Germany during the Second World War

Nazi policies towards the Jews including ghettos, death squads and the Final Solution.

Ghettos

• These were where all the Jews were rounded up and put into. They were crowded and there was poor sanitation.
• There was disease, no clean water, and little food. The Nazis hoped this would kill the Jews without their interference.
• Having so many Jews in a concentrated area meant the Nazis could just attack the Ghetto and get rid of all of them at once - for example, by burning
• Isolated Jews from the rest of the population - they became increasingly alien and weren't allowed to mix with the 'Aryans' who were 'racially superior'

Death squads

• 'Einstazgruppen'
• They killed the Jews as Germany gained ground with their troops, especially in Eastern Europe.
• Implemented the 'final solution'
• Reduced the population of Jews that had to be 'dealt with' in other ways, such as being put in concentration camps

Final Solution

• Agreed upon at the Wansee Conference of 1942
• There were more and more Jews as the Germans gained land, so they thought that mass genocide was an appropriate solution
• Gas vans and shooting were used as main methods of killing but it was seen as mentally burdensome on the killer
• After Jan 1942, they decided to gas Jews en masse to kill them as quickly as possible and in the largest possible numbers.
• They were sent to death / concentration camps, mainly in Poland, the most notorious of which was Auschwitz. About 6 million

The changing role of women, ‘total war’, rationing and the effects of allied bombing

'Total War'

Goebbels called for 'total war' after a humiliating defeat where 94000 German soldiers surrendered to the Soviets. He made his longest radio speech ever, urging people to prove that the Germans weren't worn out and that they'd keep going.

• Businesses not relevant to the war effort were shut down
• All industry was focused on making artillery and weapons
• Everything was rationed
• Every capable man or boy was sent to the Front, regardless of age
• Women were encouraged to work to fill in the jobs left empty by men if between the ages of 17 and 45
• Hair dyeing and perming was banned
• There were no longer 'normal' shops like sweet shops
• Work hours in factories were extended

Changing role of women

• Before, the Nazis pushed women to only be housewives. With the arrival of War, there were many casualties, and as Germany's position gradually deteriorated, more and more jobs were being left empty.
• The Nazis then decided they needed women to fill in these jobs. They encouraged women to take up jobs
• There was even greater pressure for them to have children, as many had died

Both the attempts at getting women to work and getting them to have more children was unsuccessful. Becuase the Nazis had pushed them to stay at home for so long, now that's what they wanted to do. They tried to push 3 million women into working, but only 1 million actually did, which contributed to their defeat in the War.

Rationing

• The Nazis had already begun rationing in the 1939. But then, only clothes and food were rationed
• As Germany's position weakened, rations became scarcer and smaller, until people were living off smaller rations than those in Britain (1942)
• It became almost impossible to buy new clothes or shoes

Effects of Allied bombing

• Through propaganda, the Nazis had convinved people that Germany was winning the war, so many of them still had much hope. The Allies knew this was dangerous and wanted to stop this, so they bombed Germany's major cities
• With the bombings, no-one could deny that things were getting worse
• Houses were destroyed
• Number of doctors went down significantly - female and jewish doctors were forbidden to treat people, and most others went to the War Front to help the soldiers, leaving very few for civilians. It went from 15 doctors per 10,000 people  in the 1930s to 1 doctor per 15,000 people in 1941.
• Many Germans fled to the countryside. As a result, village populations boomed.
• Support for the War dwindled, especially in the villages.

The growth of opposition to Hitler including the Edelweiss Pirates, the White Rose Group and the Stauffenberg Plot.

Edelweiss Pirates

• They hated how the Hitler Youth controlled every aspect of a young person's life
• They wore checkered shirts, white stockings and shorts
• Had an Edelweiss pin
• Encouraged de-segregation between boys and girls
• Sometimes, but not often, provoked street fights between the Hitler Youths / Nazis and themselves
• Refused to be bullied into obedience
• After WW2 began, the discord between the Nazis and the Pirates intensified. They were believed to be responsible for the anti-Nazi graffitti in the subways and spreading anti-Nazi propaganda from the British. The Gestapo and secret police were sent to find them.
• Pirates who were caught had their heads shaven, were beaten, and often ended up sent to concentration camps. They were sometimes put in forced labor, too.
• Many deliberately tried to hijack Nazi weapon manufacturing.
• In 1944, 13 youths were publicly hanged in Cologne for going against the Nazis (probably on the orders of Heinrich Himmler)
• They often defied Nazi curfew rules and went on hiking and camping trips, which were prohibited. During these trips, they sang anti-Nazi songs and talked about whatever they liked, especially topics that were prohibited in cities and that would get them in trouble if overheard by the police.

White Rose

• Made up of youths, most notably, Hans and Sophie Scholl.
• Attended munich university and spread anti-Nazi leaflets with the assistance of a professor.
• The group was kept very small, as they knew that if they were caught, they would be charged with treason and there would be serious consequences.
• They were active between 1942 and 1943, between which they distributed a total of 6 leaflets.
• They were caught by the Gestapo on the 18th of Feb, 1943.
• Hans and Sophie did not try to hide the fact that it was them, in an attempt to stop them from revealing any other members of the group. They were repeatedly interrogated until they finally revealed the rest of the names.
• They were put on trial and charged with treason. The punishment was death by beheading. The execution, thus, was carried out on the same day.
• Their last leaflet was smuggled out of Germany and given to the allies. They printed millions of copies and dropped them all over the country.

The Sauffenberg Plot

• Military personnel were against the way that Hitler was using the army and they hated it.
• Sauffenberg was a war hero, severly injured. He could easily get near Hitler, as he had been promoted to full Colonel.
• He brought a bomb in a briefcase and walked out of the room with a great excuse, minutes before the bomb was meant to go off.
• One of the people at the meeting moved the briefcase from where he thought the ideal position was, so 3 were killed in the explosion, but Hitler escaped with only charred clothes and damaged eardrums.
• Those that were responsible were searched for and immediately killed.
• A few hours after the attack, Hitler toured Mussollini around the site of the explosion.

Defeat and Hitler’s death.

• The Red Army was advancing rapidly into Berlin. The army units were exhausted, and old men with the Hitler Youth, poorly equipped and barely trained, were expected to provide a last stand
• Anyone with a white flag in front of their door was shot
• The amount of military and civilian casualties in Berlin was growing, brutally
• Hitler still believed that they could win the war, but even his closest officials were losing hope
• Goebbels talked to the Allies about surrender. When Hitler found out, he flew into a rage.

• Once he realised that there was truly no more hope, and how Mussollini suffered a cruel and humiliating death, he swore he would not subject himself to the same thing. Thus, he decided to commit suicide.
• He ordered cyanide pills, and made people test them on his dog, Blondi, and her puppies. They were given the pills and died.
• He and Eva Braun (now, Eva Hitler) committed suicide by ingesting the cyanide. Hitler is said to have shot himself with his service pistol, but those in the bunker at the time said they did not hear the shots.
• With the Soviets advancing, any attempt to continue the German Reich was quickly ended.
• Many of the Nazis were arrested by the Soviets.
• Goebbels and his wife fed their children cyanide pills and then killed themselves as well.
• Hitler ordered them to burn his body - they poured gasoline and threw a match to light the fire.