Transcript The impact of War on the German people 1939-1945

The impact of War on
the German people
1939-1945
1) Changes in attitudes and daily lives 1939-1941
2) Impact of invasion on USSR and ‘total war’
3) Effects of bombing and military defeats
4) State of Germany 1945
How
successfully
did Hitler
maintain his
position/
popular
support during
the war?
Germany at war
• 1939 – Outbreak of war – Invasion of Poland (September)
• Oct 1939-April 1940 – Defeat of Poland followed by
phoney war.
• May – June 1940 – Initial victories – France, Belgium,
Holland, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg.
• April 1941 – invasion of North Africa (Rommel), by May
1943 the Axis (Germany, Italy and Japan) forces had
surrendered.
• 22nd June 1941 – Operation Barbarossa (invasion of the
Soviet Union) early successes force Red Army to retreat.
• June 1942 – Stalingrad – offensive to capture the Caucasus
oilfield and Stalingrad. Crushing defeat in July 1943 – by
end 1944 whole of Russia had been liberated.
• Defeat on the Western Front – June 1944 – March 1945.
The Bombing of Germany
• Until 1942 raids were few and
inaccurate on Germany.
• In February 1942 the RAF
launched the first of many mass
raids.
• 30th May 1942 Cologne suffered
the first thousand-bomber raid.
• In July 1943 over 50,000 civilians
died in Hamburg and an even
greater number in Dresden on
13th Feb 1945.
• The precision bombing against
targets in the Ruhr also had an
important damaging effect on the
German war economy.
1939-1941
• Why was Germany’s military advance so successful
between 1939-1941?
• France and Britain failed to take the initiative and left
Poland to fight alone.
• The French defence strategy based on the Maginot
Line was not effective against Germany’s Blitzkrieg
tactics.
• Germany’s expansive foreign policy allowed her to
exploit labour and resources of those countries.
• USSR taken by surprise and not well prepared for
German attack.
Group presentations
• You are going to be put in groups to research and
present on an aspect of the impact of war on the
German people
• Use your textbooks and the sheets to prepare a side of
notes to use in your presentation
• You will present to the class next lesson and I will copy
your notes for everyone so you each have a full set of
notes – your notes must be in my work post box no
later than Mon 16th March
Group presentations
1.Propaganda – Ben and Jonathan
2.Rationing – Rohan, Jamie and Alex
3.Workers – Ati, Chris and Omar
4.Women – Michael, Matt and Myles
5.Youth – Quinten and Ahsan
6.Attitudes of Germans to war – Will, Muhammad and
Oli
Changes in
propaganda 1939-45
P.65-67 AQA blue textbook
• What were the aims of Nazi propaganda in the 1930s,
and in the early years of the war (1939-41)?
• What was the ‘total war’ strategy (after Dec 1941) and
what impact did it have on Nazi propaganda?
Consider the key themes
• Why did the Hitler Myth decline in the 1940s?
• How far did the realities of war undermine the
effectiveness of Nazi propaganda in the years 1943-45?
• What pressures led to the failure of Nazi propaganda?
Changes in attitudes
and daily lives 1939-1941
Notes on:
• 1) Rationing p.117
• 2) Workers p.117/8
• 3) Women p.118/9
• 4) Youth p.119/20
Think about:
• What was the impact of the war
on these sections of society?
• Did the Nazis compromise their
ideological beliefs?
Attitudes of Germans towards
the war between 1939-1941?
Reactions to war? Fears?
Pressures?
• Read the sources and
explain the different
attitudes to war, using
quotes and linking to
your own knowledge