • Many thought that there should be peace and harmony for both sides

    • Many thought Germany should not have taken all the blame

  • Kaiser Reich ends

    • Hitler called this the Second Reich

    • Kaiser steps down and German government is open

    • This is a time of great interest

    • The world waits to see what government Germany adopts

  • Weimar Government, 1919-1933

    • Weimar is a very German town

    • The goal was to make this government true to Germany

  • The world was watching the Weimar government closely    

    • They were nervous about the way Germany would be set up

    • They did not want to see a communist uprising

  • How was the Weimar Government set up?

    • Mainly Socialist

      • Socialists were against revolution

    • Liberal Constitution

    • Proportional representation

    • Set up a democratic government

    • No signs of a communist government

    • Clause 48

    • Defended by the Imperial Army

  • What was clause 48?

    • Said that the legislature could be overtaken by the president in an emergency

    • This was seen as a safeguard for Germany

    • The government did this because they were worried about Civil War/violence

  • The German Army was still Imperial

    • The German army was still commanded by the previous aristocrats

  • Other parties in Germany during Weimar Government

    • Deeply nationalist parties

    • Revolutionary communist parties

      • Very against the socialists

  • Many people are dissatisfied

    • The economy is wrecked and unemployment is high

    • The people wounded from the war are ignored

    • There is a lot of violence, fighting in the streets

  • Robert Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism

    • Rising nationalism

    • Idea of the hierarchy with a “chosen people” to dominate others

    • Globalization seen as a threat

    • Economic displacement

    • Sense of overwhelming crisis

    • Feelings of victimization

    • Feelings of justification of violence

    • Disruption of traditional politics

    • Mass politics

  • Bolshevism

    • Refers to Russian communism

  • Fear of communism!!!

    • Many other countries feared Russian communism

    • Countries were so worried about Russian communism that they were blinded by the up-and-coming Germany

  • “Stab in the back” myth started to rise in Germany in 1919

    • Jews were the scapegoat

    • Feeds the ego of Germany to think that’s why they lost the war

  • The news that Germans got during WWI made them think they were winning

    • This is why they thought they could just blame the Jews for stabbing them in the back

  • Hitler and Hindenburg fed into the “stab in the back” myth

    • They want to appeal to the people’s sense of victimization

    • They called for Willhelm to step down

  • Kapp Putsch, 1920

    • Attempted coup of the Weimar government

    • Led by Wolfgang Kapp, a far-right nationalist

    • Imperial Party had spies spread among the parties that were a danger to the Weimar government

    • Weimar government left the city and the government shut down, which led to the failure of the Kapp Putsch

  • The Reparations bill comes in in 1921

    • About $421 trillion in today’s money

    • German government was looking for ways to bolster their economy

  • Treaty of Rapallo, 1922

    • Treaty between Soviet Union and Germany which renounced previous financial claims that hurt Germany

    • Allowed better trade between Germany and Soviet Union

    • Provided military advantages for Germany and Soviet Union

    • Claimed that Germany and Soviet Union were in good will with each other

    • This is a bolster for Germany’s economy and military

  • Obstructionism, early 1920’s

    • Reactions against the reparations and invasion of Germany

  • German hyperinflation

    • One dollar could buy billions of German currency

    • Makes more sense to burn the money and stay warm than to spend it

    • Money printers went on strike

  • How did hyperinflation happen?

    • The government decided to print too much money to support the workers

  • March on Rome, October 1922

    • Italian march led by Mussolini

  • Munich Putsch/Beer Hall Putsch

    • March led by Hitler

    • Hitler made many arguments

      • Said the argument was too western

      • Said the government was a puppet of England and France

      • Called for change

    • Hitler was arrested and put on trial

  • Hitler trial for Munich Putsch

    • Hitler spoke for days as a defendant

      • This gained him a lot of support

    • Found guilty, sentenced to 5 years in jail

  • Hitler wrote Mein Kampf in jail

    • Worked on his details on forming the Nazi party

    • Formed ideas on how to spread his message

    • Practices speeches

  • People supported Hitler

    • They saw him as a symbol of victimization

    • People were so fed up with the government

  • Dawes Plan, 1924

    • US would loan Germany to allow Germany to make reparations payments

    • Helps stabilize German economy

  • Locarno Treaty, December 1925

    • Was a symbol of peace in the world

    • Leads to great optimism

  • End of the 1920’s is very successful for Germany

    • Cabaret life

    • Sexual experimentation

  • George Grosz    

    • Artist who made paintings about Germany

    • Portrayed a poor German economy

    • Portrayed poor living conditions in Germany

    • Concerned about the Nazis

    • Against socialism

  • The Great Depression makes the Dawes Plan fall apart

    • This hurts the German economy

  • The Nazis gain a lot of support in this time

    • They held 107 seats in the Reichstag in 1930

  • Hitler is appointed to the cabinet and elevated to chancellor in 1933

    • Nazis proposed order, which Hitler brought

  • Reichstag building is set on fire

    • Hitler declares this a national emergency

    • Hitler uses Clause 48 to take complete control of the government

    • Hitler now controls the German government

  • Hitler brought order with architecture and propaganda

    • This brings great nationalism to Germany

    • Seen as synchronizing politics, society, and raced

  • Criticized cabaret life and called it “degenerate” and “not German”

    • Burned books with ideas unlike his

    • Nazis made fun of black and Jewish people

    • Nazis made claims to bring order and synchronization to race

  • Nazism was all about influence

    • Hitler deliberately thought out his plan to get power

  • Hitler made people be part of groups

    • Each group had to have a Nazi party member

    • This made sure that everyone was being supervised

  • Nazis believed in order

    • This had a relationship with their beliefs about race

    • This built a hierarchy that they believed in

    • This was imposed in politics, social life, economic life, culturally

  • What happens when fascism is established?

    • Nothing is allowed to be private in anyone’s life

    • Citizens must participate in mass ceremonies of affirmation and conformity

    • No individual rights outside of community

    • Expands powers of the executive party for total control

    • The core of fascism was made from aggressive emotions and maintaining them

  • Determinants of Inter-War IR

    • Fear of formal imperial empires

    • Western shame over terms of Versailles Treaty

    • Fear of communism

    • Weak League of Nations

    • Germany instigates bidding war

    • Appeasement begins during Weimar

  • The Maginot Line

    • Between France and Germany built by France

    • Shows that France is still afraid of Germany

    • It was built underground, like a very advanced trench

  • Hitler’s planning/preparation

    • First he needed to build a military

    • Then he wanted to ally with Mussolini

      • Wanted Mussolini’s approval before taking Austria

      • Thought Mussolini could help him

    • Wanted to expand Germany without expending resources

    • Wanted to neutralize the Soviet Union

  • Night of the Long Knives, June-July in 1934

    • Hitler “cleared out” the obstacles standing in his way

  • Nazis assassinate Austrian chancellor in July 1934

    • This made Mussolini angry with Hitler, which was not what they wanted

  • President of Germany, Hindenburg, dies in August 1934

    • The Cabinet established legislation before he even died

    • This showed the weakness of German legislation

  • People voted for Hitler to be Head of State   

    • People voted under the fear of their life for him

    • They were kind of forced

  • Hitler made a big show of rebuilding the air force and the army

  • Great Britain and Germany make a naval treaty in June of 1935

    • Britain allowed Germany to have 35% of the strength of Britain’s navy

    • If the Soviet Union became more of a threat, Germany could have the full strength of Britain’s navy

    • This showed that there was not much faith in the League of Nations

  • Italy invades Abyssinia in October 1935

    • Hitler supported Mussolini doing this

    • After this Mussolini began to like Hitler

  • Mussolini and Hitler begin to come together

    • Hitler feels he can begin to invade now that he is allied with Mussolini

    • This shows how important it was to Hitler to have an ally with Italy

  • Germany takes over Rhineland in March 1936

  • Spanish Civil War occurs from 1936-1939

    • Hitler and Mussolini sent aid to Spain because their leader was fascist

    • Stalin sent aid to those fighting against Spain

    • Showed tension between Soviet Union and Germany/Italy

  • Rome-Berlin Axis is formed between Italy and Germany

    • They referred to this alliance as the Pact of Steel

  • Argument of self-determination of nations

    • Many other non-German occupied lands contained people of German descent

    • This was important to Hitler’s argument for taking over Europe

  • Stalin was ready to take military action against Germany

  • Munich Conference in September 1938

  • Hitler is named TIME Man of the Year in 1938

  • Nazi-Soviet Pact in August 1939

    • This was a weird partnership for the time

  • Page 9 questions

    • Question 1

      • Their

    • How did the Nuremberg Laws define a citizen of the Reich, and what do these laws reveal about Hitler's vision for Germany?

      • Their status had to be acquired w/ citizen papers

      • They had to be “of German or kindred blood”

      • Their behavior had to show they fit

      • This revealed that Hitler had a specific type that he wanted to be in Germany

    • who did not fit into the Reich's definition of a citizen? How did Germany's economic and socio-political problems relate to ideas of race and lead to the rise of Nazism?

      • Jewish people did NOT fit his vision

    • Question 4

      • Jewish Germans were banned from competing

      • They purposely treated black athletes well

  • Page 7 questions

    • Question 1

      • s

    • Using Mussolini's "What is Fascism," define and describe Italian Fascism. Use specific details from the text Do you detect differences between Nazism and Italian Fascism? Similarities?

      • A way of life centered around power and domination

      • Involves being brave for the greater good of the country

      • Strong nationalism

      • Similarities       

        • Belief in strength and authority

        • Belief in organization

        • Discipline

      • Differences

        • Italian fascism leaves more liberty to the individual

    • Discuss how Hitler implemented his early ideas into policy after 1933. Be sure to cite particular documents within Moeller and discuss specific examples that prove your points.

      • Created the Hitler Youth (Docs. 12-13)

      • Wanted people to work hard and eliminate unionization (Docs. 14-15)

      • Wanted to strike fear into people

      • Wanted to sustain order

      • Wanted to get rid of other ideas

  • Page 6 questions

    • Discuss the feeling of political and economic disorder in Weimar Germany. What are the origins of these feelings?  What are the consequences of these feelings?

      • Extreme hyperinflation and Great Depression made people frustrated

      • People were disgruntled about how the war ended and the “stab-in-the-back” myth began

      • These emotions led to little control in politics and democracy

        • There was no one that seemed like a strong politician

        • There were too many parties

    • Discuss the sources and feelings of social and cultural disorder and uncertainty in Germany, 1919-1933.  Be sure to cite particular cases.

      • People were divided about how the government should be ran (Moeller

      • Middle-class Germans felt like the government didn’t care for them (Moeller)

      • Street armies like the Freikorps began to rise up and cause violence

  • For the midterm: Remember the 5 C’s

    • Change over time

    • Context

      • The set-up of events

    • Causality

      • Historical events have multiple causes

      • It is a result of several events

    • Contingency

      • If “this” didn’t happen, “this other event” would not have happened

    • Complexity

  • Connecting propaganda and 1936 Olympics

    • Propaganda paragraph

      • Hitler utilized propaganda to justify his “cleansing”

      • Propaganda greatly affected German people (Mawdsley book)

      • Used posters, announcements, movies (Mawdsley book)

    • 1936 Olympics paragraph

      • All the stuff that happened at the 1936 Olympics from the article on the topic

      • The article talked about the protests against Germany hosting

    • Connecting the two

      • Germany wanted to convey how great their race was (article)

      • Hitler told the German people to be very welcoming (article)

      • They took down the antiemetic signs and were very welcoming to minorities like African Americans (article)

  • Connecting Kristallnacht and antisemitism

    • Antisemitism paragraph

      • Process of exclusion of Jewish people

    • Kristallnacht paragraph

      • Documents from the Mawdsley book talking about Kristallnacht

      • Destruction of synagogues

    • Connecting the two

      • Kristallnacht represented the context of the Jewish hate Germans had

  • Connecting the Nuremburg laws and racial purity

    • Nuremburg paragraph

      • Talking about who can marry who (Nuremburg law document)

      • “Of Jewish blood” (Nuremburg document)

    • Racial purity

      • Mental illnesses

      • They felt that Jewish people shouldn’t have kids

      • Homosexuality frowned upon

    • Connecting the two

      • The backbone of the laws was racial purity

      • They wanted to make sure that the “superior race” was being continued

  • Connecting antisemitism and propaganda

    • Antisemitism

      • “Stab-in-the-back” picture from the lecture

      • This started from WWI

      • The Nuremburg Laws document

    • Propaganda

      • Hitler destroyed art that was against his vision (Lecture)

      • His youth program starting up (from the book)

    • Connecting the two

      • The propaganda really highlighted the hate they had for Jewish people

Motivations, thoughts, attitudes

  • Motivations of other countries

    • Appeasement

      • People giving Nazi Germany what they wanted with the idea that they would stop afterward

    • The West FEARED communism

  • Hitler’s motivations

    • Bring back German power and get rid of the shame they face from the TOV

    • Rebuild Germany to it’s pre-WWI strength

      • Wants to regain Austria territory

      • Wants to maintain the German race

    • He believed Nazism thrived on violence/dominance

      • Hitler thought peace would be harmful

  • Stalin’s motivations    

    • He was trying to build up the Soviet Union

    • He wanted a neutrality because he didn’t think he’d be successful in a war

  • Treaty of Brest Litovsk, 1918

    • Russia withdraws from WWI

  • Germany attacked Poland after the German-Soviet Pact

  • Blitzkrieg

    • “Waves” of attacks

    • Dependent on speed

    • They had smaller tanks which were supposed to be quicker

    • SS would deliberately kill people who were a threat of resistance after Blitzkrieg

  • Stalin has to come into the war because of the Nazi-Soviet Pact

  • “Lebensraum” (“Blood and Soil”)

    • Idea that Aryan Race would repopulate and become farmers

    • This involved destroying the race that lived in the areas they wanted to enforce this plan

  • Katyne Massacre

    • The Red Army executed Polish POWs

    • They deliberately killed people who were a threat of potential resistance

    • Germans hid the bodies by burying them

    • They wanted to encourage the US and Great Britain to fight the Soviet Union

  • Hitler’s strategy to avoid fighting on multiple fronts was to attack one country at a time

    • Attack the east: Poland

    • Attack the North: Scandanavia

    • Attack the West: France and Low countries

    • Attack further west: Great Britain

    • Attack further east": Soviet Union

  • Germany promised the Soviet Union Polish territory and didn’t give it to them fairly

  • Hitler loved celebrations

    • Held a parade after taking over Poland

    • The nazi police would make people leave their house and join parades in the streets

  • Britain establishes a blockade in September 1939

    • Prevents ships from reaching Germany

    • This prevents resources from getting to Germany by sea

  • Cash and carry November 1939

    • Meant that the US would provide materials to Britain

    • The US made Britain come and receive the resources in person

    • The US did this because they didn’t want to put their ships/people in danger

  • After Germany took over Poland, the British expected Germany to attack

    • Operation Pied Piper

      • Britain expected Germany to bomb areas in the city

      • Intended to get the kids out of the most likely areas of bombardment

    • The British would black out the city to make it less visible

  • Instead of attacking Britain next, Germany attacked Scandinavia/Finland (north)

    • Finland was expecting a Soviet attack, so they formed the Mannerheim Line

    • The Soviet Union also wanted to take over Scandinavia

    • Scandinavia had the advantage at first

      • They knew the environment better

      • They had white uniforms which helped them blend in with the snow

      • The Soviet Army had black uniforms, so they didn’t blend in

      • The Soviets had a weak war officer core

    • The Soviets ultimately turned things around and won after 3.5 months

  • Nazis invade Norway on March 1st

    • Mostly a naval battle

    • Battle at Narvik

      • The British inflicted a lot of damage upon Germany

      • However, the British regarded it is a failure because it didn’t stop the invasion of Norway

      • This made the Germans less confident about a naval invasion of Britain

      • Shows that Churchill is willing to take risks

  • Russo-Finnish War    

    • Stalin learned that he needed better equipment, officers, uniforms, and weapons

    • War involving Scandinavia

    • Only lasted a couple months but was critical in these ways

  • Paul Reynaud is made the new prime minister of France in 1940

    • France expected trouble looming

    • They chose Reynaud because he was not an appeaser

  • Winston Churchill becomes prime minister in 1940

  • Manstein Plan

    • Germany’s plan of attack on western countries

    • Involved how they expected French army to respond

  • Dyle Plan

    • France’s plan of defense

    • Planned to push the Germans back to the Dyle River

    • Did not match up well against the Manstein Plan

  • Germans invade France through the Ardennes Forest

  • Operation Dynamo

    • British troops get trapped on the coastline (Dunkirk)

    • The Nazis stopped for a couple days

    • Churchill says anyone with a boat should cross the channel and save the troops

    • Saved 338,000 troops

  • French surrender in 1940

    • Signed in the train car that armistice talks from WWI were held in

    • Hitler purposely brought out this train car

  • Pitan governs France under Hitler

    • Germany now owns a lot of territory

  • Radar is developed by the British

    • Helps anticipate German air attacks

    • Huge development

  • Battle of Britain in 1940

    • Less than a month after France falls

    • One of the last steps in Hitler’s plan to take over

      • He’s already making plans to take over the Soviet Union

    • How Britain would hold off the German military

      • Radar

      • Breaking the Enigma Code

      • Royal observation core

        • People would sit outside and watch for German soldiers

        • They sent info of what they saw

  • Page 12 questions

    • Deeply analyze, contextualize and discuss "Churchill's Island."  What was its domestic purpose?  What was its international purpose? How did it accomplish these purposes?  How does it relate to Churchill's speeches?      

      • The domestic purpose was to boost morale of the people who were working hard

      • The international purpose was to gain strength in order to defeat the Nazis

        • He wanted to convince other countries that Britain was resilient

        • Rallying cry

    • Compare the nature of fascist society in Germany in the 1930's and early 1940's to the nature of British society after the start of war in 1939.   What inspired or propelled each nation of people to unite in one purpose?  What types of activities and attitudes does war require that peace does not? Was one society more united than the other?  Explain.  

      • Both societies were highly nationalistic

      • Churchill wanted to make regular citizens feel included in fighting against the Nazis

      • Germans were united through fear

  • Page 13 questions

    • Explain the fate of the Nazi-Soviet Pact

      • Ruined

    • The Nazis made quick progress into the Soviet Union, all the way to the outskirts of Moscow.  To what extent was Operation Barbarossa a success for Germany?  To what extent, and why, was it a failure?

      • Germans weren’t prepared for the weather

  • Hitler’s plan comes down to capturing Britain and Soviet Union

    • He still wanted to avoid fighting on multiple fronts

    • Referred to European imperialist history

  • Attack on Britain was supposed to last 4 days and instead lasted almost 4 months

  • British defense

    • Royal Observation Core

      • People who sat out and watched for German planes and reported it to the British

    • Women

    • Operation Double Cross

      • The British identified every single German spy on their territory

      • They turned German spies into double agents

  • Tripartite pact

    • Intended to keep the US out of the war

  • Royal Air Force started to attack Berlin on August 24

    • This is important because the German citizens were previously promised that they would be safe in Berlin

    • It made the German people realize they really could be attacked

    • Britain started to attack boats and ships for a couple weeks

    • Deprived Germans of the resources they would need to make an attack across the channel

    • Britain goes on the offensive, Hitler gets pushed on his heels a little

  • Mussolini attacks Egypt (controlled by the British)

    • The British defeated the Italians and destroyed a lot of their resources

    • This meant that Germans had to give the Italians their resources

  • The US begins to get involved

    • Provided lend-lease aid to Britain and Soviet Union

    • The US helped the British protect their supply convoys

    • The US helps to protect Greenland and Iceland

    • The US told Stalin that an attack on the Soviet Union was coming

      • Stalin resisted these reports and did not prepare for an attack

  • Operation Barbarossa took longer than the Germans expected

    • This forced them to have to fight in the very cold weather

    • The Germans were too far beyond their supply lines which made them hungry and desperate

    • Germans were extremely violent towards Soviet citizens

    • Germans took prisoners of war

      • They did not treat their prisoners of war according to international law

      • 97% of POWs died in camps

  • Very cold conditions in Soviet Union

    • Soviets were much more experienced from the Russo-Finnish War, where they learned their lesson

    • Stalin brought in Siberian troops

  • Origins and context of the Holocaust

    • Hitler’s biography

    • European antisemitism

      • Books like International Jew

    • German nationalism

  • Hitler described the Aryan race as

    • Culture creators

    • People who could maintain culture

  • Pre-War Implementation

    • Freikorps (1918)

      • Nationalist gangs attached to political parties

    • Prison camps (1933)

      • Established under the Nazi government

    • Marriage loans (1933)

      • Two people had to prove Aryan ancestry

      • Every healthy baby they had would let them receive money

    • T4 (1933-1945)

      • Research on eliminating the “unfit”

      • Investigated methods of murder with drugs and stuff like that

    • Nuremberg Laws (1934)

    • Lebensborn program (1936-1945)

      • Attempt to increase the children born to Aryan couples

      • “Germanizing” blonde hair and blue eyes

    • Kristallnacht (Nov 9-10, 1938)

      • First use of violence

      • Becomes obvious at this point

  • War-Time Implementation

    • Poland: Einsatzgruppen and Generalplan

      • Starving to death the people in Poland

    • Ghettoization (1939)

      • Jews were smushed into neighborhoods that were way too small

      • They were intentionally starved

    • Barbarossa

    • Zyklon B (1941)

      • Poison gas used to kill Jews/POWs

      • Was disguised as something else

    • The Final Solution (1942)

      • Mass use of poison gas to kill Jews

  • Warsaw Ghetto (October 1940-April 1943)

    • Jewish people previously had community groups

      • Nazis intentionally murdered leaders of these Jewish groups

      • Nazis told these groups to do certain things and klled them when they didn’t comply

  • Jewish Combat Organization

    • People who resisted the oppressors in the Warsaw Ghetto

Page 15 questions

  • Describe Browning and Goldhagen's arguments presented in Ordinary Men and Hitler's Willing Executioners.

    • Browning

      • Most soldiers didn’t want to kill innocent Jews

      • Soldiers were emotional when they were told to kill the innocent Jews

      • Many soldiers asked to be relieved of their duties

      • Soldiers killed the Jews because they didn’t want to look weak

    • Goldhagen

      • The soldiers knew what they were doing and were proud of it

      • Wives participated in killings

      • Soldiers did killings in front of citizens

      • Soldiers talked about it openly

  • What evidence do Browning and Goldhagen use to support their respective arguments? Which argument do you find the most convincing? Explain your choice.     

    • Goldhagen used photos

    • Browning used testimonies

  • Why do you think Browning chose to title the book Ordinary Men? What does this title imply about Browning's interpretation of the atrocities that the Nazis committed and of humanity or human nature in general? How does Goldhagen's interpretation in Hitler's Willing Executioners differ from Browning's?

    • Why Ordinary Men?

      • Showed that these men were regular people

      • Showed that they still had some humanity, but were forced to be something else

Varieties of Resistance

  • Resistance increased when they realized Hitler was intending to kill all Jews

  • Small examples of resistance

    • People taking photos of Auschwitz

    • People snuck food and clothes to the prisoners

    • Not doing the Nazi salute

    • Swing dancing

    • White rose group    

      • Write leaflets about philosophy and pass them out

  • French Resistance

    • Resistance was organized over the radio

    • Maquisards

      • Helped people get out of France and escape

Lecture

  • Hitler tried to keep up German enthusiasm

    • He wanted to try to maintain production of necessary war products

  • Hitler is fighting on multiple fronts, which he didn’t want

  • Hitler’s commitment to killing Nazis wasted resources they could’ve used on the battlefront

    • This shows their commitment to killing Jews

  • Operation Anthropoid, May 1942

    • SOE was trying to assassinate Reinard Heydrich

    • He was the governor of Czechoslovakia

    • He was one of Hitler’s favorites to succeed his power

  • Operation Mincemeat, April 1943

    • SOE would plant false plans on a dead body to trick the Nazis

  • The Great Patriotic War

    • What the Soviets called the war

    • Much more brutality when fighting in the Soviet Union

  • Stalingrad, August 1942-Feb 1943

    • Hitler thought taking Stalingrad would be a major blow to the Soviets

    • This was an area he focused on taking

  • Allied purposes of aerial war

    • Use aerial bombardment to win the war

      • This was the main focus from 1940-1942

    • After March 1942, they thought it would undermine enemy morale

    • Supported invasion

      • Reduced German resources

      • Destroyed factories

  • Factors in changing purposes of aerial war

    • Dynamics of escalation and retaliation

    • Technological developments

    • Shifts in diplomacy and military organization

      • Countries changed who they were fighting against

      • Alliances changed

  • Churchill thought that they had to overwhelm Germany with bombing

    • FDR disagreed with civilian bombardment

    • Churchill argued that there had to be relentless bombings

  • Frederick Lindemann writes the Lindemann Paper

    • Argued for more RAF funding (ground fighting)

    • Argues heavily for killing civilians

    • Said that this would really decrease German morale

  • Britain develops radar signals and sends them throughout the country

    • They can now find their targets easier

  • Combined Bomber Offensive between US and Britain is established in Jan. 1943

    • British and US work together to plan their bombings

    • They met in Casablanca Africa

    • Showed that they controlled this area

  • Trident Conference in 1943

    • Established that they were trying to reduce Germans access to resources

    • Established commitment to cross-channel invasion

  • P-51 Mustang is developed in 1943

    • Very fast and has a long flight range

  • Tehran Conference

    • FDR, Churchill, and Stalin reinforce commitment to cross-channel invasion

  • CBO established in Casablanca in 1943

  • Operation Gomorrah in Hamburg 1943

    • Destroyed 48% of housing

  • Operation Tidal Wave: Ploesti 1943

  • Operation Argument: “Big Week”, Feb 1944

    • Argument to destroy German air forces

  • First ballistic missile launched in 1944

  • Lessons of Dieppe

    • Bigger invasion

    • Better air support

    • Better intelligence

    • Bigger surprise/better targe

    • Better equipment

  • Bombardment was targeted for German factories

    • German industry was taking a big hit

  • Germany starts to send underqualified men to war

    • Sends women to the factories

  • Soviets launch Operation Bagration, where they invade Germany

  • Operation Dragoon, 1944

    • ??

  • Allied forces try to expand portion of their control

    • They move further northeast from Normandy Beach

  • Moscow Conference in October 1944

    • United States was not there as FDR was campaigning for his next term

    • Churchill and Stalin divide up the amount of influence they’ll have in each country

    • The US can’t bring their point of view on self-determination

  • Battle of the Bulge: Dec 1944-Jan 1945

    • Nazis push forward with ground forces/tanks

    • They could not call for air support because it was cloudy

    • Very cold conditions

  • Yalta Conference February 1945

    • Talk about the post-war world

    • Four D’s

      • Demilitarization

      • Democracy

      • Decentralization

      • Decartelization    

        • Big businesses had to be broken apart

  • Dresden February 1945

    • Heavily bombed by the Allies

  • Rhineland Campaign 1945

    • Launched by the allies after the Battle of the Bulge

  • The race to Berlin

    • People thought the first country to Berlin would have rule over Germany after the war

    • Churchill was more concerned with the post-war world

      • He wanted to make sure the Soviets didn’t get there first

  • The new Reichstag Building    

    • Rebuilt much later

    • Anyone can see what the congress is doing

    • THis allows people to hold the government accountable

  • Stalin didn’t accept the surrender in Rheims    

    • He insisted the surrender was signed in Berlin

    • Therefore, the surrender was official the next day in Berlin

  • The Wanzig COnference and Potsdam Conference

    • Wanzing Conference was when they talked about killing Jews

    • The Potsdam Conference was

Last Recitation major topics

  • Age of anxiety/Weimar Republic

  • Imperialism

    • Nationalism

  • Antisemitism

    • Holocaust

  • Allied resistance

  • Propaganda

  • Total War

    • When the war spills over into bombing of civilians

    • ALL efforts of that society go towards the war

Matching words exercise

  • Lindemann Paper

  • Royal Observation Core

  • Battle of the Bulge

  • Operation Mincemat

  • Cash and Carry

  • Wansee Conference

  • Spheres of Influence

  • Fall of France

  • Ghost Army

  • Charles de Gaul