Part 5_3 Germany development of dictatorship, 1918–45

School History Part Five: Germany and the Occupied Territories During the Second World War

Subject

Edexcel International Paper 1: Depth Studies Germany: Development of Dictatorship, 1918-45

Instructions for Use

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Learning Objectives

Students should be able to:

• Trace the escalation of Nazi persecution of Jews throughout the 1930s and 1940s, culminating in the Holocaust.

• Analyze changing conditions on the Home Front during the war, focusing on societal impacts and civilian morale.

• Assess the impact of opposition to Hitler, particularly among youth movements and their significance in resisting Nazi ideologies.

Important Keywords:

• Final Solution: The Nazi plan for the systematic extermination of Jews.

• Total War: A warfare strategy that involves mobilizing all of society's resources for the war effort, affecting civilians as well as soldiers.

• Rationing: The controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, or services, commonly implemented during wartime.

• Operation Valkyrie: A failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler and overthrow the Nazi regime in 1944.

• Nazi Policies Towards Jews: A series of discriminatory laws and actions aimed at the systematic oppression and extermination of the Jewish population in Europe.

Content Overview:

• Nazi Policies Towards Jews: This involved the establishment of ghettos, the activities of mobile death squads known as Einsatzgruppen, and the orchestration of the Final Solution, leading to the massacre and displacement of millions.

• Home Front: Analyze the changing role of women as they filled previously male-dominated roles, the emphasis on total war which required civilian sacrifices, rationing of food and goods, and the psychological effects of relentless Allied bombing campaigns on German cities.

• Opposition to Hitler: Explore youth movements such as the Edelweiss Pirates and the White Rose Group, their activities against the Nazi regime, and key events like the July 1944 Bomb Plot, which demonstrated significant dissent within Germany.

• Topics also include Hitler’s eventual death and the consequent collapse of the Third Reich.

Historical Context (1930s)

Treaty of Versailles Violations:

• Militarization of the Rhineland: Featured German reoccupation of the demilitarized zone, which went unopposed by France or Britain.

• Annexation of the Sudetenland: The Munich Agreement allowed Germany to annex significant parts of Czechoslovakia without conflict.

• Invasion of Czechoslovakia: This act of aggression led to the breakdown of previous diplomatic agreements and set the stage for war with Poland.

German Conquest of Europe (1939-1942)

Military Expansion:

• Blitzkrieg Tactics: A military strategy employing rapid and surprise attacks that led to swift conquests of countries including Denmark and Norway, establishing Nazi control over much of Western Europe.

• General Government: Administration of occupied territories that implemented oppressive policies against native populations, including forced labor and mass deportations.

Nazi Policies Towards Jews

The Final Solution:

• Over 2 million Jews exterminated at Auschwitz, primarily through gas chambers and subsequent death marches as Allied forces advanced.

• The Nuremberg Trials (1945-1946) served to hold major war criminals accountable for crimes against humanity, especially related to the Holocaust.

Phases of Jewish Persecution

• Phase 1: Pre-1941, massive numbers of Jews were forcibly confined in ghettos and camps across Europe.

• Phase 2: Einsatzgruppen executed about 1.2 million Jews in the Soviet Union, marking a brutally efficient phase of extermination.

• Phase 3: Systematic transfer of Jews to concentration camps in Poland, led by Reinhard Heydrich, as part of the Final Solution policies.

The Home Front

Impact of War on Civilians:

• Rationing: Commenced in 1939 to manage escalating food and resource shortages across the nation, enforcing severe measures on civilians.

• War Economy: Shifted societal roles, particularly for women, who entered the workforce in massive numbers to fill labor shortages created by the war effort.

• Destruction from Bombing Campaigns: British and Allied forces conducted extensive bombing raids that devastated urban centers and had profound psychological impacts on the German population.

Role of Women During WWII

• Accurate data on clothing rationing showcases the significant sacrifices made by the populace.

• A notable shift towards female participation in industrial labor, which contradicted traditional Nazi views on gender roles, indicating evolving societal norms during wartime.

Opposition to Hitler

Youth Movements:

• Edelweiss Pirates: Engaged in small acts of resistance against the Nazi regime, often aiding in the escape of forced laborers.

• White Rose Group: A student-led organization that distributed anti-Nazi pamphlets, calling for passive resistance.

• July 1944 Bomb Plot: Conspiracy by senior military officials to assassinate Hitler and overthrow the government, illustrating significant dissent within the German military establishment.

Hitler's Death and the End of the Third Reich

Final Years of the War:

• As Allied forces liberated territories in Western Europe, Germany faced unconditional surrender, which occurred in May 1945.

• Hitler's death on April 30, 1945, amidst the downfall of Berlin marked a pivotal moment in concluding the Nazi regime, with the Nuremberg Trials to follow for war crime prosecutions.

Glossary of Terms

• Rationing: Policy managing resources during shortages, aimed to ensure equitable distribution among civilians.

• Lebensraum: Expansionist Nazi ideology advocating for territorial growth to secure living space for the Aryan race.

• Final Solution: The systemic plan for the extermination of European Jews.

• Anschluss: The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938, violating the Treaty of Versailles.

• Operation Valkyrie: A failed coup aimed at assassinating Hitler and stabilizing Germany under new leadership with a military government.